Musings of an exiled New Yorker

It's not that I've left you...

2007-03-16T08:21:00.000-07:00

...it's just that I've taken my blogging show on the road. Well, more like DOWN the road, to LA blogging uber-site LAist. So, whenever there are large posting gaps here, you will usually find me over there. I will continue to update my links section, as well as posting some interesting YouTube videos here (before YouTube is sued into oblivion). For starters, enjoy this classic Living Color sketch from the 90s. It's one of my favorites.

Pit Stop

2007-01-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

Hey blogosphere, long time, no see. To my friends who have been emailing wondering why I've not updated since November, many apologies. There simply hasn't been enough time to keep blogging as of late. The holidays were super busy, and the period from Thanksgiving to New Year's kept me running around at a ridiculous pace. Then there's this terrible "bug" (the universal term for sicknesses including flu, pneumonia, spontaneous combustion, etc.) going around. The bottom line is that day-cares, no matter how nice, are sickness factories, and I can count on one hand the number of days Mingus hasn't been sick since mid-December. I finally succumbed and was down for the count from Christmas Eve until about...I don't know...NOW. And I'm still coughing. Ugh!

But despite the sicknesses, things have been well. I'd like to thank the folks at Mr. Ramen in Little Tokyo for soothing the winter blues with some excellent ramen. For those who don't know, it has been freezing in LA for the past week. No, SERIOUSLY. It has gotten down to the 20s at night in some parts of town. For a city where most people don't even own a scarf or pair of gloves, that's like Minneapolis weather.

The only good thing about sprawling on my couch with Kleenex for a few weeks is I really gave my Netflix queue a workout, and found some pleasant surprises. I usually totally ignore the suggestions on the website's home page, but since my head was too foggy to remember what new releases were coming, I gave in to its benevolent wisdom, and came away with a few gems, including A Scanner Darkly (which I really loved), Born Rich (far less offensive than anything on My Super Sweet 16) and many others. Ah, Netflix, what would we do without ye?

I Need A Hero

2006-11-03T07:27:00.000-08:00

The season finale of Weeds on Showtime left me dejected (worst...cliffhanger...EVER), no Curb Your Enthusiasm or Sopranos on the horizon, and still a little ways to go before the second season of the amazing Sleeper Cell. Thank goodness that NBC, of all networks, has the best show on television running Monday nights. If you haven't seen it, you must check out Heroes. It's basically the weekly television show version of Alan Moore's Watchmen. Those who know what I'm talking about know how good that makes it. Do yourself a favor and watch the best original program on TV so that they don't fill the slot with MORE reality shows.

Save the cheerleader, save network television.

Food Wars

2006-11-02T11:28:00.000-08:00

Had lots of visitors from NYC in town the past weekend. Too bad the stomach flu I caught from my son floored me for most of it (thanks Mingus). Still, after one of my buddies mentioned that a sushi restaurant he patronized in Venice was some of the best he had ever had in his life, I was reminded that LA is not a bad food town at all. In fact, there are some cuisines that (dare I say it?) LA actually kicks most other cities' collective asses in (including New York's). I don't think I'll ever not miss the great Jamaican food all over Brooklyn and the great Chinese all over the city, but if I left LA, there are certainly some foods I would miss just as much. As far as I can tell:

LA kicks NYC's ass in-

Korean
Japanese (Sushi)
Mexican (duh)
Burger joints
Argentinian
Thai
Armenian
Ethiopian

NYC kicks LA's ass in-

Chinese
Jamaican
Spanish
Indian
Cuban
Hot Dogs
Pizza
Steak houses
Seafood

That's not so say that there aren't some great places to get all of these foods in both cities. I love Electric Lotus Indian restaurant in Los Feliz, for example, and one of my favorite Korean restaurants in all the country is in Sunnyside, Queens. I just think each city has definitely developed more of an expertise in some kinds of food (many LA car washes have sushi bars attached, and they're damn good), and its surprising to the uninitiated what kinds of grub one can find here in LA.

Random thoughts on San Francisco...

2006-09-15T15:52:00.000-07:00

Just back from a stay in San Francisco, where I haven't been in a few years. Great trip, and I saw more of the city this time out than I had in my previous several trips combined, including a great little excursion up into the Marin Headlands for some great bird-watching (of the raptor variety), watching an unusual water sport that combines flying a kite and wind-surfing and finishing the first draft of my script assignment, which has now been turned in to my producer. Some parting thoughts on LA's northern neighbor...

-San Fran is one of the most beautiful cities physically in the United States.

-People should stop equating Los Angeles with traffic, because the gridlock in SF is just as bad.

-It's hard to think of another city on Earth (Moscow maybe?) where pedestrians are in more danger of being run down by automobiles. For a pedestrian-friendly town, SF drivers sure seem to have a hatred of those on foot.

-The Bay area has smog too.

-It's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to find good Chinese food in SF, which I find really odd since the city's primary tourist neighborhood is Chinatown.

-I hate Pacific Heights. The people, the shops, the whole neighborhood. Now I'm totally not surprised by them calling the cops on Walter for birdwatching in the neighborhood park. Pac Heights residents, y'all suck.

-I still love North Beach. Best walking neighborhood on the west coast. Period. Cafes, parks, bookstores, restaurants, views...just great neighborhood, and the years have been kind to it, because it is still as awesome now as when I first visited years ago. Just lots more gentrified, but not pompous like the aforementioned Pac Heights.

-I love, LOVE SF's great Wi-Fi connectivity. Getting a signal anywhere in the Bay Area is a cinche. And there are even entire towns with free Wi-Fi thanks to "patrons" like Google. I really hope LA gets on that bandwagon.

-The lovely Palace of Fine Arts building is hollow. It might look like stone and marble, but it's not. It's a fugazi.

-Don't fuck with swans. They look pretty, but they bark like dogs, and they won't take your shit.

-Everyone in the Bay Area is an engineer, a software deisgner, or a student. Weird.

-I didn't bother riding it, but I thought it was wild that Cable Car fares are up to $5 ONE WAY! Wow, that seems steep.

One final parting thought...why do people in San Francisco hate LA so much? I've heard rumblings of some kind of "rivalry" between the two cities, but I have to say the rivalry is completely one-sided. Kind of like the supposed "rivalry" between New York and Chicago that only exists in the minds of Chicagoans. Sorry, but folks here in LA don't sit around bitching about San Fran, so why don't folks up in the Bay enjoy their pretty city, have a Coke, smile and shut the fuck up?

I have a new least favorite word!

2006-08-15T15:25:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, my least favorite word in the English language has been emulsion. Maybe it's because I love the dish arroz negre so much (particularly the kind served at AOC on 3rd), and I'd rather think that I'm eating squid ink than squid emulsion.

Still, after watching a Food Network show on how "junk food" is made, I now have a new least favorite word, and that word is slurry.

Seas of change

2006-08-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

It was quite an eventful July, in both good and bad ways. Mostly good, but the bad is still very significant. Daryl Nickens, a wonderful screenwriter, mentor and person lost his battle with cancer. His passing came as a shock to a lot of us. I had exchanged emails with him just a couple of weeks before, and he seemed to be in good spirits. He will be missed by many people, and my thoughts are with his family.

The heat finally broke this week. Everyone knows that the brutal heat wave seemed to hit Southern California worst of all. It got up to 119 degrees in the Valley, and rarely dropped below 103 here in the city. It was hard enough to get ANY work done, so there was no way I was going to sit around and sweat over a keyboard to add to a blog. Unfortunately, regular trips to the beach didn't help one bit. It was 100 right on the waterfront. Ugh.

Speaking of the beach, the LA Times has been running a
series on oceanic changes that is an absolute must-read, no matter where you live. Anyone who frequents the beach has noticed some major "issues" at the waterfront. Here in LA, the dreaded "red tides" have increased dramatically in frequency and intensity only in the time that I've lived here. This series offers an explanation for many of these occurances, and it's pretty damn scary. I'm talking An Inconvenient Truth scary.

In better news, I just got word that two close homies are going to be making moves at the end of the year. I won't mention you guys by name, since I know you haven't told many people (including in one case, your boss), but one good friend will find himself moving from NYC to London for at least a year, while another will be moving from NYC out here to LA! I'm really proud of my boy for the opportunity he's receiving in England, and I'm absolutely THRILLED that one of my Brooklyn guys is going to be out here by the end of the year. It's a bit sad to see the New York delegation shrinking, but plenty of the fellas will still be there to hold down the fort.

I have friends and associates in cities all over the world. But it's funny how the vast majority of my very closest friends are congregated in such a small group of cities. Basically New York, LA, Washington, DC, Minneapolis/St. Paul and a couple of stragglers up in San Francisco. My family is almost all located in NYC metro (including Jersey, Long Island, etc.) and down in the Hampton/Virginia Beach area or Virginia. My heir land is in North Carolina, but I've been there only once since my teenage years, for my father's funeral. Planning the Thanksgiving holiday now, and it's looking like I'll be spending it in Hampton (visiting mom), with a little side trip up to DC to both get caught up with some folks and to take my daughter to some of the Smithsonian museums. My career started as a Smithsonian, then Smithsonian Magazine intern, so I can't wait to show her around the museums.

Speaking of my daughter, Mackenzie turns the big 8 on Saturday. Man, these kids grow up fast! Going to pick up her gift this afternoon.

And finally, the tides of progress seem to be going full speed ahead here in LA. Construction is underway on not one, but TWO new Metro rail lines. The first line is an extention of the Gold line from downtown east into East LA. The second is the brand new Exposition Line, which originates in downtown and travels west, through USC (yaay!), Exposition Park (yaay!), the Crenshaw district (yaay!), and terminates in Culver City. If having Metro access to USC, the Coliseum, the Expo Park museums and the Crenshaw District wasn't good enough, this will be the first Metro line to travel west of the 405, and plans call for a phase 2 that goes into Santa Monica.

It's refreshing to see the city buying into mass transit. One of the more interesting things I've read in the past couple of weeks is news about the many new residential developments popping up around Metro stations. One particular high-rise, a condo building across the street from the Wilshire/Western Metro station, would be a great buy for city dwellers, if not for the fact that units will start at $700,000 and top off at $2.5 million. Anyone who has been in the Wilshire/Western area knows that those prices are nuckin' futs. Who can afford that? And why would the people who COULD afford it move to the Wilshire and Western instead of Hancock Park, Laurel Canyon, Hollywood Hills, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, or Venice? It's like for every step forward in urban development, there always has to be two steps back. Thanks a lot greedy real estate developers.

What I'm reading now...

2006-07-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

Sprawl by Robert Bruegmann

Interesting "alternative" urban planning book that offers the premise that suburbanization is not a modern phenomenon, and in fact can be traced back to ancient civilizations. Don't agree with some of the author's assertions, but it's still a fascinating read and contains some surprising statistics.

The Fortress of Solitude by Jonathan Lethem

I know, I should be ashamed of myself for never having read this critically acclaimed novel. Well, better late than never, right?

Black Like You by John Strausbaugh

Recently got a galley copy of this one, and finally cracked it open during the long weekend. Too early to comment, but it's engaging thus far.

The Cities Book

Not technically reading this large coffee table book I was recently given. It's a combination of photos and random information on the 200 most popular cities in the world, as determined by the readers of Lonely Planet. If you're a "city nut" like me, this book will be the most exciting thing you've seen in a while. In particular, I love the "Strengths" and "Weaknesses" section for each city. I cracked up when I saw that one of LA's weaknesses were "New York 'transplants' who do nothing but complain about LA." Amen to that.

The Exile returns

2006-06-14T15:28:00.000-07:00

It has been a bit, but it looks like I'm finally heading back to NYC in late July to attend one of my very best friend's weddings. Congrats Mike and Adriana. Looking forward to seeing you both on your happiest day, and drinking myself under the table while I'm there. Soul Patrol! Whoooooo!

Are you there Hollywood? It's me...Kemp

2006-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

They need to come up with a word for that moment when a person suddenly goes from an "aspiring screenwriter" (though I hate that term) to a "working screenwriter." Something that encapsulates the feeling of relief and validation that comes from knowing that your years of work honing your skills is finally starting to pay off. Perhaps valigasmic? Alchorational (in honor of the drinking binge one goes on after selling their first spec or getting their first assignment)? Where's Jesse Jackson when you need him?

Anyway, my valigasmic moment finally came last week when my agent called to tell me I landed the feature writing assignment I was after. So, my schedule for the summer just got a lot busier. Now for the next step in my master plan...actually writing something that gets produced.

One Sopranos to go...

