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Movies to Suit Every Mood at Your Thanksgiving Gathering

Thanksgiving. A time for family, food and neighborly love, when we celebrate and emulate our gracious forefathers who came together with Native Americans to share and feast with open arms, smiles and cheer. Well, not really. Thanksgiving can be a little more complex than the Norman Rockwell images we were exposed to as children — you know the ones: white smiles, dad, mom, Timmy and Tina, sitting around a table with a steaming turkey and all the fixins, everyone harmonious and care-free. But it rarely looks that way.

Still, there is a simplicity to this lackadaisical holiday. You don't have to work. You're usually chilling at home (if you're lucky). And basically the whole day revolves around eating. For me, Thanksgiving was an excuse to lie around, belly filled with stuffing and tryptophan, groggily watching the Twilight Zone marathon as the sun descended behind the Santa Anas. (As I got older, I added beer to the mix and I faded faster than the light outside.) But there were also those unforgettable Thanksgivings where drama ensued. When family members who hadn't seen each other in years found themselves in the same room, heads filled with wine and wrath, suddenly exploding, pushing their chairs back, frothing at the mouth, as years of resentment splattered over the stuffing and cranberry sauce.

The truth is, Thanksgiving can be wonderful and dreadful at the same time. Unlike Christmas, which has the benefit of gifts and pageantry to keep our attention off each other or any familial discomfort, Thanksgiving forces us to engage with our friends and foes alike. This unique setting presents a slew of situations ripe for Hollywood. Comedy, drama, horror — Thanksgiving has inspired every genre of storytelling. And yet, when asked for a favorite Thanksgiving movie, we stop in our tracks, speechless and grasping for answers with a restless pause. There are hundreds of movies about Christmas, maybe thousands, and we can all list off many without hesitation. But Thanksgiving? Not so much. Sure, there are movies that take place during the holiday, and they might even include a dinner or two, but most folks wouldn't refer to them as “Thanksgiving movies.”

These so-called holiday films aren’t so easily pegged, and most strive for an air of curiosity and, dare I say, depth. They are more about mood and character than the turkey or trimmings or the holiday itself. Christmas movies may also have a message, but they always revolve around snow, Santa, elves, goodwill and music. Christmas speaks to most people, but movies about Thanksgiving tend to be pretty specific. They aren't feel-good or even inspiring stories but they are honest. The movies that deal with this squirmy holiday tend to speak to the human condition and family conflict, and well, you can't just watch them whenever you feel like it. You have to be in a particular mood to delve into one of these bad boys. With this in mind, here's a list of various moods and the movies that match them. A Thanksgiving movie for every emotion! Some of these films are sad. Some are sweet and happy. Some are just bizarre. Most of them are a mixture. So pick your poison, pile your plate and get ready to be fed in more ways than one.

Spirited: Planes, Trains and Automobiles

I wonder if John Hughes realized he'd made the quintessential Thanksgiving movie when he wrote and directed this classic? He basically gave us the Thanksgiving version of It's a Wonderful Life. Taking a break from his brilliant teenage explorations of absurdity and heartbreak (The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink, Ferris Bueller's Day Off), Hughes delved headfirst into the existentialist conflicts of adulthood and its comic foibles with Planes. This 1987 road comedy has something for everyone, but it's not safe, bland or broad. It's specifically John Hughes. One of the best filmmakers of the ’80s, Hughes' brilliance was his ability to balance slapstick with fully realized characters. Here it helps that the characters happen to be played by one of the funniest duos in film history, Steve Martin and, the truly missed John Candy. From the moment they meet on a flight and Candy takes off his socks, whipping them around in Martin's face, to the famous bed scene when they wake up, spooning, forgetting where they are (or where Candy's hand is wedged), it's comedic chemistry like no other. But the truly golden moment of this film is the end, which packs an emotional wallop we never saw coming. Planes, Trains and Automobiles is considered the greatest Thanksgiving film ever made by many (it’s often screened in theaters around the holiday and will be shown at Santa Monica’s Aero Theater on Nov. 21) for good reason: genuine storytelling, relentlessly hilarious sequences and, most of all, a message of love and empathy for our fellow man, which in a perfect world should be a year-round practice.

Awesome: Down and Out in Beverly Hills

People don't use the adjective "awesome" much these days, but back in the ’80s it was pretty commonplace: “How are you?” “Pretty awesome!” If you want to delve into the holidays while immersing yourself in the decade of decadence (a good definition of feeling awesome), look no further than Paul Mazursky's satirical tale of new age capitalism. When a homeless Nick Nolte (who looks really homeless) tries to drown himself in Richard Dreyfuss and Bette Midler's pool, they soon form a bond, which is both hilarious and fraught with tension but ultimately kind of beautiful (especially for us Angelenos, where the rich and poor rub elbows every day but seldom acknowledge each other). Down and Out in Beverly Hills starts on Thanksgiving and ends on New Year's Day, and the spirit of the holidays and the theme of loving your fellow man thankfully overshadows the movie's at times dated stereotypes. Mostly it's just good fun. Take the scene where a recently rescued, dripping wet Nolte stuffs his face with the family's Thanksgiving leftovers and barks, “Who made this dressing?” To which Dreyfuss replies, “My mother.” And Nolte quickly grunts, “Too much onion!”

Kooky: Home for the Holidays

As director of her second film, Jodie Foster tapped into something prosaic with this one. And by prosaic I mean crazy. Almost every scene of Home for the Holidays is rife with manic energy, as if each character is consistently teetering on the brink of sanity. Is it a coincidence the movie takes place during Thanksgiving? Of course not. Foster's Thanksgiving is a time of pure expression, when family converges under one roof, everybody bringing their own insecurities and affectations, and repressed emotions burst forth like bubbling gravy. The movie doesn't have much of a story. After being fired from her job, Holly Hunter returns home to her family, where she must endure the most outlandish and cockeyed Thanksgiving ever seen on film. This is high praise, by the way. It's not a subtle narrative but it's laugh-out-loud funny and brazenly unsentimental. My favorite line occurs right after Charles Durning says grace, expounding on how 1,000-year-old trees shouldn't fall to their demise. Without missing a beat, his son (Robert Downey Jr.) quips, “Well, that was absurd, let's eat dead bird.”

Ardent: Tadpole

This 2000 indie comedy about a 15-year-old (Aaron Stanford) who's in love with his stepmother (Sigourney Weaver) is not what you would call an ideal family Thanksgiving movie. Oh no. Keep the kids in their rooms. Although Tadpole is about a teenager in love, perfect fodder for today's cute rom-com slate, this Holden Caulfield clone drinks at bars, has an affair with his stepmother's best friend (a priceless Bebe Neuwirth) and spouts quotes from a copy of Voltaire's Candide stuffed in his back pocket. Tadpole takes place over Thanksgiving break when our protagonist, Oscar, returns home from boarding school to stay with his father (John Ritter, in a subtly hilarious performance). When we meet his stepmother (Weaver) and see Oscar's wide-eyed expression, we realize he’s been in love with her for quite some time. Adolescent awkwardness ensues. It's racy stuff but it's a Thanksgiving movie all the same, and it’s distinctly kind to its characters. Compassion for family, even those members with the most erratic desires, runs through the film like a current.

