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  Grammy award-winning artist Ashanti takes the stage tonight at a free concert at the Grove, 3rd and Fairfax. Ashanti is the first female performer to simultaneously hold the top three spots on the Billboard Hot 10o Singles chart with her hits “Foolish,” “Always on Time” and What’s Luv.”Concert begins at 8 p.m. So, I’ll see you at the fountain. We can hold hands and try to brave the inevitably disgusting oozy opening pop acts that will preface this lovely diva’s set. 

Yeah you heard me. The amazingly refreshing PinkBerry spin-off at Starbucks being tested only in LA and OC will be FREE TODAY from 4-7pm at all locations offering this colorful summer treat, along with their new high-protein, organic smoothies called Vivanno. This is better than free gas.

So I attended this wild East side event, the Sunset Junction Street Festival, on Saturday the 23rd. I missed the hot-shot bands because I bicycled to the event (no parking headaches) and had to leave before sunset because I don’t have a bike light yet. Ironically I ended up biking home in the dark anyway. The sac-religious thing for music lovers everywhere is that I was not necessarily in it for the music. This is the case because I am a bit uneducated in regards to the bands that were playing. Click here to see the complete schedule of all the cool bands that I know nothing about. I have learned in retrospect that the Cold War Kids and the Black Keys would have been highlight of my night (if I had stayed much later and attended on Sunday as well).

I went to the fest because it was a cool thing to do with all sorts of activities in addition to the music entertainment offered. See the lovely photos that my boyfriend took posted above. I am not a big ride fan, but I enjoyed the aesthetic of the funky old equipment and the mural on the ride truck. We wandered around all the booths, ranging from radio stations to charities to middle-eastern wares, there was lots of great food too. We tried to win a goldfish and we caught the tail end of a concert or two. The people-watching was the most fun. The East side has quite a different, quirky and interesting crowd from my regular West side and West Hollywood haunts. Such interesting outfits, I was fascinated. I wish I had the guts to take photos of them. Right? It was a remarkably fun time for a girl who does not like crowds or concerts or rides or fair-offerings very much. And the bicycling was good exercise!

OH MY GOD!!

not kidding - i think i saw jesus. possible the greatest show i’ve ever seen.
just sayin’.
and, not to be snarky, but as one of the few people in this town who doesn’t “know people” or have any “connections,” the cockles of my bitter soul were thrilled to see jessica biehl, justin timberlake, jared leto, spike jonez, rosanna arquette, john frusciante and flea all at the greatest show on earth…and sitting well behind me. SUCK IT!!

The buzz in LA today is about PopSugar.com, a great website devoted to the daily whereabouts and happenings of our celebrity friends who are mostly located in LA. As an exception however, check out this photo of Brad, Maddox and Pax from this morning in Venice, Italy.

In relation to other celebrity sites, I find that this one has easily navagible tabs and menus. This one is photo heavy, which is a plus for me. I mean, we are there to look at the photos, right? This site if chalk full of great up-to-the-minute pics of your and my favorite celebs. Celebrities whom we do not worship, but merely enjoy to view and hang out with on occasion. They are our American royalty, right? PopSugar also has some fun and entertaining games on the site too, so check it out and keep informed. I mean come on, how fun is it to have a photo of Mr. Pitt on our blog.

The buzz in LA is about Goldstar.com the website that gives you updates and discounts on all sorts of events in Los Angles. Tickets to plays like “Wicked” are discounted almost at 50% the normal price. I love finding things like this because I can never have too many ideas of fun things to do around town. They have discounted tickets to plays, films, comedy shows, music events, sporting events, various expo shows, a Greek food & music festival - you name it. This sounds like a whole lot of fun in one little bundle. Sign up today for free. Horay!

while i’ll readily admit i’m not entirely unbiased about this band, i don’t think there’s any debate as to whether last night’s show at the hollywood bowl was epic. it was. your mom even thinks so. seriously. great set list - lots of “oh shit, they’re playing THIS?!?” moments. sounded great, seemed relaxed and happy to be there, and the standard la crowed didn’t behave like a standard la crowd (except for that one chick right in front of the stage who was just there to be seen. poser.) the lights were insane - like totally started tripping with my mind…altho that might have been an after-effect of the bowl’s gallon cup of sangria i consumed too. whatevs, it was spectacular. and i’m betting tonight will be even more spectacular-er.