2006-05-27T16:05:00.000-07:00

...and then this "season" is over, until 2007 at least. That last episode is going to have to be one for the ages to bring this show back to the top of my list of favorites. And unless AJ dies a painful death next Sunday, I just don't expect that to happen.

Even through this subpar season, there have been some great jewels of dialogue (always the strength of the show, in my opinion). One that I'll definitely have to add to the lexicon...

Tony (to AJ after he disrespects his mother)
"You know, if it wasn't for that women in there, I'd have knocked out all of your baby teeth with one shot."

There have been some other television surprises though. The Sundance Channel has been airing City of Men on Tuesday nights. This is the television series follow up to the superb film City of God, and follows the adventures of two young boys living in Rio de Janeiro's favelas. Most of the actors from City of God are also on this show, a gorgeous single-camera outing that first appeared on the BBC almost two years ago. Better late than never...

Focus, Kemp, focus...

2006-05-27T15:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I really have to buckle down for the month of June. I have a personal goal of July 1 to complete my new spec, and I'm deep into the writing process now. My friends already know that I make probably the most detailed step outlines on Earth, and I finally got the step outline for this one nice and tight a couple weeks ago. Turning the corner into Act 2 now. Just need to take a deep breath, lock the doors and push towards the finish line. Don't know why, but I'm just really excited about this one. (which, considering my general attitude of indifference, is saying a lot) Since no one actually hires you to write a spec, I've made it a personal goal to have every new spec be better than the last one. So far, I've been successful, but my last spec was incredibly well received when it made the rounds, so I was really thrilled when this idea popped into my head that I thought was even better. Of course, actually executing that idea is the big challenge, isn't it?

I'm thinking of starting up a writing group. I'll ask around, and if any other friends have specs underway, maybe we can bounce some scenes off one another. I'm used to working my entire life in a vaacum, but with screenplays it's always nice to get outside input. We'll see...

Doing It For Money...

2006-05-26T14:06:00.001-07:00

...that's the title of a new book about the trials and tribulations of screenwriting I just finished reading. It was quite enjoyable. I picked up the book less because I wanted to be inspired and/or frightened by the tales from Hollywood's successful screenwriters, and more because the editor, Daryl G. Nickens, was one of the instructors at the Cosby Screenwriting Fellowship I took at USC in 2005. One of the nicest guys you'll ever meet, Daryl's personality is the exact opposite of what one would expect from a working screenwriter. I swear, the guy doesn't seem to have a self-loathing bone in his body, and that's quite a refreshing thing considering the bitterness you encounter when chatting with other screenwriters. There's certainly a fine line between amusing self-deprecation and depressing self-loathing...I freely admit that I'm a frequent visitor to both of those places.

As for my own writing, my experiences over the past few months have definitely left me with a sunny disposition for the moment. I'm plowing along on my new spec, which should be completed by the first week of July (give or take a week...er...month), and I'm feeling confident that, if I don't screw it up, it will be even better received than my last one. Hell, maybe it'll even sell.

The general meetings have been interesting, and I've even made a few meaningful contacts. I feel like I've sat in every producer's office in town. At the the very least, my knowledge of the workings of Hollywood is increasing exponentially.

And I'm even up for a potential feature writing assignment. I should know whether or not I get it within the next week. I'm pretty excited about it though. It's a project I'm very passionate about, I think my take is unique and I think I can EXECUTE exactly the story that I pitched. I also really like the other things (film and television) this producer has done, and this appears to be a project that will very likely get made. Even being considered for such assignments is encouraging, considering it has only been three years since I started taking this "hobby" of mine seriously. We'll see if it bears fruit.

Speaking the Gospel of Urban Wilderness

2006-04-22T09:16:00.000-07:00

I've always been obsessed with nature, particularly that elusive nature found in urban areas. It's why I'm a birdwatcher. It's why I preach to anyone who will listen about the greatness of the Minneapolis park system, where one can be minutes from downtown, yet feel lost in the wilderness (almost). L.A. has provided an interested smorgasborg of urban nature, and I discover new challenges every day in deciphering this weird puzzle that is the City of Angels.

Despite New York City's reputation as a concrete jungle, there is in fact much more accessible green space for city residents there than here in Los Angeles. The only thing odder than that is the fact that L.A., while virtually devoid of green space at the neighborhood level, contains some of the largest urban parklands on the planet. Where else can one have to drive miles to find a patch of green, but then get attacked by a mountain lion or coyote in their backyard? Nature is so elusive, yet we look out the window and see an endless range of mountains, close enough to touch, yet just out of reach at the same time. There's a great article in the April issue of The Believer by writer Jenny Price on the oddity of being a Los Angeles nature writer. Definitely worth a read.

Speaking of Price, she's hosting a six-hour tour of the Los Angeles River at the end of May. For the uninitiated, the L.A. "River" is that concrete berm that has served as the backdrop for chase and/or racing scenes in movies such as Grease, Terminator 2, Repo Man and many, many others. It was once a natural river, but because of flooding concerns, the Army Corps of Engineers slapped enough concrete on that bad boy to change the natural face of L.A. forever.

I'm definitely signing up for Price's river tour. Should give me some great perspective on this often forgotten natural aspect of the city. Also lots of great birdwatching on the river's banks.

A Thelonious Monk kind of day...

2006-04-20T17:38:00.000-07:00

Quite literally. I just spent the better part of the entire day with Monk's music blasting in the background. Gotta say, it really kept me motivated, and I got some really meaningful writing (on the creative front) done, and some equally meaningful writing (on the paycheck front) done too. Plus, my little dude (who just turned the big TWO yesterday) bounced around the house the entire time. What is it about Monk's music that resonates so much in small children? Maybe because, at first listen, it sounds like something a child could play? (even though it's some of the most complex music I've ever heard)

Anyhow, it's closing in on 6pm, little Mingus is out cold for a late nap, and Monk's Straight No Chaser has wound to a close. Guess it's Curtis Mayfield time...

The Surreal Mob Life

2006-04-11T08:48:00.000-07:00

Has The Sopranos jumped the shark? Or do I just not get it? There are still some great things about one of my favorite television shows. Every time Christopher (Michael Imperioli) opens his mouth, it's hard not to double over in laughter ("Allegra? Isn't that a cold medicine?"). Pauly Walnuts seems to just be itching to finally get his comeuppance, and I have to be there when it happens. Johnny Sack is turning into a pretty interesting character, and his teary breakdown at his daughter's wedding was classic.

But Uncle Junior (my favorite character from the first two seasons) being reduced to a raving lunatic? The two episodes of "Tony in Purgatory" with the whole buddhist monk/heat installation subplot? The Vito in the leather gay bar scene that had me thinking of Tobias in Arrested Development? Bobby shooting Treach in the ass for street cred?

Dammit Fonzie, where'd you put those waterskis?

Finding the time...

2006-04-01T16:57:00.000-08:00

Wow, it's been a while since I've had a spare moment to sit down and post on my trusty blog, prompting some telephone calls from a few friends who wondered what I was up to. Funny that in many cases a blog acts as a substitute to actual contact with people, and even I find myself guilty of "checking up" on friends through their blogs rather than with a simple call or email. I really have to break that habit. I hope others do the same for me, because my ramblings here are much less "this is what I did today" and much more stream of consciousness.

That being said, I'm still wondering how people are able to find the time to blog. On the occassions when I sit down and prepare to add an entry, I'm suddenly wracked with guilt, thinking what am I doing writing on a blog when I have work to do? When you write for a living, it's hard to write a blog and not feel as though you're goofing off.

Lots of stuff has been happening since I last posted, yet lots has stayed the same. The Knicks are still sucking, the kids are still good, projects are still on the cooker, stories have been published, yada yada yada. It has been unseasonably cool here lately (that means in the high 50s and low 60s to my friends back east), and my car has been acting completely jacked up, which has prompted use of public transit as a necessity as opposed to novelty. Thank goodness my mechanic is finally getting me in this week, which means I'll be rolling around as usual by the weekend. I'll have to celebrate by driving up the PCH next weekend.

Memo to Isiah Thomas...

2006-02-26T13:59:00.000-08:00

FROM: Kemp Powers

TO: Isiah Thomas

RE: WTF???

Isiah, you are sincerely f*****g killing me here. I've always liked Steve Francis, going back to his high-flying days as "The Franchise" with Houston, but a backcourt of Francis and Marbury is about as intimidating defensively as a backcourt of me and my son. I pray to the basketball gods that this is part of your brilliant plan to land us Kevin Garnett or Allen Iverson this summer. The Big Ticket could be the answer to the Knicks' prayers. The Answer wouldn't, but he would at least make Knicks games worth watching again. But if you don't land KG or AI, you'd better pretend you're in Sao Paulo and start taking a helicopter to work.

I don't get it. Michael Jordan botched things up less than you, and he still got sent packing in D.C. And he even suited up for the team! Are you thinking of signing Walt Frazier too? Bear in mind, I don't hate you Isiah. I just love my Knicks, and I hate what has been done to them. Talk about lipstick on a pig. I didn't want Larry Brown in New York. Look at how poorly the Pistons are doing now that the underrated Flip Saunders is coaching them. My pick for coach would have been Mike Fratello. Everyone knows the czar is a no-nonsense, defensive-minded guy who keeps his teams competitive. I remember those Cavs squads he used to coach that gave the far more talented Bulls and Pistons runs for their money back in the day. But no, the Knicks had to go for the overpriced glamour pick. And despite your wise and steadfast refusal to trade star-in-the-making Channing Frye, I don't trust you. I would not be surprised in the least to see Frye packaged with Francis or Marbury to land a hobbled Jermain O'Neal in the offseason. Those are the kinds of moves the Knicks have become known for.

Oh well...Snakes on a freakin' Plane...

This show is 100% Sucker Free

2006-02-18T08:46:00.000-08:00

After several years of standing on the fence, just renewed my love affair with Netflix. I got tired of the hard to find releases never being in at Blockbuster, Rocket Video, or Hollywood Video. The first thing was to fill the queue with films and television shows I've missed over the past few years, and I received, and watched, Spike Lee's Sucker Free City last night.

SFC originally aired on Showtime a couple of years ago. It was supposed to be a regular series (a la The Wire), but the deal fell through, and Lee only directed the two-hour pilot, which is available on DVD.

Two words for SFC: LOVED IT!

It's hard to watch any film these days and not "see" a screenplay, and based on that I have to give writer Alex Tse as much credit as Lee for creating a rich film with subplots that I am left salivating to see resolved. It's rare to see a film handle so many ethnic groups so well without being patronizing to any of those groups. Tse manages to establish some very real issues such as Chinese ethnic pride, but doesn't stoop to making the black characters the boogeymen in order to do so. I sincerely hope Tse gets lots more work, because my man has a unique voice that deserves to be heard.

Then there's Spike himself, who does such a great job directing this film that it had me reminiscing of Mo Better Blues. Talk about painting a picture of the City by the Bay that has never been seen before. It's an unfortunate reality that Hollywood relies pretty exclusively on South Central Los Angeles for all of its ghetto and hood needs, and Spike's very real (though virtually unrecognizable) vision of San Francisco is amazing.

Talk about one of the ones that got away. SFC would have been reason enough for me to subscribe to Showtime again. A real tentpole series. I might have to look up Alex Tse to find out how the show was supposed to end.

A Tale of Two Chappelles

2006-02-16T17:58:00.000-08:00

Dave Chappelle
Originally uploaded by Mattitude.

Like most of America, I was excited to watch Dave Chappelle's two recent television interviews on Oprah and Inside the Actor's Studio. Caught them both, and I'm left begging the question; did Oprah drug Dave?

I kid, of course, but it's hard to view both of the specials and not come to the conclusion that Dave was f&$%#d up when he visited the mighty Miss O. I was really let down by the Oprah appearance, as he didn't elaborate on several very interesting issues, such as his feeling that his comedy had become "socially irresponsible." Boy, how I would love to build with Dave on that topic for a few hours. Break out the Johnny Walker Black, homey!

Fortunately, his appearance on Inside the Actor's Studio was fantastic. He was charming, funny and insightful, and even had fun with the much-parodied James Lipton. If trolling for re-runs, definitely catch the Lipton special, and skip the Oprah one.

Speaking of my fellow Negroids, I just found out I'll be covering the NAACP Image Awards for a news organization next weekend. Funny, but I didn't think anyone even covered the Image Awards. Shows how much I know. I've scanned the sight to educate myself about the "nominees" (hard not to laugh at that one, because I don't think anyone votes for the awards). My guess is that Everybody Hates Chris is a shoe-in for best TV series, and Crash is going to continue its roll of accolades. I'm much more interested in who will actually show up. Should be a fun red carpet. Better dig out the steamer for my blazer jacket.

