09-13-10

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LOS ANGELES

DOWNTOWN

NEWS

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Cleantech bids, mural restoration, and other happenings Around Town.

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The readers have their say on El Pueblo and development reform.

W W W. D O W N T O W N N E W S . C O M

September 13, 2010

Volume 39, Number 37

INSIDE

Holiday Parties & Catering

Arts High School, Take Two photo by Gary Leonard

Much Has Changed, Including the Principal, at the $232 Million Downtown Campus

Next steps for the Regional Connector.

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PICK THE

PROS Show off your football-picking skills.

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After a first year that included both stumbles and progress, the keys to the $232 million arts high school have been handed to new Local District Supt. Dale Vigil (right) and principal Luis Lopez.

Famous Downtown film locations.

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by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

F The skaters have their day.

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rom the outside, it seems the $232 million High School for the Visual and Performing Arts can’t quite find its footing. Its gestation was marred by political controversy and conflict. Designs were created then vastly reworked. The first two people offered the job of

principal turned it down. When the school finally opened last year, it was only after the Los Angeles Unified School District won a bitter, protracted battle for control of the campus over a group who felt it should be a charter school. When principal Suzanne Blake took over, she told Los Angeles Downtown News that she was shoving the school’s various controversies to the

side: “Leave me alone,” she said, voicing her message to district administrators and other stakeholders in the campus. “Stop fighting… Give me the autonomy to do this.” It turns out, the trouble hasn’t stopped. When students return to the sleek, steel-encased school on Sept. 13, they’ll be greeted by a new principal. Blake see High School, page 12

Keeping His Lens on the Dodgers Jon SooHoo Hits a Quarter Century of Photographing Los Angeles’ Baseball Team

A new look at ‘The Glass Menagerie.’

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27 CALENDAR LISTINGS 29 MAP 30 CLASSIFIEDS

by Jay beRman contRibuting wRiteR

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on SooHoo points to a movie postersized photograph of Zack Wheat, who played for the Dodgers a century ago, that hangs in a hall near Dodger Stadium’s executive offices. “I didn’t take that picture,” SooHoo jokes of the black-and-white portrait of the Hall of Fame outfielder. No doubt. Wheat played his last game in 1927 and went off to the World Series in the Sky in 1972, when SooHoo was a Silver Lake grade schooler. But if the photo had featured Fernando Valenzuela, Kirk Gibson, Orel Hershiser, Mike Piazza or any other Dodger star of the past quarter century, chances are SooHoo would have been the

Celebrate LA Opera’s

THE MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

one behind the camera. SooHoo, 48, was born in 1962, the year Dodger Stadium was completed. He became the team’s photographer in 1985 upon graduating from USC and has worked for the club ever since. He was honored in a pre-game ceremony early this month by the Dodgers. He even found himself on the other side of the camera lens when he threw out the first pitch. “I love these guys,” said SooHoo, sitting in his photo equipment-filled office a few hours before a recent home game. “It’s very much like a family.” Speaking of families, SooHoo’s has been active in Downtown Los Angeles since the Dodgers were still in Brooklyn. His grandfather, Peter SooHoo, was one of the founders see SooHoo, page 10

photo by Jon SooHoo/L.A. Dodgers

In 1988, Dodgers’ team photographer Jon Soohoo captured the hobbled Kirk Gibson as he hit the home run that won the first game of the World Series.

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September 13, 2010

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AROUNDTOWN CRA Looking for Cleantech Developer

Conservation Begins on El Pueblo Siqueiros Mural

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he city is once again working to find an anchor tenant for the CleanTech Manufacturing Center. The Community Redevelopment Agency last week launched a public bidding process in search of a firm to develop the 20-acre site in southeast Downtown. The agency has been trying to bring an environmentally friendly technology company to the land east of Santa Fe Avenue near the intersection of 15th Street and Washington Boulevard since September 2008. AnsaldoBreda, an Italian rail car manufacturer, had been slated to develop the plot before it pulled out of a deal last year. The city purchased the property from the state for $14 million in April 2008 and spent $2.2 million to clean up the contaminated plot. “Our goal is to develop a state-of-the-art industrial complex engaged in the sustainable manufacturing and the development of clean technologies and products while also driving economic engines in the area through job creation,” said CRA CEO Christine Essel in a statement. The city is looking for industrial users and traditional development teams to submit conceptual proposals, qualifications, business and financing plans for the site, with construction set to begin in 2013. The city wants a developer to create at least 100 new jobs in the first five years, with a total of at least 250 jobs after that. Bids are due Dec. 3.

lthough it is currently only a ghost of its former self, the “América Tropical” mural by renowned Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros finally is on the road to conservation. On Wednesday, Sept. 8, the city hosted a groundbreaking ceremony to mark the start of construction on a $9 million viewing area and interpretive center for the mural at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. Siqueiros’ colorful mural was painted over by the city in the 1930s to censor its social commentary on American imperialism in Latin America; the roughly 80-by-18-foot work depicts a Mexican Indian, crucified on a double cross beneath an American eagle, with sharpshooters taking aim at the bird. Due to the early whitewashing and ongoing exposure to the elements, the mural has suffered and its colors have faded. The Getty Conservation Institute has conserved and stabilized the mural but it will not be restored. The project will create a protective shelter spanning the south wall of the Italian Hall, as well as a lightweight canopy with sun shades on each side. A rooftop platform will be constructed, allowing public access. The interpretive center will be on the ground floor of the Sepulveda House and will contain exhibits exploring the history and techniques used by Siqueiros. Construction is slated for completion in March 2012.

Help Name the Spring Street Park

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ Winner To Get L.A. Live Job

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he Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council will host a meeting on Monday, Sept. 13, to unveil and discuss the design and construction timeline for the Spring Street Park. The city purchased the nearly one-acre site, on the east side of Spring Street between Fourth and Fifth streets, in 2009, and has been working ever since on turning it into a public facility. The current parking lot is slated to be transformed into a mix of green space and seating areas with dozens of trees. The 6:30-8 p.m. session will include a presentation from the city Bureau of Engineering and landscape architecture students from UCLA Extension. Attendees will also be able to offer names for the space. The meeting will be held at The Exchange, at 114 W. Fifth St.

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hoever survives the sizzling temper of chef Gordon Ramsay and takes the top prize on the upcoming season of “Hell’s Kitchen” will have a job waiting for him or her in Downtown. The winner of season eight of the Fox show, which premieres Sept. 22, will get the head chef position at L.A. Market at the J.W. Marriott hotel at L.A. Live. The show puts 16 contestants through a series of challenges, including catering a high school prom and serving breakfast to EMTs. Downtown already has a cooking show track record: Ilan Hall, a winner of Bravo’s “Top Chef,” opened The Gorbals in the Alexandria Hotel, and Amanda Baumgarten, a sous chef

photo by Gary Leonard

City and Getty Conservation Institute officials gathered at El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument last week to mark the beginning of conservation work on David Alfaro Siqueiros’ mural “América Tropical.” See item this page.

at Water Grill, finished in sixth place on the current season of the same show.

From Parking Spaces To Mini-Parks

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he fourth annual Park[ing] Day L.A. returns to Los Angeles this week, and once again, Downtown figures heavily in the festivities. On Friday, Sept. 17, assorted folks will take over a parking space for the day and transform it into an ephemeral pocket park. Downtown will have a “cluster” of parks, according to Stephen Box, an organizer of the local event (installments take place in cities across the nation). Not all of the details of who is participating were ironed out by press time, but Downtown parks include a Downtown Los Angeles Neighborhood Council green spot at 444 S. Spring St.; a Fashion District park at 11th and Maple streets; and the HMC Architects’ park at 633 W. Fifth St. The latter, across from the Central Library, will be made up of recycled paper tubes and office-grown plants, some of which visitors will be able to take home. A map of parks and more information are at parkingdayla.com.

University of Southern California

Chicano Festival, Reprised Festival de Flor y Canto, a landmark USC event in 1973, returns for its second act. Wednesday through Friday September 15 – 17 Friends Lecture Hall USC Doheny Memorial Library Admission: Free visionsandvoices@usc.edu (213) 740-2070

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EmErging mExiCan-American poets and writers gathered at USC 37 years ago to read their work at a three-day festival, an event that spawned similar celebrations around the country. Now, many of the writers who participated in the original fest are returning for Festival de Flor y Canto: Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, hosted by USC Libraries and USC Visions and Voices. More than 50 writers will give 15-minute readings of original and classic Chicano literary works, with capstone events each day. On Wednesday there will be a screening of a documentary about a 1978 festival. Thursday’s final event will be a celebration of Chicana poets. On Friday there will be a reception for an exhibition of photographs taken by Michael Sedano for the 1973 festival. They will be displayed through Dec. 15 in the library’s Ground Floor Rotunda.

USC your cultural connection

AlSo AT USC

Stravinsky and Brahms Thursday, Sept. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Resident conductor Sharon Lavery and the USC Thornton Symphony tackle the complexities of Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring. (Of the piece’s tone combinations, Leonard Bernstein famously said, “It’s got the best dissonances anyone ever thought up.”) Another highlight is Brahms’ Violin Concerto, performed by Michelle Tseng. And the orchestra will play Fanfare for Flora, a piece composed in honor of the school’s late namesake, Flora Thornton. Bovard Auditorium Admission: $18 general public; $12 seniors, alumni and non-USC students; free to USC students, staff and faculty

For more information visit www.usc.edu


September 13, 2010

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September 13, 2010

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EDITORIALS Complex 30/10 Plan Could Be a Win-Win-Win-Win

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ntonio Villaraigosa has endured more than his share of stumbles since becoming mayor of Los Angeles five years ago. Issues including (but not limited to) a sluggish reaction to the city budget crisis, keeping an eye on future jobs rather than the one he has, and problems in his personal life have all compounded to prevent him from meeting the expectations many had for him. Villaraigosa probably has not even lived up to his personal goals. Yet with that said, Villaraigosa still has an opportunity to establish a positive legacy in Los Angeles, one that would be remembered long after the shortfalls fade from memory. If he succeeds in his effort to secure funding for 12 mass transit projects, and initiates a process where those are built in a decade rather than over 30 years, then Los Angeles will have one of its most important gains in decades. It could even become a model for the nation. Villaraigosa has already spent significant time and political capital on the so-called 30/10 plan, but he’ll have to go much farther and work with many others to make it happen. That is because, as Los Angeles Downtown News reported last week, the effort requires some complex lawmaking in Washington, D.C. The 30/10 vision is possible because of something else Villaraigosa helped push: Measure R, approved by county voters in 2008, established a half-cent sales tax that is expected to generate $40 billion for transportation projects over the next 30 years. The vote was close, but the electorate was persuaded that the investment in public transit efforts will if not

alleviate gridlock, then hopefully will prevent it from getting much worse. With the funding stream assured, Villaraigosa and other local officials then came up with 30/10. Of course, bringing that vision to reality is the hard part. Building the 12 transit projects — including the approximately $1.4 billion Downtown Regional Connector and the $4.2 billion rail extension known as the subway to the sea — in a decade would cost $14 billion, according to Metro (the price would be $17.5 billion over 30 years). The pothole is that in that same 10-year period, Measure R will only generate $6 billion for those specific efforts (though another $4 billion in Measure R funds is slated to come in during that time for other projects). Thus, to make 30/10 work, Metro needs help coming up with the balance. Broken down to the simplest level, Metro would sell bonds to raise $6 billion and ask the federal government to fund about $2 billion in interest payments. It would also seek an approximately $2.5 billion loan and try to access money from the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts funds, specifically for the Regional Connector and subway to the sea. Making this happen requires new legislation in Washington. For Villaraigosa to get anywhere, he needs help and leadership from people far more powerful than he. Fortunately, he already has some strong relationships, with Barbara Boxer leading the 30/10 charge on the Senate side and Jane Harman pushing the effort in the House of Representatives. President Barack Obama’s announcement

last week of a nationwide infrastructure bank is good news for this effort, though nothing is assured with the November election approaching and the polarized Democrat-Republican relationship in Washington. There are three main reasons why this is crucial for Los Angeles: 1) the dozen construction projects would generate 165,000 jobs, a necessity given the region’s high unemployment rate (that also has organized labor on board with 30/10); 2) the combination of rail and bus lines opening in 10 years would help ease transportation snarls and possibly give people the option they need to get out of their cars; and 3) the Measure R funds provide a guaranteed revenue stream that protects the federal government, and by extension, the American taxpayers. There is a fourth benefit, this one specifically for Villaraigosa: As referenced above, if these projects break ground soon and open a decade or so from now, then his name will forever be linked to transportation improvements in Los Angeles. This would become the defining feat of his mayorship. Just like Mayor Richard Riordan is remembered for quickly rebuilding Los Angeles after the Northridge earthquake, and Jim Hahn had a signature triumph in beating back Valley secession, Villaraigosa would have a legacy project that lives on long after he leaves office. That makes something rare: the chance for a quadruple win. It is why 30/10 is worth whatever it takes to make happen. Villaraigosa, Metro, Boxer, Harman and others need to push hard and not stop until the trains and buses roll.

Curtain Rises on a Vibrant Theater Scene

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owntown does not lack for entertainment options. As Los Angeles Downtown News’ weekly listings section reveals, there are literally hundreds of things to do in the Central City. Seven days a week one can take in rock concerts or attend classical performances. There is a surfeit of standout lecture series (this week alone novelist Jonathan Franzen and former Disney chief Michael Eisner are speaking Downtown in separate events). There are movie theaters, Art Walk and its dozens of participating art galleries, and a large handful of museums. Then there is the Downtown theater scene,

which is growing and is much more varied than many may think. For years, the theaters at the Music Center were among the only evening draws in Downtown. People would drive in, park underneath the Mark Taper Forum or the Ahmanson Theatre, then drive home. Although a fringe theater scene always existed, no other venues gained traction over the long term. That situation has changed. As Downtown News recently reported, the community is full of theater options, some of them mainstream and others envelope-pushing. Several

of the newbies have survived past the always treacherous first few years and are on their way to become lasting parts of the city’s entertainment scene. The Taper and the Ahmanson, both programmed by Center Theatre Group, continue to dominate. That’s to be expected, as their shows draw the biggest audiences and also play an important creative role — CTG most recently nurtured the development of the Pulitzer finalist Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. However, those venues are no longer on a theatrical island. Over more than a decade in its Little Tokyo home, East West Players has built

an audience with a lineup of quality shows focusing on the Asian-American experience. The Latino Theatre Company is using a multicultural approach to make Spring Street’s Los Angeles Theatre Center live up to the entertainment promise that was first floated in the 1980s. REDCAT presents avant-garde works while the Arts District’s Cornerstone Theater Company has become an anchor of the city’s community theater scene. Other small ventures play a role in other parts of town. The point is, the Downtown theater scene is healthy and diverse. That is unexpected. It is also immensely entertaining.