Complex: The Ice Storm

If you grew up listening to The Smiths, The Cure, even The Carpenters — any sulky band from youth — you'll love Ang Lee's take on the cracked American psyche, a meditative, shrewd and intermittently cold film (perfect for Thanksgiving, no?). Centering on a family in Connecticut in the early ’70s, The Ice Storm takes place over Thanksgiving break with an ensemble of incredible actors: Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Christina Ricci and Tobey Maguire. But if you're expecting holiday cheer and crazy hijinks, well, you came to the wrong place. You can feel the languor and imprisonment of each character as they struggle to discover themselves through sex (swinger parties), drugs and every other vice the ’70s introduced to this puritanical land. It's a new world, and change is difficult. Even more difficult is dealing with your family. Thanksgiving might be the time of forgiveness, but it's also the time of hiding what's shameful. Most memorable moment: Christina Ricci's prayer of grace before the big dinner: “Dear Lord, thank you for this Thanksgiving holiday. And for all the material possessions we have and enjoy. And for letting us white people kill all the Indians and steal their tribal lands. And stuff ourselves like pigs, even though children in Asia are being napalmed.”

Weird: House of Yes

If you're feeling sardonic and twisted, with a little spitfire in your soul, skip the Thanksgiving parade on TV and check out this 1997 indie gem. You've been warned: This is by far the weirdest movie on this list. It's 1983, 20 years after the Kennedy assassination and Marty Pascal (Josh Hamilton) brings home his fiancée (Tori Spelling) for Thanksgiving to meet the family. Everyone in the Pascal clan is a little off, but Marty's twin sister, Jackie O (the irreplaceable Parker Posey), is the nuttiest. Recently released from a mental institution, Parker's character wholeheartedly believes she is Jackie Onassis, from her reproduced outfits to her early-’60s pixie cut. Jackie O has an unhealthy obsession with her brother, and the jealousy of his engagement turns the evening into an exploration of American folklore, familial love (extreme familial love) and madness. It's a comedy but so dark at times that it's hard to tell if you're laughing because it's funny or you're just uncomfortable. The movie takes place on Thanksgiving night. If you decide to watch House of Yes with the family, I guarantee the children will watch slack-jawed as your uncle from Arcadia yells, “What the hell is this crap?” But once you've retired to your bedroom with a glass of wine, burned out from a hundred conversations about a world gone mad, this is a beautiful Thanksgiving escape. Oh, and don't forget to wear your pearls!

Mopey: Pieces of April

With her pink hair, sleeveless shirt and cut-off jean shorts, Katie Holmes looks as if she fell out of a Dinosaur Jr concert circa ’95 in this Peter Hedges comedy. Although the movie was released in 2003, with its hand-held camera work, grainy picture and character-based story, this comedy feels pure grunge. Pieces of April takes place over one day — Thanksgiving — when April Burns (Katie Holmes) wakes up in her New York apartment with her boyfriend (Derek Luke) and realizes that her estranged family will be arriving that evening for a unholy reunion and hearty holiday meal. There are two problems: One, April hasn’t seen her family in years, having escaped their stranglehold by rebelling in pure punk-rock fashion (drugs, tattoos, pink hair), and two, her stove doesn’t work. The rest of the film is a hilarious relay between April knocking on every door in her apartment building, begging to use her neighbors’ stoves for the turkey she lugs around like an anchor, and her odd family driving to see her from upstate New York. April’s interactions with her outlandish neighbors are priceless. Patricia Clarkson and Oliver Platt are perfectly cast as her parents. And Stephin Merritt of The Magnetic Fields provides the appropriate soundtrack for those mopey Generation X-ers, so lazy they forget to test the oven before Thanksgiving!

Psychotic: Blood Rage

I bet when you think of Thanksgiving, your mind immediately goes to the 1987 slasher film Blood Rage. Don't deny it, you're sick! Oh wait, that's not you, that's me. But, seriously, what did you expect on a holiday where estranged family members come back together? Puppy dogs and kittens? Blood Rage, one of only a few Thanksgiving horror films, concerns a pair of twins, Todd and Terry, one of whom was sent to an insane asylum as a kid for murdering someone at the drive-in. Now, it's 10 years later on Thanksgiving night, and Todd is being released from the asylum, their mother is marrying some goombah, and Terry is losing his mind. Time for some blood! This movie has so many decapitations, I couldn't keep count (and I usually do!). I saw this beauty at the Egyptian last year, thanks to L.A.'s own Cinematic Void, a group of scholarly lads who specialize in excavating exploitation films (check out their upcoming calendar on Facebook for more holiday madness). Nothing deep here, Blood Rage is a shitshow, but man, isn’t Thanksgiving also?

Frisky: The Rocky Horror Picture Show

What would Thanksgiving be without putting on your favorite piece of lingerie and dancing around the table? A whole lot of nothin’! Of course, The Rocky Horror Picture Show is not a Thanksgiving movie. Still, you can’t deny that amazing dinner scene when all our favorite characters wait for the turkey to be carved. The image alone is worth the price of admission: Dr. Frank-N-Furter, Janet Weiss, Brad Majors, Riff Raff, Magenta, all the legends of the macabre at the same table, waiting for their trimmings. My advice? After dinner, throw on this classic, then grab your goodie bag, re-enact every scene, throw stuff at the television and scare the hell out of your family!

Dark: Addams Family Values

When I was 15, discovering the enigmatic sounds of Bauhaus and Depeche Mode as well as everything dark or brooding, I developed an enormous crush on Wednesday Addams (more specifically, Christina Ricci playing Wednesday Addams in The Addams Family movie). She was my ideal. The black, braided hair, the bleak expression, the unimpressed frown. Soon I was watching old episodes of the original 1960s TV show, and before I knew it, I was a lifelong fan. The humor was perfect for a kid who gravitated to the dark side. When Morticia sighs that she feels “awful,” she actually means she's feeling pretty grand. And anything considered “upbeat” or “peppy” is nothing short of disgusting to the Addams clan. Everything was turned on its head. Imagine the joy goth kids felt everywhere when they released the sequel to the 1991 hit, Addams Family Values. Many believe it's better than the first film. I can't disagree. And the most memorable part is the Thanksgiving scene. When Wednesday and brother Pugsley are sent to a camp where they're abused by the counselors for their dark attire and demeanor, Wednesday concocts a plan to exact her revenge. Cast as Pocahontas in the counselor's ridiculous play, Wednesday doesn't embody the famous Native American figure as a princess but as a fierce warrior. Thanks to this iconic role and her scathing Ice Storm sermon, Ricci may be the queen of dark revisionist humor and cinema’s most provocative reminder that the history of Thanksgiving is a lot darker than anyone ever cares to admit.

Honorable mentions: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, The Daytrippers, Scent of a Woman, Dutch.

