Arclight Sherman Oaks
I haven't driven out to Sherman Oaks in, oh, maybe 15 years....
But the Arclight Cinemas is having their "soft" opening there this month.
And they invited the Members out to private party last night. (See it is worth it to sign up for that free little blue card.)
Down Ventura Blvd I went to the Sherman Oaks Galleria.
I expected to see a big sign saying "Arclight Cinemas", like there is in Hollywood.
But Nope - so I passed it, and had to turn back around.
Once parked, a nice security noticed my confused look as I read the "You Are Here" map.
When I told him I was heading to the Arclight, he laughed and said "Oh you are one of those Special People - you get to go there first !"
Sounds like the Mall employees are even dying to get into the new theatre.
He pointed me through the Mall.
The escalator that goes to Arclight is right smack in between The Cheesecake Factory and El Torito Grill .
And those Arclight people really know how to throw a party.
Complementary everything - Bar, cheese table - waiters walking around with appetizers like Duck Potstickers.
Many guests didn't bother with the fancy food and drinks, and went right for the free concessions.
Lots of people walking around the lobby with Carmel Popcorn.
I stuck to Chardonnay and fancy hors d'oeuvres.
Nice employees from the Arclight main office were there with name badges to chat with us about our "Arclight experience". From what I heard, the square footage in Sherman Oaks is smaller. But they have more seats - resulting in a smaller lobby, and the front row being closer to the screen.
There will be a similar restaurant like the one in Hollywood, along with a Coffee Bar.
And the movies will vary alittle between Hollywood and Sherman Oaks, because Sherman Oaks has a higher "family demographic".
And from what I heard, they hope to have Four more Arclights in the works, but no locations have been confirmed.
I told the nice Arclight person, how spoiled we are these days. Most people I know do not want to sit in a theatre that does not have stadium seating.
In Los Angeles the theatres have become so fancy, that we just can't deal with noise or a big head in front of us blocking the screen.
I headed over to get my complementary concessions - soda and regular popcorn. And headed to the theatre.
One guy, arms filled with popcorns and sodas and candy, couldn't make it up the stairs.
The usher had to help him, and he said "Sorry, I am really inebriated."
The lady next to me muttered "Thats classy".
Some people just can't stop when its free booze.
Our movie for the night was "American Gangster".
Starring Denzel Washington and Russel Crowe .
If you want a drug story with alittle bit of a Moral to it, I guess this would be it.
It is based on a true story.
All in all, it was a really fun night. And a really fun party.
Well, usually anything that includes a free movie is fun.
I will be driving back to Sherman Oaks to check it out again. Once they have finished the final touches, and the Arclight restaurant is opened. The Grand Opening is the middle of December.
There is an afternoon of shopping at The Sherman Oaks Galleria, following by a Carmel Corn and film, in my very near future.
Labels: arclight, cinema, film, movies, restaurants
Ratatoulie 
I met up with a friend at The Farmers Market
for lunch at the French Crepe Company .
I had the Chicken Milano Sandwich, on Ciabatina bread with Provolone and Tomato.
Then, we went over to The Grove to see the cute animated movie, "Ratatouille".
Labels: cinema, film, hollywood, losangeles, movies, restaurants
Talk to Me
Drove over to the Arclight Cinemas, bought our tickets.
Then walked across Sunset Blvd to Kabuki's restaurant .
As we are crossing the street, four people are walking towards us.
I recognized the tall redhead with the wild make-up, and I grab one of my friends my the arm.
My friend exclaims "That's Shirley Manson of Garbage !"
Kabuki's restaurant - I was starving, I bought the largest combo plate they had. Everything was on it.
Chicken Teriyaki, Beef ribs and Shrimp and Veggie Tempera.
Enough for three meals, I had to put the rest in my car and take it home for lunch tomorrow.
We saw "Talk To Me" starring Don Cheadle. I really liked it. I think it is one of my favorite movies of the summer. A historical story, with drama, comedy and music. Really an entertaining and educational film.
