Summer Guide 2007 by Diana James

BOMBING out at

UNION STATION

ChRIS MORRIS IS AN

‘excitable

BOY’

Black Days at

Pebble Beach

FRED THOMPSON Fan Club

 andy klein  ‘Shrek’ fatigue

DON SHIRLEY

DIET

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Free

Surfer/Actress Keala Kennelly paddles into L.A.’s endless summer AND HBO’S ‘JOHN FROM CINCINNATI’

mmer do u a s h t c s a e M n the b readings d Rob o n s a p i y T l l ■ er ne la Ken ycle warfare gear, summ a e K h wit ban bic view ■ Weird r creen U s n ■ o n a Surfing board desig , food with : s e m e f o extr d classic sur night dining t g n i an te Go eparks d drama ■ La t a k s New art, an , c i s u m

ELLIOTT SMITH 2-CD New Moon SET

The Mystery Jets embody British pop at its most invigoratingly weird. Be prepared to have your life forever enriched by a band relentless at breaking boundaries and enlightening one’s soul.

98 THE CLIENTELE God Save The Clientele CD

The Clientele are set free their inner Monkees with a lovely blend of Big Star twisted powerpop, Byrdsian country achin’, and flashes of The Beatles at their most joyful and upbeat.

98 CD

Twenty-four songs recorded between 1994 and 1997, a prolific time in Elliott’s career. Like his other work, New Moon reflects the power of Smith’s ability to integrate rich, melodic music with poetic, multi-layered lyrics.

WEATHERBOX American Art

98 CD

A stunning first step from this San Diego band destined for greatness. Gigantic guitar hooks and earth-shattering drum work. American Art makes an undeniable statement.

SUICIDE SQUEEZE

MERGE RECORDS

Equal parts clairvoyance and virtuosity, Mary (formerly of Helium) and her musicians paint in broad strokes a vivid landscape of colorful musical shapes.

98 CD

DOGHOUSE RECORDS

98 CD

THE MARY TIMONY BAND The Shapes We Make

MYSTERY JETS ZooTime

KILL ROCK STARS

DIM MAK

THE SUPREME SOURCE FOR THE BEST NEW MUSIC!

PAGE FRANCE . . . and the Family Telephone

98 CD

Michael Nau’s lyrics call to mind Dylan or Nilsson ghostwriting for Margo Guryan, all well-accompanied by a range of upbeat instrumentation.

Go to AMOEBA.COM to enter to win a pair of tickets to see FEIST with special guest Grizzly Bear at The Wiltern on June 29th! STOP BY THE AMOEBA BOOTH AT THE TOPANGA DAYS COUNTRY FAIR, MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND, MAY 26, 27 & 28, 11AM – 6PM! We’ll be giving away cool stuff and raising money for great causes. Visit www.topangadays.com for more information and to see the full performance schedule.

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L 2 l MAY 17~23, 2007

FOR THE FIRST TIME CELEBRATING THE ART AND COMMERCE OF VIDEO CONTENT

JULY 25 – 27, 2007 www.LATVFest.net A HIGHLY DYNAMIC AND INFORMATION PACKED THREE-DAY FESTIVAL • Fifth Annual NATPE TV Producers’ Boot Camp • Pitch Pit • NextGenTV Competition • Sessions, workshops and panel discussions

• Digital showcases • Screenings • Networking events

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MAY 17~23, 2007,

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CITYBEAT

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City STAFF EDITORIAL Editor Steve Appleford stevea@lacitybeat.com Deputy Editor Dean Kuipers deank@lacitybeat.com

P C ON T E N T W W W. L A C I T Y B E A T . C O M

Arts Editor Rebecca Epstein rebeccae@lacitybeat.com Senior Editor Kevin Uhrich Film Editor Andy Klein andyk@lacitybeat.com Calendar Editor Alfred Lee alfredl@lacitybeat.com Editorial Contributors Donnell Alexander, Paul Birchall, Michael Collins, André Coleman, Cole Coonce, Patrick Corcoran, Mark Cromer, Perry Crowe, Samantha Dunn, Annlee Ellingson, Dan Epstein, Mick Farren, Richard Foss, Ron Garmon, Andrew Gumbel,Tom Hayden, Erik Himmelsbach, Mike Hodgkinson, Bill Holdship, Jessica Hundley, Idan Ivri, Chip Jacobs, Mark Keizer, Carl Kozlowski, Wade Major, Richard Meltzer, Allison Milionis, Anthony Miller, Chris Morris, Arty Nelson, Natalie Nichols, Donna Perlmutter, Joe Piasecki, Ted Rall, Charles Rappleye, Dennis Romero, Craig Rosen, Erika Schickel, Don Shirley, Kirk Silsbee, Joshua Sindell, Annette Stark, James Verini, Don Waller Calendar Assistant Ayse Arf Editorial Intern Ana La O’ ART Interim Art Director Matt Ansoorian artdirector@lacitybeat.com Production Manager Meghan Quinn Advertising Art Director Sandy Wachs

VO L U M E 5 ~ N O . 2 1

<============ COVER============>

SUMMER GUIDE 2007 14 Beyond the End of the Road. DEAN KUIPERS talks to surfer Keala Kennelly as she steps off the pro tour to drop into HBO’s John from Cincinnati. Also, KIRK SILSBEE on classic surfboard design.

25 Heat Wave Survival Guide. ALLISON MILIONIS lists all you’ll need for this summer of Global Warming.

26 Living After Midnight. This is L.A., and you can get fine cuisine anytime you damn well like it. By DEAN KUIPERS. Also, RICHARD FOSS gets a natural high from mountaintop dining.

17 Rob Machado. The pro surfer talks with DEAN KUIPERS about being an animated character this summer, life after the tour, and the curse of Spicoli, in 3rd DEGREE.

A Shakespearean Summer. Stages across L.A. will host Bard classics, but newer plays also fill a crowded season of comedy and tragedy. By DON SHIRLEY.

The Man Who Souled The World. PJ CANALE looks at a new skate documentary about Steve Rocco. Also, JOHN LEE on L.A.’s best new skateparks.

Whatever Happened to Recess? NATALIE NICHOLS says adults need time to run and play, too.

Classified Production Artists Tac Phun, Brian Van Gorder Contributing Artists and Photographers Mark Brooks, David Butow, Jordan Crane, Scott Gandell, Max S. Gerber, Jack Gould, Alexx Henry, Alix Lambert, Gary Leonard, Melodie McDaniel, Nathan Ota, Ethan Pines, Gregg Segal, Elliott Shaffner, Bill Smith, Ted Soqui, Brian Stauffer, Sean Tejaratchi, Nathaniel Welch ADVERTISING V.P. Regional/National Sales Charles N. Gerencser Advertising Director Joe Cloninger Co-op Advertising Director Spencer Cooper Music & Entertainment Sales Manager Jon Bookatz Account Executives Dave Crouch (ValleyBeat Leader), Todd Nagelvoort, Nick Phelps, Amber Tubbs, Anthony Faure Senior Classified Account Executive Michael Defilippo Classified Account Executives Michael DeFilippo, Sarah Fink, Eyal Lavi, John Montgomery, Rochelle Reiff, Jason Rinka, Tonetti Suttice BUSINESS

20 Brakes Optional. COLE COONCE makes a speedy two-wheeled journey into an L.A. summer night with the “Wolfpack.”

22 Hot Sounds. JOSHUA SINDELL lines up the rock, jazz, and country concerts of summer. Also, DONNA PERLMUTTER turns summer daydreams into classical music and dance realities.

24 Heat to the Beat. This summer there will be dancing in the streets. By DENNIS ROMERO.

Hot Type. ANTHONY MILLER sails the seas of summer reading.

38 Easy on the Eyes. DOC EPSTEIN finds summer art exhibitions at museums and on the beach.

<============ LA&E ============>

SOUNDS 40 Ain’t That Pretty At All. Warren Zevon was a difficult, tortured artist, but an oral history and CD reissues shed light on this ‘Excitable Boy’. By CHRIS MORRIS.

STAGE 49 She’s So Heavy. Fat Pig is more human than an untroubled Constant Wife, writes DON SHIRLEY.

MICK’S MEDIA 50 But I Play One on TV. Can democracy survive another election, or will absurdity win? asks MICK FARREN.

EAT 54 FILM 56 Third Time’s Not the Charm. Shrek the Third brings nothing new and fewer laughs, writes ANDY KLEIN.

FRONTLINES 9

7 DAYS & LISTINGS 64

Editorial & Letters 6 Left Coast, by Ted Rall 4 American Babylon 9

ON THE COVER: PHOTOGRAPH BY ETHAN PINES

TA K E M Y P I C T U R E , GARY LE ONARD

Controller Michael Nagami Human Resources Manager Andrea Baker andreab@southlandweeklies.com Accounting Laila Abdanan, Vanessa Gomez, Tracy Lowe, Raquel Pena, Angela Wang (Supervisor) Circulation Supervisor Andrew Jackson Front Office Manager Jennifer Craker Group Publisher David Comden Los Angeles CityBeat and ValleyBeat newspapers are published every Thursday and are available free at locations throughout Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley. Circulation: 100,000. One copy per reader, additional copies are $10 each. Copyright: No articles, illustrations, photographs, or other editorial matter or advertisements herein may be reproduced without written permission of copyright owner. All rights reserved, 2007.

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MAY 17~23, 2007

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{ E D IT O RI A L }

I, Czar ............................................

inally, someone is in charge in Iraq. That’s a sick joke, of course, as the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq has already enjoyed a long and dubious lineup of distant overseers nominally in control there: former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condi Rice, Vice President Dick Cheney, President George W. Bush. Joining that roster, and charged with the doomed mission of making sense of the mess there, comes General Douglas Lute, who has been crowned Bush’s special “war czar.” Traditionally, American presidents appoint fixers with the strange and unofficial “czar” title when things have gone awry. Over the decades, there have been czars on the war on drugs, the battle against AIDS, foreign intelligence, counterterrorism, etc. – all with uncertain effects. Now we have one in Iraq, and like so much else, it will not mean any significant change in the situation. As most now realize, the Bush dream of erecting a shiny new democracy in Iraq from the post-invasion rubble has stalled – the victim of incompetent planning at the top, the insanity of trying to hold a foreign nation with insufficient troops, and the fantasy that invaders would be greeted as heroes. Instead, the occupation managed to ignite a civil war and make overtaxed American and British troops easy targets. More than 3,000 Americans have been killed there. British Prime Minister Tony Blair, an overnight guest this week in his last official stay at the Bush White House, owes the coming end of his political career to the blunder. At least we can all rest easy knowing that Prince Harry will not be vacationing in Iraq. He might actually get hurt there. (He was “very disappointed,” noted U.K. Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt.) But thousands of troops remain trapped. Gen. Lute will be the man charged with disentangling the web of policy and action between the various departments involved: state, defense, intelligence. This is a step up from the righteous state of denial Bush and his closest advisors worked under these last five years. But as the presidential election of 2008 approaches, even Republicans are losing faith. And not even a four-star general with a new title will be able to appease them. ✶ ow want to see what happens without them. It is time for the U.S. to leave. ✶

LETTERS We Are the Champions Benjamin R. Barber, obviously a decent man, unfortunately cannot see the forest for the trees [re: 3rd Degree, May 10]. Marx’s aphorism still holds: Capitalism carries within it the seeds for its own destruction or demise. So far, our only known infinite is the universe. Over 30 years ago (the Rome study group?) concluded there are limits to growth. In the 20th century, [advocates of]capitalism, led by the U. S., realized it could truly overproduce by financing not only two “world wars” but a recovery and rebuilding in the devastated areas, notwithstanding Eastern Europe and the “Third World.” The latter was and remains a source of mostly raw material, but now also cheaper manufactured goods. Capitalism has not and never will be a truly altruistic endeavor. Even the social welfare programs of Western Europe are concessions meant to quiet the questioning and cynicism which surface within socialist/communist and Green movements and parties. Capitalism and democracy are not synonymous, as is becoming more and more apparent in countries such as Venezuela. And it is ludicrous for the compliant press to decry “one-party dictatorships” in China, Cuba, and elsewhere when our “democratic” election next year will result in a representative from one of the two parties which are 90% financed by corporate America and beholden to them. Not to mention that almost 50% of those eligible to vote opt out of that “free” exercise. Within the last 50 years, corporate America eliminated, i.e., bought out or

removed, media choice, insuring that media’s first or principal goal was to promote consumerism. It became a mantra. After all, it has become more and more difficult to export massive amounts of consumer items to the rest of the world where, for the most part, the basics we accept as a given – for example, clean water, controlled elimination of sewage, electricity, extended health care, and education, etc. – are unknown. They have no use for deodorants, hair care products, cell phones, DVD players, kitchen appliances, etc. The closets for our purchases from The Gap, Victoria’s Secret, and Banana Republic are similar in size to their “homes.” F. DANIEL GRAY LOS ANGELES

Minx Meanings In Natalie Nichols’s May 10 article about DC Comics’ new imprint for teenage girls called Minx [re: “Minx ’n’ Match”], she expressed concern about what she believed was a sexual connotation to that word – a meaning that one of the Minx comic book writers denied. Natalie’s understanding of the word’s meaning to today’s youth is correct. The most prominent use of the word “minx” in pop culture to date was in Austin Powers (1997). After being unfrozen, Austin sees the beautiful Vanessa Kensington for the first time and declares: “I bet she shags like a minx.” Similarly, the definitions of “minx” ranked third and fourth on urbandictionary.com CITYBEAT

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are “a seductive, sexy woman or girl of loose morals” and “a girl who really likes sex, usually the kinky kind.” It makes one wonder what superhuman powers the heroines of Minx will possess. MICHAEL HAMBLY SANTA MONICA

transportation are intrinsically linked, and the leaders of this incredible city are going to ruin it if they address these issues separately. DANA BEAN LOS FELIZ

Correction. Building Up and Down Our working poor are being forced onto the streets, or are forced to leave the city entirely. Our middle class have given up on the idea of ever owning homes and struggle to pay their soaring rent. In your article “Crowding Antonio” [May 10], you discussed the dismantling of L.A.’s lowdensity suburban sprawl in favor of new construction and a more functional, urban city plan. The city that seems to have no plan, as far as cities go – no city center, a sickly, semi-functional downtown, and no real infrastructure for sustained growth – is embarking on an exhilarating reinvention. The dire need for affordable housing has forced L.A. to realize that to function as a city, it must expand up instead of out. Still, no one seems to be making the connection that if we build up to increase the region’s density, we must also build down – a comprehensive, citywide subway, as well as improved bus systems, are essential if we are going to succeed as an urban city. Imagine if every resident of New York or London owed a car, and insisted on driving it every day during rush hour traffic – those cities would collapse. Housing and MAY 17~23, 2007

In the May 3 cover story, “The Green Scare,” the term “eco-terror” was attributed to highly politicized PR firm Hill & Knowlton, when everybody who knows anything knows it was actually coined in 1982 by Ron Arnold of Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise and father of the so-called Wise Use Movement. Arnold wrote in to claim “bragging rights (or booing rights).” Also in that story, it was reported that Oregon defendant Jonathan Paul was charged with setting firebombs that burned a horse slaughterhouse. The government contends he was actually the lookout on that action, although he is charged with arson.

★★★ SEND LETTERS! Letters to the editor should include a return address and telephone number. All correspondence becomes property of Los Angeles CityBeat and ValleyBeat and may be edited for space. Send to LETTERS, CityBeat, 5209 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Or by fax (323) 938-1661 or e-mail: editor@lacitybeat.com.

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MAY 17~23, 2007,

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ANNOUNCES

FREE HOSPITAL CARE The Program: For as long as funding is available, QueensCare will pay for hospital care for residents of Los Angeles who qualify. QueensCare is a faith-based health care charity that follows the directives of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Immigration and citizenship status are not considered in determining eligibility for care. To Qualify You Must 1. Live in one of the following zip codes: 90004, 90005, 90006, 90020, 90026, 90027, 90028, 90029, 90038, & 90057. (Limited funding is also available for residents of the QueensCare Secondary Service Area, which includes a large part of Central Los Angeles. Please call to confirm.)

2. Not have any medical insurance, including Medi-Cal and/or Medicare; 3. Have family income of less than 200% of the Federal Poverty Level and authorize QueensCare to do a credit check. (Example: For a family of four, net monthly income must be less than $3,017.) 4. Be referred to one of the local non-profit QueensCare contracted hospitals by QueensCare's Chief Medical Officer. As a faith-based organization, QueensCare strives to provide, directly and with others, accessible health care for uninsured and low-income working individuals and families residing in Los Angeles County.

For further information and a referral form, please call: 213-386-1409 Our representative will be happy to help you.

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l MAY 17~23, 2007

F RO N T LI N E S

Hollywood Hubris Clint Eastwood calls in Tinseltown favors in controversial bid to expand Pebble Beach ~BY ANDREW GUMBEL~ WHEN IT COMES TO THE MOVIE business, nobody knows how to put a project together like Clint Eastwood. He lines up the talent, draws up a tight budget, schmoozes just enough to get the green light, and away he goes – usually to award-winning success. Real life, though, is an entirely different proposition. For the past 20 years, Clint has pursued a whole panoply of personal ventures and found, time and again, that the formula that works so well in Hollywood not only hits unexpected brick walls but makes him the object of considerable public rage. That was the story 20 years ago, when he wanted to expand a restaurant he owned in Carmel, the Hog’s Breath Inn, into an office and shopping complex. The city planning commission told him to take a running jump, at which point he slipped into Dirty Harry mode – running for mayor, winning, firing the planning commissioners who had crossed him, and making abundantly clear he was not a guy who would take no for an answer. Now Eastwood is embroiled in an even bigger dispute, with far wider ramifications, over the future of the Del Monte forest in and around Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach is, of course, golfing country par excellence. But it is also home to the largest stand of old-growth Monterey pines in the world, along with some rare surviving wetlands and a host of rare and endangered species from steelhead trout to the red-legged frog made famous by Mark Twain. Eight years ago, Clint and got together with a handful of well-juiced friends, among them Peter Ueberroth and Arnold Palmer, took over the Pebble Beach Company, and came up with an ambitious expansion plan that called for a new 18hole golf course (the company’s eighth), 160 hotel rooms, an equestrian range, and several dozen new houses. The good news about this project was that it was considerably more modest than an earlier proposal to clear-cut wide swaths of forest and build more than 800 new housing units. The bad news, though, was that it still entailed chopping down 1520,000 trees, compromising the integrity of the wetlands, and trampling over a handful of conservation easements negotiated during earlier Pebble Beach Company development projects. So, while Eastwood argued publicly that he and his friends were in fact saving the forest (what, after all, are 20,000 trees when, in his own mind, he was preserving another 40,000?), he earned the enmity of a noisy handful of local residents who accused him of the worst kind of Hollywood hubris. “The triumph of greed, pure and simple,” was how one resident activist, Janice O’Brien, put it. Eastwood responded by going, once again, into Dirty Harry mode. Since Mon-

EASTWOOD GETS EVERY WHICH WAY BUT LOOSE TO PUSH BIG DEVELOPMENT ~

terey County’s planning rules precluded the kind of forest destruction envisaged by his expansion plan, he sponsored a ballot initiative to rewrite the planning code from top to bottom and give the green light to every variance he and the Pebble Beach Company were seeking. With his movie-star clout, he had no trouble sweettalking Monterey’s county commissioners and the local media into taking his side and, after a campaign of singular political duplicity – he sold it as an environmental protection initiative – Measure A sailed past the county’s voters in November 2000. There was, however, a snag – one that has persisted to the present day. The Del Monte forest comes under the jurisdiction of California’s Coastal Commission, which started expressing doubts about Measure A even before it passed and has contin-

publicans in an overwhelmingly Democratic acting community. And they both have a reputation for fighting doggedly for what they want, regardless of the odds, and usually emerging victorious. Eastwood has spent a lot of time schmoozing in Sacramento and held numerous one-on-one conversations with the Governator. And while we have no way of knowing what they discussed, we do know one thing: The Coastal Commission has shifted markedly to the right of late. According to the Sierra Club, which has crunched the numbers for years, the Commission’s votes have swung from 76 percent pro-conservation back in 1997 to just 43 percent last year. The swing from pro-conservation to pro-development was most striking from 2005 to 2006 – measured by the Sierra Club as a 17-percentage point shift.

{ A M E RI CA N BA BY LO N } ued to do so ever since. The 1976 Coastal Act is pretty clear: You can’t wantonly destroy ancient forests and habitats for endangered species. And, while it is technically possible to destroy wetlands under exceptional circumstances, nothing in the act says those circumstances include building houses and golf courses. For the past six and half years, the project has been at a stalemate. The Monterey County commissioners have persisted in backing Eastwood and his chums, and the Coastal Commission has continued to warn them they are overstepping their legal boundaries. Now, though, a new subplot has emerged, one involving Eastwood and his fellow movie-star-turnedpolitician, Arnold Schwarzenegger. The two men have never worked on a movie together, but they have an abundance of points in common. They both have houses in Sun Valley, Idaho. They are both ReMAY 17~23, 2007

And things have only slipped further since. In February, the most prominent environmentalist on the commission, a Stanford environmental law professor named Meg Caldwell who had originally been appointed by Schwarzenegger, was removed so abruptly that she herself only found out by reading it in the newspaper. She was replaced by a businessschool professor from UC Berkeley. At the same time, the commission selected the San Diego building magnate William Patrick Kruer as its new chairman – the first time in its 31-year history it had picked a developer as its leader. Clearly, the Pebble Beach Company senses an opportunity because, at a routine hearing last month, they lobbied to put their project on the Coastal Commission agenda as soon as possible. The commission staff suggested San Francisco in August, but the company pressed

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for – and obtained – the commission meeting in Santa Rosa in mid-June. The activists in Pebble Beach are convinced the writing is now on the wall, and Eastwood is about to get his way. “It’s obvious the fix is in now,” Pebble Beach resident Anne Holliday said dejectedly. “Eastwood is determined to get this thing through. We can’t stay ahead of this slick guy.” The truth, though, may be a little more complicated. Even if the Coastal Commission rolls over, it won’t be the end of the story – the Sierra Club, among others, won’t allow the project to go ahead without a lawsuit, and the Sierra Club’s top coastal lawyer, Mark Massara, is confident the courts will strike it down because of the clear wording of the 1976 Act. “It’s blatantly illegal,” he said. “No amount of tinkering with the composition of the Coastal Commission is going to allow them to prevail.” One of the ironies of Measure A is that it does not allow for any modification of the Pebble Beach expansion plan. That rigidity was regarded back in 2000 as a way of steamrolling the project through to completion, but now many people see it as a liability. Without room for compromise, it is all or nothing. As Massara put it: “They’re in a lockbox of their own creation that is dooming their project.” The Sierra Club is not totally opposed to further development in Pebble Beach. Massara said he would give his blessing to any plan that stays within the law and retains the integrity of both the forest and the wetlands. Had the Pebble Beach Company trod a little more gently eight years ago, it could conceivably have completed its expansion by now and begun to reap the benefits. Instead, Eastwood is still running around playing Dirty Harry to Schwarzenegger’s Terminator. Hollywood hubris describes it exactly. They both deserve to be exposed and humiliated over their outrageous behavior. ✶

F RO N T LI N E S

Holding the Bag Transit cops lose a bag of detonation cord while training in Union Station B Y AY S E A R F

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FOR ABOUT TWO MIDDAY HOURS on May 9, downtown’s usually bustling Union Station was at a standstill as sheriff’s deputies searched for a bag full of detonation cord. Why wasn’t the Department of Homeland Security’s National Threat Advisory immediately bumped up to risk level Red/Severe? The simple answer is that the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department put the bag there in the first place. The Transit Services Bureau, a branch of the sheriff’s department contracted to provide law enforcement services to L.A.’s mass transit facilities, was conducting a routine training exercise with their K-9 unit when someone simply walked off with the bag. Once deputies realized that the bag was missing, the station was evacuated and Amtrak and Metrolink passengers were confined to their trains while approximately 70 deputies and a few bomb-sniffing dogs – already on the scene for the training – began a search of the station and surrounding areas. The search turned up nothing in the way of the bag or the “transient” man who eyewitnesses say walked off with it. A call to the Transit Services Bureau last Friday regarding the Union Station incident was greeted with an inquiry as to whether CityBeat had any information on the whereabouts of the bag. Since we didn’t, another transit officer, Sgt. Dave Willard, confirmed that the bag had not yet been found. “We’re obviously following all leads,” Willard states. “We did get some word that people said it looked like a transient person, but we haven’t confirmed that, and we’re not totally focusing on just that group of people.” Based on what the transit cops are saying, that “transient” description seems to be one of the few leads sheriffs have found. Security camera coverage in Union Station is thorough only in select areas of the station, and not helpful on the Alameda Street side of the station where the exercise was being carried out, according to Willard and the Transit Services Bureau’s Capt. Patrick Jordan. The missing bag was filled with detonation cord – a waterproof, flexible cord MAY 17~23, 2007

with a highly-explosive core used, as its name suggests, to detonate explosives. Willard emphasized that the contents of the bag by themselves posed no danger. “It’s designed as an aide for the dogs to search out,” Willard said of the bag. “It is placed, a person is assigned to keep an eye on it, and then the dog handlers will bring their dogs in to search it out. It’s a scent aide for the dogs.” One that apparently cannot be replicated by materials with less potentially explosive properties. The training sessions happen periodically “anywhere that we may be regularly working,” says Willard. Just two weeks before the Case of the Lost Det Cord, the TSB conducted an uneventful training exercise at Union Station along with the federal Transportation Security Administration, L.A. Police Department, and Amtrak and Metrolink police “to rehearse a multi-agency response to a possible terrorist threat against Union Station,” according to Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesman Dave Sotero. Explaining the Transit Services Bureau’s reasons for training with bomb components in public places, Captain Patrick Jordan states, “The unique aspect of using bomb-sniffing dogs in train stations and airports is that, to be effective, they have to be able to work around people, so they have to be able to train around people.” Left unexplained is how a bag being watched by a deputy whose specific assignment was to make sure the bag didn’t go anywhere before bomb-sniffing dogs could locate it, disappeared. “There is an ongoing investigation, and they [the deputies involved] have all been talked to by the investigators,” Willard states. “What the outcome of that was, nobody but the investigators know that at this point.” That investigation is now being handled by the sheriff’s Arson/Explosives Detail, which has been unable to locate the bag or the person who took it. A three-day expanded scouring of areas in the general neighborhood where deputies believe the bag might have been dumped has turned up nothing. ✶

~STREET~ [SCHOOLS] V I L L A R A I G O S A’ S SECOND CHANCE Maybe it was school board incumbent Jon Lauritzen’s dogged refusal to accept charter schools, but he was blown out by former prosecutor Tamar Galatzan in Tuesday’s District 3 runoff by what would be called a landslide – 58 percent to 41 percent – if there were any reasonable voter turnout. That decision, as well as a more narrow victory by retired school administrator Richard Vladovic in District 7, gives Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa a 4-3 voting majority on the board of the Los Angeles Unified School District, and finally some power to effect reforms that have eluded his mayoralty thus far. With his school control plan, Assembly Bill 1381, struck down by two courts and probably headed to the state Supreme Court for one final try, Villaraigosa needed the victories in order to have any chance to come through with the reforms, which have dominated his agenda during his first two years in office. Lauritzen was one of six board members to oppose Villaraigosa’s takeover bid, and thus the mayor found himself in the uncomfortable position of being opposed by a union for which he once worked, United Teachers L.A., which backed Lauritzen. The election, as a whole, was light on voter interest, with only about 6 percent of eligible voters casting ballots, but big on spending, especially in the Valley’s District 3 race. Lauritzen received about $750,000 in support from UTLA, and amassed $1.3 million in his campaign fund. Galatazan,

however, was backed by the mayor’s school board campaign fund, Partnership for Better Schools, and ended up with $2.83 million to spend on the race. Obviously, the mayor was taking any chances. In the District 7 race, in an area stretching from Watts to the Harbor, Vladovic defeated retired middle school principal Neal Kleiner by a span of 54 percent to 46 percent for an open seat. Once again, Villaraigosa’s money made some difference, with Vladovic raising seven times as much money as Kleiner. Attention now will turn to what reforms, exactly, Villaraigosa can push through this new school board lineup. One he won’t be getting is his proposal to strip school board members, who are only paid $24,000 a year, of their paid staff. –Dean Kuipers

[FIRE] G E T Y O U R G O AT Following the firestorm that engulfed 820 acres of brush-covered hills last week in Griffith Park, some community activists are calling for Los Angeles officials to send in the goats.Yes, goats. According to a petition now circulating on the Internet that has drawn more than 800 signatures, the city’s Department of Recreation and Parks can reduce the amount of flame-feeding dry brush in the park by simply letting herds of goats chew it away. “Goats are economical, ecological firefighting machines that produce fertilizer as they clear hills and canyons of weeds, poison oak, and dry chaparral. Addition-

ally, the animals are charming, newsworthy ambassadors for fire safety, a subject that needs to be more widely discussed,” reads the petition, which can be found on the Web at petitiononline.com/firegoat/petition.html. The petition was started by Scram magazine editor Kim Cooper, a co-creator of the Los Angeles crime blog 1947project, who pointed out in a press release that UC-Berkeley’s Office of Emergency Preparedness has been using goat grazing as a fire prevention method since the devastating 1991 East Bay Hills Fire that killed more than 20 people. “People are blown away that the city hasn’t thought of it,” said Cooper. “It seems like a no-brainer to bring these animals in to do this naturally.” Also in the 1990s, however, members of the Catalina Island Conservancy decided that goats which roamed the island – which lost more than 4,700 acres to fire this past week – were actually a threat to native species and had them removed, leading some residents to wonder if that didn’t exacerbate fire conditions there, the Daily Breeze reported. Meanwhile, the Getty Museum has hired a small flock of goats that began clearing brush on its 110-acre hillside campus on Friday, said spokeswoman Julie Jaskol. In a press release, Getty Grounds Supervisor Yas Osaka praised using the goats as an environmentally preferable option to cutting down brush and throwing it away. The Department of Parks and Recreation could not be reached for comment. –Joe Piasecki

AGENDA! Taking Back MacArthur Park. Over a dozen labor groups and immigrants’ rights organizations from the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor to the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) invite those upset about the May Day police riot to a peaceful procession and vigil. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and popular Spanish-language radio host El Piolin are listed as participants. The evening begins with a gathering at Immanuel Presbyterian Church, 3300 Wilshire Blvd. (at Berendo) around 5 p.m. tonight, May 17, then a walk to the park about 6:30. For info, call (213) 353.3921 (Spanish/English), (213) 385.7800 x131 (Spanish/English), or (213) 738.9050 (Korean/English). Tia Chucha’s Lives! The recently relocated Tia Chucha’s Centro Cultural is hosting its second annual “Celebrating Words: Writing, Performed & Sung,” featuring music with Quinto Sol, El Vuh, and others. Sylmar Park, 13109 Borden Ave., Sylmar. Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Info: (818) 8691479 and info@tiachucha.com. Venice Art Walk. A neighborhood institution, the Venice Art Walk & Auction is the annual fundraising event that fuels the irreplaceable Venice Family Clinic. The day features a 400-piece art auction, self-guided tours of 60 artists’ private studios, and a day of seeing everyone you know milling around on the streets. Centered at the Westminster School, 1010 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice. Sunday, 11a.m to 6 p.m. Info: (310) 392-9255 and venicefamilyclinic.org. ✶

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SUMMERGUIDE2007

MAY 17~23, 2007

CITYBEAT

FROM THE MAN WHO SOULED THE WORLD

Summer in Los Angeles is a time for action and relaxation, a time for cool days in the water and warm, jasmine-scented nights on the town. In this week’s special Summer Guide, CityBeat helps get your summer off on the good foot with an action-packed 411 on the best local surfing, skating, and biking; a can’t-fail tipsheet on the hottest music, dance, theater, and art events; and clues to everywhere else you’re going to want to be. It includes a guide to summer gear, where to eat after midnight and when you want to get above it all, and a list of the coolest new books to read at the beach. Hold on to this issue all summer long.

SUMMERCOVER

BEYOND THE END OF THE ROAD

he hollow, monstrous wave on the southeast end of Tahiti was Keala Kennelly’s favorite stop on the Association of Surfing Professionals Women’s World Tour, a thick, bone-breaking wave that drove onto a shallow reef, and on which she seemed invincible. Called Teahupo’o (cho-poo) by the locals, or sometimes just the End of the Road – because that’s where the road stopped – Kennelly was the first woman to get towed into deadly, 10-foot barrels there, and she won the Billabong Pro Tahiti contests there in 2000, 2002, and 2003. So when tour officials decided in 2006 the women wouldn’t surf there anymore, Kennelly’s frustration was rising. No big barrels meant no big challenge for her and less chances to excel. Then HBO came calling and the 28-year-old boldly did what she has always done: dropped in. Kennelly is now living in downtown Los Angeles, far from her beloved Kauai where she grew up, and appears as a regular character in HBO’s new show, John from Cincinnati. In Hollywood terms, she’s scored another great wave, with potential for lots of the kinds of media attention that sponsored athletes learn to crave. John from Cincinnati creator David Milch cut the strings to his massively influential show, Deadwood, in order to work on this new series, which he described on Variety.com as being “about surfing and the tragic, incoherent world at the border of Mexico and the United States … . It’s where the water’s polluted, and nobody has documents. Drugs are being brought in by the ton, and people are found dead in the estuaries – and that’s just the beginning.” Sounds like fans of Deadwood and HBO’s edgy fare will have a new show to obsess over, and Kennelly will have a new opportunity to either shine or get worked. “David has only written the script up to where we are filming so nobody ever knows what is going to happen next,” Ken-

SURFER KEALA KENNELLY STEPS OFF THE PRO TOUR TO DROP INTO THE NEW HBO SERIES, ‘JOHN FROM CINCINNATI.’ ★ By Dean Kuipers

nelly writes via e-mail from locations in L.A. and San Diego, where the series is being filmed on Imperial Beach. “In the beginning, you think it’s about this surfing family that is totally dysfunctional. Then … all this really weird stuff starts happening. It definitely has a supernatural element.” Kennelly’s character, Kai, is a surfer, board shaper, and artist struggling to pull her surf-king boyfriend out of a whirlpool of drug addiction. The dark side of the surf culture is familiar territory for series collaborator Kem Nunn, who is infamous for the desperate, criminal, and even comically satanic depictions in his surf novels like Tapping the Source. None of which is that much of a stretch for Kennelly. Growing up fully immersed in the culture on Kauai, she lived

in a geodesic dome designed by her bohemian mother, who split from the family one day while Keala was at school and left a note on her pillow. Having always been a total tomboy, her refuge became the surf and she was pretty much treated as a sibling by soon-to-be three-time ASP world champion Andy Irons and his brother, Bruce. “When I was growing up, surfing was everything to me,” she says. “It was my identity, it was my escape, it was the only way I felt like I could truly express myself. It made me feel like I had value as a person.” Surf culture companies spotted that value straight away, and Kennelly jumped into the pro tour at an early age. Though she never won a world championship, she placed as high as third in 2003 and has always

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MAY 17~23, 2007

been a standout when the surf gets heavy, dominating at places like Teahupo’o and Pipeline. You may recall seeing her grab some good waves at Pipe in the movie, Blue Crush, in which she played herself. Not looking forward to getting nibbled to death by teenage girls who can rip in two-foot beach-break, she’s using the show as a much-needed hiatus and a transition to a new surfer profile: She’s now going to be the first woman in Billabong’s Adventure Series. The Adventure Series is the next evolution in the sport and how athletes get paid; in it, top surfers are sponsored to tour the globe searching for, as Kennelly says “the heaviest, hollowest, most perfect waves in the world” and get them on film. “It will be the perfect match for my surfing style,” she adds. “A lot

better than a 25-minute heat situation.” Kennelly is an upbeat, aggressive, quick-witted woman, fun to talk to, and unlikely to take any shit from anyone. Did I mention her towing into 10-foot Teauhpo’o? That’s 10 foot as measured Hawaiian-style, off the back of the wave, which in the case of that particular break means being inside a tube big enough to drive a Greyhound bus through with a 50-foot thick slab of uncountable tons of water over your head breaking so fast it dredges almost all of the water off the skin-shredding reef. Good times! The resolve and the risk involved in surfing that kind of hazard has led her to some critical and even political positions. “It was really hard in the beginning to be a woman trying to

PHOTOGRAPH BY ETHAN PINES

~ If she gives you this look in the water, brother, it’s definitely her wave ~

get respect in a male-dominated sport. I took a lot of hard knocks over the years,” she says. “There will always be the macho-man mentality that won’t die in some guys, but for the most part, a lot of guys have changed their mind about women surfers.” Enlightened or not, she notes that inequalities persist in pro surfing. “The men make an average three-to-five times what the women make. That pay gap between the genders is a problem in society in general, but it’s definitely amplified in the sports world.” With that in mind, she and her colleagues on the tour are trying to entice the mainstream world to take another look at the image of women’s surfing. She mentions names like Revlon, Tampax, and Gillette. And Hollywood. Kennelly says her sponsors are all thrilled by this

HBO development, adding, “More people will see me in five minutes on the show than would see me in 10 years on tour. So, if you are looking at numbers and exposure, then I am ahead of the game. I feel really lucky to be in the middle of such an exciting project.” Stepping up to the new challenge, she has done her best to tackle Los Angeles, loving the diversity in the people and the fact that you can tweak your restaurant orders to make them more healthy without so much hassle. She’s upset by the traffic, by the homeless people, and by the fact that no one dances at the clubs. (“I mean, seriously, come on, people!”) But, despite the bad water comparisons between Hawaii and California, she’s found a few things to like here. “I like rooftop pool decks, watching the sunset. I like mojitos MAY 17~23, 2007

made to perfection. I like frou frou cocktails (lichee-infused dragon fruit martini with cucumber mint juice in a chilled martini glass frosted with a citrus sugar rim and just the slightest squeeze of shnazzberry) … Shnazzberry? I just totally made that up, but it actually sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?” Right there, she’s hit on one of the big differences between men and women in the water, and the reason she will triumph out there, beyond the end of the road: her sense of fun. “Have you ever been in a line-up when there are a lot of girls in the water?” she asks. “It changes the whole dynamic. They are laughing and giggling and some of them are absolutely ripping. Surfing should be fun. That’s why we all got into it in the first place.” ✶ CITYBEAT

PHOTOGRAPH BY ETHAN PINES

~ If she gives you this look in the water, brother, it’s definitely her wave ~

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A NEW BOOK CELEBRATES RIPPIN’ SURFBOARD DESIGN ★ By Kirk Silsbee ★

~ A fin from Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard ~

n my block in the Imperial Village section of Inglewood, there was a guy down the street who made surfboards in the 1960s. Bill Keeny turned his family garage into a one-man board factory. Huge mounds of balsa wood and foam shavings covered the floor as Keeny worked long, solitary hours cutting, scraping, sanding, and finishing his babies. His tall figure hunched over sawhorses was as common a sight as a football game out in the street. Although Bill was the only board-maker in the neighborhood, this wasn’t an exotic activity. There were surfers on practically every block and besides, Brian Wilson lived just the other side of the drainage ditch. The guys who rode them swore that Keeney’s boards were the real deal. There’s no getting around it: Surfers love their boards. Every

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real surfer has his or her own special requirements for that sleek, elongated lozenge they cut through waves on. Boards to surfers are like musical instruments to musicians: individual vessels of virtuosity. It was inevitable, then, that surfers got involved in shaping and marketing them too. Board design and styles have turned the sport of Hawaiian kings into a worldwide market that now generates billions a year in retail sales. Although many surfers had their names on boards – Dewey Weber, Mickey Dora, and Mickey Muñoz among them – Dale Velzy, Hobie Alter, and Greg Noll became the early leaders in board styling and retailing. With Greg Noll: The Art of the Surfboard (Gibbs Smith), former Surfer editor Drew Kampion has written and compiled a coffee table book and loving ode to Noll and the early evolution of surfboard manufacturing and styling. Noll

MAY 17~23, 2007

is the legendary Manhattan Beach surfer turned big wave rider: He was the first to surf the crushing Waimea Bay. But you need never have gotten up on a wave to admire the informative text and beautiful photos of perfectly shaped boards Kampion presents. Detail images of skegs, decks, noses, and rails in rich wood tones, finished in gleaming resin, are as classic in their design as anything that came out of the Bauhaus. Kampion pays tribute to the men who were responsible for the milestone changes in 20thcentury board design, from the use of redwood to balsa to foam. Innovators include the enigmatic Bob Simmons (who applied objective hydrodynamic theory and fiberglass in 1948), Joe Quigg (who had a gift for creating functional curves), and Velzy, the pied piper of the South Bay (whose short boards put hundreds of kids on the waves). Noll’s idols were Quigg and Velzy, who let the youngster practice shaping. In fact, all of these masters’ boards were made by hand. Craft, and supreme craft at that, is an unspoken theme that runs throughout this tale. Through Kampion, Noll shares stories about his various custom and signature models (for Duke Kahanamoku, Ricky Grigg, Jose Angel, Ben Aipa, and Johnny Fain) and recreates some of the classic styles from koa, balsa, and foam. The lore is fascinating. For example, Noll discusses crafting his famous “Da Cat” boards to the specifications of Mickey Dora, the Zen trickster of Malibu surf. Dora wouldn’t entrust anyone but Noll to use his name in this way, but the Cats were counterfeited – and very well at that. The “Copy Cats” were so close to the originals it took even Noll a minute to determine they were fakes. Ultimately, the counterfeiter was busted on a felony for unauthorized copying of an artwork. The amoral Dora must have laughed up his sleeve over that one. ✶

Rob Machado

RD DEGREE

THE MOST FAMOUS GOOFY-FOOTER in modern competitive surfing, Cardiffby-the-Sea native Rob Machado officially retired from the pro circuit a couple years back. But, in surfing, that doesn’t mean much, because he immediately turned around and won two pro contests in 2006, the U.S. Open of Surfing at Huntington Beach and the Monster Energy Pro at Pipeline. Despite being raised in California (and born in Australia), Hawaii’s North Shore has been the site of his most dominant surfing, where he became known for his soulful, smooth style – as opposed to the modern movement of aerial and skateboard-style tricks that typify the current contest vibe. Now he moves into the unique second act of the professional surfing life: surfing just for the cameras. His telegenic style makes him a favorite of surf filmmakers, and his sponsors are more than happy to keep following wherever his imagination might lead. Clothing-maker Hurley has him generating a new series of media projects, and he’s just designed a new sandal for Reef. More important to the kids who watch animated movies – and especially movies about penguins – he’s also a character in a new film this summer, Surf’s Up, which debuts June 8. “It’s going to be awesome,” he says of the film. “It’ll open up surfing to a whole new generation of kids, and, the way kids do, they’ll watch it over and over and over.” –Dean Kuipers

CityBeat: When you were on the World Championship Tour, your life was sur f, travel, surf, travel. What’s it like now? Rob Machado: It’s still travel, surf, travel, surf, but it’s not under the guidelines of the tour. I’m just going more places that I want to go to and I get to travel with people that I want to travel with. Like, I just was in Bali for a month. I just decided to go there by myself, cut a film, shoot photos, and be really productive there.

Do you enjoy Hollywood surf movies like Blue Crush or Point Break? Sometimes they’re a little tough to swallow. They always seem to mess things up in some way, shape, or form. You got Point Break, where surfers were portrayed as bank robbers, drug dealers, or whatever they were. That’s not that great. As long as the portrayal of surfing comes off in a good way. I think the hit’s going to be Surf’s Up, the animated movie that’s coming out.