A Whale of a past few weeks...

2006-02-15T11:40:00.000-08:00

...and that's both good and bad. I'm not usually a big believer in the "death comes in threes" superstition that my mother subscribes to, but it did strike me when the great Lou Rawls' death was immediately followed by the death of the matriarch of the Civil Rights movement, Coretta Scott King and then, this past Friday here in LA, producer Jay Dilla. Dilla's really shocked the hell out of me because he was only 32, and I had no idea that the disease he was battling (lupus) was fatal. I also wasn't aware that he had been battling the debilitating disease over the past several years.

Those who know me also know that I have been a huge Slum Village fan from the jump. I still consider the casio-inspired "Raise it Up" to be a Dilla masterpiece, "Welcome to Detroit" to be one of the great unheralded hip-hop albums of the past decade, and I recall very fondly picking up SV tracks in London (a year before before their first album was released in the States) and the great atmosphere of the last SV show I attended in Michigan. This is a HUGE blow to the hip-hop community...

Funny chatting with friends in NYC and hearing them sound so annoyed about the big deal people in other places were making about the snow. Reminds me of when I lived in Minneapolis, and family would always call to find out if I was alive after a news report of the record cold temps. Now maybe they'll stop calling me every time there's a forest fire in the O.C. to find out if my place has burned down.

All has not been doom and gloom. Had one of those "I never thought I'd get to do that" experiences just this past weekend, when I took my daughter out to Long Beach to go on a whale watching cruise.

Rather than battle the weekend traffic, we caught the subway do Long Beach. I got this great picture of the Wiltern Theatre before we hopped on the Metro at Wilshire and Western:

Wiltern Theatre
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

The ride to Long Beach was nice, as the Blue Line is all above ground. You pass right by the Watts Towers, and straight through the city of Compton. I'm always amazed by how much nicer Compton appears (from the subway, at least) than Watts or any of the other communities we pass through.

The weather was nice, but Mackenzie had to wear her furry poncho, because it got MUCH colder when we got out onto the ocean.

Mackenzie at the fountain
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

The boat was a comfy research vessel called the RV Challenger. When they told us our cruise would be three hours, I couldn't get the Gilligan's Island theme out of my head, and kept checking for cloudy skies.

RV Challenger
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Now for the good news. We did see a whale, and very close up at that. About 45 minutes into the trip, the heart-shaped blow of a grey whale was visible off in the distance. The captain then deftly spun the boat around, and the whale actually popped up just off the boat's stern. It was quite a sight, barnacles attached to its head and everything. Mackenzie was really excited. I think she (like I) questioned how much of any whales we'd actually see, so it was nice to see the entire creature so close up.

The bad news? Well, I was so busy trying to check off "Grey Whale" on the "Sea Animal Bingo" checklist they gave us that I forgot to take a picture. By the time I got my camera out, the whale was gone. Got a nice picture of the water though...

The say looking at the water makes you seasick...
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

As well as some eerie pics of the Queen Mary as we pulled back into port.

She looks like the Titanic...
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

I can't recommend whale watching enough. Being out on the ocean, you never expect so much sea life to be visible just a couple of miles from a major city. An equally enthralling and humbling experience.

As my mom would say, "Good Googly Moogly"

2006-01-23T08:32:00.000-08:00

Kobe scored 81 points last night. Dayum. I know someone's jersey is going to see a spike in sales at the NBA store.

Lou Rawls 1933-2006

2006-01-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Another great one passes away. Rest in peace.

Lucy in the Sky with Rhinestones

2006-01-04T12:23:00.000-08:00

You know you're watching too much reality television when...

-You're longing for a second season of
Being Bobby Brown

-You've witnessed a woman burst into tears after
being rejected by Flava Flav

-You wonder why you've never heard of the
Rhinestone Cowgirls before

-You anxiously await cameo appearances from season one contestants on
Project Runway

-You begin wondering how rapper Bizarre will look if he manages to
shed his 45 pounds

-You know Dr. Ian Smith from Celebrity Fit Club, but not from
his television news commentary

-You can handicap the "winners" on
Elimidate

-You answer yes to all of the above questions and don't also have a gym membership

The Nightmare (just) After Christmas

2006-01-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

How on Earth did our parents survive the holidays for all those years? Christmas and New Years themselves were actually pretty nice this year. Quiet and mellow, with happy kids enjoying their booty. Maybe it was hubris that compelled me to tackle a double-dose of Universal Studios Hollywood and Disneyland in the days following Christmas.

Rather than bore you with all the details, I'll let a picture speak for me. I think this picture of Mingus perfectly captures how I felt just after leaving Disneyland...

Bad Day
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

It was not a good day to be at the Happiest Place on Earth. Arrived at 10am, and the park was already full. Yes, you heard that right, Disneyland was FULL. They were no longer selling tickets to anyone who hadn't already pre-ordered. Seven and a half hours, and we managed to hop onto four rides. FOUR. Actually, Mackenzie and Mingus both had a good time despite the swell, but I could not stop glaring at the crowd. I have no idea where these people came from, but wherever it was, they really need to stop eating oily foods and take better care of their skin. I'm not even a superficial person, but I swear that I saw the 20 worst cases of acne in my entire life within a 15-minute span. Ironically enough, those same people who sported pizza for faces had no problem making nasty comments or staring at others who were different than them. Here are just a couple of things seen/heard during that magical day. We'll call this:

Overheard in Disneyland

"Why is everybody standing around watching them? What's the big deal? It must be that rap music."

-A woman in her late 40s to her daughter as they watched a jazz vocal trio in Mardi Gras Square.

"Look at his hair. Him! Right there! Look at that!"

-A woman in her early 30s pointing at my son. We were standing about two feet away from her.

But the most disturbing, heartbreaking thing I saw all day was a young girl, no older than 12, walking through the crowd by herself. She had a "deer in the headlights" look of fear on her face as people stared at her. She had major burns over almost her entire face. I wouldn't have noticed her myself if the entire crowd hadn't been glaring in the same direction. What is wrong with people?

I think I'm just in a bit of a mood today. I'm under the weather. I have two rapidly approaching writing deadlines this week, so I have this mountain of work I'm staring at. It's raining buckets outside (yes, it does rain in Southern California). And I'm eating a piece of raisin toast with Hello Kitty's face imprinted on it (don't ask...).

Here's a pic of the city from two weeks ago, when things were a bit sunnier (both literally and figuratively)...

City
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Holiday fatigue is a very real thing. Someone should conduct a study. Better yet, the entire country should agree to take a three-day vacation immediately following New Year's Eve. That way our telephones don't have to begin ringing off the hook as soon as the holidays end. Well, at least the kids have many years before they have to worry about any of those things. And don't worry about the upset picture of the boy, by the way. As with all kids, ice cream makes it all better. See?

Ice Cream
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

The New Flavor

2005-12-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

Man, is it hard to find time to blog these days. Lots of stuff happening though, which is always a good thing...

Thanksgiving was nice, but incredibly surreal. I heard from no fewer than four people from my past, ranging from college all the way back to high school! I sometimes question the usefulness of having a blog, but then something unexpected like that happens and reminds me that it's a good thing. Definitely brightened up the holiday. Also let me know that more people are reading my little Internet footprint than I had imagined. Since I don't use sitemeter or any of those tracking type devices, it was definitely news to me.

On the sports front, this is the best time of the year. The NFL rolls towards the playoffs and basketball season starts heating up. Football has been great, with my
G-Men leading the NFC East after a nice defeat of the Cowboys. On the basketball side, my beloved Knicks have turned into cellar dwellars. Since I hate the Lakers, and they never air Timberwolves games on television, I've been forced to either resort to the occasional Clippers game (way to go Cassell), or play lots of
NBA 2K6 on the Xbox 360. Hey, at least the Knicks are good in the game.

Also, the past month has seen the rediscovery of a wonderful relic from my early childhood...the Drive-In Movie. That's right, the Drive-in has officially become the new flavor for the Exile. Now, in case you're wondering, no there were no drive-ins in Brooklyn. However, during my summer months spent down South (in my case, North Carolina), my older sister Sheila would always take me to drive-in theaters. I had forgotten some of the key films I had first seen at a drive-in as a kid. Among them, The Road Warrior, Richard Pryor: Live on the Sunset Strip (they thought I was asleep in the back) and lots of schlocky films like Van Nuys Boulevard and Corvette Summer.

Anyway, the drive-in has changed a lot over the years. No more hooking that grainy radio to your window. They now provide the audio over your car radio, and in Dolby Stereo! This is great because I had basically stopped going to the movies recently. Just not enough time, and the little dude is in his terrible twos, hence he can no longer sit through any movie. The only time I get to the theater is when I take my daughter, so my recent slate of films has been...juvenile to say the least. It's not the end of the world, because like an increasing number of Americans, I'm absorbing a huge number of films on DVD (recent Exile picks include Murderball, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and March of the Penguins). Still, it's nice to be able to go out to the movies again. I'm all about the
Pacific Vineland Drive-In in City of Industry. First-run double-features for $7. Sweet.

It's been a long time, I shouldn't 'a left you...

2005-11-22T16:36:00.000-08:00

...without a dope beat to step to.

Sorry, having a Rakim moment.

Been a very busy few weeks. Hardly any time to blog. Wrote my first obituary early this month, for management guru
Peter Drucker. Writing an obit is a fascinating thing. I have a lot of respect for the folks at daily newspapers who do it on a daily basis. I think there is so much care one must take when trying to encapsulate a person's entire life into one short story. We should all be so lucky to have that amount of thoughfulness and care put into the telling of our lives.

From there, things got a bit surreal. I was covering the mall shooting and hostage situation in Tacoma, Washington on Sunday. The shooter, a 20-year-old, was holed up in a Sam Goody record store after shooting six people. On a whim, I gave the store a ring, and sure enough the gunman answered the telephone. I could immediately tell he was a young guy by his voice. He seemed very interested in who I was writing for. He expressed real disappointment when he found out I didn't know Connie Chung and hung up on me. Rather than call back and agitate a hostage situation, I just continued reporting through police statements and such. Fortunately, all three of his hostages were released unharmed.

Walter dropped in from San Francisco again. He was having computer problems, and was going to miss the deadline for an important arts grant. He ended up flying down and crashing at my place so that he was able to deliver his application in person to the organization. Since it was a rare free day for me also, we kicked around the city. Got some great photos at the beach and Griffith Park, including dolphins (from the pier) and some great hummingbird shots, which I'll post later. He also managed to catch on camera the hawk that's been prowling around on my rooftop. Looks like it is probably a Cooper's Hawk (a bird hunter), which would explain why all the other birds vanish when it's around.

Got an Xbox 360 console, and all of the key launch titles (Perfect Dark Zero, Project Gotham Racing 3, etc.), but haven't had time to try them out. Maybe this weekend.

Been reading a lot lately. I haven't written a book review in a few years, but happily had a chance to do one for my good friends back at the alt-weekly City Pages, on an interesting
urban planning book.

Also have my first meeting with a producer coming up. He liked my script a lot. Though he passed on it, he was very taken with my writing and wants to meet with me about another project he's working on. Very interested in seeing where this leads. Stay tuned...

And finally, my rant for the day...when will people stop hating on Disco? I heard Ring My Bell on the radio the other day, and couldn't stop moving. I swear, disco is aging like wine. WINE, I tell you!!! Amazing that music critics still show no love to disco, when they have been salivating over 80s synth-pop for the past few years. Flock of Seagulls get a VH1 reunion special, but no one has any love for Gamble & Huff? What gives?

Winter? Winter who?

2005-11-04T10:05:00.000-08:00

Like most East Coasters reluctant to move out West, one of my top reasons for not wanting to live in Southern California was "I'd miss the seasons, particularly Winter." Boy, was ever a comment less true than that one? I was strolling on the beach a couple days ago while talking to my friend back in New York. He heard the crashing ocean and asked where I was, and I told him the beach. His next question was what the weather was like, and I told him that also (75-80 degrees F). I then heard his muted grumbling into the telephone. It's so easy to take 80 degree November beach days for granted, until your friends in places where they have to wear parkas tell you about their planned "snowbird" trips someplace warm.

The only season I truly miss is Autumn, and not because of the climate. I miss the Autumn colors. I miss the foliage in general back east (ah, the beloved oak tree). But do I miss it enough to want to give up winters at the beach? As Whitney would say, hell to the naw! If I want some snow, I'll go to Big Bear for the weekend. It's only 45 minutes away.