The buzz this week is Sunset Junction, the hipster see-and-be-seen event of the summer. Tickets are $15, kids and seniors can get in for free. There’s a smattering of Wednesday night Echoplex-type bands, rides, and games. Antibalas is playing, that’s cool.I’m sure this whole thing is very very cool and that I’m missing out on a life-changing experience. I will be at the S.O.U.P Kitchen, however.  In any case, the Silverlake hipsters and their conceptual lovers sure are fun to watch, and their fashions are hilarious. If you feel slightly awkward and nervous, it’s ok. They do too! They just look cooler at being awkward than you do. Enjoy! 

The buzz this week in LA is local emerging band Triclops, a three piece band (the three clops!), that grew out of local sensation Very Be Careful. If you can dedicate the day on Saturday to music, head down to Sunset Junction first and catch them live, then head on down to Glendale’s S.O.U.P Kitchen and catch them again around 6pmish.Triclops is groove heavy and sparse on the vocals, reminiscent of a young Queens of the Stone Age that listened to too much Metallica while watching Dazed and Confused  on repeat with the sound off. Their Sunset Junction set is a straight-ahead set, and they’ll let loose at the S.O.U.P Kitchen, where a they’ll have a few guest musicians sit in on their set to jam. It’s sure to be a mind-bending ride!

The buzz in LA today is that OMG!!! Tropic Thunder is hilarious. Even the title is ridiculous. They have outrageous previews of fictious films to introduce the actors of our movie within a movie. Tropic Thunder is a blatant satire of how in Entertainment biz hot-shots have grossly distorted priorities and perspectives of reality. It makes fun of agents and actors alike. This film, directed by Ben Stiller, and filmed in Kauai, pushes all boundaries. They do not shy away from addressing controversial subject matter such as choosing to put a white man in black face (Robert Downey Jr.) and a scene where they say the word “retard” so much that disability rights groups picketed the premiere of the film. There are a few scenes that have unnecessary blood-and-guts gore that is supposed to get a laugh but is just too gross. Keep your eye out for a cameo of Tom Cruise who steals the show with his dirty language and rocking dance moves. For a great and in depth review of the film, check out the Cinematical website. Go see it and enjoy.

I was lucky to view attend a screening of Tropic Thunder at the amazing DGA Theater with a bunch of industry insiders who laughed twice as hard all all the jokes. John Toll, director of photography and two time academy award winner was there and participated in a Q&A session afterwards, which was great fun. If you ever get a chance, check out the lobby of the DGA theater which has spectacular B&W photos of all the biggest directors of all time on set in action. Good times.

The buzz in LA is about GRITtv is a new hot online news talk show. Think Jon Stewart but - serious.  This is the liberal voice of the news we all wish we could see on mainstream T.V.   This is interesting and up to date.  Lots on Obama and his potential running mate choices.  For politicos who are looking for a good source, this one looks pretty good.   Laura Flanders has a book out called “Blue Grit: Making the Impossible and Improbable and Inspirational Political Change In America” and she has her own website as well which has info about her book and GRITtv and more.

For those of you who like/love the new Cadillac CTS (2008 MotorTrend Car of the Year), hold on tight, because the production 2-door coupe will be unveiled in less than 3 months at the November LA Auto Show.  The CTS has been so successful in terms of both design and sales, that Cadillac gave the production green light months ago to the sporty coupe of its big 4-door brother.

Now I’m not an American autos kinda guy, but am overjoyed at the success that Cadillac has accomplished with this 4-door baby. Who doesn’t want to root for the underdog, especially when its your homeland?

