LGBT OUT for Hillary
& Friends
Please join
Congresswoman Hilda L. Solis
Eric Bauman, Chair of the Los Angeles County Democratic Party,
Helping Heroes Productions, and local LGBT Leaders
in support of
Hillary Clinton for President
East Los Angeles Location
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008
6:00 p.m.
Eclipse De Mexico
4512 E. Cesar Chavez Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90022
Please R.S.V.P. to Joseph at 323/268-9442 or jopallan@gmail.com.
Refreshments will be served. * Parking is available behind the building.
After the program, we will be phoning in East Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley and asking them to vote for
Senator Clinton to be the next President of the United States. Let's make history together!
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Los Angeles. Show all posts
Monday, January 28, 2008
Thursday, November 29, 2007
My fifty dollar bus fare
I heard on NPR yesterday that the city plans on expanding the light rail express line by adding a connection from downtown Los angeles to Culver City. I think any new addition in the public transit is excellent, timely and integral to the infrastructure of a sucessful large city. My only question is this...why did I pay $50.00 to take the bus to work on Wednesday?
I have always been a fan of public transportation. When I'm in Paris, I take the bus or the metro. It's easy. In Pittsburgh, I took the bus for two years. The Bay Area has their lovable Bart system that glides from Oakland Airport into Berkeley and San Francisco. Berlin has a slew of options blending the slow but steady trolly left over from communist Germany with the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and all the above-ground and below-ground options Angela Merkel can afford. Public transportation isn't just a way of moving bodies. It's like a community. In Pittsburgh, I would regularly run into people going from Downtown to Squirrel Hill, and around 5pm, the bus was so packed that I often gained first-hand knowledge of all the gossip from the nurses at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Then again, there was China where I studied abroad for 4 months. Shanghai was a bustle of movement - Busses, bicycles, taxis, rikshaws, motorcycles - all of which moved faster than you could yell "xiaoxin"! (or be careful). At the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley's summit last month, someone mentioned that Beijing is building a monorail system in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games - Less than a year's time. In L.A., the talks of a subway to sea line has been bandied about for over 20 years. I'm sure the public officials hope that one day public transit will become so convenient that commuters won't think twice before opting out of driving. For now, that is not the case. Note my $50 bus fare.
I would have driven. But I've decided to trust the Big Blue Bus at least twice a week. My commute isn't a big deal - Maybe 15 minutes tops in the morning. It requires two buses to get there, which means timing is everything. I needed to catch the first bus at 8:21 to connect to the next bus 5 minutes later. So at about 8:20:30, I ran out of the house, fully aware that I may have just heard the bus just whiz by. I navigated in between parents and children and carpool drop-offs at the nearby school. I made it to the bus stop and waited. Ten minutes went by. I began to realize that what I heard earlier may have indeed been my bus, puzzled that it was so punctual. Needless to say, I was going to miss my next connection. Fourty minutes later, I was at work.
When you miss a bus, there is rarely one that comes right behind it and the sad truth is that the next is at the very least 15 minutes away. If I had to rely on the bus everyday to get around, I would be chronically late, and waiting a whole lot trying to make my connections. If I wanted to get from the westside to Woodland Hills, which I often do, I would need at least 3 bus transfers and an hour and a half - if everything went as scheduled.
Oh wait, the fifty dollars. So, in my haste to catch the bus, which I missed, to arrive at work on time, which I didn't, I failed to remember street cleaning that day. And my car was on the wrong side of the street. Something that would not have happened, had I driven to work. So I came home, again fourty minutes after work, with a $47.00 ticket. My actual bus fare that day was about $2.50. So if I had driven to work, well, I would still be $47.00 richer.
So much for the bus saving me money.
I have always been a fan of public transportation. When I'm in Paris, I take the bus or the metro. It's easy. In Pittsburgh, I took the bus for two years. The Bay Area has their lovable Bart system that glides from Oakland Airport into Berkeley and San Francisco. Berlin has a slew of options blending the slow but steady trolly left over from communist Germany with the U-Bahn, S-Bahn and all the above-ground and below-ground options Angela Merkel can afford. Public transportation isn't just a way of moving bodies. It's like a community. In Pittsburgh, I would regularly run into people going from Downtown to Squirrel Hill, and around 5pm, the bus was so packed that I often gained first-hand knowledge of all the gossip from the nurses at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Then again, there was China where I studied abroad for 4 months. Shanghai was a bustle of movement - Busses, bicycles, taxis, rikshaws, motorcycles - all of which moved faster than you could yell "xiaoxin"! (or be careful). At the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley's summit last month, someone mentioned that Beijing is building a monorail system in anticipation of the 2008 Olympic Games - Less than a year's time. In L.A., the talks of a subway to sea line has been bandied about for over 20 years. I'm sure the public officials hope that one day public transit will become so convenient that commuters won't think twice before opting out of driving. For now, that is not the case. Note my $50 bus fare.
