"B-Movies and Bad Movies" at the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum

The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits are bringing back their popular "B-Movies and Bad Science" movie series for a third season.

The movie series, which runs from June 26 through August 29, takes place outdoors -- and the museums recommend picnic baskets and blankets.

At the Natural History Museum in Exposition Park, the movie takes place on the South Lawn. At the La Brea Tar Pits, the screening takes place on the grounds surrounding the Page Museum.

The movie screenings include a "lighthearted discussion" led by the museums' science experts, as well as B-movie memorabilia from the Natural History Museum's collection.

Movies start at 8 p.m. It's free -- and yes, "alcoholic beverages are permitted for those over 21." Done.

Here's the schedule:

Saturday, June 26: "Encino Man" (1992)
Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits (which is featured in the movie) — Hancock Park Lawn

Saturday, July 17: "It Came from Beneath the Sea" (1955)
Natural History Museum — South Lawn

Saturday, July 24: "The Killer Shrews" (1959)
Natural History Museum — South Lawn

Sunday, August 1: "Gorilla at Large" (1954)
Natural History Museum — South Lawn

Sunday, August 15: "Gammera the Invincible" (1966)
Natural History Museum — South Lawn

Sunday, August 29: "Caveman" (1981)
Page Museum at La Brea Tar Pits — Hancock Park Lawn

License Plate of the Day: Scooby Doo Edition

As Scooby Doo might say.

Below, Hugh Laurie does his best Scooby "rhut-roh" impersonation on "House":



(Thanks to Ton-Def for the license plate. Send your snapshots of wacky vanity plates to franklin_avenue at yahoo dot com.)

R.I.P. Paul Johnson, Former KNBC Traffic Reporter

Former KNBC traffic reporter Paul Johnson, who underwent brain surgery in January, has died. He was 75.

KNBC has the details on its website:

He put up a heroic fight against a glioblastoma (brain tumor) but on Tuesday, it was time to go, and as his wife Nancy said in a voicemail to his coworkers a few minutes after he left, "He's gone to see Jesus."

The world was a better place while he was in it, telling us to "buckle up, be careful out there," but what he was really telling us is that no matter what was ahead on the road, no matter what obstacles or accidents were in the way, that it was going to be OK.

Johnson has been a part of NBC4's on-air team since August 1988. During his tenure, he served as both a weather and traffic report contributor.

Before joining Metro Traffic in August 1982, Johnson spent more than eight years with Capital Cities, leaving a position as program director for WJR-FM in Detroit, Mich. He has also reported traffic conditions for several Los Angeles radio stations, including KNX, KZLA, KACE, KXEZ and KSRF.

Johnson had been off the air since his surgery; KNBC originally said that Johnson would return -- but then the station ended its long-running contract with Metro Traffic, which had employed the reporter.

Surviving Jury Duty in Downtown Los Angeles

(Flickr pic by assonfire.)

I actually enjoy jury duty... that is, as long as I don't actually get on a jury.

Not that I don't believe in serving. I do. But being away from work causes enough stress and havoc that I'd prefer just to get it over with in one day, and then await the (inevitable) summons notice again in three years. (Which seems to be the frequency I get these things, like clockwork.)

But for at least one day, it's a nice change of pace -- and a chance to spend a bit more time downtown.

So there I was Monday morning, bright and early (7:45 a.m.!) at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown.

The best part of jury duty, of course, is lunch time in downtown. That means hopping on the Dash bus or walking over to Philippe's for a French Dip at Philippe's. Then, with time to spare before lunch break is over, it's time for a quick walk through Olvera Street in order to chow down on a churro from Mr. Churro. Justice is hungry.

What else do you need to know, besides remembering to park at Disney Hall? Pay attention:

:: Log in to the Superior Court website a day or two before jury service in order to watch the orientation video online. That will buy you some morning time: You'll get to show up at 9:30, instead of 7:45 a.m. That first nearly two hours is mindless, and you'll kick yourself for not having done the early orientation.

:: Bring your laptop -- but don't expect to get a clear WiFi signal. The free WiFi is there, but it's weak; and you'll only be able to access certain websites. Twitter? Nope. Blogger? Nope. Typepad? Strangely, yes. The Los Angeles Times? No. (That's the strangest block of them all.) I'd bring a magazine or newspaper as backup.