What does that mean when you say “be productive”? It sounds like a vacation when you’re going to Bali for a month and yeah, Bali is a great place to hang out, but when the waves are good, I’m full-on focused. I’m out there trying to get work done.

Didn’t you work on that? Yeah, and it was great. I actually have a character in the movie. I’m a commentator at the surf contest that they have at the end of the movie, and they were super open to all the input that we gave them about surfing. They let us dissect the way that they had animated the waves and really took it to heart. It’s obviously exaggerated on a totally crazy scale – they’re riding, like, 100-foot waves and stuff. Then again, they’re penguins, so they can handle anything, right?

Were the contests fun? The contests can be a little draining. First of all, you’re traveling with a circus – with 50 pro surfers. That’s a really intense group of people that you’re trying to deal with. It’s grueling; when you’re on tour, you focus on what you need to do to do well in the contests and really just trying to dial in your act. You want to win. Sometimes you pass up on fun things to say, “I’m going to focus, I’m going to eat, I don’t want to go out and do something that might make me tired for my heat.” You almost live a boring life.

You sound pretty protective of surfing. Well, not necessarily. I mean we kind of got off to a bad start with Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I just watched it again. It’s still hilarious! I love that movie. Sean Penn was amazing in that movie. But I still get people, to this day, who go, “So what do you MAY 17~23, 2007

do?” I go, “Well, I surf for a living.” And they go, “So what do you do to make money?” I’m like, “I surf. Like, that’s what I do.” And they’re like, “I don’t get it. That’s impossible.” It’s gotten a lot better in the past 10 years, but those little things leave an image in people’s minds for a long time. You once had a band, the Surfers, with Kelly Slater and Peter King. Are you still playing? No band at the moment. Been playing a bit of guitar lately, but I have two kids and my youngest is just going to be turning three this summer, so you’re kind of out of that stage where you have diapers and that whole thing. So I can pick up my guitar again.

ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT GANDELL

The pro surfer on being an animated character this summer, life after the tour, and the curse of Spicoli

ries is just nostalgic, pretty amazing. Morning of the Earth. It’s pretty awesome. Free Ride. I’m still pretty fired up on new movies that are coming out, just in the last decade. I still love to watch all Taylor Steele’s movies, because his formula is just to get the best, most radical surfing out there and just put it all together. You want to see the craziest stuff? Watch Taylor’s movies. Then you have the Malloys, who have taken that route, like Thicker than Water, Shelter, A Brokedown Melody. Those are more about the spirit of surfing and why we go surfing and exploring, tapping into the roots of surfing.

You’re working on a new surf music documentary? Yeah, it’s a collaboration of musicians that surf and surfers that play music and combining the two to travel and write tunes and bring in local musicians. Music is this language that just crosses over everything between religion, language, you name it. We’re probably recording the whole soundtrack while we travel. [Director] Danny Clinch is definitely a big part of it.

Speaking of 100-foot waves, what do you think of the XXL competition, where the guy goes for the biggest wave? They actually changed it this year. The main prize goes to the guy who gives the best performance on a wave. So it’s a combination of the guy who rides the biggest wave, but also rides it really well. A few years ago, a guy won that actually didn’t make the wave. He got to the bottom of the wave and that was when the photo was taken and once the wave landed, it just obliterated him. There was a little bit of uproar about that.

What are your favorite surf films? Endless Summer? Five Summer Stories? You named off a couple. Five Summer Sto-

That sets a dangerous precedent. You don’t want guys pushing them so far that people start dying and stuff. ✶

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BHP MUSIC

N O W AVA I L A B L E A T B E S T B U Y

SUMMERSKATING

THE MAN WHO SOULED THE WORLD VARIOUS ARTISTS “GUITAR MASTERS VOLUME 1”

YEP ROC RECORDS

Guitar Masters celebrates the art of the guitar and bass by serving up 18 tracks of unfettered – and often astonishing- brilliance. Features cuts from John Paul Jones and Trey Gunn, Toots & The Maytals with Jeff Beck, Zakk Wylde with Randy Coven, Billy Sheehan, Stanley Clarke with Joe Satriani, Steve Morse, Alan Holdsworth, John Scofield and others.

A NEW DOCUMENTARY CHRONICLES A STREET-SKATING REVOLUTION CREATED BY WORLD INDUSTRIES’S STEVE ROCCO ★ By PJ Canale} ★

IAN HUNTER “SHRUNKEN HEADS” First new studio CD since 2001 for the former Mott The Hoople front man and solo artist. CD features guest appearances by Jeff Tweedy (Wilco), Soozie Tyrell (E Street Band) and his usual sidekicks, Andy York (Mellencamp), Graham Maby (Joe Jackson Band), Steve Holly (Wings) and James Mastro (Bongos). Shrunken Heads finds Ian in fine songwriting form and offers his characteristically wry commentary on today’s political climate.

SEEDLING RECORGS

In Concert – June 16 at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and June 17 at the Key Club in L.A.

DIRTY SWEET “OF MONARCHS AND BEGGARS” Winners of the “Best new rock and roll band” at the 2005 San Diego Music Awards, Dirty Sweet unleashes their debut album. Mainstays on the Southern California touring circuit, now you can listen to their unique style anywhere. Great songwriting, great hooks, infectious melodies make this a debut to reckon with.

CityBeat: What was your opinion of Rocco before you began this film? Mike Hill: I describe Rocco as a sort of Larry Flynt or Howard Stern of the skate world. He changed everything. He’s a talent magnet and a great collaborator, giving guys like Spike Jonze and Jeff Tremaine their first directing gigs, discovering Jason Lee and Daewon Song, and creating Big Brother magazine, which became the genesis for Jackass.

Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10am- 9pm Fri. & Sat. 10am- 10pm Sun. 11am- 7pm

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rofessional skateboarder Steve Rocco was not one of the original Z-Boys in the 1970s. Nor was he marketed alongside Tony Hawk as part of Powell-Peralta’s Bones Brigade in the 1980s. He was nowhere near the most popular skater at any time, he didn’t do well in contests, and his skating never got much coverage in magazines and videos, even at the apex of his notoriety in the early 1990s. But Rocco saved skateboarding from its corporate image. He was truly a pure street skater. Unfortunately, being a great street skater in Rocco’s heyday was akin to winning the Mixed Doubles title at Wimbledon – no one even noticed. In 1987, Rocco’s main sponsor, Sims, dropped him and his unpopular pro model boards. At age 27 he was already in the twilight years of his skate career and living on a friend’s floor in Santa Monica. Then one small suggestion changed everything. Skip Engblom, founder of the Z-Boys, told Rocco to produce some boards that he would sell – just a little favor to help Rocco get back on his feet. Broke and desperate, Rocco maxed out his credit cards and took a $20,000 loan in a paper bag from a bookie. Typical of his sense of humor, Rocco named his trifling, shoestring company World Industries. Rocco’s story soon became the stuff of legend. As recounted in the upcoming new documentary, The Man Who Souled the World, his little company took over the skateboard industry, burning bridges and making enemies at every turn, and pushed skateboarding to become the behemoth business that it is today. In 2002, Rocco sold World Industries and its subsidiary brands for $46 million. Mike Hill, the director of The Man Who Souled the World, offered some insight about the man and his role in skateboarding.

MAY 17~23, 2007

~ Rocco back in the day ~

Aging pro skaters have always started their own companies à la Stacy Peralta. What made Rocco’s game plan different? Steve Rocco’s game was different because he was a contemporary pro skater when he launched World Industries and he really didn’t care for the organized corporate approach that some of the Big 5 companies were taking. Do you think Rocco had any idea what he was doing? He wanted to see street skating become the dominant form of skating and that’s what happened. He wanted to see skaters running the industry and that’s what happened. He helped break down the barriers that let skaters have the freedom of expression to produce the videos they wanted to watch, write the stories they wanted to read, and create the artwork they wanted to look at. In reality, though, the changes came about organically, fueled by an unstoppable energy of irreverence, creativity, collaboration, and confrontation. What is Rocco’s involvement with his former companies now? None, as far as I know. Our story ends when he sells out and goes into early retirement. He does whatever he wants, whenever he wants – isn’t that the American Dream? ✶

PIAS AMERICA

N O W AVA I L A B L E A T B E S T B U Y

CONCRETE PARADISE A GUIDE TO FINDING L.A.’S SKATEBOARDING LOCALES ★ By John Lee★ MOGWAI “ZIDANE, A 21ST CENTURY PORTRAIT”

or as long as stuntwood wrangling (a.k.a. skateboarding) has been in the public consciousness, Los Angeles has been a hotbed for – if not the actual birthing spot of – the street sport. But contrary to popular belief, this city has bred a type of bystander who could very well be among the nation’s most embittered and vindictive about others’ pursuit of freedom, smooth roll-aways, and the lighthearted company of fellow chasers of the dream: skateboarding participants who now top 12.4 million in the United States. So, in city with so much potential, yet so much antipathy, where does one skateboard? Now, and just in time for summer, there are developments afoot in L.A., taking place in the realm of public skateparks. Two modern, semi-state-of-the-art concrete skateparks are slated to open in the neighborhoods of Garvanza, on the north side of Highland Park, and in the historic heart of East L.A. – where a dedication ceremony for Belvedere Skatepark is set for May 19. These additions promise to be the best of a second wave of concrete parks in L.A., which has long had a negligible role as a municipality in providing skaters with places to go, aside from brief stints in lockdown and/or courts of law for petty violations of curb scuffing, padless forays into highly regulated, but lowly imagined skate pens, and trespasses onto various public properties. That said, what has long represented the good life in skateboarding is found here – blue skies, slabs of smooth asphalt and concrete starting from your doorstep, stretching to infinity, with grade, high levels of stuntwood ability flying out of just about every street corner curb-cut across the city – and a level of expertise that just keeps getting raised. There is also a glut of new street spots developing daily, due to the ongoing construction boom downtown, including a spate of charter-school campuses and upwardly aspiring residential complexes along the moneyed traffic corridor that winds its way to the city’s Westside, where there are several pay-to-skate options, as well as historic Dogtown haunts, and ultimately, the Pacific Ocean. Remember being in school? Public elementary, middle, or high school? Few people I know could say they didn’t feel confined by the prison architecture, 14-foot chain-link fences, and the general keep-

you-locked-up-on-the-inside feeling they experienced during the Wonder Years. But here it is: one, five, 10, god, 20+ years later, and skateboarders from all eras lie in wait for the weekend to arrive so they can break into those same playgrounds they once looked upon with pangs of restriction. L.A.’s never been at a loss for places to skate, but with the increasingly high concentration of skaters here and in the general global population, it is a mission at times to find spots not being blown out by crowds or frowned upon by property owners and authorities. See you Saturday at the Belvedere dedication.

With more than a decade making music, Mogwai have solidified their place in rock history with albums including “Come on Die Young”, “Rock Action”, “Happy Songs for Happy People” and their critically acclaimed “Mr. Beast”. Continuing where “Mr. Beast” left off comes Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait – the soundtrack to the critically acclaimed documentary about the controversial soccer (football) player with 10 new tracks specifically written and recorded for this film.

Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10am- 9pm • Fri. & Sat. 10am- 10pm • Sun. 11am- 7pm

CityBeat in no way condones or recommends violations of city laws and ordinances restricting access to public or private property. That said, here are some skateboarding spots for the summer of 2007: Belvedere Park, 4914 E. Cesar E. Chavez Ave., L.A. Opening ceremonies Saturday, May 19, beginning at noon. Garvanza Skatepark, Meridian and N. Figueroa Sts., L.A. No opening date set; foundation, bowl, and park elements completed; skateable and trespassing citations issued daily. Glendale Verdugo Skatepark, 1621 Canada Blvd., Glendale. Designed largely by ’90s vert pro skater Ben Schroeder; nominal daily fee for non-residents. Channel Street Skatepark. L.A.’s finest DIYeffort, located underneath the Channel St. overpass of the 110 freeway in San Pedro. Flying demos daily by Robbie Russo. Hernandez Ledges 2.0. Do-it-yourself concrete ledges built on acres of abandoned loading docks and building foundation surrounding the intersection of Avenue 23 and Humboldt St. in Highland Park. Wasteland never looked so good Bethany Church Parking Lot. 21 North Olive Ave., Alhambra. Regular sessions on portable skate elements during the school week; site of the inaugural Local Rippers Invitational, presented by SGV and friends, on Saturday, May 19, noon-6 p.m. Info: Whatissgv.com. Your Backyard Mini. A plethora of miniramps are on the way. Find one! ✶ MAY 17~23, 2007

CITYBEAT

SUMMERBIKING

BRAKES OPTIONAL PHOTOGRAPH BY TED SOQUI

A SPEEDY TWO-WHEELED JOURNEY INTO AN L.A. SUMMER NIGHT WITH THE ‘WOLFPACK’ ★ By Cole Coonce

~ Asphalt Jungle Gym: Crossing Nightime L.A. with the ‘Wolfpack’~

t’s Monday night outside of Tang’s Donuts, on the isosceles point of an East Hollywood minimall. At pigeon shit-spackled hard plastic tables, a coterie of immigrants of varying and indiscriminate green card status drink coffee al fresco and play games of chess and backgammon. In the bushes beyond the wrought iron that defines Tang’s boundaries, a handful of homeless guys have pissed themselves – or so it smells. Meanwhile, in a parking space adjacent to the bums and their shopping carts, a 40-something Japanese guy removes a deconstructed carbon fiber bicycle from his mini-pickup bed and begins re-assembling. As he works, he becomes randomly flanked by a slow gathering of lean, night-owl urban bicyclists who pedal up pell-mell from all five points of the city. 10 p.m. Monday at Tang’s is the staging point-slash-launch pad for a gonzo, nocturnal 40-mile bike ride known as the “Wolfpack Hustle.” What exactly is the “Wolfpack Hustle?” In cycling terms, a “hustle” is described as any ride other than

a race where one is pedaling as fast and as furiously as one’s cogs and wheels allow. The “Wolfpack,” as defined by one of its members, is “an insurgent militia of bicycle creeps in perpetual training, pushing ourselves to ride stronger and to assert our rights to these gritty streets.” Thus spake “Roadblock,” one of the ride’s pseudonymous organizers. When interviewed, Roadblock insists on “no real names, please” and his nom de guerre is apt: The young man towers over his road bike and is an absolute concrete Armco barrier of a human being (albeit vertical), and a reasonable ringer for L.A. Laker Luke Walton. When I ask Roadblock what is the itinerary for the evening’s Hustle, he gets laconic and covert; the ride’s co-organizer “Wolfrider1” – slighter build, dark complexion, with a mug maybe reminiscent of Subcomandante Marcos – is within earshot and interrupts Roadblock’s silence with this stolid proffering: “Tonight’s coordinates are on a strictly need-to-know basis.” Meaning, the Hustle is free-from, impromptu, and improvisational – and neither journalists nor anybody else needs to know the destination. They just need to see if they can keep up. CITYBEAT

Anyway, soon enough a decision of sorts is reached: After heading east on Sunset to reconnoiter at an old transvestite bar, the ride will 180 and head west to Beverly Hills. First stop: Sunset and Doheny. And just like that, the ride is on. Rocket launches are more sluggish. The peloton powers up Sunset at almost 30mph, and riders jockey for position and leapfrog each other like leptons in a particle accelerator. The pack’s percolations use all of the bike lane and more, spilling onto the boulevard. Later, Roadblock summed up the plight of the cyclist in L.A., in a riff that was part Nathanael West, part Alvin Toffler: “It is especially harsh conditions here in the car capital of the world,” he said. “Every one that moves here has a dream and that dream for the most part involves ‘striking it big.’ So this whole city’s culture is based on bigger – better – more – money … and riding a bicycle doesn’t exactly fit that image. So people tend to feel embarrassed or shy about riding a bicycle. That’s just silly. What’s not silly is how ignorant most motorists are about giving cyclists a hard time.”

MAY 17~23, 2007

Roadblock’s words are spot on: Before we get out of Silver Lake, the first sign of vehicular tension transpires near the stoplight at Maltman, as a neatly coiffed couple of dinks (dual income, no kids) in a gleaming bucks-up, latemodel SUV crowd and menace a handful of Wolfpackers who have taken over the slow lane. “What the fuck is your hurry?” blurts out one threatened cyclist because there is nothing ahead but a red light. “Get in the goddamn bike lane,” the driver admonishes, which sends the biker’s ire and sense of civil discourse up a notch. “I am entitled to take the whole lane,” is the reply, and rather than cite California Vehicle Code section 21202 chapter and verse, the rider bangs a fist on the hood of the vehicle, making his point with brevity and action rather than words. As an observer – and a cyclist who is merely trying to stay with the pack, out of harm’s way, take some notes, and file a story – yer humble CityBeat scrivener takes a keen interest in any further intercourse between the dink and the sprockethead. And as the light glows green, the motorist punches the throttle and makes

! BLE! FASTCEOR MFORTA

MORE a hasty right on Maltman without bothering to signal, splitting the pack like cockroaches and forcing this rider to grab a big handful of brake and choke down a lungful of bilious exhaust. Later, I ask Roadblock what is the Wolfpack’s policy on traffic lights. He answers, “Respect the reds.” Yeah, maybe. More like, traffic signals are, at best, advisory. The seemingly blithe attitude towards stopping is borne out of necessity; specifically, because half of the group sports “fixed gear” bicycles. “Fixies” (or track bikes, because of their origin in “track” racing) are uber-minimalist machines that not only lack any gearing – the propulsion apparatus is a single-speed drivetrain – they have also foregone the seemingly superfluous bourgeois constructs known as brakes! These things are designed to G-O, Man!, not stop … and because of their Bauhausian simplicity, they are the favored steed of many urban cyclists hell-bent on not only speed, but also purity. Like I say, nearly half of the pack is on fixies, including Wolfrider1, who waxes that “I prefer a fixie, because it’s a little more intense of a ride without brakes, which equals more fun for me.” He then gushes fetishistic: “Track bikes are the supermodels of cycling: tall, skinny, and absolutely beautiful.” (It is worth noting that nearly all these quotes were gathered after the ride, as there was no way I could physically posit a question during the course of the ride, much less open my mouth for anything more than heavy, arrhythmic breathing, as my tongue hung out of my piehole like a one-lunged dog.) En route to Doheny, the ride was a blur, with these un-uniformed athletes standing on it, gathering more and more momentum, the track bikes pushing the pace as those riders cannot coast (a fixed gear means the rider must pedal at all times) until the pace began to feed upon itself, with the entire peloton becoming a sort of perpetual motion machine. It was at Western when I first came to realize how insane this all was. None of the fixie guys wanted to stop for traffic. Without brakes, the only way they could halt was to throw their bikes sideways in a maximum velocity skid, so they would commandeer intersections and just kind of hope for the best. It became apparent that this ride was utterly Darwinian. “[The Hustle] can be very dangerous,” Wolfrider1 confirmed. “The pack moves fast – you have to be alert and focused. There is no room for error [when] riding in a tight pack at high speeds.” He then summed up its natural selection: “This is a balls-out Hustle through the streets of Los Angeles, where riders bring their A-game. It’s long, hard, and challenging. If you cannot keep up with the pack, you will be dropped from the ride.” Verily. A couple of the roadies did not have that life-is-cheap relationship to crossing traffic, and allowed themselves to get momentarily caught by red lights. If you were among those left behind, all you could see was a micro-galaxy off red blinking lights bounce off of the ass-end of a small sea of seat bags, the lights’ random pinging growing smaller and smaller as if they were distant planets being swallowed up by the gnarsome gravity of a collapsing

dark star. The disappearing lights made those in the back pedal even harder, which led to a ridiculous amount of huffing and puffing and trying to fight off fatigue while staying focused on the hazards of the road. This ride requires copious amounts of concentration and a 360-degree omniscience, as the rider is looking for potholes, cars ahead, cars behind, and cars crossing, as well as the actions of the other riders … another cyclist’s rear tire is six inches to a foot in front of your rear tire … and what if the guy in front of you is on a fixie and has to throw the bike into a skid to stop all-of-a-sudden like? This lickety-split hellzapoppin’ excitement is like being in the middle of some special effects-laden action film, and unfortunately detracts from being able to focus on the other movie that is going on during this rolling panorama through Los Angeles. Yes … the Wolfpack Hustle is like being in a movie, shot under-cranked and played back at hyper-speed, a travelogue that toggles on the axes of four dimensions. Sunset and Bronson, hey-there’s-KTLA-where-theyshot-Let’s Make A Deal … Wow-the-Ski-Roomdo-you-think-they-still-have-Hank-Snow-on the-jukebox? … Remember-the-HollywoodChristmas-Parade? … Sunset and Gower, shit-I’m-hungry, I-wouldn’t-mind-stoppingat-Roscoe’s-Chicken’-n-Waffles … There’sthe-other-rock-and-roll-Denny’s … Sunset and Vine, wasn’t-this-the-corner-with-theFatburger-where-Tex-gave-an-amputee-vettwenty dollars-and-he-looked-at-it-like-itwas-kryptonite? …What-buildings-don’t-theScientologists-own? … Crescent Heights, thesuckers-are-queueing-up-outside-the-comedyclub-hmmm-I-wonder-if-Michael-Richards-isperforming-tonight … Didn’t-Mimi-Munson -live-off-of-that-street? … Whatever-happened-to-the-Coconut-Teaser-anyway? … Wow-that’s-where-Belushi-OD’d … Larrabee, I-can’t-believe-there-are-still-all-these-hairfarmers-on-the-Sunset-Strip … Oy!-The-Roxy … Remember-leaving-the-Bad-Brains-showthere-and-come-to-find-out-some-drunk-Beverly-Hills-housewife-plowed-into-my-Pintoand-set-it-onfire? And so it went. If you suit up for the Hustle, your thoughts may vary, but those were my elliptical remembrances, all sparked before the ride even reached Doheny. Once in Beverly Hills, Roadblock and Wolfrider1 decided to ride past the rich people’s house on Alpine guided only by the light of the moon, then down to Little Santa Monica to Fairfax to Sixth, heading east across to Figueroa downtown and then back up Second to Sunset and back to Tang’s. As the riders reeled in pavement at a near-constant 28mph, I noticed that the moon was nearly full, but that didn’t quite suit Roadblock. “You should see the velodrome in the pale moon light when it’s full,” he said. “That’s when we ride to the center and rip our shirts off and howl. It’s soothing to the soul.” Film noir taught us that the city never sleeps, but the truth is that sometimes this town can be rather dormant. But it awakens by the shush-shush-shush of the Wolfpack Hustle, whereupon the mise en scène goes by your peripheral vision at 30mph, under your own power, a frame of film for every pedal stroke. Brakes optional. ✶ MAY 17~23, 2007

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SUMMERMUSIC SUMMER:MUSIC

HOT SOUNDS SUMMER 2007 OVERFLOWS WITH ROCK, JAZZ, COUNTRY, AND MORE ★ By Joshua Sindell

JAZZ The venerable Playboy Jazz Festival occurs in its 29th installment at the Hollywood Bowl on June 16 and 17 this year, with a host of amazing talents to perform, including Bill Evans, Dianne Reeves, Angelique Kidjo, Arturo Sandoval, and many more. Quincy Jones hosts the tribute concert, Benny Carter’s 100 Years of Music, with guests the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, James Moody, Roy Hargrove, Russell Malone, Marlena Shaw, Eldar, and Roberta Gambarini (Wed., August 8, Hollywood Bowl). Harry Connick Jr. lights up the night when he returns to town to swing (Fri., May 18, Greek Theatre), and in August, the ever-smooth Tony Bennett hits the stage in the hills to sing the standards like no one else (Thur., August 16, Greek Theatre). Not to be outdone, this summer finds current heartthrob Michael Bublé crooning tunes from his recent disc, Call Me Irresponsible (Wed.Thur., August 22-23, Greek Theatre). The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra revives the “swellegance” of the old Cocoanut Grove by sharing the stage for three nights with Pink Martini, with fireworks to close the show each night (Fri.-Sun., September 14-16, Hollywood Bowl). Nancy Wilson celebrates her 70 years with a night of music alongside friends Patti Austin, Ernie Andrews, Regina Carter, Kurt Elling, Nnenna Freelon and Ramsey Lewis, with host Arsenio Hall (Wed., August 29, Hollywood Bowl).

PHOTOGRAPHY BY STEVE APPLEFORD

nlike New York, Los Angeles is not a city that people flee once the dog days hit. Sure, it can be rough when your clunker’s stuck in rush-hour traffic on the 10 and your ACs on the fritz, but it’s nothing like the sopping humidity of an endless Manhattan summer. Which is why, when the summer concert season comes around, Angelenos love to either slather on the tanning lotion by day, or boogie under the stars at night. Summer doesn’t kill you here; it’s an excuse to leave work a little bit earlier and go play. Here, then, are several dozen reasons to go hear some music and be inspired by the sun or the moon.

~ George Clinton & P-Funk, Aug.18 at the Greek ~

WORLD/ECLECTIC/REGGAE Reventón Super Estrella 2007 happens at Irvine Meadows, featuring Latinthemed pop from Jennifer Lopez, Jaguares, and many more (Sat., June 2, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre). Mexico meets London when Café Tacuba plays its blend of Latin-American styles alongside U.K. dance titans Groove Armada (Sun., July 15, Hollywood Bowl). The annual “Reggae Sunsplash” concert presents such talent as Buju Banton, Beres Hammond, Luciano, Tessane Chin, and others (Sun., August 5, Greek Theatre). A colossal night of Jamaican music will occur when Burning Spear, and Sly & Robbie and the Taxi Gang, featuring Horace Andy and Cherine Anderson, join members of the Wailing Souls for KCRW’s “Reggae Night VI” (Sun., Aug. 12, Hollywood Bowl). The Bowl’s Spirit of Armenia! concert celebrates the “vibrant sights and sounds of Armenia, from traditional duduk to colorful costumes and dancing, with some of the finest pop artists from L.A. and Armenia” (Sun., July 29, Hollywood Bowl). Also: Be sure to check out the schedule for Santa Monica’s Twilight Dance Series, each and every Thursday on the Santa Monica Pier starting at 7:30 p.m. (Twilightdance.org). ROCK/PO P/CO UNTRY Package tours ahoy! The KROQ Weenie Roast boasts one of the most imCITYBEAT

pressive lineups in its history this year, the roster reading as a “who’s who” of modern rock titans: Korn, Queens of the Stone Age, Interpol, Bad Religion, the Killers, 30 Seconds to Mars, Peter Bjorn and John, Plain White T’s, Rise Against, Silversun Pickups, Social Distortion, the Bravery, Tiger Army, and Tim Armstrong will all appear. (Sat., May 19, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre). Ozzy Osbourne is claiming that this could be it, no more, unh-unh, fuhgettaboutit. This year’s Ozzfest will be the last one he will play … until he changes his mind. Nevertheless, guests at this year’s event will be able to crash craniums to the Ozzman and his guests Static-X, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, Lordi, Behemoth, Mondo Generator, Nile, Akla, 3 Inches of Blood, Daath, and In This Moment, to name most of this year’s crew (Sat., July 21, Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen, Devore). This week, Linkin Park returns with a new album, Minutes to Midnight, and celebrates its comeback with another installment of their Projekt: Revolution Tour, and they seem to have strong-armed many of the current altrock hitmakers to drop everything and come along with them. To wit: My Chemical Romance, HIM, Taking Back Sunday, the Bled, and Placebo are all on board, so while the revolution may not be actually televised, it’ll at least have a nice beat (Sat., July 28, Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen). The long-running Vans Warped Tour will feature dozens of punk rock acts, and others of similar lure to the skateboard culture, and is scheduled to hit local grounds three times this year. Bands showcased vary from date to date, but will include Bad Religion, Bayside, the Briefs, the Briggs, Circa Survive, Coheed and Cambria, Funeral for a Friend, Gallows, New Found Glory, Paramore, Pennywise, the Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, Tiger Army, the Used, the Vandals and Yellowcard (Fri., June 29, County Fairgrounds, Pomona; Sat., June 30, Seaside Park, Ventura; Sat., August 25, Home Depot Center, Carson). The True Colors Tour, in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender equality, features performances from Cyndi Lauper, Margaret Cho, Deborah Harry, Erasure, the Dresden Dolls, the Gossip, and more (Sat., June 30, Greek Theatre). Launched by Korn almost a decade ago, the Family Values Tour again features the nu-metal titans

MAY 17~23, 2007

as headliners, preceded by Evanescence, Trivium, HELLYEAH, Atreyu, Flyleaf, and others (Sun., September 2, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre). Plan now. Other rocking outdoor nights: Village People/A Taste of Honey/France Joli/Peaches & Herb/Thelma Houston/Anita Ward (Sat., June 16, Greek Theatre); Goo Goo Dolls/Lifehouse (Sun. and Tue., June 17 and 19, Greek Theatre); Nelly Furtado (Wed., June 20, Greek Theatre); Norah Jones (Thur., June 21, Greek Theatre; Fri., June 22, Santa Barbara Bowl); Gwen Stefani/Lady Sovereign (Fri.-Sat., June 22-23, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre); Rodrigo y Gabriela (Tue., June 26, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre); Alison Krauss & Union Station (Fri., June 29, Greek Theatre); Joan Armatrading (Sun., July 1, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre); the Decemberists (Sat., July 7, Hollywood Bowl); Chicago/America (Sat., July 7, Greek Theatre); Incubus (Tue.-Wed., July 10-11, Greek Theatre; Thur., July 12, Santa Barbara Bowl; Fri., September 7, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre); Queen Latifah (Wed., July 11, Hollywood Bowl); “50 Years of Stax,” with Isaac Hayes, William Bell, Eddie Floyd, Mable John, and Booker T. Jones (Wed., July 18, Hollywood Bowl); The Fray/Gomez/Eisley (Wed.-Thur., July 18-19, Greek Theatre); Sonic Youth (Fri., July 20, Greek Theatre); The Stylistics/Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes/ChiLites (Sat., July 21, Greek Theatre); Snow Patrol (Sun.-Mon., July 22-23, Greek Theatre); Rush (Mon., July 23, Hollywood Bowl); k.d. lang/Lyle Lovett (Thur., July 26, Greek Theatre); Lynyrd Skynyrd (Fri., July 27, Greek Theatre); Gladys Knight/Wayne Brady (Fri., July 27, Hollywood Bowl); Bob Weir & Ratdog (Sat., July 28, Greek Theatre); Clay Aiken (Sat., August 4, Greek Theatre); Reba McIntire and Brian Stokes Mitchell perform South Pacific (Fri.-Sun., August 3-5, Hollywood Bowl); “Sgt. Pepper’s at 40 … a Beatles Celebration” with guests Cheap Trick, Aimee Mann, and Joan Osborne (Fri.-Sat., August 10-11, Hollywood Bowl); Squeeze/Fountains of Wayne (Mon., August 13, Greek Theatre); Los Lonely Boys (Fri., Aug. 17, Greek Theatre); George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic (Sat., August 18, Greek Theatre); Slayer/Marilyn Manson/Bleeding Through (Fri., August 24, Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre); Macy Gray/Zap Mama/Brazilian Girls (Sun., August 26, Hollywood Bowl); The English Beat/UB40 (Sun., August 26, Greek Theatre). ✶

MAY 10~16, 2007

CITYBEAT

N O W AVA I L A B L E A T B E S T B U Y

CLEOPATRA

SUMMERCLASSICAL

A SCINTILLATING SEASON WANT TO TURN SUMMER DAYDREAMS INTO CLASSICAL MUSIC AND DANCE REALITIES? SEE THESE CONCERT HIGHLIGHTS ★ By Donna Perlmutter ★ OJAI MUSIC FESTIVAL, JUNE 7-10.

This year brings Pierre-Laurent Aimard, one of the day’s hottest new-music practitioners, to the sleepy little town that becomes a Shangri-La every June. From the Pierre Boulez camp, Aimard played with the French master’s Ensemble InterContemporain and now, after splashing across music capitals everywhere, he makes his debut at Ojai directing the festival formerly presided over for seven seasons by his boss. If the pianist’s recent New York appearance is any example, the innovator par excellence will deftly show us how interrelated all music is – from Ligeti to Stravinsky to Mahler to Peter Eötvös, the Hungarian composer who, by the way, will be on hand conducting some of the events. The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra will also play, along with Nexus, the percussion ensemble. Not least will be Ara Guzelimian, a happy Ojai paragon and local boy made exceedingly good – as former Carnegie Hall director and new dean of Juilliard – chatting away with several of the artists. The whole weekend promises to be outstanding, with Mahler’s “Das Lied von der Erde,” in a 15-instrument version inspired by Schoenberg and sung by Monica Groop and Vinson Cole, as a rare treat. For details, see Ojaimusicfestival.org. PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA, WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, MAY 22.

Anyone curious to spot signs of dissension between outgoing music director Christoph Eschenbach and this orchestra with the famously sumptuous sound, should check out the scene. On its current tour, which already made a stop in New York, others took note, some of them perhaps imagining certain breaches between the leader and his soon-to-beerstwhile flock, some looking and finding little but superb performances. The Mozart-Tchaikovsky program should yield a few clues. For details, see Wdch.laphil.com. “SHADOW OF STALIN,” LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC, WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, MAY 25 & 27.

Shostakovich, who lived under the tyrannical reign of Josef Stalin and documented in his music the very horrors perpetrated, shows, as living history, how art and life intersect. Esa-Pekka Salonen puts together in this unusual program scenes

from the composer’s typically sardonicbrutal operas “The Nose” and “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk.” For details, see Wdch.laphil.com.

VARIOUS ARTISTS “BONE BOX – THUGS FOR LIFE” This 2 disc set features rare and new cuts from the entire Bone Thugs- N- Harmony family with special appearances by Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Eazy- E, NAS, Mobb Deep and many more! In stores now!

HOLLYWOOD BOWL, JUNE 22-SEPTEMBER 30.

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” gets a Sunday Sunset concert performance, courtesy of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, led by Leonard Slatkin with top-tier singers Isabel Bayrakdarian, Sumi Jo, and others, on July 8. The Philharmonic’s regular season – Tuesdays and Thursdays – kicks off July 10 after the annual July 4 fireworks concert. Michael Tilson Thomas, who gives object lessons in pied-piperism, returns from San Francisco to his native city to conduct an all-Beethoven program, including the Ninth Symphony, on July 31. Choreographer Jacques Heim premieres a work set to Esa-Pekka Salonen’s “Foreign Bodies,” taking literally the title of the piece. The composer conducts, along with Mahler’s Fifth Symphony, a score with an indelible Adagio that has been used in several ballets, as well as the movie based on Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice. For details, see Hollywoodbowl.com.

Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10am- 9pm • Fri. & Sat. 10am- 10pm • Sun. 11am- 7pm

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE, DOROTHY CHANDLER PAVILION, JULY 12-15.

This last “Dance at the Music Center” event of the season brings ABT back to Los Angeles proper, sounding a bell loud and clear that we don’t all have to trek down the freeway to Orange County for major-league ballet fare that, by all rights, should play the downtown venues first and foremost. One program will consist of a mixed bill: showy pas de deux; the other, Lar Lubovitch’s full-evening “Othello.” For details, see Musiccenter.org/dance.html. LOS ANGELES BALLET, UCLA FREUD PLAYHOUSE, MAY 2425; ALEX THEATRE, GLENDALE, MAY 26; REDONDO BEACH PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, JUNE 2.

This latest incarnation of a local company, in a newly-minted edition, is cast in the New York City Ballet mold with impeccable credentials. The upcoming, all-Balanchine bill includes “Rubies,” “Apollo” and “Serenade.” For details, see Losangelesballet.org. ✶ MAY 17~23 2007

CITYBEAT

SUMMERDANCE MUSIC

HEAT TO THE BEAT THIS SUMMER, THERE WILL BE DANCING IN THE STREETS ★ By Dennis Romero ★

n Los Angeles, the season of the sun can make you feel like the lone kid sentenced to summer school. It’s a time when it seems everyone has either left town or is buried in a laptop making last-minute revisions for the fall television season. Lonely midnight boulevards dissipate the day’s warmth as we search for action. Where is everyone? We’re dancing in the heat. SATURDAY, MAY 26 Shadow of Stalin. The Los Angeles Philharmonic is deftly trying to grab your attention. Yes, you – the alt-weekly reading, twenty-through-thirty-something hipster. The Phil has nabbed classical music’s young, Latino rock star, Gustavo Dudamel, as its new conductor, and it continues to book adventurous all-night events that straddle the boundaries of electronic dance music and classical performance. On this night, the Phil brings you Brazilian drum ’n’ bass and downtempo sensation Amon Tobin along with New York art-tech artist DJ Spooky and local turntablists such as Cut Chemist and J-Rocc. VJs will provide visual departures, and a 10-piece theremin orchestra will demonstrate old-school electronic. 111 S. Grand Ave., Downtown. 18+. Info: Laphil.org.

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Love Festival. This is billed as a 15thannual event. Damn, we’re old. If you haven’t retired your glow sticks just yet, this is the place to be. Representing the dizzy, loopy house tip: Donald Glaude, DJ Sneak, and Starkillers. On the bang-it-tillit-hurts tip: DJ Irene and Swedish Egil. On the electroclash-ain’t-dead-yet tip: Ladytron (live). And if you like your beats to go faster than a Bugatti Veyron, the Planet of the Drums tour gets its own stage with the likes of Dieselboy and AK1200 rinsing drum ‘n’ bass. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Expo Gardens, 3939 S. Figueroa St, Exposition Park. 18+. Info: Thelovefestival.com. SUNDAY, JUNE 10 LCD Soundsystem. The dance-punk champion and critics’ darling returns to Southern California following its Coachella performance. James Murphy’s New York act has moved forcefully into the live-band realm with its raucous album Sound of Silver. LCD plays a game of love-hate with dance music – denying its vitality, yet using it as its “file under” safety blanket. In our eyes LCD rocks more than it raves, and that’s just fine for its neo-mullet-sporting fans. (Also June 11 and 12). At the El Rey Theater, 5515 Wilshire Bl, Miracle Mile. Info: Elreytheater.com. MAY 17~23, 2007

FRIDAY, JUNE 29 Kazell with Max Cheddar (live), more. One of our favorite tech-house spinners happens to reside beachside in Venice. The U.K.-born Kazell has become L.A.’s finest big-room groove merchant, teasing floors with subtle builds and whipping them up past midnight with relentless progression. It’s no wonder he’s been John Digweed’s go-to warm-up jock. Kazell is a local treasure. King King, 6555 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. 21+. Info: Kingkinghollywood.com. SATURDAY, JULY 14 Giant Village. The promoters known as Giant had some – ahem – weather problems for their annual New Year’s Eve party in 2005, so they wisely started holding their outdoor block party in summer. Dutch trance juggernaut Armin Van Buuren is the headliner, so don’t expect this to be much of a lawn-chair affair. Van Buuren spins his synthetic arpeggios with a full-speed-ahead ethic. Oh, and the reason for that “ahem”: Giant had some problems giving out refunds for that dubiously cancelled N.Y.E. party, so purchase your tickets wisely (using plastic, at the door). Downtown, exact locale TBA. 21+. Info: Giantclub.com. SATURDAY, JULY 21 Daft Punk with The Rapture, more. In this age of dance-punk (LCD Soundsystem) and Daft Punk acolytes (Digitalism, Justice), the planets have aligned for a revival of the French duo’s crunchy, discoloop sound. Unmasked members of the act have reportedly been spotted spinning records around Southern California (dropping LCD’s “Daft Punk is Playing at my House” at a Coachella-adjacent party, spinning at The Echo). This summer is the time and L.A. is the place for Daft Punk redux. Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St, Exposition Park. Info: Goldenvoice.com. SATURDAY, AUGUST 11 Tiesto in Concert. If you’ve read our Groundswell column over the years, you’ve probably figured it out: We’re not big fans of trance. All the silicone, glow sticks, and rapid-fire synth music has put the cheddar in cheesy. Yeah, there are lots of cash-flush followers, even if class is something they skipped. Tiesto is the Dutch guru of trance, and he’s wisely tamed his sound to include more bassline driven, punchier grooves on his latest, Elements of Life. Still, Tiesto in arena mode is like prog rock in its stadium days – not to be missed, but soon forgotten. Los Angeles Sports Arena, 3939 S. Figueroa St., Exposition Park. Info: Giantclub.com. ✶

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These days of rising heat indexes and tempestuous oceans demand the latest and greatest relief and gear. With rising gas prices and proof that nearly half the carbon dioxide pumped into the air comes from cars, it may be time to ditch four wheels altogether. A tandem bike would be one fabulous way to connect with asphalt and nature while simultaneously developing a meaningful relationship (depending on his/her cadence) with that special summer love. There’s a wide range of brands, models, and prices to explore. Start your research by going to 2wheelbikes.com. Ladies, maybe you prefer to stay close to home and private pool and entertain your friends. Go all out this summer with goofy drink accessories like Cocktail Black Cat drink hangers, Cool Jazz drink stirrers, and Cabana Stripe Flip Flop coasters. All can be found on Perpetualkid.com with a number of other cocktail lounge accessories including the popular Cool Shooters Ice Shot Glass maker by Fred. What would a 21st century summer guide be without a suggestion on how to keep your iPod dry should you fall into shark-infested waters – or a pool? Check out Otterbox.com for a wide selection of waterproof options for your electronic devices. I like the OtterBox for the iPod nano, 2nd Generation. This nifty little protective cover is waterproof for up to three feet and provides drop protection for a mere $39.95. OtterBox doesn’t claim it’s shark-bite proof. You can test that for yourself. ✶ CITYBEAT

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o ease into this season of swelter, you will probably want to arm yourself with critical protective products and gadgets, and I’m not talking super UV-blocking sunscreen and extra wide-brimmed hats (so pre-Global warming). No, these days of rising heat indexes and tempestuous oceans demand the latest and greatest relief. Because there is so much fascinating new stuff available on the Web and beyond, here are some suggestions for your Summer ’07 starter kit: Nothing says “day at the beach” like the protective head drape by Coolibar. The breathable, contoured mesh top fits under the brim of your hat while extralong flaps fit over or under your shirt or jacket to ensure nothing above the collarbone is exposed to light. All Coolibar brand garments have an ultraviolet protection rating of 50 and are recommended by the Skin Cancer Foundation. Can’t beat that for an endorsement. $19.95 plus shipping. Coolibar.com. Maybe your summer consists of driving around town from casting call to casting call. Your car’s air conditioner is on the fritz and until you land that star role, you’ll be dripping sweat no matter how low your windows. Air Conditioner in a Can might be what you need. According to Strapya.com, the magic is in the mix of ethanol, a silicon surface agent, and freon gas. Spray it over your clothes for that “standing in front of an air conditioner” feeling – but not directly on your skin as the chemicals could cause severe burns. And yes, it’s flammable and contributes to the depletion of the ozone. Maybe the Air Conditioner in a Can isn’t such a good idea, after all. Fortunately, there are alternatives for freshening up after that hot commute. Fuwarinka gum is alleged to be the “breath mint for your body.” Just one hour after chewing, your whole body will emit the aroma of fresh citrus, fruity rose, or rose menthol (specifically designated for men). It may not provide much cooling or sun protection but at least you’ll smell good. Compactimpact.com. Your idea of the perfect summer may include the perfect road trip. There is no better way to see the country – or to pick up a venereal disease from one of those truck stop toilets. Ladies, this one is for you: The amazing new My Sweetpee allows you to urinate without ever having to touch a public toilet. Designed by a pair of germophobes in Houston, this ingenious device can be used while standing in front of the toilet like a man or squatting like a

MARIA MULDAUR “NAUGHTY, BAWDY AND BLUE” “Naughty Bawdy and Blue” is the third in a series of CDs of classic blues material from the ’20s through to the ’40s. This time however Maria changes her focus from country blues to the vaudeville blues artists who recorded racy, entertaining blues, usually backed by the best jazz players of the day. Maria sings and delivers this material better then anyone. In stores now!

