Craptastic Cell Phone Photo of the Week: Columbus Day Set, Echo Park
Written by Ryan on Friday June 22nd 2007
Proffered by an unassuming cell phone, this bird’s-eye view of the Columbus Day set in Echo Park easily deserves a place in any scrapbook…on any mantel. Any scrantel. To be sure, this week’s winner has transcended far above and beyond the garden varietal craptasticness afforded most submissions. Let the sheer unabashed craptasticness it exudes set example to future contenders for generations to come.
As noted by Robert, the photographer:
Lame Looking Ship Float
High School Flag Team
Old Timey Fire Truck
No Val Kilmer
After the jump, Pee-Wee goes head-to-head with Cowboy Ralph for second place…
Angels my ass man. This town is full of the lowest of the low.
But it does have its moments. And those moments, at their best, are second to none.
I would have it no other way. Have a great weekend.
Canadian Coffee Break: Santa Monica’s Shotgun Shack
Written by Canadian Coffee Break on Thursday July 12th 2007
The Canadian Coffee Break brings together some of the finest Canadian minds in Southern California every week for a topical, lively round-tablesque discussion over very dark coffee. Won’t you join us.
In this week’s installment, Santa Monica’s “Historic Shotgun Shack” finally wins approval to be preserved - and moved - adjacent to the Ocean Park branch of the Santa Monica Library, as reported by the Argonaut. From the paper:
Santa Monica’s last remaining intact shotgun house has been through a lot since it was built in the late 1890s at 2712 Second St. < snip >
At the council meeting, all but one of the several who spoke supported the relocation of the house to Norman Place and Second Street, a parking lot across from the Ocean Park Branch Library, which some call an “eyesore.” < snip >
“The parking lot is really trashy. It’s not well kept; it’s not well lit. It’s got trash bins on it. For years, the library and retail stores have been complaining about this lot. And here’s an opportunity to clean it up.”
How do the California Canadians feel about this turn of events? Keep reading…
The Best Chicago-Style Hot Dog in LA
Written by Kid Danger on Wednesday July 18th 2007
This is not a competition for the all-around best hot dog in LA. You can find a hot dog served in any conceivable manner in this city, there’s a dog for everyone. Is a Chicago-style hot dog better than any other hot dog you can find or make? Even though it all comes down to personal preference, the answer is still yes. It’s so good that every time I eat one with a newbie, they all say the exact same thing, “Damn, homey just smashed it.” It’s so good that it puts your life in perspective.
The Chicago-style hot dog has strict criteria. It’s a Vienna Beef Hot Dog with mustard, chopped onion, relish (neon green in color), tomatoes, sport peppers, celery salt, and a pickle all served on a poppy seed bun. Eating one will keep you going, eating two will take you out, eating three is suicide, but at least you’ll go out with a smile.
To have a solid basis of comparison for the competition, I ate at some of Chicago’s finest hot dog stands such as Portillo’s, Wrigleyville Dogs, Hot Doug’s, and Wiener’s Circle. Wiener’s Circle had the best looking dog, so we’ll use it as the standard.
There are so many toppings that you can barely see the hot dog.
I excluded Oki Dog, Skooby’s, and Papoo’s because they don’t serve a Chicago-Style. I also left out Portillo’s in Buena Park because it’s in Buena Park.
The competitors are: QT’s Chicago Dogs, Carney’s, Rubin’s Red Hot, Weiner Factory, Pink’s, The Stand, and Taste Chicago. They’ll be ranked on authenticity, price, and overall taste.
Canadian Coffee Break: Pinkberry Crosses Cañadian Border
Written by Canadian Coffee Break on Thursday July 19th 2007
The Canadian Coffee Break brings together some of the finest Canadian minds in Southern California every week for a topical, lively round-tablesque discussion over very dark coffee. Won’t you join us.
