Tonight, the L.A. 3-D Club’s Movie Division is holding an “Open Screen 3-D Movie Night.” Anyone is invited to bring their stereoscopic video content to add to the mix. The club will continue to curate monthly public screenings at the Downtown Independent. By the way, if you haven’t checked out this theater yet, you are missing out. It’s gorgeous and has a fun vibe.

LA3D Movie Division “Open Screen 3-D Movie Night” is TONIGHT!
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010, 8-11pm
Downtown Independent Theater
251 S. Main St., Los Angeles, CA 90012

Admission to the event is $10 at the theater box-office, free with USC Student ID. Paid parking is available at many lots in the area. The theater is about a 10 minute walk from the Pershing Square Red Line station.

See the event page on Facebook for details such as file formats if you’d like to submit material to screen.

An adorable monkey giving a big snake a buzz cut on Cal Poly's "Jungle Cuts"

The theme of this year’s parade was “A Cut Above The Rest.” The talented students from Cal Poly put a humorous spin on it with their concept “Jungle Cuts,” which had monkeys styling the “hair” of various animals. It was perhaps the largest crowd pleaser and it took some maneuvering to get close and take photos. I guess the float builders knew how popular their float would be and set up a merchandise booth next to it where they sold posters and t-shirts of their design of their scene of newly coiffed beasts.

You have until 5pm today (ticket sales end at 3pm) and from 9am to 5pm tomorrow to check out the floats. Click here for comprehensive information on where, when, how much, dos and don’t, directions, transportation options, etc. You can even download a free podcast which serves as an audio tour.

My personal recommendations are to take advantage of one of the many shuttle options, wear comfortable walking shoes, allow yourself at least two hours, and bring some water as it’s pricey on-site. Also, make sure you take a look at Burbank’s award winning entry. It’s mighty impressive.

Photo by Jodi

For the fifteen years I’ve lived in Los Angeles, every Christmas Eve I’ve enjoyed The Magical Christmas Caroling Truck. For the 26th year, the sixty-two foot tractor-trailer will wind it’s way through the neighborhoods of Toluca Lake and North Hollywood between 4:30 and 11pm tonight, spreading lots of holiday cheer along the way.

Honestly, I can be a bit bah-humbug this time of year, but the truck never fails to get me feeling a little more of the “holiday spirit.” Back in 1994, we had no idea what the racket was outside of our Toluca Lake area apartment. We ran outside and were amazed by the brightly lit holiday show traveling down our street. When we moved into a house a couple of years later, we were delighted to find out we were still on the caroling truck’s route! It has become a tradition that I hold near and dear and  look forward to every year now. Our neighbors have a party and when the truck hits our street, we rush out and enjoy, occasionally even walking along with it for a while. Instead of having to go out and find lights to look at, they come to us!

The vehicle is adorned with thousands of lights, blasts holiday music, all while over 200 people sing and dance on and along side the truck. A separate train car rides behind carrying Santa (or one of his “helpers,” since his will be busy, of course) and there is snow. The truck ambles along through the neighborhoods, stopping from time to time. It seems like it gets just a little more festive every year, if that is even possible.

Even if you don’t live in the neighborhoods The Magical Christmas Caroling Truck visits, you can bring the family to the area and enjoy. See the truck’s website for photos and videos, as well as a map of the approximate times and locations. This just might become one of your favorite holiday traditions too! ]]> http://la.metblogs.com/2009/12/24/its-the-most-magical-night-of-the-year/feed/ 7 http://la.metblogs.com/2009/12/05/dinosaurs-at-the-drive-in-tonight-free/ http://la.metblogs.com/2009/12/05/dinosaurs-at-the-drive-in-tonight-free/#comments Sat, 05 Dec 2009 22:20:03 +0000 Jodi Kurland http://la.metblogs.com/?p=36895 Tonight at 6pm, MobMov.org and Hollywood MobMov are presenting a FREE sneak preview drive-in screening of the Discovery Channel’s new show Clash of the Dinosaurs.

