Los Angeles Magazine - July 2022 by The Lifestyle Magazines of SoCal

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THE SEX-AND-DRUGS SCANDAL THAT SANK A USC DEAN

WHERE TO FIND THE CHEAPEST GAS IN L.A.

BY PAU L P R I N G L E

BY REBEKAH BRANDES

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THE DODGERS’ NEW FIRST BASEMAN, FREDDIE FREEMAN, DOESN’T DRINK, SMOKE, OR SWEAR—BUT DAMN IF L.A. FANS DON’T LOVE HIM ANYWAY. HOW THE LEAST SURLY SLUGGER IN THE MAJORS JUST MIGHT MAKE BASEBALL AMERICA’S FAVORITE PASTIME AGAIN BY FRED SCHRUERS

J U LY 202 2

H EART OF DARKNESS

Writer James Ellroy in Los Angeles in 2017.

A Safe Haven for Old Stars How Hollywood’s most famous retirement community—where many film and TV veterans live out their third acts—spent the pandemic playing Zoom Password with Jodie Foster. BY H I L A RY H AT T E N B AC H

2 L A M AG.C OM

The Dodgers’ new first baseman doesn’t drink or swear—but damn if fans don’t love him anyway. How Freeman could make the game America’s pastime again.

The dean of USC’s Keck School of Medicine had it all: a wife, money, a stellar reputation. But when a 22-year-old woman was discovered overdosed in his Pasadena hotel room, Dr. Carmen Puliafito’s medical career should have ended. But it didn’t.

L.A.’s latest (and crankiest) literary legend has some deep thoughts about sex, love, fame, posterity, and podcasts. But best not ask him about his girlfriends.

BY F R E D S C H R U E R S

BY PAU L P R I N G L E

Can Freddie Freeman Save Baseball?

Dr. Feelgood

Being James Ellroy

BY A N D R E W G O L D M A N

P H O T O G R A P H B Y J E A N C L AU D E D H I E N

CO U RTE S Y CO NTO U R R A

Features

J U LY 202 2 NOT JUST KIDS

Teen punk band the Linda Lindas backstage at Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2021.

Buzz Ace in the Hole

› As the mayoral race tight-

ens, Rick Caruso’s secret weapon is a controversial Democratic strategist from San Francisco who doesn’t mind playing in the mud. BY PETER KIEFER PAGE 9

›

THE BRIEF

Todd Boehly snatches

Chelsea F.C. from an ousted Russian oligarch; Shakey’s Pizza is Elon Musk’s latest takeover; the mystery behind dolls washing up on the shores of Texas; a new Japanese liquor that promises to be hangover-free. PAGE 14

Getting Hosed

› We all know that gas

prices are off the charts. But why the disparity from one neighborhood or station to the next? BY REBEKAH BRANDES PAGE 16

Ask Chris › Were pinball machines

really once illegal in Los Angeles? Did the city lose any museums to COVID-19? Did Kim Kardashian ever become a lawyer? Our resident historian answers all your burning questions.

› Summer concerts for all; what the wildly popular teen band the Linda Lindas are screaming about; how James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author; the new capital of Korean cuisine; bold bathing suits fit for the runway; and more PAG E 2 1 4 L A M AG.C OM

ON THE COVER Photographed by Shayan Asgharnia

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07.22

The Ace in the Hole AS L.A.’S MAYORAL RACE TIGHTENS, RICK CARUSO’S SECRET WEAPON IS A CONTROVERSIAL DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST FROM SAN FRANCISCO WHO DOESN’T MIND PLAYING IN THE MUD BY PETER KIEFER

I L LU S T R AT E D BY R O B E RT CA RT E R

L A M AG . C O M 9

LOCAL POLITICS

to name just a few. If you haven’t heard of Smith before, it’s Rick Caruso’s political opponents had been because he prefers to stay out of the limelight, ruthlessly longing for. On the morning of May 2, collecting political scalps behind the scenes. Politico broke the news that the Supreme What you don’t see on Smith’s extensive client list, Court was poised to strike down the landthough, are any Republicans, or even ex-Republicans, mark Roe v. Wade ruling, a story that which is why eyebrows were raised last year when Bearstar quickly sent seismic shock waves across the country. It also agreed to take on Caruso as a client. Caruso, a former promised to have deep implications for the Los Angeles Republican, is by far the most conservative candidate in the mayor’s race, mainly because Caruso—a devout Catholic running, but from a strictly bottom-line perspective, the and former Republican—had been publicly pro-life for decision to rep him was a no-brainer. The billionaire mall most of his career. His opponents, most of whom were owner has already spent upward of $25 million on TV and trailing the billionaire businessman, quickly pounced on radio ads—a percentage of which has been going to Smith’s the issue, denouncing Caruso for being out of touch with firm, on top of its sizable retainer. He’s expected to spend L.A.’s overwhelmingly pro-choice voters. millions more on the race before it’s over. Abortion rights groups also piled on, and for Still, while adding Caruso to the roster a moment, it felt like the kind of black swan might have made business sense, some He’s a master political event that could alter the trajectory progressive allies saw it as nothing short of the election. of a betrayal. “Ace and Sean are personal of planting But it didn’t turn out that way. Instead, friends of mine, and I don’t want to critidamaging Caruso shimmied his way out of the hot seat cize them. But everyone has to account for information in by claiming to be pro-choice and pledging a their own actions and judgments in their the press to million dollars to California Governor Gavin business,” said Gary South, a seasoned Newsom’s efforts to push through a constituDemocratic consultant who has worked exact maximum tional amendment protecting abortion rights. with Smith on multiple occasions. pain. Even as thousands of pro-choice marchers L.A. hasn’t elected a Republican mayor took to the streets of the city, Caruso’s poll since Richard Riordan, who won in 1993. numbers barely budged. Caruso is technically a Democrat, havIt was deft crisis management. And the man behind it ing changed his political affiliation from “no party” to was a savvy political strategist named Averell “Ace” Smith, Democrat in January, weeks before he announced he who—as it just so happens—also consults for Newsom and would be running. But he was a registered member of the has a hotline into the Governor’s Mansion. GOP until 2012, so if elected, he’d be the closest thing to a Over the past three decades, Smith and his longtime Republican mayor L.A. has seen in a couple of decades. business partner, Sean Clegg, have carved out a powerful And he just might pull it off. perch within California’s political A recent Berkeley-IGS poll shows Caruso polling at ST RA NG E hierarchy. Their San Francisco-based around 24 percent, with Congresswoman Karen Bass trailB E D F E L L OW S From left: Joe Buscaino firm, Bearstar Strategies, is the most ing close behind, at 23 percent. The next closest candidate endorsed Caruso after powerful political consultancy in is City Councilman Kevin de León, at 6 percent. (Six other abandoning his own California, with a client list that reads candidates are in single digits.) According to the poll, 39 mayoral bid; strategist Ace Smith’s decision to like a who’s who of Democratic heavypercent of voters are undecided. The most likely scenario to work for the one-time weights—both of the Clintons, Jerry is that Caruso and Bass each fail to get a simple majority Republican drew slings Brown, Newsom, and Kamala Harris, and end up after the June 7 primary in a five-month runoff from progressive allies. 1 0 L A M AG . C O M

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LOCAL POLITICS

with the general election taking place on November 8. That said, as a self-funding billionaire willing to spend whatever it takes to win, Caruso could afford one last televisionadvertising blitz in the final days of the primary and win over enough of the remaining undecided voters to put him over 50 percent, avoiding a runoff. South worries that a runoff between Bass and Caruso could get ugly, especially given Smith’s penchant for hardball. “I don’t consider what we do to be a highly moral profession,” South says, “but I could not in good conscience take on a lifelong Republican to run for mayor in the nation’s second-biggest city and run against a Black female Democrat. I could never vote for Caruso in a million years.” Smith’s introduction to bare-knuckle politics began close to home. In 1990, his father, Arlo Smith, a former San Francisco DA, was the underdog in a race to become California’s attorney general against popular L.A. DA Ira Reiner. But he eked out a surprise victory after pursuing a brutal, take-no-prisoners approach. For his son, it was apparently a lesson well-learned. Smith began his own career as an opposition researcher. He’s still considered a master in the art of unearthing damaging information about a candidate and planting it in the press to exact maximum damage. And though he’s from the Bay Area, that hasn’t stopped him from trying to play kingmaker in L.A. He helped get Antonio Villaraigosa elected mayor after a bitter campaign in 2002. Villaraigosa fell out with the consultant over Smith’s decision to ditch him for Newsom in the 2018 governor’s race. Even by the murky standards of political consultants, Smith’s hardball tactics stand out. “It’s a dark art, and Ace is a master of it,” says his friend and fellow consultant Nathan Ballard. “I can’t point to any examples because that’s the point.” But he needn’t look much further than the 2020 presidential campaign. In his book, Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaign to Defeat Trump, Edward-Isaac Dovere claims that it was Smith and Clegg who helped mastermind the now-infamous “That little girl was me” busing attack that Harris leveled at Biden during a Democratic presidential debate. While the stunt temporarily lifted Harris’s presidential prospects, it reportedly infuriated Biden’s inner circle, which became a problem for Harris months later when she was vying to become Biden’s running mate. At the time, she and Bass were among a handful of finalists who were being considered for the post. Undaunted, Smith set about clearing the field. In their book, This Will Not Pass: Trump, Biden and the Battle for America’s Future, reporters Jonathan Martin and Alex Burns confirm previous reporting by Los Angeles that Smith and his team leaked damaging stories about Bass’s past in an attempt to scuttle her chances. Another reported finalist, former UN Ambassador Susan Rice, was also in their crosshairs. When Rice caught wind that Smith and his 1 2 L A M AG . C O M

M R . S M I T H G O E S T O WA S H I N G T O N

From top: Smith (left) has represented blue chip Democrats from Gavin Newsom to Kamala Harris. His jockeying reportedly helped Harris win her job as V.P.

team were compiling an opposition research file on her, she became so alarmed that she called Harris and told her to “call off her attack dogs.” “I know of him, but I have never met him,” Bass said when asked about Smith during a recent campaign event. “I will tell you that very prominent people called me during that [vetting] process and told me that Ace Smith was behind the attacks that I experienced. And if that’s true, then he has the oppositional research to continue doing that.” Some observers believe that it was Smith’s effective takedown of Bass that won Bearstar Caruso’s business. In his nonpolitical life, Smith, who lives with his wife, Laura Talmus, in a modest Marin County home, seems far from the monster his opponents paint him to be. Friends describe him as a soft-spoken, fiercely intelligent man with a photographic memory who collects vintage books and jazz albums. (He once self-published a book about baseball player Satchel Paige.) Smith and Talmus oversee a non-profit called Beyond Differences, started to honor their daughter, Lili, who died of complications from Apert Syndrome in 2009 at age 15. Indeed, several associates claim that Smith’s reputation is more myth than reality; they say he is given credit for all sorts of campaign shenanigans he had nothing to with. According to Chris Lehane—another Democratic operative—the firm’s scary reputation just enhances its brand. “They get in the heads of other candidates and campaigns to the point where if a candidate is doing a press conference and there’s inclement weather, Ace gets blamed,” laughs Lehane. “But ultimately that’s where you want to be—in your opponent’s head.”

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The Brief N E W S & N O T E S F R O M A L L OV E R

HOW L.A. LANDED THE CROWN JEWEL OF BRITISH FOOTBALL DODGERS OWNER TODD BOEHLY SNATCHED CHELSEA F.C. FROM AN OUSTED RUSSIAN OLIGARCH BY KEVIN ANDREW DOLAK

A M I D S T the

the West London-based torrent of news Chelsea Football Club, arising out of which had been in limbo Russia’s invaafter the Ukraine invasion sion of Ukraine, led to the ouster of there’s one tangenits previous owner, tial development Roman Abramovich. that has so far The Russian escaped much oligarch had been attention: two of the team’s majority the most prominent owner for almost Angelenos have just two decades, durclosed a $5.3 billion ing which Chelsea deal to take over won five Premier one of the U.K.’s League titles BIG SCORE most lucrative soc- Boehly (top) bought and exploded in the coveted club cer franchises. popularity. But after Abramovich when sanctions Todd Boehly, a (bottom) was followed Vladimir key stakeholder in booted as owner. the Dodgers, led a Putin’s bloody group of investors, includgambit, Abramovich saw ing Guggenheim Partners his assets in the Channel president Mark Walter, in a Islands frozen. With Abramovich out, successful bid to purchase 1 4 L A M AG . C O M

to buy the club; in 2019, his $3 billion offer was rejected by Abramovich. But the billionaire has his work cut out for him: Chelsea is currently ranked a distant third in the Premier League.

MUSK’S PIZZERIA POWER PLAY D E S P I T E Elon Musk’s many distractions these days—the seemingly botched Twitter takeover, the allegation that he exposed himself to a SpaceX employee and paid $250,000 to buy her silence—Tesla’s restless CEO is finding the time to make good on a fouryear-old tweet: “Gonna put an old-school drive-in, roller skates & rock restaurant at one of the new Tesla Supercharger locations in LA.” That location is already something of an L.A. landmark: Shakey’s Pizza at Santa Monica Boulevard and Orange Drive. If Musk’s plan is approved by the L.A. City Planning Commission, the storied pizzeria, which has held down the corner since 1964, will be

TEXAS: WHERE DOLLS G O TO DIE

Terrifying tidal-garbage dolls are this summer’s essential beach accessory.

FO OT B A L L : G E T T Y I M AG E S ; D O L L S : CO U R T E SY M I S S I O N -A R A N SA S R E S E RV E

CHELSEA F O OT B A L L C LU B

deep-pocketed buyers began to circle the franchise, among them Serena Williams, Formula 1 legend Lewis Hamilton, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe. In the end, however, the club agreed to be sold to the ownership group led by Boehly, Walter, Clearlake Capital, and Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss. Boehly is well-known in local power circles. He joined financial services firm Guggenheim in 2001 and was later named president. In 2015, he founded Eldridge, a private equity firm whose properties include The Hollywood Reporter and Dick Clark Productions. The company also owns significant stakes in the Lakers and the Sparks Chelsea F.C. said $3.1 billion of the deal with Boehly’s group will go toward the purchase of the club, and another $2.2 billion will be spent on building the club’s infrastructure, including its stadium and women’s team. This was actually Boehly’s second attempt

CALIFORNIA’S PROJECTED 2022 BUDGET SURPLUS, WHICH DWARFS THE ENTIRE OPERATING BUDGETS OF ALMOST EVERY STATE IN THE U.S. BY CALIFORNIA LAW, APPROXIMATELY HALF THE SURPLUS WILL AUTOMATICALLY GO TOWARD FUNDING PUBLIC SCHOOLS.

PLUG A N D P L AY

S H A K E YS ’ : G E T T Y I M AG E S ; B R I A N B OZ Z I A N D S O N D R A B A K E R : CO U R T E SY M UJ E N S P I R I I TS

Musk’s Supercharger diner/drive-in could replace a vintage WeHo Shakey’s.

will be demolished and replaced with a Tesla Supercharger Diner & Drive-In, a 9,300-squarefoot restaurant and outdoor movie theater where guests can refuel their Teslas while taking in a “reel of the best scenes in movie history.” Not everyone, however, is thrilled with Musk’s shakedown. The announcement prompted a flood of complaints across social media from the pizzeria’s fans. “RIP to WeHo’s Santa Monica Blvd Shakey’s Pizza,” eulogized the L.A. historians at Esotouric. “Locals’ fave happy hour & birthday marquees no more. This is a Rte 66 loss.” — C H R I S N I C H O L S

VALLEY OF THE DOLLIES! T E X A S H A S spent a mint lately trying to poach California businesses, but it turns out it’s not just Silicon Valley tech bros and Oracle’s Larry Ellison who are washing up in the longhorn state. This

spring, the whole nation has been mesmerized by dozens of ghoulish, barnacle-encrusted dolls that have mysteriously surfaced on Texas beaches. Photos of the scary dolls, which have been collected by scholars at Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve, have become a viral Facebook hit. Situated on the Gulf Coast about 30 miles northeast of Corpus Christi, the reserve encompasses a roughly 40-mile stretch of beach running from North Padre Island to Matagorda Island—an area the dolls seem to mysteriously gravitate toward. Researches discovered the first grisly plaything—its mouth agape and filled with detritus—in January 2021, dubbing it the “craziest #beach find of all time!” It quickly went viral. “We’re actually doing scientific work, but the dolls are a perk,” says Mission-Aransas director Jace Tunnell. “Just when you think you’ve found everything that could possibly

wash up on shore, something else comes up.” The marine educators say they’ve collected more than 30 examples of the hellish flotsam so far. Barnacles on the dolls suggest that many have been floating in the Gulf of Mexico for some time. “The creepiest are the ones that have lost all their hair,” Tunnell says. Not all of this gruesome bounty served up by the sea is G-rated. “The first one we found was a sex doll,” recalls Tunnell. “I posted a picture of it, and I didn’t realize that’s what it was. We got a lot of followers on the page after that.” Someone recently purchased that particular artifact for $35, the money going to a Mission-Aransas sea turtle program. — I A N S P I E G E L M A N

BRUCE BOZZI’S SAKE SURPRISE W H E N Bruce Bozzi, the beloved manager of the Palm in Beverly Hills and executive VP of the restaurant’s former parent company, resigned following a brutal corporate brawl in 2020, he briefly pondered opening his own Palm-style rival in the neighborhood. Instead, Bozzi, who is married to CAA superagent Bryan Lourd, decided to try his hand at high-end hooch. Conceived with

$97B business partner Sondra Baker, Mugen Spirits is a distillate line built around an obscure 500-year-old Japanese liquor called shochu. “It’s more a Japanese clear whiskey than a sake equivalent,” Bozzi says. “The best part is that it has zero carbs, zero sugar, and it’s gluten-free.” According to Bozzi, the Japanese claim that Mujen is hangover-free as well. “It’s a fact I can testify to personally,” he says. Mujen, which is served in buzzy joints like Tower Bar and the San Vicente Bungalow, launched last spring with a big party at Gigi’s. Many of Bozzi’s old pals and customers from the Palm were there to wish him well. As he took in the scene, Bozzi allowed that he misses the Palm very much. “But I’m in a new stage of my life,” he says, “and it’s exciting to go down a new path.” —MERLE GINSBERG

T U RN I NG JA PA N E S E

Bozzi and business partner Baker with their Mujen shochu. “The perfect L.A. spirit,” he declares. L A M AG . C O M 1 5

Average price of a gallon of gas in L.A.

M A R K E T WAT C H

1 6 L A M AG . C O M

PRICES AS OF 05/23/22

Here’s the cheapest & priciest gas in L.A. A GUIDE TO STATIONS WHERE YOU CAN SAVE, AND A FEW TO AVOID AT ALL COSTS 10

$3.52

SINCLAIR Euclid St. & Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton

CHEVRON Cesar E. Chavez Ave. & Alameda St., Downtown L.A.

[3] SHELL: $6.99 Olympic Blvd. & Fairfax Ave., Carthay

[9] SAM’S CLUB: $5.44 Normandie Ave. & Artesia Blvd., Gardena

[5] CHEVRON: $6.81 Altadena Dr. & Lake Ave., Altadena [6] MOBIL: $6.59 Santa Monica Blvd. & Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica

[10] COSTCO: $5.45 14501 Hindry Ave., Hawthorne [11] ARCO: $5.49 934 S. Grand Ave., Glendora [12] SHELL: $6.19 Sherman Way & Canoga Ave., Canoga Park

$1.32

[4] MOBIL: $6.89 Silver Lake Blvd. & Bellevue Ave., Silver Lake

$2.58

[8] 76: $5.39 Santa Anita Ave. & Foothill Blvd., Arcadia

$3.06

CHEAPEST

[2] MOBIL: $7.29 Beverly Blvd. & La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Grove

PRICIEST

$5.37

$7.83*

$1.29

H A N K S T O T A X E S and emission regulations—a hefty $1.30 per gallon extra—California’s gasoline prices remain the highest in the country year after year. Angelenos are used to paying a premium for the privilege of driving the 405, but with the recent spike in costs, more L.A. motorists are turning to apps like GasBuddy, which uses GPS and crowdsourcing to display the cheapest (and most expensive) gas in the user’s vicinity. It makes sense that neighborhoods with high rent, like Beverly Hills, have higher-priced gas stations than communities with residents living below the poverty line. But within neighborhoods, the spread of gas prices is significant—often more than $1.50 a gallon—even when stations sit directly across the street from each other. Why the disparity? Type “Inglewood, CA” into GasBuddy’s search bar, and you’ll see a list of around 50 stations with a spread of $1.60, starting at $5.09 and ending at $6.60 at the time of this writing. Compton’s spread was $1.02, starting at $5.27 at a Sinclair station and ending at $6.29 at a Chevron. Beverly Hills brings up a $1.50 spread, the lowest at Speedway Express at Santa Monica and Edinburgh and the highest at the Mobil at Beverly and La Cienega for $6.99. So what’s the deal? The manager at a relatively cheap station in Palms seemed proud that his gas was the lowest in the area. “We are trying to give back to the community while we keep a business running,” he says. “I mean, prices are high. We see prices like $6.29 just a couple streets back.” A couple of miles up the road was the most expensive station. The manager shared his perspective when asked why anyone would pay $30 more for a tankful when they could pull into a station across the street and get a better deal. Gas is gas, isn’t it? “Gas is not gas,” he said. “Customers told me that when they buy lower-brand gas, like Arco, they get less mileage. Also, Arco and other lower-brand stations charge an extra $.35 fee for credit cards. Our station—no fee.” When asked what made one brand of gas better, he offered that it might be due to the refining process. “Some is not well-refined,” he said. “He’s partly right,” says Mark LaCour, editor-in-chief of Oil and Gas Global Network. But it isn’t the refining process that makes the difference. The gas that comes from the five big refineries in L.A. County, he says, “with some caveats, is exactly the same. That’s raw gasoline.” The varying quality of gas at the pump is due to what happens after it comes out of the refinery. That’s when detergents

1 2

73%

$0.93

WE ALL KNOW THAT GAS PRICES ARE OFF THE CHARTS. BUT WHY THE DISPARIT Y FROM ONE STATION OR NEIGHBORHOOD TO ANOTHER? B Y R E B E K A H B R A N D E S

$1.15

Getting Hosed

$6.09

$1.16

GAS PRICE RISE SINCE 2020

$0.66

BUZZ

L.A. GAS PRICES PER GALLON SINCE 1978

1978 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2020

2022

I L LU S T R AT E D BY N E I L JA M I E S O N

$6.09 $5.72 $4.87 $2.63 $2.62 $2.35 $2.34 $2.27 $2.01 $0.38 $0.20 $0.12 $0.08

2¢

STATE FEES (PER GALLON)

STATE UNDERGROUND STORAGE TAX

22¢

LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARD PROGRAM

25¢

CA CAP-ANDTRADE PROGRAM

5/24/22

$8.8B

OIL COMPANY PROFITS Q1 2022 (BILLIONS)

FEDERAL EXCISE TAX

STATE AND LOCAL RETAIL SALES TAX

$4.60

Big Oil is Enjoying Record Profits

18¢ 12¢

U.S. NATIONAL AVERAGE

NATIONAL RETAIL PRICES

Shell

Exxon Mobil

Chevron

$4.3B

STATE EXCISE TAX

$9.71 $8.81 $8.49 $8.00 $7.84 $7.66

$6.2B

51¢

$9.1B

GAS TAXES (PER GALLON)

Oslo, Norway Amsterdam, Netherlands Berlin, Germany London, United Kingdom Paris, France Rome, Italy LOS ANGELES, CA Brasília, Brazil Tokyo, Japan Beirut, Lebanon Cape Town, South Africa Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Moscow, Russia Bogotá, Colombia Cairo, Egypt Abuja, Nigeria Tehran, Iran Tripoli, Libya Caracas, Venezuela

$6.5B

In California, 21.3 percent (or $1.30) of every gallon goes to taxes

If California were a country, it would have the seventh highest gas prices of any nation on the planet

Conoco Phillips

are added, which help keep your car’s combustion system clean. “ExxonMobil spends the most on additives. Arco and Valero are doing additives, but they’re not putting as much money into it,” LaCour says. It’s not that their gas is bad for your car, he adds. “It’s good gas; it’s just not as good.” If you don’t want to spend $6.89 a gallon for the better gas when the place next door is $5.19, LaCour has a tip—fill up every fourth tank at an ExxonMobil or Chevron. “I fill up three tanks at Sam’s, a lower detergent gasoline. Every fourth tank is from Exxon. And that works pretty well.” Additives aren’t the only reason Mobil charges more than Arco and Valero, though: they have different business models. Back in 2008, Exxon announced plans to exit the gas-station business. At the time, it owned only about 25 percent of the stations that bore its name—the other 75 percent were owned by people simply paying to use the name. “Exxon got rid of them. Company-owned retail stations are the least profitable part of the value chain. They’re also the hardest to manage. It’s easier to run a refinery than have to worry about potato chips and Slurpees,” says LaCour. Arcos and Valeros, on the other hand, are

$4.065 to $4.219 $4.220 to $4.368

$4.609 to $4.846

$4.369 to $4.608

$4.487 to $6.069

company-owned retail stations, and they can keep costs lower as long as they’re willing to forgo spending money on expensive detergents. Gas stations featuring Mobil signs are privately owned, with operators buying the branded fuel wholesale, additives and all, and paying the premium for the right to use the brand name. Armed with all this information and your GasBuddy app, but still unsure whether to pay for the cheaper low-detergent fuel or spring for the big brands? There’s one more factor you need to consider when deciding where to fill up, and, according to LaCour, it’s the most important one: gasoline has a shelf life that ranges from around three to six months, depending on the season. Rather than worry too much about price or detergents, he says, look for the busy stations. “The reality is, you want to get your gasoline from a gas station that’s super busy. Busy gas stations are getting fresh gas almost every other day.” Forking over your hard-earned money for a full tank of overpriced gas may trigger suspicions of foul play, but things could be worse: the cost of gas in Death Valley is as high as the temperature—$8.99 per gallon. Now that’s murder.