In this week’s installment Pinkberry invades La Cañada Flintridge, as reported by the La Cañada Valley Sun. From the paper:
The latest frozen yogurt craze has arrived in La Cañada. The hip and trendy Pinkberry, the franchise that brought back the dessert that has exploded into a cultural phenomenon, will be opening a branch in La Cañada by the end of the year. The hard- to-miss bright pink building began interior construction earlier this week at the site next to Chocolate Box Café previously occupied by Cute-Clothes.com.
The Korean owned and operated Pinkberry sought out the city for architectural and business approvals two months ago in hopes of launching a store in LCF. The city played no role in bringing in Pinkberry.
How do the California Canadians feel about this turn of events? Keep reading
Begins In Palms Dive Bar
Written by Ryan on Friday July 20th 2007
LOSANJEALOUS (Losanjealous) :: Behold yon exclusive magick captures of Ye Aulde Frank Stallone Band mounted firmly atop miniature stage, dive bar of downtrodden variety, Palms, California. Next stop for the band: Boston. No joke!
Big ups to reader Creepy Dan who heeded the call, made the gig, got the shots and in the process won a 3-cd prize package from the Losanjealous music library.
Full review by Creepy Dan and more depressing photos after the jump.
Seven (hundred and seventy-five million) for All Mankind
Written by Victor on Thursday July 26th 2007
Depending on your perspective, Los Angeles today may have either lost or regained a small slice of its soul. Seven For All Mankind Jeans has been sold to North Carolina-based VF Corporation for a sum that can only be described as “whopping” $775 Million. The Los Angeles-founded brand affected culture in a way few do, pioneering the high-end jeans market with its launch in 2000.
For kicks, a bit of unintelligible business press release-ese follows. (Which I swear is its own distinct dialect of English):
“These brands extend our reach to important and growing consumer segments, broaden our presence in healthy and growing channels of distribution, provide us with additional vehicles to expand our direct-to-consumer business through owned retail stores and online sales and offer the potential for continued growth internationally,” said Mackey McDonald, chief executive of VF…
With acquisition of Seven, VF Corp is one step closer to total brand domination. Their portfolio already includes Blue Chip brands Wrangler, Lee Jeans, Vans, JanSport and North Face. Perhaps it’s only a matter of time before we see Sevens on racks in Target under their ownership.
But did Seven cash out of the jeans game at the right time? Take, for example, as a current indicator of the stupefying absurdities towards which the high-end jeans racket has drifted, that apparently none other than Damien Hirst has recently decided to design high-end Levi’s for their ‘Warhol Factory X line (who knew?) of Levi’s for 2008. Are mass-produced Hirst/Warhol co-branded Levi’s the culmination of the genre; the ironic death blow? Laughing right in consumers’ faces while taking ever more of their money for the same exact product?
Good riddances all around then, perhaps.
Signs You’re In Los Angeles
Written by Kid Danger on Saturday August 11th 2007
Los Angeles is a melting pot, so it’s no surprise that there are foreign-owned small businesses whose storefront signs are sometimes lost in translation.
There’re also the businesses that disregard conventional rules of advertising and make up their own.
Then there are businesses with storefronts that are so out there, you can’t even speculate on what the fuck they were thinking.
My best guess? It’s an all-age dance club where the bouncer won’t let you in unless you’re dressed as a deranged serial killer. That’s a real shitty guess. So I have no clue.
2007 Sunset Junction Street Fair
This is a wide shot intended to convey the general atmosphere of the festival. Festivals frequently feature large numbers of people (”festival goers”), mechanical contraptions that move bodies through space, against our normal physics in an enjoyable fashion (”rides”) and temporary food and consumer product vendor stations (”booths”). Festivals frequently take place in the open air, as can be seen here.
Here is another one of these festival atmosphere photographs, but taken from a different vantage point. Note booths on the left, festival goers, and ride, in this case, some sort of centrifuge contraption.
Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: Felt Guitars in Bob Baker: This is Your Life!