Urban Scrawl by Doug Davis Los Angeles Downtown News 1264 W. First Street, Los Angeles, CA 90026 phone: 213-481-1448 • fax: 213-250-4617 web: DowntownNews.com • email: realpeople@downtownnews.com facebook: L.A. Downtown News

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Editor & PublishEr: Sue Laris GENErAl MANAGEr: Dawn Eastin ExEcutivE Editor: Jon Regardie citY Editor: Richard Guzmán stAFF writEr: Ryan Vaillancourt coNtributiNG Editors: David Friedman, Kathryn Maese coNtributiNG writErs: Jay Berman, Jeff Favre, Michael X. Ferraro, Kristin Friedrich, Howard Leff, Rod Riggs, Marc Porter Zasada Art dirEctor: Brian Allison AssistANt Art dirEctor: Yumi Kanegawa ProductioN ANd GrAPhics: Alexis Rawlins PhotoGrAPhEr: Gary Leonard AccouNtiNG: Ashley Schmidt AdvErtisiNG dirEctor: Steve Nakutin sAlEs AssistANt: Annette Cruz clAssiFiEd AdvErtisiNG MANAGEr: Catherine Holloway AccouNt ExEcutivEs: Catherine Holloway, Brenda Stevens, Billy Wright circulAtioN: Norma Rodas distributioN MANAGEr: Salvador Ingles distributioN AssistANts: Lorenzo Castillo, Gustavo Bonilla The Los Angeles Downtown News is the must-read newspaper for Downtown Los Angeles and is distributed every Monday throughout the offices and residences of Downtown Los Angeles.

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September 13, 2010

Downtown News 5

Opinion

The Readers Speak Out Website Comments on 12-2, El Pueblo, Dog Rescue and More Regarding the article “City Hall Abandons ‘12-2’ Development Reform,” by Ryan Vaillancourt, published Sept. 6 here are some people who stand back and look at the long-term benefits to the city and some people who protect their fiefdoms. Hopefully, this is a way to get around those who are only out for themselves. —posted by Stanford, Sept. 7, 9:15 a.m.

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tanford, that observation is a little simplistic. Not completely, but a little. There are some who are protecting their fiefdoms based on a passionate belief in their work, not a destructive protection of power for power’s sake. If the planning process, say, is not given its due, there will be hell to pay later on, planners believe. They also believe if they don’t insist on having a voice now, they will be blamed for any debacle that happens later. —posted by City Hall Guy, Sept. 7, 9:46 a.m.

Downtown and a theater that is as diverse as the city itself. Latino Theater Company, Robey Theatre Company and Playwrights Arena have all produced shows at LATC that have been critically acclaimed, Ovation recommended and critics’ choices. —posted by Evelina Fernandez, Aug. 28, 10:58 a.m. Regarding the column “The City and Its Six-Figure Fun,” by Jon Regardie, published Aug. 16 or those complaining that they could make more in the private sector... go for it! I have a friend in government who just tried to move to the private sector. In every case, he

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would be paid less, and that’s if he even found a job. But the real travesty is the pension. It’s outrageous and unsustainable. I look forward to the day when government workers have to make the same choice that GM and Chrysler employees had: 100% of nothing, or something that makes economic sense. That day is coming soon. —posted by Doug, Aug. 17, 2:13 p.m.

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s long as these people are good at their jobs, I’m all for paying them a good salary. The reason private companies basically run this country is because the best and brightest (of our educational system and others) know that private employment rather than public service is where they can make more money. It should be the opposite. It would be great to have those highly skilled, smart people working toward the common good/average Joe, not only the good of one corporation. —posted by Erin, Aug. 18, 6:35 p.m.

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know that for some people “business” is a dirty word. Thank you, Wall Street. Thank you corporate greed. I’m here to remind you that there are millions of highly ethical business people who need help right now. And they are worth helping. We are worth helping. Yes, I’m one of them. We are worth helping because small business is still the largest employer, and we won’t be coming out of this recession until we can improve our businesses. And we won’t be hiring people until then. I wish it weren’t going to be a year before the study is done. Can the boy genius (Beutner) make something happen in the interim? —posted by Help Business, Sept. 7, 12:10 p.m. Regarding the article “El Pueblo Takes First Step to Rehabilitate Pico-Garnier Block,” by Richard Guzmán, published Sept. 6 hat I can’t figure out is whether or not the Olvera Street merchants’ rental rates will be affected by this, if it happens at all. If so, how is it fair if the merchants are charged higher rents if it doesn’t happen? Their rents shouldn’t be affected by this. Or should they? —posted by 7th Floor Denizen, Sept. 7, 12:05 p.m.

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wish L.A. would follow Old Town San Diego, Sacramento and Monterey, who do not lack for tourists and families, and restore first floors as museums — allow 19th century “Californio” re-enactors in the Pico House; nostalgic plays and silent films in the theater; and old-fashioned dancing and vaudeville in the historic Lodge with its great wooden floor and built-in seating. Please keep Las Angelitas and Los Pobladores in the decision and planning process, as they really care about and sincerely love El Pueblo. Also, close off the street there from cars, make that block open to pedestrians only. Wish us all luck that we get enlightened bidders. —posted by Irene Ujda, Sept. 7, 3:03 p.m. Regarding the article “Downtown Dog Rescue in Limbo,” by Ryan Vaillancourt, published online Aug. 26 ith the closure of many city services it would seem that the City of L.A. could put to use unused garage or storage sites by providing Lori Weise and Downtown Dog Rescue — and the local people she employs — with a new home. Left empty, buildings are subject to vandalism. Put to good use they provide a community and humanitarian service. Weise’s work saves lives — the dogs and their caregivers. Step up City Council members and support a respected Downtowner in her compassionate cause. —posted by Jody Ranney, Aug. 26, 3:56 p.m.

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ori, you have the support of the rescue community. You have long been an advocate for the homeless and their animals. Also by providing free services for the animals, helping with pit bull training and the rescue of this breed and other breeds that are deemed dangerous by those who don’t know them. Please hang in there, God will find a way for you to continue to survive. You are so needed in that part of the city. —posted by Mary Chatman, Aug. 27, 1:33 p.m.

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Regarding the article “All the Neighborhood’s a Stage,” by Jeff Favre, published online Aug. 27 ust wanted to point out a few things that the article missed in reference to the Los Angeles Theatre Center: The audience at LATC is growing, and they are not your traditional theatergoers, but folks who are discovering the new

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urely some property owner with vacant space in the Downtown area can find a home for this very worthwhile venture! —posted by Sandra Knapp, Aug. 30, 10:23 a.m.

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September 13, 2010

The Station Equation Budget Could Nix Regional Connector Stop at Fifth and Flower by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

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his month, Metro released an anticipated report on the Regional Connector, a project that could have a major impact on Downtown’s transportation future. Yet even though plans are in the early stage, the agency is already considering eliminating a proposed Financial District rail station as a way to cut costs. The agency released its draft environmental impact report on the Regional Connector on Sept. 2. In the study, Metro staff declared a preference for an all-underground alignment, which would cost $1.44 billion if it breaks ground in 2011, over routes that involve surface-level tracks or shuttles. More than half of the budget is slated to come from the federal government, with another $190 million from local Measure R funds. However, Metro said there remains a $173.4 million funding gap for the all-underground route that has also won community support. The Regional Connector would link existing and under-construction light rail lines so passengers would not have to transfer when traveling through Downtown on their way to Pasadena, East L.A., Long Beach or Culver City, speeding up travel times. If the all-underground alignment goes forward, current plans envision four new underground stations. If the financial picture doesn’t change, however, that number could be cut to three. Already on the chopping block is a proposed station at Fifth and Flower streets. Other stations are proposed for Second and Hope streets; Second Street and Broadway; and Second Street and Central Avenue. Metro Project Director Dolores Roybal Saltarelli said the Financial District station would be the most obvious candidate for elimination because it is so close to the Seventh Street Metro Station, which is two blocks away on Flower Street. “When we looked at it in our modeling analysis, with the elimination of Fifth and Flower, the three other stations still perform well and folks can still access the Financial District because we do have Seventh Street Metro Station,” she said. In general, the cost of an underground rail station is about

$150 million, she said. Budget considerations aside, Dana Gabbard, executive secretary for the Southern California Transit Advocates, said that nixing a station might make sense from a transportation perspective. The Regional Connector stretches for about two miles, linking the Gold Line in Little Tokyo with the Seventh Street Metro Station. Four stations along a two-mile path would likely slow trains down, Gabbard said. “At that point you’re not really talking about rapid transit,” he said. “It’s more this slow-pokey thing that doesn’t really have time and the distance to pick up any speed.” Community Input Metro might not have to eliminate a station if the board ditches the all-underground option for less expensive alignments that are partially underground or entirely at street level. Those routes, however, have been hotly opposed by community stakeholders, namely in Little Tokyo, who say the neighborhood would face too much disruption and safety issues with aboveground tracks. The partially aboveground option, which would have three underground stations and emerge to street level at First and Alameda streets in Little Tokyo, is budgeted at $1.3 billion. The at-grade alignment comes in at $1.04 billion. But the all-underground alternative has significant momentum and community support. Metro staff identified the underground option as its preferred alternative in the draft EIR, even though agencies don’t normally make such a recommendation this early in the process. The Financial District station Metro has targeted for possible elimination would be on Flower Street, between Fourth and Fifth streets. Citigroup Center, at the northeast corner of Fifth and Flower streets, and the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, at the northwest corner, stand to be the most impacted by station construction. Officials with both properties, however, said they have not yet investigated the project and its implications for their buildings. Thomas Properties Group, which owns City National Plaza

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If Metro needs to cut costs in order to build the all-underground Regional Connector, the agency may eliminate a proposed station at Fifth and Flower streets.

on the southwest corner, has been working with Metro on the plans. “In our mind it’s sort of a forgone conclusion that the connector will occur and the most logical route is the extension up Flower Street and past our project,” said Thomas Ricci, the firm’s executive vice president. If the Financial District station is ultimately built, Ricci said the company would need to work with the agency to minimize construction costs. “Generally at a very high level we are very supportive of the overall objectives of the project and want to work closely with Metro to minimize what we would consider short-term impacts on our tenants and maximize the long-term benefits for our tenants,” Ricci said. The Metro board is expected to consider the draft EIR and select a preferred route following the public comment period, which ends Oct. 18. That option will then undergo final environmental review. Metro is hosting two meetings to present the draft EIR and take public comment. The first is from 6:30-8 p.m. on Sept. 28 at the Japanese American National Museum at 369 E. First St.; the second is 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. on Oct. 4 at the LAPD Administration Building at 100 W. First St. More information at metro.net/projects/connector. Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.


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September 13, 2010

Location Location Location Tour Draws on Downtown’s Rich Cinematic History by Pamela Albanese

I

t’s safe to say that the tour group that met at Pershing Square on a Sunday afternoon last month was not interested in the normal Downtown visitor attractions. Instead of Walt Disney Concert Hall, they were hoping to see Angels Knoll, an easyto-overlook pocket park that had a featured role in last year’s independent film (500) Days of Summer. They would stop at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel not because it has hosted presidents, but rather because it has housed production crews for movies such as Ghostbusters, Beverly Hills Cop and Pretty in Pink. In fact, even the participants were unusual, compared to the traditional tour group. The 70 or so people were mostly photographers and film enthusiasts whose goal was to see the locations featured in some of their favorite movies. The tour was led by Harry Medved, head of PR for movie info and ticketing website Fandango and the co-author of the movie location guide Hollywood Escapes and the forthcoming Location Filming in Los Angeles, and Marty Cummins, the key assistant location manager for (500) Days of Summer and other films. Over the course of five hours, they traipsed through Downtown and dispensed numerous cinema secrets. Some of those came at the Biltmore, which demonstrated again Los Angeles’ ability to play another city. For instance, in Ghostbusters the Biltmore is a stand-in for the Sedgewick Hotel in New York, where the paranormal exterminators catch their first ghost.

“L.A. doesn’t usually play itself,” said Medved as the group walked around the massive sculptural pool surrounding the John Ferraro Building. He noted that the location appears in the summer hit Inception. The celluloid history of Los Angeles has drawn countless tourists and transplants, yet as Medved pointed out, many are disappointed when they arrive on Hollywood Boulevard. “The more we can do to preserve the history of our movie landmarks, the more likely we are to encourage tourists to come here,” he said. “L.A. is like a big treasure map; a lot of these hidden gems are not staring you in the face when you get out of LAX, when you get out of Union Station.” That concept is what led Bill Karz of L.A. Inc. (the formal name of the city’s convention and visitors’ bureau) to organize the August trek, part of an occasional series known as On Location: The L.A. Cultural Photo Tour. By inviting photographers along to document stops and to share their photos on L.A. Inc.’s Flickr and Photo of the Day blogs, Karz provides an outlet for artistic and imaginative takes on L.A.’s key landmarks and locations. Cinematic Déjà Vu The L.A. Inc. series began in February, when 75 photographers rode around the city on a double-decker bus. The second tour, in April (Karz led the first two treks), focused on public art and nearby landmarks along stops on various Metro lines. Future film location tours will take place in Downtown and other neighborhoods; the next will likely be in San Pedro in October, Karz said. With Cummins and Medved leading the

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An August tour took about 70 photographers and film aficionados to Downtown destinations that have had prominent roles in high-profile films. Stops included the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, the John Ferraro DWP building and Pershing Square.

way, the group had access to sites such as the Alexandria Hotel and the Title Insurance Building. The guides pointed out that the former was used in the films Se7en and Dreamgirls, while the latter appeared in National Treasure and Pearl Harbor. Medved, whose other books include The Fifty Worst Films of All Time, noted that the city’s use as a huge back lot has the uncanny ability of making film buffs nostalgic for places they’ve never been. “Movie lovers in the Southland are constantly confronted with cinematic déjà vu,” he said. “You drive to a new neighborhood

that feels eerily familiar and you wonder, ‘Have I been here before?’ And then it suddenly dawns on you that you have seen it before — you took a trip to this locale while watching a movie or TV.” Medved and Cummins met last year at a Los Angeles Conservancy tour featuring sites from (500) Days of Summer. While Downtown Los Angeles has served as a backdrop for countless noir and action thrillers, director Marc Webb’s film — a love story — is an unprecedented portrayal of Downtown. Filtered through the eyes of an architect named Tom (played by Joseph


September 13, 2010

Downtown News 9

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photo by Gary Leonard

photo by Chuck Zlotnick

Angels Knoll, featured in the film (500) Days of Summer (left), was a stop on the tour led by Marty Cummins (right) and Harry Medved.