I would have driven. But I've decided to trust the Big Blue Bus at least twice a week. My commute isn't a big deal - Maybe 15 minutes tops in the morning. It requires two buses to get there, which means timing is everything. I needed to catch the first bus at 8:21 to connect to the next bus 5 minutes later. So at about 8:20:30, I ran out of the house, fully aware that I may have just heard the bus just whiz by. I navigated in between parents and children and carpool drop-offs at the nearby school. I made it to the bus stop and waited. Ten minutes went by. I began to realize that what I heard earlier may have indeed been my bus, puzzled that it was so punctual. Needless to say, I was going to miss my next connection. Fourty minutes later, I was at work.
When you miss a bus, there is rarely one that comes right behind it and the sad truth is that the next is at the very least 15 minutes away. If I had to rely on the bus everyday to get around, I would be chronically late, and waiting a whole lot trying to make my connections. If I wanted to get from the westside to Woodland Hills, which I often do, I would need at least 3 bus transfers and an hour and a half - if everything went as scheduled.
Oh wait, the fifty dollars. So, in my haste to catch the bus, which I missed, to arrive at work on time, which I didn't, I failed to remember street cleaning that day. And my car was on the wrong side of the street. Something that would not have happened, had I driven to work. So I came home, again fourty minutes after work, with a $47.00 ticket. My actual bus fare that day was about $2.50. So if I had driven to work, well, I would still be $47.00 richer.
So much for the bus saving me money.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Traffic solution in motion at Pico and Olympic
I heard murmurings of the Pico/Olympic plan to ameliorate traffic at the Economic Alliance of the San Fernando Valley’s summit on transportation held at the Burbank Holiday Inn. At the time, I wondered whether anything substantial would come out of gathering – hoping for less talk and a lot more action. Luckily, such a meeting of the minds and officials seems to get the juices flowing, propelling ideals to come from off the table and onto the streets. When ideas are shared in a summit or conference and is covered by the news (like I did – for the Sun Community newspapapers – http://speechspeech.net/EconomicAllianceSummit_Article.jpg) people get interested and the idea acquires more momentum. I bet this is especially true when those city officials meet with outspoken and interested community and business members who are itching for change.
I don’t know how long the Pico/ Olympic plan was in the works, but it’s a breath of fresh air. The article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday quotes a Westside neighborhood council chairwomam who wished the city took more steps in working with locals before moving forth on the project. On a past one-way street proposal, she proclaimed that it “was unacceptable because she could not have gotten ‘to my house anymore.’" With that kind of individualistic thinking, I’m glad that she wasn’t involved this time around.
If neighborhood councils and community representatives oppose and speak out about traffic solutions that can benefit drivers, workers and residents all at once, then their interests should be placed on the backburner. It seems obvious to say it, but the interest of the community on the whole should be valued more than local homeowners who like things the way they are, thank you very much.
Kudos to Villaraigosa, Jack Weiss, Yaroslavsky and those involved in the transportation committees for taking measures to improve traffic. I was very impressed with all the intelligent and dedicated civil servants, committee members and researchers who have devoted themselves to better incorporate feasible transportation solutions into our daily routines. I hope the Pico/Olympic plan is just one step in many to improve the current abysmal situation of gridlock.
I don’t know how long the Pico/ Olympic plan was in the works, but it’s a breath of fresh air. The article in the Los Angeles Times yesterday quotes a Westside neighborhood council chairwomam who wished the city took more steps in working with locals before moving forth on the project. On a past one-way street proposal, she proclaimed that it “was unacceptable because she could not have gotten ‘to my house anymore.’" With that kind of individualistic thinking, I’m glad that she wasn’t involved this time around.
If neighborhood councils and community representatives oppose and speak out about traffic solutions that can benefit drivers, workers and residents all at once, then their interests should be placed on the backburner. It seems obvious to say it, but the interest of the community on the whole should be valued more than local homeowners who like things the way they are, thank you very much.