Source: https://www.laweekly.com/arts/movies-and-moods-for-your-thanksgiving-menu-10063698

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How Crenshaw became black LA’s main street

Crenshaw Boulevard starts in the middle of bustling, concrete Los Angeles at Wilshire Boulevard and ends in the untamed, unearthly natural beauty of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, a little more than 23 miles away. In between, the heartbeat of historically black Los Angeles pulses at such landmarks as Dulan’s Soul Food, the Los Angeles Sentinel, West Angeles Church, Leimert Park, Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, and the Paul R. Williams-designed Angelus Funeral Home, where the bodies of director John Singleton and rapper and activist Nipsey Hussle were recently prepared.

At Crenshaw and 50th is the epic Great Wall of Crenshaw, a series of murals depicting black Americans’ contributions to history, created by the street art collective Rocking the Nation in 2000.

“Crenshaw Boulevard is the main street of black LA. Has been, still is, and hopefully always will be,” says Nina Revoyr, activist and author of the acclaimed 2003 novel Southland. “It is a boulevard of both aspiration and disappointments.”

The first section of Crenshaw Boulevard sprang out of the calculated aspirations of Missouri-born developer George L. Crenshaw. In the early 1900s, he began to develop the grand neighborhood of Lafayette Square in the Mid-City section of Los Angeles, then undeveloped ranch land. He decided to name one of the main streets running alongside the development after himself. “In those days, you just went down to City Hall and signed a little slip and that was it,” his grandson Charles Crenshaw told the Los Angeles Times in 2003.

In 1918, a new dirt street, Angeles Mesa Drive, was finished, linking up to Crenshaw Boulevard:

Angeles Mesa Drive, the new short cut route between southwest Los Angeles and the city-to-sea boulevards, is now open to the motoring public from Slauson Avenue to West Adams Street. The new highway shortens by miles the traveling distance between Hyde Park Inglewood, and Redondo districts to the south and southwest of Los Angeles and the west beaches, Hollywood and the San Fernando Valley.

During the building boom of the 1920s, Angeles Mesa Drive gained in importance, as it became the suburban site of new sprawling planned communities. “The paving of Angeles Mesa Drive, is part of a comprehensive plan for the creation of another north-and-south artery beginning at Wilshire Blvd. and extending to the paved county highway a mile south of Adams Street,” the Los Angeles Times reported in 1924. “First steps for the widening of Crenshaw Blvd, of which the Angeles Mesa Drive is a southerly continuance have already been taken.”

In 1925, the Los Angeles Investment Company opened tracts for the upper-class neighborhood of View Park, on the slopes of Baldwin Hills alongside Angeles Mesa Drive. In 1927, the Walter H. Leimert Company hired the pedigreed firm of Olmsted and Olmsted to lay out its planned self-sustaining “community of tomorrow” on 600 acres skirting the boulevard.

Called Leimert Park, this idyllic community featured tree lined streets of elegant homes and apartments designed by architects including Richard Neutra and Sumner Spaulding. In 1932, the Stiles O. Clements-designed Leimert Theater opened in the community’s commercial center. In 1929, Crenshaw Boulevard and Angeles Mesa Drive were finally coalesced into one megastreet.

The Angelus Funeral Home is one stand-out building on Crenshaw, and it was designed by architect Paul R. Williams. It’s also where the bodies of Nipsey Hussle and John Singleton were served.

Due to redlining and racially restrictive housing covenants that kept non-whites from living in all but a few areas in LA, the neighborhoods and businesses along what came to be known as “the ’Shaw” were predominantly populated by middle and upper-class white residents. But after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the racist covenants in 1948, large numbers of successful Japanese Americans began to move into the neighborhoods along Crenshaw. Soon many more black families bought homes in the area as well.

This was an era of great promise for black Angelenos, says longtime Leimert Park resident Lynetta McElroy. “When you talk to some of the older people who came from different areas they said something about Los Angeles blacks was different than anywhere else,” McElroy says. “They had this look. They had fine cars, fine clothes, they had their own clubs. Black culture was rich.”

The addition of these two rich cultures would usher in a golden age of multicultural community on Crenshaw Boulevard. McElroy, who is of African American and Jewish descent, recalls her mother taking her to the annual Japanese-American celebration of Nisei Week in Crenshaw Square. “You would have Japanese dancing and music, food and a carnival,” she says. “You had all the cultures just right here. The ladies were in kimonos, and they were dancing and singing, and they invited the onlookers to learn the dances and sing along.”

McElroy and her African American and Japanese American friends at Crenshaw High also frequented the legendary Holiday Bowl. Perhaps no establishment exemplified the Crenshaw District’s diversity more than this bowling alley and coffee shop at the intersection of 37th and Crenshaw. Designed in the Googie Style by the architect Helen Liu Fong for the firm Armet and Davis, the bowl was opened in 1948 by four Japanese investors. (It was demolished in 2003.) According to KCET’s Ryan Reft:

Early on many of the bowling teams consisted of local Japanese farmers, grocers, and merchants, all of whom competed in divisions that suited their profession: the Gardener’s League, the Produce League, and the Floral League, to name a few. When the area began absorbing greater numbers of African Americans… the teams changed as well. “[M]y team has one black, one Italian, another Japanese, and Korean Sponsor,” Floral League member Dorothy Tanabe told the Los Angeles Times.

Throughout the decades, the Holiday Bowl would continue to be what one longtime employee referred to as a “United Nations.” A high school aged McElroy and her girlfriends spent an intense six weeks at the hangout learning to bowl, determined to earn a letter for their Crenshaw High jackets (she earned it—and still has it today). During the 1970s and ’80s, “that was the go to spot,” says Gina Fields, who grew up all along Crenshaw and lives today in Leimert Park. “It was definitely a cultural hub.”

Revoyr, who is of Japanese American descent, remembers her very first trip to the bowl. “Seeing African American and Japanese American folks of my grandparents age all hanging out together in a coffee shop in such a way that it became clear that these were friendships that existed for decades. That was so beautiful to me,” she says. “Going into the Holiday Bowl and seeing Japanese food and Southern food on the same menu, I just loved that.”

The “Great Wall of Crenshaw” is an important mural that spans 800 feet and incorporates images and icons from black history across the ages.

So important was the Holiday Bowl to the community that during the LA Uprising in the summer of 1992, Rodney King joined with other locals to protect the business from looters, telling potential troublemakers that the bowl was “our place.”

“When I think about Crenshaw—in particular, when I think about a place like the Holiday Bowl, and that whole strip right there, it represents the best version of a polyglot LA—people who are both very, very clear and very proud of who they are as individuals and families, but also who can feel part of a larger collective whole in a way that’s cross racial,” Revoyr says.

The Japanese American influence can still be seen in the bonsai trees and plantings in the yards of the small Mediterranean and Spanish style homes off Crenshaw. However, by the late 1960s, many of the communities surrounding Crenshaw Boulevard, from wealthy View Park, Lafayette Square, and Baldwin Hills to working-class Inglewood, had become mainly associated with black Angelenos.

Black-owned businesses flourished, while farther down the ’Shaw in Hawthorne, aerospace companies offered good employment for many local residents. Glass-plated, modernist car dealerships opened up and down Crenshaw Bouelvard, providing more employment for South LA residents.