BUZZ

S U R R E A L E S TAT E

READY FOR YOUR CLOSE-UP ? WHAT A STUDIO-ADJACENT HOUSE WILL RUN YOU IN THESE STAR NEIGHBORHOODS

2.2M

FOX

HOME PRICES AND SALES ARE FINALLY LEVELING NATIONALLY. BUT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING MARKET COULD BUCK THE TREND

S I Z E 1,637 square feet

BY JESSICA RITZ

infuse this 1931 Rancho Park three-bedroom, with an updated kitchen and two new baths, in the shadow of the historic Fox lot.

R I S I N G inflation and climbing mortgage interest rates appear to be putting the brakes on the nation’s raging real estate market. Inventories of unsold houses are growing for the first time since 2021, according to Zillow. Meanwhile, the number of sellers who reduced their asking price jumped 15 percent in March, per Redfin. Plus, fewer people searched “homes for sale” on Google, mortgage applications dropped 11 percent, and the average mortgage interest rate leaped to 5.27 percent in May, the highest since 2009.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean an end to the Hunger Games-like competition in L.A., especially in the upper reaches of the market. It will take months to work through pent-up demand among motivated buyers who “are more concerned with eroding stock values than rising mortgage interest rates,” says Lawrence Taylor, CEO of Christina, an L.A.-based real estate investment firm. Taylor adds that the impact will be felt mostly by—surprise!— first-time buyers, for whom “a mere half-point interest-rate increase will disqualify them for obtaining loans, thereby tapering sales and prices.”

H I G H L I G H T S Spanish colonial revival vibes

P R I C E $2.2 million CO N TAC T Michael Grady, The Agency, 424-354-2929

1.9M

WA R N E R B R O S . S I Z E 2,166 square feet H I G H L I G H T S Located on Warner’s former-

Western Town backlot, this updated 1939 cottage in Burbank’s Rancho neighborhood beckons with two beds, two baths, and a pool.

P R I C E $1.9 million CO N TAC T Andrea Volore, Berkshire Hathaway, 818-398-2539

T H E H O U S E T H AT R OA R E D > FORMER DISNEY CEO Michael Eisner is known for his keen interest in architecture, having commissioned projects from a long list of starchitects

1 8 L A M AG . C O M

including Frank Gehry, Arata Isozaki, and Michael Graves, who designed the Team Disney building on the studio’s Burbank lot. Now Eisner is listing his

own pedigreed Malibu compound, designed by Robert A. M. Stern in stages over the past 30 years, for $225 milllion—a California record. The five-acre beachfront estate off Pacific Coast Highway, listed with Kurt Rappaport of the Westside Estate Agency, comprises nine Mediterranean-inspired structures—along with the inevitable screening room.

1.6M

PA R A M O U N T S I Z E 1,672 square feet H I G H L I G H T S A stone’s throw from the

Paramount gate, each unit of this recently renovated Larchmont duplex has two beds and two baths. The property has approved plans for two additional accessory dwelling units.

P R I C E $1.6 million CO N TAC T Deboura Emanuel, Keller Williams, 310-505-2198

G O I N G … D OW N ? : A N D R E Y P O P OV/S H U T T E R STO C K ; T H E H O U S E T H AT R OA R E D A N D R E A DY FO R YO U R C LO S E - U P ? : F R O M R E A LTO R S ’ W E B S I T E S

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Plus

› This summer’s

can’t-miss concerts PAGE 26

› How James Patterson became the world’s best-selling author PAGE 28

› The new capital

of Korean cuisine PAGE 40

H A P P E N I N G N OW

Smells Like Tween Spirit THE LINDA LINDAS MAY HAVE THE MOXIE OF THE GO-GO’S, BUT THEIR LIPS AREN’T SEALED: L.A.’S PINT-SIZED PUNK ROCKERS ARE SCREAMING THEIR TRUTHS TO SOLD-OUT VENUES AROUND THE WORLD B Y M I C H A E L S L E N S K E

P H O T O G R A P H E D BY C O R I NA M A R I E

L A M AG . C O M 2 1

H A P P E N I N G N OW

O N A LU S H LY planted garden terrace above the garage where they just recorded their breakout debut album, Growing Up, members of L.A.’s most buzzed about band are doing cartwheels and swinging on monkey bars behind the Eagle Rock bungalow where two of them—drummer Mila de la Garza and her sister, guitarist Lucia—still live with their parents. They should—they’re 11 and 14, respectively. Like they do most days, they’re hanging out with their lifelong friend and guitarist for the band, Bela Salazar, 17, and their 13-yearold cousin, Eloise Wong, a wildly animated bassist with cat whiskers painted on her cheeks that match her wispy pixie cut. Meet the Linda Lindas, the most anticipated girl group to come out of Los Angeles since the Go-Go’s, with a billboard on Sunset to prove it. Since the beginning of the pandemic, they’ve signed to Epitaph Records, made the late night rounds with Kimmel, Corden, and Fallon, played L.A.’s Troubadour and New York’s Irving Plaza, and are about to embark on a summerlong tour through Europe, Japan, and the U.S. In other words, if you haven’t heard of them, you soon will. “We were a cover band before lockdown,” explains Lucia, referring to the Linda Lindas’ 2018 debut performing alongside Karen O and Best Coast at the Girlschool L.A. festival. But things snowballed from there. Bikini Kill lead singer Kathleen Hanna heard their cover of her “Rebel Girl,” tweeted about it, and asked them to open for her band in the spring of 2019 at the Hollywood Palladium. That gig was seen by Amy Poehler, who then offered the girls a two-song cameo in her 2021 film, Moxie, about a shy teenager who calls out sexism at her school by anonymously publishing a zine. On the heels of their Hollywood baptism, they were asked to write their first song, “Claudia Kishi,” for a Netflix documentary about the cult-followed Asian American character from The Baby-Sitters Club books. “When we started, we sucked,” says Eloise with an infectious giggle between bites of a Sour Patch worm. “We didn’t know how to play our instruments at all.” However, the pandemic afforded the girls ample opportunity to hone their chops. Between online classes (and sometimes during), they wrote songs, including the hard-charging, hard-screaming punk anthem “Racist, Sexist Boy,” which Mila and Eloise arranged over a five-hour Zoom call in October 2020. 2 2 L A M AG . C O M

The song was a response to an incident then-ten-yearold Mila had in March 2020 with a classmate who told her his parents wanted him to stay away from Chinese people. When she informed him that she was Chinese, the boy backed away, which freaked Mila out. “I came home and told my family what had happened, and we were all pretty upset about it, because, you know, you should be,” Mila says. Eloise adds, “It’s so frustrating that so many things like this happen, and it’s become so normalized that people don’t blink an eye. People say sexism doesn’t exist or oppression’s not real. That’s why we needed to get that out—because it does exist and it matters and it’s not something to ignore.” (Though the song was originally called “Idiotic Boy,” the band removed the “ableist language” before they unveiled it this spring.) “Racist, Sexist Boy” closed out a May 2021 gig for the Los Angeles Public Library’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Dressed in plaid skirts, the girls turned in a raucous performance in front of the stacks, and a video of the set unexpectedly went viral (eventually being viewed nearly 5 million times). The song immediately

J I M M Y K I M M E L : A B C / R A N DY H O L M E S ; T H E L AT E S H OW : T E R E N C E PAT R I C K © 2 0 2 2 C B S B R OA D C A ST I N G , I N C .

Incoming

REBEL GIRLS

This page, from left: band members Bela Salazar, 17; Lucia de la Garza, 14; Eloise Wong, 13; and Mila de la Garza, 11. Opposite page: with Jimmy Kimmel in June 2021; on The Late Late Show in February 2022.

band,” says Lucia. Mila adds, “We’ve also learned we don’t got nods from the likes of Flea and Thurston Moore, who need to fit into any one lane.” dubbed it “Song of 2021 so far . . . by far!” So in her downtime, Mila does cartwheels while Eloise In the aftermath of that social-media frenzy, the band draws cats (it’s her artwork that’s on most of the band’s recorded a slew of other songs—some about adolescent merch and on the cover of their album). Lucia, meanwhile, alienation, pandemic anxiety, and their cats—with the help a self-described nerd, lives to read and of Mila and Lucia’s father, Grammy-winning enjoys ballet, and Bela, like her mother, is producer Carlos de la Garza. The process a budding fashion designer who created spawned a string of music videos (includ“When the outfits the band wore at their Mercury ing one directed by their neighbor, Opening we started, Lounge show this past spring (and for Ceremony founder Humberto Leon) that this photoshoot). She didn’t, however, make put them on the radar of tastemakers across we sucked,” her dress for her prom. the globe: in April, they played SF MOMA’s says Eloise with “I wanted to be a normal teenager ArtBash gala and appeared in Rodarte’s an infectious for one day,” she says, even though she’s 2022 “portrait series” campaign. giggle between looking forward to embracing the band’s Though they are often compared with the impending superstardom on the road Go-Go’s and the Runaways, you won’t find bites of a this summer when the Linda Lindas will the Linda Lindas tearing up what’s left of Sour Patch play 17 shows, including the Primavera the Sunset Strip anytime soon. Wonks more worm. Sound festival in Barcelona, the Newport than rebels, they got their name from the Folk Festival in Rhode Island, and 2005 Nobuhiro Yamashita film Linda Linda Summer Sonic in Tokyo, before returnLinda, about three Japanese high schoolers ing to L.A. for an October performance at the Hollywood and a Korean exchange student trying to get their makeshift Bowl, where they’ll open for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and band in shape in time to cover a bunch of Blue Hearts songs Japanese Breakfast. (including “Linda Linda”) for an upcoming festival. How will they handle the big time? “Honestly,” says “We’re not trying to be anything because we still haven’t Eloise, “as long as you have a blast, who cares?” even figured out what that is yet, as individuals or as a P H O T O G R A P H E D BY C O R I NA M A R I E

L A M AG . C O M 2 3

Incoming

HAPPENINGS

THE TO-DO LIST YOUR JULY CULTURAL AGENDA BY JOR DA N R I E F E

SEE

› Based on Baz Luhrmann’s Oscar-winning

film from 2001, Moulin Rouge! The Musical, winner of ten Tonys, including Best Musical, spotlights a consumptive chanteuse and a bereft bohème grappling with love and death in an 1890s Montmartre nightclub. Songs include “Firework” by Katy Perry, Elton John’s “Your Song,” and “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” mashed up with Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It).” Pantages Theatre, June 30 through September 4.

in Conserving de Kooning: Theft and Recovery. The

Getty, through August 28.

P L AY

› “What a marriage of

CO N S E RV I N G D E KO O N I N G : THEFT AND COENRY S E RV I N G R E COV D E KO O N I N G : THEFT AND R E COV E RY

VIEW

› Abstract expressionist Willem de Kooning’s Woman-Ochre was stolen from the University of Arizona Museum of Art in 1985. It resurfaced in 2017 when antique dealer 2 4 L A M AG . C O M

David Van Auker discovered it in the New Mexico home of a deceased speech pathologist. Find out how conservationists at the Getty will safeguard this midcentury masterpiece for posterity

event and sight,” FOX Sports announcer Joe Davis said at a news conference announcing this year’s MLB All-Star Week. “We’ve got the sunshine, we’ve got the ballpark and, in a city of stars, all the best ballplayers in the sport together to celebrate it.” The festivities begin at the Santa Monica Pier with instructional youth baseball and softball activities, a daily yoga class, baseballthemed sand sculptures, and pitching and batting cages. Next stop, the L.A. Convention Center for the world’s biggest baseball festival featuring music,

food, and fashion. In attendance will be Hall of Famers, All-Stars, Olympians, and other baseball notables. Then join the MLB All-Star Block Party at the center’s Gilbert Lindsay Plaza for interactive games, music, a beer garden, and more. Various venues, July 15 through 19.

P L AY

› It’s time for a gathering

of ghouls at Midsummer Scream, an epic horror convention featuring panel discussions, autograph signings, and blood-drenched cosplay. Or you can just shop the over 300 vendors hawking gory collectibles. Also on hand will be scions of horror royalty—Sara Karloff, daughter of Boris; Ron Chaney, grandson of

Lon; Lynne Lugosi, granddaughter of Bela; and Victoria Price, daughter of Vincent. Long Beach Convention Center, July 29 through 31.

READ

› The story of Josephine

Baker doesn’t end with her fleeing Jim Crow racism and becoming the banana skirt–wearing toast of Paris. Writerfilmmaker Damien Lewis’s new book, Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy, spotlights her

World War II years, when she became a spy for the Allies, socializing with Germans at embassies and nightclubs and then turning information over to French counterintelligence at the Deuxième Bureau. Available July 12.

M O U L I N R O U G E : M AT T H E W M U R P H Y FO R M U R P H Y M A D E ; D E KO O N I N G : CO L L E C T I O N O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F A R I ZO N A M U S E U M O F A R T, T U C S O N ; G I F T O F E DWA R D J. G A L L AG H E R , J R . ; W H E R E T H E C R AW DA D S S I N G : M I C H E L E K . S H O R T; T H O R : CO U R T E SY D I S N E Y ST U D I O S

MOULIN ROUGE! THE MUSICAL

Banner of Heaven), Garret Dillahunt, and David Strathairn. Opens July 15.

VIEW

› Debuting new and

recent “A&E” drawings, an offshoot of Paul McCarthy’s video series with German actor Lilith Stangenberg, the artist presents works created during improvised filmed performances between the two. These largescale pieces examine the emotions behind power and politics, part of the L.A.-based artist’s ongoing exploration of fascism, the contemporary art world, Hollywood, and our political climate. Hauser & Wirth, through July 17.

Jordan Peele looks to the skies in Nope, finding an alien force that terrorizes a rural California town. Get Out star Daniel Kaluuya reunites with Peele, and Keke Palmer and Steven Yeun costar. Opens July 22.

VIEW

› Los Angeles-based

multimedia artist and activist Andrea Bowers’s

body of work grapples with issues such as immigration rights, workers’ rights, women’s rights, climate change, and social justice. Her first museum retrospective features roughly 60 works in a wide range of media, including drawing, video, performance, sculpture, and installation. Hammer Museum, through Sept. 4.

T H O R : LOV E AND THUNDER

SEE

› Thirty-two years after

WAT C H

› With 150 weeks on the

New York Times bestseller list and over 12 million copies sold, it’s no surprise septuagenarian rookie novelist Delia Owens’s murder mystery,

Where the Crawdads Sing, set in the Deep

South, has become a movie. Produced by Reese Witherspoon and directed by Olivia Newman, it stars Daisy Edgar-Jones (Under the

the movie release of Pretty Woman, Tony nominee Adam Pascal and Olivia Valli take over for Richard Gere and Julia Roberts as the hooker and the businessman who fall hopelessly in love in Pretty Woman: the Musical. With a score by Grammy winner Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance, two-time Tony Award–winning director and choreographer Jerry Mitchell stands in for the film’s Garry Marshall, who wrote the book with original screenwriter J. F. Lawton. Dolby Theatre, through July 3; Segerstrom Center for the Arts, July 5 through 17.

VIEW

› The pandemic has been

tough on everyone, but young people most of all. So a call went out to teens everywhere to show the world what it looks like when they get back together with friends. In Unshuttered: Reconnecting with ___, selected photos by teens are highlighted in posters by artists working with Amplifier, a nonprofit design lab. The Getty, through Oct. 16.

WAT C H

› First, it was psychotic

WHERE THE C R AW DA D S S I N G

racists in Get Out, then it was murderous doppelgangers in Us. Now

WAT C H

› Twice delayed on account of COVID,

it’s time for Thor again. Even Chris Hemsworth was getting tired of the hammer tosser, but when Thor: Ragnarok director Taika Waititi signed on, Hemsworth was all in. With Thor: Love and Thunder, the superhero undertakes the same epic journey we all do—the quest for inner peace. But galactic blood-spiller Gorr, played by Christian Bale, is on a quest of his own to wipe out all gods. Joining Thor to protect them are Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), Korg (voiced by Waititi), and the Mighty Thor (Natalie Portman), who wields the magic hammer. Rounding out the cast are Jeff Goldblum as Grandmaster, Russell Crowe as Zeus, Matt Damon as Actor Loki, and Chris Pratt reprising his Guardians of the Galaxy role, Star-Lord. Opens July 8. L A M AG . C O M 2 5

Incoming

MUSIC

POP

› You’ve seen him do it

online. You’ve seen him do it in other cities. Now is your chance to see it in person, as Justin Bieber brings his viral “stomp” to the Forum. 3900 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, justinbiebermusic.com, July 2 and 3.

R&B

› With her signature

rasp and peerless stage presence, Macy Gray has captivated listeners for more than two decades. Catch the singer-songwriter at the Belasco with her band, the California Jet Club, as she croons her best—both plugged in and unplugged— from “Relating to a Psychopath” to “I Try.” 1050 S. Hill St., downtown, livenation.com, July 8.

A LT

› Fleet Foxes, Seattle’s

longtime critical darlings, make a pit stop at the Greek alongside Brazilian artist Tim Bernardes. The tour marks the first time the full band will perform songs live from its fourth studio album, Shore. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, fleetfoxes.co, July 8.

C O U N T RY

› If you missed

The Sounds of Summer LIVE MUSIC FINALLY RETURNS TO L.A. AFTER A TWO-YEAR HIATUS. FROM JUSTIN BIEBER TO THE CHICKS TO DIANA ROSS, HERE ARE SOME OF THE SEASON’S STANDOUT CONCERTS

BY SEAN FITZ-GERALD 2 6 L A M AG . C O M

Stagecoach, don’t fret—Palomino Festival comes to the Rose Bowl grounds as a country coda, complete with Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Orville Peck, and others. Doors open at noon, with the Compton Cowboys and Nikki Lane’s Stage Stop Marketplace also on hand. 1001 Rose Bowl Dr., Pasadena, palominopasadena.com, July 9.

INDIE

› Not since 2019 has the

Getty staged its free summer series Off the 405. July, in particular, offers a double-header of can’t-miss talent: Mauri Tapia’s bedroom pop band Los Retros and the indie-folk sounds of Meg Duffy’s Hand Habits.

1200 Getty Center Dr., Brentwood, getty.edu, Los Retros, July 9; Hand Habits, July 23.

POP

› Praise be—King Princess (aka Mikaela Straus) visits the Greek with pop pal Dora Jar. In support of Straus’s forthcoming sophomore album, Hold On Baby, expect eargasmic songs, old (“1950”) and new (“For My Friends”). 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, kingprincessmusic.com, July 16.

POP

› On the heels of wrap-

ping This Is Us, the multi-talented Mandy Moore returns to the stage for her first big tour in more than ten years. Indie-soul artist AHI opens at the Fonda before the “Candy” singer shares music from her seventh album, In Real Life, inspired by new motherhood. 6126 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, mandymoore. com, July 22.

J U ST I N B I E B E R : G E T T Y I M AG E S FO R COAC H E L L A ; B OY Z I I M E N : CO U R T E SY O F T H E LO S A N G E L E S P H I L H A R M O N I C A S S O C I AT I O N ; M AC Y G R AY: D E R R I C K R O D G E R S P H OTO G R A P H Y; F L E E T FOX E S : A N D R E W B E N G E / R E D F E R N S ; K I N G P R I N C E S S : DA N I E L B O C Z A R S K I / G E T T Y I M AG E S FO R WA R N E R M E D I A ; D I A N A R O S S : O M A R V E G A /G E T T Y I M AG E S

J U ST I N B I E B E R

B OY Z I I M E N

POP

› Bluegrass-turned-pop

legends the Chicks hit the Greek, along with Jenny Lewis . Expect a mix of all-time faves and songs from their recent record, Gaslighter—the name of which you’ll also see slapped on the label of their just-launched wine, available at the merch tent. 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, thechicks.com, July 25 and 26.

FOLK ROCK

› Crypto.com Arena

F L E E T F OX E S

M AC Y G R AY

invites James Taylor and his All-Star Band for a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it stadium soiree. Come for a jukebox blend of his beloved catalog, stay for a tease of new material. 1111 S. Figueroa St., downtown, jamestaylor.com, July 28.

R&B

› Head to the Hills the

KING PRINCESS

next night for a dual display of R&B masters—both making their respective Bowl debuts. TLC’s T-Boz and Chilli take the stage first to perform an array of their jams, then Boyz II Men close with the help of conductor Thomas Wilkins and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood Hills, hollywoodbowl.com, July 29.

HIP-HOP

› For the first time ever,

the massive hip-hop and electronic fest HARD Summer expands to three days, boasting such headliners as Megan Thee Stallion, Lil Uzi Vert, and Porter Robinson. See them and more than 100 other acts, as they transform the NOS Events Center’s fairgrounds and racetrack into five stages of multigenre madness. 689 S. E Street, San Bernardino, hardsummer.com, July 29 through 31.

POP

› This Bowl night prom-

ises an explosive pairing of Grammy firepower.

Compton’s top-notch blues guitarist and fivetime winner Keb’ Mo’ kicks things off, before nine-time winner Sheryl Crow closes with an arsenal of her hits, from “All I Wanna Do” to “Soak Up the Sun.” 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood Hills, hollywoodbowl.com, August 3.

A M E R I CA NA

› Robert Plant and Alison

Krauss delighted fans when they collaborated on the Grammy-winning Raising Sands record. More than a decade later, the Led Zeppelin frontman and bluegrass maven reunite to tour Raise the Roof, their critically acclaimed follow-up that boasts a wide range of covers. The Greek, 2700 N. Vermont Ave., Los Feliz, plantkrauss.com, August 18.

R&B

› Big summer for Diana

Ross—the vet soul singer

was already asked to dazzle at the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and in Glastonbury’s teatime legend slot. Lucky you, she brings her new album, Thank You, and other faves (from “I’m Coming Out” to “Stop in the Name of Love”) to the Bowl for two nights. 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood Hills, hollywoodbowl.com, August 26 and 27.

DIANA ROSS

Incoming

BOOKS

Along Came a Writer

JAMES PATTERSON, WHO’S COLLABORATED ON BEST-SELLING NOVELS WITH EVERYONE FROM BILL CLINTON TO DOLLY PARTON, IS NOW ARGUABLY AS FAMOUS AS THEY ARE. A NEW AUTOBIOGRAPHY REVEALS HOW HE DID IT BY JOR DA N R I E F E

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years, until, in 1993, he published Along Came a Spider, introducing one of his most indelible and successful characters, Detective Alex Cross. It was his first best-seller. “Early on, it occurred to me, I did not have the talent to be the next Gabriel García Márquez,” he says. “So writing things that are commercial, I thought, would be a good thing.” And that’s precisely what he did, retiring from advertising in 1996, at 49, to devote himself to churning out a book a year, sometimes more, including more than two dozen additional Alex Cross novels. He’s also been something of a literary pioneer when it comes to partnering with celebrity coauthors. His current best-seller, for instance, is Run, Rose, Run, cowritten with Dolly Parton. (Its film rights have already sold to Reese Witherspoon’s production company.) “I sat in her comfy little office in Nashville and, two hours later, she and I made the deal. No agents, no lawyers, no bullshit. And we’ve become great friends,” he says about working with Parton. His most famous collaborator, though, has to be former president Bill Clinton, with whom Patterson has cowritten two novels, The President’s Missing and The President’s Daughter, both of which are in development as movies.