Labels: arclight, celebrities, cinema, film, hollywood, movies, restaurants
Sadie Thompson Eyptian
Volunteering again at the Egyptian Theatre.
This time the movie was "Miss Sadie Thompson" from 1953, starring Rita Hayworth .
And I stopped off for a roasted chicken dinner at Mel's Diner on the way home.
Labels: cinema, egyptian, food, movies, restaurants, volunteer
Happy Fourth of July ! Labels: cat, cinnamon, food, losangeles, movies, restaurants, westwood
I hope you had a wonderful Independence Day !
I started out my day meeting some friends in Westwood for a movie.
At first my plan was to take Sunset straight west, but as I was heading that way I realized that everyone else would be heading to the beach.
So I did the one thing I hate to do - I jumped on the freeway. It was the Hollywood freeway going through downtown LA with that horrible freeway interchange that connects over .
Its the 101 to the 110 to the 10 to the 405 .... yikes ! pretty scary !
The last time I drove that was over a year ago.
I was so happy when I made it to Wilshire Blvd in Westwood and normal surface streets again.
We saw the movie Sicko by Michael Moore .
Actually, by choosing a documentary that was not a children's movie - we ended up with no holiday crowd to deal with. And since it was a matinee, everyone was at the beach it seemed.
I have to admit I am not a political person, most of it just doesn't interest me. And I really don't like most documentaries.
So I have not seen a single one of the other Michael Moore movies.
But since I had surgery for breast cancer in 2005, and even though I have a PPO insurance plan, I got hit with a huge bill at the end of my hospital stay and radiation treatments.
So I really wanted to see this movie.
Universal Health insurance is the hot topic right now. And I think it is something everyone should be studying and thinking about, so we can make a wise decision if it ever comes to a vote.
After the movie was over, we all headed over to Pastagetti .
A casual restaurant on Westwood Blvd, with very yummy food. I had a chicken and pesto pizza. One friend had a spinach salad with strawberries in it - I kept saying "That looks so good, I have to come back and try that. I really have to try that."
My friends all decided to take a walk around Westwood Memorial Cemetery .
It was a nice warm day and they were interested in seeing some of the Celebrity gravestones.
But I had to spend the evening with Cinnamon the Cat so the fireworks didn't scare her. So I headed home.
And I am glad I did. The fireworks in Hollywood were very loud this year. Lots of illegal fireworks going off on my street.
At one point, someone was setting off fireworks in between the apartment buildings, and I had to slam my window shut. After they heard me slam it, they stopped. I don't know what they were thinking - that no one was home to disturbed by loud explosions outside there window.
Cinnamon and I sat on the couch with the laptop. And when there would be a big explosion, she would look up at me.
I'd say "Its okay sweetie". And then she'd just go back to sleep.
Hot Day in Toluca Lake Labels: food, plays, restaurants, theater, theatre, volunteer
It is so hot in Los Angeles, there is such a big heat wave going on !
And I was in Toluca Lake today and sweltering.
First, I volunteered at The Falcon Theatre , for the Children's performance Matinee of
The Ohmies .
It was a fun children's performance about yoga.
Lots of Butterflies and other fun characters.
Then it was over to Paty's restaurant, for a Turkey Burger and Green Salad.
Lots of Iced Tea - I sat outside on the patio in the heat.
Reading my latest copy of Prevention Magazine.
I like the sign at Paty's that says they don't cook in anything with Tras Fat.
After that, I really needed to do Grocery Shopping.
And it was to hot to drive from Toluca Lake all the way to the Whole Foods on Beverly Blvd in Hollywood.
So I called Directory Assistance, and found the Whole Foods Market
on Riverside Drive - and I went to that Whole Foods instead.
Before I drove home to Hollywood in the sweltering heat.