Gordon Levitt), it celebrates the neighborhood’s beauty and showcases buildings never before featured in film. The On Location tour also paid homage to (500) Days. The group stopped at Angels Knoll, the site of Tom’s favorite escape, to behold an unconventional perspective of the Downtown skyline. The guides explained that all of the buildings visible from Tom’s bench are pre-WWII era. The Continental Building, most prominent in the shot but only 13 stories high, was at one time the tallest building in Los Angeles. They also explained that in the original script, Tom was bitter about the destruction of Bunker Hill and its Victorian homes. The detail was later cut because it didn’t fit with Tom’s generally positive attitude about Downtown’s development.

Avoid the Palm Trees The tour also visited one of Downtown’s most photographed landmarks, the Bradbury Building. It has appeared in dozens of films and television shows, everything from (500) Days — where it is the site of a job interview and a fateful meeting — to Ridley Scott’s 1982 futuristic noir work Blade Runner. Of course, the pedigree goes back even further, with appearances in Marlowe (1969) and D.O.A. (1950). Built in 1893, its glass rooftop and intricate ironwork still make it feel futuristic more than a century later. According to Cummins, the process of finding the ideal location can be grueling, but Los Angeles provides possibilities that no other city can. “You can shoot anywhere USA here, as long as you avoid palm trees,” he said. “That’s

photo by Gary Leonard

The group also visited the Bradbury Building, one of Downtown’s most famous filming locations. It was heavily utilized in Blade Runner.

our biggest bane, the palm tree, because if you see it, it’s either Southern California or Florida. But what L.A. offers is the best crew you’re going to find anywhere in the world, and the weather. Architecturally, it’s rich enough that there’s definitely a cross-section of different styles.” Another highlight of the tour was the Title Insurance Building, which has also been a production location for The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006). By the time of the group’s visit, the late-afternoon light cast an eerie glow inside the vast, empty second floor. Bank windows still had ballpoint pens chained to the counters for filling out phantom transaction slips. The location seemed fitting for a current project of Cummins’ that had recently filmed there, Priest — a

post-apocalyptic vampire western. One photographer, Ashley Bradley, took advantage of the ghostly lighting and atmosphere to stage portraits in the doorframe of an empty vault. Karz summed up the appeal of the photo tour for both the participants and the organizers. “I have a passion for photography, and I know that a lot of other people share the same passion,” he said. “When you combine that with showcasing Los Angeles, it’s the perfect harmony, and then we get to use the photos that everyone’s taking today to highlight aspects of the region that even locals don’t know about.” More information on the tours is at discoverlosangeles.com/onlocation. Interested attendees should email wkarz@lainc.us.

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SooHoo Continued from page 1 of the current Chinatown. “He played a major part in the establishment of Chinatown,” said George Yu, executive director of the Chinatown Business Improvement District. “Most Chineseowned businesses were on or around North Alameda Street. They were about to be demolished in the 1930s to make room for the construction of Union Station. They needed to find a new site.” Peter SooHoo spoke English and Cantonese and was — like his grandson — a USC graduate. Starting in the mid-’30s, he led the drive to move the Chinatown businesses to their current location, bounded by Hill Street, Bamboo Lane, Broadway and College Street. Yu said the elder SooHoo was doing the sort of work back then that councils like the one he heads do now. Despite the elder SooHoo’s work and Chinatown’s close proximity to Dodger Stadium, it was a winding and unlikely road

that brought the younger SooHoo to the Dodgers. Changing Times As a youth, Jon SooHoo was not a fan of either baseball or photography. He had taken a black and white photography class in junior high school and then ran track and played basketball at John Marshall High School in the Silver Lake area in the late 1970s. About that time, he began attending USC football games with his parents, Peter Jr. and Lucy, who still have season tickets. “I just really got into it,” he said. He started cutting out articles from newspapers and from Sports Illustrated and keeping them in scrapbooks. SooHoo graduated from Marshall in 1980 and enrolled at USC in the fall. He began taking pictures, including covering football for the campus newspaper, the Daily Trojan, while majoring in gerontology. Then, and now, the Daily Trojan staff played an annual touch football game against the Daily Bruin staffers the week of the USCUCLA game. SooHoo recruited a classmate and fellow photographer he thought might be able to catch a few passes. That classmate was

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6-foot-10 Randy Johnson, who did not pursue touch football and instead went on to win 303 games as a major-league pitcher. Johnson retained an interest in photography and has had shows of his work in recent years. When SooHoo began working for the Dodgers, digital photography did not exist, but things were already changing. “We were doing less and less black-and-white processing and more color negatives,” he recalled. “Film and lenses were both improving. At one point, we could only shoot day games with good quality. Night games would be too grainy. Now, of course, you can shoot anything.” He had followed baseball, but photo by Gary Leonard many of the people who played be- On Sept. 3, SooHoo was on the other side of the camera lens. He fore he was born were just names threw the first pitch as part of a celebration of his quarter-century with the organization, then posed with manager Joe Torre. to him. That quickly changed. “Duke Snider, Ralph Branca, Roy Campanella — I knew they were historic said. “The only thing comparable might have baseball names, but I didn’t know that much been the Nomar home run.” about them,” he said. “Then, after I started That would be a reference to the grand slam working here, I met them. They weren’t just Nomar Garciaparra hit on Sept. 24, 2006, to people from the past, but personalities to go beat Arizona with one week left in the season. with the pictures I had seen.” The Dodgers won their final seven games and While meeting Dodger stars from the past, reached the National League playoffs. he has also been witness to many historic SooHoo also has seen and photographed Dodger moments. SooHoo was at Dodger several no-hitters, including the ones pitched Stadium, camera in hand, on Oct. 15, 1988, by Fernando Valenzuela in 1990 and Hideo when an injured Kirk Gibson came off the Nomo six years later. bench to hit a home run — probably the Helping the Pros most famous one in team history — to beat SooHoo shoots everything from pre-game the Oakland A’s in the first game of the ceremonies to game action to player visits to World Series. stores. He photographs fantasy camps and “I had never heard it that loud here,” he players’ and players’ wives’ functions. His


September 13, 2010

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work appears in game programs, yearbooks, media guides and in the team’s magazine. Several Dodger players who appreciate SooHoo’s work have sought his advice about buying photo equipment or taking pictures. “Brad Penny [now with the St. Louis Cardinals] was looking at some cameras, and I helped him pick something out,” he said, “and I helped Jonathan Broxton choose a video camera. I’m glad to do it. I’d rather have these guys shooting with cameras than with guns. A lot of baseball players are into hunting.” SooHoo, who lives with his wife Susan and their three sons in South Pasadena, has traveled throughout the United States with the Dodgers. He has also chronicled the team’s visits to game locations as far away as Taiwan and Mainland China. It is no accident that the Dodgers have a history of being pioneers in drafting players from Asia, including Hideo Nomo from Japan, Chan Ho Park from South Korea, and Hong-Chih Kuo from Taiwan. SooHoo said he is pleased to work for

a forward-thinking organization but, as a Chinese-American, places no greater importance on the Dodgers’ emphasis on Asia. “It’s more about the game to me,” he said. “It’s all fun. I like the greater plan. It’s cool to be able to be part of all of those, from Nomo’s first game in San Francisco to traveling with the team to Taiwan and Mainland China.” Newspaper reporters are expected to be impartial observers. As an employee of the Dodgers, SooHoo faces no such restrictions. He pulls for the Dodgers all the way, but has never let his feelings as a fan keep him from getting a picture. However, he admits he did have a problem back in 1988 when he was shooting the USC-UCLA football game for his alma mater, and quarterback Rodney Peete was behind center. “Peete hit Erik Affholter with a pass, and Affholter went down the sidelines for a game-winning touchdown,” he said. “I got so caught up in it that I missed the shot.” That hasn’t happened since, at least not with the Dodgers.

Downtown News 11

Board Games Photos by Gary Leonard A group of skateboarders took advantage of the thin crowds and the lack of security outside the CalTrans headquarters on Labor Day. With video camera in hand, they recorded their feats and flouted the building’s “No Skateboarding” policy.

photos by Jon SooHoo/L.A. Dodgers

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High School Continued from page 1 is gone (as is a former co-leader of the school, executive director Rex Patton) and no one has publicly stated why. New Local District Superintendent Dale Vigil came on in July and quickly removed Blake; he has declined to explain the move, calling it a personnel matter. Some stakeholders in the school grade its first year as mostly successful. The theater academy staged two large-scale musical productions. The fledgling music academy traveled to competitions against far more established institutions. Yet even those came against other setbacks, namely the school’s failure last spring to notch an important state accreditation. That only changed after Supt. Ramon Cortines got involved and persuaded the accreditation agency to return to the campus, which is now accredited for three years. This is the world that new principal Luis Lopez, who leaves his principal post at Franklin Middle School in Highland Park, is walking into. Lopez knows the arts school well. He was the only other finalist for the principal job last year, and his son attends the school (he also had two children at Franklin). When he accepted the job this summer,

Lopez knew the transition would be rocky. Parents have been highly critical of the LAUSD for removing Blake without much explanation; they protested outside LAUSD headquarters in July, during which they chanted “Save Ms. Blake,” and even created a website using the same slogan. Vigil and others are hopeful that Lopez’s track record will ease the situation. Vigil notes that he has experience running a high school, whereas Blake came from a middle school background. “Mr. Lopez is very much cognizant of standards of practice that every administrator is expected to follow,” Vigil said. “He knows comprehensive high schools, which is different than middle schools.” Learning From Mistakes The school’s high-profile campus and high price tag come with higher-than-usual budget demands. Maintaining instruments, photography equipment, theater set materials and other arts-related resources will be a challenge going forward. As executive director, Patton was charged with overseeing fundraising. Now that he is gone, the position has been eliminated. Lopez plans on going in a different direction. “We are thinking about aggressive plans to really build an endowment and we’re looking at it in the long term,” Lopez said. “Rather than fundraising for expenses as we go along,

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we want to build an endowment to keep a reserve and spend from the earnings.” Lopez oversaw a roughly $1 million fundraising effort during his eight years at Franklin, largely through tapping private foundations and alumni. More pressing, however, are curriculum changes that Lopez said are needed to correct problems the school faced in year one. The campus is divided into four arts academies, each with its own administrator and faculty. Last year, some students experienced difficulty enrolling in certain core courses that were not offered in their academy. This year, the school has worked out a sort of passport system that will allow students to take courses in other academies. The school also needs to ease a tug of war between arts teachers and those teaching core courses, Lopez said. He noted an example from last year when a theater student was repeatedly pulled out of math class to polish his lines for an upcoming play. Meanwhile, his math performance suffered. “The math teacher is clamoring that you can’t pull them out, his grade is going down,” Lopez said. “But the theater teacher says, ‘We’re an arts school. We need to make sure the student practices.’” The conflict strikes at the heart of a question that has been asked since the school was conceived. Is it an arts school, meant to tailor and nurture the city’s best budding young artists? Or is it a high school that uses arts to enhance academic performance in a historically under-performing student body? Lopez said it is more the later. “We need to find the balance between arts and academics,” he said. “That seemed to be a huge issue last year. Instead of finding a common ground, it seemed to become quite divisive.” Grand Partnerships While fundraising will be a primary goal moving forward, perhaps the school’s most valuable outside asset is the Grand Avenue Partners, an organization comprised of the major cultural institutions along the street. The organization works to enhance arts education in the LAUSD, and for years has supported the arts high school’s main feeder middle schools — Virgil, Berendo and John Liechty — grooming students for a possible

trip to the Downtown high school. In the high school’s first year, members of the Los Angeles Philharmonic participated in music exercises, and staffers from Center Theatre Group lent a hand to the two theater productions (La Llorona and Peter Pan). CalArts, which runs REDCAT, coordinated an after-school program in animation. The partners also facilitated meetings between high school and middle school arts faculty in order to better coordinate preparation for high school-level arts course work, said Mark Slavkin, the Music Center’s vice president for education, who helps coordinate the Grand Avenue Partners’ efforts with the local schools. This year, in addition to providing more hands-on arts education resources, Slavkin said the group wants to develop more internship opportunities for students to learn about careers in the arts. The stumbles in year one, said Slavkin, himself a former LAUSD board member, were to be expected: They happen at every new high school. “LAUSD is opening new schools at a pretty remarkable pace and at most of them there’s no media spotlight, nobody pays attention but stuff happens — people change, they hit bumps,” Slavkin said. Vigil and Board President Monica Garcia said they expect more changes this year, and for the next several years before the school hits its stride. “I think it’s evolution and development more than change,” Garcia said. “I think that clearly it’s important for people to work together and I think it’s important for this school to embrace the high expectations of this neighborhood and civic community.” Even the school’s enrollment ratio — it reserves 70% of its seats for local students and 30% for district-wide students — will likely change, Vigil said. Before the school opened, the ratio was a key node in the discussion over the facility and who should attend it. Vigil said the ratio is a goal, not a policy. “It’s going to take three to four years before this school is really worked out,” he said. Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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Downtown News 13

Holiday Parties & Catering

Parties In and Out of the Box When It Comes to Holiday Celebrations, Downtown Can Offer Something Old Or Many Things New by Pamela albanese

L

abor Day just came and went. The ghosts and goblins of Halloween are still far in the future and those Thanksgiving turkeys might as well be some time in the next millennium. Christmas and Hannukah? Who is even thinking of those celebrations right now? Actually, a lot of people are, especially in Downtown Los Angeles, where as any party planner or restaurant manager can tell you, things arrive quicker than anyone expects. Just blink and, if you haven’t already acted, you’ll find that your top 11 choices for holiday parties have been booked. Your employees won’t take too kindly if you end up going potluck and BYOB at the local park again this year. However, right now there is plenty of time to act, and those ready, willing and able to think ahead have their choice of a veritable pupu platter of Downtown party venues. From traditional hotel and restaurant events to new buzzworthy dining establishments to eco-friendly places built for a party, there is no time like the present. What follows are five of the very many options in Downtown.