Every year, the Martin Luther King Day Parade would travel down Crenshaw Boulevard (it now goes through King Boulevard), and the community would come out to watch. “I remember playing my flute in the band as the Audubon Elementry School band walked down Crenshaw Boulevard,” Fields says. “Later I became a naval cadet and marched with the Youth Naval Cadet when I was 15, and we got all dressed up in our dress uniforms, and it was just such a proud feeling to be able to march... down Crenshaw Boulevard with the crowd cheering.”

Leimert Park became an artistic mecca for artists, artisans, and venues, such as the famed blues club Babe’s & Ricky’s Inn. Its small village green just off Crenshaw Boulevard became a community gathering place for festivals, jazz concerts, and press conferences. At the hip cave-like musical venue Maverick’s Flat, acts like the Ike and Tina Turner Review, The Temptations, Billy Preston, and Parliament-Funkadelic played packed shows while locals and celebrities like Marlon Brando, Sonny Liston, Steve McQueen, and Muhammad Ali danced along.

Many fly dancers at Maverick’s Flat would appear on Soul Train, which debuted in 1970, and transported South LA cool across the country. Host Don Cornelius would also source telegenic and talented dancers from local Crenshaw area high schools. Musician Patrice Rushen recalled in the LA Times hanging out at a local park only to be approached by none other than Cornelius himself. “Anybody who wants to go, we’ll have buses and take you to the TV studio,” he told the high schoolers. “All you’ve got to do is come on the show and dance.”

Young men talk to three young women in their car at the usual gathering spot along Crenshaw Blvd on a Sunday afternoon in 1996.

Photo by Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

It was also during this same period, while the Soul Train bus picked up dancers on the ’Shaw, that young men and women began cruising Crenshaw Boulevard on Sunday nights, showing off their tricked lowriders and speaker systems. By the 1980s, cruising had become a weekly ritual on the ’Shaw. “I would come home from Berkeley for the summer and Crenshaw Boulevard was just lively!” Fields says. “You’d see all these low riders, decked out cars, parked in front of the Wienerschnitzel. And we’d hang out. And my mom was like ‘You know you’re not over there hanging out on Crenshaw!’ ‘No Mom.’ And my sister and I were out there—hanging out with all the lowrider cars. It was just such a fun neighborhood.”

Cruising reached its peak in the early 1990s, when more than a thousand cars would jam Crenshaw Boulevard, from Jefferson Boulevard to Florence Avenue. Faced with mounting pressure by frustrated Crenshaw Boulevard business owners and civic leaders, in 1994 the LAPD began to barricade 3.5 miles of Crenshaw, from Adams to 78th street, every Sunday night. But this and other deterrents had little effect, with cruisers simply going farther south on Crenshaw or taking side streets. In April 1995, a popular Banning High football player named Dupree Taye was shot and killed in a random act of violence when the red Ford Thunderbird he was cruising in got a flat tire.

Violence would become an epidemic during the late 1980s and early ’90s, as gangs and drugs and social, educational, and economic inequities wreaked havoc on many communities in South Los Angeles.

During this time period, Crenshaw Boulevard would become legendary in popular culture, with films such as Singleton’s Boyz in the Hood, and artists from the area including Eazy-E, Ice-T, Ice Cube, and Dr. Dre rapping about the hard realities that faced many South LA youth. There also more lighthearted homegrown acts like Skee-Lo, who penned an ode to Sunday night cruising on the 1995 track “Crenshaw”:

Who me I’m Skee, I rap and produce

Pull over I wanna know you and my crew wants to know your crew

Now how them cheeks fit in the seat of that Jeep

See this is type of freak that could be cool for me

I like her style she like my style I make her smile she think I’m funny

Won’t front it be pump rollin Crenshaw on Sunday

After the LA Uprising, some middle class black Angelenos left South LA for safer areas in the city. Throughout the ’90s and 2000s, Latinos began to arrive in greater numbers, and some of the boulevard’s historically black-owned businesses began to close. Years of disinvestment in resources and infrastructure by the city and state also took their toll.

The “Great Wall of Crenshaw” is an important mural that spans 800 feet and incorporates images and icons from black history across the ages.

In 2008, the construction of the 8.5-mile Crenshaw/LAX light rail line was announced by Metro. Although a fight to add a stop at Leimert Park, called by Singleton “the black Greenwich Village,” was successful, the plan deeply polarized communities along Crenshaw Boulevard. This and the encroaching gentrification of areas like Leimert Park led to the formation of Destination Crenshaw, a planned 1.3-mile cultural district spanning Crenshaw Boulevard from 48 to 60th streets.

“Destination Crenshaw came about as a result of conversations related to the building of the Crenshaw/LAX Metro line and the controversy in the community that remains to this day about the portion between Hyde Park and Leimert Park being built at grade,” says Los Angeles City Councilmember Marqueece Harris-Dawson, who grew up visiting his grandfather at his real estate operations on Crenshaw Boulevard. “Folks were very, very upset. Folks were like, ‘this is the African American community’s major street.’ In no other major street in Southern California does Metro build rail at grade.”

Building at grade would cause major disruption on the street, splitting it in two and making it less a walkable main street and more like a drive-though thoroughfare. Community and civic leaders decided to turn what they saw as an insult into an opportunity. “Folks came up with the idea of an open-air people’s museum,” Harris-Dawson says. “The African American history of Los Angeles is extremely rich—as rich as any city in the country. And that there ought to be a place, like we have Chinatown, like we have the Fairfax district, like we have Little Tokyo, like we have San Pedro... that calls out the contributions of African Americans building this region.”

Targeted to be completed in spring 2020, Destination Crenshaw will include 100 permanent art installations extolling the history and culture of black Angelenos. The Leimert Theater is being fully restored and modernized, and there are plans for a public amphitheater and 10 new parks and miniparks.

The architecture firm of Perkins and Will will oversee the design and construction. Landscape design will be provided by Studio-MLA. “What we hope is that we build a cultural hub and that people can actually consume African American culture in these locations,” Harris-Dawson says. New housing is being built along the under-construction Crenshaw/LAX line, and efforts to spruce up the boulevard can be seen all around, including in the planned restoration of the Great Wall of Crenshaw.

“With Destination Crenshaw, our working tagline was ‘unapologetically black,’” says Ron Finley, an artist and community activist known as the Gangsta Gardener. “There’s nothing in Los Angeles that celebrates black Los Angeles. Destination Crenshaw is going to be just that. It is going to be proudly, historically black—it’s going to be super black.”

Another community partner involved in Destination Crenshaw was the rapper, philanthropist, and civic leader Nipsey Hussle. On March 31, Hussle was murdered outside his Marathon Clothing Store on Slauson Avenue, just off Crenshaw. His death devastated both the old and young in South LA.

Mural of Nipsey Hussle on the corner of Crenshaw and Slauson.

“He was a guy who saw beauty in a place that other people just dismissed as unworthy and desolate and as less than,” Revoyr says. “And I think that in elevating the Crenshaw area with his obvious love and respect, he made the young people who live there feel that they were respected.”

But those leading Destination Crenshaw are determined Hussle’s innovative work and ideas will live on. “He had this project and this program called ‘All Money In,’” Harris-Dawson says. “Our community creates value, especially in the realm of culture. Except the community doesn’t benefit from the creation of that value, and so if young people in South LA make a sneaker popular or a t-shirt popular, you then have to go to Melrose to buy the t-shirt!”

