Donna in Hollywoodland

Big Foot Lodge
Big Foot Lodge on Los Feliz Blvd in Los Feliz.
I went with about 20 other people from LA People Connection .

Big Foot Lodge is becoming my favorite place to hang out. Its one of those local bars where everyone goes.
Business People, Entertainment People, Hippies and Punks, Nice people, Weird people, Young People, Old People.
Every time I go there it is a completely mixed crowd. No one type.

One of my friends recognized an Actor from a TV show that I never watch.
I meant to look him up on IMDB when I got home - but I forgot his name, and the name of the TV show.
So I guess that doesn't really count as a Celebrity Sighting.

The only bad thing tonight was that the music was really loud, and it was hard to talk to my friends.
But I ended up staying there until 1 am - which is something I never do.
I don't usually keep late nights like that.
I was one of the last of our group to leave.
It was a fun night.

Labels: celebrities, hollywood, losangeles, losfeliz

LACMA

Los Angeles County Museum of Art ..

Being the internet-geek that I am, I spent most of the day wasting time on the computer. But I really wanted to catch the "Modern West" and "Re-Site-ing The West" Exhibits at LACMA....

I manage to make it to the Museum, alittle bit after 5 pm.
I'm thinking - well, they close at 8pm, so thats plenty of time.

I am dashing up the stairs, to the ticket booth - and who do I see coming out of the museum ?
Rob Schneider
Yeah, Deuce Bigalow himself.
As a friend later said.... an Art Museum and Rob Schneider just don't seem to go together.
So I double-backed to take a second look and make sure it was him.

It was - and he was with a blond woman.
And he saw me recognizing him - and I was kind of starring at him.
And he kind of smiled at me....

But I was polite and went on my way... but I felt like running up to him jumping up and down and yelling "I'm probably the only Female in the United States who really LIKES your movies!"
But I did not become a Rabid Fan. I continued on my way back to the ticket booth.

I go up to the ticket booth, and I say to the guy "Its after 5pm - do you have a reduced rate?"
And he says "Yes we do - Its Free"

I'm very confused. I just saw a famous comedian in the courtyard, and now they tell me the Museum is Free after 5 pm on Saturdays.

He hands me my "FREE after 5pm" ticket - and I continue on my way - Of course, keeping an eye out for any famous comedians who might be at the museum that day.
I never see Rob Schneider again, so I don't get to turn into an hysterical fan.

After a burger in the cafeteria, I spend alot of time in both the "Modern West" exhibit, and the "Re-SITE-ing The West" exhibit. It was wonderful. Beautiful California landscapes, paintings and photos.

But the "Dan Flavin: A Retrospective" was just not for me. Walking into a room filled with green neon lights that burn my eyeballs out of their sockets, is just not my cup of tea.
I look at few of the fancy neon lights - I look at some of the permanent collection instead.

Whats the perfect way to end a day at an art museum?
A horror movie.
I drive to Hollywood and Highland .....
to see "28 Weeks Later" .
I never saw "28 Days"... but since "28 Weeks" was on the Top 10 List for a while - I wanted to see it.
I also like Robert Carlyle as an actor too...

Gee... The Art Museum, A Famous Comedian and A Horror Movie - all in one day.

Labels: art, celebrities, cinema, losangeles, movies

The Geffen and The Newsroom Cafe

I went online and bought tickets from Goldstar Events .
This is a great on-line service that allows you to purchase tickets for plays and other events at a reduced price.

I got tickets for the play "Heroes" at the Geffen Theatre .
Even though my ticket was almost half priced, I ended up with fantastic seats in the 3rd row.
It was great being up that close.

The actors in the play were George Segal , Richard Benjamin , and Len Cariou .
The play is a comedy about three friends in a French military hospital in 1959.

After the play, we stopped off at the Newsroom Cafe on Robertson Blvd in Beverly Hills.
We sat at one of the tables for four.
One of the waitresses came over and asked us to move to a table for two.
There was hardly anyone else in the restaurant, most of the tables were empty.

But we decided that we would just switch tables and not make a fuss.
As we switched tables, the waitress looked at her watch.
I said "Well, I guess she is expecting a big dinner rush."
My friend said "Well, if she is our waitress, she is not getting a big tip." He was alittle mad that we had been asked to move, since the restaurant was mostly empty.