14 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Holiday Twitter/DowntownNews Parties & Catering

You Look Marvimon A Place for an Eco-Friendly Awesome Party Venue: Marvimon Address: 1411 N. Broadway Size: 7,000 square feet Capacity: 200 people for standing events and 130 for sit-down dinners Contact: Kara Haro, (310) 837-3610, kara@marvimon.com or marvimon.com Details: Occupying a former automobile showroom, Marvimon is a cutting-edge event space devoted to sustainability and aesthetic integrity. The conversion from car palace to super-loft was guided not by commercial ambition, but by a personal vision fueled by creativity and green principles. Owner Miguel Nelson reduced the environmental footprint of the space by removing half of the roof to create an internal courtyard. The structure seamlessly blends inside and outside. A large glass door separates the vertical gardens and patio space from the interior Grand Hall and private living area. As Nelson puts it, “At night, it’s hard to tell whether you’re inside or outside.” The exterior is heavily landscaped with Woolly Pocket, an ecologically sound, living wall system. The airy, flowing quality to the floor plan, combined with the lush plantlife, indicates that Marvimon is not your grandmother’s party venue. Then there is the space’s emphasis on privacy. “When you’re there, you’re hidden away, and you don’t see anybody except the people you’ve invited to your event,” said Nelson. “It’s never been open to the public.

It’s a completely private space.” Nelson said past events at Marvimon have included weddings, magazine photo shoots and film and television productions. Pricing depends on the day of the week, the number of hours, the time of year and the number of guests. Site fees run between $2,000 and $9,000 for a night, and unlike many other event spaces, Marvimon has few restrictions when it comes to outside vendors. Marvimon can provide a list of chefs, florists, musicians and photographers. The cumulative result, which quickly becomes clear, is that nothing about a holiday party at Marvimon will seem packaged or cookie cutter: Companies are guaranteed to have a remarkable, one-of-a-kind event.

Book your Holiday Party with us before September 30th and get 20% back! Book your holiday party in one of our three Private Dining Rooms and receive 20% of the price of the party back in Daily Grill promotional cards.*

photos by Gary Leonard

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1119 South Olive Street Los Angeles, CA 90015 Reservations: 213-746-7746 • www.jloungela.com


September 13, 2010

STAPLES CENTER Private suites & group holiday party packages to Lakers, Kings & Clippers games for groups of 20 or more

Holiday Parties & Catering

EVENT DECK & TARGET TERRACE Unique and fully customizable event spaces for groups of 100 - 5,000

GRAMMY MUSEUM An interactive music experience for groups of 20 - 800, plus a 200 seat theater for live performances

REGAL CINEMAS & LA KINGS HOLIDAY ICE Enjoy a private cinema to see a Hollywood blockbuster or take your group ice skating at the LA Kings Holiday Ice

Downtown News 15

CLUB NOKIA Contemporary chic space with flexible floor plan featuring a private VIP club for 100 - 2,300

DECK THE HALLS Plan Your Holiday Party at L.A. LIVE 213.763.7787 • lalive.com/holidaygroupevents

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16 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Holiday Twitter/DowntownNews Parties & Catering

The View From the 24th Floor Venue: WP24 Address: 900 W. Olympic Blvd. Size: 9,800 square feet Capacity: 500 people standing, 125 people seated dinner Contact: Allison Williams, general manager, (213) 743-8824 Details: Located on the 24th floor of the new Ritz-Carlton hotel at L.A. Live, WP24 is the latest restaurant from the Wolfgang Puck culinary empire. Manhattan-based firm ICrave designed the space, enhancing the aerial perspective with floor-to-ceiling windows to allow for 360-degree views of the Downtown skyline. Director of special events Alexandra Pribuss said that the view is one of WP24’s most important features, along with its location, not far from South Park and the Central Business District. Past events at WP24 have included corporate dinners, cocktail receptions, gallery openings, events for entertainment giant Anschutz Entertainment Group, as well as parties for various movie studios. Holding up to 125 people for a sitdown dinner, the main dining room is geared toward fine dining. A smaller, private dining area can accommodate 26 people, while the wine room can hold a party of 10. The sprawling lounge area offers a more casual experience and

can be segmented into smaller “pods,” each holding about 30 people. Party planners interested in a larger affair can book the entire space for a 500-person cocktail reception. WP24 also handles catering for Blue, the pool area on the 26th floor of the Ritz-Carlton, and is available for intimate dinners as well as cocktail receptions. Like Puck’s other ventures, the menu at WP24 melds tradition and innovation, with the fare here being a modern interpretation of traditional Chinese cooking. Small plates, appetizers and sushi dominate the expansive menu, while banquet or family style service contributes to a shared, festive atmosphere. Some of the more popular menu items include a whole roasted duckling Peking-style, a whole sea bass baked in fragrant salt crust, the daily dim sum plate, and the sweet corn and king crab hot and sour soup. Crown that with the marjolasian, a dessert made from layers of dark chocolate, white espresso mousse, cashew nougatine and milk chocolate glace. Those opening wine bottles for a party can access a 400-label list, along with impressive sake selections. Tasting menus starts at $110 per person for food, while a cocktail reception in the lounge would be a little less per individual.

photos by Gary Leonard

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Downtown News 17

Holiday Parties & Catering

Go Westin, Young Planner The Iconic Hotel Offers a Range of Options Venue: Westin Bonaventure Address: 404 S. Figueroa St. Size: Ballrooms range from 500-26,108 square feet. Capacity: Up to 3,000 people, depending on the space Contact: Yvonne Chang, director of catering, (213) 612-4837 or thebonaventure.com Details: The cylindrical glass towers of the Westin Bonaventure Hotel are an iconic feature of the Los Angeles skyline. Designed by John Portman and completed in 1976, the building is awe-inspiring both from the outside — watch the exterior elevators rise and descend like gigantic fireflies — and from within: its six-story atrium is considered a city in itself, and its top-floor restaurant, LA Prime, offers stunning, panoramic views. Another impressive feature of the Bonaventure is its vast range of event spaces. According to Managing Director Michael Czarcinski, the hotel is full of options for hosting holiday parties. The Bonaventure’s numerous ballrooms and restaurants can accommodate everything from a small office party to a large corporate event. For a more intimate gathering, LA Prime’s Sky Room holds 12-20 people in a private dining space, and it has great views of Bunker Hill. For larger parties, and an opportunity to take advantage of LA Prime’s 360-degree views of Los Angeles, a buy-out of the entire restaurant holds up to 190 people. Larger companies can take advantage of the Bonaventure’s outdoor plaza pool deck or the elegant California Ballroom. Both hold up to 3,000 people. Smaller rooms, such as the Catalina Ballroom (capacity 1,000) or the Hollywood Ballroom (capacity 500) are also available. When it comes to hosting parties, the hotel, like Jimi Hendrix, is experienced. The Bonaventure has done events for the film industry, the Emmys and grand holiday parties for Los Angeles-based businesses. A large clothing store has held its annual party for 2,000 at the Bonaventure for close to 20 years. This year, says Czarcinski, “business is up a little bit.” Executive Chef Andreas Nieto and Director of Catering Yvonne Chang have already designed a threecourse dinner for holiday events. It includes passed

hors d’oeuvres during the cocktail hour and two bottles of wine for every table of 10 during dinner. The fee is $65 per person, inclusive of service charge and tax. The price includes site rental. “A lot of folks have found that during the tough times that’s a great price, and we’re seeing a lot of bookings this year,” says Czarcinski. Check the hotel’s Facebook page for updates about menus and events: facebook.com/TheBonaventure photos by Gary Leonard

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18 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Holiday Twitter/DowntownNews Parties & Catering

Light It Up The Edison Goes From a Power Plant to a Party Spot Venue: The Edison Address: 108 W. Second St. Size: 14,000 square feet Capacity: 650 people Contact: For parties of more than 125 guests, Barbara Jacobs, general manager and special events director, at (213) 613-0000 or barbara@edisondowntown.com; for parties of fewer than 125 guests, (213) 613-0000 or events@ edisondowntown.com. Also see edisondowntown.com

keynote speaker and Bon Jovi performing live. The venue has also done celebrity weddings, but out of respect to its clients, won’t divulge any names. The entire space is available for buy-outs starting at $10,000 from Sunday-Tuesday, and $30,000 for Wednesday-Saturday, and will tailor the menu to the client’s individual needs. In addition to the vast drink menu, the food menu changes every three months based on what’s fresh. For more intimate parties, companies can rent out one of the many smaller, semi-private spaces, such as the Generator Lounge, the Tesla Lounge or the Lab. Then there’s the built-in fun factor, as some events coincide with evenings when The Edison has a live band, a DJ or a stilt circus. If it’s an off night, the venue can still hook up talent including bands, DJs, contortionists, jugglers and aerialists. They’re also a full production house and will provide a stage, lighting, microphones, monitors, DJ booths and multiple screens, if you’re having that kind of a party.

Details: The Edison pays homage to its past through a complete preservation of its architectural history. The lounge, occupying the basement of the Higgins Building, was the first private power plant west of the Mississippi. It’s not every day that you can sip bourbon, a Brown Derby or a martini made from one of the lounge’s 52 varieties of gin while surrounded by generators, turbines and a steam tunnel. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the building, and the atmosphere and the epoch that The Edison painstakingly preserves is evident in every detail. From the projections of early 20th century film footage to the staff dressed in period fashion to the absinthe fairy (yes, absinthe fairy) pushing an antique cart around the premises selling shots, The Edison pays homage to an age of speakeasies, silent cinema and legendary nightlife. Yep, it was all better before you started going out. Despite its anchor to the past, the bar is on the cutting edge of entertainment, and has hosted numerous unique gatherings, everything from a Nike shoe launch to a Mattel brainstorming session to an all green, 100% carbon neutral fundraiser for Barack Obama, with Hillary Clinton as the

photos courtesy of Edison

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September 13, 2010

Holiday Parties & Catering

Downtown News 19

Season of Renewal $65.00 per person inclusive of all service charges and taxes!* Includes: ~ 3 Course plated holiday dinner created by award winning Executive Chef Andreas Nieto ~ 2 Butler passed Hor D’oeuvres during cocktail hour ~ Wine service offered during dinner ** * Offer applies on any Sunday - Thursday in November and December, 2010 ** Wine service of 2 bottles per table of 10.

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20 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Holiday Parties & Catering

When J Is A-OK A Massive Party Patio, Complete With Fire Pits Venue: J Restaurant & Lounge Address: 1119 S. Olive St. Size: 25,000 square feet Capacity: 1,500 standing entire venue, 700 standing outdoor patio, 300 standing upstairs lounge, 150 seated dining room Contact: Malinda Riesberg, event manager, (213) 746-7746 or mriesberg@jloungela.com

Pricing depends on the type of event, and ranges from $25-$30 per person for light afternoon noshing to around $150 per guest for a full formal dining experience with an open bar. Different packages are available, including full banquets, station or tray-passed hors d’oeuvres, buffets or sit-down dinners. For the holiday season, the lounge has put together packages that encompass full menus and open-bar options. photos by Gary Leonard

Details: J Restaurant & Lounge balances innovative menus and stylish decor by preserving a piece of Downtown history. The restaurant opened at the former site of food haunt Little J’s, and the “J” was retained to pay respect to the historic hangout. In the four years since the lounge opened, the South Park spot has hosted an impressive array of corporate events and network award shows, including parties for ESPN, Oak Street Capital, Ernst & Young and the MTV Video Music Awards. The 10,000-square-foot patio is J Restaurant & Lounge’s greatest asset, and holiday party planners can rest assured that the fire pits and a tent will keep guests warm and dry in the winter. It’s also good for themed events and has skyline views. According to event manager Malinda Riesberg, “It’s a blank canvas, but outdoors. It’s totally unique to Downtown.” Clients can rent the outdoor space, the entire venue or one of the two indoor levels. The upstairs lounge has a hip, industrial feel and offers a refreshing alternative to the typical banquet or ballroom space. Downstairs, the main dining area provides a sleek, elegant atmosphere to savor the restaurant’s cocktails and contemporary Mediterranean menu. The bartenders at J have scored some unique feats; their cucumber martini finished in first place in an Amsterdam competition two years ago, and Grey Goose adopted the lounge’s Peartini recipe as one of its signature cocktails. That’s because geese like pears. As for the food, Executive Chef Oz Ramuco puts his own fusion spin on Mediterranean cuisine, combining fare from regions such as eastern Spain, southern France, Italy and Greece. For parties, the restaurant can offer a list of hors d’oeuvres, and the staff will customize menus to meet a client’s cravings, preferences or dietary concerns.