Store Hours: Mon.-Thurs. 10am- 9pm • Fri. & Sat. 10am- 10pm • Sun. 11am- 7pm

MAY 17~23, 2007

SUMMERDINING

LIVING AFTER MIDNIGHT

ILLUSTRAT ION BY SCOTT GANDELL

THIS IS L.A., AND YOU CAN GET FINE CUISINE ANYTIME YOU DAMN WELL LIKE IT ★ By Dean Kuipers

o many Saturday mornings, around 2:15 a.m., I see you there, standing in line with the other 60 pilgrims in front of Pink’s, leaning on the CityBeat box and living just a few more interminable minutes until a pair of hot dogs – one Guadalajara dog, this time, and then maybe the unadorned, never-fail chili dog just to be sure – will connect you again with the innate goodness of being an Angeleno. It’s funny to see you there and honk. But it’s been months, now. Many months.

And after-midnight Los Angeles has grown. It’s not just a Preston Sturges-like dreamscape of hangover helper and allnight diners out there now. This weekend, when you walk out of the late show at the Nuart into the sweet jacarandascented turning of one day into the next, some of the best fine dining in L.A. is still available. In fact, it’s a whole new late-night scene. For instance, just around the corner from the Nuart on an industrial side street in West L.A. is Bill Knight’s foodie experiment, Upstairs 2. The space was once the tasting room for the Wine House downstairs, Knight’s must-have CITYBEAT

shop for wine connoisseurs and the wine-curious who pack their busy schedule of classes. And chef Todd Barrie (formerly of Joe’s on Abbott Kinney) has created a tapas-like menu built specifically around their bottle and bythe-glass offerings. On the night I was there, sommelier Marilyn Snee had chosen (among the thousands of bottles available downstairs) the 2002 Grape Tamer Syrah from Stag’s Leap Ranch, a dark, earthy, life-affirming vintage (my date chose a crisp Figeat Pouilly Fume “Cuvee Prestige” 2005). The knowledgeable server recommended, as cold starters, the Tapenade Trio to go with the white wine – a plate with three just-right dabs of eggplant, salty smoked whitefish, and dried tomato and black olive. With this, we chose two things not currently on the ever-changing menu: a fantastic coriander tuna with a delicate sauce and a pinch of sautéed spinach for a flavor burst, and the shrimp with black rice. The rare Thai rice – once reserved for kings, the server explained – combined with a savory coconut milk and was totally satisfying. As a second flight, we were served off the “Old World” wine list a 2003 J.L. Chave Saint-Joseph Offerus Syrah. The more acidic and plum flavors were a nice compliment to perfectly prepared, medium-rare venison medallions. Again, they’re tapas-size portions, but more than enough when sharing space with fine wines. The Three Cheeses Plate came with some unexpected offerings, too, including a milky-soft sottocenere truffle cheese under a fig cake, a riveting Spanish Pi´con cabrales bleu, and a triple-cream Brillat-Savarin Affine. I’ll probably have a heart attack any minute, but at least I’ll be grinning from ear to ear. All that magic cost about $110, so late-night dining at Upstairs 2 is going to set you back a bit more than, say, Canter’s or the Original Pantry downtown. But it’s worth every penny. And you don’t have to worry about crowds: dinner is served until 1 a.m., but the place was about half-full at 11:30 p.m., and we were the last customers served that night. I guess it was still a touch too early for the hungry clientele leaving the 4Play Gentleman’s Club down the street. If you’re willing to sacrifice some percentage of the “fine” of fine dining in return for a younger, louder, and more potentially available clientele, then brave the wilds of downtown and the deliciously dark and newly remodeled Redwood Bar & Grill. The place has been completely revamped since its

MAY 17~23, 2007

days as the well-worn watering hole of the L.A. Times staffers across the street. If you grab one of the tables and park yourself under the nautical décor – where watery films like Yellowbeard or Open Water 2 play on a loop – you can enjoy a creative mix of gastropub attitude and straight-up comfort food as the club crowd spills over from the Edison just down the street, all tight little dresses and hair product. On Fridays and Saturdays, the place is packed by 11 p.m. and a fair number flock to the intimate dance floor in the back room, but you can get the full dinner menu until 1 a.m. and just watch the show. A friendly bartender named David points out some of his favorites on the menu, including the award-winning Redwood Burger and the Portobello mushroom sandwich – two big mushroom caps stuffed with goat cheese, breaded, and deep-fried, which he praises as “messy, but good.” More heartattack nirvana! Other patrons report that the Craftsman fish and chips and the wedge salad are top draws, as well as the mac ’n cheese. I don’t know if they know anything about food, but the two gals who told me this were darling enough to be forgiven. And the prices are forgiving, too: You could have two entrees and a couple drinks at the Redwood and still get out of there for $45. Oh, and speaking of burgers and potentially available clientele? The new 25 Degrees restaurant in the Roosevelt Hotel could be the ultimate Hollywood eating-after-midnight experience. Or one of ‘em. A burger-in-a-bordello-type vibe dominates, with oxblood leather booths and textured fuchsia wallpaper, and according to the website, the place never closes. What, you’ve never been in the Roosevelt’s pool in your underwear with someone else’s girlfriend? Every night you wait is another night lost – lost, I tell you. After you towel off and steal a house robe, the only thing you’re going to want is a burger – and it’s a good thing, too, because all that red décor is your first clue that burgers are all they serve at the 25 Degrees. Similar to other pure burger joints like the Counter by the Santa Monica airport, the 25 Degrees menu is a youbuild-it affair. For somewhere between $10 and $15, you pick your meat (ground sirloin, turkey, or hot dog), sauce, one of a dozen carefully chosen cheeses from Emmi gruyere to burrata, and terrific extras like caramelized onions or prosciutto. After that and 10 glasses of 25 Degrees red ale ➽ 28

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picking up a black hole with chopsticks, but it was quite tasty. The cherry tofu salad was a lot more colorful and even better – I had never considered putting those two ingredients together, much less adding hazelnuts, goat cheese, and mizuna leaves, but with a cherry vinaigrette tying everything together, it was brilliant. For main courses we selected a seafood combination in lemongrass-tarragon sauce and the Asian barbecued pork ribs. The latter was at our server’s suggestion – “Asian” ribs are usually sweet and characterless things, but these had a rich black beanbased sauce with a smoky, complex spice tang and incredibly tender meat. They owed a bit to Korean ideas – not surprising given Chef Park’s heritage – but weren’t like any ribs I’ve had before, and I’m something of a rib fanatic. I’d have them again next visit unless I get distracted by the other interesting things on the menu. Like the seafood in lemongrass tarragon sauce, for example: lobster, mahi mahi, calamari, shrimp, and scallops grilled and then tossed in the sauce along with portobello pieces and quinoa. The mild Andean grain was a surprisingly good background to all these flavors, picking up the essence of the other ingredients and tying together ideas that might otherwise have seemed scattered. We enjoyed sips of exquisite Genzou Haguro Honjyozo with our entrees, watched the lights of Hollywood, and were at peace. Not every table at Yamashiro has a view of the city, but I’d return and enjoy a view of the tranquil garden or of just the fine food on my plate. Still, we stopped in our tracks as we left the restaurant and beheld the vista of Los Angeles and the moon through a gauzy haze. It was a meal and a view to

remember. It’s 14 miles from Yamashiro to the Saddle Peak Lodge as the crow flies, but those who travel by car rather than by crow will clock 30 miles. A century ago, the Saddle Peak Lodge was a one-room general store on the horse trail from Calabasas to Malibu, catering to gold prospectors, hunters, and others traversing the wilderness. In the ’30s, it expanded and became a roadhouse and movie star hideaway, and in the ’60s it was refurbished into an elegant restaurant specializing in game dishes. Not everything has changed: The fireplace that warmed wandering miners and horsemen still blazes on the ground floor in an atmosphere part Old West, part New England hunting lodge. This is appropriate, because a meal at Saddle Peak is all about eating critters you usually chase with a dog and a rifle. Such as duck, assuming your dog is a good swimmer. We shared the confit of duck breast with watercress and citrus salad as a starter. A century ago, this French dish of duck preserved under a layer of fat would have been disdained as peasant food, but changing tastes have brought simple country dishes back into fashion. It suits this setting, where America’s wild places are celebrated, and it was delicious, the flavor intensely concentrated. The simple, fresh cress salad and citrus were an apt foil for the strips of rich, rare meat. We continued with a mesquitegrilled guinea hen (called a “pintade”) and a sampler of three game specialties: elk, buffalo, and quail. The latter are served with a stock sauce so concentrated it’s almost chocolate-y, which you should ask to be served on the side – it tastes great, but obscures some of the nuances of the meat. The elk tenderloin was our favorite, a rich meat with a flavor all its own and enough marbling to be tender. This isn’t to slight the other two offerings, which were very good, but there’s a reason that the elk is the house specialty. The pintade was fine too, the meat pearl-white and fine grained, more flavorful and leaner than chicken. I suspect that if guinea fowl weren’t such ➽ 28

MAY 17~23, 2007

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CITYBEAT

Indias‘ Oven clay

ne of the cherished assets of a restaurant in L.A. is a view of the hills, a reminder that there is still a natural world out there, a place of rugged contours and animals without collars. Much rarer is a view not of, but from the hills. That prime real estate is mostly residential, so the tables with the best views are in private homes, to which, alas, mere journalists are rarely invited. There are a few restaurants perched in the hills, though you’d never go to some of them if it weren’t for the view. They cater to the country club set, and the daily menus are obviously an afterthought to the weddings and special events that bring in the real money. Nevertheless, three restaurants stand out as places in which to dine very well while enjoying a view of the natural and unnatural wonders of the region. By happy coincidence, one is in the center of town, another one is in the San Fernando Valley, and the third is right in the middle. Yamashiro offers the most glamorous view – all of Hollywood is spread out below the huge windows of this Japanese palace just above Franklin Avenue near Highland. The sense of seclusion and elevation are astonishing, an effect magnified by the tranquil garden and traditional wooden building that are straight from a Kyoto tourist board poster. Yamashiro was built by a pair of millionaire brothers in 1914 to house their Asian art collection, and they went so far as to dismantle a 600-year-old pagoda and move it to the front garden. (It’s the oldest building in California, and probably the farthest traveled.) The brothers enjoyed the place for less than a decade before one died and the other sold it, and a succession of owners operated it as a restaurant. It used to be famous for strong drinks and dull food, but since chef Jason Park took over two years ago, things have changed. There are whimsical items on the menu now like the Darth Vader roll – a sushi roll that features all black ingredients. All the outlines were invisible, creating the sensation of

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THE NATURAL HIGH OF MOUNTAINTOP DINING ABOVE L.A. ★ By Richard Foss

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SUMMERDINING

LATE NIGHT (CONT’D)

(that’s extra), you’re not going to want to leave the hotel, so better cozy up to whomever you stole the robe from – but you’re a big girl, now. You know better than I do how to organize all that. And then there’s the new restaurant in the Avalon called Honey – if you like eating while a disco thump vibrates your table across the floor – or the “ultralounge” in the Penthouse on the 18th floor of Santa Monica’s Huntley Hotel (get there by 10:45 p.m). But if all that’s too Hollywood for you, too newfangled, too posh, don’t pack it in for a Netflix night. L.A.’s late-night standards are always there for you. Go get a beautiful pollo burrito verde at La Cabaña in Venice. That lady goes right on making hand-made tortillas until 3 a.m., bless her. Or roll down to the bottom of Beechwood Canyon and you smack right into La Poubelle and its reasonable French food all the way up ’til 2 a.m. Or Mel’s. Or Swingers. Or Damiano’s. And if all else fails, midnight rambler, there will always be Pink’s. ✶

PEAK (CONT’D)

good flyers, more people would raise them – the skill that used to protect them from being a fox’s dinner keeps them from being ours as well. The best view to enjoy with your dinner is from the top room of the lodge, where green hills march to the horizon with hardly a sign of civilization. You look past an abandoned doghouse, formerly home to the lodge’s Labrador retrievers that died of old age years ago. Long-timers are still sentimental about the old dogs, so no canine urban renewal is planned. It’s fitting – the lodge celebrates its history, of which even the doghouse is a small part. The “view” restaurant between the valleys is also all about history, albeit of more ancient times. I have written paeans to the joys of dining atop the Getty Museum above the Sepulveda Pass before (See CityBeat, June 22, 2006, at Lacitybeat.com), but I didn’t say much about the view because I was so enamored of the food. Suffice it to say that while you enjoy the elegant and adventurous modern food here, you also have a view that stretches from the Malibu hills to the far

Upstairs 2, 2311 Cotner Ave., West L.A., (310) 231-0316. Upstairs2.com. Wed.-Thur. 5:30 p.m.midnight; Fri.-Sat. 5:30 p.m.-1 a.m. Redwood Bar & Grill, 316 W. Second St., downtown L.A., (213) 680-2600. Theredwoodbar.com. Mon.-Fri. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Fri.-Sat. 5 p.m. -1 a.m. 25 Degrees, in the Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., (323) 785-7244. 25degreesrestaurant.com. Open 24-7! Honey, 1733 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 462-3000. Avalonhollywood.com. Reservations accepted 6 p.m. -10 p.m.; kitchen open until 2 a.m. Huntley Hotel Santa Monica, 1111 Second St., Santa Monica, (310) 394-5454. Thehuntleyhotel.com. Dinner served until 11 p.m.; arrive by 10:45 p.m.

reaches of the East Side, plus elegant nearby homes. The ancient and modern come together in the architecture as well as on the plate here, in unlikely harmony, and it’s still one of the great experiences L.A. has to offer. We see our metropolis from street level so often that we forget the grandeur that appears in a bird’s eye view, just as we also think of wilderness as something that happens far away from the place we live and work. In these three restaurants of character, we are reintroduced to those environments, and to the work of chefs who are masters of their craft. ✶ Yamashiro, 1999 N. Sycamore Ave., Hollywood, (323) 466-5125. Yamashirorestaurant.com. Saddle Peak Lodge, 419 Cold Canyon Rd., Calabasas, (818) 222-3888. Saddlepeaklodge.com. Getty Center Restaurant, 1200 Getty Center Dr., L.A., (310) 440-7300. Getty.edu.

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CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

NocTOURnals a cultural open-house from 6:00 PM to midnight. June 23 & 30 July 7 & 14 EXPERIENCE FOUR DOWNTOWN L.A. DESTINATIONS AT NIGHT MOCA Grand Avenue, Walt Disney Concert Hall, Grand Performances, and REDCAT FOR ART VIEWING, MOONLIGHT GARDEN TOURS AND PERFORMANCES.

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CITYBEAT

l MAY 17~23, 2007

SUMMERTHEATER

SHAKESPEAREAN SUMMER STAGES ACROSS L.A. WILL HOST BARD CLASSICS, BUT NEWER PLAYS ALSO FILL A CROWDED SEASON OF COMEDY AND TRAGEDY ★ By Don Shirley ILLUSTRATION BY SCOTT GANDELL

owadays, “summer theater” usually means Shakespeare, not frivolous summer stock. And if you asked people to quickly name one Shakespeare tragedy and one comedy, the most-cited titles would probably be Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. So it isn’t surprising that this summer’s professional Shakespeare season in Southern California includes at least three Midsummers and two Hamlets, on top of a third Hamlet that’s already opened in Ventura. This phenomenon can vex veteran theatergoers. Do we really want to go yet another round with the anguished prince of Elsinore? A 10th or 20th tumble with the Midsummer lovers, fairies, and tradesmen? Why can’t companies give us an occasional Troilus and Cressida, Henry VI Part 3, or Timon of Athens? The obvious answer is that Shakespeare’s lesser works wouldn’t fill nearly as many seats as the greatest hits. Besides, even a 30th visit to Elsinore can highlight something you had never noticed, if the production is good enough. Directors sometimes vary Shakespeare’s evergreens by planting them in different times or places or switching genders. Ben Donenberg is setting Shakespeare Festival/LA’s Midsummer (opening July 13) along L.A.’s Central Avenue in the early 20th century, when the street was a mecca for hot jazz and interracial mingling. Also, in recognition that the production’s first venue is downtown L.A.’s Cathedral Plaza, and that cathedral plazas once hosted medieval pageant plays, Donenberg is incorporating three locations from those plays – heaven, hell, and the workaday world – into his Midsummer matrix. The Theatricum Botanicum in Topanga opens a Tempest on June 3 that will alternate between performances with a man (William Dennis Hunt) and those with a woman (Theatricum artistic director Ellen Geer) as Prospero, who’s usually male. Geer will play Prospero as a woman – not “in trousers” – with minor textual changes. Among the three plays in Hollywood’s Independent Shakespeare Company repertory is Richard II, probably the least familiar title from any of the companies this summer – although it’s still on the middle layer of fame, not the Troilus and Timon rung. The biggest change for Independent fans is that the company is probably going to open its Barnsdall Park shows not on the customary Great Lawn, which is being re-landscaped, but at a location on the other side of the park – closer to a hospital helipad with possible noise intrusions. But then, the Indies are skilled at coping with choppers even from their previous perch overlooking much of Hollywood. They plan to return to the Great Lawn later in the summer, grass and bureaucrats permitting. If you want something less familiar, of course plenty of newer plays are out there, beyond the Bard. True, most of these won’t be outdoors – a vital part of summer theatergoing. However, indoor theaters will hardly shut down.

this little musical when it played Orange County last December. But unlike that cast, the actors in this L.A. premiere are from the original New York group. This William Finn/Rachel Sheinkin creation, about some precocious middle schoolers and their adult role models, is funnier than The Producers. The Girls and Boys of June 2 and 3: On June 2, The Verdi Girls opens in Laguna Beach, the first time that one of Irish playwright Bernard Farrell’s comedies has premiered in the U.S., thanks to a commission from the enterprising Laguna Playhouse. The play’s about opera fanatics who gather at La Scala for Verdi Week. Fanatics for a different kind of music will gather for Jersey Boys, the popular musical about the Four Seasons, the following day at the Ahmanson Theatre. Los Illegals will mark the first big local splash by Cornerstone Theater’s new artistic director Michael John Garcés, who wrote this bilingual examination of L.A.’s day-laborer scene, inspired by a Lope de Vega play. Shishir Kurup will direct a cast of professionals and community participants, at the Armory Center, opening June 7. It will launch a two-year-plus cycle of Cornerstone productions on the topic of justice.

HERE ARE SOME OF THE NON-SHAKESPEARE OFFERINGS THAT SOUND INTERESTING: Yellow Face, at the Mark Taper Forum, opening May 20. M. Butterfly playwright David Henry Hwang was an outspoken voice against the casting of the nonAsian Jonathan Pryce as the Eurasian Engineer in the U.S. premiere of Miss Saigon. In this somewhat autobiographical play, which features a playwright character with his own initials, Hwang will explore some of the unexpected complications that followed. The Ricardo Montalbán Theatre in Hollywood will come to life this summer. It has been largely dormant since the Montalbán Foundation bought it in 2000, with the intention of turning it into a Latino performing arts center. But a three-weekend run of Dog in the Manger, by Spanish Golden Age master Lope de Vega, opens May 25, moving up from a production at the tiny MET Theatre. Zorro in Hell, opening July 18, is Culture Clash’s comic take on the legend of the early California swashbuckler, staged by Berkeley Rep’s artistic director Tony Taccone. It played in Berkeley and at La Jolla Playhouse last year but will surely be updated to reflect recent California news. Both productions will try to sell only 499 seats per performance – about half the theater’s capacity. The producers are surely aware that the venue’s only full production since 2000 with a run of at least a few weeks, the musical Selena, reportedly lost more than $1 million. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, at the Wadsworth Theater, opening May 27. I wrote about MAY 17~23 2007

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Carmen, a new musical (not the opera, but based on the same story) arrives at La Jolla Playhouse June 20, under the direction of ex-Cirque du Soleil wizard Franco Dragone. It opens departing La Jolla artistic director Des McAnuff’s final summer season before he returns to his native Canada. Meanwhile, Cirque du Soleil itself will return to L.A. on Aug. 23 at the Forum, with Corteo. S. Epatha Merkerson of Law and Order fame will star in William Inge’s Come Back, Little Sheba at the Kirk Douglas, opening June 24. Can Can, the 1953 Cole Porter musical about the introduction of ooh-la-la dancing into 19th century Paris, will open at the Pasadena Playhouse July 6, with a new book by David Lee and Joel Fields. Artistic director Sheldon Epps describes it as a “revisal,” saying that changes will strengthen the story, but it will still be the same tale, time, and place. Padua Downtown, July 12-29, will be a tryout for a proposed annual return of the legendary Padua Hills Playwrights Festival and Workshop, which was a summer tradition from 1978 to 1995. The festival was known for its site-specific productions of cuttingedge work, and the Padua Downtown planners hope to continue that tradition by performing six one-acts at the Bedlam Warehouse, a downtown L.A. space with three levels, stairs, and elevators; lounge and bar areas; and art on the walls. Naturally, one of the plays is by Padua founder and godfather Murray Mednick. Plans for dozens of other productions are simmering throughout L.A. Of course, I make no guarantee that you will love any specific show. As Shakespeare wrote, “Why should proud summer boast before the birds have any cause to sing?” ✶

metro.net

SUMMERRECESS

WHAT HAPPENED TO RECESS?

MetroBriefs Metro Considering Fare Change

The Board of Directors will consider revising Metro’s fare structure at a special public hearing on Thursday, May 24, at 9am at Metro headquarters, Cesar Chavez Avenue and Vignes Street, in downtown LA. The public may comment in person, or in writing to: Board Secretary, Attention: Fare Adjustments, One Gateway Plaza, Los Angeles CA 90012-2952, or email to fares@metro.net or fax to 213.922.4594.

A Tough Choice: Adjust Fares Or Reduce Service It’s a very tough choice. Metro doesn’t want to leave you stranded by reducing existing bus service, halt new projects like Rapid Express and rail expansion, or cut back on the transit improvements we’ve worked so hard to give you. So we’re faced with the choice of raising fares or reducing service levels to what we can afford.

Base Fare Of $1.25 Lowest In Nation Transit systems in many major cities already charge $2 base fares. A day pass costs $9 in Boston, $8 in Atlanta and $7 in New York City. Metro wants to keep its $1.25 cash fare – already the lowest of any major transit operator in the nation – in place until January 2009. Even with other adjustments to pass prices, Metro customers will still pay an average of only 86¢ per ride.

100 High-Capacity Buses Purchased Metro is buying 100 more 60-foot-long high-capacity buses to improve service on its most popular lines. The articulated buses being purchased can seat almost 50% more passengers (57) than standard 40-foot models. Final delivery of the buses will be completed in 2008.

Metro Rapid Introduces Express Service

Fast is getting faster. Express rush hour service on two Metro Rapid lines will begin next month. Rapid Express Line 940 on Hawthorne Boulevard between the South Bay Galleria and downtown LA and Rapid Express Line 920 on Wilshire Boulevard between the Wilshire/Vermont Metro Rail station and Santa Monica will make as few as four stops along the routes.

If you’d like to know more, please call us at 1.800.464.2111, or visit metro.net.

ADULTS NEED TIME TO RUN AND PLAY, TOO ★ By Natalie Nichols

CITYBEAT

n the way to my mechanic’s garage in North Hollywood, I always drive past an elementary schoolyard, with basketball courts, soccer fields, and a big ol’ playground. It’s usually recess time, and the place is crawling with kids – mostly in motion, playing organized games or just running around, but also sitting alone or in small groups, watching the others or talking among themselves. It always reminds me of my own long-ago grade-school years in a small Pennsylvania town. Especially when the weather was nice, we could scarcely wolf down our lunches fast enough, the quicker to get outside and tear it up on the big hill and grassy fields. I was definitely not the most active kid; usually I’d sooner read a book than play tag. Nevertheless, I still remember groups of us racing down that hill, and how it felt to run so fast, as gravity exerted a scary-exhilarating downward pull, that my legs could hardly stay under me. I had no chance of winning and would likely come in last, but I ran anyway, for the sheer joy of it, my spirit soaring almost unbearably high. Recess was full of ordinary thrills like that. It was precious time away from books and chalkboards, dedicated to the important work of having fun. And sometimes I wonder, whatever happened to recess? Sure, most child-development experts consider it essential for youngsters, to help them blow off steam, to recharge their batteries for afternoon lessons. But how come it ends somewhere around sixth grade? And why don’t adults get it, too? After all, for working Americans, summer vacation is a bogus concept. We get so little rest-and-relaxation time, considerably less than many other civilized countries, where vacations can last up to six weeks. To us, business is paramount and all-consuming, and vacation is a luxury. In the rest of the world, even the Iraqi parliament recently planned a two-month summer break – and Allah knows they have plenty of work to do. (Predictably, members of U.S. Congress criticized this proposal, even while doubtless looking forward to the month off they’ll be getting come August.) Things aren’t likely to improve for the average U.S. working stiff, as companies continue downsizing to help maximize profits, loading employees with more work and making vacations a misty memory. In fact, the grudging tolerance American institutions have toward leisure time may be turning into outright hostility, as the once-hallowed recess period has been reduced and even eliminated at some elementary schools around the country. Getting rid of recess sounds pretty un-American to me, but apparently some schools feel it’s a waste of time better spent improving academic performance. My paranoid side says this reflects a general suspicion of unstructured activi-

MAY 17~23, 2007

ty and perhaps even an ultimate goal of creating drones who never even think to demand time off. Some schools blame a lack of volunteer monitors, citing liability issues if kids are hurt or harassed by strangers. Other schools have actually been built without playgrounds. Hey, it’s only playtime. Who needs it?

Whatever happened to recess? How come it ends somewhere around sixth grade? And why don’t adults get it, too? Well, everyone. The experts haven’t changed their minds. Kids still need to run and play, to interact and solve their own social problems rather than always relying on adult intervention. These days, exercise is key, as childhood obesity is epidemic and after-school play more likely involves videogames. Kids pay attention more after recess, which, one might reasonably conclude, could spark the sort of improved academic performance the anti-recess crowd allegedly seeks. But adults suffer from overwork and lack of physical activity, too. So why not give them recess? If we can’t expect long breaks from our jobs, how about tiny vacations in the middle of every day? Yes, grownups get breaks, but usually they’re spent running errands or handling personal business. (Or working.) When I pass that playground, I imagine adults escaping from their desks to just tear around the yard. When was the last time you did anything like that on a coffee break? It’s a whimsical suggestion, to be sure. It might even be completely frivolous. Adults can recharge their batteries by going to the gym before or after work, or getting together in the evenings for a pick-up basketball session. Yet the simple games of childhood have a special allure, providing a sense-memory jolt as intense as a madeleine with tea. And more adults are craving that charge. Just this month, the Sacramento Bee published a story about grownups playing kickball in a local park, with one participant citing the activity as a way of “connecting with their grade school roots.” So, let’s bring recess to adulthood. Take time each day to play tag, climb a tree, or sit on the grass. Let your mind wander. Remember, or imagine, those distant childhood days when life had fewer complications and responsibilities, when you weren’t so inured to the thrill of simply existing. Run down a hill. And let your spirit soar. ✶

SUMMERBOOKS

HOT TYPE T

here’s no getting around the fact that 2007 has been a dispiriting year for literary coverage as many newspaper book sections have dwindled when not altogether disappeared. But for all the diminution in the print media, one can always count on some inches devoted to the subject of “summer reading.” Recently, Time Out New York proffered a “mostly scientific formula” for assessing the “weight class” of one’s summer reading, from the beach read to those erudite ascents of Mount Proust or other Everest-like tomes, based on such factors as “degree of existential dread,” “number of laughs per page,” plot twists, and page count. It shouldn’t require an ersatz mathematical calculation to find one’s way through summer books. Rather than a formula, I much prefer the image of a map, with a set of destinations for making your way across the seas, high and low, of summer reading, passing by a chain of desert islands where music writers dwell with a single album to play for all time, and then anchoring at a strange spot where you might encounter a malevolent metaphysical shark. One of the most highly anticipated novels of the summer is out this week. Don DeLillo examines in his 14th novel Falling Man (Scribner) how, on or around September 11, 2001, the world changes for New York lawyer Keith Neudecker. Given his fictional proclivities for conspiracy and history, the very notion of DeLillo writing a “9/11 novel” seems almost a little too made-toorder. Falling Man is not a vast Libra or Underworld-like excavation of this politically and spiritually “airborne toxic event” – to lift a phrase from DeLillo’s White Noise – but more like a modest and character-driven elaboration on the author’s December 2001 Harper’s essay, “In the Ruins of the Future.” There are many novels to choose from in early June, including Marianne Wiggins’s exploration of the lives of photographer Edward Curtis and a writer named “Marianne Wiggins” in The Shadow Catcher (Simon & Schuster) and Ian McEwan’s study of the sexual and psychological tribulations of an English couple in On Chesil Beach (Nan A. Talese). For many readers, the book of the summer arrives on July 21 with the release of Harry Potter and the

Deathly Hallows, the seventh and final Harry Potter book. For lovers of biography, Zachary Leader presents a meticulous look at the keenly perceptive and boldly incorrigible author of Lucky Jim in The Life of Kingsley Amis (Pantheon). This prolific writer and father of novelist Martin Amis essayed a wide array of subjects and genres, including satirical social fictions, purgatorial tales of domestic torpor, alternative histories, and books on his various passions for drink, science fiction, and James Bond. Those looking for a book on a less literary curmudgeon may prefer Rickles’ Book (Simon & Schuster) by comedian Don Rickles. In August, William Gibson’s first novel since 2003’s Pattern Recognition ushers an enigmatic information courier, an investigative journalist, a drug addict, and other characters into Spook Country (Putnam). Luc Sante, author of the superlative Low Life, has collected his essays in Kill All Your Darlings: Pieces 1990-2005 (Yeti Books). For music mavens who may still be recovering from the recent music festivals and looking for a night or two at home with a book, Joe Boyd’s memoir White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s (Serpent’s Tail) is the music book of the year. Boyd takes us through his childhood in Princeton, New Jersey and his time at Harvard to his career as a music producer for Pink Floyd, Nick Drake, the Incredible String Band, Fairport Convention, Nico, and many others. Boyd was also a co-founder of London’s famous UFO Club and a film music director at Warner Brothers. His enticing and insightful countercultural chronicle is full of brilliantly recollected and beautifully observed reflections on the music – from blues to folk to psychedelic rock – and on music makers of the ’60s who altered his life, along with the lives of so many others. (There is a White Bicycles CD to accompany the book, if you can find it.) At the end of the summer, Phil Freeman revisits the one album per desert island question in Marooned (Da Capo), a sequel to Greil Marcus’s 1979 collection Stranded. 20 music writers champion discs by Motörhead, Stereolab, Spiritualized, Steven Stills, Alice Coltrane, Donna Summer, Miles Davis, and Iron Maiden. In his “Return to Treasure Island” appendix, Freeman himself picks up where Marcus’s appendix left off, updating the MAY 17~23 2007

PHOTOGRAPH STEVE APPLEFORD

SAILING THE SEAS OF SUMMER READING ★ By Anthony Miller ~ Zachary Leader’s The Life of Kingsley Amis opens a door on the author ~

annotating the list of songs and albums you would need to explain rock ’n’ roll to someone who had never heard it. Freeman brings it up to the present by addressing the post-punk, metal, hip-hop, trip-hop, rap, and electronica of the last three decades. One evening in May, nearly 200 years ago, Percy Shelley, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, and Dr. John Polidori entertained themselves by engaging in a ghost story contest. Polidori’s contribution came to be considered the first vampire tale; Mary Shelley’s story came to be known as Frankenstein. For a frightening and engrossing yarn in the Frankensteinian vein – with some inspirations from Borges, Philip K. Dick, and Haruki Murakami – there is Steven Hall’s The Raw Shark Texts (Canongate). Here, the monster that haunts the protagonist is a “conceptual fish” known as the “Ludovician,” a metaphysical shark that trolls the “waterways of thought” and feeds on human memories. At the start of this engrossing and inventive first novel, Eric Sanderson, who has lost his memory and his girlfriend Clio in an accident, struggles to recover his identity with the help of his psychiatrist Dr. Randle, and finds a series of letters with instructions from a correspondent who calls himself “The First Eric Sanderson.” How many Eric Sandersons are there, or have there been? The Raw Shark Texts incorporates elements of the ontological thriller about identity and consciousness and 35

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of a story of lost love. Yet another immense influence on Hall’s “conceptual fish story” is, of course, Jaws – the reader knows that this mind-annihilating shark is always lurking out in the sea of the text, waiting to strike like the insidious horror-movie fiend it is, and a man vs. shark showdown is inevitable. Still, what is in fact unexpected and unpredictable about this book is the way it carries the reader along on the voyage. The novel features typographical displays somewhat reminiscent of those in works by Mark Z. Danielewski, with conceptual fish composed of words and floating across the page, keyboard diagrams with encryption instructions, and a flipbook-style shark attack. As we follow Sanderson pursuing who he is and his relationship to the creature pursuing him, this is a fantastical, suspenseful novel that rewards our pursuits. The stories we come upon in summer often stay with us in a way that those we read during the rest of the year don’t, whether because we have more time to devote to them or because they become a more intimate part of our experience, keeping us company in our journeys through train stations or airport and bus terminals or keeping us dreaming by the pool, at the beach, or at the end of an evening. Summer reading might be, in its own way, like that conceptual shark in Hall’s novel, lying in wait, biding its time, insinuating itself into our memories. ✶

CITYBEAT

l MAY 17~23, 2007

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IN THE MUSEUMS AND AT THE BEACH, THESE SUMMER EXHIBITIONS WILL SUFFUSE YOU IN SoCALâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LIGHT â&#x2DC;&#x2026; By Rebecca Epstein â&#x2DC;&#x2026;

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Mary Heilmann: To Be Someone, Orange County Museum of Art, May 20-August 26. Featuring 65 paintings from the past 40 years, OCMA presents the first retrospective of works by a woman considered one of the greatest painters of her generation. Heilmannâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inspiration for her bright and sassy abstract canvases â&#x20AC;&#x201C; cited by curator Elizabeth Armstrong for their â&#x20AC;&#x153;pure visual punchâ&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201C; came from athletic childhood days spent in the SoCal surf, as well as punk and pop music from the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s through today. Info: Ocma.net. SoCal: Southern California Art of the 1960s and 70s from LACMAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Collection, L.A. County Museum of Art, August 19, 2007-March 30, 2008. This exhibition examines a period in L.A. art-making that simultaneously reflected both utopian and dissenting ideas about Southern California life. With over 50 objects ranging in style from Larry Bellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s elegant coated-glass Cube (1966) to Edward Kienholzâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rusty and debauched Back Seat Dodge â&#x20AC;&#x2122;38 (1964), youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see some of the first creations to put our city on the art worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s map. Info: Lacma.org. Red Bull Illume Image Quest Exhibition, Huntington Beach, June 6-17. Extreme photographs of extreme sports deserve an extreme exposition. For 12 nights, this traveling show presents 50 shots by action sports photographers in eight-foot glass and metal display cubes, lined upon the Huntington Beach sand. Info: Redbullillume.com. Heart and Torch: Rick Griffinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Transcendence, Laguna Art Museum, June 24-September 30. The first retrospective and solo museum show honoring late â&#x20AC;&#x2122;60s â&#x20AC;&#x153;surfer artistâ&#x20AC;? Griffin who, with elaborate posters and cartoons, transformed 19th-century graphics into a psychedelic iconography of the counterculture. Info: Lagunaartmuseum.org. Catch A Wave, Aquarium of the Pacific, May 25, 2007-March 31, 2008. This aquarium at the Long Beach shore gets even wetter with wonder this summer. Expect a â&#x20AC;&#x153;surf cultureâ&#x20AC;?

CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

LACMA

hether to please the expected onslaught of tourists, or because in the summer, L.A. is at its sun- and fun-loving, optimistic best, many large-scale exhibitions this season will reflect a distinctly SoCal vibe. From the Getty to Laguna Beach, look forward to shows that celebrate our artists, sports, shores, and that ethereal magic without which we couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t survive here.

~ Edward Kienholz, Back Seat Dodge â&#x20AC;&#x2122;38 (1964) ~

film series, exhibits that explore the science of waves, and a speaker series that includes a book-signing with Craig Smith, Newport Beach author of the surf science and story compendium Extreme Waves. Info: Aquariumofthepacific.org. Evidence of Movement, Getty Museum, July 10-October 7. As the Getty continues to shed its stuffy skin and welcome contemporary art upon its hill, the Getty Research Institute presents a show dedicated to one of the most complex of all modern art forms. Evidence will explore the critical issues surrounding performance art, and the variety of materials that reanimate these pieces for scholars. Already on view: Medieval Beasts. Everyone loves looking at the beasties! Through July 29. Getty.edu. ALREADY OPEN: Edenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Edge: 15 LA Artists, Hammer Museum, through September 2. Featuring both established and emerging L.A. artists â&#x20AC;&#x201C; including Jim Shaw, Lari Pittman, Monica Majoli, Eliott Hundley, and the late Jason Rhodes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this exhibition reveals their shared dedication to craft and intrigue with L.A.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vast contradictions. Also on view: Hammer Contemporary Collection, Part II, featuring work by current L.A. art stars, and more. Through August 12. Hammer.ucla.edu. A Centennial Celebration: The Life of Norton Simon, Norton Simon Museum, through December. Opened just days after what would have been Simonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100th birthday, this biographical collection of photos, text, and artworks heralds a man who came to hold one of Southern Californiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exquisite fine art collections. A yearlong series of events and special programming accompanies. Also on view: Alexei Jawlensky (1964-1941). More than 100 paintings and works on paper by the Expressionist artist and member of the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Blue Fourâ&#x20AC;? who bathed his canvases in the least naturalistic yet most affecting hues. Through November 5. Info: Nortonsimon.org. â&#x153;ś

DAVE PATRICK

Ain’t That Pretty At All Warren Zevon was a difficult, tortured artist, but an oral history and CD reissues shed light on this ‘Excitable Boy’ ~ BY CHRIS MORRIS ~

Y FRIEND TODD HAS A notion to put together a cover band for a one-night gig. He’s dragooning his friends to play, and I am one of his victims. After some ill-tempered back-and-forth about which song I will perform, he finally comes up with a winner: Warren Zevon’s “Lawyers, Guns and Money.” Gamy lyrics; three big chords; a fat, stupid riff: I’m there. Like many another writer, I’ve always had a great fondness for Zevon. He was the funniest and most literate of musicians, and he thoroughly seduced scribes. Some of his earliest champions in print, like Jay Cocks and the late Paul Nelson, became close friends. Fittingly, he was tight with hardboiled writer Ross McDonald and with Dr. Hunter S. Thompson. As the “real musician” in the writers’ band the Rock Bottom Remainders, he palled around with Carl Hiassen, Dave Barry, and Mitch Albom. I was a Zevon fan from the release of his first, reputation-making Asylum album in 1976. I loved its bitter aftertaste, and the way its “song noir” (to use Jackson Browne’s acute description) cut against the banal selfregard so apparent in the music of Zevon’s L.A. contemporaries. He was one of the first performers I saw after moving here in 1977. At his gig at the Roxy, there were tall glasses of vodka lined up on his piano, and at one point he toppled from his bench. Over the years, I interviewed him several times -- the last time was in September 2002, when he granted me an interview for Billboard (one of the few he agreed to do) announcing he was terminally ill with mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer. His illness, and the making of his star-studded last album The Wind, brought him some sensational attention prior to his death in September 2003. The last two months have brought a fresh wave of scrutiny to his life and work. In March, Rhino Records reissued three of Zevon’s Asylum albums: his hit Excitable Boy (1978), the rambunctious live album Stand in the Fire (1981), and the uneven The Envoy (1982). Early this month came the simultaneous release of the two-CD set Preludes (Ammal Records) and the book I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead (Ecco), an oral history compiled by Zevon’s ex-wife Crystal, purportedly at his behest. The book is exciting some interest, for its depiction of Zevon is much at odds with the frail, droll, courageous guy who come-lately listeners got to know as death closed in, from his appearance on David Letterman’s show and his VH1 special. Befitting the guy who wrote

~ L.A.’S DARK BARD IN 1980 ~

“Boom Boom Mancini,” the biography pulls no punches. For all his brilliance, Warren Zevon emerges as quite an asshole – mean, self-absorbed, emotionally remote, bitter, sometimes blindly violent, a brutal drunk, and a selfish, sex-obsessed womanizer. Judging from posts on online Zevon fan boards, his admirers are reeling from Crystal’s often appalling portrait. I say: Hearing Zevon’s songs, so fixated with death, madness, perversity, and aberrant behavior, should any of the book’s revelations be completely surprising? I think not, though I often found myself grappling to reconcile the often-monstrous individual in Crystal’s book with the witty, charming, erudite man I knew. Born in Chicago and raised, if it can be called that, in Fresno by his small-time mobster father and Mormon mother, Zevon’s childhood and adolescence virtually define the term “neglect.” By his teens, he was pretty much running wild in L.A. -- soon, under the tutelage of such Hollywood hucksters as Bones Howe and Kim Fowley, he recorded as a member of the co-ed folk duo lyme and cybelle, and cut a largely ignored first solo album. In 1975, Zevon was playing for chump change in an Irish bar in Sitges, Spain, when Jackson Browne summoned him back to L.A. to record his self-titled Asylum debut. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead offers some back story about the making of that scintillating bow and some of the other early records, but it is far deeper on the legendary proportions of Zevon’s alcohol-fueled excesses. “I got to be Jim Morrison a lot longer than he did,” he told his friend Hiassen. The specifics of alcoholics’ lives differ, but the effects are all the same. Zevon’s story has more money and guns in it than most; no lawyers to speak of, but plenty of loose pussy. By the time he finally bottomed out and sobered up in 1986 – after one unsuccessful intervention chronicled in detail in a 1981 Rolling Stone cover story – Crystal had left him, after being hit once too often during a blackout, and he had torched his career. He hung with Alcoholics Anonymous for a while, until he discovered that his sponsor was shooting heroin. (Sounds like a Zevon song, doesn’t it?) The dried-out Zevon doesn’t appear to have been much nicer than the drunk one. His treatment of the many women in his life is depicted as sordid and selfish; to one, he likened sex to “taking a shit.” He was an only intermittently successful father to children Jordan CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

and Ariel. He could terminate relationships with extreme prejudice: For instance, he informed his manager Andy Slater that he was dropping him while Slater was in rehab. Even the tale of his bold work to complete The Wind before death overtook him is marred by the revelation that he toppled off the wagon during the last year of his life. The totality of I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead is perhaps best summed up by a Zevon song title: “Ain’t That Pretty At All.” The music will serve as something of an antidote to the despair the book may induce. Among the Rhino reissues, I recommend the sick, fun-loving Excitable Boy, which includes “Werewolves of London,” and the ultraextroverted Stand in the Fire, which catches a briefly sober Zevon in full flight.