Clash of the Dinosaurs takes a new look at the greatest beasts to ever walk the Earth. Cinematic photo-real 3D graphics are joined with cutting-edge paleontology to reveal the unique inner workings of these prehistoric survival machines.

This early evening event, which will run about an hour, is perfect to bring the whole family to and then still have time to get on with other Saturday night festivities. Hollywood MobMov is truly the “drive in that drives in.” The show is projected onto a wall from a car while you, the audience, relax in your own vehicle and tune in you FM radio for the audio. It really is a lot of fun!

The drive-in is at 6pm tonight in the parking lot of the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood, located at the Center for Inquiry – West, 4773 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90027. Enter the parking lot off of Berendo St., just north of Hollywood Blvd. Did I mention it’s FREE?

"Burn Joe, Burn!"

The Bruins of UCLA and the Trojans of USC will be competing on the football field tomorrow night. The Los Angeles Universities have a long-standing rivalry that is important to a lot of the city’s residents. Personally, I’m not really interested in the sport or who wins. Maybe I should be since the company I work for is highly affiliated with USC. In spite of not being a fan, I somehow ended up at The Trojans’ big pep rally, called Conquest, last weekend. (I was solely there to see the closing band, OK Go).

The event, held on the USC campus, was a big deal complete with a ferris wheel, food trucks, Jamie Kennedy introducing a variety of the school’s sports teams and coaches, and a very impressive fireworks display. Most of the “Yay Team!” (or “Fight On!” as they say at USC) stuff was lost on me, but I did thoroughly enjoy The Trojan Marching Band, otherwise known as The Spirit of Troy. They are excellent and their rendition of Fleetwood Mac’s “Tusk” was a huge treat.

The Spirt of Troy

It appeared that the highlight of the night for the students and alumni was the burning of Joe Bruin, UCLA’s mascot bear. There were chants of “Burn, Joe, burn!” It can only make me wonder what they light on fire at UCLA. Hopefully, it’s not what we all think of when we hear USC’s mascot because the smell of burning rubber is rather unpleasant.

There have been shenanigans this week with UCLA’s Bruin statue getting painted with Trojan cardinal and gold. So much for sportsmanship.

Are you into the big game and if so, who are you rooting for? I really hope your team wins.

Zeppelin by Jitze

Airship Ventures is in town offering various L.A. tours by Zeppelin through this coming Tuesday, November 24th. The Bay Area-based company operates the only sightseeing airship in the United States and for the past year and a half, they have flown over the San Francisco Bay, the Monterey Coast, and L.A. At this past week’s Mindshare, one of company’s founders, Alexandra Hall said that due to the growing popularity of the Long Beach to Hollywood tours, Airship Ventures plans to spend nearly half of 2010 in Southern California. I’m really tempted to book a flight.

You don’t have to worry about another Hindenburg disaster as the Zeppelin is filled with non-flammable helium, not hydrogen. (Yes, all helium is non-flammable, but the company has to state the obvious for the general masses). You can read all about the specs of the ship, available tours, and the journey of getting this venture in the air at the company’s site.

Ticket are a little out of my price range, but imagine what an amazing journey you’d be taking. Booking information can be found here.

I met up with a group of friends and we waited in line for about an hour for brunch in the café. It gave us time to look at some of the surrounding displays. While you could order from the regular menu, there was also a special Hello Kitty menu, of course, featuring a high tea and character shaped pancakes and waffles. Guess what we chose to order. There was no way we could pass up a combo of yummy and cute!

This is the last week of the event and I predict that it will be quite crowded this coming weekend as folks realize it’s their last chance. I’ve heard that it’s not so bad during the week, so that may be the way to go if your schedule allows. I plan to go back just for the store as the line to get in yesterday was incredibly long.