Through Destination Crenshaw and other programs, the councilmember aims to bring money and foot traffic onto Crenshaw Boulevard, creating value that stays within South Los Angeles. “I think that there’s great potential with the Metro line,” Revoyr says. “More people are going to be coming through Crenshaw hopefully with the line opening… and the Destination Crenshaw project should be a draw.”

But there are concerns. “There is understandably a lot of anxiety about what that’s going to do to property in terms of affordability,” Revoyr says. There is also still much work to be done on other parts of Crenshaw Boulevard. “As you go farther south... the disinvestment of public resources becomes more and more evident.”

Longtime residents like Fields and McElroy also worry that the rail line, along with gentrification and development in single-family neighborhoods, will obliterate their close-knit feel and its rich heritage.

“We all know each other. We all watch out for each other. I recognize every neighbor on my street... Despite the fact that it’s in the middle of a big city smack dab in the middle of a very large city, [Leimert Park] is this cute small little neighborhood that’s fun to just walk around and wander around and just meet people,” Fields says.” I hope that with all the progress that’s being proposed and all the developments that are coming that we’re able to maintain the uniqueness of the neighborhood.”

Along with these vibrant patches of community and culture, there are stretches of the boulevard almost like ghost towns, where boarded up businesses are the norm. For Revoyr, Crenshaw Boulevard remains a street of contradictions. “You see these buildings and these places of great beauty and great promise and then you have at Crenshaw and Slauson Nipsey Hussle murdered in front of his store,” she says. The ’Shaw is a street rich in history, art, commerce and culture, but it has the potential to be so much more.

Source: https://la.curbed.com/2019/5/17/18563304/crenshaw-blvd-los-angeles-nipsey-hussle-history

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Bahador Mahboubi sued for refusing to remove plastic surgeon’s Rodeo Drive sign

Bahador Mahboubi sued for refusing to remove plastic surgeon’s Rodeo Drive sign

Doctor complains a competitor is trying to steal his business and blames Mahboubi

421 N. Rodeo Drive (Credit: Google Maps and iStock)

UPDATED on Jan. 8, 2018, at 5:27 p.m.:  Beverly Hills landlord Bahador Mahboubi is caught up in a dispute between two competing plastic surgeons with offices at one of his Rodeo Drive properties.

Plastic Surgeon Lloyd Krieger claims that Emil Kohan, his competitor and neighbor at 421 N. Rodeo Drive, is trying to steal customers by imitating his business’s name, according to a suit filed in U.S. District Court. Krieger names Mahboubi as a defendant in the case and accuses him of being complicit.

Krieger claims that Kohan named his practice Rodeo Aesthetics Plastic Surgery, moved into his former office, and refuses to take down a sign outside for Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery. Krieger further alleges that he moved the longtime office of his practice, Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery, from one suite to another in the building in January 2018.

Kohan, he said, is misleading potential clients into thinking that Rodeo Drive Aesthetics Plastic Surgery is a successor business or affiliate of his own practice. Krieger claims “existing and potential patients” have been confused, mistaken or deceived by the signage.

A spokesperson for Kohan denied Tuesday that the name of the doctor’s practice is Rodeo Aesthetics Plastic Surgery. “It is not anywhere on his Instagram, website, Google page, or Yelp,” the spokesperson said. “The case has no validity.”

But his fellow plastic surgeon isn’t the only person Krieger is pointing a finger at. Mahboubi’s company, Rodeo Collection Ltd., he said, also refused to remove the signs, and wouldn’t put Rodeo Drive Plastic Surgery on the directories in the building, leading to further confusion for potential patients.

Krieger is seeking monetary damages and attorney fees from the Iranian businessman, who is named in three of the five complaints leveled in the suit.

Mahboubi moved to Beverly Hills from Iran in the late 1980s and built an empire of retail real estate with capital he amassed in Iran through a chewing gum enterprise. His success earned him the nickname the “chewing gum king” from the Los Angeles Times in 1993.

Source: https://therealdeal.com/la/2019/01/08/bahador-mahboubi-sued-for-refusing-to-remove-plastic-surgeons-sign-on-rodeo-drive/

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2534 Park Oak Drive in Los Feliz

<![CDATA[.fb-comments,.fb-comments span,.fb-comments span iframe[style]min-width:100%!important;width:100%!important]]>

Take Sunset is thrilled to present this refined and classic residence circa 1941 in the coveted Los Feliz Oaks. Currently NOT on the market, this home is available to purchase now as a pocket listing.

This private, gated home provides a lush front yard, dramatic foyer, and gorgeous winding staircase.

This meticulously updated 3,272sf four-bedroom, four-bath home blends distinctive old Hollywood character with polished, modern finishes.

Downstairs features a stunning step-down living room with fireplace, eat-in kitchen, dining room, and den.

A fourth bedroom downstairs is currently being used an office and has its own bath.

This two-story home features a time-tested floor plan with three bedrooms and two baths upstairs including a large master suite with en-suite bath and walk-in closet.

Easy access to the lushly landscaped backyard which features a stylish pool, grassy area, and outdoor dining perfect for entertaining.

Easy access to Los Feliz and Hollywood hot spots such as Little Dom’s, The Oaks Market, Beachwood Cafe and much more.

Live with style and enjoy sweeping views of Griffith Park and the Hollywood Sign.

To schedule a private showing please contact me at 323-775-6305 or email me.

For more info and photos click here.

Co-listed with Laura Marchetti.

Source: https://takesunset.com/2018/11/2534-park-oak-drive-in-los-feliz/

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Tim Hardaway strongly defends Warriors fans everywhere -- here's why

Tim Hardaway strongly defends Warriors fans everywhere -- here's why originally appeared on nbcsportsbayarea.com

The Warriors selected Tim Hardaway with the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft.

Over three seasons from 1991 to 1993, he averaged 22.7 points and 10.0 assists per game and was an All-Star all three years as a member of the Warriors.

His teams reached the playoffs in '91, '92 and '94 (Hardaway missed the whole year because of a knee injury), but fell short in '90 (37 wins) '93 (34 wins) and '95 (26 wins).

So he saw some great basketball and some not-so great basketball. Through it all, however, the Warriors' fans were always great.

Hardaway recently caught up with Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype and was asked the following question:

"Today, I hear some people say, "Oh, Warriors fans are a bunch of bandwagon fans." I think Golden State's core fans are really loyal and passionate. I saw that fan base show tremendous support year after year for struggling teams. Sure, there are some bandwagon fans in recent years, but that's the case with any great team. Based on your experiences with Bay Area fans, how do you react when you hear people make comments like that?"

Warriors fans are going to love Hardaway's response:

"I take exception to that and that's like a slap in the face. Warriors fans are not bandwagon fans. Warriors fans are just like Boston Celtics fans, just like New York Knicks fans, just like Los Angeles Lakers fans. These are really loyal fans who understand the game. They've been through a lot of ups and downs. They've seen some great teams and great players, but they've supported the team when they've struggled too.