Breakfast and Books Labels: books, food, hollywood, reading, restaurants
In the six years I have lived in Hollywood, I have never been to the IHOP on Sunset Blvd.
So after dropping off some books at the Library on Sunset and La Brea, I decided to give it a try.
Frankly, that part of town is not one of the best areas. And there is a bus stop right in front of IHOP so I always see strange people there.
But the IHOP itself is really nice.
There is plenty of free parking in the back. And inside the restaurant it is very nice.
They gave me that big pitcher of Coffee - so I drank to much caffeine. Fresh Orange Juice ...
And I got the Mushroom and Spinach Omelet - which had real fresh spinach and real fresh mushrooms.
Very tasty.
And I remembered to bring my vitamins with me. So I took those with my breakfast :)
I am reading the book "It Works for Me: Celebrity Stories of Alternative Healing" by Heide Banks.
Its a very interesting book, with true stories of what alternative treatments celebs use for their health.
I think it gives a good overview of different alternative practices, for a variety of different health problems.
Dinner - and You Kill Me
 | After work, it was out for dinner. House of Pies in Los Feliz - Cod, a baked potato, and steamed veggies. The over to the Arclight, to see "You Kill Me" starring Starring Ben Kingsley and Starring Tea Leoni and Luke Wilson . |
Labels: cinema, film, movies, restaurants
Big Party Labels: food, party, restaurants
Friday will be my boss's last day. And the Payroll department, and the Tax Department are all leaving as well.
Friday will be the last day for about 6 people. They all got laid off.
Eventually we will all be laid off.
All of the jobs are going to another state.
We all chipped in and bought my boss a Digital Picture Frame . Then someone brought in their camera and took pictures of all the employees which were uploaded into the memory chip.
It really made a nice Going Away Gift.
Then this evening the company treated us to a party.
There were trays and trays of appetizers.
Stuffed potatoes, little quiches, some kind of little fried roll thing.
I'm usually a pretty picky eater - there are certain things I won't touch.
Tonight I just ate whatever.
Its the first time in two years that I have eaten Bacon. It was in the stuffed potatoes.
And from the downstairs bar, I ordered a Mango Mojito .
It was so delicious. Yummy mangos... and mint... and 10 Cane Rum .
First time in two years that I have had hard alcohol.
Later when I was in the upstairs bar, they didn't have any mangos.
So I got a regular Mojito, but it wasn't the same, and I couldn't finish it.
I had to go back downstairs and get another Mango Mojito.
I drank a total of 2 Mojitos.
Mango Mojitos are now my favorite alcoholic drink.
But it will probably be another two years before I drink any more hard alcohol.
They say with every alcoholic drink, your risk of cancer recurrence rises 10%.
So thats why I avoid it.
But tonight was a special treat, considering all that is going on.
-----
Mojito Books on Amazon.com
Margarita Martini Mojito: 50 of the Best Margaritas, Martinis and Mojitos
and
The Best 50 Daiquiris, Mojitos and Rum Drinks
From One End Of Town To Another
My agent called me yesterday. I have an audition at 4:30pm this afternoon out in West Los Angeles.
That meant I had to fight traffic after leaving my job in Hollywood early, and then somehow try to make it back in time to volunteer at The Egyptian tonight.
I don't like driving the freeway. So I take Olympic straight down. The Casting Offices are on Purdue, near Pico.
Since I used to work in the area for 12 years, I kind of know my way around. But the last time I auditioned at this place, the parking was horrible.
Low and Behold - my Parking Angel was looking out for me - and some one pulled out, just as I arrived.
I got a parking spot right across the street from the Casting offices.
All I knew was that was for a commercial that would show in Turkey. We would never see it in the United States.
I looked up the name of the product on the internet, but it was a popular word in Turkish.
So I really wasn't sure what product I would be auditioning for.
Its either an alcoholic drink, or the latest Pop star's new album.
I even ask a 20-something young man who was looking at the story-board with me, if he knew what the product was.