D O L LY PA R TO N : S E B A ST I A N S M I T H / FOX FO R B LO C KC H A I N C R E AT I V E L A B S V I A G E T T Y I M AG E S ; B O O K : CO U R T E SY L I T T L E , B R OW N A N D CO M PA N Y

T ’ S N O T T H E typical autobiography,” James Patterson insists about his new memoir, the aptly titled James Patterson, which the 75-year-old author penned while whiling away the hours during the pandemic. “It’s just story after story. I wanted to write something that was different from what I’m expected to write. At this stage, I get up in the morning, look in the mirror and say, ‘Oh, shit—you again.’ ” What Patterson is expected to write includes a pretty broad cross section of literature—police procedurals, mysteries, YA novels, children’s books, and a smattering of nonfiction. Most of all, though, he’s expected to write best-sellers; he’s had 114 of them on The New York Times list, a record-setting 67 at No. 1. In fact, his books have sold more copies than Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined, amassing Patterson the sort of personal fortune more associated with tech moguls than mere scribblers—roughly $800 million. Some of the details of his rags-to-riches life are recounted in his memoir—how he grew up in workingclass Newburgh, New York; graduated from Manhattan College, where he studied English; and earned his masters at Vanderbilt University. How he arrived in New York City a literary snob intent on become a novelist. And how, instead, he took a job in advertising at J. Walter Thompson and spent the first 20 or so years of his working life climbing the corporate ladder, ultimately becoming CEO. “It influenced me,” Patterson says of his time in advertising, “in the sense that I became very aware that there’s an audience. They test everything. And you think you have something wonderful, and then you find out nobody paid any attention whatsoever.” He adds cheekily, “As I say about advertising, ‘Yes, I was in it. But I’ve been clean for over 30 years.’ ” He was still in it, though, when, at age 29, he published his first book in 1976, the Edgar Award-winning The Thomas Berryman Number. Six more followed over the

W RI T E A N D W RONG

B I L L C L I N TO N : PAU L H E N N E S SY/ N U R P H OTO V I A G E T T Y I M AG E S ; D O N A L D T R U M P : A P P H OTO/A L E X B R A N D O N

Clockwise from above: Patterson with Dolly Parton, with whom he cowrote the novel Run, Rose, Run; the prolific author has written two thrillers with Bill Clinton; Donald Trump awarded him the National Humanities medal in 2019.

eye-opening for the actor. The author was having dinner He’s also been known to have palled around with George with Morgan Freeman, who was starring in the 2001 film H. W. Bush, especially on golf courses. And he slips in a adaptation of Along Came a Spider. While they were talking, few details about both former commanders in chief in his a fan wandered up and asked for an automemoir, such as how Clinton is a lead foot graph—not Freeman’s, not Eastwood’s, but while driving golf carts, while Bush preferred Patterson’s, leaving Eastwood to quip, “I need to walk the links—or, more accurately, sprint a hit movie . . . bad!” through them. “He was a pretty humorous “Early on, Patterson’s memoir is chock-full of boldface guy, as was Barbara—very down-to-earth and it occurred names he’s encountered over the decades. human,” he says. to me There’s a story about a quasi-fistfight between Patterson’s collaborations with ex-presithat writing Norman Mailer and James Baldwin. And dents and country singers, however, can be another about his own literary feud with a humbling experience—usually for the exthings Stephen King, who once described Patterson presidents and country singers. Being one that are as “a terrible writer.” of the most successful writers on the planet commercial “I did do The Murder of Stephen King,” he (it’s been estimated that about 6 percent would be a recalls about a book he wrote in 2016. “His peoof hardcovers sold in the U.S. are Patterson ple were like, ‘Oh my God, you can’t do this!’ ” books) has made him insanely famous. good thing.” But, Patterson says, he mostly wrote his “Oh, I know who you are. I recognized autobiography for other writers. “We put up you right away,” Clinton told him when they with a lot of crap, especially early on,” he first met at the Trump National Golf Club says of the profession. “You put up with a lot and pay your in Westchester, New York, where Clinton had just finished dues and, hopefully, get better. I think I’m doing my best a round with Donald Trump. work right now, which is surprising.” The first time Patterson met Clint Eastwood was similarly L A M AG . C O M 2 9

Incoming

MIXED MEDIA

To Screen Or To Stream? THAT’S THE QUESTION HAUNTING NETFLIX, HULU, AND HOLLYWOOD’S OTHER TOP BEHEMOTHS IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING, POST-PANDEMIC WORLD B Y S T E V E E R I C K S O N

press that made stories private experiences in the form of summer of 2022 puts to the test whether Going something called a book. to the Movies is still a thing. Following in the In the same way, TV, and then the personal computer, and doomed footsteps of the ArcLight theaters, the then the smartphone, are bound to irrevocably change the Westside’s Landmark Pico has now closed, one more death nature of cinema. That includes not only how audiences think knell for civilized cinephilia. And a couple months ago, a conabout films, but filmmakers too. The reputations of even fab of national theater owners in Las Vegas fairly palpitated classic films evolve accordingly. Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, with desperation to get back audiences that had been dimina bomb when it opened in 1958, came to be considered one ishing even before COVID. of the greatest movies of all time The studios, meanwhile, stratby way of TV viewings by budding egize about how to have it both movie critics in the early ’60s. In ways—saving the movie houses the years since, theatrical failures while calibrating what, when, and like Blade Runner, Brazil, Fight how much to stream. The argument Club, Donnie Darko, Eyes Wide isn’t so unlike the one made 70 Shut, and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk years ago, when TV first terrorized With Me became fever dreams most Hollywood: that certain movies— effectively experienced alone, late at Thor: Love and Thunder, Elvis, night, one to one. Lightyear, Brad Pitt’s Bullet Train, “I think I’m getting tired of Jordan Peele’s Nope, and the bigthese kinds of movies,” sighed my gest of big guns, Tom Cruise’s Top 17-year-old movie-fan daughter Gun: Maverick—are too spectacuafter a Saturday night opening lar even for TV screens that have of Marvel’s Doctor Strange in the grown from 15 inches to 50. But Multiverse of Madness. Though the all this evades the usual question, movie did pretty good box office, which isn’t whether the dinosaurs you could feel the not-quite-capacof Jurassic World Dominion need ity audience, after two stir-crazy more space to roam on an IMAX housebound summers, trying to screen but whether audiences really like the picture more than it did. need more Jurassic World dinoThe easy answer is that Doctor saurs of whatever size. Strange is a little crummier than its The question that people didn’t spectacular bombast can salvage, Is Going to the Movies ponder as deeply 70 years ago, but even as a theatrical “event.” that’s worth pondering now, has to But it’s not always that simple. still a thing? do with the communal experience Two well-reviewed movies of the of responding to movies as part late spring, Robert Eggers’s Viking of a larger audience, particularly epic The Northman and the surin an ever more deeply fragmented society. Everything from real martial-arts extravaganza Everything Everywhere All at pandemics to politics divides us these days, and now the way Once, starring world-cinema treasure Michelle Yeoh, met two we see our movies does too. From the 1920s, movies were entirely different commercial fates, with the former tanking meant to play to colossal audiences in colossal movie palaces and the latter becoming the season’s buzziest breakout. The with mezzanines and balconies of hundreds, and sometimes difference appears to have been less a matter of where to see thousands, of seats, filled with hundreds, and sometimes these movies—the theater vs. the living room—than when to thousands, of people watching as one, responding to the film see them and with whom. Whether because its free-for-all as one, laughing or terrified or thrilled as one. sensibility was perfectly timed or because no amount of hype C R OW D But a medium’s original intentions evolve with can match the populist power of word of mouth, Everything PLEASER technology, and the audience evolves with it: Everywhere became a picture that audiences, including my Everything Everywhere 700 years ago, stories were told by town criers daughter, wanted to see right away and with other people. All at Once standing on tree stumps to gathering crowds That may be the sort of unquantifiable on which moviepacked theaters before Gutenberg came up with the printing industry confabs can’t lay odds, even in Vegas. this spring. 3 0 L A M AG . C O M

JA M E S J E A N /CO U R T E SY A 24 F I L M S

OR E T H A N any time since the early 1950s, the

WEDDINGS & EVENTS

photo by Lucas Rossi

805.579.8000

LAMAG_May copy.indd 1

INFO@HBNEST.COM

HUMMINGBIRDNESTEVENTS

5/17/22 11:44 AM

Incoming

S C H O O L’ S O U T

A Parent’s Survival Guide DON’T BE CRINGY. SHOW YOUR TEENS A BUSSIN’ TIME WITH THESE OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES THAT TRULY SLAY BY ERIC MERCADO

I D S S H O U L D N ’ T have to spend the entire

summer vacation cooped up in their bedrooms, and parents shouldn’t have to endure constant whining. That’s why God invented the great outdoors. We’ve scoured L.A. to find some of the best family-friendly events this season. Your child won’t thank you, but you’ll thank yourself. Beetlejuice › Kids may not remember the Tim Burton movie that this musical is based on, but you do! Revel in their collective head-scratching as you guffaw over the numerous film references. Comfort them later by saying, “You’ll get it someday.” The Pantages, broadwayinhollywood.com, July 11 through 30.

R E D H OT CHILI PEPPERS

Red Hot Chili Peppers › What better excuse to visit the

shiny new SoFi Stadium than to check out a 40-year-old band with cross-generational appeal? Dust off your vintage RHCP T-shirt and imagine the parentchild bonding possibilities over “Suck My Kiss.” SoFi Stadium, sofistadium.com, July 31. 3 2 L A M AG . C O M

626 Night Market › The roving street food festival makes its way to Arcadia this summer. More than 250 vendors offer Asian foods, crafts, and merch. Nearly every conceivable type of meat is fried, skewered, or sauteed. Patrons with a sweet tooth have more options than a stockbroker. Santa Anita Park, 626nightmarket.com, select weekends through September 5.

Spy Kids: Secret Agents Lab › Learn the hidden crafts that make 007 so cool: Decode messages, take fingerprints, search for clues, navigate an escape room. At the end of the mission, each recruit earns a badge. Martini not included. Manhattan Heights Park, activekids.com, July 25 through 29.

Street Art Alive › Immersive art is all the rage.

Recent Frida Kahlo and Vincent Van Gogh exhibitions proved as much. Now street art gets a similar treatment, showcasing the work of more than 200 artists from around the globe. The Lume, thelumelosangeles.com, July 1 through 3.

Anime Expo › We already believe that

teens speak a different language. Couple that with Japanese anime, and all hope of understanding today’s

youth is lost. They like that. When they cosplay as their favorite characters, don’t ask questions—just pay the damn entry fee and slip them cash for stickers and figurines available at one of the many booths. L.A. Convention Center, anime-expo.org, July 1 through 4.

4th of July Block Party › The fireworks are back! It’s

the county’s largest free celebration of the nation’s birthday. Expect lots of food, music, and dancing. There will also be plenty of space for picnicking. Grand Park & the Music Center, musiccenter.org, July 4.

Eat See Hear › Three of your five senses will

be pampered with live musical performances, feature films, and lunch truck edibles. Arrive early to score primo outdoor seating. Various locations, eatseehear.com, through October 29. ANIME EXPO

T H E LU M E : T H E LU M E LO S A N G E L E S ; R E D H OT C H I L I P E P P E R S : J E F F K R AV I TZ / F I L M M AG I C FO R B O N N A R O O A R TS A N D M U S I C F E ST I VA L ; A N I M E E X P O : CO U R T E SY A N I M E E X P O

T H E LU M E

Back on the Block 47th Annual Block Party

HONORING ENTREPRENEURS, PHILANTHROPISTS & COMMUNITY LEADERS

JANET CROWN and STEVE ROBINSON WITH THE LARRY POWELL SPIRIT OF CONCERN AWARD

SATURDAY EVENING, JULY 9TH, 2022 | 6pm

CELEBRATING

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD • Over 60 great food, dessert, and beverage purveyors oﬀering tastes of their signature dishes and drinks • Entertainment featuring the Tom Nolan Band, D’ City Sound & Events, and the Vibrato Grill Jazz stage featuring the Leah Zeger Quartet • The Best of LA®2022 on Los Angeles magazine’s street featuring food & wine tastings, luxury lounge seating and casino-style gaming • Interactive ‘Streetmosphere’ and activities for all ages including the Zacuto Group’s live and silent auctions with over 150 great items and packages • Concern Foundation has raised and granted over $70 million to support over 1,000 cancer research scientists and their projects FOOD

Emporium Thai

Maria’s Italian Kitchen

BuzzBar

1212 Santa Monica

Factor’s Famous Deli

Miracle Noodle

Café Dulce

A.O.C.

Farm Fresh To You

Next Meats

Dazzling Donuts

Banana Leaf LA

NOBU Malibu

Bar Hayama

FERRARINI CAFÉ Beverly Hills

DeLuscious Cookies & Milk

Bé Ù

Fogo de Chao

Porta Via

Beyond Meat

Fresh Brothers

Sant’olina

Bridgetown Roti

Gion Beverly Hills

SLAB

California Sushi Academy

Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ Dining

Someone’s in the Kitchen

Casablanca Restaurant & Catering

H&H Brazilian Steakhouse

The Gourmandise School

Chef Reina

Hotville Chicken

Chick-fil-A

Ike’s Love and Sandwiches

Conservatory West Hollywood Co-opportunity Market & Deli Dulan’s Soul Food

Pink’s Famous Hot Dogs

STK Los Angeles

Just Jan’s La Provence Mamala’s Mandel Bread, the Jewish biscotti Mykie’s coffee-bakerycatering

The Grill on the Alley

BEVERAGE

The Palm Beverly Hills

Brewery X

Vibrato Grill Jazz

Buzz Box Deutsch Family Dulce Vida Tequila Good Idea Halyard Brewing

La Boheme West Hollywood

DESSERT

Little Llama Peruvian Tacos

Brontë Bakes

Bertha Mae’s Brownie Co.

For more information about Concern Foundation, the Block Party and how you can get involved, visit our website at: concernfoundation.org/block-party

Highland Park Humboldt Distillery Josh Cellars Lyre’s Non-Alcoholic Spirits Milagro Tequila Nuda Tequila Pasquini Espresso Co. Robeks Juice Santa Teresa 1796 Suja Juice Tequila Cabal LLC Tito’s Handmade Vodka Weaver’s Coffee and Tea Participants confirmed as of print deadline

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

CONRAD TULUM RIVIERA MAYA Tuning Into the Magic of Tulum

by Bekah Wright

There’s something magical about Tulum. Ancient ruins, cenotes, jungles… treasures are just waiting to be discovered within the Yucatan Peninsula village. There, stretches of white beach whisper, “inspiration.” Making such an escape possible: Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya.

showcases handcrafted, ocean-conscious sushi. Maratea serves up the Mediterranean flavors of Spain, North Africa, Greece and Turkey. Then there’s Autor, where the chef-in-residence curates a sense of place via guests’ taste buds.

Relaxation kicks in upon arrival at the Cancun International Airport with the resort’s luxury, transportation and personal concierge services. Knowing everything’s taken care of, slip into vacation mode, gazing at exotic Mexican Riviera vistas on the leisurely ride to Tulum.

An ideal place to start the day— Zamá, or “City of Dawn,” Tulum’s famed Mayan ruins. Within these ancient walls can be found the Temple of Frescoes, Temple of the Descending God and Pyramid El Castillo. Follow-up with a visit to Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve, aptly known as the “Gate of Heaven.” This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a wonderland that's lush with mangroves, tropical forests and a barrier reef. Feel the urge to go for a swim? A snorkeling sojourn is called for in the area’s Gran Cenote and Cenote Dos Ojos. Throughout history, the Mayans have considered these water-filled limestone sinkhole/ caves to be the entrance to Xibalba, or the underworld.

CHECKING IN

Set within a natural sanctuary on a secluded bay, Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya welcomes with eco-chic rooms and suites, each replete with balconies and plunge pools for marveling over the views. Unwind from travel by diving into one of the five resort pools, or at Conrad Spa Tulum to be guided through a purifying gratitude ceremony by the in-house shaman. Up next, savoring cuisine at one of Conrad’s 11 dining venues. Head to Kengai for its Izakaya fare. Craving Sushi? Ukai’s sustainable menu

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THE WONDERS OF TULUM

Feeling mournful about saying goodbye? No need to despair. Conrad Tulum Riviera Maya will always be waiting with its restaurants, spa, and unforgettable adventures. What those white sand beaches whisper upon one’s return? “Welcome back. Welcome home.”

R O O M

T O

W O N D E R

Experience the luxury of space with an enchanting sanctuary on a secluded, palm fringed bay. tulum.conradhotels.com

S T A Y C O N R A D

I N S P I R E D H O T E L S

R E S O R T S

C O M I N G

S O O N

Nashville | Orlando

422066 Conrad LA Magazine Advert Tulum FINAL.indd 1

17/05/2022 10:17

Incoming

W H E R E TO E AT N OW

New & Notable Asterid D OW N T OW N

● At chef Ray Garcia’s sleek new restaurant in the Walt Disney Concert Hall, California cuisine meets Garcia’s knack for cooking inventive dishes like sunchoke rosti and chicken liver mousse with pickled onions and oranges.

141 S. Grand Ave., asteridla.com.

YOYA TAKAHASHI’S KODŌ SERVES UP ELEGANT JAPANESE CUISINE WITH A SLYLY DECADENT TWIST B Y H E A T H E R P L A T T

O N A F R I DAY night at Kodō, the

new restaurant in the ryokan-style Kensho Rykn hotel downtown, every seat on the minimalist patio is booked. Overhead, traditionally dyed, earthcolored Japanese textiles sway. “The ones in the front are actually made from fermented persimmons called kakishibu,” explains Kensho Group owner David Wynn, pointing to the delicate hanging cloth. Everything about the space—from the calming gray booths to the stark black walls— is invitingly serene. But don’t be fooled by the restaurant’s visual tranquility. The energy of Kodō, which translates to “heartbeat” in English, is intentionally boisterous. “He wanted to do a true izakaya,” Wynn says of Kodō’s chef, Yoya Takahashi. Izakaya are informal Japanese bars that serve small dishes along with alcohol. “Yoya is from Kyoto, so he wanted to do something that wasn’t just all about morphing Japanese ingredients; he wanted to stay true to what a fun, Kyoto-style izakaya would be”—that is, an upbeat vibe and traditional Japanese bar fare. A server offers bright green tea, which is soon followed by a cocktail like the mezcal “margarita” with yuzu, UNBROKEN This tsukune—a lemon, and stone fruit on chicken meatball crushed ice and sprinkled —is served with with lime zest. a Jidori egg yolk. 3 6 L A M AG . C O M

The food comes out fast and without pretense. A Caesar salad of Little Gem lettuce is blanketed with bonito flakes, a revelatory addition. The off-menu toro is served with a tangy cilantro sauce, minced tomato, and cucumber, and has the kind of fatty melt-inyour mouth quality you can’t forget (nor do you want to). One of the most memorable examples of Kyoto-inspired izakaya food you might actually find in Japan is the Hakusai maki, which is spicy cod caviar in rice, wrapped in pickled napa cabbage and served with a shiso dressing. The combination of spicy roe, bright shiso, and sour cabbage awakens the palate. The desserts by pastry chef Mami Yamamoto are not an afterthought. A bulbous scoop of shiso-leaf gelato sits in a cup of mandarin orange, strawberry, and kumquat gelatin. Cheesecake is soaked in sake and served alongside passion fruit sauce. “We have a lot of different elements that embody traditional Japanese artistry and craftsmanship that are sprinkled all across the space,” says Wynn. But at its core, Kodō is about the lively dining experience that chef Takahashi envisioned. “I can conceive and create and cultivate everything,” says Wynn, “But the food is the heartbeat.” 710 S. Santa Fe Ave., downtown, kodo.la. P H O T O G R A P H BY G RY S PAC E

Causita

S I LV E R L A K E

● Ricardo Zarate’s Japanese-influenced Peruvian cooking now has a home in the heart of Silver Lake. Here, sushi-style fresh fish is served atop potatoes, and thick udon noodles arrive smothered in Peruvian pesto.

3709 Sunset Blvd., causita-la.com.

Pizzeria Sei

P I C O - R O B E RT S O N

● Providence alum

William Joo tosses his own take on Neapolitan pizzas at this tiny storefront. Lucky guests snag seats at the counter and watch as pies topped with whole olives, anchovies, and garlic bubble in the oven. 8781 W. Pico Blvd., pizzeriasei.com.

A ST E R I D : J I M S U L L I VA N

Kyoto Vice

PROMOTION

Join us at The Bloc for the first in our series of whiskey festivals across the southland! Take a deep dive into the world of whiskey – meet master distillers, sip the finest selections, learn fresh cocktail recipes and experience new labels. Enjoy gourmet hors d’oeuvres, live music and unique experiences that will complement the bespoke tasting atmosphere.

Friday, August 19, 7 – 9 p.m. The Bloc, DTLA 700 West 7th Street Tickets are on Sale Now at

lamag.com/whiskeyfestival Tickets coming soon for the following events

September 22, 7–9 p.m. LBX, The Hangar

October 2022

Whiskey Festival DTLA Partners

Always w e a r y our s e a t b e l t . P l e a s e d on’t d r i nk a nd d r i v e .

November 2022

DINING OUT

Eat and Run GOING FOR A HIKE OR HEADING OFF TO A FESTIVAL? THESE FOOD SHOPS WILL HELP YOU P I C N I C IN STYLE B Y H E AT H E R P L AT T

H E T H E R it’s a sunny day in the sand, a special night at one of L.A.’s many outdoor-concert venues, or just a leisurely afternoon at your local park, nothing tastes more like summer than a picnic. And to make those outdoor meals even easier, some of the city’s favorite food shops offer grab-and-go meals with everything from cheese plates to beef tenderloin, salads, desserts, and, of course, wine. Here are justa few.

J OA N ’ S O N T H I R D If beef tenderloin with horseradish crème fraîche, poached salmon with cucumber dill sauce, and butter-lettuce salads haven’t been part of your picnic game, then you’re in luck: L.A.’s quintessential cafe and market, which has locations in West Hollywood and Studio City, offers an array of fully realized picnic boxes along with cheese plates and a selection of wines to make summer even more fun. All entrees come with orzo on a bed of greens, and all are thoughtfully packed with napkins and utensils. » 8350 W. 3rd St., West Hollywood; 12059 Ventura Pl., Studio City; joansonthird.com.

JULIENNE This San Marino institution, which once housed a full-service restaurant, has been a vendor for the Pasadena Pops Summer Concert series at the L.A. County Arboretum for the past 12 years. In fact, it’s been offering picnic baskets to Hollywood Bowl-goers for more than 35. The extensive menu features summer classics like grilled chicken and asparagus and monthly special meals like barbecued ribs and bratwurst with bacon, potato salad, and coleslaw. Since pivoting to retail, the lovely storefront continues to provide the same level of quality, only now in a casual to-go market form. » 2651 Mission St., San Marino, juliennetogo.com.

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C R E D I TS T K H E R E A N D H E R E

J OA N S ’ : CO U R T E SY J OA N S ’ O N T H I R D/ K E V I N V U K I M ; H O L LYWO O D B OW L : CO U R T E SY H O L LYWO O D B OW L FO O D + W I N E ; T H E C H E E S E STO R E : CO U R T E SY T H E C H E E S E STO R E

Incoming

HOLLYWOOD BOWL James Beard Award–winning chef Suzanne Goin and restaurateur Caroline Styne of A.O.C., Cara Cara, and Caldo Verde fame, helm all of the food and beverage service at L.A.’s massive summer music venue. The powerhouse duo have made picnicking there both easy and delicious with a handful of boxed meal options such as fried chicken with buttermilk dressing, slowroasted salmon with cucumber yogurt, and vegan grilled vegetables with chimichurri. All of the food pairs with Styne’s wine selections. If you’re lucky enough to be seated close to the stage, you can enjoy the Supper in Your Box Seats option and have the picnic brought to you. » 2301 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, hollywoodbowl.com.

T H E C H E E S E STO R E O F B E V E R LY H I L L S For the most luxurious cheese-centric picnic experience, preorder one in an insulated, reusable tote bag from this beloved, decades-old cheese shop. Choose from a selection of wine-themed packages that serve up to four people. These indulgent bundles come with French Laguiole cheese knives, a wood cutting board, crackers, and condiments. The store’s knowledgeable staff will cut cheeses to order, pair them with appropriate wines, and pack everything in ice along with Italian cookies. Caviar supplements are available upon request. » 419 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills, cheesestorebh.com.

S I G H TG L A S S CO F F E E This busy Hollywood cafe and coffee shop sells an array of cleverly named and curated meals for up to four people, all packed into Sightglass Coffee tote bags. Themed picnic sets include the Is Wine Vegan?, with quinoa, market lettuce salads, baba ghanoush, hummus, crudités, bagel chips, and orange juice. The Pinkies Up picnic, on the other hand, features prosciutto, Cowgirl Creamery’s Mt. Tam cheese with honey, baguettes, and housemade pickles. The Field Tripping offers smoked ham and turkey sandwiches with kettle chips and a three-pack of Sightglass’s freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. » 7051 W. Willoughby Ave., Hollywood, sightglasscoffee.com.

P H O T O G R A P H E D BY I RV I N R I V E R A

L A M AG . C O M 3 9

Incoming

F I V E TO T RY

Move Over, K-Town DELICIOUSLY GENUINE KOREAN FOOD IS PLENTIFUL IN THE HILLS OF SUBURBAN LA CRESCENTA B Y J O S H U A L U R I E

I T S NA M E M AY sound Spanish—or French?—but La Crescenta is becoming more Korean by the day. The suburb along the 210 freeway in the San Gabriel foothills, together with nearby communities like Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, and Montrose, now has nearly 20,000 Korean Americans residing there. Not surprising, then, that Foothill Boulevard, the busiest street in the neighborhood, has become a mini K-town, filled with Korean bistros and restaurants. Here are five of the best.

S O L M A RU S E O L L E O N G TA N G

> Jenny Park, who also owns the Seoul Cham Soot BBQ in La Cañada, promises Korean soul food at her La Crescenta location. Seolleongtang is ox bone soup with rice noodles and beef. It's mild, so add scallions and dip the meat in jalapeño-onion soy sauce for pop.

A J NO ODL ES

> Monica Chong and Joy Lee focus on pho and ramen but make room for two standout Korean dishes. They steam delicate dumplings filled with meat and vegetables and deep-fried chicken dumplings. In summer, cold noodles are available in chilled beef broth or blanketed with chile sauce and cucumber and daikon. All are served with squeeze bottles of vinegar and sinus-clearing mustard. 4121 Pennsylvania Ave., 818-248-2488.

3115 Foothill Blvd., 747-255-7446.

MO OBONG RI S O O N DA E

NA N U R I S NAC K

> Moobongri specializes in two types of Korean soondae, or blood sausage. Soondae-guk is a soup chock-full of both chal (chewy glass-noodles) and tojong (vegetables and meat), plus sliced pork heart, cheek, and tender strips of stomach lining. Make the soup spicy by adding chile powder. Condiments include tiny salted shrimp for umami, crushed perilla seeds, and chopped jalapeños.

> Myung Dong, opened in 2017, specializes in tofu stew, with variable spice levels and fillings like ham and sausage. The restaurant also shows skill beyond broth, serving spicy stir-fried pork with onions and scallions and good pan-fried fish, particularly sea trout.

> This tiny restaurant with a blue facade serves popular Korean street foods meant to be eaten with loved ones (nanuri means “share” in English). They serve kimbap (seaweed and rice rolls), blanket kimchi fried rice in a thin omelet, and make soondae in-house. A fridge by the register showcases grab-and-go food like kimchi, jeon (egg-battered foods), and grilled mackerel.

3630 Foothill Blvd., 747-255-7299.

3231 Foothill Blvd., 818-275-3595.

3051 Foothill Blvd., 818-330-9338.

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M Y U NG D ONG TOF U A N D BBQ HOUSE

I L LU S T R AT E D BY TA E L G O M E S

PROMOTION

Los Angeles magazine brought the January issue to life with the ninth annual Top 10 Best New Restaurants celebration. The culinary evening, hosted at Halo, a new stylish food hall in downtown Los Angeles, was surrounded with soaring atrium ceilings and stylish ﬁnishes that complemented the event. Guests sampled signature dishes from past and present “Top 10” honorees and sipped on Maker’s Mark handcrafted cocktails, Santa Teresa Rum drinks, Pamos cannabis infused tastings as well as drinks from Vervet, Jiant hard kombucha and Dassai Sake. Tastings were also paired with wines from Brick Barn, Curly St. James, Folio, Niner, Moraga, Mullan Road, Petrichor and New Zealand wine navigator. The food was the star of the show with great tastes provided by Saso, Caboco, Agnes, Kinkan, Danny Boy’s Famous Original Pizza, 71Above, Hotville Chicken, Poppy + Rose, Love & Salt, Gusto Green and Guerilla Tacos. TRUFF Hot Sauce was on scene to provide a spicy truﬄe kick for those looking for more spice and Shake Shack provided a cool down with a custom frozen custard. The event was supported by the Downtown Center BID and the event’s charity partner was Rosie’s Foundation, an organization that creates opportunities to engage and work with diverse abilities.