Well, she wasn't our waitress - we had a waiter and he was nice.
I ordered a shark dinner special, it was very delicious.

We kept looking around the restaurant, and there were no other people coming in.
When we finally left at close to 7pm, there were still very few people in the restaurant, and mostly empty tables.

It was very annoying to be asked to move to a small table when there was no one else in the place.

We went for a quick walk up and down Robertson Blvd, passed The Ivy .
Looking for Stars - or at least some paparazzi who were looking for stars.
It was a pretty quiet night.
We saw a few stick thin women in very expensive skimpy clothes - obviously Models.

One little skinny woman walked passed me - accompanied by a tall, humongous guy who looked like he belonged in a street gang.
My friend said "You don't think they are dating do you?"
I said "No, I think thats her body guard."
I don't know who she was, I didn't recognize her.

Then, I passed a skinny rock & roll looking guy.
I couldn't tell if his long blond hair was a wig, or a bad dye job. I think he was wearing a wig so maybe no fans would recognize him.
Since he was trying to be incognito, I looked him straight in the face, trying to figure our who he was.
He nodded and half-smiled at me, as we passed.
I think he was trying to figure out if maybe we knew eachother.
I mean, why else would I be looking directly at him...
Could it be because he was wearing a really bad wig, so obviously he is somebody famous - and I wanted to figure it out.

Labels: beverlyhills, celebrities, food, losangeles, restaurants, theater, theatre

Brando

I volunteered tonight over at the Egyptian Theatre .

Turner Classics held a pre-screening of its new documentary, about Marlon Brando
Brando - A TCM Original Documentary

Its going to be on Turner Classics in May - and I highly recommend that you catch it.

Marlon Brando is one of the greatest actors in history. Every acting teacher I know raves about him.
Its so amazing to watch him in his early movies.

I have to tell you :
I was ushering and helping the VIPs go to their assigned seating.
I smiled at Gene Simmons as he went to his seat.
He smiled back at me.
Yes, Gene Simmons from KISS .
He looked pretty good, and I really liked his gold shoes.

Here's a Link for Pictures from the Event:
WireImage.com

Link:
Marlon Brando DVDs

Labels: celebrities, egyptian, hollywood, volunteer

The Coyote in Quiznos

I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, but I never saw a coyote anywhere around there. However, once driving late at night, I saw a coyote on Franklin and Normandie in Los Feliz. Thinking it was a run-away dog that needed help, I started to pull over. Alittle closer, I was stunned - it was definitely an coyote. I was amazed. It saw me watching it from the safety of the car, and looked back at me with its long snout.

I figured since Griffith Park is around here, that might have been where it was from.
But now I am learning, with all the building we are doing, moving into wild areas, those wild animals have nowhere else to go. So they have to come down looking for food and water.


Here's the links to the video of the Beautiful Coyote in the Chicago Quiznos.
If I had been there, I would have wanted to feed it a sandwich, and pet him.
Such a beautiful animal.
They named him Adrian, and it suits him perfectly.

The Coyote in the Chicago Quiznos

The funny Coyote in Quiznos Song from Conan O'Brien

The humorous Press Release from Quiznos

Here is part of the press release:

"We've certainly been looking to expand our customer base and appeal to different demographics, and it appears that we have hit a chord with the animal kingdom," said Steve Provost, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at Quiznos. "This has never happened before; we can only think that Adrian must have been attracted to our new Prime Rib on Garlic Bread and it's above average portions of meat. One thing is for sure, this coyote clearly has excellent taste."

Mr. Provost continued, "We will support the safety for Adrian and any other members of the wild animal kingdom who face severe challenges and unknown urban obstacles to find their way to Quiznos restaurants. We are pleased to donate $1,000 to Chicago Animal Care and Control, where Adrian currently resides."

I am sure Adrian the Coyote enjoyed his sandwich.

Labels: celebrities, links, news

Premier The Lookout

AT the Egyptian Theatre , it was the premier of "The Lookout" starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt (remember him from "3rd Rock From the Sun"), and Isla Fisher (she was the crazy one in "Wedding Crashers" ). Along with Jeff Daniels as the blind roommate.