He just smiled and walked away.
I guess he didn't want to chat.
We look at the story-board, read a description, and get a Polaroid taken.
They call us in groups of six.
Turns out my role is that of a Coffee Shop Waitress.
We were told "This is not a McDonalds commercial. Do not be bright and cheery. This is very melodramatic.
A dark setting. This of it as a David Lynch movie."
My role was to be a sad, distant Coffee Shop Waitress.
And when the product appears, I look happy and hopeful.
After the Casting Associate was done filming my group of six - someone asked him, when were "They" going to be looking at our tapes and making their decision ?
The Casting Associate answered "Oh, they will see it in about 5 minutes. They are working in Brazil right now, and I transmit the auditions over the internet to them. So someone in Brazil will be seeing your audition in a few minutes."
Well, I can actually say I have transmitted over the internet, and watched in Brazil.
Its kind of a weird feeling actually.
As I was leaving West LA, I stopped at Big Tomy's on Pico Blvd and Sawtelle for some fried zucchini.
Which I ate in the car on the drive back to Hollywood.
Everything was fine, untill I tried to go North on Highland.
Traffic was unbelievably backed up. All the way to Santa Monica Blvd.
I turn up Franklin - and I try to take Orange up to Hollywood and Highland.
But one the small residential street by the Roosevelt, Orange is backed up and not moving.
So I turn left on a Sunset and come up La Brea. Then to Franklin.
As I approach Hollywood & Highland, I see all sorts of "NO Right Turn" signs.
I take another side street, and make a left on Hollywood.
Finally, I make it to Orange, and to the Validated Parking at Hollywood and Highland.
I later learn, that Ratatouille was premiering at The El Capitan , and most of the street was of blocked off.
AND there was a big opening night concert with Jack Black, and Kristin Chenoweth and Plácido Domingo, at The Hollywood Bowl .
So that all explains the traffic nightmare.
I make it to the Egyptian by 7:15 - but I had already told them I expected to be late for my volunteer shift.
Crispin Glover's show started at 8pm.
I was volunteering as Ticket Taker. But I went in after the show started, and saw Crispin Glover's live performance of "The Big Show".
I stayed for about 10 minutes of "What Is It?" - but I was to tired from driving to West LA and back in traffic.
I will be able to see it some other time over the weekend.
Labels: acting, celebrities, egyptian, food, hollywood, losangeles, restaurants, volunteer, westla
Blood and Lunch
I take a long lunch break for a trip to a Lab-or-a-tory....
Dr. My-Guy, has given me paperwork to get lots of blood drawn.
(Cue house organ playing vampire music.)
Its not so scary though, because the lab is across the street from the Beverly Center
in beautiful Beverly Hills.
I stop and park in the Beverly Connection .
Then I walk the three city blocks to the lab.
There is only one little elderly woman in there, with her personal nurse.
Soon the Lab Tech is processing my paperwork, and leading me to that special blood-drawing chair.
She doesn't mess around.... After trying to find a vein in my arm, I tell her "Its useless, just take the blood from the top of my hand."
She does - and it is very painful. Even with the baby butterfly needle.
Even more painful when she pulls the needle out and I yelp.
She says "See I didn't want to take it from your hand, because I know that hurts."
I reply "Yes, it hurts - but its the only way you can get the blood."
I look down and there are Four vials of my blood on the table.
I am all done, and I remember that I parked three city blocks away. Not a good idea since I just lost all that blood.
I walk very slowly and take my time, as I head back to the Beverly Connection.
Soon I am at the Souplantation , having a wonderful lunch.
And replenishing my blood supply and glucose level with a big healthy salad - and a tuna pasta salad.
I sat and read Carl Sagan's book The Varieties of Scientific Experience: A Personal View of the Search for God .
A very interesting viewpoint on God and the Creation of the Universe. I thought a book like this would be difficult to understand because its scientific. But I found it a very easy book to follow.