1. Maker’s Mark serving up delicious cocktails 2. Good company for food and drinks make for a great night 3. Pamos cannabis unfused cocktails 4. Halo our beautiful venue in DTLA 5. Beautiful friends enjoying a night in DTLA 6. Vervet has so many great flavors of their sparkling craft cocktails, hard to pick 7. TRUFF Hot Sauce on deck 8. Dapper guests enjoying the night 9. Dassai Sake chilled and ready to serve 10. A big crowd pleaser, Santa Teresa Rum sampling their amazing cocktail, the 1796 Bird of Aragua 11. Smiles all around at this year’s Best New Restaurant event 12. Asparagus Pickled Pretties by Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery 13. Saso serving up Sangria with their Tartare 14. Gusto Green serving up tasty bites 15. Jiant hard kombucha was a hit

P HO T O CR EDI T : A I R P HI L O SO P H Y AN D C AT HER IN E DO NA H UE

Incoming

SHOP

In the Swim

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O S T S U M M E R swim choices

boil down to coverage: Lots of skin or just a little? Making waves or modesty? Bikini or one-piece? Racing briefs or board shorts? But this season, to flaunt or not to flaunt it is far from the only option. Women’s suits you see on the beach mirror major fashion trends: sexy cutouts and sheer insets, ruffles, colorblocking, belts, string ties, one-shoulder styles, and fruit prints. Gents have more generous choices than ever, due to an explosion of prints and colors in even the most conservative menswear. That’s right—real men wear prints: animal prints, tie-dye prints, sea creatures, poppies, and palm trees. Now that swimwear echoes runways, the old utilitarian swimsuit will no longer cut it on either sand or sea. The most important choice? Making a splash.

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TROPICANA

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PEEK-A-BOOTY

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4 2 L A M AG . C O M

SUN BLOCKER

• Reese one-piece, $330, marahoffman.com.

TIE ME UP, TIE ME DOWN • & Other Stories criss-cross triangle bikini top and briefs, each $29, and sarong, $49, stories.com.

CO U R T E SY O F T H E B R A N D S

shoulder one-piece, $190, nordstrom.com.

ACID RELIEF

• Nautilius Tie & Dye

stretch swim trunks, $310, vilebrequin.com.

SHOW AND TEAL

• Mr. P. mid-length swim shorts , $100, mrporter.com.

STAR TURN

• Recycled Riviera swim trunks in Lucky Starfish, $89, bonobos.com.

Real men wear prints. The plain old utilitarian suit will no longer cut it on sand or sea.

CANDY RAPPER

• Chains trunks, $60, signedbymcfly.com.

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SEXY BEAST • Zebra print swim shorts, $545, ysl.com.

L A M AG . C O M 4 3

Incoming

GOING OUT

L . A . S T O RY

Willis in 2021; the actress has Converse sneakers in several colors; Willis hits the farmers market early.

FROM THE TROUBADOUR TO THE FARMERS MARKET AND BOOK SOUP, RUMER WILLIS LOVES HER SOME OLD-SCHOOL L.A. Favorite music venue? > The Troubadour. It feels so intimate. I saw Prince and one of my favorite bands, My Brightest Diamond. I like how they have a lot of up-andcoming people and then some bigger names—I like the variety. Favorite record store? > The Record Collector. I love jazz and blues, and they have a really great selection. Favorite bookstore? > Book Soup. I like places that have different 4 4 L A M AG . C O M

types of titles than you would normally see. I like an alternative selection. Place for a second date? > Cinespia. It’s a drive-in , but they play movies at the Hollywood Forever cemetery in the summer. They have a photo booth that’s on theme; it’s super cool. Place to break up? > Griffith Park. I feel like it would

be OK on a hike because there’s nice foliage to look at when you deliver the blow. It’s maybe a little bit gentler; you can be like, “Listen, this isn’t working, but look at the beautiful view!” Favorite movie theater? > The movie theater at Universal CityWalk, because there’s not as many seats, and they recline. Honestly,

I have fallen asleep a couple of times. It’s real cozy. Favorite Friday night activity? > I’ve really been digging Moonlight Rollerway. I went two nights ago on Rainbow Skate Night—it was great music, and I wore a big rainbow skirt. Guilty pleasure? > I sometimes love watching Survivor. I like thinking whether or not I could do it; sleeping outside with the bugs and not eating food would be a lot for me. It seems like

Place to clear your mind? > The original farmers market because I get up really early. A few of the vendors know me, and I’ve got all my spots laid out. Weekend brunch spot? > I would say my house, but I like going to San Vicente Bungalows. I am a huge berries-wafflesand-pancakes person. Shoe store? > Converse, because I just love them. I have them in a bunch of different colors, so they’re perfect when I’m trying to do color-coordinated outfits. Plus they make

your legs look nice, and if you needed to run away from a zombie attack, they would be perfect.

Favorite museum? > LACMA. I just like seeing it all once in a while. Favorite neighborhood? > You know, I don’t discriminate. I will literally make a trip of going to Venice for smoothies and a grocery store in Echo Park. I’m on this treasure hunt to find and discover places. —J U L I U S M I L L E R

P H O T O G R A P H BY D I L L O N BU S S

FAVO R I T E P L AC E S : G E T T Y I M AG E S

My Favorite Things

the white-whale thing I would do.

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L A M AG . C O M 45

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Old Hollywood

B Y H I L A R Y H AT T E N B A C H

A Safe Haven For Old Stars

HOW HOLLYWOOD’S MOST FAMOUS RETIREMENT COMMUNITY—WHERE MANY FILM AND TV VETERANS LIVE OUT THEIR THIRD ACT—SPENT THE PANDEMIC PLAYING PARTY GAMES ON ZOOM WITH JODIE FOSTER 52 L A M AG.C OM

B OB BE I T C H E R had big plans for

the 100th anniversary of the Motion Picture & Television Fund. There was going to be a glitzy, star-studded gala—years in the making—that he expected would rake in millions of dollars in donations. That money was desperately needed to pay the bills for the organization’s retirement community in Woodland Hills, the one started by silent-film star Mary Pickford, where, over the decades, hundreds of movie industry veterans—Norma Shearer, Mary Astor, Elsa Lanchester, Hattie I L LUS T R AT E D B Y M A R IO GR AC IO T T I

LIST

PROMOTION

From Left: PRESENT NOW Board of Directors: Josh Green, Wonnie Park, Melanie Neumann, Erica Fisher, Sarah Wetzstein and Avigal Horrow; Keynote Speaker Leslie Morgan Steiner, Evan and Erica Fisher, Melanie and Michael Neumann and PRESENT NOW Executive Director Lilian Miller; Co-hosts Lisa Breckenridge and Lawrence Zarian

PRESENT NOW 2nd Annual Give Love & Be Loved Benefit April 22 | Playa Studios, Culver City PRESENT NOW held its 2nd Annual Give Love & Be Loved Benefit on April 22 at Playa Studios in Culver City. The fundraiser was attended by more than 200 guests raising $422,335 in funds. New York Times best-selling author and domestic violence survivor Leslie Morgan Steiner delivered the keynote and was honored by PRESENT NOW along with Michelle Tonn from Alexandria House, a domestic violence shelter supported by PRESENT NOW. The organization celebrated 10 years of supporting children living in domestic violence shelters. In the last decade PRESENT NOW has delivered presents to more than 7,000 children around the country. presentnow.org

Inaugural Hollywood Mother’s Day Charity Event Friday, May 6 Marion Davies Guest House, Santa Monica The Inaugural Hollywood Mother’s Day Event took place in Santa Monica at the Historic Marion Davies Guest House and recognized beloved Hollywood celebrities for their work on behalf of global charities. Alyssa Milano, Niecy Nash, Frances Fischer, Lea Thompson, Mindy Sterling and Caterina Scorsone were among the honored guests in attendance.

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NO PLACE LIKE HOME

were all of the home’s 600 employMcDaniel, to name a few—spent their ees. But Omicron was swirling, final years in dignity and security. and nine infected residents were Beitcher, MPTF’s CEO—himself back in isolation. “They aren’t happy still sprightly at 68—had dreams of about it,” he notes. “But they’re finally remodeling the residential good sports.” structures, which, like the residents Indeed, as harrowing as the themselves, were starting to show last couple of years have been for their age. He also had plans to build everyone, it’s hard to imagine a a new, state-of-art memory care cenmore pleasant place to ride out a ter to be named after benefactor Kirk pandemic, especially for actors and Douglas. The centennial gala he’d film-crew professionals in the third been planning was supposed to have act of their lives, raised a good chunk many of whom of cash for those and find themselves in other upgrades. It’s hard to unexpectedly preBut then COVIDimagine a more carious financial 19 struck. Six circumstances. residents died of the pleasant spot It is, in every disease in the early to live during a possible way, a days of the pandemic. pandemic. It is perfect place for a Two employees died Hollywood ending. a little later. Like the perfect place retirement homes for a Hollywood and assisted living U N L E S S YOU ending. facilities all over the know where to look, country, MPTF’s it’s easy to miss. campus was put on Tucked away off lockdown. Obviously, the gala had to Mulholland Drive, across the street be canceled and, with it, Beitcher’s from a cluster of shopping centers, plans for all those improvements. the facility—originally named the “We’ve had some harrowing Motion Picture Relief Fund Country months here,” Beitcher says over Home, but rechristened in 1998 as Zoom from his offices overlookWasserman Campus, after the late ing the facility. When we spoke in Universal mogul Lew Wasserman, a January, almost all 240 occupants generous benefactor—is deliberately were vaccinated and boosted, as low-profile, to protect the privacy of 54 L A M AG.C OM

its once high-profile residents. The only hint of its existence is the name of the street leading to its winding driveway. It’s called Spielberg Drive, a hat tip to another big benefactor. Once you get past the gate, you find yourself in a veritable Shangrila , only with better landscaping. There are neatly trimmed hedges; towering trees (oaks, maples, sycamores, magnolias); fountains and koi ponds; topiaries shaped like lions, whales, and horses (not to mention Bugs Bunny); bougainvillea and other plants; a dog park (named Doggywood); and endless stretches of finely manicured lawns as well as paths and trails wending throughout the 20-acre property. There are also, peppered around the grounds, a few surprising statues, like the one in the Roddy McDowall Rose Garden that the actor bequeathed to the campus, a perhaps too-lifelike rendering of Caesar, the talking chimp he played in Planet of the Apes. Situated around the campus are dozens of buildings, including the Louis B. Mayer movie theater and an assortment of restaurants. There are a jumble of architectural styles, some supermodern, like the steeland-glass block that houses the Jodie Foster Aquatic Center, while others— including many of the studio and single-bedroom villas, cottages, and

T O P R I G H T A N D L E F T: C O U R T E S Y M P T F ; V I N TA G E P H O T O O F C O U N T R Y H O M E : M AY N A R D L . PA R K E R , P H O T O G R A P H E R . C O U R T E S Y T H E H U N T I N G T O N L I B R A R Y, S A N M A R I N O , C A L I F O R N I A .

From left: Jean Hersholt, founder Mary Pickford, Kay Kyser, and Ginny Simms, at the groundbreaking for the Motion Picture & Television Fund Country House in 1941; the original grounds; the facility today, renamed the Wasserman campus after benefactor and late Universal Pictures chairman Lew Wasserman.

For some entertainment veterans, the place can literally be a lifesaver. For instance, Harry Northup, 81, a poet and actor whose appeared in 37 films, including Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, and The Silence of the Lambs, was renting a place with his wife in Los Feliz when disaster struck in 2017. “It was a hot summer night,” he recalls. “My wife, Holly, got up around three in the morning with her walker and said, ‘Harry, there’s no electricity.’ I smelled something

burning and looked in her study. All of a sudden, I saw flames.” The two managed to escape unharmed, but the fire was still a catastrophe. “We lost almost everything,” he says. Luckily, the year before, he’d filled out the paperwork for a spot at the Wasserman campus. Within two months of the fire, they were settling into new digs. “We were so thrilled to be here, the first month I’d just break down crying,” he says.

PROMOTION

cabins where the residents live—date back to early in the last century. A few structures on the property were designed by William Pereira, the architect whose firm later went on to build LAX’s Theme Building. “A lot of the spaces on campus were built 70 or 80 years ago,” Beitcher says. “We’ve maintained them beautifully, but they need to be redone—torn down and rebuilt in a more contemporary style, with larger rooms and more amenities to accommodate additional residents.” In its present configuration, the facility can house only about 250 people, which means competition to get in can be pretty fierce. Just to get on the waiting list at Wasserman, you need to check a number of boxes. For starters, you have to be over 70 and have worked in the entertainment industry for a least 20 years. Those with limited resources or who’ve suffered a personal disaster can jump to the top of the list. Rent ranges from $4,000 to $8,000 a month, although donations and other funds pick up the cost for tenants who can’t afford to pay it on their own. “Half of our residents are supported by our charity to varying amounts. Some have social security but no pension or savings,” Beitcher tells me. “Part of our budget is paid through Medicare reimbursements, but the bulk of the funds come through the generosity of industry members and sponsors.”

JUL Concern Foundation for Cancer Research’s 47th Annual Block Party Honoring Janet Crown and Steve Robinson Saturday, July 9, 6 p.m. | Paramount Pictures Studios, Hollywood The backlot streets will be filled with over 60 food and beverage purveyors, musical and interactive entertainment, photo studios, lounges, casino style gaming, spa services provided by Beauty Bus Foundation, and an auction underwritten by ZACUTO GROUP. All coming together to support innovative cancer research. For tickets and more information visit concernfoundation.org/block-party

JUL

STARS OF PINOT Wednesday, July 20, 7 p.m. Virtual Tasting - Wine Delivered at Home

The STARS of Pinot virtual version will send wine to your home and allow you to taste along with up to SIX top winemakers. We are also working to return this event to a live version on July 21st - both events will benefit Childrens Hospital Los Angeles through our 501c3 partner. For all the details of both events visit learnaboutwine.com

AUG

Los Angeles magazine’s Whiskey Festival Friday, August 19, 7 – 9 p.m. The Bloc, DTLA

Take a deep dive into the world of whiskey at Los Angeles magazine’s seventh annual Whiskey Festival. Meet the distillers, sip the finest selections, learn fresh cocktail recipes, and experience new labels. Plus enjoy hors d’oeuvres, music, and unique experiences that will complement the bespoke atmosphere. For tickets and information visit lamag.com/whiskeyfestival

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ARTISTS IN RESI DE NCE

this lockdown only lasted a month, people would be climbing the walls, because we have such an incredibly dynamic creative community,” says Jennifer Clymer, director of MPTF Studios and executive producer of programming for Channel 22, the campus’s closed-circuit television station. “The residents want to produce content and perform, so the best way for us to do that during COVID was a live variety show on Zoom five days a week.” That variety show ended up with some pretty impressive guest stars. Jodie Foster moderated a Zoom OF C OU R S E , when COVID arrived party game called Mafia. Helen Hunt in 2020, pretty much the whole world partnered with residents for a Zoom was caught up in the catastrophe, and version of Password. MPTF did its best to Northup hosted respond. It expanded Harry’s Poetry Hour, its mission—if not “The residents during which he its living spaces—to read some of his own include a range of want to produce verses. “It kept us support services, content and sane,” says Bollinger. assisting those in perform, so the need, regardless of best way for age, with everything ME A N WHILE, from legal advice, up in his office, us to do that access to vaccines, Beitcher was manduring COVID patient advocacy, aging another was a live medical support, and COVID-related variety show on suicide counseling. crisis—dwindling “On an average day cash reserves. As it Zoom five days a pre-pandemic, we’d happened, the panweek.” maybe get ten to 15 demic arrived just as calls,” notes Jennifer Jeff rey Katzenberg Jorge, director of was exiting as head community social services for MPTF. of the MPTF Foundation, a fund“During COVID, we’ve been hitting raising arm he’d established and had 50 to 100 calls a day.” been overseeing since 1993. During On the Wasserman campus, his three-decade tenure at the job, employees and residents struggled the former Disney chief brought in to find ways to minimize isolation an estimated $500 million in donaand depression during the long, tions, although about half of that lonely lockdown. “I knew that even if was in legacy gifts (meaning MPTF Sandy Bollinger, 74, moved into one of the Fran and Ray Stark villas in 2018, after her husband, Henri— five-time president of the Publicists Guild—underwent emergency brain surgery. When he died six months into their residency, she chose to stick around. “I was surrounded by so much love and support,” she says. “My friends said to me, ‘Why are you staying there with all those old people?’ I looked around, and I didn’t see old. I saw people. My best friend here is 92.”

56 L A M AG.C OM

won’t see a dime until the donor dies). Still, it was a huge chunk of change, and MPTF needed every penny; it spends about $70 million a year running the campus and funding its other endeavors. Typically, the organization runs at a $7 milliona-year deficit. So when Katzenberg stepped down last year, he left a gaping fund-raising hole. “There’s only one Jeff rey Katzenberg,” Beitcher says, “and we haven’t been able to figure out who could replace him.” The pandemic obviously made fundraising all the more difficult. Along with the centennial gala, other MPTF events—like the annual “The Night Before” Oscar party and “The Evening Before” Emmy soiree—were put on hold or scaled down as virtual celebrations. And as less money was coming in, more was going out, with massive, unexpected expenditures on PPE, COVID testing, financial relief, and increased medical care for Wasserman residents, all of which further strained resources. To help pick up some of the fundraising slack, MPTF has recruited board members like George Clooney, J.J. Abrams, and Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. But having A-listers on your side can have its drawbacks. “People think MPTF doesn’t need help—that they’ve got every star supporting this organization,” says Courteney Bailey, MPTF’s chief development officer, who oversees its fundraising efforts. “That’s not the case.” Still, as COVID finally appears to be receding, a ray of hope has started to shine over the Wasserman campus. “We’ve only had one COVID case since January!” Beitcher tells me when we reconnect over email in late May. “Life on our campus varies from day to day . . . [but] with the industry back to full force, we’re seeing less demand for financial services.” Best of all, he finally got to throw his dream party. The MPTF centennial gala took place in June.

COURTESY MPTF

From left: Holly and Harry Northrup, Sandy Bollinger and her late husband, Henri.

@LosAngelesmag @lamag @LAmag

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8/29/17 11:23 AM

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Just developed and perfected, Dr. Moelleken now offers the LBAM, a breast augmentation technique using his trademarked LiveFill. Fundamentally different from fat injection or transfer, the LBAM is for subtle augmentation of the breasts in women not wishing to have synthetic breast implants. The LBAM joins many of Dr. Moelleken's other innovations like Live Fill, Ultrashort Incision Cheek Lift, the 360 Face Lift, the Hybrid Tummy Tuck, and numerous other trademarked procedures for obtaining a more natural appearance ... without the classic signs of surgery. For those patients wishing to have minimally invasive procedures, Cloud Med Spa Beverly Hills is a minimally invasive extension of his surgical practice. In Cloud Med Beverly Hills, Dr. Moelleken's team has created a unique, comfortable and serene environment for patients. A variety of nonsurgical solutions include state-of-the-art lasers and radio frequency-based technologies, platelet rich plasma (PRP) for face and hair loss, along with an array of treatments for skin rejuvenation, body contouring, and skin resurfacing. Dr. Moelleken's work has been published in numerous medical journals and has been presented nationally and internationally. He is also very active in charity work through his own About Face Surgical Foundation, as well in other foundations that serve veterans and the LGBTQ community. Dr. Moelleken has offices in Beverly Hills and Santa Barbara. He trained at Harvard, Yale, UCSF, and UCLA, where he is an associate clinical professor of surgery in the Division of Plastic Surgery. When not working in his private practice or teaching UCLA plastic surgery residents, you can find Dr. Moelleken cycling in the mountains or spending time with his wife, kids, and their three dogs.

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Brent R. W. Moelleken, MD, FACS 120 South Spalding Drive, Suite 110 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 310.273.1001 drbrent.com @drbrentmoelleken

BRENT MOELLEKEN, M.D.

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION

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the industry, Carmen has a well-versed familiarity of a wide range of areas, having his main office in Westlake Village as well as a location in Beverly Hills, so to serve his clients’ needs in the best way possible. Along with his dedication to his clients and craft, Carmen is passionate about sharing his story, both through his first book, Making Great Things Happen (presently in the works), and through speaking engagements to inner-city students, getting them to recognize and believe in the gifts they have inside, giving them insight on how he achieved this meteoric rise to one of the most respected and successful Realtors in the state. While

his unsurpassed commitment to his clients could be all-consuming, Carmen maintains the ever-so-important work/life balance, never sacrificing what is most important: priceless time his wife of 26-plus years, MaryLee, and two daughters, Mia and Lola. For his clients, for his family, for the community, Carmen is continually “Making Great Things Happen.”

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100 North Westlake Boulevard, Suite 100A Westlake Village, CA 91361 818.693.2181 carmenmormino.rodeore.com L A M AG . C O M 61

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CAN

FREDDIE FREEMAN SAVE

BASEBALL? THE DODGERS’ NEW FIRST BASEMAN DOESN’T DRINK, SMOKE, OR SWEAR—BUT DAMN IF L.A. FANS DON’T LOVE HIM ANYWAY. HOW THE LEAST SURLY, MOST FRIENDLY PLAYER IN THE MAJORS JUST MIGHT HELP MAKE THE GAME AMERICA’S FAVORITE PASTIME ONCE AGAIN By Fred Schruers | Photographed by Shayan Asgharnia L A M AG . C O M 6 3

H H I S E Y E S A R E B LU E R T H A N

a Nebraska sky. His hair, when it’s not tucked into a Dodgers cap, is the golden hue of a Kansas cornfield. And his big, bright, 500-watt smile has all the sparkle and shine of—oh, what the heck, let’s go for the full cornball red-white-and-blue cliché—fireworks on the Fourth of July. About the only thing he’s missing is a bat with a lightning bolt and the word WONDERBOY stenciled into the wood. Meet Freddie Freeman, the man who just might save baseball. Or help the Los Angeles Dodgers save baseball. Or perhaps just get them to the World Series again. The point is, if you called up Central Casting and asked it to send over an overthe-top, Disney-esque, all-American baseball player—someone between Robert Redford in The Natural and Gary Cooper in the opening reels of The Pride of the Yankees, with a bit of Kevin Costner in Field of Dreams thrown in—this is the guy who’d show up. He even talks like an old-timey baseball player. “I came up at the time of just playing the game the right way,” he says, after settling onto a bench in a dugout at Dodger Stadium on a crisp May afternoon. “So I try to play it right every single game.” He’s playing it right, alright, both on and off the field. Freeman, 32, joined the Dodgers this past March, after 12 years as first baseman with the Atlanta Braves, lured to L.A. with one of the most lucrative contracts in recent baseball history (averaging 6 4 L A M AG . C O M

out to $27 million a year, more than the combined annual earnings of the entire Baltimore Orioles’ roster). But already, he’s become something of a local legend. He jacked out his first home run in a Dodgers uniform at his debut at-bat during an emotional home game in April against his old teammates, the Braves. By May, he’d broken a Dodgers record, becoming the only player in the franchise’s history to hit three doubles in one game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. By the end of that month, he was leading the league in doubles, getting on base in 20 straight games, and was knocking runners across home plate at an almost cartoonish rate. Granted, he may not exceed Juan Soto’s batting average or Fernando Tatis’s homer count, but there’s no denying he’s the best thing to happen to first base since Gil Hodges was swatting balls for the Dodgers back when they were still in Brooklyn. In one area in particular, he excels beyond all others: there is nobody in the major leagues who scores as many back slaps. Freeman is so famously amiable, he’s all but turned first base into a bro-down. Even members of the Dodgers’ archrivals-in-the making— that’d be the Braves, who, last year, back when Freeman was still one of them, upended the Dodgers’ shot at the World Series during the playoffs—can’t resist trading fist bumps and grins whenever they show up at first base. He’s also a well-known gabber, chatting with just about anyone who happens to end up next to him on the diamond, no matter what team they’re on. But Freeman is more than merely charismatic. He’s also a throwback to an old-fashioned sort of baseball hero, complete with the model-pretty wife and three adorable, towheaded kids. Deeply religious (he’s a sixthgeneration Christian Salvationist),

he doesn’t drink, curse, smoke, or even chew tobacco. He’s a walking, talking Wheaties box, a font of Norman Rockwell-style wholesomeness—but, miraculously, in a way that doesn’t make anyone want to barf. He has, in short, given the Dodgers and baseball—a sport where these days just about everyone but Mookie Betts seems to be running the bases with a chip on their shoulder— something it hasn’t seen in years: a winning personality. Which is why he also brings some hope for the future of the game.

He’s a walking, talking Wheaties box . . . but in a way that doesn’t make anyone want to barf.

LO CAL HERO

P R O D U C E D BY G R E G G A R RY P R O P ST Y L I ST: F E L I C E PA P PA S

Freeman signed with the Dodgers partly because his dad, who lives in Orange County, asked him to come home.

Baseball, sadly, isn’t what it used to be. Over the last several decades, football and basketball have been grabbing most of the love (and selling tons of sneakers), while baseball’s fan base has grown smaller and grayer (the median fan age these days is a rickety 57). The TV audience for Major League games keeps shrinking, dropping from a peak of 80 million in 2007 to about 68 million in 2019. Its cultural clout has diminished as well. The sport that was once heralded as the national pastime, that made Willie Mays and Mickey Mantle into American icons, is nowadays more of a national afterthought. According to YouGov’s ratings of active sports personalities, 91 percent of Americans have heard of LeBron James and 88 percent have heard of Tom Brady while only 43 percent

have heard of Mike Trout, Freeman’s rival at the Angels and a superstar in his own right. Freeman, though, may be the most likely candidate to help change all that. As in that old Simon and Garfunkel song about Joe DiMaggio, baseball’s dwindling fans are turning their lonely eyes to him. He’s got the game. He’s got the looks. And God knows he’s got the disposition. “I’ve just tried to be a good person,” he says, scuffing a cleat into dugout dirt. “Being a human can be so hard. We all make mistakes every day. Being kind, that’s all I can really do.”

