The PA holds cue cards for "Keanu" while "Pappas" looks on.

The longest running theater show in Los Angeles celebrated its two year anniversary on Saturday at the Dragonfly in Hollywood. Point Break LIVE! has been extremely successful, and with good reason. It is one of the most entertaining theater pieces in my memory; even better than Cats. (Okay, granted: most shows are better than Cats. Point Break LIVE! is exceptionally good, though.)

Point Break LIVE! is an absurdist stage adaptation of the classic 1991 movie starring Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves. The twist to this show is that at every performance the role of “Keanu” is performed by a member of the audience (hence, the cue cards.) Because the show has been running for two years, I’m certain there are dozens of reviews more eloquent than mine just on the other side of a Google search. This is not so much a review as an unabashed endorsement.

Buy tickets. See this show. Now! I’m already planning to see it again with other friends.

Point Break LIVE! is a spectacular interactive theater show with comedy, stunts, special-ish effects, hot half-naked surfer dudes…everything you could want in a big budget action movie, but on a seriously diminished budget. There are so many delightful surprises in this show, I don’t want to say too much for fear of spoiling any of the fun. I will include this, though, from the Point Break LIVE! ticketing site:

“This show is not for the squeamish, uptight, faint of heart, or the easily offended. Theater snobs probably won’t get it. If you are looking for a traditional theater experience – STAY THE F**K AWAY FROM THIS SHOW.”

MetBlogs readers don’t fit any of those categories, so you should all enjoy it immensely. Point Break LIVE! runs Saturday evenings at the Dragonfly in Hollywood. Get tickets here.

PRO TIP: When you collect your tickets at the box office, you’ll be offered a “survival kit” for a buck. Take it. It may be the best dollar you’ll ever spend. Seriously.

Hotel President Herman B. Sarno was joined by film starlets Heidi Heidemann, Beverly Anderson, and Kathy Marlowe, comedian Jack Carson, film Actress Connie Towers, and singing star Byron Palmer for the ceremonial groundbreaking of the luxurious Hollywood Knickerbocker Hotel.

The year was 1955.

Photo from the USC Digital Library

Earlier this week I alerted you to the LA Opera’s first ever costume sale and now I bring you this, just in time for Halloween costume shopping.

The Movie Wardrobe Sale Takes Place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel - Second Home to Hot Stars Like Us

There is going to be another amazing sale this weekend, the Hollywood Studio Collection’s wardrobe sale. A portion of the proceeds from this sale will benefit Childhelp, one of the world’s largest organizations that aids victims of child abuse and neglect.

Thousands of wardrobe pieces from various movie sets will be sold during the three-day event that consists of both vintage and contemporary clothing, shoes, décor, accessories and props that have been used in some of today and yesterday’s most influential blockbuster films. The sample sale will offer rare and one-of-a-kind items that would normally be sold for thousands of dollars, for as little as $10.

The sale takes place at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel this Saturday, October 10 through Monday, October 12 in the Oscar Room on the second level of the hotel.

Admission is only $5. For more information, visit www.TheHollywoodStudioCollection.com or call (818) 812-6068.

It served as the backdrop for many a Hollywood spectacle. One such night, was the premiere of “The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex,” starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.

It was the Warner Brothers Theater. The year was 1939.

Photo from the USC Digital Library

The streets of Hollywood just turned up the wacky.

L. Ron Hubbard has reached from beyond the cosmos to release his new Fall line for local Scientologists and their brethren around the world. They are uniforms for the new Ideal Org churches, and Gawker takes a look:

These uniforms are manufactured by some sort of magical logistics pipeline called a “conveyor belt” for the “Ideal Org,” a purportedly superior new type of church, according to International Scientology News. The uniform is intended to unite staff on “six continents” and help them look the part of “emissaries of a new civilization.”

Red, white and black uniforms for a new civilization. I think I remember something similar from a history book.

Still, I have three very important questions about these new unis that I would like answered:

1. Is the men’s tie reversible, or is it a clip-on?
2. Does the cape have the Scientology “S” logo on the back?
3. Are other accessories available, like an engraved cigar case or alternate red pumps?

Way to go, Xenu. Only you can make us both tremble and giggle just by putting on a suit.

Photo by gaelenh used under Creative Commons.