My mid-day trip to get my blood drawn, actually turns out to be pretty relaxing as I have lunch.
If you check out the Beverly Connection website, you will get some information on the remodeling they are doing to the mall.
What I saw in the Parking area as you drive up, looked really nice. It looks like it will end up being very up to date.
Once lunch was over, I head back to work ...
UPDATE: Blood Tests all normal. Cancer Tumor Marker Test 29.27 .. all normal !
Labels: beverlyhills, books, doctor, health, restaurants
Whole Foods - Part Two Labels: food, health, losangeles, restaurants
After work, I head back to Whole Foods, and get my store credit, for my fancy $5 cupcake that they forgot to put in the bag yesterday.
As I walk up, I see people eating on the patio. The hot food from the Deli take-out section looks pretty good.
So I take my store credit, I head over there and put a variety of hot foods in the cardboard container.
I like those cardboard containers, I wished more places used them.
I hate Styrofoam and plastic containers - I always worry about the chemicals that are leeching into the hot food.
The cardboard containers the Whole Foods uses are really good.
Well, dinner adds up to about $10 - and I use my $5 credit from the cupcake I never got.
The food is ... okay. Not worth $10.
What can you expect from food sitting out on hot plates.
The best was the lasagna and tamale.
All the rest was either to cold (they did provide a microwave), or it was bland.
I was drinking an Iced Chamomile Tea that was delicious. No caffeine.
I have to remember to by a 6-pack of it next time I am shopping here.
As I ate, I eavesdropped on conversations.
The two men behind me were discussing the positives and negatives of vegetarian and raw diets.
The one man insisting that the vegetarian diet was the best.
And the other man saying a vegetarian diet made him sick because he did not get enough protein. So he now eats about 80% raw foods, and fish once a day.
It was an interesting conversation to listen to.
Brentwood Country Mart
Spent the day walking around Brentwood Country Mart - looking at all the expensive stores.
With all the expensive items.
Very pretty things, but way out of my price range. But still it was fun to look.
The Brentwood Country Mart is one of the places that celebrities go to shop.
Except today being Fathers Day, there wasn't alot of people there at all and some of the stores were closed.
We stopped in the Brentwood General Store - and I bought
Cuisine Hand Butter.
Then at Bellas Beauty, I bought
Bellvita Honey & Mandel Almond Shower Gel and
Bath Lotion .
Lunch was at Barney's Gourmet Hamburgers
in the center of the Brentwood Country Mart.
I had the Sunshine Burger, which was delicious with sprouts and avacado, on multi-grain bread.
Gee, two hamburgers in two days.... yesterdays burger at Johnny Rockets at The Grove was terrible, and todays at Barney's was delicious.
Either way, I may need to lay off the red meat for a while.
Labels: beauty, food, losangeles, restaurants, shopping, store
The Grove
After early afternoon of dealing with my Car... I headed over to The Grove .
First I headed over towards the Farmers Market .
Stopped for lunch at Johnny Rockets .
I ordered a burger, with mushrooms and swiss cheese. And it was terrible. It was the greasiest burger I have ever had. The grease was dripping of my burger as I ate it.
I thought about returning it.... but I was trying to make the movie showtime.
So I head on over to the Pacific Movie Theatres ,
to see Pirates of The Caribbean .
I really wanted to see this movie... but I was waiting until all the crowds died down to go.
And just as the movie started ... my stomach started to do weird things.
It was all the grease from the burger.
I usually don't eat fatty things like that.
Oh, no... I worried I was going to get sick during a 3 hour movie.
I made it through the movie ... but the entire bag of popcorn I bought, sat on the floor. I couldn't touch it after that hamburger.
I loved Pirates of The Caribbean .
I just wish there would have been more scenes with Johnny Depp.
But my favorite scene of all is when Bill Nighy transforms back into what he was before he had all those tentacles all over the place.
--------------
If you like Pirates, here are a few designs by some of my friends on Zazzle - that have a Pirate theme.