Felt Guitars in Bob Baker: This is Your Life!
1970s vintage dancing felt guitars playing themselves take center stage at a puppet show extravaganza this labor day weekend at the “Fantasyland” of Downtown Los Angeles, The Bob Baker Marionette Theater - a landmark since 1961. Metallic Martians from outer space, glow-in-the-dark dancing skeletons and fez wearing monkeys along with dozens of other vintage handmade Bob Baker puppets appear in a wide variety of amazing musical/comedy acts from every decade since the 1930s.
I will host the colorful tribute to the world’s greatest puppeteer and puppet show extravaganza and tell the story of Bob’s life and 75+ year career as a puppet showman with a short film and vintage slide show. Cake and ice cream reception will follow the final act - a performance by the master himself!
Here’s to Bob Baker, his amazing Marionettes and YOU!!
BOB BAKER: THIS IS YOUR LIFE! LABOR DAY WEEKEND!
Bob Baker Marionette Theatre
1345 W. 1st St., downtown Los Angeles
(under the bridge where Beverly becomes 1st St.)
FOUR PERFORMANCES ONLY:
Thurs-Fri-Sat August 30, 31 & Sept 1 @ 8pm
& Sunday Sept 2, @2pm
Project Pico Revisited
In which the project that has plagued these office walls all the long year resurfaces and adroitly introduces itself to casual reader and savage unscrupulite alike…
As a nonsubtle reminder, we collect and parse an inordinate amount of data regarding the boulevard of Pico dreams. At this time (9 OCTOBER 2007) we’d like to open the doors again. Please leave answers in comments or to project-pico @ losanjealousdotcom . . .
1) What is your favorite establishment on Pico Blvd?
2) How often do you find yourself driving on Pico - Daily? More than once Daily? Weekly? Hourly? Etc (Bus Drivers: Please indicate you are a bus driver in some fashion for follow-ups)
3) What is your favorite time of day to say the word, ‘Pico’ ?
4) Would you like to be contacted and/or quoted regarding topical Pico Blvd information, products and services?
Charles Phoenix’s Slide of the Week: Clifton’s Pacific Seas Cafeteria, Los Angeles, 1950
Clifton’s Pacific Seas Cafeteria, Los Angeles, 1950
A turquoise neon backlit waterfall is the centerpiece and crowning touch of what has to be the most exotic and over the top restaurant façade ever. The craggily cafeteria front has ‘lil caves of multi-colored light and a jungle of tropical plantings. This was Adventureland before Adventureland - the Tiki Room before the Tiki Room. Clifford Clinton, the king of cafeterias, dreamed this up in 1939. It must’ve been shocking then. It still is today. His son, Don, took this slide IN 1950. Thank you Don!
In the realm of Polynesian themed eateries Clifton’s Pacific Seas is, without a question, one of the most spectacular ever! It is the younger and shorter-lived sister of Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria. The Brookdale, delightfully done in a most charming redwood forest theme, serves up steam table savories and delicious desserts at the corner of Seventh and Broadway in downtown Los Angeles just as it has since it opened 1935. Clifton’s Pacific Seas was just blocks away on Olive just below Sixth. After just twenty-one years the Polynesian palace closed in 1960. For what reason I don’t know. The parking lot that replaced it is still there.
Themed interiors and environments were not invented in Southern California, but they certainly were perfected here. Clifford Clinton was a master right up there with Walt Disney, Walter Knott and Alex Madonna (Madonna Inn.)
Even without our dearly departed Clifton’s Pacific Seas cafeteria, downtown Los Angeles is still a hotbed of unique, unusual, bizarre and breathtaking vintage places to experience. And you can do so this Sunday Oct 14 and next Sunday the 21st. Of course, we’ll be eating lunch at Clifton’s Brookdale Cafeteria!!!
Here’s to Clifton’s Pacific Seas Cafeteria, the DISNEYLAND TOUR OF DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES and YOU!!!