F YO U W E R E to stick a pin in

a timeline of Freddie Freeman’s life at the precise moment he began his journey to the major leagues, it would likely land on

the day in 1997 when the eight-yearold future slugger hit an outfield light pole during a pickup game in his hometown of Fountain Valley, California. “We have a home run hitter!” his mom, Rosemary, shouted as his father, Fred, watched in what one can only presume was slackjawed wonder. Tragically, though, it was another event that most shaped Freeman’s childhood; just two years later, when he was ten, his mother passed away from skin cancer, leaving his dad, a CPA, to raise Freddie and his two elder brothers, Andrew and Phillip, on his own. But again, it was baseball that kept the family glued together. “Baseball was always our outlet,” Freeman says. “That was what we did to take our minds L A M AG . C O M 6 5

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FA M I LY M A N

Freeman with his wife, Chelsea, and their three sons, Charlie (center), Brandon, and Maximus.

At first, Freeman must have seemed like an odd duck to his teammates on the Braves. A video posted by a local TV channel in 2010, just as he was entering the big leagues, shows a sweaty, slightly chunky, lost-looking 20-year-old talking mostly about his faith in God. “I just make sure I put him first and don’t let temptations get in front of me,” he offered the interviewer. But, of course, the Lord works in mysterious ways, and the the ballplayer who would become Freeman’s first mentor on the team happened to be Chipper Jones, the hard-partying, philandering infielder who famously impregnated a Hooters waitress. Oddly enough, the two became close allies. In fact, there weren’t many on the team who didn’t become close with Freeman. Despite his teetotalling ways, most everybody found him impossible not to like. Especially as his batting skills kept his teammates circling the bases. Over the next 12 years, Freeman would fill more than a few shelves with awards: he was a five-time All-Star selection, a three-time winner of the Silver Slugger award, winner of the Gold Glove in 2018, and the recipient of a couple of awards named after Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. In 2014, at 24, he married Chelsea Goff, a model and actress who’d once appeared on Say Yes to the Dress: Atlanta, a TLC reality show set in the Georgia bridal store where Goff

searched for her own wedding gown. They had their first son, Charlie, in 2016, who soon became something of an unofficial mascot at Braves games, sometimes sprinting onto the field postgame to greet his dad. But the biggest year in Freeman’s tenure at the Braves—certainly the most dramatic—would be 2020. He and his team were about to start practice sessions for the new season when he learned his wife was pregnant again. This was surprising, since doctors had told Chelsea she could no longer get pregnant after Charlie’s caesarean delivery. In fact, the couple were so certain she couldn’t have another baby, they had already undergone in vitro fertilization with a gestational surrogate. “It’s a crazy story,” he says, chuckling. “My wife was pregnant and we had the surrogate and I didn’t know what was going on.”

FA M I LY: CO U R T E SY F R E D D I E F R E E M A N ; S P R I N G T R A I N I N G : A P P H OTO/C H A R L I E R I E D E L

off the craziness of losing your mom and him losing his wife—the only way to not think about things.” At around 13, while attending Orange County’s El Modena High School, he joined the varsity team and met baseball coach Steve Bernard, who would steer young Freeman to his fate on the playing field. “He wasn’t just the baseball coach,” Freeman says. “He was doing his best to help me be ready for life.” Bernard, who is now an administrator at another Orange County school, recalls Freeman as a sensitive kid who happened to be blessed with extraordinary athletic talent. “One time, there was a particular date that triggered him—it might have been his mom’s birthday—and I remember him tearing up behind the dugout,” he says. “I remember hugging him, saying, ‘You’re going to be OK. This game is where you don’t have to worry. This is your spot. Enjoy this game. This is an escape.’” Freeman graduated high school at 17 and came face to face with the first monumental decision of his life. On the one hand, he’d been offered a Cal State Fullerton scholarship—a free ride through college and a pathway to joining his dad’s CPA business. On the other, the minor leagues had come calling, with a scout dangling a spot in the Atlanta Braves’ farm system, waving a $409,000 signing bonus in front of the teenager. Bernard thought he should take the bonus and play ball. His dad thought he should take the scholarship and become a CPA. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: “A couple of days after [the Braves] drafted me,” Freeman says, “I went to my dad’s room at three o’clock in the morning, knocked on the door, and said, ‘Dad, I just want to play baseball.’ He agreed but said if I didn’t make it to the big leagues in five years, I’d have to go back to school. But getting to the big leagues in five years is actually really hard to do. Most people get called up after six or seven years. When you think about it, what he was asking was not realistic.” Then again, Freeman wasn’t “most people.” He got called up in three.

It got even crazier when Freeman contracted COVID early in the pandemic, when not a lot was known about the virus. Quarantining from his pregnant wife and young son in the master bedroom of their sprawling home in Roswell, Georgia, he watched with growing alarm as his temperature kept climbing. At 104.5, he began to pray. “I got down, just by myself, and said, ‘Please, don’t take me. I’ve got a young family. I’m not ready,’ ” he recalls. Two weeks later, he was back on the practice field, marching toward the greatest (albeit, pandemicdelayed) season of his career. Not only did the Braves win the league championship, not only was Freeman selected as the National League’s Most Valuable Player, but his team also went on to win the World Series against the Houston Astros. And then, catching Freeman completely by surprise, the Braves broke his heart.

B R AV E S : C H R I S G R AY T H E N /G E T T Y I M AG E S

R E E M A N D I D N ’ T want to leave Atlanta. He’d built a life there, now had three kids, and had grown close to his teammates. But the Braves inexplicably lowballed Freeman during his contract-renewal negotiations, despite his having just won that MVP award, and instead quietly maneuvered to acquire a younger first baseman, 28-year-old Oakland Athletic Mark Olson. Suddenly, Freeman—the player the New York Times once described as “the heart and soul” of the A L E AG U E O F H I S OW N

This page: At 19, Freeman was an infielder for the Atlanta Braves. Opposite page: Freeman with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman on the day he announced to the world that Freeman would be joining the team.

“Having them chanting my name every single time I’m up to bat, that’s been special.” franchise—found himself on the open market. For the first time since he was 20, he was no longer a Brave. “To be honest,” he says, “I felt blindsided.” Still, there were compensations—namely, an invitation to play in the biggest baseball market in the country for $27 million a year. Plus, his dad, still living in Orange County, made a pretty compelling argument for him to join the Dodgers. “I want you to come home,” he told his son. For the Dodgers, picking up Freeman was a no-brainer. “We competed against [the Braves] three of the last four years, and everything in our game planning orbited around Freeman,” says Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ head of baseball operations. “He’s obviously a very gifted hitter.” Freeman didn’t exactly make a conventional entrance at Dodger Stadium, showing up for his first press event in a suit and tie, looking more like a banker than a ballplayer. But once he put on the uniform, he performed as advertised. And Dodgers fans took to him in no time, roaring “Fre-dee, Fre-dee” when he came to bat and hit that first payback homer against the Braves during the home game in April. Dodgers announcer Joe Davis describes that moment as something of a group hug between Freeman and his 50,000 new fans in the bleachers. “It was the entire stadium, the entire city saying, ‘We know you wanted to be in Atlanta. We understand. But we’re going to make this a great place to play.’” His new teammates seem to have taken to him as well. “He has a certain way,” notes manager Dave “Doc” Roberts. “Like in the batter’s box when he makes eye contact with the pitcher, breaking the tension of the moment. Or being friendly with a

guy who gets on base. But don’t get it twisted. He doesn’t lose his focus or his edge ever.” There are, of course, differences between Dodgers and Braves fans. But Freeman has been quick to adapt. For instance, his new walkout music—the tune played on the P.A. system as he comes to the plate to bat—is the Latin dance hit “Baila Conmigo,” which Freeman claims six-year-old Charlie picked for him. Charlie clearly has a sterling career ahead of him in political demography. Unlike in Atlanta, a huge chunk of the Dodgers fan base is Latino. Choosing that particular song as his personal anthem was a savvy nod to his new constituency. Despite his reluctance to leave Atlanta, Freeman seems to have settled into L.A. pretty seamlessly, moving his family into a spacious house in Studio City, about 12 miles from Dodger Stadium. The family also still has its longtime off-season home down the coast, in Corona del Mar, close to his dad. “Obviously, it’s a big change when you’re somewhere for 15 years—12 of that in the big leagues—but it’s been pretty amazing to have fans welcoming me and my family,” he says, hefting a bat as he gets ready to mount the dugout steps and hit the batting cage. “To be able to come here and have them chanting my name every single time I’m up to the plate, that’s been special. I don’t know if they’re connecting to me because I’m from here and coming home, or if they’re just trying to make me feel warm and welcome. But they’ve done a great job of doing that.” And all he has to do to keep those fans cheering is continue knocking out those homers and yapping it up with those base hitters. Also, if he could swing it, it wouldn’t hurt if he made baseball America’s national pastime again. L A M AG . C O M 6 7

D R. Feelgood THE DEAN OF USC’S KECK SCHOOL OF MEDICINE HAD IT ALL: $1 MILLION SALARY, STERLING CREDENTIALS, AND LUCRATIVE RESEARCH GRANTS. BUT WHEN A TROUBLED 22-YEAR-OLD OVERDOSED IN A PASADENA HOTEL SUITE THE 66-YEAR-OLD HAD BOOKED FOR THEM, DR. CARMEN PULIAFITO’S DOUBLE LIFE AS A METH ABUSER AND DRUG PROCURER SHOULD HAVE ENDED HIS CAREER. BUT IT DIDN’T. NOT UNTIL A RELENTLESS PULITZER PRIZE–WINNING REPORTER, BATTLING USC, THE PASADENA POLICE, AND HIS OWN NEWSPAPER’S EDITORS, FINALLY BROKE THE STORY.

By Paul Pringle Illustrated By Justin Metz 6 8 L A M AG . C O M

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T H E T I P A B O U T T H E D E A N OF the University of Southern California’s medical school hinted at something so salacious, so depraved, so outrageous that it seemed too good to be true. Or too awful, if you weren’t a journalist. It came to the Los Angeles Times through a staff photographer, Ricardo DeAratanha. He got the tip at a house party, purely by chance, and emailed it the next day to a colleague. DeAratanha wrote, “I came across someone last night, who witnessed an apparent cover-up involving the Dean of the School of Medicine at USC. It involved lots of drugs and a halfdressed unconscious young girl, in the dean’s hotel room.” He went on to say that the tipster would have more details.

“jittery.” Before Khan could suggest a solution, the front desk phone rang again. It was the housekeeping supervisor; she needed a manager on the third floor right away. Khan took the elevator. As he stepped out, the housekeeping supervisor told Khan there was an unconscious woman in 304. Khan knocked. An older man with a wan, off-center face opened the door halfway. The MOR E OF T E N T H A N NO T, the most tantalizing tips become a fool’s man appeared to be in his sixties and was errand, a fruitless prospecting for truth from rumors and exaggerations dressed in rumpled jeans and a stretched-out and outright fabrications. polo shirt; he had dimmed, spidery eyes, and Not this one. his thinning hair went in several different This tip was about Dr. Carmen Puliafito, a Harvard-trained eye directions. A security guard and the housesurgeon, inventor, and big-dollar rainmaker who straddled the highkeeping supervisor told Khan that the day est reaches of the medical world and academia. He was a wizard in the before, when the man and woman were out, operating room and an innovator in the laboratory. Puliafito estimated a maid had found drugs scattered around that he had raised $1 billion for USC. He brought a brainy refinement to the room. The security staff was alerted the charity circuit of Hollywood and Beverly Hills, mixing as easily with and photographed the drugs. Management designer-dressed movie stars as he did with the residents in lab coats at did not ask the man and the Keck School of Medicine. And yet as luridly improbwoman to check out. When able as it seemed at first, the tip about Puliafito turned it came to drinking and out to be not only on the mark, but merely scratched drugging, the policy of the the surface. And what was revealed beneath that surface A DA P T E D F R O M Constance was to live and was a deep vein of corruption and betrayal that webbed BAD CITY: let live. The photos were a through the Los Angeles establishment and corroded PERIL AND POWER precautionary measure, in some of the city’s most essential institutions, my own IN THE CITY case the guests got out of newspaper included. OF ANGELS hand in a way management The tipster, Devon Khan, was a reservations superviBy Paul Pringle. couldn’t ignore. sor at the Constance, a boutique hotel on the edge of Copyright © At the man’s request, Pasadena’s central business district. At around 4 p.m. on 2022 by Paul Pringle. Reprinted courtesy a bellman had already March 4, 2016, he got a call from the front desk. A clerk of Celadon Books, brought a wheelchair to told him that the guest in 304 wanted to stay another an imprint of Macmillan 304. When the man let night and specifically in that room. The guest sounded Publishing. 7 0 L A M AG . C O M

“I would be derelict in my responsibilities if I didn’t seek medical attention for her,” Khan told Puliafito. When the paramedics arrived and the woman was placed on a gurney, they called out, “Sarah? Sarah? Can you hear us, Sarah?” The following Monday, Khan bumped into a colleague who had been on duty after he left Friday. Khan asked him if the police arrested the man involved in the overdose. “No,” the coworker said. He shook his head. “Nothing happened.” Khan was taken aback. “What do you mean ‘nothing’?” “It’s like, when the police got here, they already knew who the guy was. They didn’t arrest him; they didn’t do anything.” He shrugged as if to say it couldn’t be explained. “Oh, and the guy really is a doctor.” Khan still didn’t buy that. “No way,” he said. “Yeah . . . he’s the dean of medicine at USC.” T E AC H E R’S P E T

Opposite: Puliafito parties with young friends including Sarah Warren, his obsession (far right). Above: She and Puliafito share a pipe during one of their frequent meth jags.

Khan in, resigned that he could no longer keep him out, Khan was aghast: the woman, blond and very young, looked as if she had been plopped into the wheelchair like a sack of feed. Her head rested heavily on her shoulder. She wore only a white hotel robe and pink panties. Her limbs hung straight down, as if weighted; one leg dangled off the chair where a footrest was missing. Khan could not be sure she was breathing. “Ma’am?” he said. “Ma’am? Ma’am?” Nothing. Khan took in the room. Strewn over the carpet were empty beer bottles, a plastic bag of whippets—the small canisters of nitrous oxide inhaled for an illicit high—and a palm-size container for a butane torch, the type favored for lighting a meth pipe. Burn marks scarred the bed. It didn’t take a medical degree to conclude the woman had overdosed. The man was silent. He was old enough to be the woman’s father, or even her grandfather. Khan noticed a small camera tripod sitting on top of the television. What kind of degenerate is this guy? “Are you OK, ma’am?” There wasn’t the slightest flutter along the alabaster face, although Khan could now see that she was breathing, if only faintly. He decided to move her and the man to 312, and leave 304 in just the state it was in for the police. Khan guided the chair out of the room and into the hallway, the man awkwardly keeping pace with the woman’s calf in his hand. “Can you hear me, ma’am?” Khan said as they rolled down the hallway. Before he gave the man the new key, he asked for an ID. The man produced his driver’s license: Carmen Puliafito. Khan told Puliafito he would call 911. “That’s not necessary,” Puliafito said. “She just had too much to drink.” He paused. “Listen, I’m a doctor.” A doctor? Bullshit. A doctor would have called the paramedics himself. “I’m caring for her,” Puliafito said. The paramedics and police were summoned.

T WO MON T H S earlier, in January of 2016, Dr. Carmen Puliafito was behind the wheel of his Porsche, tooling up Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. He was headed to Creative Care, one of many luxury addiction treatment centers that had set up shop in Malibu with ocean views, gourmet chefs, and masseuses. Places like Creative Care charged upward of $30,000 a month and drew clients like Charlie Sheen, Lindsay Lohan, and Robert Downey Jr., a selling point for addicts who lacked fame but not money. Puliafito had plenty of money. He made more than $1 million a year at USC, and he and his wife owned a Pasadena home valued in the vicinity of $6 million. And during the short time he had known Sarah Warren— the woman who Khan beheld passed out in room 304—he had spent lavishly on her, hundreds of thousands of dollars. He was paying all her living expenses, starting with the rent on one apartment after another in Pasadena and then Huntington Beach. He covered her car payments, her community college fees, even her cable TV bills. He paid for her furniture, clothing, makeup, and dental work. And there were the trips to New York, Miami, and Boston—even Switzerland. The expenses meant nothing to Puliafito. Sarah had become the singular focus of his life. She called him Tony, from his middle name, Anthony. He told her he loved her. L A M AG . C O M 7 1

RAIN MAKER

Top: USC president Max Nikias recruited Puliafito (seen above with Shirley MacLaine, Annette Bening, and Warren Beatty) partly for his ability to land eight-figure research grants.

E V E N B E F O R E he encountered Sarah, Puliafito had become bored

with the straightlaced life of a dean, a physician, a husband, and a father. It didn’t matter that he held one of the loftiest positions in his profession or that he had grown rich. Puliafito was an Italian kid from the suburbs of Buffalo, the son of an electrical engineer. He was exceptionally smart and ambitious and was admitted to Harvard and then Harvard Medical School. He graduated magna cum laude and put in the extra years to become an ophthalmologist, coinventing optical coherence tomography, a breakthrough technology that employed light waves to take images of the retina. The medical side of academia had taken notice. At the University of Miami, Puliafito led the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and oversaw its return to the No. 1 position in the all-important rankings by U.S.

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News & World Report, the annual beauty contest of American universities. The rankings were key to recruiting the aristocracy of professor-researchers who were magnets for eight-figure research grants. During Puliafito’s term at Miami, research funding for the school tripled. In August 2007, the provost of the University of Southern California—C. L. Max Nikias, a man with a boxy smile who spoke with the vaguely Spanish-sounding accent of his native Cyprus—sold Puliafito on heading its medical school. Nikias, who would become USC president three years later, was smitten with Puliafito’s achievements at Miami, particularly his success in landing those lucrative research grants. That sort of performance was just what the Keck School of Medicine needed. Keck was in a long and unending competition with the medical school of the University of California, Los

M A X N I K I A S : P H OTO BY R O N E N T I VO N Y/ PAC I F I C P R E S S / L I G H T R O C K E T V I A G E T T Y I M AG E S ; U S C E V E N T: R E B E CC A SA P P/ W I R E I M AG E

More important than love was his need to control her. The minute she slipped out of his grip, the minute she really got clean, it would be over—he would mean nothing to her. Puliafito could not let that happen. Which was why he was making the hourlong drive to Malibu, nosing the Porsche off the PCH and into the narrow curves of Trancas Canyon Road. Sarah had checked into Creative Care that very day. Her parents persuaded her to do it. This was her second stay at the place. She walked out two weeks into her first, some months ago; it had just been too hard to give up the drugs. It didn’t look good this time around either. Puliafito called her on the house phone—cell phones were confiscated at check-in—to say she had left her illicit stash of Xanax in his car. Sarah had no prescription for Xanax, and she could never get one in rehab, but Puliafito kept her supplied. When she took enough Xanax—several times the normal dosage—it took the edge off her cravings for meth and heroin. She told Puliafito on the phone to bring the drugs up. And the dean of the Keck School of Medicine was doing just that. He was delivering drugs to a young addict in rehab, breaking the law and shattering every ethical standard of his profession. Puliafito pulled off Trancas and parked in the lot of the Creative Care compound. Smuggling in the Xanax wouldn’t be easy. Staffers at the center knew Puliafito from his visits during Sarah’s previous stay, the brusque and meddling doctor who threw his credentials around and barked at them that Sarah needed this or required that. They remembered that the relationship between Sarah and him, supposedly a professional one, did not seem right. And they knew his Porsche.

Within 20 minutes of posting her backpage. com ad, she had two tricks. The demand for her body grew by the hour. Then a woman pimp named Vicky found her through the Backpage ad and offered Sarah her services. Now she had someone to screen out the worst of the johns. But Sarah came to hate the work and no longer associated prostitution with sex, but with injury-grade pain: “I was in so much pain, I started crying once, and it turned the client off.” That client wasn’t Carmen Puliafito. Tears wouldn’t be enough to turn him off—Sarah had a hard time imagining anything that would. They met for the first time at a hotel in Rancho Cucamonga. “The minute I opened the door, I realized he was crazy—and he was crazy for me,” Sarah said, remembering that he looked saggy and mottled with age, but also like money in his Robert Graham shirt, S A R A H H A D never meant to hurt anybody. Not her parents, Mary Ann suit jacket, and creamy loafers. “He was sayand Paul Warren. She loved them, and she knew they loved her. She just ing, right from the start, had no plan when it came to the bad decisions she made. ‘Oh my God, you are just It started when the Warrens were living in Spring, so amazing!’ I just couldn’t Texas, on a street hushed by trees, in a house that believe it.” embraced them with spacious rooms. Sarah was a teenPuliafito’s obsession ager possessed of the type of restless intelligence that “THIS with Sarah allowed her to was both a gift and an affliction. Earning good grades ditch Vicky and walk away was a breeze, but she was always bored in the classIS CARMEN,” from the hooker experiroom. She loved to sing and had the voice for it. But SARAH TOLD ment without crawling after performing in a school production of Oklahoma!, HER PARENTS back home to her parents. she grew bored with that, too. Boredom could lead to The lifestyle Sarah was trouble, especially when boys and booze became availWHEN SHE determined to maintain able. “Listen, I was a difficult child,” she said years later. INTRODUCED now included harder drugs, “I needed more stimuli. I was wild.” PULIAFITO. and she needed someone Exploitation and treachery arrived early in her to pay for them. Puliafito romantic coming of age. Sarah’s first lover during her “HE’S PAYING didn’t hesitate to offer to years at The Woodlands High School made his move on FOR THINGS.” set her up in an aparther as she wanted him to—but it was a ruse so that his ment in Pasadena, and she buddy could sneak into the Warrens’ house and steal didn’t hesitate to accept it, their prescription drugs. The thieves were soon found even though Puliafito and out; Mary Ann made Sarah retrieve the bottles of pills his wife lived a short drive from her lover. Sarah was humiliated, traumatized. away. Puliafito often spoke about his wife, As she put it together long afterward, that experience sent her into a saying that she understood why he needed spiral of self-debasement. She entered her first rehab at 18. Her smarts a “relationship” with Sarah, and that she shone through the fog of hangovers and highs. She kept her grades “knows all about you . . . even how you look.” up and entered the University of Texas at San Antonio. It was a new OK, that was one thing, Sarah thought—if it beginning, a clean slate. And then her dad landed a high-paying job in was true—but it would be another thing if she Southern California. The Warrens believed L.A. could be the perfect bumped into his wife at Whole Foods or just place for the family to set out on a better course. No—not for me, Sarah walking down Colorado. Puliafito didn’t care countered. Mother and daughter squared off. Mary Ann prevailed. L.A.’s about the embarrassment Sarah would feel, sunny promise proved to be overrated. The Warren family settled into even if his wife was fine with some warped a million-dollar town house a few blocks from the water in Huntington open marriage. Maybe having his mistress Beach; Sarah scored her first dose of California meth just down the street. and his wife in proximity to each other turned Sarah had waited a long time to run away from home, but when she him on. It seemed to Sarah that was the sort finally did, she did it in a big way. She had barely unpacked her getaway of thing the rich might find titillating. clothes at an Airbnb in downtown L.A. when she decided that prosti“This is Carmen. He’s paying for things.” tution was the quickest and easiest means of financing her liberation. That’s how Sarah introduced Puliafito to Why not? she told herself. I like sex, and I’d like to maintain my lifestyle. Angeles, across town, which was more prestigious. Puliafito accepted Nikias’s offer. He and his wife, Janet Pine, a psychiatrist, made the move to L.A. with their three children. They bought one of Pasadena’s signature homes, a century-old Tudor revival mansion whose 11,000 square feet presided over more than an acre and a half of rolling lawns and mature trees along a graceful curve of South Los Robles Avenue. Puliafito had been dean for little over eight years. When he wasn’t talking jargon to a ballroom of physicians and researchers, he was representing USC at gala fundraisers, grinning in publicity photos with Warren Beatty and Jay Leno, and chatting with business titans such as Larry Ellison. And yet none of it was enough. Puliafito was tumbling headlong into his mid-sixties. He and his wife were in their fourth decade of marriage. He needed something more engaging. Something thrilling, risky, even dangerous. Sarah Warren was that something.