Kudos to Villaraigosa, Jack Weiss, Yaroslavsky and those involved in the transportation committees for taking measures to improve traffic. I was very impressed with all the intelligent and dedicated civil servants, committee members and researchers who have devoted themselves to better incorporate feasible transportation solutions into our daily routines. I hope the Pico/Olympic plan is just one step in many to improve the current abysmal situation of gridlock.
Friday, November 23, 2007
Brewer assesses first year at LAUSD helm at VICA
Article out in this week's Sherman Oaks Sun
www.suncommunitynewspapers.com
Brewer assesses first year at LAUSD helm at VICA
BY NAZBANOO PAHLAVI
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Superintendent David Brewer III spoke about his challenges during his first year in office November 14 at the Valley Industry & Commerce Association’s (VICA) monthly Newsmaker Connection breakfast in Van Nuys.
“Everybody wants to lay it on the school district or the Superintendent – that’s the wrong answer,” Brewer said, calling for a “systematic and holistic approach” in dealing with the problems of a district with 700,000 students in grades K to 12 and 400,000 students in the adult schools.
The district has improved this year, meeting 43 out of 46 assessments in accordance with California’s “Adequate Yearly Progress Criteria.” The three unmet criteria were language arts for English language learners, language arts for special education, and graduation rates.
According to Brewer, English language acquisition is especially challenging since about 250,000 of students in grades K-12 are English language learners, even though 78 percent are native born. To determine how to best address their needs, the LAUSD will sponsor a national summit on language acquisition December 13 to 14.
In response to an editorial that day in the Los Angeles Times criticizing Brewer, the retired Navy Vice Admiral said that “they’re there for selling papers” and the problems won’t be solved with a quick fix.
“You just can’t open up a kid’s brain and pour knowledge into it,” Brewer stated. “You got to work with those children and you got to stabilize them and move forward. So in essence that’s where we are right now.”
This includes working with local organizations such as the YMCA and Boys and Girls Club in order to provide on-site “wrap-around services” such as mental healthcare and after-school activities. University High School in West Los Angeles already has a YMCA on campus with the eventual goal of securing satellites on East and South Los Angeles schools first.
Wrap-around services are also vital for the 24 percent transient population within the school system, a group that is increasingly moving into the Valley, Brewer said.
Responding to a question regarding the possible creation of a distinct San Fernando Valley school district, the Superintendent said he is disinclined to do this since economies of scale would yield a redundancy of programs on the one hand, and a shortage of services on the other. He does support the Valley’s acting smaller, however, and has already funneled $11 million from the central to local districts.
Although Brewer said his goal is to “focus like a laser” on learning and curriculum in the classroom, his inaugural challenge was cleaning up the BTS payroll mess – an ongoing problem for which he has instigated contract oversight to assess and ameliorate the crisis now and to watch over the system in the future.
Although the crisis has mostly been associated with LAUSD teachers and other employees, payment irregularities have also affected businesses and organizations that contract with the school district.
Jan Sobel, President & CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of the West Valley, complained of a severe delay in payments expected from the after-school education enrichment grants secured under the passage of Proposition 49.
Brewer said that although he wasn’t aware of the problem, he would look into it.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Longtime Respectable News Anchor Dies
Hal Fishman, a longtime fixture on Los Angeles news, has passed away. He was an honnest and respectable voice on KTLA's nightly news at 10 PM. I particularly appreciated his candid and thoughtful opinions during his commentary sections. Although he was in his seventies, as someone who enjoyed his presence on the news, his passing was way too early.
Here is a link to the story in the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-me-fishman8aug08,1,2724152.story?track=rss
Here is a link to the story in the Los Angeles Times.
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-me-fishman8aug08,1,2724152.story?track=rss
Shake Shake
Well, it's been a while....but there was a whole little shakin' going on in the wee hours this morning with a 4.5 earthquake hitting the L.A. rockbed. So if you are in the greater Los Angeles area and were awake around 1 AM, that wasn't just an unexpected visit from the dump truck causing a raucus down your street.
It's actually nice to get a little reminder every once in a while that L.A is L.A., where you should never rely on the stability of the ground beneath your feet and always aim for the big and beautiful sky instead.
