Aug 31st, 2010 by JP
Tags: Los Angeles
The best night out you can hope for in LA actually happens twice a month in Santa Monica. The word fabulous comes close to encapsulating it, but even that’s selling it short.
Nestled betwixt the uppity suburban mall destinations like West Elm and the rest of the Promenade fixings is a bar that looks a little too filthy for 4th Street. Harvelle’s is an alley of a joint where the waitresses are fast and sharp, the company is mixed and the twice-monthly burlesque show is the reason to make a trip west of the 405. Over two acts and fourteen numbers, a small group of ladies strut their stuff on stage, on the bar and in your lap. They stomp around the place with the fierce focus of runway models on the prowl (but these girls don’t look emaciated, thank goodness). Their looks go from Rihanna / sci-fi chic to classic cabaret to Pan Am kitsch. And the music is a fun, unexpected blend of Nina Simone covers, Tom Waits, and some edgier fare which I was far too distracted to note.
For $15, this is way better than schlepping over to the Mark Taper Forum for a night at the theatre. There are rules, however: they only sell as many seats as they have – no standing room, you must remain seated during the show so the ladies don’t trip over your drunken self while doing splits and spins in the middle of the room. And, of course, no flash photos; the girls could be blinded by the light while hanging upside-down from the rafter with a lit cigarette dangling out of their mouths.
As far as LA entertainment goes, this is definitely in the run-don’t-walk column.
Harvelle’s, 1432 4th St.; Santa Monica; last two Thursdays of every month; $10-$25.
Filed in Hog Wild | No Comments »
Aug 31st, 2010 by James K
Tags: Mad Men
Thought Rolling Stone was a music magazine. TV gets back-to-back covers with “Mad Men” following the current “True Blood” showcase. RS rolled the dice and won as “Mad Men” won its third straight drama Emmy this week. The issue hits newstands on Wednesday.
On set and behind the scenes with the sexy stars of the Emmy-winning show
Filed in Television | No Comments »
Aug 31st, 2010 by Michael
Tags: Blu-Ray, DVD, Fall 2010
It seems as if Blu-rays are going to ‘fall’ from the skies in the coming season!!! The studios have finally gotten it through their thick heads that Blu-rays are now the medium of choice and are making the much needed (and very slow) process of transferring titles into Blu-ray 1080P HD, 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio, Lost-less Sound and a lot more much cooler extra features . . . (well . . . 7 out of 10 have much cooler features)!!! I have gathered together several flicks and made a list of their release and some of their content. Mind you, I am a ‘Movie Buff’ . . . I generically like almost every movie I see and have a penchant for really bad flicks and not-so-great actors. But, the major releases are listed as well as the not so great. Just letting you know. The list below is only a fraction of what is going to be actually released. These titles are the ones I plan to purchase on day one . . . although some might be fodder for the Netflix queue list.
September 7
- Lost in Space
- Skeleton Key (Only worth purchasing for the last 5 minutes)
- Supernatural Season 5
- Stardust
- Mars Attack
September 14
- Seven (Digibook)
- Glee Season 1
- Blood Sport / Time Cop (Told you . . . pension for really bad flicks and bad actors)
- The Order
- Jacob’s Ladder
- Letters to Juliet
- Mercury Rising
- Return of the Living Dead
- Amityville Horror (Remake . . . where Ryan Reynolds takes his shirt off a lot)
- Prince of Persia (Netflix . . . maybe)
September 21
- Spartacus: Blood and Sand (aka 300 Light with more full frontal and cooler costumes)
- American Beauty *
- Charade (Criterion) (Audrey Hepburn . . . need I say more)
- Peacemakers (Only worth purchasing for the last 5 minutes)
- Delicatessen
- Robin Hood (Netflix . . . maybe . . . okay def Netflix)
- The Experiment (American remake . . . maybe Netflix too)
September 28
- King Kong (Digibook)
- The Thin Red Line (Criterion)
- Suck (Netflix)
- Frozen (Can’t wait for this one . . . big on the ‘Oh shit! What do we do now?!’ flicks)
Continue Reading »
Filed in Articles, DVD | No Comments »
Ladies get out your false eyelashes and men shave your chests because “Dancing With The Stars” announced its highly anticipated fall line-up on Monday night. This season’s contestants run the gamut from 80s icons, reality pop tarts to sports heroes and sultry songbirds. Really, it’s just a motley crew without any actual members of Motley Crue. But, wouldn’t it be friggin awesome to see Nikki Sixx doing the Charleston or lambada? Its too fantastic –- no, too hairtastic — not to happen. Nevertheless, let’s examine DWTS’s latest cast.
The ladies: Brandy, Jennifer Gray, Margaret Cho, Audrina Patridge, Florence Henderson and Bristol Palin.