SONIC NATION Preludes comprises an oddly humorless 2000 radio interview, and 16 undated early demos discovered in storage, next to some live ammo, by Jordan Zevon. There one encounters the skillful work that drew Zevon’s fervent cult to him. You hear manic rough drafts of “Werewolves” (cut almost reggae style) and “Poor Poor Pitiful Me”; a self-lacerating, previously unheard tune, “The Rosarita Beach Café,” that plays like a draft of “Desperados Under the Eaves” (also heard in demo form); and, best of all, another hitherto unknown number, “Empty Hearted Town.” In the latter – which Zevon cannibalized lyrically for the later “Empty Handed Heart” – the sun-baked chill and forbidding emptiness of L.A. is caught in a few deft strokes: “I’m walking down the sidewalks of L.A./Wishing I had a warmer jacket/And leaves are falling down.” (Has anyone ever actually walked down the street in a song about L.A.?) The tune’s melodic craft, attention to emotional detail, and keen consideration of the landscape remind one why, though Warren Zevon may have left a lot to be desired as a human being, he is worthy of our ongoing attention as the dark bard of L.A. ✶

Chris Morris hosts “Watusi Rodeo” on Indie 103.1 FM, every Sunday at 9 a.m.

MAY 17~23, 2007,

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l MAY 17~23, 2007

A PARTY 30 YEARS IN THE MAKING!

PHOTOGRAPH BY OSCAR ZAGAL

~ LILY ALLEN: OFF THE RECORD ~

LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER MAY 24 - 28, 2007 | LOS ANGELES, CA

Lily Allen takes on her world and herself at the Wiltern ~ BY STEVE APPLEFORD ~

ILY ALLEN IS A SENSIBLE girl with her own troubles and irritations. She’s become an international pop star in just a matter of months, though her songs are not about the woes of a warring, warming planet, but are obsessed with the smaller everyday horrors within her reach. You know, things like weight loss and “looking like Kate Moss” and the ex-boyfriend with a small dick, and other challenges of that nature. These things she can handle. At 22, Allen is also part of a startling, surging wave of powerful new female talent to emerge from Britain, a crowd that includes Lady Sovereign and Amy Winehouse. They all seem to share some serious interests and serious beats, but are each distinct as personalities and artists.

LIVE In her way, Allen is as brash, blunt, and possibly dangerous as Lady Sov, and as snarlingly wounded and retromusical as Winehouse, but her beats are coated in Jamaican riddims and classic pop melody. Like Winehouse, Allen has a weakness for ’60s pop/R&B vocals, which emerge in graceful melodies and brassy blasts from her three-piece horn section. Together, these women are like a definitive answer to that ancient insult to some girls from the last century, when old-school Brit Mick Jagger sang “English girls, they’re so prissy/I can’t stand them on the telephone,” doing that sleazo-misogynist-loverman thing he once did so well. That was cool in ’78. Now he just seems like an asshole. Allen, Sov, Winehouse, et al. can stand up for themselves. And Mick’s calls can go right to voicemail. At the Wiltern Theatre on Wednesday, Allen glided through bitterweet tunes from her debut album, Alright, Still … as at ease with a contemporary blend of ska and pop as Gwen Stefani circa 1995. Wearing a short white dress over faded jeans, a single long braid falling over her left shoulder, she paced the stage with a casual charm, delivering the hits (“Smile”) and surprises (a lilting, reggae-flavored take on Blondie’s “Heart

of Glass”). A Jamaican breeze drifted through much of it. Before the album, Allen already had a growing following from an active MySpace page, where her posts could be as broodingly confessional as “lonelygirl15” on YouTube, except that hers were nonfiction and she was not looking for a movie deal. Just this week, fans could read a self-loathing post titled “fat, ugly and shitter than winehouse,” wherein our heroine opined: “I write to you in a sea of tears from my hotel bed in Seattle, I have spent the past hour researching gastric bypass surgery, and laser liposuction.” A bad moment to share with an audience that cares. She seemed all better by her Wiltern set, where she thanked the locals for being “so nice, you make me feel so good – unlike San Diego and Sacramento, but let’s not talk about that.” Yes, better to focus on the good and the now, which was all anyone could feel in the theater for 75 minutes as Allen bounced to the beats and swayed to the melodies, pacing and chatting up a storm. She introduced “Everything’s Just Wonderful” with a statement of generational bravado to her young fans: “We’re going to be running this shit in a few years, so everyone else can fuck off!” She was joined by guitarist Lynval Golding of the classic U.K. band The Specials, who played staccato leads of bluesy ska guitar for two songs. Allen then strapped on a guitar herself to slash out a single dramatic chord for “Sunday Morning” – a brooding, angry, conflicted song about sudden romance and its uncertain aftermath – accompanied by a searing, sad trumpet line. Between songs, Allen embraced some grownup vices: taking a shot of Jägermeister to a round of applause (“For any journalists who are here, this drink is off the record”), and she sparked up a series of cigarettes (“It might look like a cigarette … it’s one of those theatrical cigarettes”). And there was one more guilty pleasure she craved, as she openly told fans she dreamt of seeing a mosh pit erupt at one of her shows. Just once. She smiled at the front rows. “I’d quite like that.” ✶ MAY 17~23, 2007

Star Wars Celebration IV Commemorate the Star Wars 30th Anniversary with non-stop excitement! For the first time ever in the U.S. watch all six movies together on the big screen! Out of this world Star Wars 30th anniversary events: Celebrities and crew stars from the entire saga Exhibit of movie props and costumes Live entertainment on multiple stages Exclusive looks into what’s coming at Lucasfilm 24-hour store filled with exclusive merchandise Charity auction with rare treasures from the Lucas Licensing Archives One Man Star Wars Trilogy & Star Wars Trilogy in 30 minutes Celebration Art Show with almost 50 artists Replica X-wing starfighter for photo ops Stormtroopers Olympics and XXtreme Droid Challenge Your favorite Star Wars video games in the GameStop Gamezone

Go to: www.starwars.com/celebration to join the party! ©2007 Lucasfilm Ltd. ® & or TM where indicated. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Gen Con, the Gen Con logo, and The Best Four Days in Gaming! are trademarks of Gen Con LLC. All rights reserved. Used under authorization. Hollywood Walk of Fame™ & Design © 2007 Hollywood Chamber of Commerce. All Rights Reserved.

CITYBEAT

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Scavenger Hunt Grand Prize: a bike from Bike Attack. Additional prizes worth over $200 from Angel City Books, Aura Shop, Groundwork, LF Stores, Library Alehouse, Moonlight Rugs, Ocean Park Merchants Mart, Toe Heaven, Tom Foolery, and more.

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MICHAEL LAMONT

~ KIRSTEN VANGSNESS AND SCOTT WOLF COULD JUST EAT EACH OTHER UP IN FAT PIG ~

She’s So Heavy ‘Fat Pig’ is more human than an untroubled ‘Constant Wife’ ~ BY DON SHIRLEY ~

HO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT that the title characters of Fat Pig and The Constant Wife would have anything in common? Yet both of these live-wire comedies of manners – set eight decades apart – are named after preternaturally self-assured women who are placed in potentially humiliating situations by weaker, equivocating men. Each woman retains most of her dignity and sense of humor – although one key difference separates their ultimate reactions. Neil LaBute’s Fat Pig is set “now” in “a big city on the West Coast” in Jo Bonney’s razor-sharp staging in Geffen Playhouse’s smaller Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater. The play examines an “interfacial” relationship (to borrow a phrase from Time magazine’s Belinda Luscombe), in which the lovers’ physical appearances are conspicuously unequal in the public eye. Librarian Helen (Kirsten Vangsness) weighs maybe 100 pounds more than her new white-collar lover Tom (Scott Wolf). And his smarmy confidant (Chris Pine) and slim-trim ex-girlfriend (Andrea Anders) – office colleagues whom Tom sees every day – won’t let him forget it. For much of Fat Pig, LaBute abandons his habitual depiction of nearly all human beings as grievously, dangerously flawed (for a dose of that, see his The Distance From Here, currently at Santa Monica Playhouse). Instead, Helen and Tom appear to have the inner resources to ward off the inevitable “What does he see in her ?” questions. In fact, Helen’s glowing self-confidence and fearlessness are almost unrealistically formidable, as if LaBute wanted to throw off the charge of being a misogynist once and for all. Except for occasional good-humored fat jokes, Helen appears oblivious to the media’s admonitions to women to be thin. That there might be sound medical as well as cosmetic reasons for Helen to shed a few pounds is never acknowledged by LaBute. He could have dug more deeply in demonstrating how and why Helen learned to ignore all that. But LaBute’s main interest is Tom, not Helen. He wants us to see Tom squirm and, eventually,

collapse under the weight, as it were, of peer pressure. Near the end of the play, Helen also breaks down momentarily – she offers to undergo surgery, in order to keep Tom. It’s not a pretty picture, but it makes Helen seem a tad more human. Constance Middleton (Megan Gallagher) in W. Somerset Maugham’s 1926 comedy The Constant Wife would never dream of making such an offer. But she’s much less vulnerable than Helen. Constance is no longer looking for love. She experienced five years of it with her husband (Stephen Caffrey) but now, after 15 years, they are not so enamored. So when Constance learns about her husband’s affair with her best friend (Libby West), she’s able to distance herself – and to use the incident to get what she truly wants. If Constance were a man, people would say she has balls. Instead, let’s say she has supreme nerve – and almost unbelievable poise, in a first act finale in which the aggrieved husband of her best friend brings everything into the open. Credibility is further diminished by two coinciding developments. Constance’s former flame (perhaps too-handsome Kaleo Griffith) shows up, still madly in love with her and strikingly more dashing than her husband. Furthermore, a glamorous gal pal (Ann Marie Lee) offers Constance a fun job. The story unfurls like a feminist romance novel. Maugham’s quips and director Art Manke make it immensely entertaining. The dry wit of Constance’s mother (Carolyn Seymour) provides plenty of laughs. But Constance’s experiences lack the pain to seem completely true. Not so for Helen in Fat Pig – her story ends rather abruptly, raising more questions than it answers. Although not as resolved or as polished as Maugham’s play, LaBute’s feels more authentic. ✶

Fat Pig, Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Westwood, (310) 208-5454. GeffenPlayhouse.com. Closes June 17. The Constant Wife, Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S. El Molino Ave., (626) 356-7529. Pasadenaplayhouse.org. Closes June 10.

For more reviews by Don Shirley, see Stage listings, pg. 69.

MAY 17~23, 2007

CITYBEAT

NBC/UNIVERSAL

~ “FRED, I’D BE MORE WORRIED THEY’LL FIND OUT YOU WERE IN CURLY SUE” ~

But I Play One on TV Can democracy survive another election, or will absurdity win? ~BY MICK FARREN~

HE FULL HORROR only sank in while I was reading a piece in the May 4, 2007 edition of the Los Angeles Times by Tina Daunt. Daunt was promoting the (dare I say it?) daunting theory that, should actor and former Senator Fred Dalton Thompson – currently playing New York D.A. Arthur Branch on Law & Order – decide to make a run for the presidency, he could be hampered by having, long ago, portrayed a neoNazi in another TV series. I had previously wondered how a run by Thompson might effect TNT’s re-runs of Law & Order because of TV equal time provisions, but Daunt had come up with a far more bizarre scenario. Back in 1988, Thompson was cast as a character called Dr. Knox Pooley, the leader of Aryan Nation-style hate group in an arc of Stephen J. Cannell’s CBS hit Wiseguy. As a major Wiseguy fan, I still recall the excellence of Thompson’s scenery chewing, but Daunt feared that Pooley’s racist rabble-rousing might be “downloaded, taken out of context, chopped into embarrassing pieces and then distributed endlessly through cyberspace.” I might mock Daunt’s assumption the electorate is too stupid to distinguish YouTube from reality, or remind her we have a governor who made his name playing a robot and an inarticulate barbarian, or even that the venerated Ronald Reagan – in his final 1964 movie, The Killers – played a really nasty bastard called Jack Browning who viciously slapped around Angie Dickinson. Tina Daunt has, however, been pilloried by everyone from Joe Scarborough to Stephen Colbert, and I have no desire to join in, or question her qualifications to practice political-media analysis at a major newspaper. My concern is that, between now and November 2008, we are going to be subjected to similar mindlessness on a weekly, if not daily, basis. Contemplating another year and a half of relentless, no-prisoners electioneering, I find myself once more paraphrasing Captain Willard in Apocalypse Now: “Before poling day, the idiocy is going to pile up so fast, we’ll need wings to stay above it.” CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

Last week, in just a single day, Al Sharpton called the Mormons a cult and Mitt Romney huffed and puffed and demanded TV facetime to refute such a calumny, while retired Army General John Batiste was fired as a military analyst by CBS because he participated in a TV commercial criticizing George Bush’s conduct of the war. Beyond such political ground clutter lies a barren and ugly landscape of infinite debates, dwindling audiences, and endless conversations with Chris Matthews as all those faceless and apparently clueless white men in suits are eliminated, and we get down to the candidates we at least know by name – Hillary, Obama, Giuliani, Edwards, McCain, and maybe Bill Richardson. But that will be, of course, when the real unpleasantness begins. This strange and unhealthy fetish for earlier and earlier primaries will have the effect of prolonging the general election and allowing the lies and distortions, the swiftboating and homophobia, the manipulation and blind religious bigotry, to grow to such Godzilla proportions that the ironic absurdity may even be too much for Jon Stewart. Democracy itself will be become the continuous sideshow distraction from a real world in which nothing is done about climatic catastrophe, and the war drags on. Tony Snow will deliver witless and convoluted mendacity from a hermetically sealed White House as Bush waits out the clock on his incumbency, willing to allow what could be a bloody and unnecessary U.S. defeat in Iraq, because all he has left is his overweening vanity. By November 2008, we may well have developed such an implacable loathing for all politicians that we will desire nothing more than to hang every last one of them from any handy lamppost or freeway overpass with a good length of hempen rope. Or will we just be glued to the TV watching an unending media event that might as well be titled American Dictator? ✶

Mick Farren blogs at Doc40.blogspot.com

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~ ALBONDIGAS! ~

The

Tapas Takes a Hit

BEST BUFFET in L.A.!

‘Cobras & Matadors’ serves some good dishes but the experience is fiercely lacking

Delivery Catering

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“

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CITYBEAT

THIS ISN’T DINING, THIS IS eating,” remarked one of my companions halfway through a tapas dinner at Cobras & Matadors. Depending on which meaning you use, he might have been right. Some dictionaries define dining as the act of having dinner, by which standard anything eaten after lunch qualifies. Others say it’s eating somewhere other than home, a distinction which can be met by a 7-11 burrito and a park bench. Most people recognize another meaning, requiring a certain level of culinary achievement and a sophisticated atmosphere in which to appreciate it. Cobras & Matadors might not qualify by that definition, but a real Spanish tapas bar wouldn’t either. Tapas began as snacks at working-class bars – the word “tapa” means “lid,” signifying the way that small plates of food were put atop glasses so flies couldn’t land in the wine. The combination of many small plates of Mediterranean food with small glasses of wine evolved from that plebian concept. This Beverly Boulevard establishment (there’s a second location in Los Feliz) has some of the attributes of a Spanish tapas bar, such as simple, rustic décor and a wood-burning oven in the corner. Flatbread grilled in that oven and topped with caramelized onion, egg, pimento, and manchego cheese ($7) started our meal, along with cured pork loin and goat cheese on raisin bread ($7) and green lentils sautéed with Serrano ham ($7). The flatbread was the least impressive item, due to disconnected flavors and a uniform soft texture – the egg was superfluous and should have been replaced with something that added a little crispness and definition. The meat and cheese on raisin bread had a much better balance – I sometimes forget how nicely raisin bread complements savory flavors – and the lentils, usually a background flavor in soups and rice dishes, were intriguing as a main flavor in a dry dish. They were crunchy and earthy, and the concentrated porkiness of the Serrano ham made an effective companion. In most tapas bars we could have complemented our three dishes with as many glasses of wine, but Cobras & Matadors doesn’t have a liquor license. You can buy from the wineshop next door or bring your own bottle with no corkage fee, but it’s still a major drawback since this cuisine is about sampling varieties of food and drink. Wherever you get your wine, the only glassware available is absurd little cups like medicine bottles. This was customary in traditional Spanish bars that served cheap swill, but it’s cer-

l MAY 17~23, 2007

tainly not desirable for customers who have brought good bottles of wine and would like to enjoy them. We continued with asparagus and manchego cheese in walnut vinaigrette ($9), bacon-wrapped dates with Cabrales blue cheese and almonds ($10), and albondigas, roasted beef and pork meatballs in roasted pepper and cilantro sauce ($8). The asparagus and dates were both the kind of dishes that depend on quality ingredients rather than brilliant preparation – fresh vegetables, good cheese, and nice smoky bacon can hardly go wrong. The slightly nutty vinaigrette on asparagus is an idea I’ll remember, but the dates were out of balance thanks to a microscopic portion of cheese. The albondigas was the best dish of this course, the sharp overtones of the roasted pepper and cilantro working well with the rich, coarsely ground meatballs. I couldn’t identify just what herbs had been ground in with the meat, but they gave a hint of aromatic exotica. This is the dish I’d be most likely to spend some time recreating at home. We finished with barbecued skirt steak that had been marinated in orange juice and paprika ($19), which had a fine peppery tang. It was delicious, tender, and used sweetness and sharp herbs as a counterpoint to good beef. Unfortunately, our enjoyment of this course was marred by a change in the ambiance of the restaurant. We had started our dinner at 6:30 p.m., at which time the restaurant was bright and the music loud enough to create a sense of place. At 8 p.m. the music doubled in volume and the lights dropped, signaling to those who were there for a relaxed meal and pleasant conversation that they should surrender their tables to people who like shouting at each other while not being able to see their food. We took the hint and left, so I can’t report on dessert. Cobras & Matadors has some praiseworthy aspects – minor missteps aside, they do many traditional Spanish dishes well. On the other hand, this cuisine deserves good wine served in proper glassware, and it is best enjoyed in lively but not hectic surroundings. If the management is going to blast the music at any point in the evening, they should do so from the start so that those who are in search of a convivial and civilized meal will be warned and can stay away. ✶

Cobras & Matadors, 7615 W. Beverly Blvd., L.A., (323) 932-6178. Valet parking; wheelchair access OK. Open daily, dinner only.

MAY 17~23, 2007,

l CITYBEAT

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION LLC

~ IF ONLY YOU COULD SEE OUR COMIC HERO IN HIS FULL SHREK-Y GREEN ~

Third Time’s Not the Charm ‘Shrek the Third’ brings nothing new and fewer laughs ~ BY ANDY KLEIN ~

T’S A TOUGH CALL WHICH IS a more blighted concept – the sequel or …What should we call the third in a series? The threequel? The sequel squared? The death knell? Looking at Shrek the Third, I was reminded of Spider-Man 3: that is, in both cases the new installment is perfectly entertaining, but also disappointing. I’m beginning to wonder whether I should fashion a boilerplate review for Third Episode Exhaustion Syndrome. (Might as well get an early start on next week’s Pirates of the Caribbean.) Has there ever been a great third entry? Well, yes. But if you make certain distinctions, you can try to define what kinds of series are and aren’t capable of generating one. The quality level of The Lord of the Rings trilogy was pretty even. And, fans don’t seem to have much of an urge to rank them, since, after all, neither Tolkien’s books nor Jackson’s movies are as much a trilogy as they are one very long story broken up into three manageable sections. The Matrix Revolutions was indeed awful, but it deserves its own category as Separately Released Second Half of an Overly Long Sequel That Couldn’t Touch the Hem of the Original’s Ultracool Long Black Coat. Not really a third entry at all. Before you bring up Goldfinger – which many people (myself included) have always regarded as the pinnacle of the Bond films – let’s point out that each title, as in most character-centered series, is a separate story, very rarely even acknowledging the existence of events from prior films. Sure, at the height of its archness, the series brought back both Richard Kiel’s Jaws and Clifton James’s Sheriff Pepper for second appearances. But it was

more typical that, for instance, Cec Linder’s Felix Leiter (in Goldfinger) didn’t seem to recall anything that happened to Jack Lord’s Felix Leiter in Dr. No. To take the most classic example of a great-greater-worst progression, The Godfather spawned The Godfather Part II, one of the few sequels widely regarded as superior to its progenitor, and The Godfather Part III, just as widely regarded to be vastly inferior to either. The original Shrek was, like any good story, complete unto itself. It made its point, resolved its plot, and ended. In Shrek 2, director Andrew Adamson and his collaborators contrived an excuse to essentially reiterate the thematic points of the first film. In terms of story, they dragged in Fiona’s parents (John Cleese and Julie Andrews, both of whom return in the new installment). Rupert Everett’s Prince Charming was an adequate substitute for John Lithgow’s Lord Farquaad. Of course, they retained Eddie Murphy’s scene-stealing Donkey character, which was the most brilliant aspect of the first film, and they goosed things further, Lethal Weapon-style, by adding yet another sidekick – Puss in Boots, a swashbuckling kitty cat, wonderfully voiced by Antonio Banderas. In the newest Shrek, three crises drive the plot: The King is on his death bed; Fiona is pregnant; and Charming is back, plotting his revenge. The introductory sequence is one of the funniest bits in the film: In the manner of Jesse-James-killer Robert Ford, Charming has been reduced to reenacting his struggles with Shrek in dinner theater … very tacky dinner theater. Even in a make-believe setting, Charming’s amazing lack of charm immediately alienates the audience. He heads to the bar where all the CITYBEAT

fairytale bad guys hang out and convinces Captain Hook, Rumplestiltskin, and a gang of others that they can band together and finally become winners. Meanwhile, back at the palace, the frog king croaks, naming Shrek as his heir. When Shrek correctly suggests he’d make a terrible king, Fiona’s cousin Arthur (Justin Timberlake) is offered as the only alternative. Only as Shrek is sailing away does he learn that he will soon be hearing the cloddish pitter-patter of little ogre feet. Shrek discovers Artie Pendragon, the not-yet-but-future king, to be the geek outcast at Worcestershire Academy; he guilt-trips him into reluctantly heading to Far Far Away to assume the throne. But before they arrive, the Charming Gang sweeps in and takes over. A few weeks ago I complained that Spider-Man 3 had made the story murky and complicated by adding yet another new villain to the mix. It is not a sign of total inconsistency that this week I’ll make the opposite complaint – Shrek number three doesn’t add anything new. Timberlake’s Artie is, by plot necessity, a bland lad; Captain Hook doesn’t have much to do; and the closest thing to a new sidekick character – Eric Idle’s Merlin – is simply not in a league with Donkey or Puss. (Rarely has Idle been this unamusing.) Yes, you’re damned if you do continually up the ante, and damned if you don’t – which is why it’s generally, in aesthetic terms, a mistake to drag a good story out through triquels and quatrels and quintels, oh my. Unfortunately, this is one of many contexts in which monetary values are at odds with aesthetic values; it would be an act of corporate irresponsibility not to exploit a profitable franchise as far as the law of diminishing returns allows. MAY 17~23, 2007

There are a number of good gags, provoking chuckles and chortles, but very few that reach the belly laugh level. The notion of a medieval equivalent of teen speech is funny but dragged out excessively. Many of the best jokes are pop song references. But there is a much lower level of inspiration operating throughout this third visit to an ever-evaporating well. Perhaps it’s the absence of Adamson in the director’s chair – he segued into live action with the first Narnia film – but it’s likelier that it’s just a natural result of sequelization. Back in the waning days of the TV series Taxi, Latka, Andy Kaufman’s shy mechanic, suddenly took on the personality of “suave” Vic Ferrari, and when that grew old, Latka began to turn into the other characters, or maybe they turned into him. I’m not sure, because I’ve blocked the memories of that embarrassing spectacle – a painful downturn for a very inventive show. Likewise aout halfway through Shrek the Third, Merlin – an absent-minded professor – casts a spell that has the unintended side effect of switching Donkey and Puss’s identities. If there’s any single bit that symbolizes the creative exhaustion here, that’s it. ✶

Shrek the Third. Directed by Chris Miller. Screenplay by Jeffrey Price & Peter S. Seaman and Chris Miller & Aron Warner; story by Andrew Adamson; based on the book by William Steig. With the voices of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, Antonio Banderas, Rupert Everett, Justin Timberlake, and Julie Andrews. Opens Friday citywide.

“ WONDERFUL !

THE SURPRISE OF THE SUMMER.

A heartfelt, moving and touching film. Jane Fonda is exceptional. Lindsay Lohan’s performance is phenomenal. Felicity Huffman continues to prove her brilliance as one of today’s best actresses.” Shawn Edwards, FOX-TV

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LATEST REVIEWS BROOKLYN RULES Mike (Freddie Prinze Jr., sucking less than usual), Carmine (Scott Caan, his father’s son), and Bobby (Entourage’s Jerry Ferrara) are BFFs in 1980s working class Brooklyn. When neighborhood mobster Caesar (the mighty Alec Baldwin) takes Carmine under his wing, Mike and Bobby don’t approve. Carmine’s Mafia aspirations further inspire Mike to escape Brooklyn’s mean streets by studying law at Columbia and dating society girl Ellen (Mena Suvari). Bobby wants only the simple life with his fiancée and a mindless mail clerk job. But no matter how far Mike and Bobby distance themselves from Carmine’s new friends, the Mafia remains a ship whose wake can sink even the most heavily anchored boats. Set against John Gotti’s rise to power, the movie bathes in New Yawk clichés about mob violence, swinging dicks, and lapsed Catholicism. But director Michael Corrente (Federal Hill) avoids the stylistic excesses of genre masters Scorsese and De Palma, instead taking his cue from Sopranos writer Terence Winter’s well-defined and modestly presented characters. Baldwin’s explosive capo is the only concession to flamboyance, but Caesar’s pull requires enough force to effect those not under his direct control. Although there are advantages to having a mobster in your corner, as when Caesar saves Mike from a psychotic mob underling, such relationships belie the adage that “friendship gives and asks no payment.” Indeed, for one of these boys, friendship will extract the biggest payment of all. (Mark Keizer) (Laemmle’s Sunset 5, AMC Loews Broadway 4, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7)

DAY NIGHT DAY NIGHT Julie Loktev’s arresting debut film about a suicide bomber in Times Square strips away the back story, forcing us to shift our focus

from the why to the what as we watch the terrorist – a slight 19-year-old girl – steel herself for the explosion. Coyly, it drops contradictory hints: the nameless teen (Luisa Williams) has hazel eyes and no accent, but covers herself wrists-to-ankles and lies about being an orphan. As the girl prepares for her big moment, buffeted between ski-masked handlers who bark orders and test her obedience, Loktev is insistent on long, uncomfortable shots of the girl clipping her nails or munching a candy apple to make us cave under the weight of every final second. (Leslie Shatz’s sound design is crisp and masterful.) Still, there’s gentle absurdity when, in her goodbye video, her male co-revolutionaries fuss over her hair like pageant moms. And as she kills time in a crowded candy store by leering at all the sweets she’ll never get to taste, the pathos is tangible, even if the politics are maddeningly out of grasp. (Amy Nicholson) (Laemmle’s Music Hall)

EVEN MONEY In Atlantic City, a writer named Carolyn (Kim Basinger) has plowed through her family’s savings at the slot machines, leaving her husband (Ray Liotta) increasingly distraught. She eventually befriends a washed-up magician, Walter (Danny DeVito), who’s been reduced to begging a sadistic but well-off mid-level thug, Victor (Tim Roth), for work or favors. Underneath Victor on the criminal food chain are two bookies (Jay Mohr, Grant Sullivan) on different career trajectories – they pressure a sad-sack plumber (Forest Whitaker) so much that he turns to his star college basketball player brother (Nick Cannon) to shave a few points for help easing his own debts. This sprawling ensemble drama from Mark Rydell (On Golden Pond) tries to take a panoramic, bird’s-eye view of gambling and addiction, while injecting just a pinch of The Usual Suspects-type mystery into the proceedings, through the frequent invocation of hidden mob kingpin Ivan. As scripted by Robert Tannen, though, the movie is formless – there’s no hold to its overcooked drama, and certainly no building momentum. Characters are either vague, shriekingly contrived,

or some combination thereof. Whitaker gives lots of effusive whoops; Kelsey Grammer (as a crippled policeman investigating a murder that’s tied into all of this) sports a gigantic prosthetic nose; and audience members yawn, wishing they’d bet on something else. (Brent Simon) (Pacific ArcLight, AMC Century 15, Landmark’s NuWilshire)

FAY GRIM When we last saw Fay Grim (Parker Posey) – in Hal Hartley’s 1997 Henry Fool – her husband Henry had fled the country after being accused of manslaughter, abandoning their son Ned (Liam Aiken) and leaving her brother Simon (James Urbaniak) to serve time for abetting his escape. In this belated sequel, Hartley’s cosmopolitan drollery remains intact but is weighted down by a wildly complicated espionage plot that becomes smug in its narcissistic convolutions. It’s a shame, because the first act is pure, cockeyed joy. After Ned is expelled from school, Fay is told by CIA functionaries Fulbright and Fogg (Jeff Goldblum, Leo Fitzpatrick) that Henry is dead and his diaries, the garbage-filled Confessions of the first film, actually contain information so incriminating it would topple governments. Fay agrees to travel to Paris to retrieve the diaries, but only if Simon is released from prison. Thereafter, the film becomes the exhausting work of an offbeat, proudly arch director, who loves his toy soldiers but still wants to see them melt in the microwave. Although not for want of trying, Hartley ultimately can’t liberate his intentions from the coded confines of his head. The supporting cast dives in headfirst, especially Goldblum, whose over-caffeinated babblings mean everything and nothing. As for Posey, she absorbs the movie’s bloated narrative and spits it back as lithe and spirited transatlantic farce. The Ugly American has never been cuter. (Mark Keizer) (Nuart)

HOLLYWOOD DREAMS Writer-director Henry Jaglom’s latest opus captures and skewers wannabe Hollywood with a

ferocity and cynicism that haven’t been wielded this devastatingly since The Player. New discovery Tanna Frederick plays Margie, a young, constantly unspooling actress, who has just arrived in the Big Orange from Iowa, and who is first seen bursting into embarrassingly hysterical tears during an inept audition for a play. Thrown out of her apartment by her roommates for blowing up the microwave, Margie finds herself living in her car on Santa Monica Beach until she has the good fortune to bump into aging movie producer Kaz (Zack Norman), who invites her to move into a guest house on the property he shares with his gay lover Caesar (David Proval). Caesar and Kaz are managing the career of young actor Robin (Justin Kirk), who’s supposed to be gay – the better to shmooze Hollywood’s Gay Mafia – but who turns out to be a closet het. He and Margie start a secret, ill-advised affair. Jaglom’s film boasts an incredible ensemble cast of actors, who brilliantly assay his stagy, conversational dialogue in a manner that is unusually effective at limning the surreal hypocrisies and contradictions of Tinseltown. Norman, Proval, and Kirk are standouts – as are cameos from the likes of Karen Black and Seymour Cassel (including an unexpected turn by local film critic icon F. X. Feeney). Yet, it’s the compellingly idiosyncratic Frederick, veering from sweet vulnerability to delusional obsessiveness, who carries the film, intentionally leaving us guessing as to when she crosses the line from fantasy to madness. (Paul Birchall) (Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7, Laemmle’s Town Center 5)

IN SEARCH OF MOZART Phil Grabsky’s biography of Mozart is a perfectly adequate A&E-style look at the composer’s life, combining period illustrations, talking head interviews, present-day footage of locales, and brief swatches of performance. Juliet Stevenson narrates, but the most memorable presence is director Jonathan Miller, who, as always, can’t help but be entertaining. Still, the whole runs over two hours and, despite the inherently interesting subject matter, never rises above

“Do you believe in magic? Do you think small can be beautiful? Are you looking for a little film you can make your own, an enchanting, unpretentious blend of music and romance you can watch forever? If you do,

ONCE is about to come into your life and make it whole.” Kenneth Turan

“Wilson is so damn charming. We’re putty in Wendell Baker’s hands!”

“Brilliant... one of the year’s best.”

– Joe Leydon, Variety

“The Wilsonian charm never falters.” – Karen Durbin, Elle

How often do you find the right person?

Starts Friday, May 18 MOBILE USERS - FOR SHOWTIMES TEXT ONCE AND YOUR ZIP CODE TO 43 KIX (43549)

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENT NOW PLAYING HOLLYWOOD

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THE LAST TIME Salesman Ted (Michael Keaton) rakes in more cash for the struggling Bindview Corporation than everyone else in his division combined and doubled. This gives him license to act like a real asshole. Strutting through the fields of cubicles like Sinatra, Ted doesn’t say hello but barks, “Suck my cock!” Was he beaten as a child? “God, I hope so,” mutter his intimidated coworkers. But when brighteyed Jamie (Brendan Fraser), the top salesman from Ohio comes on board, Ted’s alpha dog swagger gets major taming. Not by Jamie’s sales figures – the guy’s an awkward doofus – but by his lithe fiancée (supermodel Amber Valetta), who shares Ted’s softer passions for Oscar Wilde and tropical fish. Cue Randy Edelman’s soap opera score and a lot of preposterous nonsense. As the floundering and miserable Jamie grows increasingly unhinged, Ted wrestles with allowing himself a conscience. Unfor tunately, writer-director Michael Caleo’s cynical thriller can’t get any emotional traction from Valetta’s passive performance – she’s less a siren than a tar pit with great legs. Paradoxically, Caleo’s aiming for a moralistic screed about capitalism, but only when Keaton unleashes his fangs do we sit up and watch. (Amy Nicholson) (AMC Beverly Center 13)

PARIS JE T’AIME Producers Claudie Ossard and Emmanuel Benbihy have assembled a tribute to Paris that is less an actual feature film than it is a scattered anthology. Comprising 18 segments of six or seven minutes each, it displays the same virtues and vices of any anthology film, but magnified by the sheer number of contributors. Three, four, even eight separate stories is discombobulating enough, but 18? By force, many of the entries are mere vignettes or one-liners, with the best relying on sheer style. Directors and cast come from around the globe: America is disproportionately represented, outnumbering the French two to one, with Wes Craven, Richard LaGravenese, Vincenzo Natali, Gus Van Sant, Alexander Payne, and the Coen brothers. Surprisingly, Alfonso Cuarón contributes one of the most trivial (though fairly pleasant) entries; the Coens, working with favorite Steve Buscemi, is wholly memorable; and Hong Kong-Australian cinematographer Christopher Doyle makes an impression, sheerly through the wackiness of his approach. But, with so many tales flying by so fast, you may – as you’re leaving the theater – have trouble remembering the work of even such usually distinctive voices as Van Sant, Doyle, Olivier Assayas, Sylvain Chomet, and Tom Tykwer. (Andy Klein) (Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Laemmle’s Monica 4, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7)

– Kelly Marages, Marie Claire

“Beguilingly loony. Percolates with good-vibe amusement. Luke Wilson is extremely engaging.”

Christy Lemire

the plodding. Much of the music is so inspired that it may have cowed any possible inspiration out of the filmmaker. (Andy Klein) (Laemmle’s Grande 4)

WEST HOLLYWOOD Laemmle’s Sunset-5 Theatres (323) 848-3500

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MAY 17~23, 2007

THE WENDELL BAKER STORY Wendell Baker (Luke Wilson) is a lifelong con-artist-with-a-heart-of-gold, who’s certain that he’s only one lucky strike away from giving girlfriend Doreen (Eva Mendes) the life she deserves. That is … until he’s caught, sent to prison, and released into a parole program, where he ends up working for a couple of serious baddies (Owen Wilson, Eddie Griffin), who, unlike Wendell, never pretend to be anything but the evil grifters they really are. Wendell undergoes an obligatory moral awakening, rededicating himself and his diabolical talents to the forces of good … and the undoing of his nefarious bosses. Luke Wilson’s writing-directing debut (codirected with brother Andrew) has been sitting on the shelf since it was finished in 2003, and for good reason – despite the presence of third brother Owen and cameos from the likes of Will Ferrell, this is one of the most painfully unfunny and amateurishly executed comedies of recent years. Neither Wilson seems to know where to put the camera, how to stage a scene, or how to extract so much as a single laugh from a talented comedic cast – problems that become evident within the film’s first five minutes and grow persistently worse as it drags on. The biggest problem, however, is Luke Wilson himself, who seems determined to play up Wendell’s most irritating characteristics as if they were actually endearing, completely missing the fact that in movies about lovable losers, it’s essential that the loser actually be lovable. (Wade Major) (AMC Loews Broadway 4, Laemmle’s Sunset 5, Laemmle’s Playhouse 7)

ALSO OPENING THIS WEEK: Once. A Dublin street guitarist (Glen Hansard) and an immigrant (Marketa Irglova) fall for each

other through a mutual love of musical creation. John Carney’s musical won the 2007 Sundance Film Festival World Cinema Audience Award. (AK) (Pacific ArcLight)

SHOWTIMES May 18-24 Note: Times are p.m., and daily, unless otherwise indicated. All times are subject to c hange without notice.

BURBANK AMC Burbank 16, 140 E Palm Av, (818) 9539800. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 9:50, 12:30, 3:10, 5:45, 8:20, 11; Sun 9:50, 12:30, 3:10, 5:45, 8:20; Mon-Wed 12:30, 3:10, 5:45, 8:20. Delta Farce Fri-Sat 9:55, 12:15, 2:55, 5:30, 8:10, 10:50; Sun 9:55, 12:15, 2:55, 5:30, 8:10, 10:30; Mon-Wed 2:20, 5, 7:40, 10. Disturbia Fri-Sun 11:10 a.m., 1:55, 4:45, 7:30, 10:10; Mon-Wed 1:55, 4:45, 7:30, 10:10. The Ex Fri-Sat 10:10 a.m., 12:25, 3, 5:35, 8:15, 10:55; Sun 10:10 a.m., 12:25, 3, 5:35, 8:15, 10:35; Mon-Wed 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10:15. Georgia Rule Fri-Sat 11:50 a.m., 2:45, 5:40, 8:30, 11:25; Sun 11:50 a.m., 2:45, 5:40, 8:30; MonWed 2:45, 5:40, 8:30. Hot Fuzz Fri-Sat 11:05 a.m., 2:05, 5, 8, 11:05; Sun 11:05 a.m., 2:05, 5, 8, 10:45; Mon-Wed 1:10, 4:20, 7:25, 10:25. Meet the Robinsons in Disney Digital 3D Fri-Sun 10:45 a.m., 1:35, 4:15, 7, 9:40; Mon-Wed 1:35, 4:15, 7, 9:40. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 8:45, 9:30, 10:15, 11, 11:50. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 9:30, 10:30, 11, 11:30, midnight, 1 a.m., 1:30, 2, 2:35, 3:35, 4:05, 4:35, 5:10, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:45, 8:45, 9:15, 9:45, 10:20, 11:20; Sun 9:30, 10:30, 11, 11:30, midnight, 1 a.m., 1:30, 2, 2:35, 3:35, 4:05, 4:35, 5:10, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:45, 8:45, 9:15, 9:45, 10:20; Mon-Wed 12:45, 1:30, 2, 2:35, 3:35, 4:05, 4:35, 5:10, 6:10, 6:40, 7:10, 7:45, 8:45, 9:15, 9:45, 10:20. Spider-Man 3 Fri 12:15, 3:30, 6:45, 9:35, 10:05, 10:05, 10:35, 11:35, 12:45 a.m., 1:20 a.m., 1:50, 2:50, 4, 4:40, 5:05, 6:05, 7:20, 7:55, 8:25, 9:25, 10:40, 11:15; Sat 9:35, 10:05, 10:35, 11:35, 12:15 a.m., 12:45 a.m., 1:20 a.m., 1:50, 2:50, 3:30, 4, 4:40, 5:05, 6:05, 6:45, 7:20, 7:55, 8:25, 9:25, 10:05, 10:40, 11:15; Sun 12:15, 3:30, 6:45, 9:35, 10:05, 10:05, 10:35, 11:35, 12:45 a.m., 1:20 a.m., 1:50, 2:50, 4, 4:40, 5:05, 6:05, 7:20, 7:55, 8:25, 9:25, 10:40; Mon 12:35, 1:20, 1:50, 2:50, 3:30, 4, 4:40, 5:05, 6:05, 6:45, 7:55, 8:25, 9:25, 10:05; TueWed 12:35, 1:20, 1:50, 2:50, 3:30, 4, 4:40, 5:05, 6:05, 6:45, 7:20, 7:55, 8:25, 9:25, 10:05. AMC Burbank Town Center 8, 210 E Magnolia Bl, (818) 953-9800. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sun 11:15 a.m., 1:50, 4:30, 7:05, 9:45; Mon-Wed 1:50, 4:30, 7:05, 9:45. The Invisible Fri-Sun 11:25 a.m., 2, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55; Mon-Wed 2, 4:40, 7:20, 9:55. Lucky You Fri-Sat 10:05 a.m., 1:05, 4:15, 7:15, 10:15; Sun 10:05 a.m., 1:05, 4:15, 7:15, 10:10; Mon-Wed 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 10:10. Next Fri-Sat 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:20; Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:45, 10:15; Mon-Wed 2:10, 4:45, 7:25, 10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 3:05, 4:05, 5:40, 6:40, 8:15, 9:15, 10:50; Sun 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 3:05, 4:05, 5:40, 6:40, 8:15, 9:15; Mon-Wed 1:30, 3:05, 4:05, 5:40, 6:40, 8:15, 9:15. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sun 11:05 a.m., 12:15, 2:20, 3:30, 5:35, 6:45, 8:55, 10:05; Mon-Wed 2:20, 3:30, 5:35, 6:45, 8:55, 10:05. AMC Burbank Town Center 6, 770 N First St, (818) 953-9800. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10 a.m., 12:30, 3:05, 5:40, 8:15, 10:50; Sun 10 a.m., 12:30, 3:05, 5:40, 8:15; Mon-Wed 3:05, 5:40, 8:15.

CULVER CITY, MARINA DEL REY The Bridge: Cinema De Lux & IMAX Theater, The Promenade at Howard Hughes Center, 6081 Center Dr, Westchester, (310) 568-3375. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 2, 2:45, 4:30, 5:15, 7, 7:45, 9:30, 10:15, midnight, 12:30 a.m.; Sun-Wed 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 2, 2:45, 4:30, 5:15, 7, 7:45, 9:30, 10:15; Thur 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 2, 2:45, 4:30, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15. Delta Farce Fri-Sat 11 a.m., 10:40, 12:40 a.m.; Sun-Wed 11 a.m., 10:40; Thur 11 a.m.. Disturbia Fri-Sat 11:45 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05, 12:35 a.m.; Sun-Wed 11:45 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05; Thur 11:45 a.m., 2:20, 4:55. Eloise in Hollywood Sat-Sun 10 a.m. The Ex Fri-Sat 9:05, 11:25; Sun-Wed 9:05. Fracture Fri-Sat 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15, 12:35 a.m.; Sun-Wed 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15; Thur 11:15 a.m., 2, 4:45. Georgia Rule Fri 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:20 a.m.; Sat 11 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45, 12:20 a.m.; Sun 11 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; MonWed 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Thur 1:30, 4:15. Meet the Robinsons in Disney Digital 3D Fri-

Wed 11:45 a.m., 2:05, 4:25, 6:45; Thur 11:45 a.m., 2:05, 4:25. Shrek the Third Fri 11:05 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 12:55, 12:55, 1:20, 1:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:10, 3:10, 3:35, 4, 4, 5, 5:25, 5:25, 5:50, 6:15, 6:15, 7:15, 7:40, 7:40, 7:40, 8:05, 8:30, 8:30, 9:30, 9:55, 9:55, 9:55, 10:2; SatSun 10:15 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:55, 12:55, 1:20, 12:30, 11:05, 1:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:10, 3:10, 3:35, 4, 4, 5, 5:25, 5:25, 5:50, 6:15, 6:15, 7:15, 7:40, 7:40, 7:40, 8:05, 8:30, 8:30, 9:30, 9:55, 9:; Mon-Thur 11:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:55, 12:55, 1:20, 12:30, 11:05, 1:45, 1:45, 2:45, 3:10, 3:10, 3:35, 4, 4, 5, 5:25, 5:25, 5:50, 6:15, 6:15, 7:15, 7:40, 7:40, 7:40, 8:05, 8:30, 8:30, 9:30, 9:55, 9:55, 9:55, 10:20. Spider-Man 3 Fri 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 11:45, 12:30 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30, 10:30, 11:30, 11:45, 12:30 a.m.; Sun 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30, 10:30; Mon-Wed 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30, 10:30; Thur 11:30 a.m., 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5, 7:15, 8:45, 10:30.