A very suspenseful movie about a man with brain damage, who gets coerced into helping with a bank robbery. The scenes with the bank robbery had me on the edge of my seat.
The acting is excellent.

After the movie, there were wonderful appetizers, sushi, and little sandwiches in the Egyptian Courtyard.

I walked around, and saw Sasha Baron Cohen, who is engaged to Isla Fisher.
I said to one of my friends "He's not as tall as I expected."
Yes, he's tall... but he still looks taller in the movies.

Isla looked adorable, in a cute polka dot dress.

My friends and I hit the dessert table and enjoyed the delicious chocolate macaroon balls.

If you want to check out the pictures on WireImage, they are here :

red carpet pics

arrivals pics

party pics

The Lookout IMDB.com page.
and
The Lookout Offical Movie Site

Labels: celebrities, cinema, film, hollywood, movies

Dancing with the Stars

I haven't much been into the Reality shows. Only watched the first and second season of "American Idol", and then I lost interest.
I also liked "Who wants to Marry My Dad?" - but they haven't had a new episode in years.

But tonight I really wanted to catch Dancing with the Stars . First, I had to see what happened to Heather Mills. All the commercials revolved around comments she was made saying she was worried her leg would fall off. Then, it turns out that she was the best dancer out of all of them this evening.

John Ratzenberger and Leeza Gibbons were the other two I was paying close attention to. They are my personal favorites.

I guess the thing I really like about "Dancing with the Stars" - is there are all different ages.
On "American Idol", there is an age limit, you can't be older than the required age ... which I don't like.
There are plenty of lead singers in bands, who have been playing the local bar for the last 20 years. And they can really sing too. Its a shame American Idol doesn't give them a chance.

There was a TV special on in 2003. Called Second Chance: Americas Most Talented Senior" .
I was really hoping they would turn it into a series, and they didn't.
The guy who won had been a piano player/singer is some little bar in a little town in Florida for the last 30 years. He sang "Mack The Knife" . And he was very talented.

I am going to predict that the winner will be either Laila Ali or Heather Mills .
But I am seldom right about these things.

Labels: celebrities, music, television

Billy Connolly at the Brentwood

I drove over to the Westwood area, to the grounds of the Veteran's Administration.
I had signed up to be a volunteer usher at the Brentwood Theatre.
Billy Connolly was doing his one-man show.

If you need to ever drive to the Brentwood Theatre ,don't get confused. The actual address is on Wilshire Blvd and Mapquest will take you to Wilshire Blvd. But you have to actually drive into the Veteran's Administration grounds.
So...From Wilshire Blvd, go north on San Vicente - and then you make a right on a little street called Bringham. Then you will be inside the Veteran's Administration Grounds and you can make it to the theatre.

When I arrived, I was given my volunteer assignment for the evening. I was going to be in the Member's Lounge serving wine and soft drinks. The manager said that lately they had not been getting many members stopping by before the show.
And the night before they didn't have anyone stop by. She asked if I minded being in the Lounge.I said "As long as I get to see the show, I'm fine with this. I just really want to see it."
She said yes, of course, and about two minutes before eight pm, I should head into the theatre.

After she left, I was in the lounge for a good 20 minutes. The thought flashed through my mind that I had gotten all dressed up in my black pants and white shirt for nothing, because I was just sitting in a room all by myself.
Then a friendly couple came in to have a drink before the show. We had an interesting conversation all about the local theatres. We had seen many of the same plays. It also turned out that the husband worked in the music industry as well, and he knew of the music company where I work.
So my assignment in the lounge was not a waste, I spent it in nice conversation with this lovely couple.
Soon a second couple came in for a drink.
And soon after that it was two minutes before eight, and it was time to go into the theatre.

Billy Connolly's show was a complete sell-out. So the volunteers had to find places to stand in the back. There were no seats available.
And the show was two hours long, without intermission.
So yes, I stood in the back of the theatre for the full two hours.

Volunteering and Standing - not a bad price to pay when you consider that the tickets were around fifty something bucks.