It's actually nice to get a little reminder every once in a while that L.A is L.A., where you should never rely on the stability of the ground beneath your feet and always aim for the big and beautiful sky instead.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Blame it on Fidel
I've been enjoying the Los Angeles Film Festival recently. The diversity of films here is staggering. I watched a screening of "The Elephant and the Sea", a very contemplative, slow-moving, ultra low-budget narrative film from a young Malaysian director, while "The Transformers" had it's premier just a few blocks away. Two very different movies. Same festival. In fact, the amount of foreign films (shorts, documentaries and otherwise) is massive here which befits L.A., a culturally diverse Mecca whose perception can be unjustly overshadowed by it’s “Hollywood” fluff and glamour.
Prior to the Malaysian dreamscape movie, I saw "Blame it on Fidel" or "Faute a Fidel" the charming French offering set in early 1970s Paris. I highly recommend this movie. It's one of those gems that welcomes the viewer completely. In fact, I didn't want the movie to end. I felt honored to be a part of this unique, sympathetic and loving French family. The story centers around a young girl named Anna, whose parents communist awakening sets off her own tempered chaos. Mickey Mouse a fascist? No more divinity class? Allende? Marco? There’s a lot here for a nine year old to take on.
What is most charming about this film is the character of Anna. So often I find that children are written poorly in film - either too much like an adult, or completely devoid of emotion (Like the film "Joshua" that also showed at the Festival - after all, aren't sociopath children still...children?). Anna is excellently drawn as an inquisitive child growing up. She is spoiled and stubborn, as well as loving and adorable. Her inquisitiveness is most endearing. Her thirst for knowledge and comprehension of the world around her is quenchless as she tries to fit in all this new information within the framework of her life. Her mind and sharp tongue don't even rival those of the strange bearded communist activists who harbor at her family’s apartment at all hours of the night. What other nine year old can have an earnest discussion of economics, inflation, and Marxism besides Anna de la Mesa?
Anna's growing understanding with a new term brought forth by her parents' ideology - "group solidarity" – produces one of the film’s most thoughtful exchanges. Anna tries to implement her parent’s “group solidarity” slogan in her classroom, when she decides, albeit reluctantly, to join the rest of her Catholic school classmates in raising her head and answering the teacher's question incorrectly. She knows the right answer, but decided to join the rest. The result? She wonders whether "group solidarity" is synonymous with the sheep following the sheep.
The last showing of "Blame it on Fidel" is on Thursday, June 28 at theLandmark's Regent in Westwood. Highly recommended.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Who're You Calling Hermit? Great Discovery at L.A. Times Festival of Books
Howard Junker, the editor of Zyzzyzva, a popular literary journal based out of San Francisco, remarks on the never-ending slushpile of manuscripts he receives as editor (slushpile: unsolicited material in hopes of finding a home) and how he “admires the tenacity of writers.” For many unpublished writers, the process of submitting their work of fiction to literary journals like Zyzzyva is a test in personal drive and faith. Having received kind rejections myself, I know how difficult it is to push forth, continue submitting, continue writing, until at last, your piece is no longer homeless. It’s wonderful, it’s an affirmation, but it’s also just the beginning.
Take the writer of the published novel. She has completed two major milestones - Completion and publication. Her friends and family will definitely buy a copy (we hope), but how many will that add up to? Fifty, one hundred, maybe two hundred? Not nearly enough. She must trek on and not only appeal to her next of kin, but to the stranger across the country, and the browsers in the bookstore who would fall in love with her book, if they only knew about it.
But wait, you say, aren't writers all curmudgeonly hermits lacking in social skills? Well, no. Or at least not all of us. But consider this, if a person writes a book, but nobody reads it, are they considered a writer? Hmmm.
Writers sell themselves by going on book tours, signing at festivals, and attending any other sort of function that will increase their visibility. Take the Los Angeles Festival of Books this past April. Touted as the largest book fair in the country, I find it as proof that L.A. not only has culture, but volumes and volumes of it. There was a booth for every kind of writer, from every kind of discipline, from every corner of the city and county.
Because of this, I had the fortune of making a great literary discovery. In fact, had I spent more time speaking with the abundant number of writers present, I'm sure to have been bowled over by many talented, humble, and interesting writers. That is, if Joan Blacher, my literary discovery, is a fair representation of the writers who were there - published, talented, but under the radar.
Joan Blacher was set up in one of the mystery related tents; I don't think it was "Sisters in Crime", since the sister standing right next to her was a brother. She looked so sincere, so alone yet inviting, like all she wanted was someone to ask her about herself. I felt it was my moral obligation to stop. . And I'm glad I did.