The Condemned Fri-Sun 11:20 a.m., 2, 4:35, 7:20, 9:55; Mon-Wed 2, 4:35, 7:20, 9:55. Disturbia Fri-Sat 12:20, 2:55, 5:25, 8, 10:30; Sun 12:20, 2:55, 5:25, 8, 10:25; Mon-Wed 12:20, 2:55, 5:25, 8, 10:20. The Hip Hop Project Fri-Sun 11:35 a.m., 2:05, 4:30, 7:05, 9:15; Mon-Wed 2:05, 4:30, 7:05, 9:15. The Invisible Fri-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10:20; Mon-Wed 2:15, 4:55, 7:35, 10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:30, 1, 1:40, 2:25, 3:05, 3:35, 4:15, 5:05, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 7:45, 8:20, 9, 9:40, 10:15, 10:45; Sun 10:30 a.m., 11:10 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:30, 1, 1:40, 2:25, 3:05, 3:35, 4:15, 5:05, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 7:45, 8:20, 9, 9:40,

10:15; Mon-Wed 12:30, 1, 1:40, 2:25, 3:05, 3:35, 4:15, 5:05, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 7:45, 8:20, 9, 9:40, 10:15. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 10:45 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 12:10, 12:50, 1:55, 2:40, 3:25, 4:10, 5:15, 6:05, 6:40, 7:30, 8:30, 9:25, 10, 10:40; Sun 10:45 a.m., 11:25 a.m., 12:10, 12:50, 1:55, 2:40, 3:25, 4:10, 5:15, 6:05, 6:40, 7:30, 8:30, 9:25, 10; Mon-Wed 12:10, 12:50, 1:55, 2:40, 3:25, 4:10, 5:15, 6:05, 6:40, 7:30, 8:30, 9:25, 10. Vacancy Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 1:30, 3:45, 5:50, 7:55, 10:05; Mon-Wed 1:30, 3:45, 5:50, 7:55, 10:05. University Village 3, 3323 S Hoover St, (213) 748-6321. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45, 12:15 a.m.; Sun-Wed 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:15, 9:45; Thur 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 11:30.

Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 11 a.m., 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:15, 12:30 a.m.; Sun-Thur 11 a.m., 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:15. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 2:30, 6, 9, midnight; Sun-Thur 11:30 a.m., 2:30, 6, 9.

HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Bl, (323) 464-4226. Angels with Dirty Faces Wed only, 8. Away From Her Fri-Tue 1:30, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50; Wed 4:15, 10:45; Thur 1:30, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50. Even Money 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 5, 7:50, 10:20. The Ex 1:50, 4:20, 7:20, 10. Fracture Fri-Tue 1:25, 4:15, 8:05, 10:45; Wed 1:25, 8:05; Thur 1:25, 4:15, 8:05, 10:45.

Where will the next great movie director come from?

Culver Plaza Theatre, 9919 Washington Blvd, (310) 836-5516. Call theater for titles and showtimes. Loews Cineplex Marina Marketplace, 13455 Maxella Av, (310) 827-9588. 28 Weeks Later FriSun 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 4:40, 7:30, 10:05; MonThur 2:15, 4:40, 7:30, 10:05. The Ex Fri-Sun 10:40 a.m., 12:55, 3:20, 5:35, 8, 10:30; Mon-Thur 1:15, 3:30, 5:45, 8, 10:30. Fracture Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 1:30, 4:20, 7:15, 10; Mon-Thur 1:40, 4:25, 7:15, 10. Shrek the Third Fri 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 12:45, 2, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:15, 9:30, 10:15, 10:45; Sat-Sun 10:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:15, 12:45, 2, 2:45, 3:15, 4:30, 5:15, 5:45, 7, 7:45, 8:15, 9:30, 10:15, 10:45; MonThur 1:30, 2, 2:45, 4, 4:30, 5:15, 6:30, 7, 7:45, 9, 9:30, 10:15. Pacific Culver Stadium 12, 9500 Culver Bl, (310) 855-7519. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sun 12:45, 3:15, 5:45, 8:10, 10:35; Mon-Wed 2:45, 5:10, 7:55, 10:15; Thur 2:45, 5:20. Disturbia Fri-Sun 12:15, 2:45, 5:10, 7:40, 10:20; Mon-Wed 2:10, 4:40, 7:35, 10:10; Thur 2:25, 5:10, 7:50, 10:40. Fracture Fri-Sun 2:20, 5:05, 7:50, 10:40; MonWed 1:25, 4:05, 7, 9:45; Thur 1:10, 4:05. Georgia Rule Fri-Sun 1:15, 4:20, 7:10, 9:55; MonWed 2:15, 5:05, 7:40, 10:20; Thur 1:40, 4:25, 7:15, 10. Hot Fuzz Fri-Sun 1:20, 4:10, 7:20, 10:10; MonWed 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:05; Thur 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:15. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 9. Shrek the Third Fri 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8, 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30, 11:15; Sat 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8, 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30, 11:15; Sun 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3, 4, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8, 9, 9:30, 10, 10:30; Mon-Wed 1, 1:30, 2, 2:30, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 5, 5:30, 6, 6:30, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 9:15, 9:30, 10, 10:30; Thur 12:45, 1:05, 2:10, 2:40, 3:10, 3:35, 4:35, 5:05, 5:35, 6, 7, 7:40, 8:05, 8:30, 9:30, 10:10, 10:35, 10:50. Spider-Man 3 Fri 1, 1:45, 2:15, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 10:15, 10:45; Sat-Sun 11:15 a.m., 1, 1:45, 2:15, 4:15, 4:45, 5:15, 7:15, 7:45, 8:15, 10:15, 10:45; Mon-Wed 12:45, 1:15, 1:45, 4, 4:30, 5:15, 7:30, 8, 8:30, 10:45; Thur 12:30, 1, 1:35, 3:45, 4:15, 4:45, 7:10, 7:35, 10:20, 10:45. UA Marina, 4335 Glencoe Av, (310) 823-1721. Georgia Rule 12:15, 4, 7:10, 10. Hot Fuzz Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:40, 7:45, 10:35; Thur 1:30, 4:40. Next Fri-Wed 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:20, 10:05; Thur 12:10, 2:30, 4:50. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 8:30. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Wed noon, 12:30, 1, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 9:45, 10:15, 10:45; Thur noon, 12:30, 1, 3:15, 3:45, 4:15, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 9:45, 10:15.

A nationwide search. A million-dollar movie deal. Your vote decides who wins!

DOWNTOWN & SOUTH L.A. Laemmle’s Grande 4-Plex, 345 S Figueroa St, (213) 617-0268. In Search of Mozart Fri 5:40, 8:15; Sat-Sun 12:30, 3, 5:40, 8:15; Mon-Thur 5:40, 8:15. The Namesake Fri 4:30, 7:20, 9:55; Sat-Sun 1:30, 4:30, 7:20, 9:55; Mon-Thur 5:30, 8:20. Shrek the Third Fri 5:35, 7:45, 9:55; Sat-Sun 1:10, 3:20, 5:35, 7:45, 9:55; Mon-Thur 5:35, 7:45. Spider-Man 3 Fri 4, 7, 10; Sat-Sun 1, 4, 7, 10; Mon-Thur 5, 5. Magic Johnson Theaters, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, 4020 Marlton Av, (323) 290-5900. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 10:25 a.m., 12:40, 3:15, 5:45, 8:10, 10:35; Sun 10:25 a.m., 12:40, 3:15, 5:45, 8:10, 10:25; Mon-Wed 12:40, 3:15, 5:45, 8:05, 10:25. Are We Done Yet? Fri-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:10, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30; Mon-Wed 2:10, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30.

MAY 17~23, 2007

Executive Produced by Mark Burnett & Steven Spielberg

CITYBEAT

Georgia Rule 11:05 a.m., 1:35, 4:25, 7:35, 10:35. Hot Fuzz 11:15 a.m., 1:55, 4:55, 8:15, 10:55. Once noon, 2:30, 4:50, 7:30, 9:40. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 7:45, 10, 10:15, 10:50, 11:35, 12:05 a.m., 12:30 a.m., 1:10, 2:05, 2:35, 3, 4, 4:35, 5:05, 5:30, 7, 7:25, 8, 9:20, 9:45, 10:30, 11:40, 12:05 a.m.; Sun 7:45, 10, 10:15, 10:50, 11:35, 12:05 a.m., 12:30 a.m., 1:10, 2:05, 2:35, 3, 4, 4:35, 5:05, 5:30, 7, 7:25, 8, 9:20, 9:45, 10:30; Mon-Tue 10:50 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 12:05, 12:30, 1:10, 2:05, 2:35, 3, 4, 4:35, 5:05, 5:30, 7, 7:25, 7:45, 8, 9:20, 9:45, 10:15, 10:30; Wed 10:50 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 12:05, 12:30, 1:10, 2:05, 2:35, 3, 4, 4:35, 5:05, 5:30, 7, 7:25, 8, 9:20, 9:45, 10:30; Thur 10:50 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 12:05, 12:30, 1:10, 2:05, 2:35, 3, 4, 4:35, 5:05, 5:30, 7, 7:25, 7:45, 8, 9:20, 9:45, 10:15, 10:30. Spider-Man 3 Fri 12:45, 1:20, 2, 4:05, 4:30, 5:10, 7:05, 7:40, 8:20, 10:05, 10:50, 11:30; Sat-Thur 11 a.m., 12:45, 1:20, 2, 4:05, 4:30, 5:10, 7:05, 7:40, 8:20, 10:05, 10:50, 11:30. Waitress 11:25 a.m., 2:15, 5:15, 7:55, 10:25. Grauman’s Chinese, 6925 Hollywood Bl, (323) 464-8111. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Fri noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10; Sat 9:50, 12:10, 2:25, 5:15, 8, 10:40; Sun 9:50, 12:15, 2:40, 5:15, 8, 10:30; MonWed 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20. Los Feliz 3, 1822 N Vermont Av, (323) 6642169. 28 Weeks Later 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Hot Fuzz 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Shrek the Third 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Mann Chinese 6, 6801 Hollywood Bl, (323) 461-3331. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 1, 3:30, 6, 8:30, 11; Sun-Thur 1, 3:30, 6, 8:30. Blades of Glory 11:40 a.m., 2:10, 4:40, 7:10, 9:40. Delta Farce 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20. Disturbia 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. Next 11:50 a.m., 4:50, 9:50.

Vacancy 2:20, 7:20. Year of the Dog 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30. Pacific’s El Capitan, 6838 Hollywood Bl, (323) 467-7674. Meet the Robinsons in Disney Digital 3D Fri 10 a.m., 12:25, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 9:55; Sat 10 a.m., 12:25, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40. Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14, 189 The Grove Dr, Third St & Fairfax Av, (323) 692-0829. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sun noon, 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15, 12:05 a.m.; Mon-Thur noon, 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15. Disturbia Fri-Wed 12:05, 2:50, 5:30, 7:55, 10:35; Thur 12:05, 2:50, 5:30. The Ex Fri-Wed 12:10, 2:35, 4:55, 7:25, 9:45; Thur 12:10, 2:35, 4:55. Fracture Fri-Wed 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:35, 7:20, 10:10; Thur 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:35. Georgia Rule 11:20 a.m., 2:05, 4:50, 7:35, 10:20. Hot Fuzz Fri-Sun 11:35 a.m., 2:15, 5:10, 8:05, 11; Mon-Wed 11:35 a.m., 2:15, 5:10, 8:05, 10:50; Thur 11:35 a.m., 2:15, 5:10, 7:50, 11. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 8:15, midnight, 12:05 a.m. Shrek the Third Fri 10:15 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:35, 2, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8:20, 9, 9:30, 9:55, 10:55, 11:30, midnight; Sat-Sun 10 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:35, 2, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8:20, 9, 9:30, 9:55, 10:55, 11:30, midnight; Mon 10:15 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:35, 2, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8:20, 9, 9:30, 9:55, 10:55; Tue-Wed 10:15 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:35, 2, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:45, 6:30, 7, 7:30, 8:20, 9, 9:30, 9:55, 10:55; Thur 10:15 a.m., 11:05 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:40, 1:35, 2, 2:25, 3:15, 4:05, 4:30, 5, 5:45, 7, 7:30, 8:20, 9:30, 9:55, 10:55. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sun 10:25 a.m., 12:20, 12:45,

“...easily

the best of the trilogy...one of the most enjoyable films of the decade.” Charlotte O’Sullivan, LONDON EVENING STANDARD

1:25, 1:30, 3:35, 4, 4:40, 4:45, 6:50, 7:05, 7:50, 8, 9:50, 10:25, 11:05, 11:15; Mon-Wed 10:25 a.m., 12:20, 12:45, 1:25, 1:30, 3:35, 4, 4:40, 4:45, 6:50, 7:05, 7:50, 8, 9:50, 10:25; Thur 10:25 a.m., 12:20, 12:45, 1:25, 1:30, 3:35, 4, 4:40, 4:45, 7, 7:45, 10:05, 11:15. Regent Showcase, 614 N La Brea Av, (323) 934-2944. The Lives of Others Fri 5:30, 8; SatSun 3, 5:30, 8; Mon-Thur 5:30, 8. Vine, 6321 Hollywood Bl, (323) 463-6819. Premonition 4:05, 7:45. The Reaping 5:55, 9:35. Vista, 4473 Sunset, (323) 660-6639. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Spider-Man 3 Fri 6:30, 9:40; Sat-Sun 2:45, 6:30, 9:40; Mon-Wed 6:30, 9:40.

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, UNIVERSAL CITY Century 8, 12827 Victory Bl, (818) 508-6004. 28 Weeks Later 11:45 a.m., 2:10, 4:35, 7, 9:25. Disturbia 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7:05, 9:35. Georgia Rule 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:35, 10:15. The Invisible 11:50 a.m., 2:25, 5, 7:30, 10. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Wed noon, 12:50, 2:25, 3:15, 4:50, 5:40, 7:15, 8:05, 9:40, 10:30; Thur 12:50, 3:15, 5:40, 8:05, 10:30. Spider-Man 3 11:55 a.m., 12:55, 3:10, 4, 6:30, 7:15, 9:50, 10:20. Loews CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX, 100 Universal City Dr at Universal CityWalk, (818) 5080588; IMAX Theater (818) 760-8100. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sat 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10, 12:45 a.m.; Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:30, 10:10; Mon-Thur 2:15, 4:55, 7:20, 9:50. Blades of Glory Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 4:55, 7:15, 9:45; Mon-Thur 1:15, 7:05, 9:35. Delta Farce Fri-Sun 12:10, 2:50, 5:15, 7:40, 10:15; Mon-Thur 2:30, 4:45, 7:10, 9:30. Disturbia Fri-Sat 10:55 a.m., 1:25, 4:10, 6:50, 9:30, 12:20 a.m.; Sun 10:55 a.m., 1:25, 4:10, 6:50, 9:30; Mon-Thur 2:35, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20. Georgia Rule Fri-Sun 11:05 a.m., 1:55, 4:45, 7:50, 10:35; Mon-Thur 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55.

“TOTALLY FASCINATING, HIGHLY INTELLIGENT!

A NEW-STYLE DISASTER FLICK!” – J. Hoberman, THE VILLAGE VOICE

“A MINIMALIST,

WHITE-KNUCKLE THRILLER.

SCARIER THAN ‘24’!”

– Logan Hill, NEW YORK MAGAZINE

NOW PLAYING HOLLYWOOD ArcLight Hollywood At Sunset & Vine 323/464-4226 On 3 Screens Fri 12:45, 1:20, 2:00, 4:05, 4:30, 5:10, 7:05, 7:40, 8:20, 10:05, 10:50 & 11:30 PM Sat-Thur 11:00 AM, 12:45, 1:20, 2:00, 4:05, 4:30, 5:10, 7:05, 7:40, 8:20, 10:05, 10:50 & 11:30 PM 4 Hours Validated Parking - $2

WESTWOOD Mann Village 310/248-MANN #051 Digital Projection Daily 12:40, 3:50, 7:10 & 10:20 PM Mann Bruin 310/248-MANN #051 Daily 1:30, 5:00 & 8:30 PM $3.00 Parking After 6:00 PM in Privilege Parking Lots $1.00 Refund with Paid Admission

CENTURY CITY AMC Century 15 • 310/289-4AMC On 3 Screens Fri & Sat 9:40 & 10:10 AM, 12:00, 12:40, 1:15, 3:15, 4:00, 4:40, 6:30, 7:20, 8:20, 9:50 & 10:45 PM Sun 9:40 & 10:10 AM, 12:00, 12:40, 1:15, 3:15, 4:00, 4:40, 6:30, 7:20, 8:20, 9:50 & 10:35 PM Mon-Thur 12:05, 12:45, 1:45, 3:10, 4:00, 4:50, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:25 & 10:30 PM Fri & Sat Late Shows 11:50 PM & 12:35 AM 3 Hours Free Parking Additional 2 Hour Parking $3.00 with AMC Validation

L.A./BEVERLY HILLS Pacific’s The Grove Stadium 14 • 323/692-0829 #209 On 4 Screens Daily 10:25 AM, 12:20, 12:45, 1:25, 1:30, 3:35, 4:00, 4:40, 4:45, 6:50, 7:05, 7:50, 8:00, 9:50 & 10:25 PM Fri-Sun Late Shows 11:05 & 11:15 PM 4 Hours On-Site Validated Parking Only $2.00

“IMPRESSIVE AND

SANTA MONICA AMC Santa Monica 7 • 310/289-4AMC On 3 Screens Fri & Sat 11:30 AM, 12:10, 1:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:40, 9:15, 9:45 & 10:45 PM Sun 11:30 AM, 12:10, 1:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:40, 9:15 & 9:45 PM Mon-Thur 1:30, 2:50, 3:20, 4:40, 6:00, 6:30, 7:50, 9:15 & 9:45 PM AMC Loews Broadway 4 800/FANDANGO #706 Fri & Sat 12:45, 3:50, 7:00 & 10:05 PM Sun 11:15 AM, 5:10 & 8:30 PM Mon-Thur 1:00, 3:50, 7:00 & 10:05 PM

TERRIFYING. CINEMATIC

REALISM PARED DOWN TO HALLUCINATORY INTENSITY.” – A.O. Scott, THE NEW YORK TIMES

HAS CAPTURED VIEWERS’ ATTENTION AROUND THE WORLD!” – Andrew O‘Hehir, SALON

Free Movie Parking. Full General Parking Rebate with Movie Ticket Purchase Through 6/30/07 (Excludes Valet)

Sorry, No Passes Accepted For This Engagement. For Additional Information, Call Theaters Or Check Directories.

AND AT A THEATER NEAR YOU ®

IMAX

IMAX® is a registered trademark of IMAX Corporation

UNIVERSAL CITY CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX® 800/FANDANGO #707 Fri & Sat 10:45 AM, 2:00, 5:00, 8:10 & 11:20 PM Sun 10:45 AM, 2:00, 5:00, 8:05 & 11:00 PM Mon-Thur 1:25, 4:25, 7:30 & 10:25 PM WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux IMAX® Theatre 310/568-3375 Daily 12:00, 3:15, 6:45 & 10:00 PM Fri & Sat Late Show 12:55 AM

SANTA MONICA AMC Santa Monica 7, 1310 Third Street Promenade, (310) 395-3030. Blades of Glory Fri-Sat 11:05 a.m., 1:20, 3:35, 5:50, 8:05, 10:30; Sun 11:05 a.m., 1:20, 3:35, 5:50, 8:05, 10:15; Mon-Wed 1:20, 3:35, 5:50, 8:05, 10:15. Delta Farce Fri-Sat 1:25, 5:40, 10:35; Sun-Wed 1:25, 5:40, 10:20. Disturbia Fri-Sun 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:25, 7:05, 9:40; Mon-Wed 1:40, 4:25, 7:05, 9:40. The Invisible Fri-Sun 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:20, 7, 9:30; Mon-Wed 1:50, 4:20, 7, 9:30. Next Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 3:40, 8; Mon-Wed 3:40, 8. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, midnight. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 12:10, 1:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:30, 6, 6:30, 7:40, 9:15, 9:45, 10:45; Sun 11:30 a.m., 12:10, 1:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:30, 6, 6:30, 7:40, 9:15, 9:45; Mon-Wed 1:30, 2:50, 3:20, 4:40, 6, 6:30, 7:50, 9:15, 9:45. Laemmle’s Monica 4-Plex, 1332 Second St, (310) 394-9741. Away From Her 1:25, 4:10, 7, 9:45. The Lives of Others 1:10, 4:20, 8. Paris Je T’aime 1, 4, 7:10, 9:55. Waitress noon, 2:30, 5:05, 7:40, 10:15. Landmark’s NuWilshire, 1314 Wilshire Bl, (310) 281-8223. Black Book 1, 4:30, 8. Even Money 1:15, 4:15, 7, 9:45. Loews Cineplex Broadway, 1441 Third Street Promenade, (310) 458-1506. Brooklyn Rules Fri-Sat 11:50 a.m., 2:30, 5, 7:20, 9:50; Sun 11:10 a.m., 2:30, 5, 7:20, 9:50; Mon-Thur 2:30, 5, 7:20, 9:50. Georgia Rule Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:35, 7:30, 10:10; Mon-Thur 2, 4:35, 7:30, 10:10. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 12:45, 3:50, 7, 10:05; Sun 11:15 a.m., 5:10, 8:30; Mon-Thur 1, 3:50, 7, 10:05. The Wendell Baker Story Fri-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:10, 9:40; Mon-Thur 2:15, 4:45, 7:10, 9:40. Mann Criterion, 1313 Third Street Promenade, (310) 395-1599. 28 Weeks Later 11:20 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7, 9:50. The Ex noon, 2:30, 5:10, 7:50, 10:10. Fracture 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:30, 7:20, 10. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10:10 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 2:10, 3, 4:05, 4:40, 5:30, 6:30, 7:10, 8, 9, 9:40, 10:30, 11:30, 12:10 a.m.; Sun-Thur 10:10 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:40 a.m., 12:30, 1:30, 2:10, 3, 4:05, 4:40, 5:30, 6:30, 7:10, 8, 9, 9:40, 10:30.

“REMARKABLE!

UNIVERSAL CITY CityWalk Stadium 19 with IMAX® 800/FANDANGO #707 On 6 Screens Fri & Sat 11:30 & 11:50 AM, 12:30, 1:10, 1:40, 2:45, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:50, 6:30, 7:10, 7:45, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30 & 11:00 PM Sun 11:30 & 11:50 AM, 12:30, 1:10, 1:40, 2:45, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:50, 6:30, 7:10, 7:45, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30 & 10:50 PM Mon-Thur 1:05, 2:00, 2:40, 3:20, 3:50, 4:50, 5:15, 6:00, 6:40, 8:00, 8:30, 9:20 & 10:00 PM Fri & Sat Late Shows 12:10 & 12:40 AM IMAX: Fri & Sat 10:45 AM, 2:00, 5:00, 8:10 & 11:20 PM Sun 10:45 AM, 2:00, 5:00, 8:05 & 11:00 PM Mon-Thur 1:25, 4:25, 7:30 & 10:25 PM

WEST LOS ANGELES The Bridge Cinema De Lux 310/568-3375 On 7 Screens Fri, Mon-Thur 11:30 AM, 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5:00, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30 & 10:30 PM Sat & Sun 10:00, 10:30 & 11:30 AM, 12:30, 1:15, 1:45, 2:45, 3:45, 4:30, 5:00, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 8:45, 9:30 & 10:30 PM Fri & Sat Late Shows 11:30, 11:45 PM & 12:30 AM Director’s Hall Fri, Mon-Thur 1:00, 2:15, 4:15, 5:30, 7:45 & 9:00 PM Director’s Hall Sat & Sun 11:00 AM, 1:00, 2:15, 4:15, 5:30, 7:45 & 9:00 PM Director’s Hall Fri & Sat Late Show 12:00 Midnight IMAX: Daily 12:00, 3:15, 6:45 & 10:00 PM Fri & Sat Late Show 12:55 AM

SEE IT IN

The Invisible Fri-Sat 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7, 9:40, 12:15 a.m.; Sun 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:20, 7, 9:40; Mon-Thur 2:25, 5:05, 7:45, 10:15. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 12:05 a.m. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10:40 a.m., 11:20 a.m., noon, 12:40, 1:20, 1:50, 2:40, 3:20, 4, 4:40, 5:20, 6, 6:40, 7:20, 8, 8:40, 9:20, 10, 10:40, 11:20, midnight, 12:30 a.m.; Sun 10:40 a.m., 11:20 a.m., noon, 12:40, 1:20, 1:50, 2:40, 3:20, 4, 4:40, 5:20, 6, 6:40, 7:20, 8, 8:40, 9:20, 10, 10:40; Mon-Wed 1, 1:40, 2:20, 3, 3:40, 4:20, 5, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 7:40, 8:20, 9, 9:40, 10:30; Thur 1, 1:40, 2:20, 3, 3:40, 4:20, 5, 5:40, 6:20, 7, 8:20, 9, 9:40. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:30, 1:10, 1:40, 2:45, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:50, 6:30, 7:10, 7:45, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30, 11, 12:10 a.m., 12:40 a.m.; Sun 11:30 a.m., 11:50 a.m., 12:30, 1:10, 1:40, 2:45, 3:10, 3:50, 4:30, 5:50, 6:30, 7:10, 7:45, 9:10, 9:50, 10:30, 10:50; Mon-Wed 1:05, 2, 2:40, 3:20, 3:50, 4:50, 5:15, 6, 6:40, 8, 8:30, 9:20, 10; Thur 1:05, 2:40, 3:20, 3:50, 4:50, 6, 6:40, 8, 9:20, 10. Spider-Man 3: The IMAX Experience IMAX Fri-Sat 10:45 a.m., 2, 5, 8:10, 11:20; Sun 10:45 a.m., 2, 5, 8:05, 11; Mon-Thur 1:25, 4:25, 7:30, 10:25.

IRVINE Edwards IMAX® The Irvine Spectrum 800/FANDANGO #140 Daily 10:00 AM, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00 PM ONTARIO Edwards IMAX® Theatre The Ontario Palace 800/FANDANGO #153 Daily 10:00 AM, 1:00, 4:00, 7:00 & 10:00 PM CATHEDRAL CITY Desert IMAX® Theatre 760/324-7333 Fri-Sun 10:30 AM, 1:30, 4:15, 7:15 & 9:55 PM Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7:15 & 9:55 PM

Text SM3 and your zip code (e.g., “SM3 10003”) to 36346 (FNDGO) for showtimes and tickets! Standard messaging rates apply. May not be compatible on all carriers.

STARTS FRIDAY, MAY 18TH! BEVERLY HILLS Laemmle's Music Hall (310) 274-6869 Daily: 5:10 • 7:40 • 10:00 Sat. & Sun: 12:20 • 2:45 • 5:10 • 7:40 • 10:00

OLD PASADENA Laemmle’s One Colorado

Q&A WITH THE FILMMAKERCinemas AND (626) THE744-1224 STAR Daily: 12:50 • 3:10 • 5:30 Shows. TONIGHT at 7:45PM & 9:55PM 7:50 • 10:10

.ALSO AVAILABLE ON IFC IN THEATERS! CALL YOUR CABLE OPERATOR TODAY FOR MORE INFORMATION.

CITYBEAT

SHERMAN OAKS, ENCINO Laemmle’s Town Center 5, 17200 Ventura Bl, Encino, (818) 981-9811. Away From Her 1:30, 4:20, 7:10, 9:45. Black Book 1:20, 4:40, 8. Ekhrajeeha 10. Hollywood Dreams noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10. Private Fears in Public Places 1, 4, 7, 9:50. The Valet noon, 2:15, 4:30, 7:20, 9:35. Mann Plant 16, 7876 Van Nuys Bl, Panorama City, (818) 779-0323. 28 Weeks Later 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:50, 10:20. Are We Done Yet? Fri-Wed 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:10, 6:30, 8:50; Thur 11:10 a.m., 1:40, 4:10. Delta Farce 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50. Disturbia 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. Georgia Rule 1, 4:05, 7, 10. The Invisible Fri-Wed 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:20, 6:50, 9:20; Thur 11:20 a.m., 1:50, 4:20. Meet the Robinsons in Disney Digital 3D FriWed 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30; Thur 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:40 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:10, 1:30, 2:10, 2:30, 3, 3:40, 4:05, 4:40, 5, 5:30, 6:10, 6:30, 7:10, 7:30, 8, 8:40, 9, 9:40, 10, 10:30, 11:30; Sun-Thur 10:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 11 a.m., 11:40 a.m., noon, 12:30, 1:10, 1:30, 2:10,

MAY 17~23, 2007

1X7 CITY BEAT THURS. 5/17

2:30, 3, 3:40, 4:05, 4:40, 5, 5:30, 6:10, 6:30, 7:10, 7:30, 8, 8:40, 9, 9:40, 10, 10:30. Spider-Man 3 10:20 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:20, 1, 1:30, 2:40, 3:30, 4:10, 4:40, 5:50, 6:40, 7:20, 7:50, 9, 9:50, 10:30, 11. Pacific’s Galleria Stadium 16, 15301 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-5121. 28 Weeks Later Fri-Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:20, 5, 7:35, 10:25; Mon-Thur 12:05, 2:30, 5, 7:35, 10:15. Blades of Glory Fri-Sun 11:45 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:15; Mon-Thur 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:40. Disturbia Fri-Wed 1:55, 4:35, 7:15, 9:50; Thur 1:55, 4:35. The Ex Fri-Wed noon, 2:25, 4:50, 7:10, 9:35; Thur noon, 2:25, 4:50. Fracture Fri-Sun 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:35, 7:25, 10:20; Mon-Thur 1:45, 4:35, 7:25, 10:20. Georgia Rule Fri-Sun 10:45 a.m., 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:50; Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7:05, 9:50. Hot Fuzz Fri-Sun 1:25, 4:25, 7:20, 10:15; MonThur 1:25, 4:25, 7:20, 10:30. Next Fri-Sun 9:45; Mon-Thur 10:05. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 10:10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:25, 4:55, 5:25, 5:55, 7, 7:30, 8, 8:30, 9:35, 10:05, 10:35, 11; Sun 10:10 a.m., 11:15 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:25, 4:55, 5:25, 5:55, 7, 7:30, 8, 8:30, 9:35, 10:15; Mon-Wed 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:25, 4:55, 5:25, 5:55, 7, 7:30, 8, 8:30, 9:35, 10:05; Thur 12:15, 12:45, 1:50, 2:20, 2:50, 3:20, 4:25, 4:55, 5:25, 5:55, 7, 7:30, 8:30, 9:35, 10:05. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 10:05 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2, 3:45, 4:10, 4:40, 5:10, 7, 7:25, 7:55, 8:25, 10:10, 10:40, 11:10; Sun 10:05 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2, 3:45, 4:10, 4:40, 5:10, 7, 7:25, 7:55, 8:25, 10:10; Mon-Wed 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2, 3:45, 4:10, 4:40, 5:10, 7, 7:25, 7:55, 8:25, 10:10; Thur 12:30, 1, 1:30, 2, 3:45, 4:10, 4:40, 5:10, 7, 7:55, 8:25, 10:10. Waitress Fri-Sun 11:30 a.m., 2:10, 4:55, 7:30, 10:05; Mon-Thur 1:50, 4:30, 7:15, 9:55. Pacific’s Sherman Oaks 5, 14424 Millbank St, Sherman Oaks, (818) 501-5121. The Hoax FriSat 1:55, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15; Sun-Thur 1:55, 4:45, 7:30. Lucky You Fri-Sat 1:35, 4:40, 7:40, 10:30; SunWed 1:35, 4:40, 7:40; Thur 1:35, 4:40. The Namesake Sub-Titled Fri-Sat 1:15, 4:15, 7, 10:05; Sun-Thur 1:15, 4:15, 7. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8. Shrek the Third Fri-Sat 1:30, 4:10, 7:15, 9:50; Sun-Thur 1:30, 4:10, 7:15. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 12:30, 3:30, 7:20, 10:25; Sun-Thur 12:30, 3:30, 7:20.

WEST HOLLYWOOD, BEVERLY HILLS, CENTURY CITY AMC Century City 15, 10250 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 277-2011. 28 Weeks Later Fri 9:50, 12:15, 2:40, 5:15, 8, 10:40; Sat 9:50, 12:10, 2:25, 5:15, 8, 10:40; Sun 9:50, 12:15, 2:40, 5:15, 8, 10:30; Mon-Wed 12:20, 2:45, 5:15, 7:50, 10:20. Disturbia Fri 9:45, 12:10, 2:50, 5:20, 8:05, 11; Sat 9:45, 12:15, 2:50, 5:20, 8:05, 11; Sun 9:45, 12:10, 2:50, 5:20, 8:05, 10:40; Mon-Wed 12:10, 2:35, 5:05, 7:45, 10:25. Even Money Fri-Sat 10:50 a.m., 1:35, 4:30, 7:30, 10:30, 12:50 a.m.; Sun 10:50 a.m., 1:35, 4:30, 7:30, 10:20; Mon-Wed 1:55, 4:45, 7:30, 10:15. The Ex Fri-Sat 9:55, 12:20, 2:55, 5:10, 7:45, 10:25; Sun 9:55, 12:20, 2:55, 5:10, 7:45, 10:15; Mon-Wed 12:15, 2:40, 4:55, 7:25, 9:55. Fracture Fri-Sat 10:30 a.m., 1:20, 4:20, 7:15, 10:15; Sun 10:30 a.m., 1:20, 4:20, 7:15, 10:05; Mon-Wed 1:25, 4:15, 7:10, 10. Georgia Rule Fri-Sat 10:20 a.m., 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10:10; Sun 10:20 a.m., 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 10; Mon-Wed 1:30, 4:25, 7:20, 10:05. Hot Fuzz Fri 10:40 a.m., 1:40, 4:45, 7:50, 10:55; Sat 2:30, 4:50, 7:50, 10:55; Sun 10:40 a.m., 1:40, 4:45, 7:50, 10:35; Mon-Wed 1:40, 4:35, 7:35, 10:35. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End Thur only, 8, 11:45. Shrek the Third Fri 9:40, 10:15, 11, 11:40, 12:05 a.m., 12:45 a.m., 1:30, 2:10, 2:45, 3:30, 4:15, 4:55, 5:25, 6:15, 7, 7:40, 8:10, 9, 9:45, 10:20, 10:50, 11:30, 12:10 a.m., 12:45 a.m.; Sat 9:40, 11, 11:40, 12:05 a.m., 12:45 a.m., 1:30, 2:10, 2:45, 3:30, 4:15, 4:55, 5:25, 6:15, 7, 7:40, 8:10, 9, 9:45, 10:20, 10:50, 11:30, 12:10 a.m., 12:45 a.m.; Sun 9:40, 10:15, 11, 11:40, 12:05 a.m., 12:45 a.m., 1:30, 2:10, 2:45, 3:30, 4:15, 4:55, 5:25, 6:15, 7, 7:40, 8:10, 9, 9:45, 10:20, 10:40; Mon-Wed noon, 12:30, 1:20, 2, 2:30, 3, 3:50, 4:30, 5, 5:30, 6:20, 7, 7:40, 8:10, 8:50, 9:30, 10:10, 10:40; Thur 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 8, 10:30. Spider-Man 3 Fri-Sat 9:40, 10:10, midnight, 12:40 a.m., 1:15, 3:15, 4, 4:40, 6:30, 7:20, 8:20, 9:50, 10:45, 11:50, 12:35 a.m.; Sun 9:40, 10:10, midnight, 12:40 a.m., 1:15, 3:15, 4, 4:40, 6:30, 7:20, 8:20, 9:50, 10:35, 11:50; Mon-Wed 12:05, 12:45, 1:45, 3:10, 4, 4:50, 6:15, 7:15, 8:15, 9:25, 10:30. Waitress Fri 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:35, 10:35; Sat 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 5, 7:35, 10:35; Sun 11:10 a.m., 1:50, 4:35, 7:35, 10:25; Mon-

Wed 1:35, 4:20, 7:05, 9:50. Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Music Hall 3, 9036 Wilshire Bl, (310) 274-6869. Black Book Fri 5, 8:15; Sat-Sun 1:30, 5, 8:15; Mon-Thur 5, 8:15. Day Night Day Night Fri 5:10, 7:40, 10; Sat-Sun 12:20, 2:45, 5:10, 7:40, 10; Mon-Thur 5:10, 7:40, 10. Ekhrajeeha 10. Private Fears in Public Places Fri 5, 7:30; SatSun noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30; Mon-Thur 5, 7:30. Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunset 5 Theatre, 8000 Sunset Bl, (323) 848-3500. Brooklyn Rules 1:30, 4:15, 7:20, 9:50. Hollywood Dreams 1:15, 4:15, 7:15, 9:45. Paris Je Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;aime 1, 4, 7, 9:50. The TV Set 12:45, 3, 5:20, 7:40, 10. The Wendell Baker Story 1:40, 4:20, 7:10, 9:40. Beverly Center 13 Cinemas, 8522 Beverly Blvd., Suite 835, (310) 652-7760. 300 1:30, 4:10, 7, 9:40. Are We Done Yet? 12:30, 2:50. Blades of Glory 12:30, 2:40, 5, 7:20, 9:30. Downtown: A Street Tale 12:10, 2:40, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10. Grindhouse 12:50, 4:40, 8:30. The Hoax 1:10, 3:50, 6:30, 9. The Invisible 12:20, 2:50, 5:20, 7:40, 10. The Last Time 12:10, 2:30, 4:50, 7:10, 9:30. Lucky You 1:20, 4:20, 7, 9:40. The Namesake 1:10, 4:10, 7:10, 9:50. Next noon, 2:20, 4:30, 6:40, 9. Perfect Stranger 1:30, 7:20. Shooter 4:20, 10. Vacancy 5:10, 7:30, 9:50. Year of the Dog noon, 2:30, 5, 7:30, 10:10.

WESTWOOD, WEST L.A. AMC Avco Center, 10840 Wilshire Bl, (310) 475-0711. 28 Weeks Later Fri noon, 2:25, 4:50, 7:15, 9:40; Sat 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:50, 7:15, 9:45; Sun 11:50 a.m., 2:20, 4:55, 7:15, 9:45; Mon-Thur 12:30, 2:55, 5:25, 7:50, 10:10. Georgia Rule Fri 12:30, 3, 5:30, 8, 10:30; Sat 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 5, 7:40, 10:15; Sun 11:40 a.m., 2:15, 4:45, 7:30, 10:05; Mon-Thur 1:30, 4:15, 7:15, 10. Hot Fuzz Fri 1:20, 4:10, 7, 9:50; Sat 11 a.m., 1:45, 4:40, 10:10; Sun 11:20 a.m., 2:30, 5:05, 7:45, 10:20; Mon 1:15, 4, 7, 9:50; Tue 1:45, 4:30, 7:15, 10; Wed-Thur 1:15, 4, 7, 9:50. Shrek the Third Fri 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15; Sat 11:30 a.m., 2, 4:30, 7, 9:30; Sun 11 a.m., 4:30, 7, 9:30; Mon-Thur 12:15, 2:45, 5:15, 7:45, 10:15. Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Royal Theatre, 11523 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 477-5581. The Valet 1, 3:10, 5:25, 7:40, 9:55. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nuart Theater, 11272 Santa Monica Bl, (310) 281-8223. Fay Grim Fri-Sun 1, 4, 7, 9:50; Mon-Thur 4, 7, 9:50. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Sat only, midnight. Spice World Fri only, midnight. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Regent, 1045 Broxton Av, (310) 281-8223. The Namesake Fri-Wed 1:30, 4:15, 7, 9:45; Thur 1:30, 4:15. Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s End Thur only, 8, midnight. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Westside Pavilion Cinemas, 10800 Pico Bl, (310) 281-8223. Call theater for titles and showtimes. Majestic Crest Theater, 1262 Westwood Bl, (310) 474-7866. Fracture 2:45, 5, 7:30, 9:45. Mann Bruin, 948 Broxton Av, (310) 208-8998. Spider-Man 3 1:30, 5, 8:30. Mann Festival 1, 10887 Lindbrook Av, (310) 2084575. Year of the Dog noon, 2:20, 4:50, 7:20, 9:50. Mann National, 10925 Lindbrook Dr, (310) 2084366. Call theater for titles and showtimes. Mann Village, 961 Broxton Av, (310) 208-5576. Spider-Man 3 12:40, 3:50, 7:10, 10:20.

(323) 938-4038. Newbevcinema.com. Dressed to Kill, 7:30; Body Double, 9:35. Silent Movie Theatre, 611 N Fairfax Av, Hollywood, (323) 655-2520. Silentmovietheatre.com. Battling Butler, 8; followed by Little Nemo and The Pied Piper of Hamelin. With live musical accompaniment.

FRIDAY, MAY 18 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The French Connection, 7:30; followed by The Brinks Job. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Last Picture Show, 7:30; followed by Saint Jack. Cinespace, 6356 Hollywood Bl, second level, Hollywood, (323) 817-3456. Cinespace.info. Dinner and A Movie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Panâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Labrynth, 8. Film in a restaurant/bar setting; call for reservations. Fine Arts Theatre, 8556 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills, (310) 360-0455. Studioscreenings.com. Death and Taxis, 2 & 4. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder Theater, 10899 Wilshire Bl, L.A. Info: (310) 206-3456 or Cinema.ucla.edu. A Lady to Talk About: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Bitter Tea of General Yen, 7:30; followed by Baby Face. L.A. County Museum of Art, Leo S. Bing Theater, 5905 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 8576010. Lacma.org. Lonely America: The Noir Cinematography of Burnett Guffey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; In a Lonely Place, 7:30; The Sniper, 9:15. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nuart Theater, 11272 Santa Monica Bl, West L.A., (310) 281-8223. Landmarktheaters.com. Spice World, midnight. New Beverly Cinema The Lives of Others, 7:30; Army of Shadows, 10:05. Old Town Music Hall, 140 Richmond St, El Segundo, (310) 322-2592. Otmh.org. Wings, 8:15; with live Wurlitzer accompaniment. Vista Theatre, 4473 Sunset Dr, Los Feliz, (323) 660-6639. Info: Myspace.com/sbigfilmfest. So Bad It's Good Film Fest - Showgirls, midnight.