Spamburger

2005-11-04T10:01:00.000-08:00

Ok, this is getting annoying. About two months after I launched my blog, I started getting occasional spam posts in my comments section. I didn't think much of it, and simply deleted them as they came through. Now, for some reason, I'm getting 10-20 spam posts on my site per week! How does this happen, and how on Earth do I stop it? I welcome suggestions from any and all experienced bloggers on how to stop (or at least slow down) my blog spam. Shoot me an email.

If you love your screenplay, set it free...

2005-10-21T12:33:00.000-07:00

Recently finished the second revision of my screenplay, and it looks good. My agent seems to honestly dig it, and he's putting together the package to shop it around. Really curious to see what the response to it is. It's definitely low concept and low budget, the two things that Hollywood seems averse to these days. Still, you never know; perhaps the right house or right director will take a shine to it and it'll get some legs. We'll see...

Anyway, now that it's finally off my desk and out of my hands, I can dive into writing the next one. It's an idea I've had bouncing around in my brain for a couple of months, and I'm pretty excited about it. It'll be nice to finally put it to paper, while the enthusiasm is still there.

Haven't heard from that guy since Karate Kid, Part 2...

2005-10-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

Someone answer this question: What radio station are all of the Blockbuster Videos and boardwalk t-shirt shops tuned to that keep on playing Peter Cetera songs? I kid you not, I've heard "The Next Time I Fall in Love" and "Glory of Love" like ten times in the past month. Good grief...

We Don't Need No Stinkin' Badges...

2005-10-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

Back to Los Angeles
Originally uploaded by ilmungo.

I have to say,
last week's issue of LA Weekly was wonderful. I'm not usually the biggest fan of those "Best Of" issues of magazines and newspapers. Of course, I know they are tremendously important to advertisers, and usually the biggest moneymakers of the year for their respective publications. A necessary evil of alt weeklies for certain. But I also lament one of my favorite hidden spots showing up in one of those lists, then suddenly being overrun with people. It's why I'm happy there's no Time Out in LA.

This Best Of issue of the Weekly took a completely different look at the best of the city, and I have to commend them for it. Instead of listing things like "best sushi place" or "best place to have sex in public"...wait a second, there ARE those types in entries in this issue. However, the paper also compiled a series of well-written essays from current and past contributors, and peppered them throughout those various lists. Many have been lifelong Angelenos, while others are recent arrivals. Some no longer live here, and have written laments about not appreciating what the city had to offer until they left. All told, it is the most vivid and readable testament to life in this city today that I have seen in a newspaper. If you are even vaguely curious about what living in LA is like, check it out. Most of the better essays are in the "Encounters", "Memory", "Terrain" and "Mirrors" sections. I doubt the Weekly (or any other alt weekly for that matter) will ever be able to get away with a package like that again.

Even though it is HUGE (the issue was actually bound like a book), I mailed several copies of the paper to friends back in New York, because as a transplanted New Yorker, I have to say that it really nailed the contrasts between the two cities so very well. Also, pointing and clicking on every online entry looking for the essays is a little lame, and the bound original copy (which has wonderful photos) is just so much better. Still, if you can't get ahold of a hardcopy, it's worth the effort to click through the site.

Neither Faster nor Furiouser...

2005-10-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Went to the California International Auto Show in Anaheim late last week. My first car show since I went to the one in Detroit a couple of years ago. Don't know the Anaheim show counted as true attendance though, since I was there with the rest of the media for a show preview (i.e. before the public was allowed in). Still, it was cool checking out the cars, in particular the import tuners and modded specials in the second level show space dedicated to auto customization.

Seeing those tricked out rides was fun. A modded SUV with scissors doors and no fewer than five television screen left me wondering...just how many DVD players in one car is too many? But during the ride home I suddenly found myself wondering where all of these tricked out street racers were on the actual streets of Los Angeles? Films and video games would have you believe that LA streets are just packed with stylish rides with neon undercarriages, but the reality is a lot less "bling" and a lot more "clickety-clack". Seriously, the modded tuners I usually see look like my daughter painted them, and my son installed the mufflers. They're like hoopties, but small and imported. I once saw a guy rev up and peel off from the light in a modded Honda CRX, and I'd swear his car had a lawnmower engine in it. Or maybe a pair of hamsters running inside a wheel. Within two blocks I caught up to him and passed him in my crappy Jetta, and my car is only a 4-cylinder. Mingus waved at the guy from his car seat as we passed. What gives?

Many folks don't know that the film The Fast and the Furious was actually based on an article in Vibe about after-hours street racing on the FDR Drive in Manhattan. In fact, Queens is one of the biggest modding spots in the country (nostalgic sigh as I remember my Celica back in the day...). However, no one can dispute that Los Angeles has long been ground zero for this scene, which is why I want to know where all of these polished street racers are. I saw more nicely modded rides on the streets of freakin' Chicago. Do the LA area auto clubs only cart their rides around from one auto show to another?

Come to think of it, I haven't even seen a car on hydraulics in more than a year, and I live a block off of Crenshaw! The only LA street scene that even vaguely resembles its movie counterpart is the motorcycle scene. Seriosuly, Biker Boyz nailed it. There are more biker crews here than anyplace else. Still, when it comes to the auto scene, the reality is neither faster nor furiouser.

August Wilson (1945-2005)

2005-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

One of our greatest playrights and most gifted artists. Also one of the nicest people I've ever had the pleasure to meet. You will be missed.
Rest in Peace.

Best...end zone celebration...EVER!

2005-09-25T10:41:00.000-07:00

I already liked Bengals wide receiver
Chad Johnson. The brash, gold front wearing Miami native is the Allen Iverson of wide receivers, and you know I like Iverson. Johnson is super talented, with a nice combination of size and speed. He also plays his best games against elite cornerbacks, embarrasing All-Pros on a regular basis. And after today's end-zone celebration, he just moved up my list of favorite wide receivers. After catching the first touchdown in today's game against the Bears, Johnson spiked the ball, then placed his hands on his waist...and Riverdanced. Something about a gold-toothed wearing black man doing a Celtic traditional dance across the endzone just rubs me the right way. I love football.

First rain of the season!

2005-09-19T22:29:00.000-07:00

That's right, as I sat here at my computer tonight typing away on a piece, I suddenly began to hear the sounds of rain outside my window. What a wonderful thing. In case you're wondering, it hasn't rained in Los Angeles since the winter. The first rain of the year is greeted with scorn by Angelenos, and many call in sick during the first day of truly heavy rain. That's because after months of oil runoff from autos, the first rain of the season turns the freeway into an accident zone with the surface consistency of black ice. In fact, I feel bad for anyone who happens to be driving along the freeway during this rainy night.

But the good thing about the first rain, and the reason I find it so exciting, is because it also washes away the accumulated smog and particle pollution of the past five months, and the mountains suddenly and amazingly "come out". What that means is that the city goes from looking like this:

City II
Originally uploaded by Elevated.

To looking like this:

Downtown LA with mountains
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

See what I mean? I'll probably head to the beach for a morning walk tomorrow. If it's clear, Malibu should be in focus in the distance for the first time in months. This rain is actually uncharacteristically early (it usually doesn't rain until around Thanksgiving or later), so I'd better enjoy the clear(er) skies while I can.

Hello, my name is Kemp, and I'm addicted to fantasy football

2005-09-19T21:46:00.000-07:00

Ha ha! Week two in the NFL just finished up, and my Giants are 2-0. Even better, I'm in second place in my 12-man fantasy football league! This is my first year playing fantasy football. I usually stick with fantasy basketball and then join an online 2K football league. Since 2K football is dead, I decided to try my hand at the fantasy world, and damn am I hooked.

As much as I enjoy basketball (and used to enjoy hockey), I think football is the greatest American sport for a reason. It's hard to be a casual football fan like it is for other sports. Either you're totally into the game (and all of its nuances) or you don't follow it at all. It is rather ironic then that I live in the only major US city that doesn't have a team in my favorite sport. It was a big deal at first, until I realized how great watching football was in LA. I've only been to a handful of games in my life, and the last time I went to a live Giants game, Jesse Armstead was the starting linebacker (fans know how long ago that was). Like most fans, I find scoring tickets to be too much of a headache, and I prefer watching my games on television. That's the main reason being in LA is great. With no home team (yet), the city gets a virtual potpourri of games to watch on Sunday, and never any blackouts! This is even better being a fantasy football player, because it gives me a chance to see a much wider variety of players on a regular basis and make good decisions for my team.

I'm really happy with my fantasy squad. (Note: if you don't watch or enjoy football, stop reading now) I didn't get any Giants (I wanted Tiki Barber), but I nabbed fantasy stud Ladainian Tomlinson in the first round, then Terrell Owens in the second round. My backup HBs are Julius Jones, Stephen Davis, and Mike Anderson. Stephen Davis was a late round steal, as he has turned into a fantasy stud. This gives me the deepest backfield in my league. My other starting receiver is Steve Smith, my TE L.J. Smith is also a stud, and I have both the Buccaneers and Falcons defenses. I'll admit, I wanted Buffalo's "D", but the Bucs have blossomed into the dominant fantasy defense so far. My quarterbacks are underwhelming (Jake Delhomme and Jake Plummer), but they are both capable of putting up huge numbers on a semi-regular basis.

Let's hope my hot streak continues in week 3...

The Abbreviated Tour...

2005-09-14T16:03:00.000-07:00

Despite the drama that was unfolding in Louisiana, the past couple of weeks have actually been pretty nice. In fact, just days after the hurricane hit, my good friend Walter was in town from San Francisco. Despite being in the same state, Walter and I have seen each other very little since I moved to the west coast. A mucho-talented artist and musician, he divides his time between San Francisco and Singapore, and has the distinction (among my friends) of having visited some of the most interesting places in the world. That's saying quite a bit considering how much we all travel.
His travelogue of Iceland was marvelous.

He's also a great inventor, and has created a line of unique instruments called phonoharps that are combination string instrument and turntable. The music he creates with them is amazing...definitely not your typical DJ:

Kitundu Phonoharp
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Walter had spent very little time in LA, only having been here for a couple of shows. When he told me he was coming down for a few days to visit, I was very excited to give him the tour of the city. He had given me a similarly impressive tour of San Francisco several years earlier, and I wanted to return the favor.

As is always the case, fate initially conspired against us. On the day I had devoted to showing him around (my little guy was with his mom that day), I got called in for a reporting/writing assignment (of course) and ended up spending the entire day in Long Beach. With his flight leaving early the following morning, I felt bad that I couldn't follow through on my promised tour. Fortunately, he was able to delay his departure until late the next afternoon, which meant we would have at least a portion of the day to hang out. Even though I was going to have Mingus with me all day, I was determined to show him at least some of the city. It was going to be three fellas on the town!

Now, I take my travel guide duties very seriously. Back in New York, I volunteered as a Big Apple Greeter, and took out of towners (mostly foreigners) on public transit tours of the outer borough neghborhoods (particularly Queens and Brooklyn). But LA poses unique challenges, because almost everyone who visits has major negative preconceived notions about the city, usually based on very limited experience (or none at all). Walter was a rare clean slate, who knew little about the city and had no judgements about the place. I definitely wanted to show him a nice time, so I had to choose our activities very carefully.

He had stayed the evening before with a friend on Mulholland Drive, so Mingus and I drove there at the crack of dawn to pick him up. Don't let the picture fool you. Mingus was in good spirits, but he was throwing on one of his "serious" faces for the camera.

Me and the Boy
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

After briefly getting lost on Mulholland drive, which provided some surprising vistas of the city, we headed out to Venice. I continue to preach the gospel that Venice is best to visit on weekdays, when it is nearly empty, and this day was no exception. Plus, Walter was packing his Canon S-1, a really nice digital camera that enables him to take cool pictures like this:

Me, Mingus and Walter
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

His camera also has one of the most incredible zooms I have ever seen. As we stood on the sand at the beach, he was able to zoom in and get great close ups of the morning surfers:

Venice Surfer
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

What felt like a few minutes on this beach was actually several hours, and ate up the entire morning. We stopped at Groundworks, my favorite Venice coffee shop, for a couple of Cafe Au Laits. It's hard to get a good cafe here, and the combination of Groundworks' Organic Black Gold coffee and steamed milk is the perfect pick me up. Then we had to jet.