:: The tradition of "Maury" and "Springer" in the jury room is over: "There's a TV in the back, but it's broken, so don't bother," we're told. But if I recall correctly, the real reason is this: Jurors were fighting about what to watch -- with some wanting to catch the aforementioned Mssrs. Povich and Springer. The TVs finally had to be pulled all together. (Am I remembering this correctly? I think I remember they even told us this the last time I had jury duty.)

:: During jury appreciation week, which takes place the second week of May: Snacks and drinks are handed out free all week in the jury assembly room. A jury room worker described the week-long event, and then hit us in the groin: "Guess what? It's not this week." BURN.

:: If you've been convicted of a felony, you can't serve on a jury. You're welcome, celebrities!

Rate-A-Restaurant #227: Colori Kitchen

Restaurant: Colori Kitchen

Location: 429 W. 8th St. (Downtown)

Type of restaurant: Italian

We stipulated: Looking for a comfortable spot for lunch downtown, Colori fit the bill. It's Italian comfort food with a twist.

They stipulated: "Featuring the inspired, bravissimo cooking of Luigi Barducci Contessi, longtime executive chef at Ca Brea, the warm and welcoming
brick-walled restaurant features delicious pastas, soups, salads, fish
and meat dishes, plus traditional Italian deserts."



What we ordered: pasta with beef stew (special), $14; eggplant rigatoni with mozzarella ($12)

High point: We liked the uniqueness of the specials. Pasta and beef stew? Kinda odd idea. Yet it worked (perhaps the olives helped as well, giving it a tangy, hearty taste). The eggplant rigatoni was also solid.

Low point: Except that the mozarella was a little too cold, and didn't quite melt on the rigatoni the way it should.



Overall impression: Good prices (there are lunch specials as well) and nice addition to that area (next to the famed Golden Golpher). Nice touch, too, with the bread and hummus as a starter snack.



Chance we'll go back: It's a possibility, when we're in downtown, particularly on a weekend; Colori seems like a place that we could bring the kids.

(For our full list of nearly 230 restaurant reviews, check out Rate-A-Restaurant here.)

MONA's Neon Tour Lights Up Our Saturday Night

At the invitation of Franklin Avenue friend Eric Lynxwiler -- better known these days as "Mr. Saturday Night," as dubbed by L.A. Weekly -- we boarded the doubledecker bus this Saturday to take part in the Museum of Neon Art's weekly Neon Cruise.

We had taken MONA's neon cruise once before -- read our post from November 2008. But we hadn't taken the tour with Eric at the mic. Do yourself a favor and try to make sure you take the neon tour with him, as Eric mixes the right amount of Los Angeles historic knowledge (he'll tell you anything you need to know about L.A.'s downtown buildings) and humor.

Plus, did I mention that the MONA neon tour comes with booze? Yep, the wine and beer are flowing as you ride on the open-air top deck of the bus through downtown, Hollywood and West Hollywood. Just watch out for those tree branches.

A few pics I managed to snap as dusk fell over the City of Angels:















Meanwhile, some snaps of the MONA floor, including both permanent exhibition pieces of old neon signs, as well as neon artwork created by Bill Concannon (as part of the special exhibit "Recycled, Reclaimed and Reinvented").










Maria with Eric -- and his prized neon tie.

The MONA neon art tour is a great way to see L.A. from a different perspective -- including with beverage in hand and on top of a double decker bus. Go here for more info.

Michael Jackson, One Year Later: The TV Crews Return to Glendale

A few live trucks parked last night in front of Glendale's Forest Lawn, where Michael Jackson's remains lie. (You can't see in this pic, but about five more TV trucks were parked in the elementary school across the street.)

I imagine it's a madhouse this morning, the one-year anniversary of Michael Jackson's death. Here's a roundup of TV specials marking the occasion. ABC, CNN, E!, MTV, BET, more all plan specials today and tonight.

Food "Truckapalooza" Comes to the Miracle Mile

When Variety first moved to 5900 Wilshire, the landlord promised to land a restaurant in the building.