Just click on the picture to see more.
Labels: cinema, film, hollywood, losangeles, movies, restaurants, shopping, store, zazzle
Sunday in Hollywood Labels: cinema, egyptian, food, hollywood, losangeles, movies, restaurants
First, I overslept really late ... and was rushing to get out the door.
I wanted to grab dinner at a restaurant, but I didn't have time.
So once at Hollywood and Hollywood ,
I ran into the new Quiznos .
The guy behind the counter looks at me and says :
"First, before you order - we are out of ......"
and he lists about 20 different things like "all of our salads" and "roast beef",
I stood there saying "Okay, what DO you have?"
And I ended up with some beefy cheese sandwich ...I think it had mushrooms in it too.
Then ran down Hollywood Blvd, to make it in time for my volunteer shift at the
Egyptian Theatre .
There was a performance of Brand Upon The Brain by Guy Maddin.
Morning in Studio City Labels: books, hollywood, losangeles, restaurants, studiocity
I was trying to rush out the door to get to my bank in Studio City before it closed.
My car insurance company sent me some kind of small refund, and I wanted it in the bank today.
I was in such a rush, I decided to hop on the Hollywood Freeway, near Hollywood and Bronson.
It was completely backed up all the way to Hollywood Blvd.
Being impatient, I sped over to the Freeway entrance on Argyle and Franklin.
It too was backed up all the way to Franklin.
I decided to just get on it, and go ...
And I was so right.
If I had taken Cahuenga - it would have taken me forever.
The parking lot to the Ford Amphitheatre was filled with - Motorcycles.
Cahuenga Blvd ..... all Motorcycles...
I was trying to see what was going on, but I was to busy hitting the gas so I could get to the Barham exit, and make it to The Bank.
Alas, and Alack ! No, I did not make it in time ...
I got to the bank and 1:20 ... and therefore I had to use the ATM machine.
Funny, when you deposit a check in the ATM machine, they won't even show it until the next close of a business day.
I remember - back in the olden days - when you would deposit a check in the ATM, and it would kind of subtract out of your account, because they had to "hold the funds" in order to clear the check.
I am sure the banks eventually got in trouble for that..
Well, my money's not hitting my account till Monday night ... but I decide to head out to The Good Earth for Breakfast anyway,
I have a yummy veggie omelet, toast, and I ask for a fruit cup in stead of potatoes.
It was still alot of food.
I sat and read a very interest book.
Fame Junkies: The Hidden Truths Behind America's Favorite Addiction by Jake Halpern
Its a very interesting book about "The Celebrity Culture" - and America's addiction to fame.
Imagine my surprise, as I am reading the book - and there is an interview with someone I know.
Only in Hollywood.....
Culver City Art Walk
Over in Culver City today, for the Annual Culver City Art Walk.
We walked for Four hours, and must have seen 20 Art Gallerys.
After parking by the Helms Bakery & HD Buttercup Building , we walked east on Washington.
Then up La Cienega to Venice Blvd ... and back....
I can't remember when I last walked for four hours straight.
When we got in the car to head home, as I sat down I said "Oy!"
And I am not Jewish.
My friend, who is Jewish, and has known me for six years said
"Well, thats the first time I have ever heard you say Oy."
Oh, I'm gonna feel the 4 hours of walking tomorrow....
On my way home, I stopped at Eat Well Restaurant on Beverly Blvd.
I had a delicious green salad with Salmon .
Very relaxing after walking all day.
I sat outside and read.
Labels: art, losangeles, restaurants
Holiday Monday Off
I didn't have any plans for the day... and I really just wanted to relax.
I headed over to Swingers on Beverly for Breakfast.
I think it was about 3pm. After being sick yesterday, pancakes seemed very comforting.
I go inside of the restaurant to eat - and the music is so loud that I couldn't even hear the waitress.