I’ve said it before, and it continues to be true: One of the best parts of living in L.A. is that every night of the week there is something to do that will be fun, interesting, and perhaps more than a little unusual. Case in point, last night’s performance of “Cartoon Dump!” at the Steve Allen Theater in Hollywood.

Cartoon Dump! is a parody of a children’s television variety show which centers around some of the worst cartoons ever aired. The show was created by Frank Conniff (formerly of Mystery Science Theater 3000) and animation historian Jerry Beck. In addition to the really bad cartoons, there are songs, comedy, puppets, and (at least last night) a juggler.

Follow me past the jump for more about Cartoon Dump! (more…)

Regarding the Contortions of the Face that Occasionally Happen Whilst Dancing

In booths and against the walls, chic-looking fashionistas and Hollywood types leaned and looked around the Bar Marmont. Like a lion/ess gazing across the Serengeti, each leaner surveyed the room, searching for any sign of stylistic weakness in other Gucci-shoed peeps in the pack. After all, this was, allegedly, a “cool event:” the private listening party for Diplo (aka MIA’s ex-boyfriend) and Switch’s (an English DJ) project Major Lazer (an aural ode to Jamaica). But when the music started and the leaning stopped, the dance floor filled with (sorta) writhing bodies each afflicted with the same syndrome: Dance Face… (more…)

My mother is Thai, my brother is a former Muay Thai kickboxing champion, and I have 30+ Thai cousins and assorted other relatives still living in Thailand. While this doesn’t make me an expert on all things Thai, it does provide me with an overly inflated tone of superiority when discussing Songkran (Thai New Year), which will be celebrated in Thai Town this Sunday, April 5 as part of the 6th Annual Songkran Festival.

Muay Thai Fighter Performing the Wai Kru. Taken at Sityodtong Muay Thai, Pasadena, CA, February 9, 2008

Like all festivals of this sort, there will be overpriced food stalls offering mediocre Thai food, displays of traditional Thai dance, raffles, religious ceremonies (Note to the Ladies: Do not ever touch the monks!), beer tents, and the 2nd Annual International Curry Festival. However, year-after-year, my favorite event of Songkran is watching the Muay Thai fighters duke it out in the ring.

All Songkran Festival events are free to spectators, so this is an excellent opportunity for first timers to introduce themselves to the rad sport of Muay Thai. From what I can tell, there is no obvious boxing schedule posted anywhere on the Songkran Festival site (please let me know if you find one), but from past years, the fights seem to go on from mid morning through late afternoon. If you happen to catch a match this Sunday during the festival, here are some things you should know about the sport. (more…)

I did not move to Southern California to be part of the “scene,” whether that word is preceded by “entertainment industry,” “Hollywood,” “celebrity” or some other term.  It’s fine with me if others are immersed in that, but I prefer the serenity of beach town life.   Of course, due to our location, one can theoretically bounce between serenity and “scene” as one wishes.  And Hollywood is a mere 15 miles away.

One area, however, where “Hollywood” and my beach town come crashing together is in the countless films, television programs,  commercials, videos, and print ads that are shot near me in Marina del Rey, Venice, and Santa Monica.  I never realized how often this happens until I moved here.  Usually, I’m proud and excited to see my neighborhood pop up on television or the big screen.  But the television program containing more scenes filmed in my area than just about any other, “The Millionaire Matchmaker,” is also one of the most annoying, and represents some of what I dislike about Los Angeles.

(more…)

Los Angeles (Metblogs) – Just when you thought you’d have to wait until Festival De Cannes in May to spread that gooey brie all over your crusty baguette and stick it in your grosse bouche, a week of French films will be premiering in Hollywood April 20 – 26, 2009 as part of the 13th annual COL•COA French Film Festival.

Francois Truffart at the 2007 COL•COA Film Festival

Metblogs reader, Laure confirmed that tickets are available online NOW and will likely sell out! Click here to check out what’s available.

Beginning April 11, you can purchase advance tickets at the COL•COA box office (cash or checks only) located in the lobby of the Directors Guild of America. During the festival, the box office will open a half an hour before the first show time of the day. All films will be presented with English subtitles.

The event takes place at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex at 7920 Sunset, LA, CA 90046.

So how many francs will this petite festival set you back? (more…)