Three Apples runs through Sunday, November 15th at Royal/T in Culver City, 10am-10pm. There is no admission fee, but you might have to wait to get into the shop or be seated in the café.

Hello Kitty and Jodi @ Japan LA in 2006

For the next three weeks, Los Angeles area Hello Kitty fans can take part in celebrating her 35th anniversary! Three Apples is an exhibition event that Sanrio is hosting at Royal/T, a unique café/shop/art space in Culver City. It’s starting tonight with a VIP grand opening, and running through November 15th.

When I first received an announcement for Three Apples, I thought it was just another art show. Not only will art be on display, but you will get a chance to see unique products and designs, shop in a pop-up store, and attend various events celebrating that adorable cat-with-no-mouth, who many of us have loved since she adorned our pencil cases when we were kids. Some of us have never grown up out of our love for all things Hello Kitty. Three Apples is for us!

Local purveyor of all things kawaii, Japan LA, is curating an art exhibition featuring over 80 contemporary artists’ interpretations of Hello Kitty. Gary Baseman, Luke Chueh, and Buff Monster are a few of the artists whose work will be on display and for sale. A portion of the proceeds will benefit L.A. Works.

In addition to seeing one-of-a-kind artist creations, you can gaze into a mock apartment, filled wall to wall with Hello Kitty items. This may sound like a dream come true or a nightmare to you, but worth checking out either way. Another gallery will provide a retrospective of products from 1974 to present day that feature Hello Kitty, including some things only found in Japan. You be able to visit the on-site store featuring never- before-seen merchandise and also participate in an array of parties and workshops. Take a look at the calendar of events, which will continue to be updated with details for the various happenings.

The Three Apples Hello Kitty exhibition runs Friday, October 23rd through Sunday, November 15th. The FREE event is being held at Royal/T, located at 8910 Washington Blvd, Culver City 90232.

According to the L.A. Times blog, “the concert was supposed to include excerpts from his scores to the movies The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, The Untouchables, Cinema Paradiso, Once Upon a Time in America, The Mission, Once Upon a Time in the West,  A Fistful of Dollars, and others.” The Cinema Paradiso score to be incredible and worth the price of admission alone. I’m bummed to be missing out on seeing a conductor lead an orchestra playing his or her original piece, which is always amazing.

It’s unknown why the show is not going on. Refunds are available, according to the Hollywood Bowl, “at point of purchase.” Of course, if you go to Ticketmaster, you learn that they are not obligated to return your money, so we are currently in limbo. Luckily, we bought cheap seats for this one.

Updated 10/23/09: We received an email from Ticketmaster. They will refund the base ticket price and service charges. However, they will keep the $4+ processing fee. Bastards.

Heritage Square Mourners by Jodi

In case you are on the hunt for something different to do, I can highly recommend checking out the  Halloween and Mourning Tours at Heritage Square Museum. You’ll learn how people in the Victorian Era dealt with death, mourned for loved ones, and practiced Spiritualism, all through guides in period costumes. Maybe this sounds somewhat morbid to you, but I know I’m not alone in finding it fascinating.

Want to know more about Heritage Square Museum? Curious about the details for this cool event?

Heritage Square Museum is a collection of eight historical buildings that were saved from demolition. Through guided tours and special events, you can appreciate the architecture and history of  late 19th Century Southern California. You very well may have noticed a cluster of Victorian style homes along the right side of the 110 Freeway as you head north toward Pasadena. That’s the museum.

It’s worth visiting Heritage Square any time you can. It’s located at 3800 Homer Street, Los Angeles 90031, just north of Dodger Stadium and Downtown. Parking is free and admission varies depending on the occasion. See their calendar for more details, including a couple of additional Halloween activities.

The Halloween and Mourning Tours take place next Saturday and Sunday, October 24th and 25th from 12pm-4pm. See the HSM event page for admission prices. Of special note is that Sunday the 25th will be more family friendly with games, crafts, storytelling and more for children ages 2 to 12.