I already figured that since it was a comedy show, that is was going to be raunchy and irreverent in places.
If you go to something like this, you have to know what you are getting into.
And I just don't see the point in getting all offended if the comedian says something that you don't agree with.
Its comedy. So just enjoy the moment. At least I kinda sorta think that way sometimes.

My favorite part of the show was when Billy Connolly talks about the need for Reading Glasses once you get passed a certain age.
His son and him go fishing, and he leaves the glasses at a coffee shop along the way. They have to go back to get the glasses because he couldn't see to put the bait on the hook.

Its something I can relate to because the last few years I have needed reading glasses.
And since I need them all the time, I always put them on top of my head. Then I can't find them. I look all over the place.
And finally the last thing I do, is I pat the top of my head, and there they are.
Once I had them on top of my head, and was squinting to read something. My friend said "The glasses don't work if they are on top of your head. You have to wear them over your eyes."

The rest of the show was alot of different funny stories.
The most disgusting is when Billy Connolly tells about the three different times that women have vomited on him. He think he's made some kind of record by being vomited on three separate times by three different women.
Yes, they were gross stories. But they were also funny.

He talks alot about religion. Jokes about alot of new age stuff - Angels, Feng Shui and more. Its all "bullocks" and "shite", which actually sounds more polite than if he would have said the American equivalent of those words.
He says something along the lines of "For those of you have religion, thats fine for you - just keep it to yourself" before he goes into one of his religious comedy bits. He came off as being somewhat respectful of other peoples beliefs, while still going for the laughs.

One of his running jokes was about three Great Religious Leaders who had had spiritual visits while they were alone. #1 Moses and the Burning Bush (so funny ... Billy Connolly wonders why the Bush didn't ask for any
water, or why Moses didn't offer to put out the fire), and #2 Mormon Leader Joseph Smith and the visit by Angel Maroni and #3 one other visit which I have forgotten whom it was.
He asks the question - why wasn't there any other people there ? Why were Moses and Joseph Smith both alone at the time ?
How convenient.
He repeated the phrase "How convenient" enough times that you knew he was expressing his doubt about the reality of the event.
His reasoning being because there were no witnesses then it might not be true.
I laughed along, because it is a comedy show, its funny and entertaining, and I was having a good time.

After the show, I head out to the parking lot to my car.
I am walking behind a young, hip, well-dressed couple.
The woman is saying "You know, he's right - there were no witnesses to any of those things. He has a really good point when you think about it."
She seemed to somehow turn a Comedy show into a religious lesson and was taking it all way to seriously.
Like she had been in a college course and had learned some great scholarly truth that would influence how she viewed religion the rest of her life.

It was a Comedy show... told by a comedian ... get a grip. Put it in proper perspective.
Don't think about it. Just enjoy it, then let it go.

Thats the reason why I wrote previously that I "kinda sorta" believe you can go out to be entertained and just enjoy the event for the entertainment value, and not be to worried about the perspective that it comes from.
I guess in a perfect world you could do that.
But there are those people like the hip young couple in the parking lot, who just can't seem to distinguish between a comedy routine and a real life religious lesson.
They take the words of a very funny comedian to heart, as something to believe - when its just meant to be silly entertainment.

What I really wanted to say to her was "You have to take these things by Faith. You can't prove them.
You just have to take it on Faith that its true. And the fact that the story has been passed down all these years, and its helped people - well that has to account for something too."

Anyway, as for me, I completely enjoyed the funny evening. I was happy to volunteer so I could stand in the back and watch Billy Connolly do his two hour comedy show.
If he comes to your town, I recommend that you see it - for the laughs - and just buy your ticket way in advance, because it will sell out.

Links:

Billy Connolly Official Website
Daily News Review of Brentwood Show

Billy Connolly DVDS and movies
Billy Connolly Music and CDs
Billy Connolly Books

My favorite Billy Connolly movie (and Cinnamon the Cats too!)
Garfield - A Tale of Two Kitties

Labels: celebrities, hollywood, losangeles, plays, theatre, volunteer

Golden Globe Nominees Seminar

Today, at the Egyptian Theatre it was the Golden Globes Foreign Language Nominee Seminar .
Many of the Foreign Language Directors were there, including Clint Eastwood , and Guillermo del Toro.

Labels: celebrities, cinema, egyptian, films, hollywood, movies, volunteer