SATURDAY, MAY 19 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C;The Dion Brothers, 7:30; followed by Race with the Devil, with discussion between films with actors Fredric Forrest and Stacey Keach. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Lady Sings the Blues, 7:30; followed by Mahogany.. Cinespace Dinner and A Movie â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Panâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Labrynth, 8. Film in a restaurant/bar setting; call for reservations. Echo Park Film Center International Youth Film Festival. Fine Arts Theatre Death and Taxis, 2 & 4. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder Theater For Ever Godard â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Passion, 7:30; followed by First Name: Carmen. Hollywood Forever Cemetery, 6000 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 465-7900. Info: Cinespia.org. Cemetery Screenings Series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Player, gates at 7, film at 8:30. L.A. County Museum of Art, Leo S. Bing Theater Lonely America: The Noir Cinematography of Burnett Guffey â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Reckless Moment, 7:30; Nightfall, 9:05. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nuart Theater The Rocky Horror Picture Show, midnight. Landmarkâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rialto, 1023 Fair Oaks Av, South Pasadena, (626) 388-2122. Landmarktheaters.com. Raiders of the Lost Ark, midnight. New Beverly Cinema The Lives of Others, 2:10 & 7:30; Army of Shadows, 4:45 & 10:05. Old Town Music Hall Wings, 2:30 & 8:15. Palisades Elementary School, Auditorium, 800 Via de la Paz, Pacific Palisades. Social Justice Film Series. Info: Friendsoffilm.com.

SUNDAY, MAY 20 American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Together Brothers, 7:30; followed by Cry for Me Billy. Discussion between films with director

William A. Graham. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Gumshoe, 7:30; followed by The Midnight Man. Fine Arts Theatre Death and Taxis, 2 & 4. Echo Park Film Center International Youth Film Festival. Info: (213) 484-8846 or Echoparkfilmcenter.org. Hammer Museum, UCLA Film & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder Theater A Lady to Talk About: The Films of Barbara Stanwyck â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ball of Fire, 7; followed by Meet John Doe. New Beverly Cinema Night of the Comet, 3:50, 7:30; Miracle Mile, 5:45 & 9:25. Old Town Music Hall Wings, 2:30.

MONDAY, MAY 21 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Samuel Goldwyn Theater Great To Be Nominated â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Reds, 7:30; with animated short The Tender Tale of Cinderella Penguin. Fine Arts Theatre Death and Taxis, 2 & 4. Goethe Institut, 5750 Wilshire Bl, #100, L.A., (323) 525-3388. Goethe.de Starring Berlin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Berlin â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Ecke Schoenhauser, 7. New Beverly Cinema Night of the Comet, 7:30; Miracle Mile, 9:25 Santa Monica College, Humanities & Social Science Building, Room 105, 1900 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 434-4588. Smc.edu. Dr. Strangelove, 6:30; followed by discussion with Political Science and Film Studies Professors Alan Buckley and Josh Kanin.

TUESDAY, MAY 22

sicals â&#x20AC;&#x201C; The Glenn Miller Story, 1:30. UnUrban Coffeehouse, 3301 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 315-0056. Unurban.com. Documental â&#x20AC;&#x201C; William Richert Film Fest, 7. Info: (310) 306-7330 or Myspace.com/sevendudleycinema

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 7 Dudley Cinema at Sponto Gallery, 7 Dudley Av, Venice, (310) 306-7330. 81x.com/7dudley/cinema. if i scratch, if i write, 8; discussion with poets Carma Bum, S.A. Griffin, and Russell Salamon prior to film. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, UCLA Film & Television Archive at Linwood Dunn Theater, 1313 N Vine St, Hollywood, (310) 247-3600. Oscars.or g. Contemporary Documentaries series â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Positively Naked, 7; followed by The Mushroom Club and Unknown White Male. American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Diary of a Mad Housewife, 7:30; followed by The Last of Sheila. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Executive Action, 7:30; followed by The Parallax View. Arclight Cinemas Hollywood, 6360 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 464-1478. Arclightcinemas.com. AFIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 100 Years â&#x20AC;Ś 100 Movies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Angels with Dirty Faces, 8. Fine Arts Theatre Death and Taxis, 2 & 4. New Beverly Cinema Force of Evil, 7:30; Body and Soul, 9:05. Orpheum Theatre, 842 S Broadway, downtown L.A. Info: (213) 430-4219 or Laconservancy.org. Last Remaining Seats â&#x20AC;&#x201C; North by Northwest, 8; with pre-show. See 7 Days in L.A.

L.A. County Museum of Art, Leo S. Bing Theater Tuesday Matinees â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Lady Without Passport, 1. New Beverly Cinema Children Shouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t Play with Dead Things, 7:30; Deathdream, 9:30. Skirball Cultural Center Classic Films: Mu-

â&#x153;

â&#x20AC;&#x153;A GEM! The Eiffel Tower sparkles and the banks of the Seine are an inviting loversâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rendezvous.â&#x20AC;? - Stephen Holden, THE NEW YORK TIMES

â&#x20AC;&#x153;An intimate, star-studded tour of Paris.â&#x20AC;? -Karen Durbin, ELLE

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Romantic, mysterious, hilarious. Thrums with sexy, stylish energy.â&#x20AC;? -Nick Schager, SLANT MAGAZINE

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SPECIAL SCREENINGS THURSDAY, MAY 17 Academy of Motion Picture Ar ts and Sciences, Samuel Goldwyn Theater, 8949 Wilshire Bl, Beverly Hills, (310) 247-3600. Oscars.org. The Sound Behind the Image: An Evening Celebrating the Art of Sound in ActionAdventure Films, 8; hosted by sound designer Ben Burtt and sound mixer Kevin Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connell. American Cinematheque at the Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Av, Santa Monica, (323) 4663456. Aerotheatre.com. The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Shampoo, 7:30; followed by Coming Home. American Cinematheque at the Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-3456. Egyptiantheatre.com. The â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70s: The Good, The Bad, and The Strange â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Mandingo, 7:30; followed by The Don is Dead. Echo Park Film Center, 1200 N Alvarado St, Echo Park, (213) 484-8846. Echoparkfilmcenter.org. The Wind, 8. New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Bl, L.A.,

SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS START FRIDAY, MAY 18 WESTWOOD WEST HOLLYWOOD Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Sunset-5 Theatres SANTA MONICA Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Theatre 323/848-3500 3 hours free validated parking with Monica 310/394-9741 310/824-1199 ticket purchase. Tickets available at laemmle.com Tickets available at laemmle.com

Daily: 1:15, 4:15 7:15, 9:45

Daily: 12:00, 2:30, 5:00 7:30, 10:00

Daily: 12:00, 2:20, 4:50 7:20, 9:50

MAY 17~23, 2007

Daily: 12:45, 3:15 5:30 7:45 9:50

CITYBEAT

LAGUNA NIGUEL IRVINE Edwards Mann Rancho Niguel 8 Westpark Cinema 8 800/FANDANGO #144 949/831-0446

CHECK THEATRE DIRECTORIES OR CALL FOR SHOWTIMES. SPECIAL ENGAGEMENTS NO PASSES OR DISCOUNT COUPONS ACCEPTED

LONG BEACH PALM DESERT PASADENA Laemmleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s SANTA ANA Regency Art Theatre Cinemas Palme Dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Or Playhouse 7 Cinemas South Coast Village 626/844-6500 562/438-5435 760/779-0730 714/557-5701

MOBILE USERS: For Showtimes - Text PARIS with your ZIP CODE to 43KIX (43549)

CROSS

OVER

WARNER BROS. ENTERTAINMENT

HISTORY HUNTIN O

Written and edited by Alfred Lee

IT’S TEDDY BY A NOSE IN HITCHCOCK’S NORTH BY NORTHWEST (SEE WEDNESDAY) ~

Thursday 17

Friday 18

Saturday 19

Sunday 20

Monday 21

Tuesday 22

Wednesday 23

SWEET ’N’ SPICY

A LT E R E D E G O S

P U B L I C A F FA I R E

BANNED AID

TO BE YOUNG

D I V I N E D E B AT E

’TIS THE CINE-SEASON

Yes, summertime is creeping up on SoCal. The city might be burning to the ground, but how does catchin’ some rays with a strawberry rhubarb cobbler in hand sound? Today is “Dessert Day” at the Westwood Farmer’s Market – which brags of being the city’s only market in a garden – selling 30 post-entrée varieties, including tarts, cobblers, pies, cheesecake, and cakes (noon7 p.m.; Vet’s Garden, corner of Constitution Ave. and Sepulveda Blvd., Westwood; Westwoodfarmersmarket.com). If you’re in the mood for something, uh, spicier, there’s always the one-night-only Forty Deuce Burlesque School at Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce, where up to 15 ladies (sorry, fellas) will be trained in the art of burlesque striptease by owner Champagne Suzy and headliner Carolina (7 p.m.-9 p.m.; $25; 5574 Melrose Ave., Hollywood, 323-465-4242).

All the feminist art exhibits in town these days may be pushing identity politics, but tonight’s main attraction at the Santa Monica Museum of Art tries to take it to another level. Identity Theft features the 1970s work of Eleanor Antin, Lynn Hershman, and Suzy Lake, who not only developed their careers in feminist art’s earliest heyday, but also created false identities. The night’s reception further celebrates the openings of Iceberg and Lincoln High ROTC in the project rooms. Iceberg features paintings and drawings by Richard Carter and iceberg sculptures by Margaret Pezalla-Granlund, while Lincoln High ROTC consists of two videos by Jona Frank. All close Aug. 11. 7 p.m.-9 p.m. Free. Bergamot Station, Bldg. G1, 2525 Michigan Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 586-6488. Smmoa.org.

You can spend your bright and shiny new weekend at, say, a park or garden, or be seen at an art show or concert. For the indecisive, the weekend-long “Affaire in the Gardens Art Show” at Beverly Gardens Park is luckily all four in one. The show features over 200 artists, live music, and demonstrations in ceramics and painting. Best of all, it’s free, so you can play petty bourgeoisie for a day – e.g., relax in a wine garden, in Beverly Hills, while listening to a lutist approximate sounds of the Renaissance – without any actual climbing of that pesky socioeconomic ladder. Sat.-Sun. 10 a.m.6 p.m. Free. Beverly Gardens Park, Santa Monica Blvd. at Crescent Dr., Beverly Hills. Info: (310) 550-4796 or Beverlyhills.org.

Partake in a nobler kind of summer reading at Aphrodisiac, where nonprofit – and lowercase-snubbing – literary organization PEN USA holds its annual reading event of banned works of literature. Controversial texts to be read include Elif Shafak’s The Bastard of Istanbul, Rudolfo Anaya’s Bless Me Ultima, and Richard Wright’s Native Son. The fundraiser features a lineup of celebrity par ticipants including Lou Diamond Phillips and Richard Schiff, and will benefit PEN USA’s “Freedom to Write” program, which fights censorship around the world and brings aid and recognition to affected writers. 11:30 a.m. Call for ticket and sponsorship info. 10351 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A. Info: (310) 862-1555, ext. 365 or Penusa.org.

From sweets to hi-hats, it’s a good week for the kids. This evening features two events aimed at fledgling musicians. First, there’s a special clinic held by acclaimed jazz fusion drummer Dave Weckl, best known for his work with Chick Corea’s Elektrik Band. Hosted by West L.A. Music, the workshop will include performances, demos, an autograph session, and product giveaways (7 p.m.; free; West L.A. Music, 11345 Santa Monica Blvd., L.A.; info: 310-477-1945 or Daveweckl.com). Also tonight is the 11th anniversary celebration of the “Young Artist Jazz Series” at the Catalina Bar & Grill. Performing will be budding talent from the Los Angeles County High School for the Arts (8:30 p.m.; $5 cover; Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 W. Sunset Blvd., L.A., 323-466-2210; Catalinajazzclub.com).

As fulfilling as the religious discourse on Bill O’Reilly’s show can be, the more academic “Religion and Politics: The End of the World” debate going on at UCLA’s Royce Hall tonight might be preferable to those with decibel-sensitive ears. The event comes courtesy of web magazine Truthdig.com and features regular contributors and ideological opponents Chris Hedges, journalist and author of Losing Moses on the Freeway, and Sam Harris, author of The End of Faith. Hedges is a graduate of Harvard Divinity School, while Harris is a well-known atheist. Robert Scheer, Truthdig’s editor in chief, will moderate. 8 p.m. $15. 340 Royce Dr., Westwood. Info: (310) 825-2101 or Ticketmaster.com.

It’s that time of year when beloved summer film series roll around. Saturday marked the star t of Cinespia’s screenings at Hollywood Forever Cemetery with Robert Altman’s The Player (8:30 p.m.; $10 donation; 6000 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood; Cinespia.org). If that sounds too dark in too many ways, tonight begins the 20th anniversar y season of the Los Angeles Conservancy’s “Last Remaining Seats,” which presents classic films in movie palaces, with vintage short films and newsreels, live performances, and special guests. The opening honors go to North by Northwest, at the spectacular Orpheum Theatre in downtown L.A. Prior to the screening, filmmaker Curtis Hanson will interview star Eva Marie Saint, plus Patricia Hitchcock, daughter of the director. (8 p.m.; $18-$20; 842 S. Broadway, L.A.; info: 213-430-4219 or Laconservancy.org).

CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

CITYBEAT

Tired of getting your history from a textbook? Try a Watson adventure instead. This Saturday, Santa Monica locals and visitors are invited to uncover historical facts about the city’s legendary pier and neighboring Third Street Promenade during Watson Adventures’ “Santa Monica Pier Pressure Scavenger Hunt.” “It’s a walking tour on caffeine,” jokes Rachel Hausner, administrative assistant for the company that’s made a name for itself reinterpreting the childhood “search and discover” game. “It’s a totally different way of seeing your environment. So, if you have lived in Santa Monica all your life, we’re going to surprise you and hopefully, tell you something you don’t know.” Participants form teams of up to six members – solo hunters are not allowed – and have two hours to solve tricky riddles about Santa Monica quirks and marvels like movie locations, cannons, a shark, and Hausner’s personal favorite: a giant wheel that lets you play Godzilla. But don’t worry, she says, “You don’t have to be a Santa Monica resident or beach bum to answer all the questions.” Hausner insists a handy clue guide will provide all the historical information you’ll need to tackle even the most obscure question. Watson Adventures founder Bret Watson hosted his first scavenger hunt in New York in 1993 as a way to show his friends some often overlooked artwork at Metropolitan Museum of Art. Five years later, the hunts grew so big that Watson decided to transform his hobby into a national company. Watson Adventures now holds events in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington D.C., and just recently, Los Angeles. Since the fall of 2006, the company has hosted local events like “The Artful Dodgers Family Scavenger Hunt at LACMA” and the popular “Naked at the Getty Hunt for Valentine’s Day,” which offer participants an opportunity to learn about L.A. museums, their histories, and their collections. A variety of L.A.-area hunts are currently scheduled through July. Winning team members receive a Watson Adventures t-shirt. This is “not an expensive prize for one reason,” explains the company on its website. “We find that the more valuable the prize, the more incentive people have to cheat. And we’re not offering that sort of competition. The most important result we want is for people to have a fun, amazing experience.” Make that an amazing race, educational-style. –Ana La O’ The Santa Monica Pier Pressure Scavenger Hunt. Meet at the corner of Ocean Ave. and Broadway Blvd., Santa Monica. Info: (877) 946-4868. Sat. only, 2 p.m.- 4:30 p.m. $20; advance purchase required. Watsonadventures.com. ~

HOW TO LIST WITH US Listings in “7 Days” and our world-famous calendar are accepted for arts and community events in the greater Los Angeles area. The deadline to be considered for “7 Days” is at least two weeks in advance of the event. Send all information to: “7 Days,” Los Angeles CityBeat and ValleyBeat, 5209 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036. Fax to (323) 938-1661, or e-mail calendar@lacitybeat.com. No phone calls, please.

ROCK CRITIC’S CHOICE

Where’ve They Been? At The Wherehouse

5/15

Linkin Park/Minutes to Midnight Megadeth/United Abominations Tank/ Love, Sex & Pain Wilco/Sky Blue Sky (CD/DVD) Gretchen Wilson / One of the Boys Funeral For A Friend/Tales Don't Tell Themselves ST: Shrek the Third Rufus Wainwright/ Release the Stars O'Riordan/Dolores/ Are you Listening? Joe Strummer/The Future is Unwritten John Anderson/Easy Money Horrors/ Strange House DVD - Stomp the Yard (WS/FF) DVD - Pan's Labyrinth (SE) DVD - Martin Season2 DVD - Arthur & the Invisibles DVD - Fountain (WS/FF)

5/22

UPCOMING IN-STORES at AMOEBA! All shows are FREE and ALL AGES! For full calendar of events visit: WWW.AMOEBA.COM

Monday - May 21 - 7pm

BROTHER ALI The Minneapolis MC’s new CD The Undisputed Truth is out now on Rhymesayers! “Producer Ant perfectly underscores Ali’s gruff cadence, simultaneously self-assured and stressed, with a melodic lope that scrunches soul vocals underneath loops of bluesy guitar.” — Spin Also playing live at the Troubadour on May 23rd.

It seemed like around a decade ago, everyone was talking about how The Sea and Cake was a sure thing for alternative-rock stardom ... at least on the level of a Sonic Youth or Mars Volta, if not up there with Coldplay or somesuch. After four years of a hiatus, TSAC has released a new album, Everybody (Thrill Jockey), and it seems to be getting shrugs in place of reviews, even if Sam Prekop’s talent for a gentle melody hasn’t waned in his time away. Judge for yourself: Paired this weekend with the upand-happening Robbers on High Street (Sat.-Sun., The Troubadour), The Sea and Cake spin a complex web of jazz, pop, and jam-band-style noodling to uncharted heights. Strokes guitar man Albert Hammond Jr. has achieved solo success with his debut album, Yours to Keep (Mon., House of Blues), thanks to some effervescent pop that isn’t decidedly different from his playing with his main group. But is it just me, or his voice less annoying than Julian Casablancas’s? Also at the House of Blues: Late metal guitarist Dimebag Darrell is the subject of a tribute and benefit concert Thursday, with proceeds going to Little Kids Rock Foundation. Members of Pantera, Anthrax, Hatebreed, Linkin Park, and Staind will pay homage in song and deed. Black metal takes over the Wiltern on Thursday when Dimmu Borgir joins dark forces with DevilDriver, Kataklysm, and Unearth. DB’s new concept album, In Sorte Diaboli (Nuclear Blast), is helping to make the malevolent Norwegians big stars in the underworld. British metal crew Bullet For My Valentine is beginning to break through to a wider audience as well. It takes over the Avalon on Saturday night. Punk fans should check out Paramore (Thur., Avalon Hollywood, with Quietdrive and This Providence, but old-schoolers will probably be happier at Safari Sam’s on Friday. Check it: The Germs and Dr. Know, a pair of veteran acts hoping to prove that the spirit of L.A. in ’79 lives on. –Joshua Sindell For details, see Rock, Pop, Acoustic and Concerts listings.

Monday - June 4 - 7pm

CLIENT Tuesday - June 5 - 7pm

Young Jeezy & U.S.D.A./ Young Jeezy Presents U.S.D.A.: Cold Summer Maroon 5/ It Won't Be Soon Before Long Lil Boosie/Survival of the Fittest The Used/Lies For The Liars (Exclusive) Ozzy Osbourne / Black Rain (with ticket insert) Bravery/ The Sun and the Moon KRS-ONE and Marley Marl / Hip Hop Lives The Beach Boys / The Warmth of Summer DVD - Apocalypto DVD - Afro Samurai DVD - Epic Movie DVD - Letters from Iwo Jima Special Edition DVD - WWE - Wrestlemania 23 Special Edition (Reg. Edition Available) DVD - OC Season 4 DVD - Scrubs Season 5 DVD - Good German DVD - Black Lagoon V1 *All street dates are subject to change.

RICHARD THOMPSON Tuesday - June 12 - 7pm

JOHN DOE JOIN US FOR AMOEBA’S BENEFIT AUCTIONS EVERY SATURDAY AT 4PM! featuring Brently Heilbron

TWO WEEKLY DJ SETS! WEDNESDAYS • 7-10PM

MANDALA Our weekly in-house DJ series featuring rotating styles on the 1’s and 2’s!

FRIDAYS • 8-9:30PM We Buy & Sell Used CDs, DVDs and Video Games

RESONANCE DJ SERIES FROM DJ JUN DJ JUN (Bossa Nova founder, resident at Soundlessons, The Standard, Cinespia, voted “Best DJ” by LA Weekly in 2003 and buyer for Amoeba’s electronic music section), takes the reigns as our Friday night resident!

AMOEBA MUSIC 6400 SUNSET BLVD. AT CAHUENGA (323) 245-6400 MON-SAT 10:30AM-11PM • SUN 11AM-9PM BUY-SELL-TRADE: CDS, LPS, DVDS, VIDEOS, LASERS, TAPES, POSTERS, 45S, 78S, MEMORABILIA & MUCH, MUCH MORE! © 2004 Trans World Entertainment. We reserve the right to limit quantities. Not responsible for typographical errors. Void where prohibited by law. July 2004.

WWW.AMOEBA.COM CITYBEAT

Times are p.m. unless otherwise indicated. Listing order does not necessarily indicate billing order. All events subject to sudden (hopefully not violent) changes.

For additional listings, visit WWW.LACITYBEAT.COM

SOUNDS ROCK, POP, ACOUSTIC Alex’s Bar, 2913 E Anaheim St, Long Beach, (562) 434-8292. Alexsbar.com. Thur: The Victorians, This Evening, Deep Sea Driver. Fri: Vavak, The River of Rust. Sat: Live Metal Karaoke Band. Sun: i.me.mine, Paper Thin Walls, The Mattoid. Avalon Hollywood, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood, (323) 462-8900. Avalonhollywood.com. Thur: Paramore. Fri: Bullet for My Valentine, All That Remains, Escape The Fate, The Confession, 6:30; Spider After Dark with Erick Morillo, 2 a.m. Sat: The Dan Band, 7:30; DJ Icey, Jerry Bonham, 10. Boardner’s of Hollywood, 1652 N Cherokee Av, Hollywood, (323) 462-9621. Boardners.com. Thur: The Automatic Music Explosion, 9. Fri: Club Touching Bass. Sat: Bar Sinister. Sun: Club London. Mon: Blue Mondays with DJs Mike, Robert, Bruce. Tue: Let’s Independent. Wed: Club Moscow. Bordello, 901 E First St, downtown L.A., (213) 6873766. Thur: Weather Underground, 10:30. Fri: Darker Shadows Macabaret with Princess Raqella, Dana Snyder, and Selene Luna, 10. Sat: Joey Altruda and Crucial Riddims, 10:30 & midnight. Sun: Count’s Night Out with The Banda Brothers, 9:30. Mon: Lenka. Tue: Ghost Kings, Acute, Emma Burgess, Melo-M, 9. Wed: Great Northern, Sara Lov, Buddy. Boulevard Music, 4316 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City, (310) 398-2583. Boulevardmusic.com. Sat: Steve Ferguson, Robby Longley. Sun: Variety Night with Andy Manoff. Café-Club Fais Do-Do, 5257 W Adams Bl, Culver City, (323) 954-8080. Faisdodo.com. Thur: Matt Wagemann, Blue Rose Rocket. Fri: Seismic, Meltone. Sat: Underground Orchestra, Meltone. Tue: Open mic, 8. The Canyon Club, 28912 Roadside Dr, Agoura Hills, (818) 879-5016. Canyonclub.net. Shows at 8. Thur: Joe Bonamassa, Gary Hoey. Fri: Lisa Lampanelli. Sat: Craig Shoemaker, 7 & 9. Sun: Al Green. Wed: Big Band Swing Dancing with The Bob Noval Orchestra. Cat Club, 8911 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 657-0888. Myspace.com/thecatclub. Shows at 8. Thur: Fact & Fiction, Ellee Ven, Price, Drills, Starfuckers. Fri: Loyd of London, Warfield, Firefly, Rythem Junkies. Sat: Marvelous, Product, The Kings, Immaculati, Life After Mary, Starfuckers. Mon: Taylor Cornell, Kristin Flammio, Mallory Trunnell, Lyndzie Taylor, Janie Kelly, Emily Elizabeth. Tue: Comedy with Iliza and friends, 8; Jenn Haas, Rustic Tone Kings. Wed: Jordan Allen, Touch Me Hooker, Lift Off, The Spanks, The United Snakes, Hollywood77. CIA, 11334 Burbank Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 5066353. Ciabnormalarts.com. Fri: 1933, Destroyed By Voices, Stegasaurus. Sat: Call for info. Cinema Bar, 3967 Sepulveda Bl, Culver City, (310) 390-1328. Myspace.com/thecinemabar. Thur: Dale Peterson. Fri: Mike Stinson. Sat: Rancho Deluxe. Mon: The Stumpwater Experiment. Tue: David Serby. Wed: Jaimi Shuey, Tracy Huffman. Cobalt Café, 22047 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 348-3789. Cobaltcafe.com. Thur: The Eloquence, The Discrete, Crouch Rott, Social Convicts, The Jdkz, The Rarieties, Radiation Skank, 6:30. Fri:

MAY 17~23, 2007

Necroscope, Electric Russia, False Cause, Luthern Fun Club, DVML, Homesick Abortions, Last Priority, 6:30. Sat: Set Back, One Way Out, Avoid Serious Injury, Dynasty, Jerez, Honors Name. Sun: Death of a Martyr, Their Shall Be Blood, A God Amongst Men, Three Mile Island, The Red Queen Effect, Earned in Blood, Time of Departure, 6:30. Mon: Nash, What’s Worse, Crucial Times, Dogpile. Tue: Open Mic hosted by Rick Lupert. Wed: Call for info. The Coffee Gallery Backstage, 2029 N Lake Bl, Altadena, (626) 398-7917. Coffeegallery.com. Thur: Fishtank, 8. Fri: Hot Club Quartette, 8. Sat: Bernie Pearl, 7. Sun: Sligo Rags, 7. Cowboy Palace Saloon, 21635 Devonshire St, Chatsworth, (818) 341-0166. Cowboypalace.com. Thur: Coldwater Canyon. Fri: Bryan Lynn Jones. Sat: Brant Vogel. Sun: J.R. Mon: Bluegrass Night with The Stagerobbers. Tue: Debra Lee. Wed: Talent Contest with Chad Watson. The Derby, 4500 Los Feliz Bl, Los Feliz, (323) 6638979. Clubderby.com. Fri: S.H.A.D.E., Blues Divine, The Moon Crickets, 8:45. In the VIP Lounge: Ryan Sherman, Mandy Steckelberg, The Reform School Girls, Jacaranda, Journey, Styxx, or Foreigner?, 8:45. Sat: Bridges. Sun: Nervis Bros. Wed: Becky Henkel, Tanks, Second Rate Citizen, 8. In the VIP Lounge: Jessica Penrose, Charlie Vaughn, Julie Gribble, Brett Bickford, Beau Moreau, 8:15. Dragonfly, 6510 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-6111. Thedragonfly.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. The Echo, 1822 Sunset Bl, Echo Park, (213) 4138200. Attheecho.com. Thur: Fujiya and Miyagi, Port O’Brien, 8:30. Fri: The Section Quartet, The Submarines, The Poor Excuses, 8. In the Echoplex: Stretch Armstrong, Scottie B, Squeak E. Clean, DJ Pubes, Blu Jemz, Evans & Eagles, DJ Mike B, 9. Sat: Hang the DJs, 10. Sun: Grande Ole Echo with Mike Stinson, Kingsizemaybe, PillBilly Knights, 5; Part Time Punks, Glass Candy, Cheveu, Tyvek, 10. In the Echoplex: Dub Lab Record Fair, 2. Mon: Bodies of Water, Muso, The Parson Red Heads, Knifey Head, 8:30. Tue: Devlin & Darko, 9. Wed: The Monolators, Castledoor, Summer Darling, 8-Bit, 8:30. El Cid, 4212 W Sunset Bl, L.A., (323) 668-0318. Elcidla.com. Thur: Almardiente Flamenco, The Super Sexy Show, 6:30. Fri: Flamenco Dinner Theater, Lovelikefire, Eskimohunter, Mezzanine Owls, 6:30. Sat: Flamenco Dinner Theater, Salsa with L.A. Picante, 5:30. Sun: Flamenco Dinner, 6:30. Mon: Garage Comedy, 9. Tue: Town & Country Tuesdays with The Neighborhood Bullys, Ben Vaughn’s Desert Classic, Jay & Bosco, 7:30. Wed: Flamenco, Open Mic, 6:30 El Rey, 5515 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 936-6400/4790. Theelrey.com. Mon: El-P, DJ Mr. Dibbs, The Mighty Quin, 8. 14 Below, 1348 14th St, Santa Monica, (310) 4515040. 14below.com. Thur: Romo-LoLo productions. Fri: The Marsh, The Intervals, Irene Carranza. Sat: C Side, Sould Cloud. Sun: Lauren Popper, Private Radio, 8. Mon: Comedy Jam, 7; Comedy with Tits & Giggles, 8:45; Original Understudies, 11. Tue: Acoustic Tuesdays with Michael McCarthy. Wed: Backing Wisconsin Genghis Cohen, 740 N Fairfax Av, West Hollywood, (323) 653-0640. Genghiscohen.com. Thur: Wendy Piatt, Samantha Farrell, Pianorag, 8. Fri: Michiko, Vinx, 8:30. Sat: Amy Oldham, David Lucky, Levi Kries, Thomas Ian Nicholas, 7:30. Mon: Michael Green, Jennifer McNutt, 8. Tue: Four Postmen, Henr y Phillips, 8. Wed: Edie Carey, Shawn Snyder, No River City, 8.

The Gig, 7302 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 936-4440. Liveatthegig.com. Thur: Scotty G, Minds, Mista Youngblood, Blue Lady, 8:30. Fri: Rochester Road CD release, How to Win at Life, Moonlight Parade, Tyler Browning, 8. Sat: James Bowers, Louden Swain, Roger Moon, Diamond Struck Halo, 8:30. Sun: The Center Cannot Hold, Sanction, Asher, Automatic Loveletter. Mon: Aaron McLain, Cecilia Noel & The Wild Clams, 8. Tue: Foxhunter, Snew, 9:30. Wed: Immigrant Gypsys, Breakpoint, Cold Hot Trash, The Michetons, 8:30. Good Hurt, 12249 Venice Bl, West L.A., (310) 3901076. Goodhurt.net. Thur: Jesse Sarr, Spies, Nada Contara, The 50 Year Plan, The Pressfire, 8:30. Fri: Strate Crooked, Zero Nueve, Buen Estar, Elegal MC, Xavier Chavez, Cynn da Poet, Solares, Melo Davi & JLD, 8:45. Sat: North Forty, Rebel Soul Band, Stevie Natale Band, NK Band, 8:30. Sun: Grateful Dead Night with Cubensis, 9. Mon: Chop Suzy, Cindercone, 9:30. Tue: Walter Alias, Solare, 10:30. Wed: Slavin David, Shaimus, The Marsh, Damn Funky, 8:30. Hallenbeck’s General Store & Café, 5510 Cahuenga Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 985-5916. Hallenbecks.net. Sat: Ari & Wheezy Pres. Kid Comedians, 8. Tue: Open Mike Tuesday hosted by Johnny Tong, 8. The Hotel Café, 1623 N Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood, (323) 461-2040. Hotelcafe.com. Thur: John West, Rue, Joey Ryan, Isaac Johnson, Michael Duff, 7. Fri: Brian Wright and The Waco Tragedies, Ian Ball, Meiko, Patrick Park, Mia Sable, 7. Sat: Joe Firstman, Tim The Band, Jake Coco, 8. Sun: Lucca, Giles, Jones and The Seagulls, Zach Broocke, The Dibs, Michael Mazochi, Chad Harvey, 7. Mon: Lori McKenna, 7; Soles4Souls Benefit, 8. Tue: Low Stars, Chris Pierce, Chris Joyner, Sam Shaber, 7. Wed: Anya Marina, Po Girl, Amy Raasch, Michael Logen, 7. House of Blues, 8430 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (323) 848-5100. Hob.com. Thur: Dimebag’s Blacktooth Bash, 8. Sat: Hollywood Live with Black Nail, Duress, Ostrich Head, The Elevaters, Made Life & Musical Soul Productions. Mon: Albert Hammond, Jr., The Dead Trees, 8. Tue: Sweet and Tender Hooligans, 8. Wed: Sonido Funkdamental presents Noche Caribena Vol. 2. Il Corral, 662 N Heliotrope Dr, L.A., (323) 6630137. Ilcorral.net. All shows start at 9. Fri: The Makai, Life in Exile, Exhausted Prayor, Barren. Sat: The HopFrog Collective presents, C.O.T.A. & Fauna, Catastrophic Mermaids on Parade, Dung Mummy. Key Club, 9039 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 274-5800. Keyclub.com. Thur: Mickey Avalon, Dirty Nasty, Andre Legacy, Beardo, DJ KEv E Kev, 7. Fri: May Madness, White Barons, Mad Marge, Los Creepers, Chelsea Smiles, Angel City Outcasts, 7. Sat: May Madness, La Mentira, Strikers, Coffin Draggers, Henchmen CD release, Chop Tops, 7. Mon: Metal Skool. In the Downstairs Lounge: Scott & Aimee. Tue: Ruby, The Mercy Kiss, Kay Hanley, The Mullhollands, 7:30. King King, 6555 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 9609234. Kingkinghollywood.com. Thur: Flow with DJ Wally Callerio, 9. Fri: Basic with DJs Jaime Narvaez, Mike Smithers, Jimmy Maheras, Larry Kahm, 10. Sat: Balance with Jay J, DJ Kemal, 10. Sun: House City Productions. Tue: Timbaholics Series with Bayalo, Carlo Bustamante, Luis Eric, 9. Wed: The Red, Lady Sinatra, Thunderbird Motel, Red Skeleton. Knitting Factory, 7021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 463-0204. Knittingfactory.com. See also Knitting Factory AlterKnit Lounge. Thur: Stonehoney, Sacred Cowboy, 50 Cent Haircut. In the Front: Cocktail with Fitter, Montenegro, El Manifesto, Orgullo Cafe, 8. Fri: Mustard Plug, Buck-O-Nine, Satori, Los Kung Fu Monkeys, Chase Long Beach, 7:30. In the Front: Triple Cobra, Lungbutter, The Atma, The Janks, Sheyna the Gee, 7:30. Sat: In the Front: Last American Buffalo, China Room, The Indian Givers, The Bentleys, Paper Thin Walls, 7. Sun: Embrace the Hate Festival with Demoncy, Nokturne, Sumeria, Crimson Moon, Incursus, Tenebrous, Legions of Asatroth, Ashdautas, Infinitum Obscure, Nosvrolok, Bestial Incarnation, Vatican, 6. Mon: LKN, Jessie Deluxe, 7. In the Front: Cunninlynguists, Pack FM, Terminal Illness, Fresh Men, Linguistics, The Stolen Beats Project, 7:30. Tue: Solillaquists of Sound, Grey Matter, DJ J Storm, SUBKREW, 8. In the Front: Savage Katz, This Way After, Idasas, Alter Ego, Media Orphan, Standard Profile, 8. Wed: Big Tune, 8. In the Front: L.A. Live with Lo Diggs, Dasha, Miss Dolann, AJ, 8. Knitting Factory AlterKnit Lounge, 7021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 463-0204. Knittingfactory.com. See also Knitting Factory. Thur: The Hectors, Stevenson Ranch Davidians, Royal Hauser, Jeremy and Jessica Burgan, The Flower Machine, Daniel Persson, 7:30. Kulak’s Woodshed, 5230 1/2 Laurel Canyon Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 766-9913. Kulakswoodshed.com. Thur: The Guru’s with Joy Bonner, 8. Fri: Shane Fontayne, 8. Sat: Lisa Turner, 8. Sun: Performance Workshop Showcase, 7. Mon: Open Mic, 7:30. Wed: Community Acoustic Jam Session. Largo, 432 N Fairfax Av, L.A., (323) 852-1073/1851. Largo-la.com. Thur: The Watkins Family Hour. Fri: Aimee Mann, Paul Bryan. Sat: Grant Lee Phillips. Mon: Doug Benson, Andy Kingler. Tue: Glen Phillips. Wed: 826 L.A. Benefit with The Watson Twins, Patton Oswalt. Little Temple, 4519 Santa Monica Bl, L.A., (323) 660-4540. Littletemple.com. See also Temple Bar. Shows at 9. Thur: The Root Down Soundsystem, BRoom Bandits, Sloepoke, Charles, Soluz, Now On. Fri: DJs Sloe Poke, Anthony Valadez. Sat: DJ Lisa J, Lady DJ Jamar, Spark, Syrhen, Malaya, 9. Sun: Sonido Sundays with Sloe Poke, Hier, Expo, King Rockahs. Wed: Club Grasshopper feat. DJ’s Kiilu Grand, Fat Jack, Drez, 38 Cal DJs. The Malibu Inn Bar and Restaurant, 22969 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, (310) 456-6060. Malibuinn.com. Shows at 8. Thur: The Dirty Royals, 8. Fri: Marc Ford, 8. Sat: E.S.T., Zak Daniels, 6:30; The One Eyed Snakes, 9:30. Sun: Culver City Dub Collective, 6. Mon: Karaoke. McCabe’s Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 828-4497. Mccabes.com. Fri: Danny O’Keefe, 8. Sat: Kelly Joe Phelps, 8. Sun: Gwendolyn and The Goodtime Gang. 10 a.m. & 11:30 a.m. Sun: Tish Hinojosa, 7. The Mint, 6010 W Pico Bl, L.A., (323) 954-9400. Themintla.com. Thur: Matt Wagemann, Venice Maki, Dave Portal, Alana Stone, David Connolly, 7:15. Fri: Carolyn Hudson, Travis Howard, Elizabeth Cook with The Model Prisoners, David Serby, Leslie and The Badgers, 8. Sat: Pale Blue Morning, Aurum Star, Jon Zucker, Blue Meridian, Alana Sweetwater,

DANCEBEAT

S AT U R D AY N I G H T AT

Jimmy Deer and The Sexy, Bus Stop Stallions, 7:15. Sun: Albert Khasky, Adam Stern, The Ventriloquists, Stashbox, Big Sharp Teeth, 7:15. Mon: Evan Stone and The Translucent Ham Sandwich Band, Kevin Kanner Quintet, 7:30. Tue: Jackie Tohn, Sarah Siskind, Megan Moreaux, 8:15. Wed: Bobbie Burlesque, Jennifer Vazquez, The Infamous Stringdusters, 10:30. Molly Malone’s Irish Pub, 575 S Fairfax Av, L.A., (323) 935-1577. MollymalonesLA.com. Thur: Jaime Sol Black, The Mighty Regis, The Dirges, 8:30. Fri: Debi Nova, Esther Canata, I-94, Shawn Barry Band, 8. Sat: Nina Storey, The Riders, Rich Price, The Evangenitals, 8. Sun: Natalie Davidson, Red Hot Roxy, The Murdocks, 8. Mon: Open mic, Jazz Callner, Jupiter Rising, Taylor Greenwood, 8. Tue: Jeff Phillips, Matt Miller, Green River Ordinance, 8. Wed: Andy Guthrie, Will Simmons, Alissa Moreno, Brax, Seth Libbey, 8. Mr. T’s Bowl, 5621 1/2 N Figueroa St, Highland Park, (323) 256-7561. Mr tsbowl.tripod.com. Thur: Bleach03, Lozen, The Most Powerful Handmusic, The Virginia City Revival. Sat: Blue Mask, Backbiter, The Chairs of Perception, Kjehl Johansen, Sean O’Brien and His Dirty Hands, Jon Wahl. Sun: Artichoke, 8. Mon: The Neon Wilderness, Julie’s Resume, Hokma Gandhi, Per Capita. Wed: Killradio benefit with The Randies, Bang Sugar Bang, Mezklah, VesuviaSonic. Portfolio Coffeehouse, 2300 E Fourth St, Long Beach, (562) 434-2486. Portfoliocoffeehouse.com. Fri: Jim Fisk and friends, 9. Sat: Liqdzunshine, 9. Sun: Children’s Story Time hosted by Jennifer, 10 a.m. Mon: Knitting Workshop with Anna, 7:30. Wed: Open Mic Night hosted by Hanna, 8:30. The Red Dragon, 1444 N Highland, Hollywood, (323) 481-4526. Thur: Kaura, 9. Room 5 Lounge, 143 N La Brea Av, second floor, Hollywood, (323) 938-2504. Room5lounge.com. Thur: Mark Franco, Brad Stewart stand-up shows, 8. Fri: J.T. presents, 8. Sat: Amy Kuney, Shawn Pander, Joe Brook, 9. Sun: Mark Franco Stand-Up, 8. Wed: J.T. Presents, 8. The Roxy, 9009 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 276-2222. Theroxyonsunset.com. Thur: Whitestarr, Poets and Pornstars, Sergeant, Meanband, 8. Fri: The Dreaming, Cage 9, Fight From Above, Dirty Harry, Snake of Eden, The Remembrance, Lydia Vance, 7:15. Sat: Woven, Deadbolt, Zen, Animatronics, Manejo Beto, Kazai Rex, The Blame, The Fat Daniels, 6:45. Tue: Ian Beert, Sabrina Sloan, Justin Young, John Peter Louis, 7:15. Wed: A.I., Soccer Mom, Dj Brian Vasquez, Suicide Girls, Galaxy Grand Prix, 8. Safari Sam’s, 5214 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 6667267. Safari-sams.com. Thur: The Purple Pit, Nutty, DJ Senor Amor, The Atomic Sherpas, Lexiotica. Fri: The Germs, Dr. Know, Black President, The Diffs, The Politicians, DJ Keith Morris. Sat: The Bullet Dance Club, The Randies, DJ Apollo Starr. Sun: Brunch Americana, noon; Jodie Foster’s Army, The Voids, Citizens on Patrol, Battle Flask, D.I., 6:30. Mon: Henry Clay People, You Me & Iowa, Kissing Tigers, The Transmissions, 7. Tue: The Flesh, Porterville, Spakekitti, Dirty Bandits, Fantastic Black, 7. Wed: Kiss of Kill with Automatic, Eject, The Renders. Scene Bar, 806 E Colorado St, Glendale, (818) 241-7029. Thescenebar.com. Shows at 9. Thur: Second Chance, Front Row for the Meltdown, Empty Seat, Davy Lonesome and The Lollipop Kids. Fri: Murderland, The VooDuo, Funeral Director. Sat: Bedtime for Toys, Rocket, Fawnhawk. Sun: Bow+Arrow, Infinite Monolith of Slavery, National Sunday Law, Tennis Club, 4. Mon: Nationale, Ravens and Chimes, Wallpaper, The Politics. Tue: The Amateurs, Secretary Bird, Mark MacMinn. Wed: OK Stranger, Black Palms, A for Attack, DJ Kevin Bronson. Silverlake Lounge, 2906 Sunset Bl, Silver Lake, (323) 666-2407. Foldsilverlake.com. Thur: Agent Ribbons, Hearts of Palm UK, Man and the Motorcar, 9. Mon: The High Society, Bolero, Victor Pedrosa, Early May. Tue: Holly Miranda, Madrigals, The Refinery, Born in the Flood. Wed: Population Game, New Fidelity. The Smell, 247 S Main St, L.A., (213) 625-4325. Thesmell.org. Shows at 9. Fri: Fortune’s Flesh, Mad Lovers, Wounded Lion. Sat: Pit Er Pat, Priestbird, Ill Ease, Ima Fucking Gymnist. Sun: XBXRX, Foot Village, Dos, The Pope, Ima Fucking Gymnist. Spaceland, 1717 Silver Lake Bl, Silver Lake, (213) 833-2843. Clubspaceland.com. Thur: King Kong, Hecuba, The Mountain Party. Fri: The Autumns, The Sugarplastic, The Mojondles, Coke vs. Bills. Sat: VH1 Rock Honors presents A Tribute to ZZ Top, Ozzy Osbourne, Genesis, and Heart. Sun: Tribute to Syd Barrett with members of Third Grade Teacher, Backbiter, The Wondermints, Petra Haden, The Now People, Marizane. Mon: Gliss, Meho Plaza, The Flesh, Casper. Tue: Crash Hot. Wed: Fiction Plane, The Dead Trees, Castaneda. Taix 321 Lounge, 1911 W Sunset Bl, L.A., (213) 4841265. Taixfrench.com. Shows at 10:30. Thur: Juliet and the Torch Ensemble, Tee Tot Quartet, 10:30. Fri: Puttanesca, The John Dowland Trio, 10:30. Sat: Kingsizemaybe, The Dark Horses, 10:30. Wed: The Tulsa Skull Swingers, 11:30. Tangier Lounge, 2138 Hillhurst Av, L.A., (323) 6668666. Tangierrestaurant.net. Thur: AJ Degrasse, Pawn Shop Kings, Brett Bixby, 8. Fri: DJ Lee Dyson, 9. Sat: Forealaclique CD release, DJ Lee Dyson, 8. Sun: Suki Ewers, Holly Miranda, 7:30. Mon-Tue: Call for info. Wed: David Babich, Sabrina Vargas, 8. Temple Bar, 1026 Wilshire Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 393-6611. Templebarlive.com. Thur: Gwendolyn, Natalie Walker, Jupiter Rising, Anthony Valadez, 9. Fri: Gabrielito Gonzalez, Maneja Beto, Los Pinguos. Sat: Aziz Faye Nguewel, Kokolo Afrobeat Orchestra, L’Esprit D’Afrique, 9. Sun: DJ Bad, 1500 or Nuthin, 9. Mon: Suzy Williams and Her Solid Senders, 9 & 10. Tue: Amy Obenski, Chelsea Williams, Brian Jacobs, Peter Getz, 8:30. Wed: Amber Ojeda, Damon Castilla, Vic Hennegan with Becca Fuchs, 9. Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 276-6168. Troubadour.com. Thur: Ozma, William Tell, New Year’s Day. Fri: Melt Banana, Mike Watt & The Missing Men, Bizzart. Sat-Sun: The Sea and Cake, Robbers on High Street, The Zincs. Mon: Moving Picture Show, Landon, Ryan Calhoun, Great Glass Elevator. Tue: Mando Diao, Pop Levi, The Capshuns. Wed: Brother Ali, Psalm One, BK One, Boom Bap Project with DJ Wicked. UnUrban Coffee House, 3301 W Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 315-0056. Unurban.com. Thur: Comedy Night, 8. Fri: Music Open Mike, 8. Sat: Call for info. Sun: Vaudeville Music. Tue: Go Club, 8. Wed: Poetry showcase.