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be put in more harm? The PI said Puliafito her parents when she brought him home to Huntington Beach: “He’s could keep her out of their lives. Could paying for things”—a man who was old enough to be their parent. She Puliafito do something even worse? didn’t have to say what he received in return. Their daughter was putThe Warrens took the investigator’s advice. ting them in their place, letting them know just how independent she had become—independent of them—and how little she cared if they didn’t approve. And the more the Warrens learned about this Carmen Puliafito, this fat-wallet dean at USC, the more they feared he would be the instrument of their daughter’s destruction. He struck them as ON E N IG H T, in the summer of 2016, six a predator without bounds, whose money and power guaranteed he months after her overdose at the Constance, would never be held to account. It reached the point Sarah found herself sitting that they consulted a private investigator—an ex-cop. on the roof of the Balboa Sarah had pulled another vanishing act, and they susBay Resort, a hotel on the pected Puliafito was behind it. The PI traced Sarah Newport Beach waterfront. to an apartment in Pasadena that the dean was payShe was alone, her feet THE ing for. When he reported back to the Warrens, he dangling over the edge. The NIGHT BEFORE wrapped his findings in some advice: Accept Puliafito roof was not designed for as part of Sarah’s life, because if they didn’t, Puliafito visitors. SARAH’S might abscond with her. He might abandon his job, his The view through Sarah’s OVERDOSE, wife, his home, everything—and run off with Sarah, methamphetamine haze PULIAFITO and they would never see her again. was of yachts and sailboats This keep-your-enemy-close strategy shocked tucked into the slips of a HIRED A MALE the Warrens. It sounded like an admonition to surbrightly lighted marina. PROSTITUTE. render—to surrender their daughter. The PI used to Sarah had been in the HE LIKED be a cop. Why wouldn’t he counsel them to call the throes of a meth freak-out, police on Puliafito? Or to report him to the president a drug psychosis, when the TO WATCH HER of USC? To the board of trustees? Maybe he didn’t sugimpulse struck her to find HAVE SEX. gest taking those routes because of what he’d learned a way out of her room and as a cop—because he knew gekko onto the roof. The how the system worked, get-together at the Balboa and it worked in the favor was Puliafito’s send-off for of people like Puliafito. her, a last bit of fun before R IS K Y BUS I N E SS His advice made sense to the Warrens only she went through with her promise to return Puliafito became because they couldn’t calculate the risks in to rehab. As always, Puliafito had paid for the increasingly brazen, rejecting it. If they did, would their Sarah room and the drugs and a new bong with a mixing his secret life with his position at bowl the size of a grapefruit. The Balboa was USC. Here, he drops his kind of place—expensive, exclusive, and ecstacy before a black-tie event. discreet. Discreet, that is, until the staff found it necessary to call the cops. After the meth took over, it seemed to Sarah that she was screaming. She screamed that she was like Harry Potter: I’ll use my powers to save the world! She screamed out on the balcony and then the roof, and she kept screaming as four uniformed men forced her into restraints and bundled her out of the hotel. The frolic and scuffle at the Balboa occurred at least four and a half months after Puliafito learned I was investigating him, and if he wasn’t convinced I’d given up on the story, he obviously felt confident that I would soon enough. Why shouldn’t he have? He’d already managed to stay beyond the reach of law enforcement. Why would one reporter make him sweat? It certainly wasn’t enough to end the partying at places like the Balboa. Or to stop providing Sarah with the drugs that could end up killing her, even with a fall from a roof. He seemed unperturbed 7 4 L A M AG . C O M

BA D I N F LU E NC E

Sarah met Puliafito during a brief stint as a prostitute. He lavished her with cash and drugs—even when she was in rehab.

in almost a sporting way that the Times was sniffing around. But he hadn’t dismissed the possibility I might find her. So he warned Sarah that “a scumbag named Paul Pringle” was looking into him. Puliafito admonished her to never speak to me and to make sure her family didn’t either. She promised him they’d all keep quiet. The Newport Beach police booked Sarah on charges of possession of a controlled substance, possession of nitrous oxide, being under the influence of a controlled substance, and battery on the cops and paramedics. It was Sarah’s third arrest in the six months since her overdose. If Carmen had been locked up after the overdose—who knows?—I might have been clean by now. Instead, after she woke up at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, she called Puliafito, he picked her up, and they drove right back to the hotel to resume the party. Puliafito told her he had hidden the drugs— and the heroin, with a bong and pookie—in the stairwell two floors below their room. They retrieved the bag of goodies and checked into a new room. Sarah vowed there would be no sex; she couldn’t bear to have him on top of her anymore. Their first night at the Constance, the night before the overdose, Puliafito hired a male prostitute for her. He liked to watch her have sex—to watch it and to film it. But she had come to prefer sex with a stranger, as empty as it was, to another romp with Puliafito. Sarah did not go into rehab after the impromptu rooftop rave-up at the Balboa. Puliafito moved her to yet another apartment, to put more distance between Sarah and her parents. By then, Sarah would be willing to pay him just to leave her alone. Puliafito must have sensed this, because suddenly he was talking about them getting married. He said he wanted to divorce his wife. Did he really believe she would consider marrying him? Was he that delusional? That arrogant? In the past, Puliafito tried to pass her off as his assistant at USC—or as his niece. He even had her attend receptions for his students at his mansion, with

his wife there. Another time, he asked her to be his date at the black-tie opening of the Broad museum, the hottest social event of the season, with guests like Kamala Harris, Mayor Garcetti, Gwyneth Paltrow—Chrissie Hynde was the musical guest, for God’s sake. Sarah had refused to go. “Carmen, I’m a 20-year-old drug addict,” she said. “Are you crazy?” More than a year later, he was still here— only now he was asking her to marry him. I can’t do this for another ten minutes! I have to get back into rehab! But how? She was still on her parents’ insurance, but that wouldn’t cover everything, and she couldn’t ask them to pay more, not after all the pain—and expense—she had already caused them. If Puliafito offered to pay again, that would keep her tied to him, and there was no getting clean and staying clean with him around. And what about her cats? Through all this, she had somehow managed to adopt three cats. She could not just abandon them. She was trying to make that point with her dad, and he was insisting that he would pay whatever it cost to cure her addiction, to save her. She was grateful. But the cats—what about the cats? Then her dad started to cry. “You cannot put the cats over your own health,” he said, pleading with her. His tears closed the deal. Sarah packed her bags for Ocean Recovery.

NOT L ONG A F T ER , Sarah, a broom in her hands, was spending a December day at the Magnolia Memorial graveyard in Garden Grove, a 25-minute drive from Ocean Recovery. She was sweeping the paths at the cemetery, a chore that fulfilled part of her court-ordered community service following her bust at the Balboa. And on this overcast morning, a moment came when she saw something that made her want to scream. It was an orange BMW that rolled into the parking lot. Puliafito alighted from the car. He was wearing a trench coat and a fedora. Are you kidding me? She kept an eye on him as he walked from the BMW. The fact that she was back in rehab meant nothing to him. As she stood there, Sarah remembered that Puliafito had bragged to her that he had the skills and the resources to track her down wherever she might try to hide from him. “I am a detective,” he told her. (CO N T I N U E D O N PAG E 9 9

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7 6 L A M AG . C O M

BEING JAMES ELLROY

IN AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW FOR OUR PODCAST, THE ORIGINALS, L.A.’S LAST (AND CRANKIEST) LITERARY LEGEND HAS SOME DEEP THOUGHTS ABOUT SEX, LOVE, FAME, POSTERITY, AND PODCASTS. BUT BEST NOT ASK HIM ABOUT HIS GIRLFRIENDS By Andrew Goldman Photographed by Patrick Cavan Brown

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that now even those who’ve never even heard a podcast are starting their own. Which, in the case of fans of any of the 25 books by 74-year-old author James Ellroy, happens to be an unexpected blessing. For “James Ellroy’s Hollywood Death Trip,” a new, artfully produced, five-part series for Audible Originals, the author lends his voice to a reimagining of some of his long-form magazine articles into lush theater of the mind that conjures L.A.’s noir heyday. Fittingly, the series begins with the story of the 1958 unsolved murder of then-ten-year-old Ellroy’s mother, Jean, strangled and dumped near a high school following a night out in El Monte, an event that sparked his obsession with unsolved murders like the Black Dahlia case, the subject of his 1987 breakout novel. “Dead women own me,” he intones at the top of the first episode, though his foray into audio will soon also include his less victim-obsessed, more conspiratorial work with an upcoming audio adaptation for Audible of his sprawling 1995 novel, American Tabloid, in which JFK’s killers tell the story of the assassination from their points of view. Though over the years the project was in development to star Tom Hanks, then Bruce Willis, and, most recently, James Franco, it will finally be brought to life featuring the voice talent of a cast that includes Brian Cox, Bobby Cannavale, and Elliott Gould. It’s a project its producer, Jimmy Jellinek, describes as “the first blockbuster of the audio era,” comparable in ambitions to The Godfather. Though Ellroy’s work is as associated with Los Angeles as any living author, he decamped to Denver seven years ago to be close to his former wife—and current girlfriend—the novelist Helen Knode. The pair live in separate apartments on the same floor. “The commute is about 16 seconds,” he explains. “Come and go as you please. And if you enjoy your separate solitude, as Helen and I do, Daddy-o, that’s it.” A note to future Ellroy interviewers: Though Ellroy might have written two shockingly candid memoirs about his obsessive womanizing and decades spent engaging in extensive onanism, he’s gotten particularly touchy about the topic. So make sure you don’t begin a Zoom interview noting how it’s surprising that the existence of so much free internet porn hadn’t compelled the famously horny, famously technology-averse novelist to finally learn how to use a computer. “Fuck you!” Ellroy barked, slamming his borrowed laptop shut. Following the intercession of a

Would it be fair to call your relationship with Hollywood adaptations mixed? You’ve written a lot of unproduced scripts. You’ve had one fantastic film adaptation of your book L.A. Confidential. Another one, The Black Dahlia, didn’t get great reviews or do great business, but I gather it sold you a ton of books. Let’s put this way, Mr. Goldman. The Black Dahlia movie sold 40 times as many books for me and made me 40 times the royalty dough in seven weeks than L. A. Confidential has made in 25 years. I didn’t like The Black Dahlia. Now that the director, Curtis Hanson, who was a friend of mine, has passed away, I can tell the truth about L. A. Confidential the movie. I didn’t like it. I don’t think it’s any good. It was critically beloved. It made Russell Crowe a star. It’s about as deep as a tortilla. I’m curious why L.A. Confidential didn’t move as many books for you. Who knows? The reading public is fickle. Maybe the fact that the Black Dahlia is a famous murder case. Snappy title, shorter book. Your 1996 memoir, My Dark Places, saw you teaming up with a former homicide detective and unsuccessfully trying to solve your mother’s murder. I got the impression that perhaps you didn’t want to solve it—that closure wasn’t important to you. Yeah, I think closure is bullshit. I wanted to solve it, but some part of my bunky brain that understands myself to be an exploiter of tragedy, an opportunist, and a literary glory hound, understood, “Man, this is up against it.” I was pessimistic, but I still put a lot of dough into it. I paid Bill Stoner, the retired homicide detective, some good dough to

PROOF

James Ellroy signs books at the French release of The Hilliker Curse at the Virgin Megastore in Paris, 2011.

THERE ARE LINES OF DECORUM THAT I WOULD CROSS AT 46, IN MY FIRST MEMOIR, 7 8 L A M AG . C O M

P R E V I O U S S P R E A D : P R O D U C E D BY G R E G G A R RY; B O O K S I G N I N G : S I M O N I SA B E L L E /S I PA / 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 9 4 8 ( S I PA V I A A P I M AG E S )

P O D C A S T I N G H A S reached such a state of saturation

flustered colleague, Ellroy was back on-screen five minutes later, cooler but still testy and ready to tussle.

O D E T O R I TA H AY WO RT H

Amber Smith and David Strathairn in the 1997 film adaptation of L.A. Confidential directed by Curtis Hanson. “It’s about as deep as a tortilla,” Ellroy now says of the film.

L . A . CO N F I D E N T I A L : WA R N E R B R O S . / P H OTO F E ST

help me out. Staying away from my wife at the time for 15 months was taxing on the relationship, taxing on my pocketbook. I spent most of the advance on rentals and buying steak dinners for Stoner and me as we drove all over L.A. talking to people who said, “Oh yeah, Mrs. Ellroy, I remember her.” I’d say, “Did she have boyfriends?” They’d say, “I don’t know.” It was like taking a tour through the faultymemory zone of elderly people. In the end, nothing played. It was incredibly brave for you to admit that you’ve long had a psychosexual relationship with your dead mother— that you saw her naked when you were a kid and would eventually sexually fantasize about her. Was this something that you wrestled with talking about? Yeah, it was. There are lines of decorum that I would cross at 46, in my first memoir, that I wouldn’t cross now as a 70-year-old man who writes only fiction. I wouldn’t do it now. It sounds like you regret sharing that. No. I’m not a guy who harbors regrets. You also say quite clearly in your second memoir, The Hilliker Curse, which was written in 2010, that you have a type, and your type . . . Let’s not talk about my old girlfriends, Mr. Goldman.

Well, I wasn’t talking specifically about your ex-girlfriends; I was talking about your current girlfriend. Yeah, Helen Knode, my second ex-wife. My ex-wife girlfriend. Your redhead obsession, she talks about it. It didn’t seem like it’s any secret that you like tall redheads who resemble your mother. Well, there you go. No, you’re right. I would love to ask you about The Hilliker Curse, but it doesn’t sound like you want to talk about it. There are landmines all over. I don’t want to go into any territory that’s going to make you angry. Hey, Mr. Goldman, how old are you? I’m about to turn 50. Wow, you’re turning 50. All of a sudden, 70, 71, 72. That shit is for real. If you’ve got qualms about turning 50 . . . shit. I didn’t say I had qualms. I’m going to have a big party. OK, have a big party and have a blast. When you’re 71, 72, you look back, and you see the things of youth. You see a horrible propensity for indecorous behavior on your part. You live, and you learn. And I hope I have. As Jesse Jackson

THAT I WOULDN’T CROSS NOW AS A 70-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO WRITES ONLY FICTION. L A M AG . C O M 7 9

WELL, HE HAD AN 18-INCHER. AFTER HE HAD HIS FIRST STROKE, THE

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OLD MAN’S BEAST HUNG OUT THE LEFT LEG OF HIS BOXER SHORTS. famously said some decades ago, “Be patient—God isn’t finished with me yet.” Then can you tell me specifically what this indecorous behavior was? Chasing women. It’s what I cop to in The Hilliker Curse. You’ve changed since you wrote that? Yeah. You’re now living in Denver in an apartment just down the hall from Helen Knode, who you were married to from 1991 to 2006. Yeah. Fifteen years. Listen, Helen is a no-fly zone, sir. It’s my marriage. If I had a therapist, I wouldn’t talk to my therapist about my marriage. OK. So you’re Lutheran. I don’t know many Lutherans. The most famous Lutheran I know is Garrison Keillor, who seems like the total opposite of you. What do Lutherans believe happens when you die? Go to heaven. But how do you get there? Do you have to repent? How does it work? That’s part of the deal. Sir, I think we’re getting off track here again. Again, I’m not a spokesman. All right, James. Why don’t you ask me the questions, and I’ll answer them. No. You know what I’d like to talk about? The podcast! Yeah, the podcast. I want to talk about “‘James Ellroy’s Hollywood Death Trip.”’ I want to talk about the transcription of nonfiction and fiction from printed word. OK. What podcasts do you like, James? I’ve never listened to one. I went right into performing them. You’ve attained great commercial success. You have a reputation as a good tipper. Do you enjoy money? Yeah, I like to throw it around. Because I grew up poor. I started out as a caddie at Bel-Air Country Club, and if a golfer gave you an extra 20 bucks, it was a big deal. Then I could stay home the following day and work on the first two books that I was writing because I had the extra 20 scoots, and could ply myself with food and pay my rent. So I throw it out there. It’s the way to be. What do you like to spend your money on now? Security. I like to upgrade to first class any chance I get, to get more leg room in the seat. I like to take care of the very few people in my orbit. You’ve often described yourself as right-wing. When you talk about spending your money on security, I don’t know if that means . . . are you sitting on an arsenal? No. Ah, shit, no. We’re getting into the territory now. I don’t

like talking about politics. In fact, I would’ve said right at the front of the telecast, it’s off the board. I don’t like being categorized in these terms. I don’t like being a personality anymore. All I want to talk about is each and every book or podcast that I have written or participated in or read from. Exclusively. And in this case, that single declarative sentence, “Dead women own me,” from “James Ellroy’s Hollywood Death Trip.” All right. Let’s talk about that line. Back in 2006, when the Black Dahlia film was coming out, you said you were never going to talk about the Black Dahlia or your mother’s death ever again. Yeah. I was mistaken. Boy, I blew that one, didn’t I? It’s something you’ve been very honest about it—about saying that you feel like, in mining her story, you robbed her grave. You’ve referred to your readings as “the 6,000th performance of my dead-mother act.” The first episode of the show tells the story of your mother’s death. You’re really leaning into the dead mother. Yeah. The podcast is something else entirely. The whole idea of podcast form is how it transposes the written word and illuminates it for a wide array of Englishspeaking people. I’m trying to imagine what your ideal interview is. Because I read so much about you, and there was so much I wanted to ask, but I’m looking over my notes and I’m being like, “If I ask him that, he’s going to fucking jump down my throat.” Yeah. I think this is a good, contentious interview. Oh, you do? Yeah, I do. I really do. I’m glad we got back on the horn. See, I’m sort of getting the sense that as angry as you come across, you might actually be enjoying yourself. I’m having a blast now. We put our shit behind us. James, I’m wondering how a woman reacts, when, as you wrote, after she disrobes and you see her breasts, you weep uncontrollably. That was a prostitute, by the way, in Hollywood. Oh, I thought that was something that happened with a girlfriend named Joan. Do you still go to prostitutes? There was a period where you . . . No, no. Come on! Well, do you still want me to ask you the questions that I actually had written? Yeah. I’ll just tell you yes or no. In the intro to your podcast, you reference your “hog log” and call yourself the “slick trick with the donkey dick.” You have spoken extensively the size about your father’s penis. Well, he had an 18-incher. There it is. And I know it’s not a L A M AG . C O M 8 1

I love dogs. I’ve got mine hidden away right now, so we don’t hear her. Well, God bless. I’m going to pray for your dog tonight. I love dogs insanely. And the antics of dogs and dogs’ bravura nature—and loving nature and fierce nature—move me. You had dogs in the past, and you’re a serial anthropomorphizer of dogs—funny dog voices and funny dog sayings. But I read that you have only an imaginary dog now. Well, numerous imaginary dogs. See, here’s the deal, Mr. Goldman. I can’t live through the horror and pathos of another animal death. So I give lots of dough to animal trusts.

I’ve been there 30 times with 30 different women. Most of the time, women would say no. But a few times, they’d say yes. I exploited it. I was a big, good-looking kid, and all of a sudden, women liked me, whereas before, they were holding wolfsbane up to ward me off. I was a dipshit and a nose picker and everything else. You don’t seem like a guy who’s fearful about the idea of cancellation. Yeah, well. So does some shit from my past come back to haunt me? Everybody has secrets. Everybody has made injudicious, heedless, vile comments. I have repented my inactions. What does the repentance look like? “Dear Lord, I have done this. Suffuse me with thy will so that I may not repeat this sin.” That’s about it. Before getting sober, you had a long period as a serious drug addict. You were doing a lot of breaking and entering. And from reading your tales, I wasn’t sure whether the primary motivation was for you to drink people’s liquor or to sniff women’s panties. When you have a backstory like mine, and you’re besieged by media people who want to hear it, they exaggerate. It’s a natural propensity. So between 1966, when I was 18, up through the summer of 1969—the summer of the Manson family killings—I did it 16 or 17 times in households where I knew the girls. And, OK, so maybe 20 minutes each time, in and out, aggregate. I was a scaredy-cat. I stopped in the summer of ’69 because of the Manson killings—because more and more people in Hancock Park started getting security signs staked into their front lawn. But the thing is, as a cumulative force in my imaginative life, it’s negligible. It’s a minute proportion of my time. It’s a dipshit on the loose. What I primarily did at the time was read. Even when I had no pad and sleeping in parks, I’d read in public libraries. Read, read, read, read, read. I’m a testament to the curative power of fiction, specifically, and nonfiction. I can recall stints—weeklong, two-week long stints—of reading in public libraries that cumulatively eclipsed and blitzed all my time doing this peeper break-in shit. It’s minute. But it’s snazzy compared to, “Ellroy, age 20, read in public libraries sometimes as long as 10, 12 hours a day.”

You don’t want to talk about ex-girlfriends, but I want to ask about your life as a serial romancer. You’ve written that you’d get a phone message, and you would listen to it over and over. You fell in love with a woman who showed up to one of your readings because you were convinced that she’d appeared in a memorable dream you’d had 20 years before. You sent love letters frequently, as though you were Beethoven sending them to your Immortal Beloved. It all sounded to me very time-consuming and exhausting. It’s the best question anyone has asked me, sir, in a very long time. Yeah. It’s exhausting being me. And God’s been very, very kind to me, and I have a good work ethic, and I have gifts. I got sober the first time in 1977 with Alcoholics Anonymous. And the late ’70s was an extraordinarily permissive milieu. Men and women would meet at a Sunday AA meeting on Federal Avenue in West L.A., and instead of going out for coffee, they would take one or two cars to a joint on Olympic and Stewart—right on the Santa Monica-West L.A. border—called Hot Tub Fever. I’d rent a tiny, cramped cubicle with a hot tub and a half a dozen condoms on a shelf and an 8-track cassette player. They had a bed big C O N S P I R AC Y T H E O RY enough for a short person to lie down Ellroy’s 1995 novel, American Tabloid, on, which is where you were supimagines Howard Hughes, J. Edgar Hoover, and Jimmy Hoffa in the years posed to do it. And we’d shuck our leading up to the JFK assassination. duds and get in the water.

Well, you didn’t spend chapters writing about your reading habits. No.

YOU KNOW WHAT THE THRILL IS? HERE’S THE THRILL: I’M VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY 8 2 L A M AG . C O M

A M E R I C A N TA B LO I D : CO U R T E S E Y K N O P F

whacked-out kid’s recollection. Near the end of his life, my dad was senile. After he had his first stroke, the old man’s beast hung out the left leg of his boxer shorts. Our landlord was an Italian carpenter named Dino Lupo. Dino would go, “Hey, kid. Hey, kid. Come here.” He’d point to the old man. He’d go, “Hey, kid, your father the bull.” This’ is all part and parcel about something I call dog humor. I love dogs. You like dogs?

O R I G I N S T O RY

E L L R OY A N D H I S M OT H E R : JA M E S E L L R OY A R C H I V E , U N I V E R S I T Y O F S O U T H C A R O L I N A L I B R A R I E S . ; N E WS PA P E R : LO S A N G E L E S T I M E S

Ellroy’s mother, Geneva Hilliker. was murdered in 1958 when the author was ten years old. The back of the photo is marked, “This one we took so you could judge how tall Lee is. I have platform soles & high heels on, & Stinkey ducked his head, so the idea didn’t come off.”

You spent a lot of time writing about the break-ins. I was trying to figure out what the thrill was. You know what the thrill is? Here’s the thrill: I’m very, very, very, very, very curious about people. I’ve always been very, very, very curious about sexuality. I was then, and I am now. There was a gag line from a nightclub comic that says it all: “I want to find the guy who invented sex and ask him what he’s working on now.” And that’s the goad for me. You had what you called “a crack-up”—you went away to a facility for a period. It seemed like you were suffering from what sounded like a panic disorder. Yeah. I don’t know what it is. My nerves were sure as hell shot to shit. I’d been working too hard for 23 years. Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam—all day, all night. Book, book, book, book. Book tours all over the place. I assume you’re better. I am better. I’m here talking to you, and I’m healthy as shit. What’s the Ellroy prescription for curing a crack-up? Seek God. Oh, that sounds very difficult for someone like me. How do you do that? You gotta hit the shit. I don’t know. I don’t know what anybody’s “hit the shit” quotient over endurance is. Mine’s pretty high. But I’ve hit the shit more than once.

Since all of your books are set before 1972, there’s a lot of dialogue in the lingo of the time, much of it casually racist. Has anybody told you that this is not tolerated anymore? Yeah. People have mentioned it. And I think their case probably isn’t hurt by the fact that for a period as a teen you identified as a Nazi. And back in 2010, in this magazine, Amy Wallace described the moustache you used to wear as “Hitlerian” and perhaps in itself a provocation. That’s about my physiognomy, Mr. Goldman. When I had darker hair, it was a toothbrush mustache. And since I was bald when I met Amy Wallace of your publication, it was suffused with some gray bristles. I looked pretty good. I don’t want to end this with an explosion, so I’m not going to name her. But you ride off in the sunset with a character at the end of The Hilliker Curse. And then she came out with a memoir that was not flattering to you. Let’s move on, Mr. Goldman. We’re near the end. OK. Do you miss L.A.? No. Not at all? No.

CURIOUS ABOUT PEOPLE. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN VERY, VERY, CURIOUS ABOUT SEXUALITY. L A M AG . C O M 8 3

THE HOT LIST » American $$

James Beard Award–nominated chef Jeremy Fox gets personal with a sunny spot dedicated to comfort food and named after his young daughter. The high-low menu is full of playful riffs on comfort food, from a decadent stuffed latke called the Goldbar to a matzo ball soup with carrot miso to a next-level relish tray. Don’t miss the jiggly Rose Petal pie for dessert. 2421 Michigan Ave., 310-310-3616, or birdiegsla.com. Full bar.

❂ Broad Street Oyster Co. MALIBU » Seafood $$

If ever there was a car picnic scene, it’s at this openair spot overlooking Malibu Lagoon State Beach (and across from a SoulCycle, if we’re being honest). You can grab a great lobster roll (topped with uni or caviar if you’re feeling extra fancy), towers of raw seafood, great clam chowder, and a burger sprinkled with shio kombu (dried kelp) that shouldn’t be overlooked. 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy., 424-644-0131, or broadstreetoyster.com. Beer and wine.

❂ Cassia

SANTA MONICA » Southeast Asian $$$ Bryant Ng mines his Chinese Singaporean heritage, honors wife Kim’s Vietnamese background, and works in the wood-grilling technique he honed at Mozza at this grand Southeast Asian brasserie. Hunker down at a table on the patio—or treat yourself to some great takeout—to devour turmeric-marinated ocean trout or chickpea curry with scallion clay-oven bread. Wherever and however you enjoy Ng’s cooking, you won’t be disappointed. 1314 7th St., 310-393-6699, or cassiala.com. Full bar.

✤❂ Cobi’s

SANTA MONICA » Southeast Asian $$$ Coming here is like visiting a perfectly art-directed beach house where everything—from the colors 84 L A M AG.C OM

THE BREAKDOWN WEST

EAST

Includes Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Palms, Santa Monica, Venice, West L.A., Westwood

Includes Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, East L.A., Echo Park, Glendale, Los Feliz, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, Silver Lake

DOWNTOWN Includes Arts District, Bunker Hill, Chinatown, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, South Park

T H E VA L L E Y Includes Agoura Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Encino, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Van Nuys

CENTRAL

SOUTH

Includes Beverly Grove, East Hollywood, Fairfax District, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Koreatown, West Hollywood

Includes Bell, Compton, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Watts

✤ 2022 Best New Restaurant Winner ❂ Has Outdoor Seating $ $$ $$$ $$$$

I N E X P E N S I V E (Meals under $10) M O D E R A T E (Mostly under $20) E X P E N S I V E (Mostly under $30) V E R Y E X P E N S I V E ($30 and above)

Price classifications are approximate and based on the cost of a typical main course that serves one. For restaurants primarily offering multicourse family meals, the cost per person of such a meal is used.

Restaurant hours are changing frequently. Check websites or social media accounts for the most current information.

2022

on the walls to the curries on the plate—just pops. Grab a date, grab your friends, and get to the party. Don’t miss the beautifully ferocious Devil Chicken curry, amped up by both fresh and dried bird’s eye chiles along with ghost peppers and accompanied by a saucer of habanero vinegar that magically cuts the heat and enhances it at the same time. 2104 Main St., cobis.la, or @cobis.la. Beer and wine.