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September 13, 2010

Holiday Parties & Catering

Downtown News 21

Celebrate the Holidays AT THE WILSHIRE GRAND... AND RECEIVE 25% OFF WHEN YOU BOOK A MIDWEEK HOLIDAY EVENT You will also receive your choice of one of the following: • Complimentary Cocktail Hour including Full Bar and Hors D’Oeuvres • Complimentary Wine Service with Lunch or Dinner (2 bottles per table) • Complimentary One Night Stay Holiday offer applies Sundays-Thursdays from November 2010 thru January 2011

ENJOY OUR HOLIDAY GIFT TO YOU... Overnight accommodations starting at $89 00 20% off breakfast at our City Grill restaurant and complimentary overnight parking

10 DIVERSE EVENT SPACES PRIVATE “SKYBOX” VIEWING SUITES 4 BARS AND 2 PATIOS ExtEnsivE CatEring mEnu with options for Customization, frEE wifi aCCEss, ovEr 100 multi-funCtional hD tvs gooD for prEsEntations as wEll as rEgular viEwing, ovEr 45 intEraCtivE gamEs on thE 2nD floor wEEkDay happy hour 4pm – 7pm Call Erin @ 213.765.7079 or Email EvEnts@EspnzonElalivE.Com downtown l.a. • across from staples center • espnzone.com

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22 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews

HEALTH Fitness the Doctor Ordered Urban Fit Takes Physical Therapy and Treatment to a New Level

photos by Gary Leonard

by Ryan VaillancouRt staff wRiteR

C

hiropractor Ryan Pendon doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of a doctor. Instead of a white coat and slacks, he sports athletic shorts, a lightweight pullover and sneakers. It’s a fitting look for his Downtown office, which also defies convention. There are no laminated diagrams of the body, no smell of disinfectant chemicals, not even a model of the spine. Sure there are massage tables and the typical equipment associated with physical therapy treatments, but there are Pilates machines too, along with free weights and functional workout machines. This is Urban Fit, a place where modern fitness training meets modern health care. Customers at the South Park location are really patients, who incorporate fitness training as a component of physical therapy, for preventive treatment as well as injury rehabilitation. Unlike most gyms, which charge monthly membership fees and give people free rein over exercise equipment, “patients” at Urban Fit pay for one-on-one training through their private health insurance plans. Many people who seek the services of a chiropractor do so only after sustaining an injury, Pendon said. “But the chiropractor is about preventive care,” he said. “You fix your spine to help your immune system or help your body to function properly.” Pendon and co-owner William LeVelle opened Urban Fit

in March in a ground floor space at 11th Street and Grand Avenue, in the Elleven condominium building. Pendon got the idea for the business when he was nursing an injury of his own, a torn patella tendon suffered playing basketball. As part of his rehab, he worked out at a private fitness facility in Santa Monica. The workouts were helpful, but they were also expensive and were not covered by insurance. Pendon said that at Urban Fit, all the training, which includes Pilates and strength conditioning, is covered entirely or in part by customers’ chiropractic or physical therapy benefits under their insurance plans. The gym only accommodates PPO plans, though non-qualifying customers can pay out of pocket to access training, massage and other services. When potential customers walk in the door, the gym evaluates their insurance plan and determines how many visits per year are covered, and whether there is a co-pay. Then patients go through what is called a functional movement screening — basically a series of balance and strength tests that identify where they need improvement. The test evaluates “any imbalance or anything wrong in the joints,” said trainer Kesh Hayashi. The trainer and patient work out a treatment plan and get to work, using an array of exercises in 50-minute sessions, the frequency depending on the insurance plan. Progress is charted in re-evaluations every two to four weeks, Pendon said. The Doctor’s Gym Urban Fit has the look and feel of a small boutique gym. Most of the equipment is “functional,” meaning that the machines are

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geared toward common, everyday physiological movements. If free weights and the bench — the favorites of body builders — are useful for building muscle and boosting heavy-lifting strength, Urban Fit’s machines are geared toward holistic fitness, with an emphasis on core strength, Pendon said. Each patient will likely experience a different training regimen. Every time they return, before getting to work, patients head over to a flat screen monitor mounted on a wall and input information about their injury into a computer system. The program starts with a digital diagram of the human body. Users tap the part of the model that, on their own body, is causing discomfort or pain. They tap other buttons that coincide with the severity of the pain, how long it’s been a problem, and other details. The machine prints out the patient’s so-called “note for the day,” which trainers use to further hone the individual’s training program. That could involve stretching, therapeutic massage, strength training, balance work or Pilates. “People don’t usually think of Pilates as a part of physical therapy but it’s not, is Pilates covered in my [plan]?” Pendon said. “It’s, do I have chiropractic benefits or physical therapy benefits?” Urban Fit is at 408 W. 11th St., (213) 406-8055. Contact Ryan Vaillancourt at ryan@downtownnews.com.

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September 13, 2010

Downtown News 23

Health

An APB on BPA

slow rate of excretion, BPA may pose a serious health hazard to millions of Americans. According to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up to 93% of people in the United States have detectable levels of the chemical in their urine at any given time. In response to growing public concern and controversy surrounding the safety of BPA, the FDA agreed to reconsider the health risks of the chemical in December 2008. It could ultimately mean that the use of BPA by manufacturers of plastic products will be regulated more tightly. There are ways to reduce exposure to BPA and the health risks it poses. For starters, you should avoid leaving plastic water bottles or baby bottles in the car or outside in the summer heat, because high temperatures are known to increase the release of BPA from plastic. It is also a good idea to avoid microwaving food or beverages in polycarbonate plastic containers. Polycarbonate containers with BPA are usually stamped with “No. 7” on the bottom. It is wise to use containers made of glass, porcelain or stainless steel, especially when preparing or serving hot foods or liquids. Only BPA-free baby bottles should be used to feed infants. Much remains unknown about the effects of BPA, but it is becoming increasingly clear that even at very low levels, long-term exposure to the chemical is potentially unsafe. The best bet for those especially concerned might be to avoid using BPA-containing products whenever possible. Rallie McAllister is a board-certified family physician, speaker and the author of several books, including Healthy Lunchbox: The Working Mom’s Guide to Keeping You and Your Kids Trim. Copyright 2010 creators.com.

Health Risks Are Linked to Chemicals in Common Plastics by Dr. rallie Mcallister

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ew research is linking a growing number of health concerns to bisphenol A, or BPA, an estrogen-like chemical found in a variety of common plastic products. Familiar items containing BPA include water bottles and baby bottles, food storage containers, milk cartons and water pipes. Although these products may seem sturdy and durable, scientists have known for years that the chemical structure of BPA is rather unstable, especially in the presence of heat. This chemical instability allows BPA to leach into foods and beverages that come into contact with plastic containers. To date, BPA exposure has been tied to an elevated risk of hormonal imbalances, diabetes, liver disease, breast and prostate cancers and brain disorders. Researchers at the University of Cincinnati recently announced their findings that the chemical compound may be harmful to cardiovascular health, especially in women. The announcement followed a study in which the scientists isolated cells from the heart muscles of female rodents and briefly exposed them to BPA. In the presence of the

chemical, the cardiac cells exhibited striking changes in activity. Further analysis revealed that the changes in cardiac cell activity led to abnormal beating of the heart. Based on their findings, the scientists concluded that even at low doses, BPA exposure markedly increases the occurrence of cardiac rhythm disturbances in females. The results of another recent animal study indicate that women who are exposed to BPA during pregnancy may give birth to offspring with permanent reproductive problems. Scientists at the Yale University School of Medicine found that BPA exposure during pregnancy had lasting effects on one of the genes responsible for fertility and uterine development. In spite of the mounting evidence, bisphenol A currently is deemed safe for humans by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, based on estimates that Americans consume only small amounts of the chemical daily. New research suggests that the average American’s exposure to BPA is far greater than previously estimated. In a recent experiment, scientists at the University of Missouri fed BPA to five female

HEALTH FACTS

Some doctors have warned that babies should not be fed out of plastic bottles unless they are certified BPA free.

adult monkeys. The amount fed to the animals was 400 times greater than the estimated human exposure and eight times greater than the estimated safe daily dose. Even though the monkeys consumed exceptionally high doses of the chemical, their blood levels of BPA over the following 24 hours were significantly lower than the average BPA levels found in the blood of U.S. adults. The results suggest that most Americans likely are exposed to daily doses of BPA that far exceed the current estimated safe daily intake dose. BPA is not metabolized rapidly or excreted from the human body. Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center found that high levels of BPA can remain in the bloodstream even after fasting for 24 hours. Because of high levels of exposure and a

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September 13, 2010

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CALENDAR A New View Through Glass Taper Takes on Tennessee Williams’ ‘Menagerie’ Masterwork With a Few Surprising Additions by Jim Farber

— the play that would launch his career. Since its premiere the day after Christmas in 1944 in Chicago, The Glass Menagerie has established itself as one of America’s most beloved and enduring dramas. The challenge facing any new production of a classic, however, is to find some intriguing inroad that has not been previously explored. So, when director Gordon Edelstein chose The Glass Menagerie for the 2009 season at the Long Wharf Theatre in New Haven, Connecticut, his goal was to take Williams’ work and infuse it with the distinctly autobiographical quality that went into its creation. The result was a highly praised rendition that was subsequently presented on Broadway at the Roundabout Theatre and that debuted Sept. 12 at the Mark Taper Forum (it runs through Oct. 17). The show stars three members of the original cast: Judith Ivey as the aging Southern belle, Amanda Wingfield; Patch Darragh as her frustrated son, Tom; and Keira Keeley as her daughter Laura, the painfully shy “Girl in Glass.” The newcomer is Ben McKenzie, best known for his television appearances on “The O.C” and “Southland.” McKenzie plays the crucial role of Jim O’Connor, also identified as “The Gentleman Caller.” Darragh notes that Edelstein’s approach weaves in some elements that might surprise anyone who has seen The Glass Menagerie in the past 66 years, “Gordon’s approach to the play opens up the door to embrace the fact that Williams is really writphoto by Craig Schwartz ing about himself and his Ben McKenzie, best known for his television appearances on family,” says Darragh (pro“The O.C.” plays The Gentleman Caller, while Keira Keeley is the painfully shy Laura. nounced Dara). “It also

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s a young writer at MGM in the 1940s, it was Tennessee Williams’ job to knock out scripts he referred to as “celluloid brassieres” for stars like Hollywood’s favorite sweater-girl, Lana Turner, but his heart wasn’t in it. His attention was focused on a much more personal project — an autobiographically inspired script, The Gentleman Caller, based on a short story he’d written years earlier called “Portrait of a Girl in Glass.” As fate would have it, not only did the studio reject the script, they fired its author for neglecting his primary duty. Dejected, Williams made his way to New Orleans where he sequestered himself in a shabby hotel room and set about transforming The Gentleman Caller into The Glass Menagerie

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brings the character of Williams as a young Glass Menagerie — the notion that Tom/ writer into the play, and that adds a whole Williams is homosexual. It’s a challenging new dynamic.” duality and subtext that Darragh says he Toil Over a Typewriter is still trying to reconcile, and he spent the To establish the interplay between theat- six months between the Connecticut debut rical fiction and literary history, Edelstein and the Broadway run digging into the sets the opening scene in that bare-bones playwright’s life.won’t notice you? your customers New Orleans hotel room, where the au“I looked at all the interviews,” the We’ve got the solution. 33-year-old Whether going Darragh after just one customer or appealing thor (be it Tom or Tennessee Williams) says. “I read all the to a mass market, we’ll help you capture those sales opportunities. In one is toiling over a typewriterlocation, in an your attempt books. bring I went to St. allLouis [where Williams PIP consultants together the resources you need, to remember and unravel including: the sadly tinged lived as •aPrinting young boy and the play is set] and • Signs, posters and banners events of his past. As the drama unfolds, I went to• Copying New Orleans.•IDigital saw how everything printing • Graphic design • Online ordering past and present, the soft glow of memory in the play was a reflection of his own life.” 700 Wilshire Blvd. and the stinging pain ofph:personal suffering Ironically, Darragh concedes, all that 213-489-2333 fax: 213-489-2897 cross-fade into one another. piparco@sbcglobal.net research ended up creating an unintended The autobiographical inroad also allows problem. Edelstein to inject an element that is rarely, “In the New York production I think I see Menagerie, page 26 if ever, explored in productions of The

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September 13, 2010

Downtown News 25

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Risky Players Little Tokyo Theater Company Shakes Up Its Audience With Plays About Dark Secrets, Internet Porn and Hip-Hop by Richard Guzmán city editor

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ysterious Skin, the first play in East West Players’ 2010-11 season, is probably not what longtime audiences of the Little Tokyo-based theater company are expecting. For one, there is the sensitive subject matter. But the thing more likely to surprise those in attendance is the onstage nudity. These bucks to tradition are intentional for the company founded in 1965 and known for producing musicals and plays usually about the Asian-American experience. Call it a theatrical mid-life crisis, or maybe just a way to stand out and reach new crowds, but the company’s 45th season bears the title “Shake It Up.” The goal, said Tim Dang, the producing artistic director for the company and the director of Mysterious Skin, is to give East West Players a more daring reputation and attract a younger audience while still staying true to its Asian American roots. “We felt like now is the time for East West Players to start taking some risks,” Dang said last week, while the company was in rehearsals for the play written by Prince Gomolvilas. “This is very edgy, a very graphic kind of storytelling, but it’s something East West Players could pull off in a myriad of ways,” he continues. “The story is about these two teenage youths in Kansas City who are Caucasian. So with East West Players and our history

of nontraditional casting, we’re casting the show all Asian, so that’s something else we’re bringing to the show.” Based on Mysterious Skin, a novel by Scott Heim (there was also a 2004 movie by Gregg Araki), the show that opens Sept. 15 follows the story of an 18 year old who believes he was once abducted by aliens until he meets up with a childhood classmate, who is now a hustler. He goes on to discover that his friend knows the truth about their childhood trauma. “I think the audience will be very shaken by this play,” said Gomolvilas. “They’ll question their beliefs about trauma, sexuality, about desire.” Murder and Sex Mysterious Skin is just the beginning for a company that has traditionally trod in safe fare such as last season’s Road to Saigon, about actresses who played the role of Kim in the musical Miss Saigon, and numerous Asian-American-tinged productions of Stephen Sondheim musicals. After Mysterious Skin closes on Oct. 10, EWP will stage November’s Crimes of the Heart, a play by Beth Henley about three dysfunctional sisters, one of whom has just shot her husband. In February, the company will get into the porn business with Wrinkles. The play by Paul Kikuchi and developed through EWP’s David Henry Hwang Writers’ Institute is about a 73-year-old named Harry Fukutani who becomes an X-rated Internet sensation. The season closes in May with Krunk Fu

photo by Gary Leonard

Scott Keiji Takeda (right) and David Huynh play childhood friends who had very different ways of dealing with trauma in Mysterious Skin. The East West Players production opens Sept. 15.