That wound up not happening. But at least the building management has been aggressive in attracting L.A.'s ubiquitous food trucks to our area.

While most of the trucks park in front of Variety's old offices (next to E! Entertainment) -- I counted 15 there the other day -- a bunch usually stop in front of 5900 Wilshire as well.

On Thursday, nine trucks showed up to take part in 5900 Wilshire's "truckapalooza," including Phamish, Nom Nom, Baby’s Badass Burgers, No Reservations, FrySmith, Papas Tapas, Flying Pig, The Good Karma Dessert Truck and King Kone. 100.3 The Sound, which also is in our building, provided the tunes. I hit the Nom Nom truck -- which hadn't visited our parts in a while. (I used to like it better than Phamish... but sorry Nom Nom, I think Phamish may have won me over.)

Los Angeles Local Emmy Noms: A Good Day For Steve Edwards

Steve Edwards has graced Los Angeles airwaves for decades, hosting everything from "2 On The Town" to KABC's "A.M. Los Angeles." He's hosted KTTV/Fox 11's "Good Day L.A." now for 15 years. (Wow.)

Now Edwards (seen above doing the weather for KNXT/Channel 2 in 1978) is about to receive this year's L.A. Area Governors Award at the L.A. Area Emmys.

Edwards joins a group of past honorees that include Jess Marlow, Kelly Lange, Jerry Dunphy, Larry McCormick and Dr. George Fischbeck.

Meanwhile, KNBC/Channel 4 leads this year's Local L.A. Emmy nomincations, with 15 nods, followed by KTLA/Channel 5. KTLA was among the stations to already land an Emmy this week, as its coverage of the death of Michael Jackson last year was the only nominee in the "live coverage of an unscheduled news event" category.

The L.A. Area Emmys take place on July 31.

FRANKLIN AVENUE CONTEST: Eli "Paperboy" Reid at The Roxy

Free tonight? How about checking out rising star Eli "Paperboy" Reed at the Roxy? The Boston-born, Brooklyn-based singer, who's been described as a cross between Sam Cooke and Otis Redding -- with a bit of Wilson Pickett -- is there tonight, and we have a pair of tix.

It's simple -- first person to Tweet us at @franklinavenue wins the tix.

Reid is getting great press in the UK where his album, "Come And Get It," scored him the title of 2009 MOJO Breakout Artist Of The Year. Reid's album is released here in the States on Aug. 17.

Check out more YouTube clips here.

Metblogs L.A. Brings Back Its Original Blogging Name

Congrats to Sean and the folks behind Metblogs -- not too long ago they were threatening to shut the whole place down, but now they're not only back, but the L.A. flagship site has a nice new coat of paint.

As part of the redesign, they've once again embraced the site's original name, blogging.la. Which is good, since I never got around to changing the URL when they dumped it.

License Plate of the Day: For Arts... Maybe

The pleasant, positive interpretation of this plate: "For Arts." Hey, that's nice.

The juvenile, not-so-pleasant interpretation: "Farts." Hey, that's... well, not so nice.

Let's stick with the first one.

(Thanks to Joe for this plate. Keep sending them in!)

Los Angeles: Ad Town one in a series

The latest Palm commercial, now playing in primetime, follows a woman walking downtown while using an imaginary touchscreen. Here she crosses Grand Ave.

James Franco Attempts to Blow Your Mind at MOCA

So let's get this straight. James Franco will once again play "Franco the artist" on several episodes of "General Hospital."

And for one upcoming episode, Franco the actor will film a scene as Franco the artist at the Museum of Contemporary Art/Los Angeles.

But Franco the actor will be creating the art in front of a live audience. Which means that as Franco the artist is creating art, Franco the actor is creating a wholly different kind of art.

The "General Hospital" taping/live art exhibit was conceived by Franco as part of a performance work titled SOAP at MOCA: James Franco on General Hospital.

Here's how MOCA describes it:

In this special episode, Franco, James Franco’s character from General Hospital, will be having an exhibition at MOCA Pacific Design Center, during which time Jeffrey Deitch, the new director of MOCA, and the characters from Port Charles from General Hospital wil be making their West Coast debut.