They really understand the game – they know who can play, who can't play, who's dogging it. These fans are very logical and smart. They're basketball people. When people say they're bandwagon fans or say they aren't loyal to the Warriors unless they're winning, they're just wrong and I take exception to that. That's a slap in the face. It's not right. These fans are loyal!

I've been there and I've seen it. They cared for us back when we were playing in the ‘90s and they helped us win games. They were always there for us and embraced us with open arms. Anyone saying those things is wrong. If you're saying those things, you don't know the Bay Area fans and you haven't been out here enough."

Duh.

Dirk Nowitzki certainly agrees.

Follow @DrewShiller on Twitter and Instagram

Source: https://sports.yahoo.com/tim-hardaway-strongly-defends-warriors-230153509.html?src=rss

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Lady Gaga's Las Vegas show 'Enigma' is perfectly suited to the excess of Las Vegas

The hits are here — “Poker Face,” “The Fame,” “Telephone,” “Paparazzi,” “The Edge of Glory,” “Born This Way” and others — but as a piece of theater, Lady Gaga’s “Enigma” is fairly disjointed, despite the attempted framing device of Gaga’s adventure through a series of life simulations courtesy of Enigma.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-et-ms-lady-gaga-enigma-vegas-20181229-story.html

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Man Shot And Killed By LAPD Officers During Fight In Hollywood Gym Locker Room

(Courtesy Kim Baldonado/NBC Los Angeles)

A man was fatally shot by police after getting into a fight with officers in a Hollywood gym locker room, Los Angeles Police Department officials said Monday.

Los Angeles Police Department officers were responding to a reported battery, which led them to the 24 Hour Fitness in the 6300 block of Sunset Boulevard, according to LAPD Officer L.P. Knight. A man had allegedly attacked a gym employee, NBC Los Angeles reported.

The officers were directed to the locker room, where they found the suspect, described only as a male. The confrontation turned physical, Knight said, and the man grabbed one of the officer's TASERs. That's when officers shot the man, who died at the scene.

One officer was taken to the hospital with "moderate injuries," according to LAPD officials.

The shooting is being investigated by the department's Force Investigation Division.

Hey, thanks. You read the entire story. And we love you for that. Here at LAist, our goal is to cover the stories that matter to you, not advertisers. We don't have paywalls, but we do have payments (aka bills). So if you love independent, local journalism, join us. Let's make the world a better place, together. Donate now.

Source: http://www.laist.com/2018/10/29/man_shot_and_killed_by_lapd_officers_during_fight_in_hollywood_gym_locker_room.php

[beautymouth72-blog]

Target invites retailers to sell on its website

Don-Alvin Adegeest

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Monday, February 25 2019

American retail giant, Target, is inviting third party brands and retailers to sell on its website.

The company is opening its e-commerce channel, Target.com, for select brands to sell on an invitation-only basis. Selected brands will be chosen on the basis of strong performing categories, such as sportswear and sneakers, where the is greater customer demand.

Target is aiming to grow its distribution prowess, a different approach from competitor retailers Amazon and Walmart.

Bricks and mortar retailers are often faced with high return rates and hefty shipping costs, but third party selling would bypass some of these expenses. Target's new initiative, called Target +, will see third-party companies responsible for shipping.

"We see this as a long-term opportunity to drive profitable growth," said Rick Gomez, Target chief marketing officer and chief digital officer. "This is intended to be a very curated and select group of products and brands. ... We are reaching out to the brands we want."

This invitation-only approach could also help Target avoid some of the PR blunders that Walmart and Amazon have faced over controversial merchandise ending up on their websites, writes news website CNBC.

Last year Walmart sparked outrage on social media when a third-party seller sold a shirt that read "Impeach 45," referring to President Donald Trump. Walmart eventually pulled the merchandise, however due to the size of their platforms, it is more difficult for companies like Walmart, Amazon and even eBay to monitor all of their third-party sellers.

Article credit: CNBC

Source: https://fashionunited.com/news/retail/target-invites-retailers-to-sell-on-its-website/2019022526345

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Upzone LA: State bill to boost housing could transform single-family home areas

Amid California's housing shortage, more than half the developable land is zoned single-family housing

California State Senator Scott Wiener (Credit: Scott Wiener and iStock)

A state Senate bill to boost California’s housing stock could transform residential neighborhoods through its zoning changes.

The revised SB50 legislation would now allow for duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes to rise in communities zoned for single-family homes, the Los Angeles Times reported.

State Sen. Scott Wiener is the mastermind behind the proposed bill, along with a previous version that was rejected last spring. The focus of the new SB50 is to build denser housing within walking distance of transit. That would be particularly beneficial in Los Angeles, which continues to suffer from a lack of affordable housing.

While it would allow for denser residential construction in more areas, the measure would prohibit developers from demolishing existing single-family homes for that purpose. Developers could also continue building single-family homes in those areas.

Fourplexes would be prohibited in communities that are at high risk of wildfire, or in the floodplains, the Times reported.

According to a UC Berkeley survey last year, up to 75 percent of developable land in the state is zoned only for single-family housing. In L.A., that figure is about 60 percent.

Wiener’s bill — a spinoff from his failed SB 827 — would also allow for larger apartment complexes in single-family home areas of more than 600,000 residents. Those areas include L.A., Orange County, San Diego and San Francisco.

SB 50 has to pass the state Senate by May 31 before it can make its way to the Assembly. It’s already met with opposition from the L.A. City Council, which voted unanimously to oppose the legislation last month, in a symbolic move. [LAT] — Natalie Hoberman

Source: https://therealdeal.com/la/2019/05/14/upzone-la-state-bill-to-boost-housing-could-transform-single-family-home-areas/

[beautymouth72-blog]

Aerial tram to Dodger Stadium could actually happen

Elon Musk has some serious competition in his plans to get Dodger fans to and from games.

Metro CEO Phil Washington announced Thursday that the agency had signed a letter of intent with a company called Aerial Rapid Transit Technologies that plans to build an aerial tram running between Union Station and the stadium.

The letter will allow the agency to begin negotiations with the company in order to allow the proposal to move forward.

ARTT is led by Drew McCourt, the son of former Dodgers own Frank McCourt. The company revealed plans for the project in April, estimating it would cost about $125 million to build.

According to Martha Welborne, project manager for the ARTT system, the tram will “have the capacity to move thousands of people every hour.”

Welborne said that, if all goes according to plan, the project is on track to open by 2022.

The tram would be privately funded and privately operated, but the company has asked Metro to “take the lead role in the procedural requirements for route selection and right of way,” according to a statement from ARTT issued earlier this year.

Meanwhile, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk revealed ambitions in August to build an underground transit line to the stadium that would carry riders between the venue and a nearby Metro station on game days. The project is undergoing environmental review.

Metro already offers free shuttle service before and after games between the stadium and Union Station, as well as the Harbor Gateway Transit Center.

Source: https://la.curbed.com/2018/12/6/18129247/dodger-stadium-aerial-tram-metro

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Top ten spots for DineLA Happy Hour Week

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You already know DineLA for it’s weekly dining deals at local restaurants around Los Angeles. The bi-annual event has now launched something new to be excited about. The inaugural DineLA Happy Hour starts today and runs through May 1 (some through Sat and Sun). Here’s where you can find our favorite Happy Hour deals.