Joan Blacher is a forensic psychologist who was on the faculty of Cal Lutheran University and is an expert on troubled teens. Her novel, "Murder Canyon", was based on an actual murder that occurred near her home in the Oxnard area north of Los Angeles. After a lengthy chat with her, writer to writer, I decided to buy her book.
Once I started reading "Murder Canyon", the pages just whizzed by. I couldn't put it down. Actually, she didn't have to do much to win me over. I'm a big fan of brazen, scrappy, and hard-headed female characters with a heart, and hers definitely fit the bill.
Her main character actually reminded me a lot of Kinsey Milhone, the heroine in Sue Grafton's popular ABC murder novels. Except Joan's is older, a professor, and happily married. It's funny actually, since both characters also live in the same general area of California.
I was actually shocked at certain parts in "Murder Canyon" by it's frank honesty and cold blood. Joan is a white-haired older lady who looks too prim and proper to engage her reader in beheadings and blood splatter. But then again, you can never paint a writer by their work alone, and the juxtaposition of a grandmotherly intellectual and a realistic murder mystery was a peppery fact I kept in the back of my head while reading her book.
Joan Blacher is a member of "Sisters in Crime", a national organization for women mystery writers. I checked out the site and was referred to many talented women writers in this genre. I encourage you to find your favorite writer at http://www.sistersincrimela.com/ . That's the LA site. There is also a national website.
I would not have found Joan on my own if she didn’t attend the L.A Times Festival of Books. I wonder about all the other great writers out there who are just under the radar and whose work I would probably enjoy. Let this be a lesson to all writers everywhere. The hermit life is not for us. Market yourself, sell yourself, and if anyone asks, tell them you’re a writer. You may find yourself a new fan.
Info about Joan is available at www.joanblacher.com
Happy reading!
Friday, May 11, 2007
If you're in L.A., try this
Whether you are an L.A. resident, a visitor, or have guests in town, I highly suggest the following activity - Attend a taping of the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. I recently had an out of town guest who I treated to the sites and sounds of our vast metropolis. There are so many things to do in the L.A. area that the options can be overbearing. A day trip to wine country? Drive to Anaheim to visit Mickey and friends? A stroll accross Grauman's Chinese territory?
No trip to L.A. would be complete without some kind of entertainment industry related outing. For this reason, I often recommend Universal Studios over Disney or the other theme parks because it is so unique and indicative of the environment. The rides aren't roller coaster crazy (thank God), but they are interesting and unique enough to keep everyone entertained. The theme park area also covers more managable ground than larger theme parks which makes it easy to do in one day (given you have the whole day and go in the middle of the week). And of course, the studio tour is priceless. I don't think it's as good as it used to be, but having the right guide can make all the difference. The Psycho house still gives me chills and the new War of the Worlds plane crash site looked eerily realistic in the photos we took.
While at Universal, pick up a couple of free tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. NBC and Universal go hand in hand (hence NBC/Universal) so you may find other NBC shows, but the Leno doesn't dissapoint.
I've been to Price is Right twice and the hassle to get in with Bob Barker is collosal compared to the limited wait to chat with Jay. Since Price is Right is a game show, there is a lot more paperwork and the process to get in more tedious. From recollection, it took us about 5 hours to get in. This included brief interviews the producers conducted (not anyone can come on down, folks. And by the way, a uniform helps).
Once you're in, the room looks much smaller than it does on TV and the set is, well, as much of a cheap 70's throw-back as you can imagine. Of course, it's still a fun experience. Especially if the old ladies in red hats are in tow (which they often are). But for an out of town guest, or a unique L.A. moment, The Tonight Show over at Burbank is a quicker less painful experience that exceeds expectations.
My friend and I showed up to NBC at about 3pm for a 4:30pm taping. The area was scoured by young blond haired NBC pages who were actually quite helpful. The page program at NBC can act as a first step in the starry-eyed careers of small town hopefuls. They were all so cute. And did I mention blond? It looked like children of the corn came from Burbank. And I thought they came from Malibu.
My friend and I were a little worried at first we may not get in. It looked like people were pulled from behind us and sent to the front of the line. I later determined this was an effort to diversify the first few rows of the theatre. Handsome looking Black couples, a sikh in a head scarf, sorority girls and frat boys were filed to front. Luckily, we didn't need to worry. We settled comfortably further back in the middle.
The theatre for Jay Leno was impressive. And the set looked good too. Although I think it was made so that everyone looked huge. Phil McGraw, who was a guest that day, looked like a giant.