The character’s exhibition will include full-scale models of the locations in which he encountered mobster Jason Morgan (Emmy winner Steve Burton). To the musical accompaniment of his artistic collaborator Kalup Dashinel, played by critically acclaimed video and performance artist Kalup Linzy, who will perform live during the taping, Franco will attempt to lure Jason and others into his art-trap. If all goes to plan, mastermind Franco will turn both Jason Morgan’s life and his own death into art, a performance to end all performances.

"Soap at MOCA is an attempt to both blur and define the lines between different disciplines, between life and art, between art and popular culture, and between representations of the self as both performative character and as non-performative self," Franco said.

And no. I'm not sure if Franco the fictional artist or Franco the real-life actor said that.

Wait a second. Unless Franco the artist is REAL, and Franco the actor is actually a fictional performance piece.

I JUST BLEW YOUR FRANCO-ING MIND.

"Last Remaining Seats" Highlights the Beautiful Los Angeles Theatre

One of my favorite L.A. events of the year -- the Los Angeles Conservancy's "Last Remaining Seats" screenings -- came to the beautiful (but still in need of a rehab) Los Angeles Theatre last Wednesday.

"Last Remaining Seats" was a tradition for Maria and me -- well, until the kids came. It's been a few years since we last visited L.A.'s historic Broadway theatres for the event (although we've been to the restored Orpheum many times for other shows). This year, however, we decided to make the effort.

We've been to the Los Angeles Theatre for past "Last Remaining Seats" events, but it's always a treat to return. The last of Broadway's movie palaces, Los Angeles Theatre stopped regularly showing movies in the early 1990s -- but remains a popular film and TV shoot location. (We love spotting the Los Angeles Theatre on screen, where it frequently makes a cameo.) A primer:

The Los Angeles Theatre was designed by architect S. Charles Lee in the Baroque style. Lee filled the theatre with glamour, glitz, technical innovations and sumptuous audience conveniences. With a construction cost of over $1.5 million, the Los Angeles was the most expensive theatre built up to that time on a per seat basis. On opening night in 1931, the theatre hosted the premier gala screening of Charles Chaplin's City Lights. Among celebrities of the era in attendance that evening was Mr. Albert Einstein.

The Mike Nichols classic "The Graduate" (1967) screened last Thursday. Maria and I had never seen the Dustin Hoffman/Anne Bancroft starrer, and it was a great choice (although fully dated, of course). As a bonus, our beloved Ambassador Hotel was a location in the movie, doubling as the fictional "Taft Hotel."

A few more pics from the Los Angeles:














High-tech for the 1930s: This allowed ushers to figure out where seats were still available.





"Last Remaining Seats" continues through the end of the month, with "Flor silvestre (Wild Flower)" at the Million Dollar Theatre this Wednesday, and "Peter Pan" (1924 version) at the Orpheum Theatre on June 30. Tickets are still available for both.

First Taste: The Manila Machine Food Truck

As we wrote the other day, Filipino food is finally represented among L.A.'s ever-growing legion of food trucks.

The food bloggers behind Burnt Lumpia and Let Me Eat Cake are behind The Manila Machine, which we finally visited last Thursday.

Immediately after watching the Lakers grab the 2010 NBA Finals, I headed around the corner to Glassell Park, where the Manila Machine was parked outside the Verdugo Bar. (Actually, we got there at the same time, so I waited as the Machine powered up). The early verdict: The Manila Machine serves as a good ambassador for Filipino cuisine -- which, let's face it, most food truck customers probably aren't familiar with.

Here's what we tried the first time out:


Chicken adobo -- $4. Good value. Maria still makes the best chicken adobo anywhere (sorry, Manila Machine), but this was a decent substitute, especially at the price.


Two sliders, at $2.50 a piece: longganisang hubad (“naked” sausage) -- sweet pork and garlic sausage patties, caramelized onions, arugula, and mango jam on a pan de sal roll; and tapa -- sweet calamansi beef, achara slaw, and spicy sriracha mayo on a pan de sal roll. I could eat many of these.

There's more on the Manila Machine menu, so I'm sure we'll try more soon.