At Groundworks in Venice
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Rather than spend all of our brief time on the West Side, I decided to completely flip it on him, and we went downtown to the Grand Central Market, one of the best places in the city for a cheap lunch. We had empanadas and steak sandwiches at El Gaucho Argentinian restaurant (my first red meat in weeks...yes!), then did a quick tour of Broadway, a street that evokes a South American downtown. That one blew him away. It is pretty shocking to go from the surf culture of the beach to a walled-in skyscraper valley full of people speaking Spanish. Amazing how few Angelenos (who aren't Latin, that is) have ever been to Broadway. While there, we also stopped in at the Bradbury Building. That's the building from the film Blade Runner where Sebastian lived. Just an incredible place to behold. Then we stopped at RedCat, where Walter surprised another friend who worked there. We had planned on taking in the MOCA exhibit on Basquiat but, just our luck, the museum is closed on Wednesdays. We drove by it several times making sad faces instead.

Grand Central Market
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

After that, it was time to head back to the airport. I took the long route and drove down Sunset through Silverlake, Los Feliz, and the Sunset Strip before jumping back onto the freeway and getting him to his gate...30 minutes early!

I was disappointed that I had so little time to show him around, but was surprised when I spoke to him later that evening and he explained how much he loved LA. This brief trip had exceeded his expectations. Good to hear, mission accomplished.

It's always nice to see old friends, and we agreed that he would come and crash for a more extended stay in the next six months or so. Then I'll be able to give him the grand tour.

Why is it so hot in here, and how did I get in this handbasket?

2005-09-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

Starting to feel like the Roman empire around here. And I'm not just saying that because I recently watched
the excellent history channel documentary on the engineering feats of Rome. Just like that great empire stretched itself so thin that it eventually began to fall apart from the inside, the Hurricane Katrina disaster has shown how unprepared (or unwilling?) the government is to handle problems at home. If American is turning into Rome, then President Bush is our
Nero.

I haven't blogged very much this week, because I have been too enraged and riveted (at the same time) by the drama going on down south. Hooray for Kanye West for having the cojones to say what was on many black people's minds already.

My fellow bloggers have done a great job of discussing the tragedy throughout the week, so I'll just recap with some of the most interesting, appalling and exciting things I've read/seen as this unfolded:

-This disaster has prompted the largest displacement of African-Americans since the Great Migration, and the greatest mass movement of Americans since the Civil War. The social and cultural impact of this movement cannot be measured. Outside of other cities in Louisiana, Houston has been the primary landing point of most of the survivors (I refuse to call them refugees). If a sizeable percentage of those transplants remain, expect Houston to become the next great American city, in terms of size, culture, and food. Laugh if you want. You'll see. New Orleans has always culturally been one of America's most iconic international cities (along with New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Chicago). What has held it back was its stagnant economy, based almost entirely on tourism. Houston has always been an underrated economic powerhouse (the fourth largest city in America), with a diverse economy that includes medicine, aerospace, manufacturing and computer technology. Houston differs from the rest of Texas with its bayou-like weather, very similar to New Orleans. The initial going will be very rough, but I expect the confluence of New Orleans culture and Houston economy to have a miraculous result on Texas' largest city.

-In Baton Rouge, LA, where a huge number of disaster victims fled, gun sales have increased five-fold.

-FEMA released a study in 2001 citing the three most pressing disaster possibilities for the US. They were 1) a large terrorist attack on New York City, 2) New Orleans being flooded due to a levee breach, and 3) a major earthquake in San Francisco. Amazing that two of those three things have happened. I wonder how gun sales are looking in San Fran these days?

-The
surveys began, and the results were expectedly confusing and infuriating. New Orleans WILL recover. It's every American's responsibility to make certain it does. I'm tired of hearing about how we shouldn't rebuild a city built below sea level. Should we not rebuild cities (San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tokyo, etc.) built on major earthquake fault lines? What about homes built on land prone to yearly forest fires and mudslides (like most of the hillside communities in and around LA?). Should we have built cities in the middle of the desert (Vegas, Phoenix) that require a monumental human effort simply to pump in clean drinking water? People should stop with their cynicism. Amsterdam, one of Europe's most culturally and economically important cities, is in a similar situation as New Orleans. The difference? Their levees and pumps are regularly maintained and WORK. The budget for them hasn't been slashed by 80% in recent years. And while I've got my pundit hat on, the survey that I found most disturbing was one on the television news where more than 60% of respondents said no one at FEMA should be fired because of Katrina. Excuse me? So, let's say you work at Wal-Mart and you neglect to show up for work for FIVE DAYS. On the sixth day, you come strolling in and say you got there as fast as you could. Guess what your ass would be? That's right: FIRED!

-Reports coming out of New Orleans are that the death toll may be far below initial estimates. First bit of good news all week!

-Second bit of good news just in: head of FEMA fired. Told ya!

And who will care for the City that Care Forgot?

2005-09-01T14:14:00.000-07:00

Things are getting out of control in New Orleans, with people literally dying on the streets. When is sufficient help finally going to arrive? It's hard to blog about the minor dealings of my life when a tragedy of this magnitude is unfolding. I've loved New Orleans since my first visit as a (very) young adult. I've also known for a while that the city is considered by many scientists (along with Venice, Italy) to be among the planet's most endangered due to it's precarious location below sea level. I recall several years ago watching a science show on global warming that showed an artistically rendered image of downtown New Orleans submerged under 15 feet of water after its levees were overrun by rising water. The photos being transmitted from the city this week are so eerily similar to those computer generated ones that it is stunning. Despite the warnings from weather services, despite even the order to evacuate, did ANYONE think the devestation would be this horrible? Such a dark day for one of our great cities.

And you wonder why I've been spending so much time at the beach?

2005-08-26T08:39:00.000-07:00

Today's forecast: A high of 75 degrees on the coast (i.e. Venice), a high of 95 degrees downtown LA, and a high of 107 degrees "inland" (i.e. freakin' Palmdale).

That's why you need to check zoned weather maps around here before you leave the house. Is there any place on Earth where the word "forecast" is more relative? Now, where's my damn sunblock?

We Cut Heads

2005-08-25T14:01:00.001-07:00

Cutting Dad's hair
Originally uploaded by Noranna.

I caught the tail end of an episode of the Showtime series Barbershop last night. All I can say is...shudder. Okay, I suppose that isn't fair, considering I didn't see the entire episode, but the dialogue and exchanges that I did witness rang completely hollow. I enjoyed the first Barbershop film, but I don't even think that movie was able to truly capture the atmosphere in "the Black Man's Country Club," as Cedric the Entertainer put it. And that's all right. Movies aren't real life anyway. Even if they were, I don't think one film could capture all of the myriad experiences of the barber shop.

The nature of my work means that I have moved around a lot during my adult years. But no matter what city I've ended up in, my first action has always been the same; find a good barber. It sounds simple, but it can be really difficult. You have to really be able to TRUST your barber, and that trust only comes over time. Your barber has to know that if he doesn't cut that swirl on the front of your head just right, it's going to leave a patch. He has to know whether you prefer being shaved with the electric or the straight razor. His politics don't have to be the same as yours, but he has to have the gift of gab to parry verbal assaults if you two happen to disagree.

Mirror Mirror
Originally uploaded by Shavar.

Once I manage to find those traits in a barber, I stick with him through thick and thin. Hell, if I happen to be traveling through a city in which I've once lived, I'll let my hair grow out just so that I can stop in and get a cut from one of my old barbers. There's Tone in Chicago. Big Mike in Minneapolis. John in Long Island City, Queens. Not sure if Shabazz Barbers is still around in DC, but that place was my haircut lifeline during college.

Being a morning haircut person, I also tend to gravitate towards certain kinds of barbershops. There are some that have really got their operations organized. I went to a place in Altadena once where you pulled a number when you walked in. Everyone had their barber school certificates up on the wall. It was nice and all, but not my vibe. My barbers tend to keep irregular hours. If the door says they open at 9AM, you're lucky if someone shows up by 11AM. A lot of them don't have certificates on display. The telephone number painted on the outside of the place tends to be either wrong or disconnected. It sounds bad, but those are my favorite barber shops because those barbers have the same kind of loyalty to their customers that their customers have to them. The ghetto barber has to be a hustler. If he isn't, then another barber whose game is tighter will take all of his customers. In those shops, you tend to get a card from your barber, often with a cell, pager, or even home telephone number. You call him up when you're on your way, and they get there when you do. Tone in Chicago used to live right above the shop. I'd show up in the morning, call him on his home phone, and he'd come downstairs in his pajamas to give me a cut. He kept a pool table in the shop, as well as some vintage arcade machines too. He was a good barber.

My current barbershop is Super Star Barbers on La Brea. I get my hair cut by either Carlton or Bruce. It's usually Carlton, since Bruce plays in a band and keeps odd hours. I'm convinced that Carlton is the world's greatest Lakers fan. How else can you explain a person who actually thinks the Lakers got the better end of the Shaq for Odom/Grant trade? He does have his barber certificate on display, by the way, but it's right below his more important certificate from the Temple of Hip-Hop, which certifies him as a purveyor of true hip-hop knowledge and culture. Super Star is a tiny shop, but they've got cable, which is nice because I don't have to miss the football game if I get a cut on a Sunday. Other than sports, they mostly keep the television tuned to The Discovery Channel and the History Channel, which can cause the kinds of disputes one only expects brothers to get into over sports. We're also pretty passionate about nature shows, it turns out. The writers of the TV series Barbershop should probably stop in sometime and get a cut...they might also leave with some fresher material.

Dad's hair
Originally uploaded by Noranna.

Postcards from surf camp...

2005-08-21T21:12:00.000-07:00

Well, my daughter Mackenzie completed her surf camp! It went better than even I could have expected, and she has gone from a good swimmer who was timid about the ocean to a confident beginning surfer who will tackle waves head on! She already has requested a wetsuit, 8ft board, and boogey board for Christmas. Thanks again to all of the friends who helped make this happen.

Surf Camp, Day 1
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Before we surf, we must stretch...
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Into the swell
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Getting her footing
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Two the hard way
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Mingus wants in on the action
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Lil' Man in the Big Sea
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

That's all, folks!
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

Found out my total blood cholesterol level is 260mg

2005-08-20T19:36:00.000-07:00

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Well, I guess I won't be eating red meat and fried foods for a while.

Maybe We Should All Just Start Listening to Dancehall?

2005-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:00

I received this link from two different friends in the past 24 hours. Nice essay by Ta-Nehisi Coates talking about what I like to call "the Gen X black man's midlife crisis". We crossed 25 and ALL had to come to terms with some of the things happening to the music form that had nurtured us. I accepted several years ago that I was no longer the target audience for 90% of hip-hop music. Hell, how could a black man who attends live shows scan the audience and NOT come to that conclusion? I'm not just talking about the music that is played on the radio either. I cannot count how many times on the Venice boardwalk I've seen backpack-clad brothers stopping every white tourist they see in an attempt to sell them what would once have been called "underground" rap. We stopped being the market for rap long ago.

In my own personal opinion, all rap music falls into one of two eras, B.C. (before Chronic) and A.C. (after Chronic, or anno chronicky "in the year of our hip-hop lord"). That seminal debut album by Dr. Dre was released in 1993, when I was a student at Howard University. It came hot on the heels of director Bill Duke's 1992 ghetto gangster opus Deep Cover, the soundtrack of which introduced the world to the duo of Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg. As good as the film and song were, the release of The Chronic took the campus by storm. What we didn't realize was that it was also taking the entire country by storm. That was right around the time that documentaries like "Bangin' in Little Rock" were being made that examined the penetration of black gang culture in predominantly white suburbs across America. The Chronic was also the soundtrack of those white youth, who said it spoke to their life experiences as much as anyone else. The burly sales numbers for the album made record execs stand up and take notice too. That was the point at which rap, to me at least, became divided into mainstream (radio) and underground (backpacker music), with racially divided segments of both. But even I wouldn't have expected both forms (and all segments) to have so completely crossed over in less than a decade. I challenge anyone who says that they actually predicted that New Orleans' Bounce would one day be played at bat mitzvahs.

The dismay in Coates' piece is palpable to me because it has been a long running issue among lots of us for quite a while now, and I agree that at times the situation can be depressing. Is there any black person in America who hasn't been in a bar and felt the sudden urge to get up and leave when Fitty's "In Da Club" comes on and the lawyers/accountants/stockbrokers in attendance start chanting "go shorty, it's your birthday"? Yes, black folks have been making a mass exodus from hip-hop for a few years now, sorry to say. I wonder, is this how the jazz generation felt? Luckily, I've always had a more diverse music library than most. Hip-hop was the foundation, but there was always something else there to complete my music world view. At the same time I rocked Kurtis Blow, I was listening to Kraftwerk. At the same time I jammed to Eric B. & Rakim and Run DMC, I loved Depeche Mode and The Ramones. And no matter how disenchanted I become with hip-hop (with now being a low point), there are always at least one or two artists I enjoy.