Before the show started, Jay Leno came out and chatted with the audience. He invited young would-be actors onto the set. I was struck by how friendly Jay is. I've heard this before, and it's really true. He still keeps his weekly comedy gig in Hermosa on Sunday nights probably for the same reason.
Something you don't see on TV (and for good reason) is the crass comic who warms up the crowd before the show starts. He had a short set - teased audience members with the promise of Tonight Show gear, and otherwise warmed us up for the show. Now I know why there's a 16 and over rule. This guy was a little on the risque side.
I was most excited about the band. On TV, the band is always cut off when the commercial sets in. On the sound stage, we were treated to great songs (even a fabulous version of a country song I dig). The lead singer is great and the sets were even better than the cover Patty Smith did as the musical guest.
So we were in at 3pm and out at 5:30pm. Nearby North Hollywood has some great restaurants (including the very fun Tokyo Delves) that can serve as an aftershow hangout. And who knows? Maybe you will catch Jay Leno's eye. Probably not - but as far as interesting L.A. fieldtrips go - this one's pretty close to the top.
No trip to L.A. would be complete without some kind of entertainment industry related outing. For this reason, I often recommend Universal Studios over Disney or the other theme parks because it is so unique and indicative of the environment. The rides aren't roller coaster crazy (thank God), but they are interesting and unique enough to keep everyone entertained. The theme park area also covers more managable ground than larger theme parks which makes it easy to do in one day (given you have the whole day and go in the middle of the week). And of course, the studio tour is priceless. I don't think it's as good as it used to be, but having the right guide can make all the difference. The Psycho house still gives me chills and the new War of the Worlds plane crash site looked eerily realistic in the photos we took.
While at Universal, pick up a couple of free tickets to the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. NBC and Universal go hand in hand (hence NBC/Universal) so you may find other NBC shows, but the Leno doesn't dissapoint.
I've been to Price is Right twice and the hassle to get in with Bob Barker is collosal compared to the limited wait to chat with Jay. Since Price is Right is a game show, there is a lot more paperwork and the process to get in more tedious. From recollection, it took us about 5 hours to get in. This included brief interviews the producers conducted (not anyone can come on down, folks. And by the way, a uniform helps).
Once you're in, the room looks much smaller than it does on TV and the set is, well, as much of a cheap 70's throw-back as you can imagine. Of course, it's still a fun experience. Especially if the old ladies in red hats are in tow (which they often are). But for an out of town guest, or a unique L.A. moment, The Tonight Show over at Burbank is a quicker less painful experience that exceeds expectations.
My friend and I showed up to NBC at about 3pm for a 4:30pm taping. The area was scoured by young blond haired NBC pages who were actually quite helpful. The page program at NBC can act as a first step in the starry-eyed careers of small town hopefuls. They were all so cute. And did I mention blond? It looked like children of the corn came from Burbank. And I thought they came from Malibu.
My friend and I were a little worried at first we may not get in. It looked like people were pulled from behind us and sent to the front of the line. I later determined this was an effort to diversify the first few rows of the theatre. Handsome looking Black couples, a sikh in a head scarf, sorority girls and frat boys were filed to front. Luckily, we didn't need to worry. We settled comfortably further back in the middle.
The theatre for Jay Leno was impressive. And the set looked good too. Although I think it was made so that everyone looked huge. Phil McGraw, who was a guest that day, looked like a giant.
Before the show started, Jay Leno came out and chatted with the audience. He invited young would-be actors onto the set. I was struck by how friendly Jay is. I've heard this before, and it's really true. He still keeps his weekly comedy gig in Hermosa on Sunday nights probably for the same reason.
Something you don't see on TV (and for good reason) is the crass comic who warms up the crowd before the show starts. He had a short set - teased audience members with the promise of Tonight Show gear, and otherwise warmed us up for the show. Now I know why there's a 16 and over rule. This guy was a little on the risque side.
I was most excited about the band. On TV, the band is always cut off when the commercial sets in. On the sound stage, we were treated to great songs (even a fabulous version of a country song I dig). The lead singer is great and the sets were even better than the cover Patty Smith did as the musical guest.
So we were in at 3pm and out at 5:30pm. Nearby North Hollywood has some great restaurants (including the very fun Tokyo Delves) that can serve as an aftershow hangout. And who knows? Maybe you will catch Jay Leno's eye. Probably not - but as far as interesting L.A. fieldtrips go - this one's pretty close to the top.
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