❂ Colapasta

» Italian $ It’s equally pleasant to grab and go or eat at this quiet, affordable spot that features fresh pastas topped with farmers’ market fare. The colorful, poppy-seed-sprinkled beet ravioli is delicate and delicious, while the gramigna with pesto and ricotta is hearty and satisfying. 1241 5th St., 310-310-8336, or colapasta.com. Beer and wine. SANTA MONICA

❂ Crudo e Nudo SANTA MONICA » Seafood $$

Brian Bornemann, the 31-year-old former executive chef at Michael’s Santa Monica, has gone his own way. He and his girlfriend, Leena Culhane, have launched a sustainable neighborhood joint that’s by turns a coffee shop, a seafood market, and a casual restaurant where you can nibble impeccably prepared crudo, tuna tartare toasts, and vegan Caesar salads on the patio while sipping a thoughtfully selected natural wine. Though the project began as a pandemic pop-up, it’s now an exciting brick-andmortar spot from one of the city’s most promising young toques. 2724 Main St., crudoenudo.com, or @crudo_e_nudo. Beer and wine.

❂ Dear John’s CULVER CITY » Steak House $$$

There’s still good times and great food to be had at this former Sinatra hang stylishly revamped by Josiah Citrin and Hans Röckenwagner. Steakhouse classics—crab Louie, oysters Rockefeller, thick prime steaks—pay homage to the lounge’s Rat Pack past and can be enjoyed on a sunny new patio or to go. 11208 Culver Blvd., 310-881-9288, or dearjohnsbar.com. Full bar.

ANNE FISHBEIN

WEST SANTA MONICA

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A CO N S TA N T LY U P DAT ED R O U N D U P O F L . A .’ S M OS T E S S EN T I A L E AT ER I E S

JULY

❂ Birdie G’s

A Bicyclett e Latin Quarter, tkktktktktkt a Bastide, and a Le Marais PAGE TK e at Bicyclett

❂ Etta

CULVER CITY

» Italian $$$

With a sprawling patio, lengthy menu, and various party tricks (the restaurant calls them “moments”), Etta is primed for good times. You can go big and order a $120 short rib “picnic” with various accoutrements for the table or opt to have wine poured into your mouth from a large jug while a server snaps Polaroids. But you can also just pop in for a pizza or excellent pasta at the bar. For dessert, there are shots of tequila and coffee topped with rainbow-sprinkled shortbread cookies. 8801 Washington Blvd., ettarestaurant.com, or @ettarestaurant. Full bar.

❂ Felix VENICE » Italian $$$

At Evan Funke’s clubby, floral-patterned trattoria, the rigorous dedication to tradition makes for superb focaccia and pastas. The rigatoni cacio e pepe—tubes of pasta adorned only with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper—nods to Roman shepherds who used the spice to keep warm, while the rigatoni all’Amatriciana with cured pork cheek sings brilliantly alongside Italian country wines. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd., 424-3878622, or felixla.com. Full bar.

✤ Matū

» Steak $$$ Prolific restaurateur Jerry Greenberg (Sugarfish, Nozawa Bar, KazuNori, Uovo, HiHo Cheeseburger) and his partners are convinced that they serve the world’s best beef, prepared in the most optimal way. After trying their five-course, $78 Wagyu dinner featuring sustainably raised, 100 percent grass-fed beef from First Light Farms in New Zealand, you might see things their way. Magnificently marbled steaks are cooked to “warm red,” which is the color of rare and the temperature of medium rare. The result is meat that’s tender, luscious, and strikingly beefy. 239 S. Beverly Dr., matusteak.com. Full Bar.

BEVERLY HILLS

❂ Mírame

BEVERLY HILLS » Mexican $$$ Joshua Gil is cooking exciting, contemporary Mexican fare with market-driven ingredients and serving them on a stunning patio. Dishes are imaginative but not overly contrived—salmonskin chicharrón with fermented garlic aioli; a divine slow-cooked Heritage Farms pork shoulder served with a black-lime gastrique, celtuce, and hearty, richly flavorful frijoles charros cooked with a pig’s head. The latter is available as part of Mírame’s to-go family meal, which includes house-made tortillas; a memorable riff on Caesar salad with pork chicharrón, roasted vegetables and goat cheese; chocolate flan; and an adorable little bottle of margaritas. At just $105 for two people, it’s an amazingly affordable way to sample Gil’s cooking. 419 N. Canon Dr., 310-230-5035, mirame.la. Full bar.

❂ Ospi VENICE » Italian $$$

Jackson Kalb’s sprawling new Italian joint brings bustle and outdoor tables to a corner on an otherwise quiet stretch. Pastas, including a spicy rigatoni alla vodka and raschiatelli with a pork rib ragù, are sublime, and most travel remarkably well if you’re looking to takeout, which is the only option for lunch. Roman-style pizzas boast a uniquely crispy, cracker-thin crust; to get the full crunch, have a slice as you drive your takeout home. 2025 Pacific Ave., 424-443-5007, ospivenice.com, or @ospiveni. Full bar.

❂ Pasjoli

» French $$$$ Dave Beran’s à la carte spot bucks the trends and eschews bistro clichés in favor of old-fashioned thrills—an elaborate pressed duck prepared just as Escoffier would have and served with potatoes au gratin dauphinois—and modern French fare. The showy duck must be reserved in advance as

SANTA MONICA

only a limited number of birds are available each night. But there are plenty of other exciting dishes on the menu, such as the chicken liver in brioche and a complex lobster, mussel, and clam bisque with shaved fennel and tarragon. 2732 Main St., 424-330-0020, or pasjoli.com. Full bar.

DOWNTOWN

NATALE E T H A I

C U I S I N E

❂ Angry Egret Dinette CHINATOWN » Sandwiches $$

Wes Avila has left Guerrilla Tacos and is focusing on torta-esque sandwiches at this heartfelt new venture. Standouts include the Saguaro with tempura-fried squash blossoms, heirloom tomato, market greens, ricotta cheese, and salsa macha. It’s hearty and decadent but also wonderfully nuanced. There’s ample outdoor seating, but sandwiches with fried ingredients miraculously manage to remain crispy and travel well. 970 N. Broadway, Ste. 114, 213-278-0987, aedinette.com, or @angryegretdinette.

Badmaash

HISTORIC CORE » Indian $$ This Indian gastropub concept comes from the father-and-sons team of Pawan, Nakul, and Arjun Mahendro, who are all well versed in the culinary techniques of East and West. The menu features contemporary mash-ups, like a version of poutine smothered in chicken tikka, tandoori chicken wings, and a spicy lamb burger. If tradition’s your thing, you’ll be comforted by what they call Good Ol’ Saag Paneer. 108 W. 2nd St., 213-2217466, badmaashla.com. Beer and wine. Also at 418 N. Fairfax Ave., 213-281-5185, Fairfax District.

✤❂ Caboco

ARTS DISTRICT » Brazilian $$ Rodrigo Oliveira and fellow chef/partner Victor Vasconcellos are here to show Los Angeles that there’s a lot more to Brazilian food than churrascarias, so they’re serving habit-forming fried tapioca cubes and a vegan stew (moqueca de caju) headlined by cashew fruit that’s startlingly complex. Wash it all down with refreshing caipirinhas—the bar makes no less than five different kinds. 1850 Industrial St., 213-405-1434, cabocola.com, or @caboco.la. Full bar.

✤❂ Caldo Verde ARTS DISTRICT » Portuguese $$$

Suzanne Goin and Caroline Styne have opened a Portuguese cousin to their beloved Spanishinfused A.O.C. The restaurant loads up its namesake seafood stew with a generous amount of local rock crab, grilled linguica, mussels, kale, and potato. It’s a tremendous example of the rough-and-tumble food that Goin loves—dishes in which she deftly balances salt, fat, and bold flavors with California brightness. A starter of Iberico ham, anchovies, and olives is called “a small plate of salty favorites” because Goin understands that you visit restaurants to be jolted and enjoy food that’s a bit more intense than what you typically eat at home. 1100 S. Broadway, 213-806-1023, or properhotel.com/downtownla. Full bar.

❂ Camphor

ARTS DISTRICT » French/Indian $$$$ “The main plan for this restaurant was to transport people,” says Max Boonthanakit of the new Arts District bistro he opened with Michelin-starred chef Lijo George. “Bistro” may be an understatement, given the restaurant’s stunning minimalist interior and exquisitely prepared dishes, but Camphor is, at its core, a French bistro where plump oysters are served in a bath of amaretto mignonette and the beef tartare comes with a side of tempura-fried herbs. Boonthanakit and George aim to bring something completely new to L.A.—that is, something distinctively not L.A. Camphor’s access to the spices from George’s southern Indian homeland makes it a standout. 923 E. 3rd St., Ste. 109, camphor.la. Full bar.

“The Best of Culver City” 9 Years in a Row - Culver City News

“Readers Choice Award” - LA Times

“Best of The West Side” - The Argonaut

Venice: 10101 Venice Blvd. | (310) 202-7003 Full Bar | Sushi Bar

Beverly Hills: 998 S. Robertson Blvd. | (310) 855-9380 Full Bar | Valet Parking

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The huge, lively, plant-filled rooftop and some mezcal would be enough for a good night out at this Mexico City import, but chef Alejandro Guzmán, an alum of Le Comptoir, has packed his menu with quiet thrills. Carnitas get taken up a level by an orange reduction that comes at the end of the long cooking process. For dessert, the carrot flan is a small revelation, a surprising, exciting riff on carrot cake. The newly opened interior bar, La Barra, offers up unique mezcal cocktails. 812 E. 3rd St., 213548-8487, or chachacha.la. Full bar.

❂ Gamboge

LINCOLN HEIGHTS » Cambodian $ The Cambodian sandwiches known as numpang, which are somewhat similar to Vietnamese banh mi, are the speciality at this charming new deli. Crusty bolillo bread is a vessel for proteins like lemongrass-marinated pork shoulder or grilled trumpet mushrooms, along with condiments like Maggi mayo, chili jam, and carrot-andpapaya slaw. The menu is full of delights beyond sandwiches, including rice bowls; a great shredded chicken salad with cabbage, peanuts, and a

C H E F FAV O R I T E S

CA N DACE N E LSON PIZZANA

citrus-and-fish-sauce dressing; and a memorable braised-sardines-and-tomato dish. Order food to go, or enjoy it on the sunny, succulent-dotted back patio. 1822 N. Broadway, 323-576-2073, or gambogela.com. Beer and wine.

CENTRAL ❂ Alta Adams WEST ADAMS » California Soul Food $$

Riffing on his grandmother’s recipes, Watts native Keith Corbin loads up his gumbo with market veggies and enlivens his collard greens with a smoked oil. Soul food in this city is too often associated with Styrofoam containers, but this verdant patio, is a lovely place to linger. Hot sauce splashed onto skillet-fried chicken is pure pleasure, enhanced by a bourbon drink the bar tints with roasted peanuts and huckleberries. Finish the night by taking on a heroic wedge of coconut cake. 5359 W. Adams Blvd., 323-571-4999, or altaadams.com. Full bar.

❂ A.O.C.

BEVERLY GROVE » California $$$ Driven by culinary excellence, A.O.C. is anchored by a courtyard with soft sunlight and laurel trees. Caroline Styne’s wine list doesn’t shy away from the ecology of vineyards, while Suzanne Goin’s cooking has become indispensable. Carefully constructed salads showcase vegetables at their best, and the roasted chicken with panzanella is both an homage to San Francisco’s Zuni Café and a classic in and of itself. 8700 W. 3rd St., 310-859-9859, or aocwinebar.com. Full bar. Also at 11648 San Vicente Blvd., 310-806-6464, Brentwood.

✤ Bicyclette

» French $$$ Walter and Margarita Manzke’s delightful, delicious follow-up to République brings a bit of Paris to Pico. The menu is stocked with exactingly executed bistro standards: onion soup with oozy cheese, hearty short rib bourguignon, and a luxurious bouillabaisse. Margarita’s baguettes and beautiful desserts are as great as ever. Resisting Bicyclette’s charms is futile. 9575 W. Pico Blvd. or bicyclettela.com. Full bar.

PICO-ROBERTSON

Brandoni Pepperoni WEST HOLLYWOOD » Pizza $$

Six nights a week, Brandon Gray turns out some of L.A.’s most exciting pizzas. Gray, a veteran of Navy kitchens and top local restaurants like Providence, brings boundless imagination to his pies. They’re topped with premium ingredients—Jidori chicken, Sungold tomatoes, Spanish octopus—in exciting combinations. A curry-Dijonnaise dressing renders a side salad surprisingly memorable. 5881 Saturn St., 323-306-4968, or brandoni-pepperoni.com. Wine to go.

Wagyu Dinner MATŪ

When I’m craving a special night out, the five-course Wagyu tasting at Matū is truly a one-of-a-kind experience. It’s conceptualized as a steak omakase. $85, 239 S. Beverly Drive, Ste. 100, Beverly Hills, matusteak.com.

Organic Cauliflower VIOLET

The vibrant food and incredible ambiance immediately transports you to France. The

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rotisserie cauliflower with vadouvan curry, pistou, and pickled shallots is a sleeper hit. $24, 1121 Glendon Ave., Westwood Village, violetla.com.

Draft Latte L A COLOMBE

There’s something so indulgent about ordering a coffee out. This one hits all the right notes: it’s smooth and creamy and tastes like a milkshake. $4.50, 900 W. Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake, lacolombe.com. — H E AT H E R P L AT T

Fanny’s

MID WILSHIRE » French $$$ Even with a glass wall opening onto exhibits, architect Renzo Piano succeeded in creating an eatery at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures that feels quite cinematic. While by day, Fanny’s is a café that serves salads and sandwiches to museumgoers, by night, it’s a glam, modern vision of an old-school Hollywood hangout. Captains in suits push carts of gooey, French, washed-rind cow’s milk cheeses and carve thick, bloody slices of côte de boeuf tableside. But there are also plenty of modern touches. Instead of a live band, Fanny’s has a different DJ spinning records every night. Chef Raphael Francois (Le Cirque, Tesse) sends out perfect twists on a Caesar salad and plays around with menu items that are more 2022 than old Hollywood, like hamachi crudo on a bed of sweet pickled grapes and jicama with brown butter and cilantro. 6067 Wilshire Blvd., Mid Wilshire, fannysla.com. Full Bar.

❂ Gigi’s

HOLLYWOOD MEDIA DISTRICT » French $$$ With its ¯sceney Sycamore Avenue location and gorgeous, illustration-lined interiors, Gigi’s could

easily succeed with subpar fare. But chef Matt Bollinger’s bistro classics—like curry mussels, steak tartare, and roasted chicken—are done quite well, if priced rather high. The wine list from beverage director Kristin Olszewski, an Osteria Mozza alum, is surprisingly interesting, with various natural and biodynamic options on offer. 904. N. Sycamore Ave., gigis.la, or @gigis_la. Full bar.

Harold & Belle’s JEFFERSON PARK » Southern Creole $$

For Creole-style food—a mélange of French, African, and Native American flavors—Harold & Belle’s is as close to the Dirty Coast as you’ll come on the West Coast. The crawfish étouffée in spicy gravy will have you humming zydeco, while the bourbon bread pudding will leave you with a Sazerac-worthy buzz. 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd., 323-735-9023, or haroldandbelles.com. Full bar.

✤ Horses

HOLLYWOOD » Eclectic $$$ Versatile power-couple chefs Liz Johnson (who earned extensive national acclaim at Freedman’s) and Will Aghajanian (formerly the chef de cuisine at Vespertine) have created a lively California bistro that feels both old-school and of the moment. Located in the red-boothed space that was home to Ye Coach & Horses, the restaurant exudes vintage Hollywood glamour. The mostly European-inspired menu is rooted in both classic technique and free-spirited cooking. A sobrassada panino with white American cheese and a drizzle of honey is thin, crispy, sweet, savory, creamy, and spicy: an extremely pleasing little bite. Lumache pasta with vodka sauce gets an unexpected and delightful kick from ’nduja. 7617 W. Sunset Blvd. or horsesla.com. Full bar.

Lalibela

» Ethiopian $-$$ The strip of Fairfax known as Little Ethiopia has long been dominated by the same handful of restaurants. Chef-owner Tenagne Belachew worked in a few of them before opening her own sophisticated haven, which invites with the swirling aromas of berbere and burning sage. Stretchy disks of injera—the sour, teff-flour pancake that doubles as a utensil for scooping up food by hand—arrive piled with uniquely pungent delights. There are wots, or stews, made with chicken or spiced legumes or lamb sautéed in a creamy sauce. 1025 S. Fairfax Ave., 323-965-1025, or lalibelala.com. Beer and wine.

FAIRFAX DISTRICT

Luv2Eat Thai Bistro HOLLYWOOD » Thai $$

Vibrant flavors and spices abound at this strip-mall favorite from two Phuket natives. The crab curry, with a whole crustacean swimming in a creamy pool of deliciousness, is not to be missed (it travels surprisingly well), but the expansive menu is full of winners, from the massaman curry to the Thai fried chicken with sticky rice and sweet pepper sauce. 6660 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-498-5835, luv2eatthai.com, or @luv2eat.thaibistro.

❂ Ronan

FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Cal-Italian $$ At Daniel and Caitlin Cutler’s chic pizzeria, the pies—especially the How ‘Nduja Like It? with spicy sausage, gorgonzola crema, green onion, and celery—are the clear stars, but it’s a big mistake not to explore the entire menu. It’s filled with delicious delights, from cacio e pepe risotto to a sea bass served with an ever-changing assortment of banchan. 7315 Melrose Ave., 323-917-5100, ronanla.com, or @ronan_la. Full bar.

❂ Son of a Gun BEVERLY GROVE » Seafood $$

Florida-raised chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo deliver a certain brand of sun-drenched seashore nostalgia. Dropping into the nautically themed

AMY NEUNSINGER

❂ Cha Cha Chá ARTS DISTRICT » Mexican $$

dining room for chilled peel-and-eat shrimp and a hurricane feels as effortless as dipping your toes in the sand. There are buttery lobster rolls and fried-chicken sandwiches alongside artfully plated crudos. 8370 W. 3rd St., 323-782-9033, or sonofagunrestaurant.com. Full bar.

for smoked spare ribs, a hot catfish sandwich, or a breakfast sandwich on pastry chef Thessa Diadem’s sublime biscuits, it’s all great. 3200 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-741-0082, alldaybabyla.com, or @alldaybabyla.

❂ Soulmate

Chef Douglas Rankin, who worked under Ludo Lefebvre for years, struck out on his own with this charming “neo bistro” in the old Malo space in Sunset Junction. The menu features playful Gallicish fare, like curly fries and plump mussels Dijon atop milk toast; classic cocktails; and plenty of funky wines available by the glass. A large parkinglot seating area has huge plants, twinkling lights, and good vibes. Somehow it manages to feel both festive and safe. 4326 W. Sunset Blvd. or 323-347-5557. Full bar.

WEST HOLLYWOOD

» Mediterranean $$$

It’s lovely outside, and there’s a stunning new WeHo spot with a patio that can hold 75 attractive people, plus hours that go to midnight on Friday and Saturdays. Starters include various jamones and spicy paella bites. Further down the menu, there’s lot of seafood options, from wood-fired octopus with charred romesco to salmon crudo. 631 N. Robertson Blvd.,310-734-7764, soulmateweho.com, or @soulmateweho. Full bar.

EAST ✤❂ Agnes Restaurant & Cheesery PASADENA » Eclectic $$

This low-key charmer—the work of two alums of acclaimed San Francisco Italian joint Flour + Water—deftly mixes midwestern hospitality and European technique. The casual lunch is all about cheese and charcuterie boards and sandwiches. At dinner, excellent pastas, smartly prepared proteins, thoughtfully selected wines, and great cocktails join the party on the spacious patio. 40 W. Green St., 626-389-3839, agnesla.com, or @agnes_pasadena. Full bar.

❂ All Day Baby SILVER LAKE » Eclectic $$

Jonathan Whitener’s Here’s Looking At You is, sadly, closed, but his thrilling cooking continues on a bustling Eastside corner. Whether you opt

❂ Bar Restaurant SILVER LAKE » French $$$

❂ Eszett

SILVER LAKE » Eclectic $$ This stylish, cozy wine bar brings warm hospitality to the strip-mall space formerly occupied by Trois Familia. Chef Spencer Bezaire’s menu deftly brings in flavors from around the globe without feeling overly contrived. Chicken wings are accompanied by salsa macha, grilled Broccolini is dusted with furikake. Don’t miss the big fries. 3510 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-522-6323, or eszettla.com. Beer and wine.

❂ Found Oyster EAST HOLLYWOOD » Seafood $$$

This tiny oyster bar was a pre-pandemic favorite, and chef Ari Kolender’s seafood dishes still thrill when taken to go or enjoyed on the restaurant’s “boat deck.” The scallop tostada with yuzu kosho and basil is a must-order, and a bisque sauce takes the basic lobster roll to new heights. Interesting, affordable wines add to the fun. 4880 Fountain Ave., 323-486-7920, foundoyster.com, or @foundoyster. Beer and wine.

❂ Hippo

HIGHLAND PARK » Cal-Italian $$ Hidden in a wood-trussed dining room behind Triple Beam Pizza, this Cal-Ital restaurant from Mozza vet Matt Molina balances casual and refined. Snappy wax beans are sluiced with vinaigrette for a picnic-worthy salad. Great pastas and juicy grilled chicken thighs deliver the unfussy pleasure found at the best neighborhood spots. Eclectic regular specials like haute corn dogs add to the fun. 5916 ½ N. Figueroa St., 323-545-3536, or hipporestaurant.com. Full bar.

✤ KinKan

VIRGIL VILLAGE » Japanese-Thai $$$$ Nan Yimcharoen became an underground sensation during the pandemic, selling jewel box–like chirashi sushi over Instagram. Now she’s got a brick-andmortar spot serving a Japanese-Thai tasting menu with exquisite courses like slices of bluefin tuna larb gorgeously assembled in the shape of a rose, and a resplendent crab curry with blue butterfly-peaflower noodles and a sauce powered by innards and roe. 771 N. Virgil Ave. or @kinkan_la. Sake.

✤❂ Moo’s Craft Barbecue LINCOLN HEIGHTS » Barbecue $

Some of the best Texas barbecue is actually in L.A. Andrew and Michelle Muñoz’s brisket and beef ribs are meaty bliss that would be taken seriously in Austin. But Moo’s is very much a vital L.A. spot; the Muñozes weave in their Mexican-Angeleno roots with dishes like a cheese-and-poblanofilled pork verde sausage. 2118 N. Broadway, mooscraftbarbecue.com, or @mooscraftbarbecue. Beer and wine.

Northern Thai Food Club EAST HOLLYWOOD » Thai $

Offering specialty dishes unique to northern Thailand, this family-run favorite doesn’t skimp

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on flavor, spice, or authenticity. Tasty takeout meals include the khao soi gai (curry egg noodle with chicken), laab moo kua (minced pork), tam kha noon ( jackfruit salad), and pla salid tod (fried gourami fish). For those unfamiliar with the region’s distinct cuisine, the illustrious sticky rice is still a reliable bet. Need incentive? Everything on the menu is less than $10. 5301 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-4747212, or amphainorthernthaifood.com.

high-end Sushi Note, and it manages to maintain a great temperature and texture, even when being delivered. Fish is not just fresh but also flavorful, each type thoughtfully paired with ideal accompaniments, from a tangy yuzu-pepper sauce that makes salmon sing to brandy-soaked albacore with garlicginger ponzu and crispy onions. 4634 Hollywood Blvd., 323-741-0088, sogorollbar.com, or @sogorollbar. Beer and sake.

❂ Playita

❂ Spoon & Pork SILVER LAKE » Filipino $$

SILVER LAKE

» Mexican $

The team behind the beloved local chainlet Guisados has taken over an old seafood taco stand on a busy Eastside stretch. The results, as you might expect, are delicious and delightful. Playita has a fresh, beachy blue-and-white aesthetic and a tight menu of well-done ceviches, seafood cocktails, and fish tacos. 3143 W. Sunset Blvd., playitamariscos.com, or @playitamariscos.

✤❂ Saso

PASADENA » Spanish $$$ The arrival of this splashy new spot suggests that the good times might soon be here again. It shares a charming, sprawling courtyard with the Pasadena Playhouse, and the seafood-heavy menu from chef Dominique Crisp, who previously worked at L&E Oyster Bar, begs for reuniting with friends on nice summer nights. Orange zest enlivens jamon iberico crudite, while miso butter takes grilled oysters to new heights. 37 S. El Molino Ave., 626-808-4976, sasobistro.com, or @sasobistro. Full bar.

❂ Sōgo Roll Bar LOS FELIZ » Sushi $$

Sōgo is hardly the only concept in town devoted to rolls, but it has mastered the form. Rice is cooked with the same careful consideration and seasoning that sushi master Kiminobu Saito uses at the

THE VALLEY

The go-to for Filipino comfort food offers a variety of dishes, all featuring one shared ingredient: deliciousness. Spoon & Pork puts an innovative spin on some Filipino favorites—just try its adobo pork belly, pork belly banh mi, or lechón kawali. The dishes, which can be ordered at the counter to enjoy on the patio or for takeout and delivery, elegantly mix decadence with some authentic soul. 3131 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-922-6061, spoonandpork.com, or @spoonandporkla. Beer and wine.

❂ Sunset Sushi SILVER LAKE » Japanese $$$

With omakase boxes priced from $30 to $85, this new sushi place in the old Ma’am Sir space strikes the sweet spot between affordable and indulgent and is another exciting addition to the Eastside’s growing number of quality sushi options. It’s a sister spot to Highland Park’s Ichijiku, but with a more luxe vibe and a larger menu, tailor-made for takeout. 4330 W. Sunset Blvd., 323-741-8371, sunsetsushila.com, or @sunsetsushi. Beer and sake to go.

❂ U Street Pizza PASADENA » Pizza $$

why-haven’t-I-had-this-before combination of pepperoni and creamy vodka sauce is an easy win. Vegetable dishes, notably a Japanese eggplant with Calabrian chili agrodolce, are more than afterthoughts. Note that while the vodka pepperoni pie travels well, the clam pie is best enjoyed in-house. 33 E. Union St., 626-605-0430, ustreetpizza.com, or @ustreetpizza.