Big Screen TV Retailer Ken Crane's To Shut Down

Another retailer bites the dust: Ken Crane's, the local electronics store that prides itself as the home of big-screen TVs, is closing for good in 60 days.

Ken Crane's joins bigger chains like Circuit City and The Good Guys, as well as smaller businesses as well, that just couldn't cut the current economic climate. It's particularly sad, knowing that Ken Cranes survived plenty of ups and downs in the past, having first opened in 1948.

Ken Cranes will now liquidate its remaining six stores six in Torrance, Hawthorne, Encino, Pasadena, West Los Angeles and Westminster.

From the press release:

"In the past, we have been able to weather these kinds of economic storms because people tend to stay home more, tap into their home equity, upgrade their home entertainment systems, and wait for conditions to improve," company president Casey Crane said. "Unfortunately, the combination of home foreclosures, tight lending policies and high unemployment combined to create the biggest recession in our company's history."

In April of 2008, Ken Crane's implemented an ambitious "reduction in force," making across-the-board cuts in overhead to maintain its viability, and manage the unprecedented storm of the uncertain economy.

But in January 2010, the company, which operated ten retail locations across Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties, closed four stores and consolidated operations in several areas. Sales volume continued to drop while financing and factoring options became extremely scarce.

"This is unquestionably the most painful business decision our family has ever had to make. We have been a home for employees, a place of trust for our customers and vendors, and a source of pride and leadership among our competitors for many decades. As painful as this is, we plan to end this as fairly as we can for all concerned," noted Crane.

"We may not be the first consumer electronics retailer to close in Southern California, but I sure hope we are the last," he added.

Adidas' Epic Lakers T-Shirt Fail

Above, here's a Macy's ad in today's Los Angeles Times "NBA Finals" special section, advertising several "official merchandise" 2010 NBA Champions shirts from Adidas.

But look closer. I wonder how many prints of this shirt were manufactured:



You see what I'm talking about, right?



Ladies and Gentlemen, your "Los Angleles Lakers."

Lakers Win! Downtown Burns!

Oh, Los Angeles. You can't just enjoy an NBA Finals win for the Lakers, you've gotta trash downtown while you celebrate.

Of course, some of it was self-fulfilling prophecy, as we were all told for days to STAY AWAY FROM DOWNTOWN. Which was a blazing advertisement for folks looking for a little mischief to HEAD STRAIGHT DOWNTOWN.

We've seen worse post-NBA Finals disturbances downtown. Honestly, I was more offended last night by the universal decision by L.A. anchors to wear purple (except Colleen Williams, who worse turquoise -- fight the power, girl).

But still, it's embarrassing. A few folks on the downtown streets last night managed to confirm the stereotypes the rest of the country already holds about our city.

Ahh well. Here are a few of my Tweets from last night, in case you missed:

BP offers to help clear L.A. streets of rioters. Rioting should be contained by November, the company says.

KCBS-2 news: Jim Hill wearing light purple; Pat Harvey wearing light purple dress. Paul "Pimp Daddy" Magers sporting purple suit! You go!!

KNBC-4 news: Chuck Henry wearing striped purple tie, Colleen Williams wearing... turquoise. Oops, someone didn't get the memo.

KABC-7 news: Rob Fukuzaki wearing purple shirt and purple striped tie. Marc Brown wearing purple tie. Michelle Tuzee wearing light purple.

16 years ago, we watched TV as one man was chased by the LAPD. Tonight, we watched TV as hundreds were chased by LAPD. That's progress!

NO NO NO. Burn down the city if you must, BUT DON'T EFF OUR TACO TRUCKS. RT@seanbonner RT @xenijardin: they're attacking *taco trucks* now.

You all realize this wall-to-wall coverage just fuels the rioting. I'm tempted to go out and loot a McDonald's after watching.

I like to think that they're not rioting about the Lakers win, but they're just protesting the ugly architecture of "L.A. Live."

Getting some food to bring home from @manilamachine -- hearing fireworks here in Glassell Park. Um, I think those are fireworks!

Cmon L.A., let's seriously head over and rough up the 909 instead. They won't notice, right?

OK, Lakers are no. 1 topic now -- but Lizzie McGuire still no. 2.