Battle Battle, a piece set in a high school about a hip-hop dance battle. Dang will also direct that show. Dang knows this is not what people will expect, but he believes it is where East West Players needs to go. “We’ve been around 45 years. I think people think we are a very traditional theater,” he said. “We want to show we’re still very

relevant and contemporary.” Dang acknowledges that the sour state of the economy played a role in the decision to go in a more risky direction. He said he was partly inspired by a Kennedy Center program he participated in where he learned that sometimes the best way to survive is to expand. “We have been in a recession and a lot of see Skin, page 26

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE CITY OF LOS ANGELES DEPARTMENT OF RECREATION AND PARKS, PERSHING SQUARE ART2 GALLERY

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Skin

photo by Gary Leonard

Continued from page 25 our programming involved less risk taking, smaller casts and smaller shows,” he said. “So when you are in these troubled economic times the thing to do is not get smaller and contract and save money, the thing to do is get bigger and be noticed and rise above the rest of the field.” That led to the decision to lead the season with Mysterious Skin. Dang expects the production and the nudity to have a powerful effect. “Mysterious Skin is going to shake everyone up on some level, and that’s what we want,” he said. Beyond Edgy Gomolvilas, a Thai-American playwright whose previous works include Big Hunk of Burnin’ Love and The Theory of Everything, which both world premiered at EWP, teaches in the Masters of Professional Writing program at USC. While he is well-acquainted with the theater and Dang, he said he was surprised they chose to perform this play. “When I first wrote it I didn’t send it out to them, I didn’t think it was right for that theater, didn’t think it was a good match,” he said. “It was surprising to me that they wanted to produce something more daring and edgy, and this play is beyond that.” The subject matter may turn off some of the theater’s regular audience, but the track record of the book and movie could lure a crowd that would otherwise never step inside EWP, he said. He added that those who have

read the book or seen the film will get a different take with the play — while the book and the movie reveal the secret of the boy’s past right away, in the stage version the reveal does not occur until the end. That was appealing to Gomolvilas. “I though it was more interesting for the play. I think the mystery aspect of the play gives it a stronger plot and structure,” he said. Scott Keiji Takeda, a recent graduate of Pepperdine University, plays Brian, the teen who believes he was abducted by aliens. In another indication of Dang’s effort to take risks, the play is Takeda’s first professional theater production. “It’s a very challenging, very deep kind of character that you always hope you can play and it required me to push myself,” Takeda said. “I think it’s definitely going to challenge the audience and push them to a point of being very uncomfortable due to the subject matter. It may not be something all people want to hear, but it’s something very relevant.” Canadian actor David Huynh, who plays Neil the hustler, said the role is one of the toughest parts he has ever had. “The reality of the story is the most important thing about the play, the reality of these characters. It’s a story that rings true for a lot of people,” he said. “The first act ends with a bang and it’ll shake people and test the audience’s perspective of theater.” East West Players won’t stop the testing all season. Mysterious Skin runs Sept. 15-Oct. 10 at East West Players, 120 Judge John Aiso St., (213) 625-7000 or eastwestplayers.org. Contact Richard Guzmán at richard@downtownnews.com.

The play has something not usually seen at EWP’s David Henry Hwang Theatre: nudity. It is part of company head Tim Dang’s (front) effort to prove that the 45-year-old troupe is still contemporary and relevant.

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Menagerie Continued from page 24 got a bit bogged down in trying to encapsulate the entire life of Tennessee Williams into my performance. What I realized is that the play is really a coming-of-age drama for Tom. That’s what I’m trying to focus on in this production.” The Newcomer In the gritty TV cop drama “Southland,” Ben McKenzie plays rookie patrolman Ben Sherman. He’s also the new kid on the block in The Glass Menagerie. Sitting down between rehearsals on a recent weekday, McKenzie admits that taking on the part of The Gentleman Caller required a steep learning curve. “It’s been a very compressed two-week rehearsal schedule,” says McKenzie, who will celebrate his 32nd birthday on opening night. “But everyone has been great and made me feel welcome. “The thing that’s scary is that I haven’t been on stage in front of a live audience since 2002,” he adds, a hint of panic creeping into his voice. “I always intended to do more live theater than I have up to this point.” By far the majority of McKenzie’s acting career has been devoted to television. In 2005 he won the Teen Choice Award for “Breakout Star” for his role as another new kid in town, Ryan Atwood on “The O.C.” Then came his recurring role on “Southland.” McKenzie sees his role as The Gentleman Caller as fairly straightforward — at least compared to Tom. His character is a man who never lived up to his own

September 13, 2010

expectations. “He was the king in high school, but things haven’t turned out the way he thought they would,” he says. “He’s hit a rough patch and is working in a shoe factory, which is where he meets Tom. His newfound religion is the self-improvement teaching of Dale Carnegie. But deep down he’s filled with doubts. That’s why he keeps repeating these [self-help] aphorisms over and over.” When asked how the introduction of Tom’s homosexuality affects his character, McKenzie describes it as a double-edged sword. “There’s enough going on that the audience is going to be able to see it,” he says. “But you have to remember the play is set in 1938 and Jim is totally oblivious to it. All he sees is a poetic young guy with lots of potential who just isn’t focused. He thinks Tom is a dreamer. The one person he really wants to help is Laura. She’s his willing captive audience. But when he kisses her, he knows it’s a mistake and he wishes he could take it back.” For McKenzie, who was born in Austin, Texas, and attended the University of Virginia, appearing on the Taper stage has special significance. When he was 12 (or 13, he’s not quite sure) he remembers being in the audience for Center Theatre Group’s presentation of his uncle Richard Schenkkan’s epic drama The Kentucky Cycle.” “I stayed awake through the entire six hours!” he says proudly. “I thought it was amazing. This is going to be amazing too.” The Glass Menagerie runs through Oct. 17 at the Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 628-2772 or centertheatregroup. com.


September 13, 2010

Downtown News 27

DowntownNews.com

LISTINGS EVENTS SPONSORED LISTING Autumn Lights L.A. Pershing Square, 532 S. Olive St., autumnlightsla.com. Sept. 25, 7 p.m.-1 a.m.: Artist Lilli Muller, in partnership with the city Department of Recreation and Parks, presents Autumn Lights L.A. 2010, a multi-media showcase featuring the best in emerging and established local and international artists, all using the medium of light.

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Saturday, Sept. 18 Used Book Sale Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7000 or lapl.org. 10 a.m.-noon: The sale features hundreds of bargain books, LPs, videos and more. Noon-3 p.m.: Live oral history interviews with WWII veterans, co-sponsored by the Library of Congress Veterans History Project and the History & Genealogy Dept. For information, call David Meyer-O’Shea at (323) 469-9774. Meeting Room B. Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., (213) 763–3348 or nhm.org. Sept. 18, 10 and 11 a.m.: Critter Club: What’s in the Garden is for 3- to 5-year-olds and a participating adult. Come explore the gardens and see what’s living under the leaves and dirt, like pill bugs, sow bugs, snails and worms. Sept. 19, 1-4 p.m.: In Gardening Basics for Beginners, learn about creating good soil, watering and feeding — how much and how often, starting plants from seeds, transplanting and making compost. Register at (213) 763-3520 or rmazon@nhm.org. Club Nokia Corner of Olympic Blvd. and Figueroa St., clubnokia.com. Sept. 18, 8 p.m.: Comedy Central mainstay Kathy Madigan works the room.

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ee a shark up close this we ek. No, not a Great White Shark, but a variety mu ch more fierce: The business shark. On Thursday , Sept. 16, former Walt Disney Company Chairm an and CEO Michael Eisner speaks at a breakfast eve nt at the Colburn School sponsored by the Drucker Bu siness Forum. Expect the former top mouse to tell wa r stories from the years he ran Paramount Pictures and how he grew Disney into the corporate behemoth it is tod ay — though who knows if he’ll discuss his bitter dep arture? But don’t worry: These day’s he doing just fine as head of investment firm Tornante Company. The Do wntown appearance will include a signing of Eisner’s new book Working Together: Why Great Business Partnership s Succeed. Food is served at 7:45 and Eisner speaks at 8:3 0 a.m. at 200 S. Grand Ave. Information and RSVPs at dru ckerbusinessforum.org.

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IY is a trendy term these days, but Armenian immigrant Arshile Gorky was the real deal — a self-taught artist of the avant-garde who landed in the New York art scene in 1920 after fleeing the Armenian Genocide. He learned from the surrealists of the day, eventually developing his own nonconformist style and paving the way to abstract expressionism. This is the last week to catch Arshile Gorky: A Retrospective, a Museum of Contemporary Art exhibit that celebrates his life and work. The full-scale traveling survey holds more than 120 of Gorky’s most significant paintings, sculptures and works on papers. It closes Sept. 20. At 250 S. Grand Ave., (213) 621-2766 or moca.org.

re a Institute of Architectu o he Southern Californi tw series this week with kicks off its fall lecture Arts ck your mind, not the programs meant to ro ns. On Monday, Sept. undatio District’s building’s fo Patrik Schumacher gives t ris eo iesis of 13, writer and th icism and the Autopo etr am ar “P led tit k tal a s its roots at? Parametricism ha wh y Sa .” re ctu ite ch me the Ar hniques and has beco sign tec on ati im an al git di in l de ant-garde architectura dominant style for av er explain “autopoiesis.” No ch today. We’ll let Schuma , but easier to pronounce, is lex mp co less intriguing and Beauty: led “Architecture and tit ium os mp sy 15 . six pt Se a ip,” featuring a panel of e a Troubled Relationsh ar s chitects. All lecture Los Angeles-based ar St . at 960 E. Third ., free and begin at 7 p.m c.edu. (213) 613-2200 or sciar

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alt Disney Concert Hall brings the classical to life. At REDCAT, in the back of the building, the artistic rebels and pioneers, both local and global, take center stage. This week, Rain Coloring Forest, a collaboration between Indonesian choreographer Sardono Kusumo and American artist and lighting designer Jennifer Tipton, receives its world premiere. The curtain goes up on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 8:30 p.m., when 30-foot-tall scroll paintings inspired by Tibetan tanka art create a virtual forest on stage — there is also a live electronic score and video projections. The multimedia show explores the ancient and contemporary, the tribal and the personal. There are four performances through Sept. 19, at 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org.

5

Send information and possible Don’t Miss List submissions to calendar@downtownnews.com.

image courtesy of the artist

S

onathan Franzen recently made the cover of Time magazine with the headline “Great American Novelist.” That’s a heady title to uphold, but then again, Franzen scored huge with his 2001 bestseller The Corrections and, in the nine years since, has written another tome about an American family. In the just-released and lavishly praised Freedom, that quintessential principle of American culture, freedom, stalks the characters, imposing both its temptations and burdens. In a special Aloud program at the Aratani/Japan America Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 16, at 8 p.m., Franzen will read from the book and discuss his work with Meghan Daum. Note: This Aloud event is not free; proceeds will benefit the Los Angeles Public Library. At 244 S. San Pedro St., (213) 680-3700 or aloudla.org.

photo by Byron J Cohen

photo by Greg Martin

J

photo ©2010 Estate of Arshile Gorky/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

thurSday, Sept. 16 Thursdays @ Central Central Library, Meeting Room A, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 228-7000 or lapl.org. 12:15-1 p.m.: Ettore Grillo discusses his autobiography Travels of the Mind, which relates his spiritual journey from “mental illness” to renewed health and vigor. Tax Incentive Workshop Central Library, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 488-3599, info@downtownLAretail.com or lapl.org. 6-8 p.m.: This free business tax workshop will give participants the opportunity to meet business and loan counselors that can assist with financing options and business consulting and provide tips on how to take advantage of business tax incentives. ALOUD at The Aratani/Japan America Theatre 244 S. San Pedro St., (213) 228-7025 or aloudla.org. 8 p.m.: An evening with novelist Jonathan Franzen, in conversation with Meghan Daum. Glamorama Orpheum Theatre, 842 S. Broadway, (213) 622-1939 or macys.com. 8 p.m.: Macy’s Passport Presents Glamorama, a haute fashion fundraiser benefiting local HIV/AIDS charities. The fashion show includes performances by singer Macy Gray and singer-songwriter Eric Hutchinson.

ownnews.com ar@downt calend

e and More rky’s Goodby o G , k r a Big Novelist, a Business Sh

Monday, Sept. 13 SCI-Arc Lecture Series W. M. Keck Lecture Hall, 960 E. Third St., (213) 3565328 or sciarc.edu. 7:30 p.m.: Patrik Schumacher presents the case for parametricism as a new style for 21st century architecture. WedneSday, Sept. 15 ALOUD at Central Library Mark Taper Auditorium, 630 W. Fifth St., (213) 2287025 or aloudla.org. 7 p.m.: Justice Stephen Breyer discusses his book Through the Eyes of a Judge: Making Democracy Work, in which he shares stories of key Supreme Court decisions that illuminate his theory of the Court’s responsibility and integrity. SCI-Arc Lecture Series 960 E. Third St., (213) 356-5328 or sciarc.edu. 7:30 p.m.: A symposium on “Architecture & Beauty: A Troubled Relationship,” with panelists Yael Reisner, Sir Peter Cook, Hernan Diaz Alonso, Frank Gehry, Greg Lynn, Thom Mayne and Eric Owen Moss.

|


28 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews

Listings Continued from previous page

Sunday, Sept. 19 Dramastage-Qumran Theater Company The Exchange, 114 W. Fifth St., 323-850-4436 or dramastage-qumran.org. 5 p.m.: “Reading of Prison Letters” from prisoners serving long terms in California and throughout the nation. The free event includes an Open Mic Poetry Session.