❂ Black Market Liquor Bar STUDIO CITY » New American $$

Some nights it seems as if half the Valley is here, enjoying the colorful patio. Top Chef graduate Antonia Lofaso’s Italian chops are visible in the buxom ricotta gnudi with brown butter and pistachios. The deep-fried fluffer nutter sandwich is a reminder that food, like life, should not be taken too seriously. 11915 Ventura Blvd., 818-446-2533, or blackmarketliquorbar.com. Full bar.

❂ The Brothers Sushi WOODLAND HILLS » Sushi $$$

This hidden gem, reinvigorated when chef Mark Okuda took the helm in 2018, is worth traveling for. The excellent omakase is available in the restaurant, on the patio or to go. You can also order à la carte or get non-sushi items like soy-glazed grilled chicken. 21418 Ventura Blvd., 818-456-4509, thebrotherssushi.com, or @thebrotherssushila. Beer, sake, and wine.

Hank’s

» Bagels $ The L.A. bagel revolution continues at this stylish spot in the Valley that serves up carefully 212236A01 constructed sandwiches. Tomato, aioli, and mapleglazed bacon elevate a simple bacon, egg, and BURBANK

There was a moment in the spring when U Street’s vodka pepperoni pie was a shining star of Instagram, and rightfully so. The

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cheese, while a classic salmon-and-lox construction has thoughtful touches like salted cucumbers and pickled onions. Grab a tub of Hank’s “angry” spread—a spicy, slightly sweet concoction—to have in your fridge. 4315 Riverside Dr., 818-588-3693, hanksbagels.com, or @hanksbagels. Also at 13545 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

Tel Aviv Authentic Chef Kitchen ENCINO » Middle Eastern $

Deeply comforting Israeli beef stews and merguez come with a colorful and tasty array of salads showcasing produce like red cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplant, and pumpkin. The spicy sauces that come on the side work well with anyand everything. 17630 Ventura Blvd., 747-444-7001, or telavivkoshergrill.com.

SOUTH ❂ Ali’i Fish Company EL SEGUNDO » Seafood $$

This small, unassuming spot shames all of the glossy poke purveyors popping up around town to serve mediocre versions of the Hawaiian dish. Glistening cubes of tuna, flown in fresh from the islands daily, remind you how great poke can be. The smoked-ahi dip with house-made potato chips is not to be missed. Perfect for picking up a beach picnic. 409 E. Grand Ave., 310-616-3484, or aliifishco.com.

❂ Fishing With Dynamite MANHATTAN BEACH » Seafood $$$

A premium raw bar near the beach shouldn’t be unusual, but it is. The same goes for velvety clam chowder. Here, it achieves smoky richness—you can thank the Nueske’s bacon for that—without any of the floury glop. 1148 Manhattan Ave., 310-8936299, or eatfwd.com. Full bar.

Hotville

» Fried chicken $ With her hot chicken joint, Kim Prince is doing her family’s legacy justice—she’s the niece of André Prince Jeffries, owner of Nashville legend Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where hot fried chicken is said to have originated. Prince adds spice at every step in the cooking process to produce a complex, layered flavor. Sides, like mac and cheese, are also winners. 4070 Marlton Ave., 323-792-4835,or hotvillechicken.com. No alcohol. BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW

❂ Little Coyote LONG BEACH » Pizza $

That most amazing slice of pizza you had that one very drunken, late night in your early twenties in New York lives on . . . in Long Beach. The crust, made with dough cold-fermented for 48 to 72 hours, is carby perfection: tangy, crispy, thin but with a healthy puff. The concise menu doesn’t offer any revelations about what should be atop pizza, but instead perfects the usual suspects. 2118 E. 4th St., 562-434-2009; littlecoyotelbc.com, or @littlecoyotelbc. Also at 3500 Los Coyotes Diagonal, 562-352-1555.

❂ Tamales Elena Y Antojitos BELL GARDENS » Afro-Mexican $

This small spot, with counter service, a drivethrough window, and a patio purports to be the only Afro-Mexican restaurant in the area. It focuses on a distinct cuisine from a part of Guerrero to which former slaves fled. Pozoles are rich and slightly thick, and the memorable pork tamales with red sauce are wrapped in fire-tinged banana leaves that impart a hint of smoke. 81801 Garfield Ave., 562-0674-3043, ordertamaleselenayantojitos.com, or @tamaleselenayantojitos. WE WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS AND SUGGESTIONS. PLEASE EMAIL US AT LETTERS@LAMAG.COM

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SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RISING STARS

2022

THE ANNUAL LIST OF TOP YOUNG ATTORNEYS

SUPERLAWYERS.COM

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SELECTION PROCESS Super Lawyers selects attorneys using a patented multiphase selection process.* The objective is to create a credible, comprehensive and diverse listing of outstanding attorneys that can be used as a resource for attorneys and consumers searching for legal counsel. We limit the lawyer ratings to those who can be hired and retained by the public, i.e., lawyers in private practice and Legal Aid attorneys. The Super Lawyers selection process involves the steps outlined in the graphic (at right).

OUR PATENTED SELECTION PROCESS

NOMINATIONS Diverse list of the top attorneys nominated by their own peers

INDEPENDENT RESEARCH Evaluated by third-party research across 12 key categories

LEARN MORE SuperLawyers.com/SelectionProcess QUESTIONS? SL-Research@thomsonreuters.com

visit SuperLawyers.com Search for an attorney by practice area and location, and read features on attorneys selected to our lists.

DISCLAIMER: The hiring of an attorney is an important decision that should not be based solely upon the advertising or listings in this magazine. Super Lawyers does not certify or designate an attorney as a specialist, is not a title conferred on individual lawyers, and is not intended to communicate that lawyers selected will achieve better results upon the advertising or listings in the magazine.

PEER EVALUATION Reviewed by a highly credentialed Blue Ribbon Panel of attorneys

FINAL SELECTION

2.5%

of attorneys selected to Rising Stars

of attorneys selected to Super Lawyers

*U.S. Pat. No. 8,412,564

The right lawyers in a maritime case can be the difference between obtaining success and getting nothing. Our ﬁrm has expanded the rights of injured maritime workers at trial courts, appellate courts and the U.S. Supreme Court.

Representing injured seamen, passengers, longshoremen, shipyard workers, and marine construction workers as well as those involved in ship and boat accidents. Serving California & Hawaii L AW O F F I C E S O F

PRESTON EASLEY APC 2500 Via Cabrillo Marina, Suite 106 San Pedro, CA 90731 (310) 832-5315 3023 First Ave., San Diego, CA 92103 (619) 699-4884 735 Bishop St., Suite 316 Honolulu, HI 96813 (808) 922-2383

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PETER “MAX” YOVANOVICH, ESQ. Rising Stars Honoree max@prestoneasley.com | prestoneasley.com

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Eli V. Hammond ŧǟǴƍɫŧşϴ Family Law Specialist

Lance R. Claery

Selected to Rising Stars 2021

“Our clients both expect and deserve results. ... And they should. We are passionate about our clients’ causes, and quite frankly, we want to prevail.”

2022

Claery and Hammond, LLP ƍǧϴ ļƯϴ ļȔļǟşУȔƍƯƯƍƯƀϴ ſļƭƍƤȚϴ ƤļȔϴ ɫǟƭϴ

with a client-focused approach. Now in its third decade, partners Lance Claery and Eli V. Hammond have carefully selected a group of empathetic ļǴǴƹǟƯŧȚǧϴǴƹϴŗǼƍƤşϴļϴǜƹȔŧǟƈƹǼǧŧϴ ļƤƍſƹǟƯƍļϴşƍȓƹǟŘŧϴļƯşϴſļƭƍƤȚϴƤļȔϴɫǟƭϽϴ Experience and dedication are “must have qualities” for joining the ǧǼŘŘŧǧǧſǼƤϴ ǴŧļƭϽϴ ƹƤƤŧŘǴƍȓŧƤȚϾϴ Ǵƈŧϴ ɫǟƭяǧϴ ļǴǴƹǟƯŧȚǧϴ ƈļȓŧϴ ļϴ ŘŧƯǴǼǟȚϴ ƹſϴ experience in the family law space, with services that include move-away, child custody, support, domestic violence and divorce matters. Claery became interested in family law while at the University of Maryland. When there, he helped families in poverty-stricken areas of Washington, D.C., build educational programs for their children. “I saw that they really Ưŧŧşŧşϴ ƈŧƤǜϴ ȔƍǴƈϴ Ǵƈŧƍǟϴ ƤŧƀļƤϴ ƍǧǧǼŧǧϾϴ ļƯşϴ ǴƈļǴяǧϴ ȔƈļǴϴ ǴǼǟƯŧşϴ ƭŧϴ ƹƯϴ Ǵƹϴ the law,” he notes. The same holds true today. “When clients come to ǼǧϾϴǴƈŧȚяǟŧϴƀƹƍƯƀϴǴƈǟƹǼƀƈϴļϴǟƹǼƀƈϴǜŧǟƍƹşϴƍƯϴǴƈŧƍǟϴƤƍſŧϾϴļƯşϴǴƈŧȚϴşŧǧŧǟȓŧϴǴƹϴ have someone on their side.” He has worked with a diverse client base ranging across the economic spectrum. Claery is an active member of the University of Maryland Alumni Association and Johns Hopkins University Carey Business School. NļƭƭƹƯşяǧϴ ŧşǼŘļǴƍƹƯļƤϴ ŗļŘơƀǟƹǼƯşϴ ƍǧϴ şƍȓŧǟǧŧϴ ļƯşϴ ƹƭƯƍǜǟŧǧŧƯǴϾϴ beginning with the comprehensive foundation he received through the University of California, Santa Cruz. “A strong education is critical,” he emphasizes. From the start, family law interested Hammond the most, ǧƹϴƈŧϴŗŧŘļƭŧϴŘŧǟǴƍɫŧşϴļǧϴļϴEļƭƍƤȚϴgļȔϴ¬ǜŧŘƍļƤƍǧǴϴǴƈǟƹǼƀƈϴ¹ƈŧϴ¬ǴļǴŧϴ ļǟϴ of California. “A desire to help others has always been a strong inner voice for me,” says Hammond, “and I have happily done the work it takes to be the best attorney possible.” Over the years he has handled thousands of family law, civil litigation and federal matters and represented A-list celebrities, reality stars, chart-topping musicians, business owners, and NFL and NBA athletes with multimillion-dollar endorsements. He has been featured on “E! Entertainment” as a divorce expert. Hammond is proud to be active in the University of California, McGeorge School of Law and Johns Hopkins University communities.

CLAERY & HAMMOND, LLP Los Angeles

Brentwood/Santa Monica 12400 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 300 Los Angeles, CA 90025 P: 310.362.2273 TF: 877.756.4111

San Diego

Mission Valley 8880 Rio San Diego Drive Suite 370 San Diego, CA 92108 P: 619.299.2008

claeryhammond.com SUPER LAWYERS SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RISING STARS 2022

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UP-AND-COMING 100

AN ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF THE LAWYERS WHO RANKED TOP OF THE LIST IN THE 2022 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RISING STARS NOMINATION, RESEARCH AND BLUE RIBBON REVIEW PROCESS.

Agazanof, Asaf, Asif Law, Los Angeles Aiwazian, Arby, Lawyers for Justice, Glendale

Jackson, Kirsten C. -BUIBNª 8BULJOT -PTª"OHFMFT

Poulter, Brian L. 4UBMXBSU -BX (SPVQ 8FTUª)PMMZXPPE

Alwill, Julian F. 3PUITDIJMEª "MXJMM 4BOUBª#BSCBSB

Jass, Jeremy +BTT -BX /FXQPSUª#FBDI

Qassim, Setara (FSBHPTª (FSBHPT -PTª"OHFMFT

Jenkins, C. Genevieve &YDFMTJT -BX #VSCBOL

Andrews, Ryan M. 7FOBCMF -PTª"OHFMFT

Katz, Corinne B. ,BU[ -BX 'JSN -PTª"OHFMFT

Ricotta, Nicole "OUJDPVOJª 3JDPUUB 4BOUBª#BSCBSB

Argos, Jason, Argos Law, Laguna Beach

Kim, Helen U. )FMFO ,JN -BX -PTª"OHFMFT

Bekas, Zoe J. "LFSNBO -PTª"OHFMFT

Kleindienst, Katherine, Kinsella Weitzman Iser ,VNQ )PMMFZ 4BOUBª.POJDB

Braun, Nathaniel S.G., Sinclair Braun, Encino Bui, Thy B. $POTUBOHZ #SPPLT 4NJUIª 1SPQIFUF -PTª"OHFMFT

Lee, Sharlene D. /FWFST 1BMB[[P 1BDLBSE 8JMEFSNVUIª 8ZOOFS 8FTUMBLFª7JMMBHF

Rodriguez, Griselda S., G-Rod Law, 5IPVTBOEª0BLT Rothberg, Joseph M. -FWFOF /FBMF #FOEFS :PPª (PMVCDIJL -PTª"OHFMFT Saghian, Robin 0NFHB -BX (SPVQ #FWFSMZª)JMMT

Casey, Ryan 1BOJTIª] 4IFBª] #PZMFª] 3BWJQVEJ -PTª"OHFMFT

Liu, Lisa Z. -BX 0GGJDFT PG -JTB ; -JV "MIBNCSB

Savin, Adam J. 4BWJO #VSTL &ODJOP

Lucich, Clare H. #FOUMFZª .PSF /FXQPSUª#FBDI

Scheideman, Erika, Lagerlof, Pasadena

Chang, Hazel S. 8JMTIJSF -BX 'JSN -PTª"OHFMFT

Mahoney, Patrick R., The Law Offices of Patrick 3 .BIPOFZ #FWFSMZª)JMMT

Schein, Joshua D. 4DIFJO -BX (SPVQ -PTª"OHFMFT

Manalo, Christina R. +.- -BX 8PPEMBOEª)JMMT

Schulman, Allison M., Law Offices of Allison M. 4DIVMNBO -PTª"OHFMFT

Chen, Stephen 5IF -BX 0GGJDF PG 4UFQIFO $IFO -PTª"OHFMFT Cole, Marshall R. /FNFDFLª $PMF &ODJOP Crosner, Zachary $SPTOFS -FHBM #FWFSMZª)JMMT Davis, Michael W. %50 -BX -PTª"OHFMFT DeSantis, Daniel S., Wilshire Law Firm, -PTª"OHFMFT Douglass, Jake +BDPCZª .FZFST -PTª"OHFMFT Duel, Jasmine A. #FSPLJNª %VFM #FWFSMZª)JMMT Dunn, Kelly G. 3VUBOª 5VDLFS *SWJOF Easton, Matthew D. &BTUPOª &BTUPO $PTUBª.FTB

Marks, Kyle B., Richard D. Marks, 8FTUMBLFª7JMMBHF McAllister, Aaron P., Law Office of Aaron P. .D"MMJTUFS -PTª"OHFMFT McArthur, Stephen C., The McArthur Law Firm, #FWFSMZª)JMMT McCall, Lisa R., Law Offices of Lisa R. McCall, 4BOUBª"OB McKibben, Molly M. (SFFOF #SPJMMFUª 8IFFMFS &Mª4FHVOEP

Eison, Owili #% + #FWFSMZª)JMMT

Mohamadi, Ashkahn, Sweet James, /FXQPSUª#FBDI

Elsea, Zachary ,JOTFMMB 8FJU[NBO *TFS ,VNQ )PMMFZ 4BOUBª.POJDB

Moradi-Brovia, Roksana D., Resnik Hayes Moradi, Encino

Fisher, Alexander J. 'JTIFSª 'JTIFS #FWFSMZª)JMMT

Mossavar-Rahmani, Shahab 0NFHB -BX (SPVQ #FWFSMZª)JMMT

Fund, Cathryn G. +.- -BX 8PPEMBOEª)JMMT Gaglio, Ryan 4USBEMJOH :PDDB $BSMTPOª 3BVUI /FXQPSUª#FBDI

Munyer, Lindsey F. ,FZTUPOF -BX (SPVQ -PTª"OHFMFT

Gamliel, Amir 1FSLJOT $PJF -PTª"OHFMFT

Nguyen, Anthony 4IFHFSJBOª "TTPDJBUFT -PTª"OHFMFT

Gehlawat, Neil K. 5BZMPSª 3JOH .BOIBUUBOª#FBDI

Nickerson, Christian (SFFOF #SPJMMFUª 8IFFMFS &Mª4FHVOEP

Gharibian, Art (IBSJCJBO -BX (MFOEBMF

Nielson, Samuel P. 4FTTJPOTª ,JNCBMM .JTTJPOª7JFKP

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ATTORNEYS SELECTED TO SUPER LAWYERS AND RISING STARS WERE CHOSEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCESS ON PAGE S-2.

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Lee, Sharlene D. /FWFST 1BMB[[P 1BDLBSE 8JMEFSNVUIª 8ZOOFS 8FTUMBLFª7JMMBHF Liu, Lisa Z. -BX 0GGJDFT PG -JTB ; -JV "MIBNCSB Lucich, Clare H. #FOUMFZª .PSF /FXQPSUª#FBDI Manalo, Christina R. +.- -BX 8PPEMBOEª)JMMT McCall, Lisa R., Law Offices of Lisa R. McCall, 4BOUBª"OB McKibben, Molly M. (SFFOF #SPJMMFUª 8IFFMFS &Mª4FHVOEP Moradi-Brovia, Roksana D., Resnik Hayes Moradi, Encino Moser, Jana M. .PTFS -FHBM -PTª"OHFMFT Munyer, Lindsey F. ,FZTUPOF -BX (SPVQ -PTª"OHFMFT

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UP-AND-COMING 25 ORANGE COUNTY AN ALPHABETICAL LISTING OF THE LAWYERS WHO RANKED TOP OF THE LIST IN THE 2022 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RISING STARS NOMINATION, RESEARCH AND BLUE RIBBON REVIEW PROCESS.

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ATTORNEYS SELECTED TO SUPER LAWYERS AND RISING STARS WERE CHOSEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCESS ON PAGE S-2.

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ATTORNEYS SELECTED TO SUPER LAWYERS AND RISING STARS WERE CHOSEN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCESS ON PAGE S-2.

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Dr. Feelgood CO N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 75

And so here he was in his ridiculous get-up, standing in front of his tangerine chariot of a ride, which would be her escape from the drudgery of rehab. Anything she wanted, starting with drugs. All she had to do was get in. But Sarah had already made her escape— from him. She pointed out Puliafito to the man in charge of groundskeeping at the cemetery and told him the guy in the trench coat was looking for her and she wanted nothing to do with him. The groundskeeper walked over to him and ordered him to leave. That was the last time Sarah saw Carmen Puliafito.

M A R Y A N N Warren was waiting for

me in the lobby lounge of the Hilton in Huntington Beach. As soon as I introduced myself, she began speaking in electric torrents, recounting how her A-student daughter had run away from home, only to reappear with an addiction to methamphetamine and a boyfriend who was the 64-year-old dean of the Keck School of Medicine. She told me about the arrests and Sarah’s failed attempts to get clean. About the time Puliafito delivered drugs to Sarah while she was in rehab in Malibu, and when he Ubered meth and heroin to her at the family’s home. Then there were the hundreds of photos and videos that Mary Ann had found on Sarah’s computer. Puliafito was either in them or appeared to have shot them. Everything was in them, she said—the drugs, the sex, everything. I made my pitch to Mary Ann about how important it was for me and my reporter colleagues to see the images of Puliafito taking illegal drugs or even being in the presence of Sarah doing them. Mary Ann nodded. “I jacked Sarah’s phone and computer and

made copies. Four days later, my phone chirped. There it was: a video still of Puliafito firing up a large white meth pipe. Then the videos arrived: Puliafito and Sarah at the Constance the night before the overdose. Sarah asks Puliafito to help her crush some meth to prepare a “hot rail”—a method of snorting the drug. “Absolutely,” Puliafito says. Sarah later bends over lines of white powder on a tray. A video shot the day after the overdose, at another hotel, features Sarah saying she overdosed on GHB at the Constance. “Carmen saved my life,” she says. In another, Sarah and Puliafito “shotgun” meth—she takes a hit from a pipe, and as she exhales, Puliafito sucks in the smoke that streams from her mouth. The brazenness Puliafito displayed in allowing himself to be filmed and photographed was astonishing. These were not surreptitious recordings made without his knowledge or when he was incapable of consenting. He is smiling, sometimes provocatively, as if daring whoever might view the images to try to do something about his behavior. He apparently did not object when Sarah looks into the camera to say that she and Puliafito were making a “good old-fashioned doing-drugs video.” One sequence stood out in the way that it spanned the two lives Puliafito was leading. He is dressed in a tuxedo, ready to head off to an event where he would mingle with other moneyed elites—the ones where he posed for photos with movie stars and billionaires. Puliafito eyes the camera with aplomb, displays an orange pill plopped on his tongue, and says, “Thought I’d take an Ecstasy before the ball.” And he swallows, the dean of the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California. The sugar daddy of a troubled young woman named Sarah Ann Warren from Spring, Texas. Two days later, Paul Warren called me. Sarah was ready to speak to me. On the record.

A BL O C K BU S T E R . That’s what the

still unpublished Puliafito story had become by the last week of March 2017. Sarah held nothing back in her interviews with me. She described in granular detail her 21 months of

drugging with Puliafito and of trading her body for the narcotics he provided. The photos and videos were visual documentation of her account. The story appeared in print and online on July 17, 2017, one year and three and a half months after I got the tip about the overdose, and nine months after I filed an initial story, which had been killed by the Times’s top editors. My colleagues and I refused to let the story die, and our revived version was subjected to endless revisions and delays by editor and publisher Davan Maharaj and managing editor Marc Duvoisin that watered it down and removed the most damning reporting about Puliafito and USC. But it still exploded on the web. The online piece drew more readers in a day than other popular Times stories garnered in a month. A few hours after the story appeared, Carmen Puliafito’s four-decade career in medicine effectively came to an end. USC issued a statement saying that Puliafito had been placed on leave and would no longer see patients. That was followed by an announcement by the Medical Board of California that it was opening an investigation of Puliafito based on our findings. The USC statement said nothing about the details of our story and made no expressions of concern about the welfare of Sarah Warren. But the university had tender words for its disgraced rainmaker and dean of medicine. USC president Nikias—who had thwarted our every attempt when reporting the story to get at the acts— said the “university categorically condemns the unlawful possession, use, or distribution of drugs.” He added: “We are concerned about Dr. Puliafito and his family and hope that, if the article’s assertions are true, he receives the help and treatment he may need for a full recovery.” Sarah has since completed rehab and remained clean. Puliafito denied being the source of her drugs and has not been charged with a crime and no longer practices medicine. The Times fired Maharaj and Duvoisin, after a wide-ranging HR investigation that grew out of my complaints and those of my colleagues about the editing of the USC story. Maharaj and Duvoisin insisted their handling of the story was appropriate. L A M AG . C O M 9 9

EMAIL YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT L.A. TO ASKCHRIS@LAMAG.COM

Were pinball machines really once illegal in Los Angeles?

THE OBSERVATORY GETS GLITZY

There were illegal casinos on the Sunset Strip and gambling boats off the harbor when Mayor Fletcher Bowron persuaded voters to outlaw pinball machines in 1939. (He was anti-crime, and he had a personal beef with a lawyer for the pinball lobby.) Most bars paid off wins with a beer, but high-stakes games continued, and shady owners kept raking it in. By 1971, Starlite Bowl in North Hollywood wanted in on the action and hired attorney Warren Wolfe to argue that the introduction of flippers in 1948 had transformed pinball into a game of skill. “He needed a plaintiff in this lawsuit,” remembers Wolfe’s cousin Roger Cossack. “I signed an affidavit saying I liked to play pinball machines. We won.” Greater Los Angeles and notes that the A+D Architecture and Design Museum and the Annenberg Space for Photography shuttered during COVID. He says L.A. has lost about

125 museums in the last century, including institutions dedicated to Freemasonry, the Pony Express, and podiatry. When the Museum of Miniatures family retired, it shipped

Q: Did Kim Kardashian ever become a lawyer? A: She’s working on it! California is one of only four states that allow budding barristers to skip law school in favor of an apprenticeship. The mogul has been studying under prison-reform advocates since she saw a jailhouse video on Twitter that moved her so much, she got the woman a presidential pardon. Last fall, Ms. Skims passed a test that has enabled her to take the bar. “I was never one to like school,” she told the New York Times. “And the fact that I love it is so shocking . . . But everything kind of pertains to me now: I get contracts all the time, and now I understand how to read them and how to write them.” We’re impressed.

H E R A L D E X A M I N E R CO L L E C T I O N / LO S A N G E L E S P U B L I C L I B R A RY

MEAN PINBALL

1 0 0 L A M AG . C O M

Starry Nights

its tiny collection to Florida. When Oran Z lost his Pan African Black Facts & Wax Museum, he started searching for a new home. “Ninety percent of closed museums were the passion project of an individual,” says Lerew. “When they move on or lose their space, it’s over.”

In 1955, L.A. County Sheriff Eugene Biscailuz took the first swing with an axe as his people began destroying gambling equipment.

Q: Did L.A. lose any museums to COVID-19? A: Todd Lerew of the Library Foundation of Los Angeles visited 600 institutions while researching his book Specific Museums of

CHRIS’S PICK

● Before he was the ad hoc cultural director of the Mount Wilson Observatory, Dan Kohne was creating special effects for the U.S.S. Enterprise— ”whenever they needed something kind of trippy at the end of the universe,” he says. Since 2017, though, Kohne has been making a new kind of magic at the observatory, with a concert series called “Sunday Afternoon in the Dome.” The first show was snowed out (the building sits more than a mile above Pasadena), and later engagements were canceled by nearby fires and COVID. So this season, the observatory is going all out with top jazz and classical performers inside the telescope’s dome, with wine and cheese served before and after each show. mtwilson.edu.

VOLUME 67, NUMBER 7. LOS ANGELES (ISSN 1522-9149) is published monthly by Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. Principal office: 10100 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and additional mailing offices. The one-year domestic subscription price is $14.95. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LOS ANGELES, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other materials, which must be accompanied by return postage. SUBSCRIBERS: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Copyright © 2022 Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved. Best of L.A.® is a registered trademark of Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. SUBSCRIBER SERVICE 866-660-6247. GST #R133004424. PRINTED IN THE USA.

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