Beverly Hills

Scarpetta 4-7pm Any time you can get in and out of Scarpetta at a discount, it’s worth checking out this pricey Italian spot. Specials: Tomato Arancini for $6, Herbed Polenta Fritti for $9, along with nine different $9 specialty cocktails.

Bouchon Bistro 5:30-10:30 After your done with your snacks at Scarpetta, head across the way to the Bistro Bar at Bouchon Bistro. With happy hour specials till 10:30 with specials like Steak Frites, Croque Madame, Poulet Roti with a glass of wine for just $20, happy hour just became happy all night.

Santa Monica

Loteria Grill 3-7pm Available at their locations in Santa Monica, Hollywood, and Studio City, El Happy Hour at Loteria Grill feature specials like Chiapas-Style Spare Ribs, Tacos, Taquitos and Mini Tostadas for $6. Margs for $7 and Beers for $4.

Michael’s 5-10pm (food + drinks), 10pm-Close (drinks only) The king of California cuisine on the West Side since 1979, Michael’s keeps the party going all night with it’s food and drink specials available till closing. Selections include Truffle Fries or Chicken & Waffles for $6, pizza’s for $12-$15, $5 beers, $7 wine, and $8 cocktails.

Downtown Los Angeles

Drago Centro Mon-Fri 11:30am-10pm, Sat-Sun 5pm-10pm In case you don’t already know Drago Centro has always been known for their all night happy hour. So it’s no surprise it made our top ten here. Beers for $5, wine and cocktails for $7. Food specials include oysters, kobe sliders, and a good selection of small pizzas for $6.

Artisan House 3pm-7pm, Fri-Sat 9:30-11pm at the bar only Artisan House is a hopping neighborhood joint in the arts district. Surrounded by some of DTLA’s best nightlife, it’s a great spot to start (or end) a night out in Downtown. Cocktails start at $7, all draft beers are $2 off. Enjoy comfort food specials ($7-$8) all night like Siracha Glazed Shrimp, Fish & Chips, Meatball Sliders and Fries.

The Valley

Triple & Brine Mon 4:30pm-11pm, Tue-Fri 4:30pm-6:30pm Get your oyster on at Triple & Brine in Sherman Oaks with $2 oysters, $13 oyster flights, and other bar snacks for around five bucks. Wash it all down with $5 beers, $6 wine, and $7 cocktails.

Gaucho’s Village 5pm-10pm Not many Happy Hour deals come with live entertainment, but Gaucho’s Village features a selection of $5 Brazilian bar bites, 16 different draft beers, wine, and cocktails all for $4, plus live Samba Shows on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights!

Mid-Wilshire

Petty Cash 5pm-7pm Walter Manzke’s taco spot is still as hot as ever. The happy hour specials at Petty Cash like tacos and nachos for $5-$6 and beers and cocktails for $4-6, will surely turn your hump day into a happy day.

Wilde 5pm-7pm The newish wine bar known as Wilde on La Brea features well sized portions of Taglioni with freshly made pesto, eggplant parmesan sliders, and cheese and charcuterie all for around $9. Beer and wine specials are $6.

Source: http://www.diglounge.net/04/27/2015/cocktails/top-ten-spots-for-dinela-happy-hour-week/

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High radiation levels found in giant clams near U.S. nuclear dump in Marshall Islands

Lucinda Anitok, 35, from Sedro-Woolley, Wash., is a descendant of Runit landowners. She said the U.S. testing program in Enewetak had devastated her family. Her grandmother, who was raised on Enewetak, had thyroid cancer. Her mother, who was born there, had cervical cancer. And her sister had leukemia.

Source: https://www.latimes.com/science/environment/la-me-marshall-islands-dome-is-leaking-radiation-20190528-story.html

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LA Attorney, Now Cryptocurrency Mogul, Plans Blockchain Paradise In Nevada

In yet another story of a cryptocurrency millionaire looking to create their own, utopian society, former Los Angeles attorney Jeffrey Berns--who made his fortune on investing in the Ethereum cryptocurrency--has purchased a massive plot of land near Reno, and hopes to create his own utopian world of "houses, schools, commercial districts, and production studios", according to a profile in the New York Times. Berns is founder of Blockchains LLC, which recently spent $170M in cash to buy a huge lot in Storey County. Berns was most recently Managing Partner at the LA office of Berns Weiss. Berns is not the only LA area cryptocurrency mogul trying to create their own blockchain society; notably, a number of other LA cryptocurrency investors have set up shop in Puerto Rico, with similar ideas.

Source: https://www.socaltech.com/la_attorney_now_cryptocurrency_mogul_plans_blockchain_paradise_in_nevada/s-0076510.html

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Here’s how to get into the Halloween spirit like Christine McConnell, Netflix’s new horror baking queen

Christine McConnell is like the domestic goddess of Gomez Addams’ dreams come to life undead existence, and, if we’re being honest, all of ours. The self-taught baker and Instagram star not only carves cakes into monstrously macabre sculptures—she bakes chocolate eyeballs into cookies, crafts her own goth tea sets from chocolate, annually transforms her parents’ house into a terrifying, sharp-fanged creature, and somehow manages to design and sew her own vintage-inspired dresses with enough time to look after five puppet monsters and a charming serial-killer boyfriend on her new Netflix show, The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell.

The hostess with the most-ess torture tools and dead friends—including a ghost played by McConnell’s real-life pal, Dita Von Teese—keeps house and more than a few stunning desserts coming over the course of the show’s first six episodes, creating an instant cult classic that feels a little Pee Wee’s Playhouse, a little Martha Stewart, a little Avenue Q. (We can thank the Jim Henson Company for the show’s irreverent puppet monsters.)

We caught up with the goth kitchen legend to learn how to celebrate Halloween in L.A. right—whether we’re strolling through cemeteries, decking out our front decks to scare children or marathoning scary movies—and learn what’s next for McConnell’s creepy clan.

So is Halloween your favorite holiday?

Easily and obviously. I’m so jazzed my parents’ house worked out the way that it did and I’m gonna be there on Halloween night, dressed to the nines and terrifying little children. 

When you visit L.A., what are some of your favorite spooky spots to get into the spirit?

Pierce Brothers Westwood Village Memorial Park and Mortuary: It’s well known as the burial place of Marilyn Monroe, but it’s a quiet and sleepy cemetery; I’ve always liked to go and sit. And Heritage Square Museum, another L.A. favorite of mine: Old houses and a church from the L.A. area have been moved to this out-of-the-way lot and can be toured. Catching a movie at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery is a perfect date night for the ghoul in your life, and on Halloween night, the West Hollywood Costume Carnaval is an amazing way to show off your best costumes with friends or family and enjoy the creativity of others!

What are your favorite non-Halloween spots?

I go to that Westwood cemetery a lot—whenever I’m in L.A. and have a break and I don’t have anything to do for a couple hours, I always go there just because it’s creepy and beautiful and tranquil. And I love the Ace Theater Downtown; it’s so gothic and creepy and it’s a really incredible place to go. And I also love the TCL Chinese Theater on Hollywood: That’s a beautiful place to just walk around and feel like you’re in the past.