But what that essay really got me thinking about was the writers of the hip-hop generation. I've always encouraged all writers to write about the things they love, regardless of race. Coates obviously has a passion for forms of music that aren't hip-hop, and a strong background as a writer, but I could only imagine the cross looks he (or any black writer) would probably receive if he ever pitched a book on the White Stripes or Bjork. If being "on the outside," so to speak, gives others the intellectual credibility to examine hip-hop, why have so few black writers been able to lend their outsider perspective to rock? Maybe because as writers, whether we like it or not, hip-hop will always be our burden as much as it has been our foundation.

Let's all go to Palmdale!

2005-08-19T20:49:00.000-07:00

I got called to do a reporting assignment yesterday that required me to drive out to Palmdale. I had no idea where Palmdale was, other than "in Los Angeles County". About 60 miles later, I got another startling reminder of how ridiculously big Los Angeles County really is.

It's funny that one of the most popular pieces of lifestyle propaganda about this area is that one can "surf and ski in the same day". While that feat is technically possible, the reality is that most Southern Californians don't really travel between the metro area's many environmental zones in one day. I know I sure as hell never had. When I got the call about going to Palmdale, it was about 10AM, and I was standing up to my ankles in ocean water in Santa Monica. I was dropping my daughter off for
surf camp. Luckily, I had a change of clothes in my car, so I was able to pull a quick Superman switch and get right on the road, armed with directions to my destination.

Now, I expected Palmdale to be a suburban community, but I think that in order to technically be considered a suburb, a place has to actually run up to an urban area. That wasn't the case during my drive. The temperature rose by probably 15 degrees as I crossed the San Gabriel Mountains, and the next thing you know, I was looking out across an expanse of empty high desert. You know you've gone quite a distance when ALL of your local radio stations go out. It was interesting that despite the rugged feeling of this area, every five miles or so I found myself passing a small enclave of identical cookie-cutter homes. Where do the people who live in these little prefabricated outposts go to the store?

As I neared Palmdale on Highway 14, I caught a glimpse on my left of magnificent rock formations that I later learned were the
Vasquez Rocks, a little known national park has been used for location shoots in tons of films and television shows including Star Trek, Bonanza and The Flintstones Movie. I had never been very interested in the idea of hiking before, but I've now added hiking this area to my "To Do" list, but not until the winter when it (hopefully) cools off a bit.

I made it back into Los Angeles by about 4PM, just in time to hit rush hour traffic. Still, it was kind of nice to have gone from the cool ocean to the high desert in one whirlwind morning. Maybe this winter I'll even try the surf/ski in a single day thing, and see how that works out. How many miles away is Big Bear?

Hey subway, nice to meet you...

2005-08-14T20:54:00.000-07:00

Red Line Train
Originally uploaded by brikmaster.

So it turns out there really IS a subway running under Los Angeles. I have to admit, being a lifelong advocate of public transportation and a native New Yorker, I'm pretty ashamed that I hadn't ridden LA's MetroRail system until last month. I have legitimate reasons though. First and foremost, I have never lived within a mile of a subway station. First I was on the West Side (Santa Monica), which is only serviced by bus. I'm now about a mile and a half away from a subway station, but since there are no park and ride facilities, I never had any reason to use it. However, I was working on a story several Sundays ago that required me to bounce around to several locations downtown. It was a Sunday (free meter parking), so I figured I'd finally give the subway a shot. I parked my car on the street around the corner from the Wilshire/Vermont Red Line station and hopped on. Within only a few weeks, I would have ridden the subway for countless hours to destinations all across Los Angeles, and even into the Valley. It was pretty addictive getting back to the mode of transport that I had always known and loved.

One of the most interesting things about the MetroRail is that there are no turnstiles or gates of any kind. The whole thing is run on the honor system. You buy your ticket from a machine, then walk right into the station. Apparently, officers routinely come through the cars to check tickets, much like on Amtrak, and if you don't have yours, you get hit with a $250 fine. Even though not a single person has checked my ticket since I started using the subway, I wouldn't recommend not paying for your ticket. On weekends, it's only $3 for an all you can ride pass. It doesn't get any cheaper than that.

Wilshire and Vermont
Originally uploaded by iscreamdogg.

Downtown (including Chinatown and Little Tokyo) is particularly well served by the subway system, which means little since hardly anyone here goes downtown. However, with the Grand Central Market and Central Library (two of my favorite spots) within a few blocks of a station, that's a lot of money one can save on parking. For the most part though, MetroRail services a combination of tourist destinations and poor neighborhoods. There's a big station under the Hollywood and Highland shopping complex on Hollywood Boulevard. There's also a stop in the Valley at Universal Studios and North Hollywood. You can even ride the Blue Line all the way down to the Long Beach Aquarium, and the Blue and Green Line trains have the added benefit of riding alongside the snail-slow traffic, which can be quite gratifying.

I don't find myself visiting tourist destinations unless I have company in town. Still, it's nice to know that I can simply drop East Coast friends off at a nearby subway station and let them tackle Hollywood Blvd, Universal Studios and other schlock destinations on their own. It would be so wonderful if the Red Line were extended down Wilshire all the way to the ocean, as new mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has pledged, but that will probably happen right after they open a Georgetown subway station in Washington, DC. The powers that be just refuse to stop thinking that a subway stop is simply an access point for criminals to their neighborhood. That kind of thinking is even more ridiculous in LA, considering everyone owns a car anyway.

It is an interesting cultural study riding the rails here though. With the rare exception of the Hollywood/Highland stop, it seemed like vast majority of riders were either Mexican, Salvadorian, Korean or black. Definitely the domain of Los Angeles' minority population. Now that I've gotten my feet wet riding the subway, I feel like a fool for all those times I paid the ridiculous fees to park at the Central Library or in Hollywood. Though I would never mistake MetroRail for New York's system (the burly Red Line is most reminiscent of the underground portions of Chicago's El), it does give me a new sense of pride when coordinating a meeting someplace in the city to ask "is that place anywhere near a subway station?"

faceless crowd 2
Originally uploaded by BinaryLA.

Rats, footballers and Los Angeles

2005-08-12T23:18:00.000-07:00

Don't know why, but I tend to prefer non-fiction over fiction these days. One of my favorite all time books remains Charles Johnson's novel Middle Passage, and a good yarn every now and then still gets me going, but for the most part my recent reading has been grounded in reality. I also tend to read books by the bushel, keeping one in my car, one next to my bed, and one in my bag. Next on my reading list are two novels, including Danyel Smith's Bliss, but I recently finished up a particularly good trio of books, and I thought I'd share some passing thoughts on them before I move on to the next batch:

Rats: Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants

This one is by Robert Sullivan, a regular contributor to the New Yorker. Sullivan spent an unhealthy amount of time lurking in a lower Manhattan alley examining its native rat population, and readers get to benefit from his unusual personal quest. The book combines his ruminations on his adopted rat colony with some fascinating history on rats and the exterminators who attempt to control them. A real page turner, I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

White Angels: Beckham, Real Madrid & The New Football

I remain amazed that the average American has never heard of Zidane, Raul, or Figo, among the best soccer players on the planet. Placing Beckham's name on the cover line of this book seems to be an obvious attempt to lure the American buying audience with that most recognizable of soccer icons, but fortunately, the book spends a huge amount of time exploring the other superstars that make up the eternal dream team that is Real Madrid. With Beckham, Ronaldo, and the aforementioned players all on the same squad, Madrid's talent base has no equal in professional sports today. It would be like the original dream team (Jordan, Bird, et al) playing a regular season against the rest of the NBA...for a decade. I don't like how the author so often tries to inject excitement into very mundane things (like a Madrid exec asking a powerful Audi executive to hold on while he receives a fax regarding Beckham's acquisition). I'd assume that's a typical American complaint, not unlike when Spanish language soccer commentators scream "Goooooooooooooooal!" and Americans reply "what the hell is that guy so excited about?" Still, author John Carlin's excitement about the team is both palpable and contagious. Football enthusiasts will love this book, while those ignorant to the sport may very well find themselves wanting to tune in to Manchester United games on BBC World by the time they're done.

The City: Los Angeles and Urban Theory at the End of the Twentieth Century

I'm a long time urban planning buff (intensely studied Mumford, Le Corbusier, Kostof and Jacobs during my Michigan fellowship), so I understand that this 1999 book is definitely not for everyone. In fact, when I checked it out at the library, the perplexed librarian asked me if I needed it for a class. Yes, it's that heavy of a read. That being said, I can't think of a better way to understand the cities in which we live than to look at them from an economic and planning perspective, which this book does incredibly well. I was particularly enthralled with the chapters detailing the dismantling of Los Angeles' streetcar system (yep, LA had the biggest streetcar system in the world) and the relentless destruction of the city's once abundant parkland. It might be wrapped up in 470 pages of academic jargon, but sorting through it provides one of the most complete and intensive recent histories of the City of Angels that I have ever seen in print.

That Tony Shalhoub sure knows his veggies...

2005-08-06T14:06:00.000-07:00

I don't understand. So many people claim to hate Los Angeles because the place is overrun with actors, but the first thing most visitors (including my friends and family from New York...don't front y'all) want to know when they get here is where they can go to spot celebrities. Since no one is willing to suck it up and admit that "spotting famous people" is on their itinerary when they come to this great town, I've taken the liberty of compiling a list of the top 5 places to spot celebrities in Los Angeles, as well as the key celebs I've seen personally in each place. Of course, it's a given that if you work at one of the major studios (as many Angelenos do) or are a regular at expensive restaurants such as Ivy at the Shore, you're likely to get your fill of celebs. This list is meant for visitors only. OK, it's meant for my friends, so that they stop wasting their money on things like those ridiculous tours of celebrity homes when they're in town (cough, cough, Ornette, cough). I'm sure there are other places that might be better for spotting celebs, but these are just places that I frequent where I tend to notice more than a few recognizable actors and actresses:

5) Mailboxes, etc.
Key sightings: Faye Dunaway, Jeffrey Jones
Go ahead and laugh, but celebrities have to mail their packages too. And contrary to what you might believe, most of them don't have personal assistants to do it for them. That's why this place comes in at number five. I go to Mailboxes, etc. for all of my FedEx needs, and every once in a while am surprised at the folks dueling with the tellers. I remember when Faye Dunaway was in line in front of me one day at the store in Hollywood. No idea what she was talking to the clerk about, but as she walked away, he mumbled "bitch" under his breath repeatedly. You better believe that one went into my journal.

4. Toast
Key sightings: Courtney Cox-Arquette, Common, Slim Kid Trey (from the Pharcyde)
This breakfast spot on 3rd used to be the JOINT last year, but I stopped going there months ago. The weekend crowds got to be Cheesecake Factory level ridiculous, and the quality of the food dropped tremendously. Besides, there were other breakfast diners within a mile that had both better food and a much more pleasant atmosphere (no way am I saying which ones). Still, Toast has been and still remains a hot eatery in which you'll likely sit next to local celebs. I used to see Courtney Cox there back when she was still pregnant. It was also a good place for me to conduct interviews with people who wanted to be met over lunch, since everyone knows where it is. Someone told me that Toast has been featured on the HBO show Entourage too, which is another sign that it might not maintain its status for much longer. Coincidentally, I tend to actually see Kevin Dillon dining at the Versailles Cuban Restaurant on La Cienega.

3. Larchmont Village
Key sightings: Julianne Margulies, Nia Long, Fred Williamson, Tim Meadows, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Thomas Jane
Village Pizza on Larchmont is the best NY style pizza I've had in L.A., so you'll find me there a lot. Doesn't hurt that this quaint little walking street is only about a mile from where I live. It also happens to be about a mile (in the opposite direction) from Paramount, so the celeb masses descend here for grub all during the week. On weekends, the farmer's market also is quite a draw. Mmmmmm...Rockenwagner pretzel rolls...