Her mouth was moving, I know she is asking me for my order ... so I just answer whatever.
I actually try to read her lips.
Then... I hear some other customers complaining about the level of the music, and I know its not just me.
Not only does my waitress have a nose ring that is either brand new or is infected - Once they turn down the music, I hear her telling another waitress about her glasses.
She got the glasses from a thrift store, she has alot of them - some of them are other people's prescriptions and when she wears them she can't really see.
For some reason she thinks not being able to see is really cool, as long as the glasses look really cool.
Or hip, or fly - whatever the word is these crazy young'uns use these days.
I try to think back to all the crazy things I did when I was in my 20s - the crazy clothes and shoes I wore.
I wore some platform shoes that would make me lose my balance.
But no, I never wore glasses that impaired my vision just to look cool.
As I eat my pancakes, I read the LA Times .
And there is an article in there about a medical condition where if some people get to much sunshine they get depressed. It has the opposite effect on them.
So I think - Sunshine ! - lets go to the Beach !
It takes an hour to drive to Malibu straight west on Sunset Blvd. But by the time I get there, everyone else is leaving, and I get a nice parking spot down by the Charthouse Restaurant.
As much as I loved being at the beach, with the gas prices and the one hour drive each way - I don't know if I will be going back to Malibu for a while.
Labels: hollywood, losangeles, restaurants
Hot Fuzz
 | Lunch was a combo dinner at Kabuki Restaurant . And then over to the Arclight Cinemas, for Hot Fuzz... I loved Hot Fuzz !!! It was sooo funny ! |
Labels: cinema, film, films, hollywood, movie, movies, restaurant, restaurants
The Dresden
Tonight, hung out at The Dresden in Los Feliz, to catch the music of Marty and Elayne.
I also tried their chicken quesadilla which was very good.
And a friend had a shrimp cocktail.
The place was getting really crowded just as as I was leaving.
I'm not much for the late, late crowd...
Labels: losangeles, losfeliz, restaurant, restaurants
Friday Way to Late
So I didn't get out of Spider-man 3 until nearly 3 am.
Way to late for this old girl.
I had already arranged to take Friday off as a vacation day.
Due to all the excitement, and the late dinner, I was awake until 5 am.
Then I ended up sleeping until 3 pm.
Except for my landlady knocking on my door at Noon wondering why I hadn't taken my newspaper in.
She apologized, said she worried when she saw the paper was still out on my doorstep.
So now it is 3pm, and wow - is my system off.
Groggy - and coffee didn't help.
I had already made plans with Los Angeles People Connection , to meet up at
Fox and Hounds in Studio City.
No drinking for me... I stuck to regular cola.
And I got a chicken pot pie for dinner - or is it still lunch at 9pm. Whichever, it was really good.
A cover band started to play, and the music was really good.
All English Rock and Roll.
It was a very fun night.
I was waking up, just as it was time to leave.
Labels: losangeles, music, restaurant, restaurants, studiocity
House of Blues
Dinner tonight was with friends at House of Blues Restaurant in West Hollywood.
One friend has someone visiting Los Angeles from Paris, France.
So we all went and had dinner in West Hollywood.
I had a delicious steak, with sauteed mushrooms.
Turned out I was the only one of the four of us who liked mushrooms.
And three of us ordered steak....
Labels: food, losangeles, restaurants
New Acting Pictures
I spent the day in Westwood, having new acting pictures taken.
We walked around the Westwood area, and I ended up with 300 pictures to chose from.
I brought about nine different outfits. We used four of them.
After the picture taking was over with - I went to the Century City Mall .
I haven't been down that way since they re-paved Santa Monica Blvd.
And a humorous article in the Los Angeles Times inspired me to go eat in the Century City Food Court.
The article talked about how many Talent Agents have moved to the Century City area. Both Creative Artists and International Creative Management are in the area now.
And they all hate having to eat in the food court. But thats one of the few choices that they have.