See more photos at the jump.

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The buzz in LA this week is The Royal Gents‘ upcoming gig at the vaguely monthly S.O.U.P Kitchen art, music, film and beer parties. For those of you living in a cave for the past decade or so, The Royal Gents were voted Best Band of 2007 for their smash single, “Sometimes A Girl.” They’re on at 8:30pm, and you don’t want to miss them!! There’s just something about a band, no matter how big or small, playing a relaxed venue like a backyard BBQ. There’s no fancy lighting or sound, no superficial barriers between artist and fan, and there’s no pressure. This is why we can’t wait to check out S.O.U.P Kitchen Mach Drei featuring the Royal Gents. Other bands include the seminal What’s Their Name?, Triclops, the host band, S.O.U.P, Scimon, Hollywood Kill, Swing Hailey. Film screenings by Thad, Ryu, and Missing Kitty Pictures. Art by Sunny Dayz, LA Deck, and Blinkeyteque. Past players in the S.O.U.P Kitchen have included Finland Station, Big Dave and the Dirty Liars, Jed’s Dead, and Virgo Serena. S.O.U.P finally got a myspace page, which serves as the online repository for all things S.O.U.P Kitchen. The bigger these things get, the better they get, because S.O.U.P is able to keep that relaxed backyard vibe for everyone. And, it’s free!! BYOB and Potluck food. You remember those slightly dirty, kinda smelly kids who always had way too much energy and always seemed to be doing fun and really cool things that you were too shy and/or awkward to take part in? S.O.U.P is those kids, and S.O.U.P Kitchen is that really fun and cool thing! And this time, you’re invited! 

Nick Cave is the most darkly and not-quite-handsome thing to happen to music in a long long time. Like Mike Patton, some of his lyrics are crushingly insightful, some are painfully elementary, and others are just plain weird. But the sum of the whole is much much greater than its parts. The genius of Nick Cave lies in the scope of his entire body of work. His pathos is laid clear and mysterious across each album since Birthday Party. He wants to let you in, but he doesn’t want to talk to you. He wants you to know what’s wrong by a fleeting and subtle gesture. He wants you to want to guess.  Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds are playing the Hollywood Bowl September 17th, a Wednesday, at 7pm. For you trivia fans, Nick Cave got the scar on his face from a friendly knife fight turned nearly deadly with his then-girlfriend Anita Lane.  

The buzz in LA this week is the past EDA Fashion show at…of all places….the Scientology Celebrity Center. The heart of this fashion show began as essentially good (”It’s for the kids..” “What kids??”). EDA picked a handful of local LA designers, just a bunch of not-quite-ready-for-prime-time kids making absolutely gorgeous and brilliant couture pieces in their bedrooms. They told these kids they would be putting on a show for various buyers, celebrities, stylists, and general fashion people in LA.  Good enough. So the show was….ok. For one, there was nary a celebrity, buyer, stylist, or general fashion person in sight. Mom came to see Jr’s stuff on the runway. There was no advertising or sponsorship to speak of, so that explains that. The fashions themselves were a bit hit and miss. Not really that we remember any of the designers’ names (there was no program to take), but there was some pretty good stuff. I felt good knowing my admission money was going to help some kid, somewhere, in some way. Until the fashion show was over, and the next 15 to what-seemed-to-be-forever minutes, the producer, Michael Maddox; “top fashion show producer….EVOR!!!!”, showed his demo reel that explained why he was so important. ..But the kids, Michael! The Kids!  Apparently the kids weren’t as important or existent as Mr. Maddox, who is the self-appointed king of the world. Then Don Juan performed a song having to do with a runway girl. Then the audience went to stand awkwardly outside for mingling.  The whole this was a thoroughly confused effort by the EDA, who lost sight of their original goal for the errantly assumed celebrity pull of Michael Maddox. Can someone ask Little Timmy to give me my money back?