2. The Grocery Store (both Ralph's and Vons)
Key sightings: Tony Shalhoub, Jasmine Guy, Bishop Don "Magic" Juan, too many commercial actors to name
Welcome to the ultimate LA reality check. I just finished writing a comedy script about a guy trying to stalk a celebrity at his local grocery store. It's such a weird script that I doubt it will ever get bought or made, but it was such a blast writing it that I'd do it again. Why? Because this is where the acting profession's proletariat masses must gather. It is also where most celebrities go to buy their food necessities (remember, the personal assistant to actor ratio has been grossly exagerrated). But when you see celebrities here, you're not seeing them as they are on television or in film. You're seeing them in their natural, almost feral state. We're talking flip-flops, shorts and no makeup. We're talking heads of completely grey hair on actors you thought were ten years younger. We're talking actresses who are almost unrecognizable due to the lack of makeup. And we're also talking more deja vu than most can tolerate, because every person you've ever seen in a Geico, Volkswagen, or McDonald's commercial seems to be prowling the aisles. If you're a parent and you want to dash your kid's dreams of becoming a movie star, take them to the grocery store the next time you're in LA. It'll sober them up faster than a pot of coffee. Oh, coffee doesn't really sober you up, does it?

And drum roll please...

1. The Grove/Farmers Market
Key sightings: Tricky, Michael Rappaport, David Spade, Tracey Morgan, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Thomas Jane, Kanye West, Michael Jai White, Fabrice from Milli Vanilli, Harold Perrineau, and many, many others
This is it kids, ground zero of LA public celeb gathering. That's 3rd and Fairfax. CBS is across the street, so the market is where everyone goes for lunch. Local celebs love the multiplex theater for movies, while visiting celebs seem to like wandering aimlessly in the Grove while chatting on their cell phones. Despite the Grove's glitzy nature, it has managed to stay largely off the radar of tourists (despite what anyone tells you, most of the crowds here are certainly locals), leaving the fanny-pack wearers in the sweltering heat of Hollywood & Highland.

Let's hear it for the girl...and the boy too!

2005-08-06T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ready to hit the waves?
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

So, my little girl Mackenzie turned seven yesterday, and I decided to try something a little different with this year's birthday gift. Too much of a glut of useless toys these days, and the kids seem to forget about them as soon as they have them in hand. Not from me. Not this year. So, it looks like my kid will instead be going to surf camp! I'm very proud of Mackenzie for having spent the past two summers in swimming classes in order to develop into a strong swimmer. She has always bugged me about learning to surf when we visit the beach, so this year, in addition to her other gifts (which included a friggin' PSP from her mom!), she received a communal present of a week in Santa Monica surf camp from a group of friends who all love her dearly (but don't get to visit us in California nearly enough). Thanks to everyone who contributed to making this very unique and special birthday gift a possibility: Ornette, Michael, Steph, Glo, Gina and Mikey. I hope that it's the confidence builder the little lady needs.

Mingus1
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

And in boy news, Mingus continues on the path to righteous rapscallion (sorry, Walt Frazier moment). He has these mega-blocks that he insists on depositing all over the house. Honestly, I've grown weary of stepping on blocks at odd hours of the night, so today I decided to leave his mess where it landed. He dumped his blocks on the floor, as usual, and within minutes he tripped over one of them and fell flat on his stomach. After the crying subsided, I was shocked that he actually got himself up, picked up EVERY SINGLE BLOCK, and deposited them all back into their container. Hooray for letting them learn "the hard way"! Oh, and by the way; as soon as he finished cleaning up the last block, he grabbed the container and emptied them all onto the floor again. I think the next word to manifest itself in his vocabulary will probably be "sucker".

Open up already!

2005-08-04T15:10:00.000-07:00

Cheesesteak place
Originally uploaded by Powerkeni.

There's a new cheesesteak place called StakeOut Take Out opening on Pico and Redondo, right next to We Jammin' Jamaican Restaurant. I saw the lights on INSIDE the place as I passed by last night, which is a wonderful sign considering they have been "coming soon" for months. I swear, it feels like they were able to build that new Target on Santa Monica and La Brea quicker than these guys have been able to get their store off the ground. Come on fellas! Mop the floor, plug in the grill, and fix me a friggin' cheesesteak wid! Sheesh!

I should probably calm down, as more than likely I'm going to be disappointed when they finally do open. Why is it so difficult for anyone in the country outside of Philadelphia to make a good Philly cheesesteak? The ingredients are so basic. Steak, cheese, sandwich roll, with onions and peppers optional. Yet, no one can do it. In fact, to most Americans, what qualifies as a cheesesteak is in fact a gooey slurry of beef bits, melted cheese, peppers, onions, lettuce, and tomatoes on a mayo-slathered roll. Blech! That's what a cheesesteak was to me also, until that first time I stopped by Geno's in South Philly. Ever since then, I've been hoping for at least one decent cheesesteak place in my city of residence, but have come up short for years now. Unfortunately, LA has been no exception, with places like South Street on Hollywood Blvd. falling into the "slurry sandwich" category.

Yet I'm still holding out hope for this place, even though the early signs point to disappointment. The sign claims that they will have the best "Philadelphia and Chicago cheesesteaks" in town. Chicago cheesesteak? What the hell is that? Are they talking about an Italian beef sandwich (which is more a french dip with mozzarella cheese and peppers)? The fact that this place doesn't even properly identify its sandwiches dashes my hopes.

On a good note, I have been making some of the best cheesesteak sandwiches ever at home thanks to the good folks in Koreatown. You see, LA's Koreatown is tremendous, and loaded with Korean grocery stores that sell pre-sliced ribeye beef (for making bulgogi) that works wonderfully for homemade cheesesteak. I just buy some of that beef, some potato sandwich rolls, some peppers and onions (which I fry separately) and within minutes I've got myself the perfect Philly cheesesteak sandwich. Now that I think of it, screw that new place. I don't need them anyway. I'm going to the store.

Guess Who's Back?

2005-08-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

The Ivory Billed Woodpecker, that's who! I'm not kidding. Just reported on CNN.com today that researchers have confirmed the existence of the bird, thought to be extinct since 1944, in rural Arkansas. And in case you haven't figured it out, yes, I'm a bird-watcher. Shut up. I can still probably kick your ass.

But seriously, this is huge news in the ornithology world. It would be like someone discovering a pair of DoDo birds wandering around in a jungle. Or a Tasmanian Wolf in the suburbs of Melbourne. Just HUGE. And why should you care? I would answer that question with a question: have you ever stared out your window and tried to count how many different kinds of birds are flying around in your neighborhood? Neither had I, until my impromptu move to Minneapolis in the mid-90s. I think it was the second day in my office when I looked out the window and saw a bird that I had never seen before. I can't recall exactly what I said, but it was something along the lines of:

"What the fuck is that?"

"That" was actually a Pileated Woodpecker, the largest (now second largest since the Ivory Billed is back) woodpecker species in the world. Wingspan of 29 inches, in flight it looks like a pterodactyl with feathers. On a tree, its pecking sounds like someone hammering. It just blew my mind. Within a week, I had bought a Sibley Guide to Birds, and was just stunned at the birds I saw out my window (or nearby). Great Horned Owl. Pheasant. Red-Winged Blackbird. Robin. Blue Jay. Bald Eagle. In fact, bald eagles were like pidgeons in some parts of town. Despite its majestic image, the birds are serious scavengers, and they tend to feed on roadkill. People are always running them over.

Bird watching mellowed me out, and changed my life. I've done it ever since. Growing up in Brooklyn, where the only birds you see on a regular basis are sparrows and pidgeons, suddenly seeing these unusual creatures regularly can bowl you over. I never talked much about my hobby, and only years later found out that many of my friends have also been longtime bird watchers. There's Michael T., who had a Sibley guide sitting in the backseat of his car one night. There's Walter up in San Francisco, who recently began posting photos of the Herons he's been watching at the pond near the Palace of Fine Arts (click on "Walter Kitundu" in my links section to see the pictures for yourself). He sent me a great pic of a Great Blue Heron flying off with a groundhog in its mouth. And there's me, still watching birds and looking them up in my now dog-eared Sibley Guide. New cities bring new birds, and LA has been no exception. I recently found out that lots of the city's birds congregate down on the LA river. Unlike in movies such as Repo Man, Grease, Terminator 2 and countless others (in which only the concrete-encased portion of the river is shown) there are actually parts of the river that still have a natural bottom. Drinking the water would mean instant sickness for a person, but birds simply love the area. Everything from cliff swallows to herons can be seen there, and it's one of the many nice little secrets of the city. All Angelenos should check it out, though I know few ever will.

What's the point of all this? Maybe it's that bird watching is something I feel city kids (and adults) can appreciate more than most others, simply because it is so easy to take urban wildlife for granted, if you're able to see it at all. My house is surrounded by so many feral cats that they've killed seemingly every bird within a mile of it, except for crows, a couple of mourning doves and a hawk that camps out in the palm tree in my front yard. Remember when a few intrepid souls introduced the sport of fencing to kids in Harlem? No one thought city kids would want to do the sport, and now some of the best fencers in America hail from that neighborhood. If you have or know any kids and you live in the city,tell them to start looking to the sky at their neighborhood birds. Even "ugly" birds can be fascinating to watch. Bird behavior is amazing. They have territories. They have heirarchies. They form gangs. Crows are among the most intelligent animals in the world. Watch a gang of them work. Watch how one sits on the telephone pole as a lookout while his crew dives into a pile of trash for a quick meal. Listen as he calls a warning when an approaching cat gets too close. Watch as two runners distract the cat while the rest of his crew make off with the remainder of the food. Birds form their own unique urban communities, complete with different races, shapes and sizes. For a kid in the city, understanding birds might just be a key to understanding life.

Oh, and in case you're wondering:

This aint no Tree
Originally uploaded by RicKarr.

Here's what a Pileated Woodpecker looks like.

From Coney Island to Venice Beach

2005-07-28T11:50:00.000-07:00

Though I'm usually not prone to blogging sappiness, I had to share a huge event that happened yesterday. At about 11AM yesterday morning, my little guy waded into the ocean for the first time. Considering he's only 15 months old and the chop is really rough on that stretch of Venice beach, I consider it a really bold move on his part. I didn't even have to ask him to go. Little man took my hand, walked me all the way across the beach, then kept on going right into the water. I must be getting old, but crossing the magic 3-0 seems to have really mellowed me out. Ask any of my friends from the college days back at Howard University in Washington, DC, and they'll tell you I was one uptight dude. Now, I'm basking in my son's first steps into the ocean like the kid won a Nobel Prize or something. My daughter is currently traveling on the east coast with her mom (my ex-wife), but her seventh birthday is coming up on August 5th, and I'm more excited about that than I would be for my own birthday. She started swimming earlier this year by the way, so now I'll have my hands full with them both at the beach. Her first trip to the beach came at Coney Island (she was born in NYC), when she rocketed up and down the boardwalk chasing seagulls and trying to feed them her Nathan's fries.

As far removed as the beaches of Venice might seem, in many ways my son's experience harkens back to my childhood. The beach near my family's apartment in Coney Island is where some of my earliest memories begin to come into focus. In many ways the communities are similar, Coney Island and Venice, but they are in just as many ways different. As Mingus stepped into the ocean, wetsuit-clad surfers catching waves formed the backdrop. When I took those first perilous steps into the water, I was greeted by a sea of brown humanity, Coney Island then being the preferred beach of Brooklyn's black and brown poor. And when Mackenzie first caught wind of the Atlantic on that very same Coney Island beach, it was among fur-clad Russian couples. I can't say I prefer any of these images over the other, as they all leave indelible marks on your psyche. But I can say that where the city meets the ocean is one of the best places to be introspective and, sometimes, to even be inspired.

I should be writing this blog with more tenacity and less sagacity

2005-07-26T18:48:00.000-07:00

Talk about the best gag gift ever. I was recently given a copy of the children's book "Word Jam: An electrifying, mesmerizing, gravity-defying Guide to a powerful and awesome vocabulary". The book was written by Knicks great Walt "Clyde" Frazier. For those who don't know, Frazier was the point guard on the last Knicks team to win a championship (yeah, in the 70s). These days, the still stylish Frazier does the play by play for the Knicks on the MSG network (at least he did the last time I checked). Many of my friends know that he was the only reason I would even bother watching Knicks broadcasts before the All-Star break. Walt was well-known for inserting multi-syllabic words into his courtside commentary, and he even admitted during some interviews that he kept a small pocket thesaurus handy for conjuring big words on the fly. I'll never forget the game back in the 90s when Latrell Sprewell threw down a particularly thunderous dunk and Frazier exclaimed:

"That's right! He needs to be attacking the rim with more tenacity and less sagacity!"

You tell 'em, Walt!