ROCK, POP & JAZZ Café Metropol 923 E. Third St., (213) 613-1537 or cafemetropol.com. Sept. 16, 8-10 p.m.: Trumpeter and Blue Note artist Ambrose Akinmusire and his quintet. Sept. 17, 8-10 p.m.: Alto saxophonist Kim Richmond and his sextet. Casey’s Irish Pub 613 S. Grand Ave., (213) 629-2353 or bigcaseys.com. Sept. 17, 10 p.m.: An American Band features country rockers/roughnecks Dan Clark, Byron Thames and Jamie Douglass. Free show.

THE ANSWER TO LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE

Sept. 18, 10 p.m.: Help Sara Radle celebrate the release of her solo album “Four” featuring The Damselles, with The Breakups. Free show. Conga Room L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic, (213) 749-0445 or congaroom.com. Sept. 16, 8 p.m.: Les Nubians’ brand of Afropean R&B. Sept. 17, 8 p.m.: Taxi Dancehall: A Latin Burlesque and Dance Revue. Club Nokia Corner of Olympic Blvd. and Figueroa St., clubnokia.com. Sept. 16-17, 9 p.m.: Alt rockers Primus present their second annual The Oddity Faire, a multi-media, outside-the-box rock show. Sept. 19, 7 p.m.: Pop-punksters Screeching Weasel are back on the scene with The Dollyrots and Kepi Ghoulie Electric. First & Hope Supper Club 710 W. First St., (213) 617-8555 or firstandhope.com. Sept. 17, 8 p.m.-midnight: Vocalist Brenna Whitaker. Sept. 18, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m.: Dave Ross and Friends feature Sam Green singing the classic tunes of Johnny Hartman and Nat King Cole. Five Stars Bar 269 S. Main St., (213) 625-1037. Sept. 17, 9 p.m.: Dirt boogie rock band Spirit Vine headlines with east side favorites Cigarette Bums, Seasons, Run River Run and DJ Chris Ziegler. Grammy Museum L.A. Live, 800 W. Olympic Blvd., (213) 765-6800 or grammymuseum.org. Sept. 14, 8 p.m.: Rock band Daughtry and producer Howard Benson sit for an interview with museum Executive Director Robert Santelli, followed by a stripped-down performance. Nokia Theatre 777 Chick Hearn Court, (213) 763-6000 or nokiatheatrelalive.com. Sept. 15, 10:30 p.m.: Ranchera romance with Los Temerarios. Redwood Bar & Grill 316 W. Second St., (213) 680-2600 or theredwoodbar.com. Sept. 13, 10 p.m.: Rock the blues with Phil Alvin and Friends. Sept. 14, 10 p.m.: Dirty Ed Tuesdays presents A Pretty Mess, The Black Widows and Abactive Ramex.

Sept. 15, 10 p.m.: Three-boy boisterous band Stab City. Sept. 17, 10 p.m.: Sweeney Todd sets sail with Almon Loos and Omar & The Stringpoppers. Sept. 18, 10 p.m.: Swords of Fatima, New Rome Quartet, Electric Children, Secret Society of the Sonic Six and Art of Bleeding. Sept. 19, 10 p.m.: Benefit Show for Tom of the Paladins features Candye Kane, Karling Abbeygate, Thomas Yearsley’s Exotiki and The Blasters. Seven Grand 515 W. Seventh St., sevengrand.la. Sept. 14, 10 p.m.: The Makers do their groove thing.

THEATER, OPERA & DANCE The Funny of (Latin) Dance Company of Angels at the Alexandria Hotel, 501 S. Spring St., (213) 489-3703 or companyofangels.com. Sept. 16-18, 8 p.m.: Written and performed by comedian Bill Santiago, The Funny of (Latin) Dance is an interactive comedy monologue about Latin dance, dancers and dance mania with live music. It’s an audience participation show, so come ready for anything dance. The Glass Menagerie Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 6282772 or centertheatregroup.org. Sept. 15-18, 8 p.m.; Sept. 18, 2:30 p.m.; Sept. 19, 7 p.m.: Tennessee Williams’ classic The Glass Menagerie starts two-time Tony Award winner Judith Ivey as Amanda Wingfield. Through Oct. 17. The Good Boy Bootleg Theater, 2220 Beverly Blvd., (213) 389-3856 or bootlegtheater.org. Sept. 17-18, 8 p.m.; Sept. 19, 3 p.m.: The Good Boy, written and performed by Michael Bonnabel, tells the story of Bonnabel’s childhood growing up in 1960s Pasadena in the middle of a large family raised by two complicated and loving deaf parents. Leap of Faith Ahmanson Theatre, 135 N. Grand Ave., (213) 6282772 or centertheatregroup.org. Sept. 14-18, 8 p.m.; Sept. 19, 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.: Con man Jonas Nightingale brings his gospelcharged tent revival to rain-starved Kansas in the World premiere musical Leap of Faith. It’s in previews. Through Oct. 24. Something to Crow About Bob Baker’s Marionettes, 1345 W. First St., (213) 250-

9995 or bobbakermarionettes.com. Sept. 14-17, 10:30 a.m.: Sept. 18-19, 2:30 a.m.: Bob Baker’s marionettes continues its 50th anniversary season with Something to Crow About, in which the marionettes enact a musical “Day at the Farm.” Through Sept. 26. REDCAT 631 W. Second St., (213) 237-2800 or redcat.org. Sep 16-19: Sardono Dance Theater and Jennifer Tipton present Rain Coloring Forest. Evocative movement, music and visuals evoke universal themes in this world premiere multimedia performance. La Razón Blindada 24th Street Theatre, 1117 West 24th St., 213-745-6516 or 24thstreet.org. Opening Sept. 17, 8 p.m.; Sept. 18, 8 p.m.; Sept. 19, 3 p.m.: In La Razón Blindada, Argentine playwright/director Aristides Vargas infuses Cervantes’ classic novel El Quijote with Franz Kafka’s The Truth About Sancho Panza and testimonies by Chicho Vargas and other political prisoners held in the 1970s during Argentina’s dictatorship. Two political prisoners find solace in meeting every Sunday at dusk to tell the story of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza. Through Oct. 17.

MORE LISTINGS Hundreds of listings of fun and interesting things to do in Downtown Los Angeles can also be found online at ladowntownnews.com/calendar: Rock, Pop & Jazz; Bars & Clubs; Farmers Markets; Events; Film; Sports; Art Spaces; Theater, Dance and Opera; Classical Music; Museums; and Tours.

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Easy ways to submit Your

Event Info

4 WEB: LADowntownNews.com/calendar/submit 4 EMAIL: Calendar@DowntownNews.com

Email: Send a brief description, street address and public phone number. Submissions must be received 10 days prior to publication date to be considered for print.

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700 S. Flower St, Ste. 1940 Los Angeles, CA 90017 213.327.0200 maps�cartifact.com

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30 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Twitters/DowntownNews

CLASSIFIED

place your ad online at www.ladowntownnews.com

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l.a. downtown news classifieds call: 213-481-1448 Classified Display & Line ads Deadlines: thursday 12 pm

“Be wary of out of area companies. Check with the local Better Business Bureau before you send any money for fees or services. Read and understand any contracts before you sign. Shop around for rates.”

All submissions are subject to federal and California fair housing laws, which make it illegal to indicate in any advertisement any preference, limitation, or discrimination because of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, familial status, source of income or physical or mental disability. We will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. All persons are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised are available on an equal opportunity basis.

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GRAND VICTORIAN - downtown loft/apartment alternative. Walk to DASH, Staples Center. Pretty tree-lined block, 6 BD, 2.5 BA, two parlors + dining rm + eat-in kit. $4,000 + util. 323868-0854

EMPLOYMENT drivers 20 DRIVERS Needed - For Dedicated Run. CDL-A, Experienced 11 Western States. Stable Family Owned - Andrus Transportation. Good Pay, Routes, People! 1-800-888-5838 or 1-866-8065119 x1402. (Cal-SCAN) DRIVERS/CDL Training - Career Central. We Train and Employ You. Company Drivers up to 40K First Year. New Team Pay! Up to 48c/mile Class A CDL Training Regional Locations! 1-877-3697091 www.CentralDrivingJobs. net. (Cal-SCAN) REEFER DRIVERS Needed! Experienced drivers and Class A commercial students welcome! Our Incredible Freight network offers plenty of miles! 1-800277-0212. www.PrimeInc.com. (Cal-SCAN)

NATIONAL CARRIERS needs O/Os, Lease Purchase, Company Drivers for its Regional Operations in California. Generous Hometime & Outstanding Pay Package. CDL-A Required. 1-888-707-7729. www.NationalCarriers.com. (Cal-SCAN) REGIONAL DRIVERS Wanted! More Hometime! Top Pay! Excellent Benefits! Newer Equipment! Up to $.41/mile company drivers! Heartland Express 1-800-441-4953. www.HeartlandExpress.com. (Cal-SCAN) SLT - $2,000 Bonus. Flatbed and heavy haul. Owner Ops needed Up to 78% of load Pay. Owners with trailers a plus. 1-800-8359471. (Cal-SCAN) DRIVERS-ASAP! New Pay Increase! 37-43 cpm. Fuel Bonus - up to 4cpm! Need CDL-A & 3 months recent OTR. 1-877-2588782. www.MeltonTruck.com. (Cal-SCAN) restaurant/Hotel

Fuddruckers Hiring

Cooks, Cashiers, Shift Leaders!

Apply 2-4 p.m. Daily 10250 Santa Monica Blvd. 221 North San Fernando

Great Oppty’s!

office/clerical JOBS NATIONWIDE! Admin., HR, Clerical, Accounting, Mgmt., Tech., etc. - www.Jobs444.com and www.JobsBloom.com.

Downtown Los Angeles Brentwood y Century City Woodland Hills Downtown Los Angeles Brentwood y Century City Woodland Hills

Beautiful Fully Furnished Offices Starting at $500 y Flexible Terms y Corporate ID Programs Beautiful Fully FurnishedAvailable Offices

On Spring St.

Premiere Towers:

Starting at $500 y Flexible Terms y Corporate ID Programs Available Services Include:

Reception y Mail y Fiber Optic Internet y TelephoneServices & Voice Include: Mail y West Law y Reception y& Mail Optic Internet y Photocopy FaxyyFiber Video Conferencing Telephone & Voice Mail y West Law y Photocopy & Fax y Video Conferencing

Additional Features: Kitchen Additional Facilities, Mail/Copy Features: Room, Conference Rooms, Mail/Copy Spectacular Views, Kitchen Facilities, Room, Fully Trained Staff Views, Conference Rooms, Spectacular Fully Trained Staff

FREE RENT SPECIALS! • • • • • • • • • • •

Studio, one & two Bedrooms Granite kitchens Italian marble counter baths Washer/dryer in every home Crown molding Direct TV & Internet access Dramatic views of the city Free gated parking Sand volleyball court Roof top pool and spa Fitness centers with sauna

JENNY AHN JENNY AHN (213) 996-8301

(213) 996-8301

laleads@regentbc.com

laleads@regentbc.com

www.regentbc.com

www.regentbc.com

Luxury Rooms in Downtown • • • • • • • •

24-hour doorman Spectacular waterscapes Study Library FREE tanning bed Private one acre park Golf driving cages Putting green Tennis courts

walk to l.a. live and nokia theater

888.886.3731 •TheMedici.com 725 Bixel St., Los Angeles, CA 90017

Monthly Rents Start at $780 1 & 2 Rooms Available • Fully Furnished • 100% Utilities Paid • • Refrigerator, Microwave & TV In Each Room • • Wireless Access Throughout Bldg. • Gym • • Close to USC & Loyola Law School • • Presidential Suite with Kitchen • Parking Available Onsite

Special STUDeNT RaTe! $690 1 person

Mayfair Hotel 1256 West 7th street

(213) 484-9789

2 bdrm/2 bath, 900 sqft. $1,600 12 Story Luxury Condo for lease • Located in a prime area in downtown L.A. • Rooftop w/city view/GYM/ Business Center • 24 hr. doorman • free (1) parking

Please call 213.627.6913 www.cityloftsquare.com

Furnished single unit with kitchenette, bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly rate $275 inc.

Monthly from $550 utilities paid. (213) 612-0348

Fully furnished with TV, telephone, microwave, refrigerator. Full bathroom. Excellent location. Downtown LA. Weekly maid service.

Monthly from $595 utilities paid. (213) 627-1151


September 13, 2010

Downtown News 31

DowntownNews.com

Computers/It SYSTEMS ANALYST Business Warehouse (Nestle USA, Inc., Glendale, CA) Devel., config., & deploy SAP BW. Requires Bach’s deg. in Comp. Eng., Comp. Sci., I.S., M.I.S., or rel. field, & 5 yrs’ exp. in performing full cycle business reporting implementations. Exp. must incl. 2 yrs. in each of following: design, support & architecture of SAP BW for min. of 200 daily executable reports of inventory, sales, purchasing, supply chain, & fin. sub modules on behalf of consumer goods mfr.; project mgmt. exp., incl. gathering req., resp. for timelines, sched. of deliverables & coord. of team members. Must also have at least 3 full cycle SAP BW implementations to integrate inventory, sales, purchasing, supply chain, & fin. sub modules into SAP BW. Apply w/ resume to M. Simo, Nestle USA, Inc., 800 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203 Ref. job code SABW. No Phone Calls or Third Party Agents Please. General AUTOMOTIVE Great jobs in downtown LA! Full time or part time. Two blocks south of the Staples Center at Figueroa & Venice. Toyota Central is growing! Sales Associates - all levels. Internet Associates. Service Technicians. Service Consultants. Drivers. Cashiers. Receptionists. Bilingual Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Middle Eastern and women encouraged to apply. Great compensation package and employee benefits. Please call 800-597-5516 or send resume to autosuccess@ aol.com. EOE. HELP WANTED Movie Extras. Earn up to $150/day. People needed for background in a major film production. Exp. not required. 888-366-0843 sales NOW HIRING 18-25 money motivated people to travel the US representing major publications. No Experience Necessary, Return Trip Guaranteed. Call Mr. Simm M-F 10-6 877-532-2068 ext 1. (Cal-SCAN)

downtownnews.com

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY BusIness opportunItIes 100% GUARANTEE or Complete Refund! Revolutionary product changes the lives of people. Just work the business per our strategic marketing plan. $9,000. Call 1-800-477-2334. (Cal-SCAN) Help Wanted ATTN: COMPUTER Work. Work from anywhere 24/7. Up to $1,500 Part Time to $7,500/ mo. Full Time. Training provided. www.KTPGlobal.com or call 1-888-304-2847. (Cal-SCAN)

SERVICES

AUTOS

DISPLAY ADVERTISING in 140 Cal-SDAN newspapers statewide for $1,550! Reach over 3 million Californians! Free email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SDAN.com. (CalSCAN)

pre-oWned

doWntoWn l.a. auto Group Porsche Volkswagen audi Mercedes-Benz nissan cheVrolet cadillac

CleanInG CONCEPTO’S CLEANING Crew. Professional, experienced, cleans apartments, homes, offices and restaurants. Call for a quote. 323-459-3067 or 818-409-9183.