Erick Morillo The man who helped make “Shiny Disco Balls” the super-club anthem of the ’00s (by putting out the song on his Subusa imprint and spinning it to the max) seems to embody its after-hours aesthetic, at least in the imaginations of his havin’-it fans. Last year, the house icon helped launch New York’s hottest big room, the wee-hour, the Manhattan outpost of Ibizan club Pacha. His presence helped the venue take the Club World Awards’s top trophy in March. And, he continues to wow audiences with a loopy, banging brand of post-tribal house music. See Morillo go disco balls to the wall Friday at Avalon.

T h e W o r ld- Fa m o us C i rc us, Is home to some of the Largest and hottest parties in the city Los Angeles! Every week Circus brings the best DJs to the decks! Circus is LA's largest nightclub featuring 40,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor clubbing. The sound at Circus is HUGE featuring a 120,000-watt EAW Avalon sound system. Circus also features seven separate areas, ten fully stocked bars, outdoor patio, private bungalow and VIP lounge. A big new night of Big Top electro and house attractions:

MAY 19

FLASH BROTHERS

–Dennis Romero One Promotions presents Erick Morillo, Fri. at Avalon, 1735 N. Vine St., Hollywood. 21+. Doors at 10:30 p.m. Tickets $25 presale. Info: avalonhollywood.com.

★★★ THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS ★★★ THURSDAY, MAY 17 Respect is a give and take of drum ’n’ bass at The Bee (formerly The Larchmont), 5657 Melrose Av, Hollywood. This week: Artificial Intelligence, more. 18+. Info: myspace.com/respectclub. Root Down digs deeper than commercial hip-hop with WyaTT Case, Miles, and Loslito at Little Temple, 4519 Santa Monica Bl, Silver Lake, (818) 759-6374. 21+. Info: kajmeresound.com.

FRIDAY, MAY 18 Spider After Dark goes after-hours for the post-red-carpet crowd at Spider Club, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood. This week: Erick Morillo (at conjoined Avalon; see above). 21+. Info: avalonhollywood.com. Red revs up its old party politburo, Arena, at 6655 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. This week: John “00” Fleming. 21+. Info: nexxez.com. Melt heats up the house at Tiger Lily, 1745 N Vermont Av, Los Feliz. This week: Bernard Thomas. 21+. Info: altproject.com/melt.

SATURDAY, MAY 19 Avaland anchors Hollywood nightlife with superior sound at Avalon Hollywood, 1735 N Vine St, Hollywood. This week: DJ Icey, Jerry Bonham. 21+. Info: avalonhollywood.com. Giant flaunts oversized DJs at Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Hernan Cattaneo and Seb Fontaine. 21+. Info: vanguardla.com. Saturday Night At Circus brings major jocks under the metaphorical big top at 6655 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood. This week: Flash Brothers. 21+. Info: circusdisco.com. Balance EQs your ears with house frequencies Saturday night at King King, 6555 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Jay-J. 21+. Info: balance-la.com. Hot Lava has the warm glow of lit celebs at LAX, 1714 N Las Palmas Av, Hollywood. 21+. Info: BJCevents.com.

MAY 26

FILO & PERI

SUNDAY, MAY 20 Deep is “where the planetary alignment is right/and the DJ cuts out the lights,” at Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Marques Wyatt. 21+. Info: deep-la.com. Moonshadows Blue Lounge has the ocean motion of DJs Mick Cole, Julien Couly, and Jean Louis, at 20356 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu. Info: moonshadowsmalibu.com.

MONDAY, MAY 21 Monday Social lubricates the dance biz with house, prog, and breakbeats by Freddy Be, Mick Cole, and global guests, at Nacional, 1645 Wilcox Av, Hollywood. This week: Anthony Pappa. 21+. Info: budbrothers.com.

TUESDAY, MAY 22 $2 Tuesdays brings the deal with Moontribe legends John Kelley, Brian, Treavor, Petey, and friends at the Mor, 2941 Main St, Santa Monica, (310) 899-1989. 21+. Info: moontribe.org.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 Quango Lounge is a down-tempo label showcase featuring DJs Bruno Guez, Allen Voskanian, and more at Falcon, 7213 W Sunset Bl, Hollywood. Info: (323) 8505350. Funktion/Bassrush pumps d ‘n’ b to your cranium at Vanguard, 6021 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood. This week: Keaton, more. 18+. Info: vanguardla.com. Dub Club is inna down-tempo stylee with existential dance music producer Tom Chasteen and friends at The Echo, 1822 Sunset Bl, Echo Park, (213) 413-8200. 21+. Info: attheecho.com. –Dennis Romero

MAY 17~23, 2007

CIRCUS is located at 6655 Santa Monica Blvd. 2 blocks east of Highland Ave. Behind Arena

323.462.1291 • www.circusdisco.com 9pm-4am • 21+ • Tickets available at groovetickets.com 67

CITYBEAT

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A.H.C.I. 22728 Ventura Blvd. Ste. A (between Fallbrook & Shoup) WOODLAND HILLS • 818.591.7070

Viper Room, 8852 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 358-1880. Viperroom.com. Thur: The Blasters, Lady Dottie and The Diamonds, Creepy Creeps, 8:30. Fri: Manual Transitions, Super Model Citizens, 3 Faced, Stewboss, 8. Sat: Armored Saint, Chingalera, Cockpit, 8:30. Sun: Ultra High Frequency, Bringers of the Dawn, Vintage, Early Pearl, No Face, Zen Thesis, Tango Kilo, 7. Mon: Lo Fi Sugar, Twilight Sleep, Berko, Divisadero, 8:30. Tue: Ambrose, Kalifornium, Math Club, Tyler Steele, 8. Wed: Maryandi, Stevie Natale Band, Sixth Chamber, Last Drag, 8. Viva Cantina, 900 Riverside Dr, Burbank, (818) 845-2425. Vivacantina.com. Thur: James P. Harris. Fri: Carmine Sardo and The Sardo Family Band. Sat-Wed: Call for info. Whisky a Go-Go, 8901 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 652-4202. Whiskyagogo.com. Thur: Eyes Set to Kill, Calico System, Kenotia, Shortcuts Through Graveyards, 7. Fri: Wild Child. Sat: A Tribute to L.A. Bands, 12:30; KingBaby, Sin Division, Soul’d Out, Blancodiablo, Big City Lights, Shrine of Ellora, The Skooners, Rum Boogie. Sun: A Tribute to L.A. Bands, 12:30; Danny Hamilton and The Mudslingers, City Lights Addiction, Day Player, Gary Troxell & Urban Soul, Avacado St., Day Player, Harry Perry, Sketches of Moral. Mon: Animosity, As Blood Runs Black, The Faceless, Beneath the Massacre, Fate By Fire, Plague of Existence, Straight to Vengeance, Burning the Masses. TueWed: Emergenza Festival. –Alfred Lee

JAZZ, BLUES, LATIN

SANTA BARBARA CHAMBER ORCHESTRA w/ pianist MAX LEVINSON The Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra brings its 2006-07 season to a close with pianist Max Levinson and the first run-out concerts in the orchestra’s 28-year history. Generous grant support makes it possible for the critically acclaimed SBCO to hit the road for the first time, with their finale program at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles on May 30 and at Scherr Forum in the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza on May 31.

Arcadia Blues Club, 16 E Huntington Dr, Arcadia, (626) 447-9349. Arcadiabluesclub.com. Fri: Big Papa & The TCB. Sat: Whiteboy James. Babe’s & Ricky’s Inn, 4339 Leimert Bl, Leimert Park, (323) 295-9112. Bluesbar.com. Thur: Jam Session with Mama’s Boys. Fri-Sat: Mighty Balls of Fire and guest vocalists. Mon: Jam Night with Mickey Champion. Back Room at Henri’s, 21601 Sherman Way, Canoga Park, (818) 348-5582. Shows at 8. ThurWed: Call for info. The Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Bl W, Studio City, (818) 980-1615. Thebakedpotato.com. Shows at 9:30 & 11:30. Thur: Scott Kinsey Group. Fri: Brett Garsed & Dirty Martini. Sat: Allstar Evening of Blues. Sun: Mitch Forman Allstar Keyboard Night. Mon: Monday Night Jammmz. Tue: Screamin Cocktail Hour with Teddy Zig Zag Andreas, Alan B.B. Chung King Marikatano, Jonny G. Wed: The Kevin Eubanks Group. B.B. King’s Blues Club, 1000 Universal Center Dr, Universal City (818) 622-5464. Bbkingclubs.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Blue Café, 210 Promenade, Long Beach, (562) 983-7111. Thebluecafe.com. Thur: CSULB Blast Show. In the Blue Room: Live Music. Fri: Capitol Eye, Toko Tasi, Tomorrows Bad Seeds, Hotboxed. In the Blue Room: Cat’s Birthday, Toga Party. Sat: Reno Jones, Theo, Steve Copeland. In the Blue Room: Live music. Sun: Live Reggae. In the Blue Room: Sancho Entertainment. Tue: Soulfish. In the

Don't let the past interfere in YOUR Future!

May 30, 2007 8:00 p.m. Zipper Hall @ The Colburn School, Downtown Los Angeles Tickets on sale at www.lobero.com or 1-888-4LOBERO May 31, 2007 8:00 p.m. Scherr Forum, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza Tickets on sale now at 805-449-ARTS (2787) or www.ci.thousand-oaks.ca.us/theatre/ Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra Heiichiro Ohyama, Music Director Max Levinson, piano

Self Esteem Love Relationships Advice Call Amanda Today! 5212 Venice Blvd. L.A. Se Habla Espanol

Blue Room: Call for info. Wed: Lickerish, Also. In the Blue Room: Call for info. Café Boogaloo, 1238 Hermosa Av, Hermosa Beach, (310) 318-2324. Boogaloo.com. Thur: Banish, 9. Fri: The Boneshakers featuring Randy Jacobs & Sweet Pea Atkinson, 10. Sat: Café R&B, 10. Sun: Sunday Brunch, 11 a.m.; Urban Brohondo, 8. Wed: Diesel Creek, 9. Café Metropol, 923 E Third St, downtown L.A., (213) 613-1537. Roccoinla.com. Shows at 8. Fri: Sharp Three. Sat: The Obliteration Percussion Quartet. Café Z, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N Sepulveda Bl, L.A., (310) 440-4500. Skirball.org. Sat: Open Door Orchestra, noon. Catalina Bar & Grill, 6725 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 466-2210. Catalinajazzclub.com. Shows at 8:30 & 10:30. Fri-Sat: Jack Sheldon. Mon: Young Artist Jazz Series presents LACHSA. Tue: Michael Konik & His Tasty Band with Charmaine Clamor. Wed: Denise Neill. Charlie O’s, 13725 Victory Bl, Van Nuys, (818) 994-3058. Charlieos.com. Shows at 8. Thur: Don Menza Quar tet. Fri: John Heard Trio with Azar Lawrence. Sat: John Heard Trio with Plas Johnson. Sun: Bob McChesney Quintet. Mon: Gerry Gibbs Thrasher Big Band. Tue: Scott Whitfield Quintet. Wed: Jack Sheldon Quartet. Cozy’s Bar & Grill, 14058 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 986-6000. Cozysblues.com. Thur: The Acid Blues, 9. Fri: Dennis Jones Band, 9:45. Sat: Phillip Walker, 9:45. Sun: Non-Hokey Karaoke, 9. Mon: Pro Blues Jam with John Marx & Blues Patrol, 9. Tue: Soul Station Jam Session, 9. Wed: Funk All-Stars, 9. Csardas, 5820 Melrose Av, Hollywood, (323) 9626434. Mon: The Harmony Club jam session, 8-10. El Floridita, 1253 N Vine St, Hollywood, (323) 8718612. Elfloridita.com. Fri: Orquesta Charangoa. Sat: Salsa bands. Mon: Johnny Polanco y Su Orquesta Amistad. Wed: Cuban Jam Session with Conjunto Guama. Harvelle’s, 1432 Fourth St, Santa Monica, (310) 3951676. Harvelles.com. Thur: House of Vibe, 9:30. Fri: Z-Tribe, 9:30. Sat: Delgado Brothers, 9:30. Sun: The Toledo Show, 9:30. Mon: All-Star Pro Jam hosted by Walter Davis, 9. Tue: Bongo Fury, 9:30. Wed: House of Vibe, 9:30. JAX, 339 N. Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 500-1604. Jaxbarandgrill.com. Thur: Jack Sheldon. Fri: Evan Stone. Sat: Elliott Caine. Sun: Preston Smith. Mon: Jim Selagy. Tue: Barbara Reed Trio. Wed: The Others. The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Av, Culver City, (310) 271-9039. Jazzbakery.org. Shows at 8 & 9:30. Thur-Sat: Turtle Island Quartet. Sun: Bill Cantos, 4; The Creasy/Nevin Group. Mon: Definiens Project, 7:30. Tue: Brent Canter, Eli Sundelson & Mark Banner. Wed: The Stryker/Slagle Band. L.A. County Museum of Art, 5905 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 857-6000. Lacma.org. Fri: Greg Reitan Trio, 6. Sat: Anthony Wilson & Chico Pinheiro, 5. La Granada, 17 S First St, Alhambra, (626) 227-2572. Letsdancela.com. Thur: Salsa Dance, 10. Fri: Salsa Central! with Charangoa, Club Decades. Sat: Salsa Central with Johnny Polanco, Club Decades. Sun: March of Dimes Benefit with Johnny Polanco. Tue: Salsa Dancing, 10. Wed: Ballroom Dance, 6; College Nite, 9. La Vé Lee, 12514 Ventura Bl, Studio City, (818) 9808158. Laveleejazzclub.com. Shows at 8:30 & 10:30. Thur: George Deez, Joey Heredia, Eric Garcia, Joey Navarro, Dick Aven. Fri: Pretzel Logic – A Steely Dan Revue. Sat: Byron Miller & Friends. Tue: Ms. B featuring Tyler Conti and The Healers. Wed: Scott Henderson, Steve Tavaglione, Jimmy Earl, Joel Taylor. LAND on 2nd Street, 366 E Second St, downtown L.A., (323) 680-0047. Myspace.com/landon2ndstreetlivejazz. Mon: Matt Slocum Trio, Damon Zick & Friends, 8. Tue: 2nd Street Jazz Jam Session, 9:30. Mama Juana’s, 3707 Cahuenga Bl W, Studio City, (818) 505-8636. Mamajuanas.com. Shows at 7. Thur: Sabor Salsa Thursdays with Chino Espinoza y Los Dueños del Son, 7. Fri: Tropical Fridays with Ritmo Caliente, 7. Sat: Latin Experience Saturdays with Orquestra Salsa Caliente, 7. Tue: Burning Salsa Nights with Johnny Polanco y su conjunto Amistad, 7. Wed: Noches Con Sabor A Colombia, 7. Miceli’s, 1646 N Las Palmas Av, Hollywood, (323) 466-3430. Micelisrestaurant.com. Shows at 6. Thur: Judy Chamberlain Trio, 7:30. Fri: Rod Rozelle and Tres-Dos Latin Jazz. Sat: Lou Shoch with Karen Hernandez. Sun: Ken Wild with John Proulx. Mon: Carl Saunders Trio. Tue: John Pisano’s Guitar Night with Anthony Wilson. Wed: Gaea Schell with Chris Colangelo. Spazio, 14755 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 7288400. Spazio.la. Shows at 7:30. Thur: Jennifer Lethem Trio. Fri: Jim Fox with Frank Zottoli. Sat: Steve Blackwood Trio. Sun: Sid Jacobs; Doug MacDonald

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P R O P 21 5 ME D I CA L CAN N A B IS E VA LUATION S CITYBEAT

MAY 17~23, 2007

JAZZ CRITIC’S CHOICE

✭ ✭ ✭

✭ ✭ ✭ ~ THE STRYKER/SLAGLE BAND ~

Milestones Kronos exploded the idea of what a string quartet can be and what it can do. Turtle Island String Quartet – at the Jazz Bakery Thursday through Saturday – showed how that instrumentation can swing. Case in point is the band’s new Coltrane tribute CD, A Love Supreme (Telarc). Sure, the soloists are fine improvisers, but the ensemble swings its you-know-what off. They don’t play slavish transcriptions; they interpret the material, some of which is original. Who would’ve thought that a string quartet had the nuts to try and pull off the title piece? Speaking of swing, Saturday at Merle Kreibich’s new jazz showcase The Vibe, the inspired and resourceful pianist Bill Cunliffe celebrates his 50th birthday (7 p.m.; no cover; Landings Restaurant, Airtel Plaza Hotel, 7277 Valjean Ave., Van Nuys, 818-997-7676). At Charlie O’s on Sunday, Bill Holman, one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, is honored for his 80th. At Catalina’s on Monday, the youngsters get their turn as Barbara Brighton’s Young Artists Jazz Series, an important showcase for developing talent, observes its 11th anniversary. Tuesday at Catalina’s, Filipina jazz singer Charmaine Clamor guests with Michael Konik. The Stryker/Slagle Band, co-piloted by guitarist Dave Stryker and saxophonist Steve Slagle, is one of the best touring units in jazz. They land at the Bakery, Thursday to Saturday. Yeah, the material is good and challenging but SSB’s appeal is the flat-out, kickass playing. No wonder Joe Lovano guests on their Latest Outlook (Zoho), and is right at home. –Kirk Silsbee For details, see Jazz, Blues, Latin listings.

with Jimmy Dykes. Mon: John Belzaguy with John Beasley. Tue: John Pisano’s Guitar Night with Brian Nova. Wed: Carl Rigoli Trio. Vibrato Grill Jazz, 2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel Air, (310) 474-9400. Vibratogrilljazz.com. Shows at 6:30. Thur: David Garfield Quartet. Fri: Don Rader. Sat: George Harper. Sun: Josh Nelson/Pat Senatore Duo. Tue: Tom Garvin/Chris Colangelo Duo. Wed: Frank Strazzeri/Pat Senatore. The Vic, 2640 Main St, Santa Monica, (888) 3675299. Thevicforjazz.com. Shows at 8 & 10. Thur: The Trio, Trimotif, 8; The Bill Cunliffe Sextet, Imaginacion, 10. World Stage, 4344 Degnan Bl, Leimert Park, (323) 293-2451. Theworldstage.org. Thur: Jazz Jam Session, 9:40. Fri: World Stage Stories, 8; Concert Series, 9:30 & 11. Sat: Saturday School, 9:45 am; Jazz workshop, noon; Concert Series, 9:30 & 11. Sun: Sisters of Jazz, 7:30. Mon: Drum workshop, 7. Tue: Vocal workshop, 6:30. Wed: Anansi writers workshop, 7:30. –Ayse Arf

CLASSICAL /DANCE Casa Italiana Opera. Il Trovatore. A five-course Italian meal precedes this performance of Giuseppe Verdi’s opera, directed by Mario Leonetti, conducted by Robert Sage, and starring Virginia Stewart and Shirley Owens. Casa Italiana Opera Company, 1051 N Broadway, downtown L.A. Info: (800) 595-4849 or Casaitaliana.org. Sun at 4:30; dinner at 2:30. Compañía Nacional de Danza 2. Dance company per forms Remansos, Gnawa, and Rassemblement, all choreographed by its founder and artistic director, Nacho Duato. Music Center, Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N Grand Av, L.A., (213) 972-0711. Musiccenter.org/dance.html. Fri-Sat at 7:30; Sun at 2. Conscious Dreams. The Jacaranda concert series presents a concert with works by Berg, Mahler, Schoenberg, and Schubert. First Presbyterian Church of Santa Monica, 1220 Second St, Santa Monica. Info: Jacarandamusic.org. Sat at 8. Mathias Hausmann. The Viennese baritone will be performing an Austrian-émigré program of songs by Korngold, Schoenberg, Krenek, Zeisl, Eisler, and Karl Kohn. Villa Aurora, 520 Paseo Miramar, Pacific Palisades, (310) 454-4231. Tue at 7:30. L.A. Opera. The Merry Widow. Susan Graham and Rod Gilfry star in the Franz Lehár’s operetta about a wealthy widow trying to find true love. Directed by Lofti Mansouri. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N Grand Av, downtown L.A. Info: (213) 972-8001 or Laopera.com. Sat at 1; Sun at 8. Closes May 20. L.A. Opera. Porgy and Bess. The company performs the Gershwin classic. Directed by Francesca Zambello. Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N Grand Av, downtown L.A. Info: (213) 972-8001 or Laopera.com. Fri-Sat at 7:30; Sun at 8. Closes May 20. L.A. Philharmonic. Toyota Symphonies for Youth: A Medieval Journey. Alexander Mickelthwate conducts Wagner and a medieval fairy tale. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A., (323) 8502000. Wdch.laphil.com. Sat at 11 a.m. L.A. Philharmonic with Dawn Upshaw. Soprano Upshaw sings Foss and Golijov. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A., (323) 850-

2000. Wdch.laphil.com. Fri-Sat at 8; Sun at 2. Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. Four Seasons. Jeffrey Kahane conducts works by Vivaldi, Piazzolla, Haydn, and a world premiere of Gernot Wolfgang’s “Desert Wind.” Info: (213) 622-7001 or Laco.org. Alex Theatre, 216 N Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 2432539. Sat at 8. Also Sun at 7, UCLA, Royce Hall, Westwood. The Philadelphia Orchestra. Christopher Eschenbach conducts Tchaikovsky’s “Symphony No. 5” and works by Mozart. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A., (323) 850-2000. Wdch.laphil.com. Tue at 8. Simon Preston. Organist Preston per forms five works, including those by Bach and Bolcom. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S Grand Av, downtown L.A., (323) 850-2000. Wdch.laphil.com. Sun at 7:30. Spectrum #24. L.A. choreographers’ showcase produced by Deborah Brockus returns for the 24th time. El Portal Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 508-4200. Sat at 8; Sun at 4. UCLA Department of World Arts and Cultures. Leafing. Senior honors showcase of intercultural dance, theater, and documentaries. UCLA, Glorya Kaufman Hall, Room 208, Westwood. Info: (310) 8252101 or Wac.ucla.edu. Fri at 8; Sat at 2 & 8. –Alfred Lee

CABARET Dresden Room, 1760 N Vermont Av, Hollywood, (323) 665-4294. Thedresden.com. Thur-Sat, MonWed: Marty and Elayne, 9. The Gardenia Restaurant & Lounge, 7066 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 467-7444. Shows at 9. Fri-Sat: Craig Pomranz. Tue: Mundy on Tuesday. Wed: Vince Rossano. M Bar, 1253 N Vine St, Hollywood, (323) 8560036. Thur: Women’s Night Out, 7:30. Fri: Call for info. Sat: Un-Cabaret, 8. Sun-Wed: Call for info. Masquer’s Cabaret & Dinner Theater, 8334 W Third St, West Hollywood, (323) 653-4848. Masquerscabaret.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Steinway Hall @ Fields Pianos, 12121 W Pico Bl, L.A. Info: (310) 471-3979. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Sterling’s Upstairs at Vitello’s, 4349 Tujunga Av, Studio City, (818) 769-0905. Vitellosrestaurant.com. Dinner seating at 7. Thur: The Richman Jazz Band, 7:30. In the Green: Piano Night, 7. Fri: Comedy, 10. In the Green: Opera & Show Tunes Night, 7. Sat: Comedy, 10. In the Green: Opera & Show Tunes Night, 7. Sun: In the Green: Opera & Show Tunes Night, 7. Wed: Comedy, 8. In the Green: Opera & Show Tunes Night, 7. Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 666-4268. Steveallentheater.com. Thur: Bilgewater Brothers in Hell! 8:30. Fri: Junk, 8. Sat: Junk, 8; Craig Anton, Ron Lynch, and Brendon Small, plus special guests in The Tomorrow Show, midnight. Sun: Feed Your Brain, 11 a.m.; Mary Lynn Rajskub, 8. Mon: Emo Philips: The Emo Show, 8. Wed: Café Inquiry, 7:30. TEN20, Wyndham Bel Age Hotel, 1020 N San Vicente Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 854-1111. Thur: Les Michaels Cabaret with guests, 8; open mike, 9:30. Fri-Wed: Call for info. –Alfred Lee

CONCERTS Note: Unless otherwise indicated, tickets are available through Ticketmaster, (213) 480-3232 or Ticketmaster.com.

MAY 17-23 Dimmu Borgir, Unearth, DevilDriver, Kataklysm, Thur, The Wiltern, 3790 Wilshire Bl, L.A., at 7:15. (213) 380-5005. Ben Gibbard, Thur, UCLA, Royce Hall, Westwood, at 8. (310) 825-2101. Halid Beslic, Halid Beslic, Harris Dzinovic, Hari Mata Hari, Fri, Henry Fonda Music Box Theatre, 6126 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, at 9. (323) 464-0808. Chayanne, Fri-Sun, Gibson Amphitheatre at Universal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, at 8:15. (818) 622-4440. Harry Connick, Jr., Fri, Greek Theatre, 2700 N Vermont Av, Los Feliz, at 8. (323) 665-1927 Doug E. Fresh & Slick Rick, Fri, The Grove of Anaheim, 2200 E Katella Av, Anaheim, at 9. (714) 7122700. The Knitters, Fri, Getty Center, Harold M. Williams Auditorium, 1200 Getty Center Dr, L.A., at 7:30. (310) 440-7300. Antigone Rising, Sat, Morongo Casino, 49500 Seminole Rd, Cabazon, at 6. (951) 755-5391. Rick Braun, Sat, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 12700 Center Court Dr, Cerritos, at 8. (800) 300-4345. Stevie Nicks, Chris Isaak, Sat-Sun, Greek Theatre at 7:30. SEMISCON, Sat, John Anson Ford Amphitheatre, 2580 Cahuenga Bl East, Hollywood, at 8. (323) 4613673. VOX Femina, Sat, Culver City Presbyterian Church, 11269 Washington Bl, at 7:30. Voxfeminala.org. Brother Mallard, Lloyd Rogers, Paul Bailey, Sun, Dangerous Curve, 1020 E Fourth Pl, downtown L.A., at 4. Dangerouscurve.org. Gipsy Kings, Sun, The Grove of Anaheim at 8. A Oscuras Me Da Risa, Sun, The Wiltern at 4 & 8. “Rockin’ the Beach” with Frankie Avalon, The Surfaris, The Chantays, Scott Wood, Sun, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts at 3. “Songs of Adam Guettel: A Tribute” with Kathleen Ingle, Santo Rango, Bill Hemmer, Sun, Dr. Music, 1812 W Colorado Bl, Eagle Rock, at 7:30. (323) 221-0915. “Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest & Folk Festival” with Tom Ball & Kenny Sultan, Molly’s Revenge, Peter Feldman & The Very Lonesome Boys, Sun, Paramount Ranch, Paramount Ranch Rd and Cornell Rd, at 9 a.m. Info: (818) 382-4819. “A Swell Party! – RSVP Cole Porter” with KT Sullivan, Mark Nadler, Tue-Wed, Cinegrill, 7000 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, at 7. Info: (866) 215-1026. –Alfred Lee

Stories of the Night Told Over. A mashup of several of Shakespeare’s romantic comedies, combining characters and dialogue from disparate plays to serve a new storyline. Adapted and directed by Scott Werve. Hayworth Theatre, 2511 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (323) 960-7740. Opens Fri at 8. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 16. Throwing Rubies. Shoba Productions presents an exploration into the friendship of two characters linked by their struggles with tuberculosis. Written by Terri Sissman. Directed by Sue Hamilton. Stella Adler Theatre, 6773 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 9601056. Opens Sat at 8. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 10. What’s the Story? New works in progress by local writers and performers. Café Metropol, 923 E 3rd St, L.A. Info: (310) 450-1312. Tue only, at 8. Yellow Face. The newest from David Henry Hwang, a satire that thrusts the author himself into issues of race and identity after a white actor is unknowingly cast as an Asian in one of his plays. Directed by Leigh Silverman. Center Theatre Group at Mark Taper Forum, 135 N Grand Av, downtown L.A., (213) 628-2772. Centertheatregroup.org. Opens Sun at 2:30. Tues-Fris at 8; Sats at 2:30 & 8; Suns at 2:30 & 7:30. Closes July 1. –Alfred Lee

★★★ CONTINUING ★★★ Anatol. A sparkling production of Arthur Schnitzler’s 1893 set of seven episodes in the romantic

life of a Viennese playboy, directed by Dan Bonnell on a Klimt-influenced set. Matt Letscher is charismatic yet richly comical as the hub of the action, with Alex Enberg in top form as his wry friend. Both the laughter and the melancholy keep intensifying. Pacific Resident Theatre, 703 Venice Bl, Venice, (310) 822-8392. Pacificresidenttheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes May 27. (Don Shirley) Assassins. Sight Unseen Theatre revives the brilliant, acerbic Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical about violent distortions of our equal-opportunity culture. American assassins and wannabes assemble in a netherworld, eventually encouraging a newcomer to join. Cindy Jenkins’s staging vividly evokes their sometimes comical delusions. MetaTheatre, 7801 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 993-7113. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 7. Closes May 20. (DS) Audition! This series of brief scenes and musical numbers – by E. Rudie, director Chris DeCarlo, Matt Wrather and Emily Bernauer – skewers the Hollywood auditioning process with some clever lines and a surprisingly harsh attitude. But the pacing is too hectic. That all the roles are played by three women – no men – feels limiting. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St, Santa Monica, (310) 394-9779. Santamonicaplayhouse.com. Sats at 7; Suns at 6. Closes June 10. (DS) The Bay at Nice. Andak Stage Company (Dakin Matthews, Anne McNaughton) opens a new, intimate NoHo space with a psychologically probing 1986 David Hare one-act. Feisty Anne Gee Byrd plays an ex-student of Matisse who gave up Paris for her native Russia. Her adult daughter (Annie LaRussa) in 1956 Leningrad faces her own crossroads. New Place

Theatre, 10950 Peach Grove St, North Hollywood, (866) 811-4111. Andak.org. Fris at 8; Sats at 2:30 & 8; Suns at 2:30. Closes May 20. (DS) The Beastly Bombing. Julien Nitzberg paired Roger Neill’s Gilbert and Sullivan-style melodies with an amusing present-day satire about white supremacists, Islamic terrorists, orthodox Jews who hate secular Jews, Catholic priests with an eye for underage boys, a lame-brain president who dances with a gay Jesus and the president’s carousing daughters. Amazingly, it hangs together quite coherently. Steve Allen Theater, 4773 Hollywood Bl, L.A. Info: (800) 595-4849. Steveallantheater.com. Call for performance schedule. (DS) Bleed Rail. A young slaughterhouse worker (Dennis Flanagan) drifts through his cramped and perilous life, as co-workers and housemates face equally barren prospects, until Iraq beckons. Mickey Birnbaum’s play could use another, clarifying rewrite in order to unleash the grim power that’s sporadically visible in Jessica Kubzansky’s staging. Boston Court Theatre, 70 N Mentor Av, Pasadena, (626) 683-6883. Bostoncourttheatre.com. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes June 17. (DS) The Boarding House. A G.I. has disappeared after his return to the U.S. from World War II. His wife and sister aren’t sure what to do next, although some of their boarders have ideas. Ann Noble’s soap opera is quite involving in Darin Anthony’s periodperfect staging for Interact Theatre, but a few outof-place sight gags don’t help. Write Act Repertory Theatre at St. Stephen’s Church, 6128 Yucca St, Hollywood. Info: (818) 765-8732. Interactla.org. Thurs-Fris at 8; Sats at 3 & 8. Closes June 2. (DS)

Box 27. Michael Norman Mann’s play attacks the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about gays in the military. It’s slightly updated to fit the current wars’ returned Marines, two of whom are closeted. One of them wants to come out – although why he would do it right now is unclear. Larry Lederman’s ensemble skillfully humanizes the controversy. Actors Forum Theatre, 10655 Magnolia Bl, Nor th Hollywood, (818) 506-0600. Actorsforumtheatre.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 10. (DS) Bug. In an Oklahoma motel room (not far from the 1995 terrorist bombing), a waitress (Amy Landecker) dreading the return of her abusive ex is drawn to a soft-spoken drifter (Andrew Elvis Miller) who might be paranoiac. Writer Tracy Letts overturns our initial notions in a graphic eruption of violence. Scott Cummins’s staging is riveting. The Coast Playhouse, 8325 Santa Monica Bl, West Hollywood, (866) 8114111. Buginla.com. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 3. (DS) Bush Is Bad. This Bush-bash plants a withering barrage of wisecracks and impersonations within some of the conventional poses of American musical theater style, creating a friction that results in big laughs. As long as writer Joshua Rosenblum periodically updates the content, may it run through the 2008 election. NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Bl, Nor th Hollywood, (818) 508-7101. Thenohoartscenter.com. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 24. (DS) The Constant Wife. See Stage feature review. The Distance From Here. Neil LaBute casts a grim glance at a snotty teenager, his long-suffering girl-

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ESA-PEKKA SALONEN Sept. 4, 6

CHRISTIAN McBRIDE July 25 Aug. 22

ISAAC HAYES 50 Years of Stax July 18

DARYL HALL & JOHN OATES Sept. 7-8

DJ SHADOW & CUT CHEMIST June 24

THEATER OPENINGS Big Death & Little Death. Dark satire drawing from the true story of a family who lost two teenage boys to a double suicide, then took heavy metal band Judas Priest to trial for the role played by its lyrics. Written by Mickey Birnbaum. Directed by Larry Biederman. The Road Theatre Company, 5108 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (866) 811-4111. Roadtheatre.org. Opens Fri at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes July 21. Eclectic Company 1000. The Eclectic Company Theatre presents a comedy festival consisting of 25 shows. The Eclectic Company Theatre, 5312 Laurel Canyon Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 508-3003. Eclecticcompanytheatre.org. Opens Sat at 8. Call for performance schedule. Closes July 7. Gay Bodies, Gay Souls. A weekend of new solo works by gay male artists, curated by performance artist Ian MacKinnon. Highways Per formance Space, 1651 18th St, Santa Monica, (310) 315-1459. FriSat at 8:30; Sun at 7:30. Headless. The son of a wealthy family is drawn to a mysterious headless woman at a traveling carnival. Presented by Ensemble Studio Theatre-LA. Written by Lea Floden. Directed by Dan Bonnell. Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Av, Venice. Info: (213) 386-9552. Opens Sat at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes June 24.. It Runs in the Family. Farce set in a hospital that features an unraveling plot and plenty of cases of mistaken identity. Written by Ray Cooney. Clyde Porter West Valley Playhouse, 7242 Owensmouth Av, Canoga Park, (818) 884-1907. Opens Fri at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2:30. Closes June 10. Ka Yev Chka. Autobiographical one-woman show written and performed by Anahid A. Keshishian, who presents accounts of her childhood in a small Armenian community in Tehran. Music by Ara Dabanjian. Luna Playhouse, 3706 San Fernando Rd, Glendale, (818) 500-7200. Opens Sun at 7. Suns at 7; Thurs at 8. Closes June 14. Morning’s at Seven. Revival of the 1939 comedy about a bickering extended family in a small town. Written by Paul Osborn. Directed by Mark Travis. Theatre West, 3333 Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood, (323) 8517977. Theatrewest.org. Opens Fri at 8. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes June 17. On the Couch with Nora Armani. One-woman show written and performed by Armani, who touches on her experiences as an Armenian-Egyptian-American woman. Directed by François Kergourlay. The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Av, Hollywood, (323) 663-1525. Opens Fri at 8. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes June 3. Satisfy Me. Two couples wrestle with the effects of illicit affairs on long-term relationships. Written by Johnny Garcia. Directed by Andrew Borba. Lillian Theater at Elephant Stageworks, 6322 Santa Monica Bl, L.A. Info: (323) 960-7789 or Satisfyme.tv. Opens May 17. Call for performance schedule. Closes June 17.