The men: David “The Hoff” Hasselhoff, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, Kurt Warner, Michael Bolton, Rick Fox and Kyle Massey.
My sentimental female favorite is Jennifer Gray. Baby is a cancer survivor and she has to bring it home for Johnny, RIP. As for Florence Henderson, though she is no comedic master like Cloris Leachman or Betty White, she is a classy lady and that should get her through a couple rounds.
My sentimental male favorite is The Hoff. What can I say? I’m a sucker for an underdog, especially if that underdog drove a badass talking Trans Am during a defining time in my childhood. You know who else drove a Trans Am? The Situation, if not him I’m sure someone from his Staten Island family did.
The 11th season of DWTS premieres Sept. 20 at 8 p.m.
Filed in News, Television | No Comments »
- Pittsburgh Steelers all-pro safety Troy Polamalu’s hair — nearly three feet of Samoan locks — has been insured by Head and Shoulders for $1 million.
- Former Playmate Karissa Shannon has confirmed that she made a sex tape with Heidi Montag.
- John Cusack will portray Edgar Allan Poe in The Raven, a fictional thriller set during the last five days of the author’s life.
- SNL coming and going: Will Forte is leaving while three new cast members – Scrubs star Taran Killam and Chicago comics Paul Brittain and Vanessa Bayer – are reportedly joining the cast.
- Sunday’s Emmy telecast (13.5 million viewers) was the most-watched Emmy telecast in four years, but it rose only 0.2 percent versus last year.
- “It’s no question Hugh Hefner is the world’s greatest fried chicken fan.” And I thought it was Col. Sanders. Whatever, Playboy shares the Playboy Mansion’s Fried Chicken recipe in this month’s issue.
- Betty White’s favorite TV show: Two and a Half Men.
- Box office photo finish: Takers topped The Last Exorcism $20.5 million to $20.4 million in a battle of forgettable movies.
- Christina Hendricks is the new face of London Fog.
Filed in Hog Quickies | No Comments »
Aug 30th, 2010 by Karen
Tags: Emmys, January Jones
Here is some practical fashion advice for January Jones of “Mad Men.” Its best not to brag about how little time and effort went into your Emmy look, until you’re sure you’re NOT on the worst dressed list. It took you only two hours to get ready and you slept till noon. And guest what? It shows; especially in your hair.
At first, the pattern of Jones’s ruffled, blue, Versace gown looked like scales. But, no, ruffled is right because she does look like a peacock. The color and shine of the dress was captivating and translated well on camera, that’s about all the good that can be said. The hairstyle didn’t complement the gown. It was a classic case of too much humidity and not enough Aqua Net. Betty Draper must be so disappointed. Then, again, what hairstyle could do justice to cone boobs and a lobster train? Oh, and the shoes. Were they a loan from the Mad Men wardrobe department? Fashion miss aside, I have to give props to Miss Jones for wisely choosing a Versace again after the designer’s mint chiffon gown earned her a spot on last year’s Emmy’s Best Dressed list. It was a fashion risk worth taking only this time it didn’t pay off.
Filed in News, Pop Culture, Television | No Comments »
Aug 30th, 2010 by James K
Tags: Emmys, Jimmy Fallon
All in all, a pretty terrific Emmys telecast. Some observations:
- Jimmy Fallon proved to be a good fit as host. He was enthusiastic, funny and creative. He never got in the way.
- The inspired opening musical number — with Fallon leading several “Glee” stars plus Tina Fey, Jon Hamm, Jorge Garcia, Nina Dobrev, Joel McHale among others in a “Born To Run” performance — was so much fun and got the telecast started on a high note.
- Fallon’s tribute to departed shows “Lost,” “24” and “Law & Order” as Elton John, Boyz II Men and Green Day was a highlight, and showcased the comic’s strengths.
- The tweets… not so sweet. Let the pros write the jokes.
- Odd pace to the telecast with the comedy and drama blocks (except for the series prizes) over by halftime. Was NBC afraid to lose the audience if it inserted movies/miniseries in the middle? George Clooney, Al Pacino, Tom Hanks — and the richly deserved awards for “Temple Grandin” — kept the telecast from slipping.
- Jewel dragged down the “In Memoriam” segment with a dull song.
- Ricky Gervais, this time buying beers for the audience, is always a welcome addition.
- The show seems to fly by — maybe because I watched it on tape and avoided what seemed to be a ton of commercials — and finished on time in three hours. But the ending seemed rushed. Best Comedy Series as the last award (it’s usually Best Drama) was the right choice because you knew it was going to be either “Modern Family,” the winner, or “Glee,” and that would seal the deal on a happy note.
watch
Filed in Television | No Comments »