You can read the article here:
Power plays - for a food court table
My favorite line from the article:""With all the suits and sunglasses, it feels like "The Matrix: The Food Court".
So I stopped off. I got Teriyaki Chicken, and an order of sushi, and it came with a soup.
The place was so crowded, there was no room to sit outside.
I had asked for the food "To Go", because I figured it would be to much food to eat in one meal.
Half of it was going home.
It was a good lunch, at a reasonable price.
And a very fun place to People Watch.
Labels: acting, food, losangeles, restaurants
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
Breakfast and Shopping
I'm back in Studio City this morning.. this time the city has power and there are no traffic problems to get there.
Breakfast at Dupars Restaurant.
I order the Veggie Delight Omelet. Filled with grilled zucchini, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms and Parmesan.
When it arrives, it smells absolutely wonderful.
And it was as yummy as it smelled.
I spent my breakfast time, starting to read a really great book.
Great Comedians Talk About Comedy by Larry Wilde.
This book contains wonderful interviews with famous comedians including Woody Allen, Milton Berle, Jack Benny and Phyllis Diller.
During the interviews these outstanding comedians give very interesting information on how they got started in comedy. They share the styles and techniques they use as comedians, and so much more useful information.
This book should definitely be on the "Must Read" list for any actor interested in performing comedy.
After breakfast, I made a grocery shopping trip to Trader Joes ,
since it is in the same shopping center as the restaurant.
I pick up three more bottles of the Trader Joes Cranberry Juices that I have started to love so much.
This time I decide to try the Cranberry Hibiscus Tea Blend.
I also treat myself to the Trader Joes Gingeroos - Ginger Cookies, which have real crystallized Ginger chunks.
Those will go great with the Trader Joes Organic Decaf Chai Green
Ginger is a great spice for improving your health.
After that, it is time for a brief walk, up and down a part of Ventura Blvd.
I take some pictures with my camera, and I will eventually post them on my Flickr account.
These days the Flickr account seems to be running behind, now that I am keeping the blog roughly one week caught-up. I just wish I had more time for internet things.
Links:
Great Comedians Talk About Comedy
Omelet Cookbooks
Ginger cookbooks
Labels: books, food, reading, restaurants, shopping, studiocity
Breakfast, Movie
Over to Mel's Diner is West Hollywood for Breakfast.
Yes, I got their Eggs Florentine. It is my favorite breakfast.
Read the LA Times .
Then I went into West Hollywood for about a half hour walk, and I took some pictures.
I will be posting them over on My Flickr Page sometime soon.
Then I dashed over to The Arclight Theatres.
I decided today to see the movie Zodiac.
First, when I went up to the concession stand, the nice guy behind the counter asked me my name.
I said "Donna"
He said "Donna, I'm Joshua - I see you here all the time. You come here alot."
I said "Yes, I do."
He co-worker asked him "Why are you asking her for her name ?"
Joshua replied "She comes here all the time. Don't you" he asked me.
I replied "Yes I do. Where you here for AFI ? I was here every day for AFI."
As I walked away I thought to myself "I think I am seeing to many movies. Maybe its time for a new hobby."
I had put off seeing Zodiac, because it runs 2 hours and 40 minutes.
I wasn't sure that I could sit still that long.
But it has so many great actors in it - Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards , Robert Downey Jr.
I am glad I went to go see it. The acting was amazing.
The only bloody parts were in the beginning. After that it was all detective work.
Three hours flew by - it didn't even feel like 3 hours. The length of the movie really allowed all the Details of the investigation to be in the movie.
Most of my friends know that I like the commercial cutesy movies. So I have been telling them "You know, I am really surprised that I liked Zodiac so much. It must be that the bloody parts were at the very beginning. And the rest of the movie focused on the investigation. It was really fascinating."
Here's a link:
Zodiac Movie Official Site
and
Books About the Zodiac Murders
Labels: film cinema, food, hollywood, movies, restaurants
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