Do you have any favorite Halloween movies?

Trick or Treat. It’s a bunch of stories all strung together and it’s probably the most Halloween-y movie I can think of. And then I’m a huge fan of the classic Halloween; I play that almost nonstop during the month of October, and, I mean, all of them. I really kind of binge anything horror. I love Frankenweenie—I know that kind of might be silly, but I love the music, I love all of the little characters—it’s just such a terrific Halloween movie.

Any tips for people who want to get into the spirit at home?

I love to pick up some dry ice, [then] fill a cauldron with punch and sherbet ice-cream; drop a few cubes of the dry ice in and watch it bubble and fog. This is fun to do with for a party or just something delicious and spooky by yourself.

Every year you redecorate your parents’ house for Halloween, and you go all-out with the woodwork, the lighting—what are a few ideas for people who might not be willing to go that all-out with their decorations?

For people who aren’t insane?

Right, maybe just the people who want to show up their neighbors.

You can always go and get some foam core and cut it with a kitchen knife to make some teeth and like, put them around your entry way. And you can put little googly eyes—I mean, really, you can make it as simplistic as you want; you can make it an elementary school craft project or you can get a little crazier with it. But I kind of feel like putting a creepy face up on your house is a fun way to creep out the neighbors and the kids, and I just think it’s exciting for kids to come up to a house like that. 

When it comes to Halloween candy, what are your top and bottom favorites?

Full-size Snickers, full-size Almond Joy, and I like Whatchamacallit bars. I don’t want to put down any companies, but I don’t like those little Dum Dums suckers, and I don’t like candy corn. And this is a personal thing that will probably cause a lot of controversy, but I don’t like Three Musketeers; it’s like a candy bar that’s missing all the good stuff.

What do you think Rose’s [a raccoon puppet in the show] favorite Halloween candy is? 

Everything. Sex? Sex is her favorite Halloween candy. I think the running theme is she has an insatiable lust for everything, and I don’t see her playing favorites. 

And Rankle’s [a mummified cat puppet] and Edgar’s [a sensitive werewolf puppet]?

Maybe dead birds? That seems to be [Rankle’s] thing, like he’d want to hand out dead birds to trick-or-treaters. And I think [Edgar] really loves those chocolate-covered bones, so anything that looks like a human part. 

In a Halloween round of fuck, marry, kill, what’s your pick: Dracula, the Wolf Man and the Creature from the Black Lagoon?

Ooh. I would say marrying Dracula would be the way to go, because he’d bite you and you’d live forever. And the Wolf Man’s kind of hot, and I think I’d be OK with killing the Creature from the Black Lagoon; I don’t think he’s very nice. Sorry, those are all kind of creepy answers.

It was kind of a creepy question. In terms of your love life on the show, will we be seeing more of Norman?

I have an opinion about that, and I don’t think I should say. I love him and I love the actor [Adam Mayfield], but I have plans for him, and I can’t say that they're all good.

I’m not sure if you can say whether there are more episodes coming, but is there anything forthcoming we can look forward to?

I don’t know anything, but I’m lighting candles and I’ve got a shrine going. I’m crossing my fingers, basically. 

This interview has been edited and condensed for purposes of clarity and consistency.

Netflix’s “The Curious Creations of Christine McConnell,” a co-production with Wilshire Studios and Henson Alternative, is available to stream now.

Source: https://www.timeout.com/los-angeles/news/heres-how-to-get-into-the-halloween-spirit-like-christine-mcconnell-netflixs-new-horror-baking-queen-102518

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Granite, Industrious Bring Coworking to Glendale

As companies move away from traditional workplaces, the need for coworking spaces has grown.

The latest company looking to capitalize on the trend is Granite Properties. The company is working with Industrious to bring coworking to Glendale, the two announced Nov. 26.

Its flexible office space, called 500@TheBrand will have 24,000 square feet at 500 North Brand Blvd. It is Industrious’ first location in Glendale.

The space will open in June 2019.

“We chose to build our next Los Angeles location in Glendale because it’s such a growing market, with high-growth startups and companies across industries converging,” said Katharine Lau, senior director of real estate at Industrious, in a statement.

Industrious already has coworking locations in Century City, West Hollywood, downtown and Playa District.

Commercial real estate reporter Hannah Madans can be reached at hmadans@labusinessjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @HannahMadans

Source: http://labusinessjournal.com/news/2018/dec/06/granite-industrious-bring-coworking-glendale/

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Leaders in Law 2018 Winners: Environmental Firm Attorney of the Year - James L. Arnone

Partner

Latham & Watkins LLP

Jim Arnone is a Partner in Latham’s Los Angeles office and the Global Chair of the firm’s Environment, Land & Resources Department. He previously served as the Deputy Managing Partner of the Los Angeles office and as the Global Co-Chair of the Environmental Litigation Practice.

Arnone has particular experience in compliance with state and federal environmental laws; infrastructure, energy, and real estate development projects; and litigation over the legal obligations of local, state, and federal governmental bodies.

Arnone also has extensive courtroom experience, both in the trial courts and in the appellate courts. He has advised numerous clients on the implications of current and pending global climate change rules, and he also frequently advises clients on and litigates matters involving the enforcement of governmental duties, including environmental laws, open meeting and public records laws, charter school laws, and initiative and referendum laws.

Arnone has often advised clients and litigated controversies involving a wide range of environmental and land use laws, including air quality laws, water quality laws, water supply laws; the California Coastal Act; the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA); the Endangered Species Act; historic preservation laws; and state and local land use laws.

Arnone’s skills and leadership are exemplified by the recent approvals of a plan to advance one of the largest master-planned communities ever proposed in California, the Newhall Ranch project in Los Angeles County. Representing the Five Point/Newhall Ranch developers, Arnone helped lead a Latham team and co-counsel in taking initiative to gain regulatory clearances and to forge a settlement of litigation that the Los Angeles Times called “a historic truce.”

Return to Index

Source: http://labusinessjournal.com/news/2018/nov/05/leaders-law-2018-winners-entertainment-firm-attorn/

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Baggedmilk on #theLOCKERROOM: Recapping the Oilers’ free agency adds so far

As per Wednesday tradition, I jumped on the 95.7 Cruz FM airwaves to talk to the boys at The Locker Room about all things Oilers. This week, we broke down what the NHL’s silly season and looked at the new players the Oilers have grabbed so far.

With limited cap space to make major changes, Ken Holland wasn’t able to chase the high end free agents, but that’s not to say that he didn’t get some work done. As anyone who watched last year’s team can tell you, one of the biggest issues the Oilers had was a lack of overall team depth and Ken Holland did what he could to address that problem. No, free agents like Markus Granlund and Gaetan Haas aren’t the sexiest pickups an Oilers fan could ever dream for, but what they do address is the need for competition in the bottom-six. At this point, it’s anyone’s guess as to whether or not these small bets will pay off or not, but I think we can all agree that Oilers fans are certainly hoping they do.

Have a listen below:

Source: https://oilersnation.com/2019/07/03/baggedmilk-on-thelockerroom-recapping-the-edmonton-oilers-free-agency-adds-so-far/