2002 FORD EXPLORER Recent trade-in, just 70k miles, great condition (2ZA70758), only $9,988, call 888-203-2967.

eduCatIon

2006 VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT 2.0T Value Edition, Turbo, auto, only 31k miles. #ZV980/ 141587. $16,410. 888-781-8102.

HIGH SCHOOL Diploma! Graduate in 4 weeks! Free Brochure. Call Now! 1-866-562-3650 ext. 60 www.SouthEasternHS.com. (Cal-SCAN)

2007 AUDI A4 premium pkg., black/black, certified, (ZA9755/ vin7A273041), $21,888. Call 888-583-0981.

ABOGADO DE IMMIGRACION! Family, Criminal, P.I. for more than 20 yrs! Child Support / Custody Necesita Permiso de trabajo? Tagalog / Español / Korean

IT’S YOUR Money! Lump sums paid for structured settlement or fixed annuity payments. Rapid, high payouts. Call J.G. Wentworth. 1-866-294-8772. A+ Better Business Bureau rating. (Cal-SCAN)

2008 BMW 328I Mint condition, white/tan, stk C01055D1-2/ L53028 $23,887. 888-879-9608.

massaGe tHerapy

Thai massage Med. & Physical Therapist Downtown • Improves Circulation • Promotes Healing

(818) 399-5087

Arthritis, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome EArLy Bird $35 (9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.)

A CAR DONATION Helping sick kids! Donate Your Car to SONGS OF LOVE and make a sick child smile! Featured on NBC (TODAY SHOW), CNN. Tax-deductible, all vehicle conditions accepted. www.SongsofLove.org 888-909SONG (7664). (Cal-SCAN) DONATE YOUR Car: Children’s Cancer Fund! Help Save A Child’s Life Through Research & Support! Free Vacation Package. Fast, Easy & Tax Deductible. Call 1-800-252-0615. (CalSCAN) DONATE YOUR Vehicle! Receive Free Vacation Voucher. United Breast Cancer Foundation. Free Mammograms, Breast Cancer Info www.ubcf.info Free Towing, Tax Deductible, NonRunners Accepted, 1-888-4685964. (Cal-SCAN)

mIsC. servICes HERNIA REPAIR? Did You Receive A Composix Kugel Mesh Patch Between 19992007? If patch was removed due to complications of bowel perforation, abdominal wall tears, puncture of abdominal organs or intestinal fistulae, you may be entitled to compensation. Attorney Charles Johnson 1-800-535-5727. (Cal-SCAN)

CLASSIFIED Advertising in 240 Cal-SCAN newspapers for the best reach, coverage, and price. 25-words $550. Reach over 6 million Californians! Free email brochure. Call (916) 288-6019. www.Cal-SCAN.com. (CalSCAN)

the loft expert! group

Call us today! Bill Cooper • 213.598.7555 • TheLoftExpertGroup.com

Clean furnished single rooms. 24-hour desk clerk service. •Daily, $25.00 •Weekly, $99.00 •Monthly, $295.00 (213) 622-1508 423 East 7th St.

Casaloma L.A. Apartments Clean unfurnished bachelor rooms with shared bath at $550/mo. with private bath at $695/mo. sec. deposit special @$100

(2 blocks west of San Pedro St.)

Includes utilities, basic cable channels, laundry room on site. Gated building in a good area. 208 W. 14th St. at Hill St. Downtown LA

downtownnews.com

For English Call Pierre or Terri 213.744.9911 For Spanish Call Susana 213.749.0306

Orsini 550 NORTH FIGUEROA ST.

877-231-9362

English/Japanes/Chinese speaking emiterauchi@yahoo.com • (626) 786-9086

Medici 725 SOUTH BIXEL ST.

877-239-8256

WWW.THEMEDICI.COM

Elegant World Class Resort Apartment Homes

• Free Resident/Guest Parking in Gated Garage • Private Library, Business Center & Conference Rooms • Free Wi-Fi & DSL Computer Use • Resident Karaoke Lounge • Directors Screening Room • Lavish Fountains & Sculptures • On-Site Private Resident Park with Sand Volleyball, BBQ’s and Jogging Track • Night Light Tennis Courts • Indoor Basketball

THE BRIDGE / Little Tokyo: Contemporary worship, 4:00pm Sundays, 401 E Third St. www. thebridgewired.org.

Piero 616 ST. PAUL AVE.

877-235-6012

WWW.THEPIERO.COM

Visconti 1221 WEST THIRD ST.

866-690-2888

WWW.THEVISCONTI.COM

• Brunswick Four-Lane Virtual Bowling • Full Swing Virtual Golf • 3100 Square Foot Cybex Fitness Facility • Free Tanning Rooms • Massage Room, Sauna & Steam Room • Rooftop Pools with Dressing Rooms • Concierge Service • 24-Hour Doorman • 24/7 On-Site Management • Magnificent City Views *Amenities vary among communities

Version 3

Children’s Performing Group

Sunshine Generation

Client:

Singing, dancing, Publication: performing and fun! Size/Color: For boys & girls ages 3 and up!

Real Estate Specialist of San Gabriel Valley

Emi Terauchi Realtor / Notary • Lic.No.00810238

CHurCHes

FREE Rent Specials On Select Floor Plans

madison hotel

Cal Best Realty

HELPING KIDS heal. Free Arts for Abused Children is looking for volunteers to integrate the healing power of the arts into the lives of abused and at-risk children and their families. Today is the day to get involved! Contact Annie at volunteers@freearts. org or 310-313-4278 for more information.

Be Inspired...

Voted Best Downtown Residential Real estate Agent

6th+Grand Ave. • milanoloftsla.com • 213.627.1900

Proudly serving the communities of San Gabriel, Alhambra, Monterey Park, Montebello and El Monte.

volunteer opportunItIes

Downtown since 2002

S e e k S S t y l i S h M at e

Pricing subject to change without notice.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

TM

I c o n I c B e au t y

756 S. Broadway • Downtown Los Angeles 213-892-9100 • chapmanf lats.com

MOVIES 30 VHS movies $25. 30 DVD movies $75. Drama, action. 323-962-1012.

Best Downtown Locations!

• Gorgeous Layouts • 10-15’ Ceilings • Fitness Center • Wi-Fi Rooftop Lounge • Amazing Views

ROOFTOP GARDEN RETREAT WITH BBQ AND LOUNGE GRAND LOBBY • FITNESS CENTER • SPA MODERN KITCHEN w/CAESAR COUNTERTOPS HIGH SPEED INTERNET DESIGNER LIVING SPACES • PET FRIENDLY • DRAMATIC VIEWS WALKING DISTANCE TO RALPHS SUPERMARKET

NEW NORWOOD SawmillsLumberMate-Pro handles logs 34” diameter, mills boards 28” wide. Automated quick-cyclesawing increases efficiency up to 40%! www.NorwoodSawmills. com/300N 1-800-661-7746 ext. 300N. (Cal-SCAN)

2009 PORSCHE 911 TURBO CABRIOLET Basalt, Blk/ Blk, Certified, Only 6k miles, Tiptronic, Loaded vin773136, $125,988, 888-685-5426.

MILANO LOFTS Now Leasing!

noW leasInG

laWn & Garden/Farm equIp

2009 NISSAN ALTIMA 2.5 S Certified,(Stock#NI3617/9C175764) $16,999, call 888-838-5089

WWW.THEORSINI.COM

$1,400’s/mo. Free parking

ITEMS FOR SALE

mIsC. Items

The Downtown Renaissance Collection

BusIness servICes ADVERTISE ONLINE in a network of 140-plus newspaper websites. Border to Border with one order! $10 cost per thousand impressions statewide. Minimum $5,000 order. Call for details: (916) 288-6010. www. CaliforniaBannerAdNetwork. com. (Cal-SCAN)

ADOPT (OR FOSTER) your forever friend from Bark Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility. Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAveLA.com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation. org.

2008 MERCEDES BENZ CLK350 CONVERTIBLE certified, low miles, navigation, leather, (243042), $37,994, Call 888-319-8762.

Get your Green Card or CItIZensHIp Law Office of H. Douglas Daniel Esq., (213) 689-1710

PETS/ANIMALS adopt a pet

autos Wanted

FInanCIal servICes attorneys

For a complete list of our pre-owned inventory, go to www.DTLAMOTORS.com

Take us home ADOPT (OR FOSTER) your forever friend from Bark Avenue Foundation. Beautiful, healthy puppies, dogs, cats and kittens available at Downtown’s largest private adoption facility. Call Dawn at 213-840-0153 or email Dawn@BarkAveLA.com or visit www.Bark Avenue Foundation.org.

G.H. Palmer Associates LADT News 4.3125” x 8” 4C

Design by: apluscreative@yahoo.com

SunshineGenerationLA.com 909-861-4433

Ph: 323.474.4668


32 Downtown News

September 13, 2010

Twitter/DowntownNews

We Got Games

Attend Our

FREE

Dodgers Host the Rockies, Trojans on the Road Los Angeles Dodgers Dodger Stadium, 1000 Elysian Park Ave., (213) 224-1400 or dodgers.mlb.com. Sept. 17, 7:10 p.m.; Sept. 18-19, 1:10 p.m.: The Dodgers are playing for pride at this point, with only the most diehard Blue Crew devotees envisioning a miraculous playoff appearance. As of press time, the slumping Dodgers had amassed an atrocious six-game losing streak — they even managed the amazing feat of being swept by the Padres, who before playing the Dodgers had lost 10 in a row. But as always, there’s a silver lining: Tickets are cheap and widely available, and thin crowds mean you can get in and out of the stadium quickly. So this weekend, as the Colorado Rockies come to town (the Dodgers are in San Francisco Sept. 14-16), head on out to Chavez Ravine, snag a Dodger Dog, tear into some salty peanuts, wash ’em down with a cold beverage, and do it for the joy of the game.

OPEN HOUSE!

USC Trojans Football L.A. Coliseum, 3911 S. Figueroa St., (213) 747-7111 or usctrojans.com. The USC Trojans, fresh off their home opener on Saturday against the University of Virginia Cavaliers, are getting ready to fly out to Minnesota for a battle with the Gophers (Sept. 18). The team is still very much a question mark. New coach Lane Kiffin is looking to impress the city and gently end the Pete Carroll era. Sophomore quarterback Matt Barkley remains on the rise and had a phenomenal season opener against Hawaii, though questions remain as to whether the Southern California native can match the prowess of USC’s top-notch QB pedigree. Meanwhile, a host of young players are trying to make their first mark on the gridiron while clad in scarlet and gold. —Ryan Vaillancourt

Thu, Sep 16, 5:30-8:30pm 261 S. Figueroa St., Downtown L.A. • Get a 10% discount on fall courses* • Meet with academic advisors and plan your fall • Catch FREE career-building workshops!

For complete information visit: uclaextension.edu/bamopenhouse *Must register in person at this event. Maximum discount of $50 per course. Payment by credit card only.

11331-10

Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore!

Grand Tower 255 south Grand avenue Leasing Information 213 229 9777

Promenade Towers 123 south Figueroa street Leasing Information 213 617 3777

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Pool / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Covered Parking

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dishwasher (most units) ~ Central Air Conditioning & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

On-site: ~ Dry Cleaners / Dental Office / Restaurants

Now For Call n Specials Move-I

8 7 7 - 2 65 - 714 6

museum Tower 225 south olive street Leasing Information 213 626 1500

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove & Dishwasher ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Solariums and/or Balconies

On Site: ~ Convenience Store / Coffee House / Yogurt Shop / Beauty Salon

Community Amenities: ~ 24 Hr. Manned Lobby ~ Concierge ~ Pool / Spa / Saunas ~ Fitness Center ~ Gas BBQ Grills ~ Recreation Room

Apartment Amenities: ~ Refrigerator, Stove, Microwave & Dish washer (most units) ~ Central Air & Heating ~ Balconies (most units)

It’s our business to make you comfortable... at home, downtown. Corporate and long term residency is accommodated in high style at the Towers Apartments. Contemporary singles, studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes provide fortunate residents with a courteous full service lobby attendant, heated pool, spa, complete fitness center, sauna and recreation room with kitchen. Beautiful views extend from the Towers’ lofty homes in the sky. Mountain vistas and slender skyscrapers provide an incredible back drop to complement your decor. Far below are a host of businesses ready to support your pampered downtown lifestyle. With spectacular cultural events nearby, even the most demanding tastes are satisfied. Downtown, it’s not just big business anymore. Visit the Towers Apartments today.

TOWERS T H E

A PA RT M E N T S

www.TowersApartmentsLA.com

MAID SERVICE • FURNITURE • HOUSEWARES • CABLE • UTILITIES • PARKING RESIDENCES: SINGLES • STUDIO • ONE BEDROOM • TWO BEDROOM


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