QUEEN LATIFAH July 11

PINK MARTINI Sept. 14-16

MACY GRAY Aug. 26

SAVION GLOVER July 22

UNDERWORLD Sept. 9

PET SHOP BOYS Sept. 27 RUFUS WAINWRIGHT Plays Judy Garland Sept. 23

GLADYS KNIGHT July 27-28

B.B. KING Sept. 5

CAFÉ TACUBA July 15

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friend, his too-young mother and her cad boyfriend, and a few other denizens of Soulless Suburbia. Brian Frederick’s Shoreline Theatre cast is juvenile enough to look real but trained enough to nail every nuance, plus the play’s final horrific incident. Santa Monica Playhouse, 1211 Fourth St, Santa Monica (818) 986-9817. Theshorelinetheatre.com. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 2 & 7. Closes May 20. (DS) Fat Pig. See Stage feature review. Feed. Jim Lunsford’s courtroom drama creates a future in which the government sterilizes everyone and must grant permission for the operation to be reversed – but one woman (Andrea Lockhart) defies the rules. The play explores the evergreen theme of the individual and society with hyper-articulate language, flawlessly staged by James Mellon. NoHo Arts Center, 11136 Magnolia Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 508-7101. Thenohoartscenter.com. Thurs at 8. Closes May 17. (DS) Hamlet. As an acerbic, anguished prince, Joseph Fuqua leads a mostly strong cast in Jenny Sullivan’s highly accessible staging. Stephanie Zimbalist is the hard-drinking mother (which makes her last drink more plausible), James O’Neil her gimlet-eyed paramour, Efrem Zimbalist Jr. the Player King. Too bad the set looks cramped and ugly. Rubicon Theatre, 1006 E Main St, Ventura, (805) 667-2900. Rubicontheatre.org. Weds at 2 & 7; Thurs-Fris at 8; Sats at 2 & 8; Suns at 2. Closes May 20. (DS) Having Our Say. Centenarian sisters Sadie and Bessie Delany recall their experiences as upwardly mobile black women in 20th century America in Emily Mann’s script adapted from their book, set in the early ’90s. Warm-hearted performances by Amentha Dymally and Robin Braxton can’t hide the fact that it’s a feel-good memoir more than a play. International City Theatre, Long Beach Performing Arts Center, 300 E Ocean Bl, Long Beach, (562) 436-4610. Ictlongbeach.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes May 20. (DS) Heroes. The French World War I vets who chafe at the restrictions of the facility where they’re warehoused in 1959 are fed “tepid soup” each night. That could also describe Gérald Sibleyras’s comedy, as translated by Tom Stoppard and staged by Thea Sharrock with George Segal, Len Cariou, and Richard Benjamin. The star power doesn’t help. The Geffen Playhouse, 10886 Le Conte Av, Westwood, (310) 208-5454. Geffenplayhouse.com. Tues-Thurs at 7:30; Fris at 8; Sats at 4 & 8:30; Suns at 2 & 7. Closes May 27. (DS) An Impending Rupture of the Belly. In Mark Pelfrey’s brilliant little bulletin from the paranoia frontier, previously mild-mannered Clay (Eric Pargac) tries to protect his Pasadena lawn from a neighbor’s dog. All hell breaks loose. Dámaso Rodriguez’s staging honors the Furious Theatre name while maintaining a keen sense of the absurd. Furious Theatre, Carrie Hamilton Theatre, 39 S El Molino Av, Pasadena, (626) 356-7529. Furioustheatre.org. Thurs-Sats at 8; Suns at 7:30. No perfs May 27 & 31. Closes June 9. (DS) Kimberly Akimbo. The title character (Judy Jean Berns) has a disease that ages her at 4.5 times her normal rate. She appears to be in her 60s at age 16 – which is her life expectancy. David LindsayAbaire’s incisive script and Maria Gobetti’s direction turn this poignant and potentially somber situation into a barrel of scabrously funny laughs. Victory Theatre Center, 3326 W Victory Bl, Burbank, (818) 841-5421. Victorytheatercenter.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 4. Closes May 27. (DS) The Long Christmas Ride Home. This anatomy of a family’s dysfunction is a thing of beauty, thanks in part to the contrast between live actors and puppets, who play the young children and the adult children’s lovers. Writer Paula Vogel was inspired by Japanese imagery and Thornton Wilder, and Stuart Rogers’s staging adds to the heady brew. Theatre Tribe, 5267 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood. Info: (866) 8114111 or Theatermania.com. Thurs-Sats at 8. Closes May 26. (DS) Loot. Joe Orton’s farce, about a couple of Brits who attempt to use a mother’s coffin as a stash for their ill-gotten gains, has lost much of its ’60s cheek. Geoff Elliott’s and Julia Rodriguez-Elliott’s cast is letter-perfect in most departments, although a few lines weren’t projected well enough. But the humor feels more dated than audacious. A Noise Within, 234 S Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 240-0910. Anoisewithin.org. Call for performance schedule. Closes June 3. (DS) Man of La Mancha. Julia Rodriguez-Elliott’s staging of the great Don Quixote musical (by Wasserman, Leigh and Darion) is first-rate. A Noise Within’s venue makes for an evocative dungeon. Geoff Elliott in the title role, Alan Blumenfeld’s Sancho and Nadia Ahern’s Aldonza shine. A Noise Within, 234 S Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 240-0910. Anoisewithin.org. Call for performance schedule. Closes June 10. (DS) Mark on Society. Theatre East’s docudrama about the sniper Charles Whitman’s 1966 spree at the University of Texas, awkwardly structured as a gathering of survivors 10 years later and as a class about the massacre. Leif E. Gantvoort’s script dutifully covers each of the dead and wounded with clinical descriptions and even photos of corpses. Theatre East at the Lex, 6760 Lexington Av, Hollywood, (323) 960-7822. Theatreeast.com. Thurs-Sats at 8. Closes May 26. (DS) The Marvelous Wonderettes. Four queens (Bets Malone, Kim Huber, Julie Dixon Jackson, Kirsten Chandler) of the L.A. musical stage vie to become queen of a 1958 high school prom in the first act of Roger Bean’s mirthful musicalette, using period hits. Later, the women reunite with new problems, ’60s songs and costumes. Fun but formulaic. El Portal Forum Theatre, 5269 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood. Info: (888) 505-7469, Tix.com, or Marvelouswonderettes.com. Call for performance schedule. Closes May 27. (DS) Masque of the Red Death. Zombie Joe’s hour-long adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe’s tale, about a prince’s vain efforts to prevent a raging pestilence from infiltrating his lavish palace party, offers plenty of colorful effects, creepy sounds, and precisely calibrated group movement. Don’t expect comfortable seating, or necessarily any seating at all. Zombie Joe’s Underground, 4850 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 202-4120. Zombiejoes.com. Fris-Sats at 8:30. Closes May 26. (DS) The Mikado Project. Lodestone Theatre depicts a struggling Asian American company doing a politically corrected version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado. Doris Baizley’s and Ken Narasaki’s script ultimately feels self-congratulatory. The musical numbers are too polished to be credible within the script’s improvisatory framework. GTC Burbank, 111-B W Olive Av, Burbank, (323) 933-7245. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 3. Closes May 20. (DS) Romeo and Juliet. Michael Murray sets Shakespeare’s teen-love tragedy in fascist Italy, but what’s truly distinctive is his ability to make many of the lines and gestures feel freshly minted. His actors are phenoms, especially Steve Coombs and Joy Osmanski in the leads, Mitchell Edmonds, Abby Craden, Deborah Strang and J. Todd Adams. A Noise Within, 234 S Brand Bl, Glendale, (818) 240-0910. Anoisewithin.org. Call for performance schedule. Closes May 25. (DS) Sleeping Beauty Wakes. A fantasy musical that gives the Sleeping Beauty story a new ending in a modern sleep disorder clinic, created by Rachel Sheinkin, Brendan Milburn and Valerie Vigoda. Center Theatre Group and Deaf West Theatre collaborate on a spoken/sung/signed show that offers ample rewards but needs a less cluttered book. Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Bl, Culver City, (213) 628-2772. Centertheatregroup.org. Call for performance schedule. Closes May 20. (DS) Sliding Into Hades. Ron Sossi’s Koan Ensemble and writer Aaron Henne turn the myth about a man’s attempt to fetch his wife from Hades into a stirring meditation on the inevitability and finality of death. As the dying Orpheus looks back with regret, his younger self and Eurydice appear modern, each in the guises of several different actors. Odyssey Theatre Ensemble, 2055 S Sepulveda Bl, L.A., (310) 477-2055. Odysseytheatre.com. Weds-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes June 17. (DS) Taking Care. A middle-aged, mentally ill man (Tim Sullens) and his octogenarian mother (Maria Gobetti) exchange roles as care receiver and caregiver, as she faces her own problems. Mia McCullough’s play is schematic, with too many short scenes, but it’s writ-

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ten with a spare grace that creates a lived-in authenticity in Carri Sullens’s staging. The Victory Theatre Center, 3324 W Victory Bl, Burbank, (818) 841-5422. Thevictorytheatrecenter.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 4. Closes June 17. (DS) Why Marry? Jessie Lynch Williams’s 1917 comedy, the first winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, holds up rather well in director David Cheaney’s excavation for Theatre Neo. At a posh country home, three adult siblings battle over vastly conflicting views on matrimony. Williams maintained a surprisingly open mind to the alternatives. The Secret Rose Theatre, 11246 Magnolia Bl, North Hollywood, (323) 769-5858. Theatreneo.org. Fris-Sats at 8; Suns at 2. Closes May 19. (DS) Wicked. The musical steamroller about the formative years of Oz’s Wicked Witch (Eden Espinosa) and Glinda (Megan Hilty), powered by a mostly sensational cast and Joe Mantello’s propulsive staging. Stephen Schwartz’s score and Winnie Holzman’s script (from Gregory Maguire’s novel) are simultaneously tongue in cheek and heart on sleeve. Pantages Theatre, 6233 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (213) 365-3500. BroadwayLA.org. Call for performance schedule. (DS) Wounded. Set among wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Medical Center, Los Angeles Theatre Ensemble’s production is an unsparing, wrenching look at the choices facing soldiers, families, friends, officials, and other Americans. Writer-director Tom Burmester has shaped several soldiers’ stories into a gripping edge-of-the-seat experience. The Powerhouse Theatre, 3116 Second St, Santa Monica, (310) 396-3680. Latensemble.org. Thurs-Sats at 8. Closes May 19. (DS)

COMEDY CLUBS ACME Comedy Theater, 135 N La Brea Av, Hollywood, (323) 525-0202. Acmecomedy.com. Fri: Star Force One, 8:30; Geeks & Greeks, 10; Scandal! 10. Sat: Acme This Week, 8; Hawaiian Punch-Drunk Love, 10; Best Damn Sketch Show Ever, 11. Sun: Cartoon Overlord, 8. Bang, 457 N Fairfax Av, West Hollywood, (323) 653-6886. Bangstudio.com. Thur: The Truth, 8. Fri: The Big Show, 8; Rhapsody, 9:30. Sat: Big Hollywood, 8; iProv, 9:30. Cavern Club Theater, in Casita Del Campo, 1920 Hyperion Av, Silver Lake, (323) 969-2530. Cavernclubtheater.com. Thur-Wed: Call for info. Comedy & Magic Club, 1018 Hermosa Av, Hermosa Beach, (310) 372-1193. Comedyandmagicclub.com. Call for showtimes. Thur: Jo Koy. In Live At the Lounge: 3 Blonde Moms, 7:30. Fri-Sat: Jo Koy. Sun: Jay Leno, Jim Brogan. Tue-Wed: Ty Barnett. Comedy Central Stage, at the Hudson Theater, 6539 Santa Monica Bl, Hollywood, (323) 960-5519. Comedycentral.com/comedians/ccstage. Shows at 8. Thur: Sit n’ Spin. Comedy Store, 8433 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (323) 656-6225. Thecomedystore.com. Three stages: The Main Room Thur: “Latinas Don’t PMS” Benefit for East LA Women’s Center, 8. Fri: Cathy Lewis and Vargus Mason, 8:30. Sat: The Best of The Store, 9. Tue: Trippin on Tuesday, 8:30. The Belly Room Thur: Crack ’em up Thursdays, 9. Fri: Comedy Store Presents, 8:45. Sat: Cathy Lewis & Vargus Mason, 8. Sun: Adam Barnhardt’s Comedy Revival, 8. Mon: The Ding Dong Show with Don Barris, 9. Tue: Crazee Cindy’s Comedy Show, 8. Wed: Deez Nutz Show, 8. The Original Room Thur-Fri: 16 Comics, 9. Sat: 13 Comics, 9. Sun-Mon: Potluck, 7. Tue-Wed: 16 Comics, 9. The Comedy Union, 5040 Pico Bl, West L.A., (323) 934-9300. Thecomedyunion.com. Thur: Montreal Comedy Festival, 9. Fri: CU Fridays, 10. Sat: Super Saturdayz, 8 & 10. Mon: Michael Colyar Show, 9. Tue: An Evening at the Union, 9. Wed: An Evening At the Union, 9. The Empty Stage Theater, 2372 Veteran Av, West L.A., (310) 4703560. Emptystage.com. Fri: Being Humans, 8; POP! 9; Vodka and Doughnuts, 10. Sat: The Waterbrains, 8; The Transformers, 9; The Fortune Room, 10. Sun: Cheerios In My Underwear, 3; Sketchatorium, 9. The Fake Gallery, 4319 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 644-4946. Fakedotcom.com. Thur: Andrew Love in Love Mania, 9. Fri: Calavera Comedy. Sat: The 2nd Annual Mother of a Slideshow! 8. Groundlings Theatre, 7307 Melrose Av, L.A., (323) 934-9700. Groundlings.com. Thur: Cooking with Gas, 8. Fri: Untitled, 8; Completely Different Late Show, 10. Sat: Untitled, 8 & 10. Sun: Sunday and the Bandit, 7:30. Wed: The Crazy Uncle Joe Show, 8. Ha Ha Café Comedy Club, 5010 Lankershim Bl, North Hollywood, (818) 508-4995. Hahacafe.com. Thur: Haha Happens Every Thursday, 9 a.m. Fri: Friday All Star Show, 9. Sat: Latino All Star Comedy, 9. Sun: Sunday Night Show, 9. Mon: Hahallywood Mondays, 8:45. Tue: Tuesday Funnies, 8:45. Wed: Chuckle Wednesdays, 8:45. The Improv, 8162 Melrose Av, Hollywood, (323) 651-2583. Improv.com. Thur: Open Mic, 7; K. Crew’s Memorial Mayhem, 8; Happy Hour with Aaron Karo, 10. Fri: Todd Glass, 8; Richard Villa’s Refried Fridays, 10. Sat: Todd Glass, 8 & 10; Sex, Stand Up & Rock N Roll with Phil Varone, midnight. Sun: Stand Up with Has, 5; Rebels of Comedy, 8; Heavy Hitters of Comedy, 10. Mon: Mo Betta’ Monday, 8. Tue: The Happy Show with Chelsea Handler, 8. Wed: Pretty Funny Women, 8; Comedy Juice, 10. Improv Olympic West, 6366 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 9627560. Iowest.com. Two stages: The Main Stage Thur: Dana and Julia, 8; Convoy, God Squad, 9; Quartet, 10; Cagematch, 11. Fri: Turtle Love, Blount and Wilder, 8; Opening Night: The Musical, 9; Friday Forty, 10; Title IX, Lunch with the Girls, 11. Sat: 313, 8; Beer Shark Men, 9; The Red Shirt Freshmen, 10; Arturo’s Fish, 11. Sun: Turtle Love, Blount and Wilder, 7; Sunday Royale, 8; Cog, 9; Big News, 10; Open Mic Stand Up, 11. Mon: Supermodel, Tigerpants, 8; Armando, 9; Lottery, 10; Afternoon Delight, Lusty Horde, 11. Tue: DJ Scrappy and The Fun Gang, Dr. God, 8; The Cast of MadTV, 9; Powerhouse, Sweetness, 10; Job Fair, Havercamps, 11. Wed: M.I., Pretty Please, 8; 8 PM Winner of 5/16 vs. 9 PM Winner of 5/16, 9; Trophy Wife, King Ten, 10. Andy Dick Black Box Thur: Student Cagematch, 10. Fri: The Network, FMB, 8; My First Time with Cacky, 3 Piece Suit, 9; Mafia Front, The Ox, 10. Sat: Level 1, 8; Level 6, 9; Junior Varsity, Mud Hen, 10; School Nite, New Team, 11. Sun: Level 4, 6:30; Americanada, Splicer, Zabeth & Jackie, Do It Now, The Social, 9. Mon: iGroup, 10:30. Tue: Student Harolds, 10:30. Wed: Cooter, Mind Spy, 10:30. Laugh Factory, 8001 Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 656-1336. Laughfactory.com. Thur: Sultans of Satire, 8; College Night, 10. Fri-Sat: All-Star Comedy, 8 & 10; Midnight Madness, midnight. Sun: Chocolate Sundaes, 8 & 10. Mon: Latino Night, 8. Tue: Open Mic, 6:30; Bob Saget’s Young Angels, 8; Life of the Party with Jay Davis. The Second City Studio Theatre, 6560 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 646-8542. Secondcity.com. Thur: Seeley Level 5 Preview, 8; Kuhlman Level 5 Preview, 9; Leggett Level 5 Preview, 10. Fri: Meat-ish Sweet Balls, 8; Tiny Riot, 9; Extended Summer, 10. Sat: Unhinged with Razowsky, 8; Edmund Serves Coffee: An Alumni Invitational, 9:30, Improv Jam, 11. Sun: Level 4 Student Shows, 4:30; Level 5 Student Shows, 7. Tue: Soiree Tuesday, 8. Wed: Detention Hall, 7; Your Wednesday Night 4cast, 8. Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre, 5919 Franklin Av, Hollywood, (323) 908-8702. Ucbtheater.com. Thur: Three Companeros, Five Years in Amsterdam, 8; The Pages with Jessi Klein and Jessica Chaffin, 9:30; Deep Focus: Improvised Movie! 11. Fri: Mo vs. Mo, 8; Waste of Space, 9:30; the Benson Interruption, 11. Sat: ASSSSCAT, 8; Seth and Ed’s Puppet Talk Show, 10; The Dirtiest Sketch in LA Contest, midnight. Sun: ASSSSCAT, 7:30; Jeff Garlin’s Combo Platter, 9:30. Mon: Cabbages & Kings, Last Day of School, 8; Gravy, MacGuffin, 9:30; Long Hard Improv Jam, 11. Tue: Comedy Death-Ray, 8:30; See You Next Tuesday, 10:30. Wed: Naked Babies, 8; MySpace, 9:30; Cagematch, 11. Westside Eclectic Comedy Theater, located in the alley between Third and Fourth Sts at Arizona Av, Santa Monica, (310) 451-0850. West-

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Affaire in the Gardens. See 7 Days in L.A. Maxwell Boas. Monday Noticed. New urban paintings. LittleBird Gallery, 3195 Glendale Bl, L.A, (323) 662-1092. Littlebirdgallery.com. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 8. Joyce Campbell. L.A. Botanical. On-going project maps utilitarian plants growing in L.A. Gallery 727, 727 S Spring St, downtown L.A., (213) 627-9563. G727.org. Opening reception Fri 7-10. Closes June 23. Glen C. Davies. Museum of Mystery. Paintings reflect on spiritual conflict, grotesque figural fantasies, and enlightenment. La Luz de Jesus Gallery, 4633 Hollywood Bl, L.A., (323) 666-7667. Opening reception Fri 8-11. Closes May 27. Despite The Light. Six artists reflect on the possibility of real and imagined voids. The Balmoral, 1522 Abbott Kinney Bl, Venice, (310) 392-3635. Gallerybalmoral.com. Opening reception Sat 6-8. Closes June 23. Distinctive Messengers. New works from emerging artists. House of Campari, 405 N Robertson Bl, West Hollywood, (323) 208-3511. CampariUSA.com. Opens Sat. Closes June 10. Emergent + Buro Happold. The Dragonfly. Installation of dragonfly explores the relationship between form and structure. SCI-Arc Library, 960 E Third St, downtown L.A., (213) 613-2200. Sciarc.edu. Opening reception Fri 6-8. Closes July 8. Family Perspectives. Ten L.A.-based photographers define family. Café Bolivar, 1741 Ocean Park Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 581-2344. Myspace.com/familyperspectives. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 29. Evah Fan. Performance Art. New gouache-on-paper and collage work. In the Annex, Sixspace, 5803 Washington Bl, Culver City, (323) 932-6200. Sixspace.com. Opening reception Sat 6-9. Closes June 16. Fart Basel. Group show features paintings and sculpture. Fluxco, 2042 Bay St, L.A., (213) 239-4620. Opening reception Sat 8-10. Call for closing date. Mark Hobley. Pure Gold. New paintings layer icons and bright colors. Applegate Gallery, 3101-A Main St, Santa Monica, (310) 396-7600. Applegategallery.com. Opening reception Sat 7-11. Call for closing date. I Don’t Do Nature. Group show features paintings, films, and floor sculptures. 1301PE, 6150 Wilshire

Bl, L.A., (323) 938-5822. 1301PE.com. Opening reception Thur 5-7. Closes July. Immaterial Assemblies. Group show explores themes of gathering and displacement. Junc Gallery, 4017 Sunset Bl, L.A., (213) 814-2640. Juncgallery.com. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 23. Intersection. Art installation project. Moorpark St & Tujunga Av, Studio City. Centerartseaglerock.org. Opening reception Sat 3-6 at Jennifer’s Coffee, 4397 Tujunga Av, Studio City, (818) 769-3622. Closes June 16. Steve Joester. Mixed media art features iconic rock images. Mr. Musichead Rock Art Gallery, 7511 W Sunset Bl, Hollywood, (323) 876-0042. Mrmusichead.com. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 10. Just Words. Three contemporary Chinese artists explore language, texts and books. Morono Kiang Gallery, 218 W Third St (in the Bradbury Building), downtown L.A., (213) 628-8208. Moronokiang.com. Opening reception Sat 6-8. Closes June 30. Anna Kim. A Hymn for World Peace. Exhibit highlights an interactive kinetic sculpture installation. Dangerous Curve, 1020 E Fourth Place, L.A. (213) 6178483. Dangerouscurve.org. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 23. Scott McFarland. Works On Paper. 13 inkjet photographs of artist’s travels. Regen Projects, 633 N Almont Dr, L.A., (310) 276-5424. Regenprojects.com. Opening reception Sat 6-8. Closes June 30. $coundrels. Group show features drawings inspired by American business scandals. The Venice Contemporary, 12222 Venice Bl, Venice. Thevenicecontemporary.com. Opening reception Sat 7-11. Closes June 10. Terrell Moore. Eye Candy. New collages. Klapper Gallery, 8759 Beverly Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 6526552. Klappergallery.com. Opening reception Thur 6-9. Closes June 30. Dave Naz. Candids. Contemporary photographs. Todd/Browning Gallery, 523 N Fairfax Av, L.A., (323) 782-9766. Toddbrowning.com. Opening reception Sat at 7. Closes June 24. A Night View Collaboration. Local graffiti artists adorn the first 360 degree panoramic photograph of L.A. at night, captured by Helen K Garber. Venice Art Walk, Fence at Westminster School, 1010 Abbott Kinney Bl, Venice, (310) 392-4272. Helenkgarber.com. Sun only, 11 a.m.-4. Phantom Galleries Reception. Multimedia work from AMP artists, plus live music and poetry. Phantom Galleries, 680 E Colorado Bl, Pasadena, (213) 626-2854. Phantomgalleriesla.com. Sat only, 7-10. Ragnar. Lexiconic. New paintings bring background embellishments to the forefront. Van Eaton Galleries, 13613 Ventura Bl, Sherman Oaks, (818) 788-2357. Vegalleries.com. Opening reception Sat at 6. Closing date: Call for info. Arnulf Rainer. Hyper-Graphics. Exhibit highlights artist’s poster designs for his exhibitions since 1951. MAK Center, 823 N Kings Rd, West Hollywood, (323) 651-1510. Makcenter.org. Opens Thur. Closes Aug 26. Billy Reynolds. Peristalsis. Distorted figures reveal the inner workings of the human body. Black Maria

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Gallery, 3137 Glendale Bl, L.A., (323) 660-9393. Blackmariagallery.com. Opening reception Sat 710:30. Closes June 10. Something Good to Look At. Group show features two-dimensional works that incorporate collage, painting, and drawing. Center for the Arts, 2225 Colorado Bl, Eagle Rock, (323) 226-1617. Centerartseaglerock.org. Opening reception Fri 6-9. Closes June 29. Splat! New work from seven Westside artists. Benway Music, 306 Pico Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 3968898. Myspace.com/benwayrecords. Sat only, at 6. Mike Stilkey. Horse Stories. New paintings and book sculptures. BLK/MRKT Gallery, 6009 Washington Bl, Culver City, (310) 837-1989. Blkmrktgallery.com. Opening reception Sat 7-10. Closes June 16. Don Suggs. Concentric. Recent paintings and sculptures inspired by the circle. LA Louver, 45 N Venice Bl, Venice, (310) 821-7529. Lalouver.com. Opening reception Sat 6-8. Closes June 16. Taste. Over 100 artworks in live and silent auctions. Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions (LACE), 6522 Hollywood Bl, L.A., (323) 957-1777. Welcometolace.org. Sat only, at 7. Karin Weiner. So Many Daunting New Complexities. New collages, plus a large-scale tornado installation. Sixspace, 5803 Washington Bl, Culver City, (323) 932-6200. Sixspace.com. Opening reception Sat 6-9. Closes June 16. George Yu Architects. Honda Advanced Design Center. Exhibit documents the design process and completion of the new Honda Advanced Design Center in Pasadena, California. SCI-Arc Library, 960 E Third St, downtown L.A., (213) 613-2200. Sciarc.edu. Opening reception Fri 6-8. Closes July 8. –Ana La O’

READINGS, ETC. Alternative Building Materials & Design Expo. Over 100 exhibitors present “green” design materials and ideas. Santa Monica Air Center (Barker Hangar), 3021 Airport Av, Santa Monica. Altbuildexpo.com. Sat 11 a.m.-5. Nassim Assefi. Author signs Aria. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 4766263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Mon at 7. Peter Atkins, Richard Grove, Beverly Randolph. Screenwriter Atkins and actors Grove and Randolph are joined by other horror celebrities for signing. Dark Delicacies, 4213 W Burbank Bl, Burbank, (818) 556-6660. Darkdel.com. Sat at 7. Beauty, Health and Vibrational Healing. Author and energy coach Aleta St. James and esthetician Anna Marie Colavito offer beauty treatments and nutritional snacks. The Tea Garden, 9001 Beverly Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 822-1947. Goddessrepairshop.com. Tue 4-8. Max Benavidez, Gronk. Author Benavidez and artists Gronk present and sign Gronk. Book Soup, 8818 Sunset Bl, West Hollywood, (310) 659-3110. Booksoup.com. Fri at 7. Lynda Benglis. Artist lectures. Billy Wilder Theater, Hammer Museum, 10899 Wilshire Bl, L.A., (310) 443-7000. Hammer.ucla.edu. Thur at 7. Edward Bosley. Director of the Gamble House discusses the personal library of architect Charles Greene. Los Felix Branch of the Los Angeles Public Library, 1874 Hillhurst Av, Los Feliz, (323) 913-4710. Thur at 6:45. Breaking Into the Box. Emmy award winning and nominated writers lead seminar on TV careers and production. The Writers Guild Foundation, 7000 W Third St, L.A., (323) 782-4692. Sat: Call for time. Bill Bryan. TV writer and producer signs Keep It Real. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 476-6263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Fri at 7. Cecil Castellucci. Author launches Beige and Plain Janes. Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Av, L.A., (323) 660-1175. Skylightbooks.com. Sat at 5. Lee Child. Author discusses and signs Bad Luck & Trouble. Mysteries to Die For, 2940 Thousand Oak Bl, Thousand Oaks, (805) 374-0084. Thur at 1. Also Thur at 7 at Borders Books and Music, 3700 Torrance Bl, Torrance, (310) 540-7000. Community Greening Workshop. Workshop provides tools and support for greening your community. San Pedro. For address register at (818) 6234878. Treepeople.org. Sat 8:45 a.m.-3. Jim Crace. Author of The Pest House in conversation with David L. Ulin, Los Angeles Times Book Review Editor. ALOUD, Mark Taper Auditorium at Central Librar y, corner of Fifth and Flower streets, downtown L.A., (213) 228-7025. Aloudla.org. Wed at 7. Mollie Culligan. Author signs and launches Ninja Chick. Farmani Photography Gallery, 844 S Robertson Bl, L.A., (323) 461-4794. Ninjachick.com. Thur 8-10. Meghan Daum. Author and other contributors sign Altered. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 476-6263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Wed at 7. Nathan Englander. Author of Ministry of Special Cases in conversation with writer and producer Tom Teicholz. ALOUD, Mark Taper Auditorium at Central Library, corner of Fifth and Flower streets, downtown L.A., (213) 228-7025. Aloudla.org. Mon at 7. Environmental Issues Lectures Series. SMC presents SMC, Transportation Issues and Our Environmental Audit. Room 123, Santa Monica College Bundy Campus, 3171 S Bundy Dr, Santa Monica, (310) 434-4743. Events.smc.edu/environmental.html. Wed at 6. John Farris. Author signs You Don’t Scare Me. Dark Delicacies, 4213 W Burbank Bl, Burbank, (818) 556-6660. Darkdel.com. Sat at 2. Feed Your Brain Lecture Series. Associate editor of Free Inquiry Magazine presents Up from Atheism: Humanism and the War of Ideas. The Center for Inquiry-West, 4773 Hollywood Bl, Hollywood, (323) 666-

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‘No Strings’ Reprise! offers a rare opportunity to experience this 1962 musical, for which Richard Rodgers wrote the lyrics as well as the music, in his first show since the 1960 death of his longtime partner Oscar Hammerstein II. It depicts a bittersweet romance in France between two expatriate Americans, a blocked writer (Scott Bakula) and a glamorous model (Sophina Brown). He’s white, she’s apparently black – although the interracial angle remains subtextual. The stars have chemistry, and Bets Malone and Ruth Williamson bring plenty of verve to Kay Cole’s staging in supporting roles. The score has several worthwhile moments beyond its one familiar song, “The Sweetest Sounds.”

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• 30-minute/$30.00 Chick Flick Facial (save $15) • Chair massages by De'lea Davis - $10/10-minute • The Board Room @ The Florence: a lovely boutique shop. • Barbara Walden Cosmetics • Festival of Desserts • Community Potluck

–Don Shirley UCLA Freud Playhouse, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood, (310) 825-2101. Reprise.org. Thur.-Fri. at 8 p.m. Closes May 18.

9797. Cfiwest.org. Sun at 11 a.m. Also Sun at 4:30, Costa Mesa Community Center, 1845 Park Av, Costa Mesa. Chris Finan. Author signs From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot ACT: A Histor y of the Fight for Free Speech in America. Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Av, L.A., (323) 660-1175. Skylightbooks.com. Thur at 7:30. Food Addicts In Recovery Anonymous Information Session. Information session on eating disorders. First United Church of Santa Monica, 1008 11th St, Santa Monica, (800) 600-6028. Foodaddicts.com. Sat 11:30 a.m.-12:30. From Isaac to Iphigenia: Human Sacrifice in Antiquity. UCLA archeologist Sarah Morris discusses archeological evidence for the offering of human victims in ancient Mediterranean cultures. Getty Villa, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, L.A., (310) 440-7300. Getty.edu. Thur at 8. Garden of Brokeness. Artist Lauren Bon and Farmlab Team members discuss Garden of Brokenness. Farm Lab, 1745 N Spring St, L.A., (323) 226-1158. Farmlab.org. Fri at noon. Mitch Golant, Kim Thiboldeauz. Authors sign The Total Cancer Wellness Guide. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 4766263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Thur at 7. Myriam Gurba. Author presents Dahlia Season: Stories & a Novella (Future Tense). Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Av, L.A., (323) 660-1175. Skylightbooks.com. Tue at 7:30. Health Wealth Planet. Founder of Amazon Herb Company leads seminars on Amazon herbs and financial planning. Temescal Gateway Park, Stewart Hall, 15601 Sunset Bl, Pacific Palisades, (310) 980-0960. Amazonherbtour.com. Sun 2-5. Human Sacrifice: Myth, Reality and Representation. Discussion of the history of human sacrifice in the ancient Mediterranean World. Getty Villa, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, L.A., (310) 440-7300. Getty.edu. Fri 8:30 a.m.-6. Imagination or Reality? Fantastical Beasts in Medieval Art and Thought. Associate curator Elizabeth Morrison discusses the role of fantastic animals in the Middle Ages. Harold M. Williams Auditorium, Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Dr, L.A., (310) 440-7300. Getty.edu. Thur at 7. Keeping Joy In The Relationship With Your Adult Children. Parenting seminar. The Woodland Hills Library, 22200 Ventura Bl, Woodland Hills, (818) 2260017. Sat 10:30 a.m.-12:30. LAMBDA Literary Awards Authors. LAMBA award finalists read LGBT-themed literature. Skylight Books, 1818 N Vermont Av, L.A., (323) 660-1175. Skylightbooks.com. Fri at 7:30. Los Angeles Old-Time Social. Live music performances, square dance, and cabaret. Tropico De Nopal Gallery Art Space, 1665 Beverly Bl, L.A. Tropicodenopal.com. Fri at 8. Also Sat at 6 at Farmlab, 1745 Spring St #4, downtown L.A. Farmlab.org. The Malcolm X Arts, Culture and Education Festival. Music, performances, sports and workshops celebrate Black culture and the legacy of Malcolm X. Audubon Middle School, 4120 11th St, L.A., (323) 446-7151. Malcolmxfestivalonline.com. SatSun noon-7. Marina Del Rey Boat Show. Boat exhibition and sale. Burton Chace Park, Marina Del Rey, (949) 7575959. Marinadelreyboatshow. Thur-Fri 11 a.m.-7; Sun 10 a.m.-6. Ruben Molina. Author presents The Old Barrio Guide to Low Rider Music, 1950-1975. Memorial Branch Library, 4625 W Olympic Bl, L.A., (323) 938-2732. Lapl.org. Mon at 6:30.

Lucy Florence

Indulge yourself in Leimert Park!

Manuel Muñoz, Helena María Viramontes. California-born writers present Telling Stories that Matter: A Conversation. ALOUD, Mark Taper Auditorium at Central Library, corner of Fifth and Flower streets, downtown L.A., (213) 228-7025. Aloudla.org. Tue at 7. Charles Phoenix. Histotainer leads “Disneyland” tour of downtown L.A. Union Station, 800 N Alameda St, downtown L.A., (866) 754-3374. Charlesphoenix.com. Sun noon-6. The Plant Doctor Is In. Gardening event features expert advice from horticulturalists and designers. Wall Disney Concert Hall Garden, 135 N Grand Av, downtown L.A., (213) 972-7211. Musiccenter.org. Sat noon- 4. The Playwright’s Round Table: Why Write for the Theater in Tinseltown. Nationally produced playwrights discuss the art of writing plays and the state of theater in Los Angeles. Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Av, Culver City, (877) 7997483. Iwosc.org. Mon 7:30-9. Renal Considerations in HIV+ Patients. Seminar for HIV/AIDS patients aged 50+. Acapulco Restaurant, 385 N La Cienega Bl, West Hollywood, (888) 2088081. Wed 7-9. The Santa Monica Festival. Festival features waste recycling plan, fashion work shop, and live music. Clover Park, 2600 Ocean Park Bl, Santa Monica, (310) 458-8350. Arts.santa-monica.org. Sun 10 a.m.5:30. The Spring Enchantment Faire. Vendors, entertainers and presentations on the supernatural and metaphysical. The Queen Mary, 1126 Queen's Highway, Long Beach, (562) 435-3511. Queenmary.com. Sun 10 a.m.-6. Staging Your Own Words: How to Produce Your Own Play. Playwright Art Schulman discusses play production. Veterans Memorial Building, 4117 Overland Av, Culver City, (877) 799-7483. Iwosc.org. Sat 10:30 a.m.-1:30. Topanga Banjo Fiddle Contest. Live folk music performances plus dancing and crafts. Paramount Ranch, Agoura Hills, California, Topangabanjofiddle.org. Sun 9 a.m.-6. Turning Music into Money. Seminar focuses on how musicians make a living. Ken Edwards Center, 1527 Fourth St, Santa Monica, (310) 998-5590. Calawyersforthearts.org. Wed 7-8:30. Sara Voorhees. Author signs The Lumiere Affair: A Novel of Cannes. Borders Books and Music, 10250 Santa Monica Bl, Century City, (310) 552-1411. Tue at 7. Antoine Wilson. Author signs The Interloper. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 476-6263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Tue at 7. Loren Woodson. Author signs The Passion of Maryam. Dutton’s Brentwood Books, 11975 San Vicente Bl, Brentwood, (310) 476-6263. Duttonsbrentwood.com. Sun at 2. You Wouldn’t Believe It Unless You Were There: The Challenges of the Feminist Experience. Four artists share their personal histories with the feminist movement. Gallery 825, 825 N La Cienega Bl, L.A., (310) 652-8272. Sat 11 a.m.-1. –Ana La O’

U U U MAY 17~23, 2007

For information on shows, booking, etc., contact Mike.

Cultural Center

3351 43rd. St. @ Degnan Los Angeles (323) 293-1356 • www.lucyflorence.com

Harry Perry Band Birthday Party! JUNE 16TH

Joe Finley Band Whisky Saints Birdfish Fred Music • She Knew

9015 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood

Every Monday Night Open Mic MAY 24TH

5/21

whisky 5/29

whisky

animosity as blood runs black the faceless mongoloid beneath the massacre WEATHER BOX fate by fire • plaque of existence straight to vengeance • burning the masses YOUR SOMBER GHOST 5/31

whisky

6/3

Gregg Buchwalter (of the Out Patients)

Product

whisky

fiore

a skylit drive IN HITCHCOCK FASHION CONGRATULATIONS YOUR DEAD 6/21

whisky

daath with passion warbringer darksun soulbleed • goric i eat your skin mortified

6/25

6/18

royden the waiting hurt esme 8/7

whisky

DIECAST LOTUS DAWN whisky

doro rattlehead rusty eye chaos blade LOTUS dawn

whisky

7/20 whisky exodus IN THIS MOMENT warbringer ANKLA wor horse bonded by blood NEEDLEMOUTH FLATLINE dyer D’EVOLUTION detonator hatefx schizofrenic inferno ENDRONE

For booking and info call (310) 360-1110 tickets available through:

CITYBEAT

6714 Hollywood Blvd

Every Wednesday Night Open Mic Every Thursday Night

GuitaristaXX Gary Myrick Victor Bisetti & Louis Deleon

Featuring

whisky 6/20

ALL AGES

City Lights Addiction Avocado St.

MAY 25TH

Lizzy Williams Whiskey Circus MAY 26TH Filming a Movie called:

“The Making of an Underground Rock Album”

MICHAEL LAMONT

ROCK CRITIC’S CHOICE

✭ ✭ ✭

hydroponics earth friendly, water-wise

✭ ✭ ✭

818.780.5525

www.hollywoodconcerts.com

Now Featuring

8901 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood

MAY 20th 901 W. Victoria #D ~ Compton Warehouse District

www.GGOrganics.com

(310) 632-0122

1 Block South of 91 at Wilmington, Wilmington & Victoria (190th) ~ SCOTT BAKULA & SOPHINA BROW ~

4th Sundays Chick Flick Fest & Community Potluck Hosted by Lucy Florence & Warm Spirit Angels in Motion

6 to 8 Hours of Chick Flicks - $5.00 • Warm Spirit Chick Flick Foot Fest - $16: Includes a take home mini-pedicure kit.

–Don Shirley UCLA Freud Playhouse, 405 Hilgard Ave., Westwood, (310) 825-2101. Reprise.org. Thur.-Fri. at 8 p.m. Closes May 18.

Lucy Florence

Indulge yourself in Leimert Park!

U U U MAY 17~23, 2007

For information on shows, booking, etc., contact Mike.

Cultural Center

3351 43rd. St. @ Degnan Los Angeles (323) 293-1356 • www.lucyflorence.com

Harry Perry Band Birthday Party! JUNE 16TH

Joe Finley Band Whisky Saints Birdfish Fred Music • She Knew

9015 W. Sunset Blvd., W. Hollywood

Every Monday Night Open Mic MAY 24TH

5/21

whisky 5/29

whisky

animosity as blood runs black the faceless mongoloid beneath the massacre WEATHER BOX fate by fire • plaque of existence straight to vengeance • burning the masses YOUR SOMBER GHOST 5/31

whisky

6/3

Gregg Buchwalter (of the Out Patients)

Product

whisky

fiore

a skylit drive IN HITCHCOCK FASHION CONGRATULATIONS YOUR DEAD 6/21

whisky

daath with passion warbringer darksun soulbleed • goric i eat your skin mortified

6/25

6/18

royden the waiting hurt esme 8/7

whisky

DIECAST LOTUS DAWN whisky

doro rattlehead rusty eye chaos blade LOTUS dawn

whisky

7/20 whisky exodus IN THIS MOMENT warbringer ANKLA wor horse bonded by blood NEEDLEMOUTH FLATLINE dyer D’EVOLUTION detonator hatefx schizofrenic inferno ENDRONE

For booking and info call (310) 360-1110 tickets available through:

CITYBEAT

6714 Hollywood Blvd

Every Wednesday Night Open Mic Every Thursday Night

GuitaristaXX Gary Myrick Victor Bisetti & Louis Deleon

Featuring

whisky 6/20

ALL AGES

City Lights Addiction Avocado St.

MAY 25TH

Lizzy Williams Whiskey Circus MAY 26TH Filming a Movie called:

“The Making of an Underground Rock Album”

TURN YOUR DAY AROUND! GENTLEMENS

CLUB Off 405 FWY 3 Exits North of 101, exit Sherman Way (West)

TOTALLY NUDE GIRLS Every Sunday 1/2 Price Lap Dances $10 Topless/$20 Nude *with every paid admission & this ad!!

ALL DAY-ALL NIGHT!*

LAP DANCE 15140 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks

15832 STAGG ST. VAN NUYS 818.902.1122 • 818.902.1141 HOURS: M-TH 11AM-2AM FRI/SAT 11AM-4AM SUN 3PM-2AM

L.A.’S FIRST UPSCALE EASTSIDE MAGAZINE DEBUTS JUNE 1ST Direct-Mailed to households of distinction in the following areas:

• Miracle Mile • Silver Lake • Hancock Park • Downtown • Echo Park • Hollywood • Los Feliz • Atwater

You can also pick up a FREE copy of NEW ANGELES MONTHLY at more than 250 Locations throughout Downtown LA!

For more info call 323.938.1700 or visit www.NewAngelesMonthly.com CITYBEAT

l MAY 17~23, 2007

www.bertsmegamall.com

Your Boating & Personal Watercraft Headquarters!

AR210

AR210 High Output

Big air, low cost. Your season pass to watersports. Starting at $30,799

Performance and watersports enthusiasts: This is your new boat. Starting at $37,999

Don’t Miss Out On Your Family Time & Your Family Memories

SR210

YAMAHA OFFER

Your entry into the boating lifestyle. Starting at $27,299

as low as FUN FEST 2007 .99% As low as 6.99% APR APR an $0 down on all for the life New Yamaha Boats!* of the loan

SR230 High Output Customize our flagship to meet your boating needs. Starting at $32,999

SX210

SX230 High Output

The award-winning, full-featured affordable family boat. Starting at $29,299

The ultimate combination of luxury, performance and comfort. Starting at $35,999

The Largest Selection of 2 & 3 Seater Yamaha PWC in SoCal!

VX Deluxe

FX Cruiser

The best value high-performance four-stroke. Starting at $9,699

Most affordable four-stroke PWC. Starting at $7,399

The best-selling, fully-featured PWC. Starting at $7,999

The comfort your family deserves at a price you’ll love. Starting at $10,499

The 2007s Are Here!

GP1300R A legacy of World Championships. Starting at $9,499

Monday-Friday • 10am-8pm Saturday • 9am-8pm Sunday • 10am-7pm

We Can Finance You!

1.626.974.6600 1151 N. AZUSA AVE., COVINA, CA

www.bertsmegamall.com

*Offer subject to credit approval. Applies to purchases of any new Yamaha Sport Boat made on a Yamaha Installment Financing loan account from 4/5/07 to 6/4/07. Maximum contract length is 144 months or 180 months based on credit approval criteria. Minimum amount financed is $10,000. Fixed APR of 6.99%, 7.99%, 8.99%,10.99%, or 15.99% will be assigned based on credit approval criteria. $0 down to qualified customers. Standard down payment requirement is $0 to 10% of amount financed based on credit approval criteria. ©2007 Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA. Follow instructional materials and obey all laws. Drive responsibly, wearing protective apparel. Always drive within your capabilities, allowing time and distance for maneuvers, and respect others around you. Don’t drink and drive. For more information, visit yamaha-motor.com.

MAY 17~23, 2007,

l CITYBEAT

www.bertsmegamall.com

CRUISER HEADQUARTERS! Come See California’s Largest Motorcycle Dealer On Over 9 Acres Of Land! Seeing Is Believing!

Yamaha Financing Avl. O.A.C.

Trades Welcome!

Open Seven Days!!

CRUSIERS ‘07 Royal Star Tour Deluxe

‘07 Road Star Silverado

MSR 14,29P9

‘07 V-Star 1300

‘07 Roadliner Midnight

‘07 V-Star 1300 Tourer

MSR 13,88P0

‘07 Stratoliner S

‘07 V-Star 1100 Classic

MSR 11,19P0

‘07 V-Star 650 Silverado

MSR 13,09P9

MSR 10,09P0

‘07 Roadliner S

MSR 16,58P0

MSR 11,59P9

‘07 Road Star Midnight

MSRP 7,299

‘07 Road Star

MSR 14,78P0

‘07 Stratoliner Midnight

‘07 YZF-R6

‘07 FZ1

MSRP 9,299

‘06 V-Star Midnight Custom

MSRP 9,199

MSRP $8,399

‘07 YZF-600R

MSRP 7,099

‘07 FZ6

MSR 13,79P9

‘07 JR 1300AE

‘07 YZF-R6S

MSRP 6,849

SPORT CRUSIERS ‘07 FJR 1300

MS 12,09R9P

MSR 11,39P9

MSR 15,48P0

DEAL OF THE WEEK!

SPORT BIKES ‘07 YZF-R1

MSRP 8,899

MSR 15,99P9

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MSRP 8,299

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‘07 Morphous

MSRP 5,199

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MSRP 1,899

• 10 Freeway • Exit Azusa Ave. • Go East • 4 miles on the Left •

1.626.974.6600 1151 N. AZUSA AVE., COVINA, CA

www.bertsmegamall.com *Photos are for illustration purposes only. All prices plus tax, lic & applicable fees. California requires liability insurance. All advertised prices plus government fees & taxes, any finance charges, and any dealer document preparation ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, AND NEVER USE THE STREET AS A RACE TRACK. OBEY THE LAW AND READ YOUR OWNERS MANUAL THOROUGHLY.For rider training g information or to locate a rider training course near you, call the Motorcycle Safety Foundation at 1-800-446-9227. ©2007 Yamaha Motor Co., Inc.

CITYBEAT

l MAY 17~23, 2007

www.bertsmegamall.com

Your Boating & Personal Watercraft Headquarters!

AR210

AR210 High Output

Big air, low cost. Your season pass to watersports. Starting at $30,799

Performance and watersports enthusiasts: This is your new boat. Starting at $37,999

Don’t Miss Out On Your Family Time & Your Family Memories

SR210

YAMAHA OFFER

Your entry into the boating lifestyle. Starting at $27,299

as low as FUN FEST 2007 .99% As low as 6.99% APR APR an $0 down on all for the life New Yamaha Boats!* of the loan

SR230 High Output Customize our flagship to meet your boating needs. Starting at $32,999

SX210

SX230 High Output

The award-winning, full-featured affordable family boat. Starting at $29,299

The ultimate combination of luxury, performance and comfort. Starting at $35,999

The Largest Selection of 2 & 3 Seater Yamaha PWC in SoCal!

VX Deluxe

FX Cruiser

The best value high-performance four-stroke. Starting at $9,699

Most affordable four-stroke PWC. Starting at $7,399

The best-selling, fully-featured PWC. Starting at $7,999

The comfort your family deserves at a price you’ll love. Starting at $10,499

The 2007s Are Here!

GP1300R A legacy of World Championships. Starting at $9,499

Monday-Friday • 10am-8pm Saturday • 9am-8pm Sunday • 10am-7pm

We Can Finance You!

1.626.974.6600 1151 N. AZUSA AVE., COVINA, CA

www.bertsmegamall.com

MAY 17~23, 2007,

l CITYBEAT

CITYBEAT

l MAY 17~23, 2007