Anyway, his book claims to provide "the all-star words you need to succeed," and is every bit as entertaining as his live broadcasts. For example, here are some power words used by Kathy to keep the contents of her diary a mystery to her younger brother, Joey:

Instead of saying BASHFUL (adj. Shy), Kathy can say RETICENT

Instead of saying COVERT (adj. Hidden), Kathy can say SURREPTITIOUS

Instead of saying SNEAKY, Kathy can say FURTIVE

It's like I've been transported courtside to a Knicks-Heat games in the late 90s. Thanks Walt. In honor of your new book, I will endeavor to make my blog as delectable as possible over the course of the next week. I promise not to adopt an apathetic attitude towards my blog's upkeep, for it would be puerile for a neophyte blogger like myself, being both loquacious and full of zeal, to let such a lofty project simply fall by the wayside.

I wonder why Zagat doesn't do THAT survey...

2005-07-22T10:36:00.000-07:00

I just received the August issue of GQ and noticed the bold cover line "The 4 Greatest Food Cities on Earth". I think the neighbors must have heard my eyes rolling, because a baby suddenly started crying. I immediately flipped to page 158 to see what I expected to be the usual combination of cities that are repeated endlessly in these "bests" lists (New York, Paris, blah blah), and was pleasantly surprised to find that their four picks were Bangkok, Madrid, Piedmont and...Los Angeles! About time! Gold star to the writers for daring to highlight some overlooked food destinations. There are plenty of things to complain about here in LA, but since moving here, I've been shouting to anyone back east who would listen that this city is really on a tear when it comes to food and wine. Among LA's many strong suits are Korean, Thai, Japanese, American, Lebanese, French, Indian, Soul Creole and (duh) Mexican. Some of the weaker areas are Chinese (compared to New York), Spanish and Cuban. I'm not a big fan of Mexican food, and being from the east makes me a huge fan of Spanish and Cuban. However, if I had a choice between my favorite Spanish restaurant in New York (El Pote) and my favorite "other" restaurant here (A.O.C.), I would take the LA restaurant without a second thought. Also, no burger chain can hold a light to In-N-Out Burger. I don't miss White Castle in the least anymore.

Still, reading that article got me thinking about one of the major gaping holes in food coverage. There are a thousand lists of "best this" or "best that" that are printed every year. However, no one ever compiles a list of the foods you should avoid at all costs when visiting a certain city. Think about it...don't you wish someone had warned you not to get a slice of pizza in Venice, Italy? I know I do.

In fact, here for the first time is my compilation of the worst cities for particular types of food. If you have suggestions to add to the list, please send them my way. Expect this list to grow over time:

Worst Creole: Seattle, Washington
I must admit, I don't have an extensive knowledge of the Emerald City's Creole cuisine. However, I'm picking Seattle because it is where I had the worst Creole meal of my life. I ordered red beans and rice, and I sincerely believe they dumped a can of pork and beans onto a plate. Great city for halibut. Bad city for soul food.

Worst Chinese: Paris, France
My buddy "O" can also attest to this. We ate at several Chinese restaurants there when I last visited several years ago. They all had the terrible habit of scooping cold, pre-cooked food onto a plate and tossing it into a microwave. I'm not kidding. Think that's ridiculous? Well, poor "O" got scolded at one place for not paying the correct amount (I took french...he didn't). Have you ever heard a Chinese woman shout obscenities in broken French? It's almost worth dealing with the crappy food. But not quite.

Worst NY Style pizza: Chicago, Illinois
Worst Chicago Style pizza: New York, New York
Maybe it's done on purpose, but these cities seriously screw up each others pizza. Most New Yorkers don't even know that Chicago style does not mean "deep dish" (it's actually flat, with no crust, cut into squares) and most Chicagoans think anything served by the slice is New York style. Can we have a truce folks? Please, leave each others pizza alone.

Worst anything other than steak: Buenos Aires, Argentina
True story. Now, I love steak. I love $8 filet mignon cuts even more. When it comes to great, cheap steak and delicious Malbec wine, no one can touch Buenos Aires. But after a couple of days of steak three times a day, your body begins to beg for a vegetable. During one meal, I was on the verge of withdrawal. I called the waiter and asked him if it was possible to get some vegetables. I don't know Spanish (took French, remember?), so after some very bad sign language the waiter finally uttered the magical word I'd been waiting for.

"Broccoli?"

Yes, my good man, bring me some broccoli! Ten minutes later, he shows up at my table with ANOTHER steak. After smiling for several seconds, he confidently repeated the word.

"Broccoli."

Once again, I don't speak Spanish. Even if I did, I know that pronunciation is very different in Argentina than in other Spanish-speaking nations (two "L"s is pronounced as a "J" sound, for example). Still, I don't think that "broccoli" is Spanish for steak, no matter the pronunciation. Still, I would have felt terrible to send the steak back after the waiter's hard work, so I forced it down. Have you ever watched one of those nature programs on the habits of wild pack animals such as wolves? I've heard it remarked that, after gorging themselves on raw flesh, a wolf can actually end up in a state that is best described as drunk. I now completely understand what that means. Smuggle a few cans of green beans with you if you ever travel to Argentina.

What happens when two reality shows collide?

2005-07-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Did you ever notice how most of the b-list reality TV shows (Blind Date, the Fifth Wheel, et al) seem to be taped in LA? Part of the reason is that a handful of local production companies are responsible for many of the dating reality shows. But I also believe that the shows are based here to capitalize on the hordes of wannabe celebs. Notice I say wannabe celebs, and not wannabe actors. Trust me, a lot of these people don't want to act. They just want to be recognized on the street. A few friends of mine are guilty of having bounced around and appeared on several of those aforementioned dating shows. I always tape their episodes so that I have something to laugh about when they come over.

I've had reality shows on my mind a lot lately, partly because my latest guilty pleasure is the Bravo program Being Bobby Brown. I've seen some really scathing reviews of this show, calling it the most appalling thing on reality television, yada yada yada. I don't understand why it's so upsetting to so many critics. I see Bobby Brown and Whitney Houston as being the ultimate ghetto couple. If anything, the show proves both that (a) their relationship is a real one and (b) Whitney is in fact the crazy one, not Bobby. I called the wise Evelyn Powers the other night to get her feedback on the show. Her assessment was better than anything I've seen in print anywhere:

"They're behaving like they don't realize they're being filmed."

What an illuminating comment. Thanks mom. I think she nailed the current state of reality television in that one sentence. Reality television has become a career option for many people. Don't quite have what it takes to be an actor? Hit the reality television circuit. Don't have the chops to launch a singing career? Spend some time in the Real World house to prove you are worthy of stardom (or at least worthy of appearing on numerouse Battle of the Sexes shows). That's why, with only the slightest bit of effort, it's possible to find many of the same people showing up on numerous reality shows. Appearing on as many shows as possible is seen as a gateway to a career. Today's Blind Date reject is tomorrow's Bachelor. Tomorrow's Bachelor reject is next week's Average Joe hunk. So of course, whether they'll admit it or not, EVERYONE on reality TV shows are acting to a certain extent. They have to play to the camera...their wannabe careers depend on it. That's why Being Bobby Brown is so equally enthralling and horrifying...they really don't seem to be acting in the least.

We're far enough along in the reality show epoch that many of these shows are in syndication. This is great, because it provides a wonderful opportunity to compare and contrast. For example, I caught a rerun of Growing Up Gotti the other day. It was the first episode I had ever seen (honestly). In it, materfamilias Victoria threw a dinner party for her boss. Among the invitees were New York PR maven Lizzie Grubman. Now, unless I'm mistaken, doesn't Grubman have her own reality television show on MTV? This begs the question...when two people being followed by reality show crews (on different networks) interact, how do they decide whose crew gets to document their interactions? Is there some kind of reality show protocol? Is there a heirarchy, or is it decided by rock, paper, scissors? How cool would it be for Bobby Brown to be partying on his show, then get crazy drunk, try to drive home, and get pulled over by the crew from Cops? Then he could end up in Judge Joe Brown's court! It's delicious possibilities like these that put a smile on my face.

I'll end this post with a reality show tidbit, courtesy of one of my nephews, who flew out to California once to appear on Judge Joe Brown (I couldn't talk him out of it):

Did you know that court reality shows (e.g. The People's Court) agree in advance to pay for whatever judgement is meted out? That's right. If you agree to go on the show to dispute some amount of money you owe, the show will simply pay the amount of the judgement if you lose. Basically, by having the producers pay the settlement amount, you're agreeing to let the judge insult you on television. That explains why so many defendents take those tongue lashings with a smile on their faces.

All I want for Christmas are some brake pads

2005-07-19T13:44:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of automobiles in Los Angeles that are in desperate need of pimping. Unfortunately, most Angelenos don't have Xzibit on their speed dial, so they have to do whatever it takes to keep their automobiles running. The freeways of the city are packed with cars that seem as though they are being held together with duct tape. And contrary to popular belief, most of the occupants aren't suburban teenagers who spend all of their time volunteering to help the homeless.

Keeping your car roadworthy becomes such a difficult task in Los Angeles simply because it is so damn easy to do...initially. The east coast and midwest can be particularly unforgiving to automobiles. If you don't give your car the proper attention it will rapidly fall victim to rust (thanks to the winter salted roads) and many other problems brought on by the weather. LA's moderate year round temperature makes it a lot easier to ignore the little problems in your car until they become pretty big. Compare that with the rapid build-up of mileage and you have the perfect recipe for hooptie stew.

For example, my car is not that old. I brought it new in 2001. But since I've been in LA (two years now), I've had more problems with that car than I ever had when I was back east. I blame myself. I've got 71,000 miles on it. I started skipping regular services. I see an indicator light on my dash, and I decide to wait a week or two to bring it in. It turns out the indicator was for my brake pads being worn out. Now the pads are gone, and its been eating into my rotors. What would have been a $150 job will now be a $650 job. Just like that.

There are some nice tradeoffs, or course. In New York you're stuck with either street parking (so long clean bumpers) or garage parking, and it seems like every garage in New York reeks of mildew. After a couple of months, the odor will definitely find its way into your car. The car I drove when I lived in Queens smelled after about a month of garage parking it. Most of my friends in NYC also garage their rides. Many people think New Yorkers are a car-free sort. I usually laugh at that one. Maybe if the person is from Manhattan. But everyone in Queens and Staten Island (and most of the natives in Brooklyn) own cars. I've written extensively about my mother's game of cat and mouse with neighborhood car thieves growing up. Her cars were stolen no fewer than three times. When she finally gave up and traded down from a Cadillac to a Plymouth Volare, they simply began to steal parts of the car (like the battery). All of my friends and relatives who are from New York currently own a car (even the ones now living in Manhattan). How do you think they get to Ikea? Just kidding.

Cars are pretty vandal-free here in LA though, which is nice. Almost everyone has a driveway, and those who park on the street don't have to worry about break-ins too much. However, recently a friend of mine had someone steal the registration sticker off of his license plate. Considering the cost of regisration fees here, I understand why.

Pico Blvd, the one-stop shop for all your hood film needs

2005-07-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

I live very close to the intersection of Crenshaw and Pico boulevards. Crenshaw has been immortalized in numerous hood movies from the 1990s such as Boyz in the Hood. Pico, meanwhile, is a relatively unknown strip to anyone living outside of Los Angeles. The funny thing is that I notice a film crew shooting on the street at least once a month. I've determined that Pico must be one of the prime locales of urban film set pieces. For example, on one mile-long strip of Pico between La Brea and Fairfax, you'll find Lucy's Drive-In (the burger joint from the Singleton film Baby Boy), Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles (from every friggin' where), We Jammin' Jamaican food, The Comedy Union (LA's top black comedy club), C.J.'s Diner, the Black Dahlia Theater and several art galleries. The film crews are almost always shooting on this particular strip. My guess is that the area must be particularly suited to films in which it's necessary to show black Angelenos in street scenes. Even the Vons grocery store at Pico and Fairfax has a kind of ghetto superstar mentality. Recently while I was shopping there I ran into Bishop Don Magic Juan. You know, the pimp from the Hughes Brothers doc "American Pimp" who has been a regular stage presence at Snoop Dogg performances. It was hard to miss him. He was wearing his trademark green and gold shades, as well as a complete green and gold ensemble. I honestly believe that in this particular Vons, someone like Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman or Natalie Portman could walk in and no one would recognize them. But you wouldn't believe the response people had to seeing Bishop Don Magic Juan! You could determine his location within the store by simply listening for someone to shout out his name as he entered their aisle. "Don Juan!" Sounds like he's in the pasta aisle. "Bishop Don Juan!" Oh, it sounds like he's in the meat section. One of those priceless LA moments.