Top Twitter trending topic in Los Angeles right now: "Lizzie McGuire movie." Wait, what?

Ron Artest thanked his shrink -- I smell a new HBO series!

Hey, anyone know where we're rioting here in Glendale?

Retro Friday: Lakers Beat Celtics, in 1985

Kareem and Magic win it in Boston. The year is 1985.

O.J.'s June 17, 1994 Car Chase: Where Were You?

I remember the summer of O.J. quite well.

I had just started as an intern at Newsweek in New York, working in the news magazine's business section. Fridays were late nights at Newsweek, as much of the week's copy was rolling in and being edited. As interns, we got to do some reporting, but we were mostly assigned to fact checking -- which meant sometimes waiting until late in the night as raw copy was finally turned into stories by the writers and editors. (In those days, reporters and writers were not necessarily the same thing.)

One of my fellow interns had decided to throw a party the evening of Friday, June 17. Although many of us were going to be late to the event, it was definitely something to look forward to as we sat in our cubicles and waited to be dismissed from our various departments.

But then came the news: O.J. Simpson was missing. And then the even bigger news: O.J. Simpson was speeding down the freeways of Los Angeles in a white Ford Bronco driven by his pal Al Cowling. Simpson held a gun to his head as he talked to a 911 operator. And it was all captured on live TV.

The fact checkers and copy editors in the business department all gathered in one of the business editors' offices. And we watched on her little TV, as that SUV drove slowly down L.A. freeways (and hundreds of Angelenos cheered him on).

Copy probably poured in to our computers, ready to be edited, but it didn't matter. We were riveted, like the rest of America. (One immediate casualty of the O.J. chase: That intern's party didn't happen that night.)

Given what was happening -- the gun, the purported suicide note, the chase from the law -- I think we all were assuming that the evening would wind up with O.J. dead. We couldn't have guessed that evening that the drama would continue over the following year and lead to an even bigger circus of a trial.

Meanwhile, as we watched the news unfold in the weeks that followed, rival Time soon got criticized for darkening a mug shot of O.J. But Newsweek also caught grief for producing too many O.J. covers, week in and week out. It was a lot of O.J.; but that's what people wanted.

A year later, when the O.J. verdict was finally revealed, I was visiting my friend Anthony in Hawaii -- and got up super early to hear the result. (But that's another story for another time.)

Just in time for the 16th anniversary of that fateful day (yes, that was 16 years ago!), ESPN's latest "30 on 30" documentary "June 17th, 1994," which aired this week on the sports cabler, looks at that fateful, busy evening.



How did you watch the events of that evening unfold?

A Giant Squid Invades Silver Lake This Weekend

Silver Lake-based Materials & Applications (M&A) this weekend unveils its latest outdoor art installation, "Squid Capsule."

The outdoor exhibit is free to view -- and more importantly, free to touch.

M&A has partnered with Emily White and Lisa Little of Layer, a Los Angeles-based design partnership, to install "Squid Capsule." The exhibit is transforming M&A's outdoor courtyard "into a cloud chamber that isolates and amplifies subtle changes in Los Angeles' placid, if somewhat monotonous, summer climate."

More info:

The capsule is composed of forty transparent vinyl membranes dangling from the sky by steel aircraft cables and grazing the courtyard floor. A cloud of fog envelops areas of the plump tentacles, creating small weather systems within the installation that convey the visitor from drier into wetter zones. Visitors are invited to speculate on the physical and visual representation of air. Water appears in its myriad states - atomized as fog, vapor and mist, and in its liquid permutations as condensation or dew. The piece floats over a cluster of micro-inflatables upon which visitors can lounge as they observe the air.

"Squid Capsule" is open daily from June 19th through September. Admission is free. Opening celebration takes place on Saturday, June 19 from noon to 4 p.m.

M&A
1619 Silver Lake Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90026
323.913.0915

Chronicling California's Early Traffic Signs

I've stumbled across another obscure yet wonderful California history site: CalTrafficSigns.com.

The site celebrates the old traffic signs "erected from 1920 to 1960 by the Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC), the California State Automobile Association (CSAA) and the State Division of Highways (now Caltrans)."

That includes photos of those old signs, which the webmaster has been collecting for 30 years.