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Thursday, June 16, 2011

Los Angeles Magazine's 50th Anniversary Bash Looks Back, Looks Ahead

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary

There was a lot of talk about 2061 at Los Angeles magazine's 50th anniversary party. The event, held Wednesday night in the lobby of the Variety Building (also home to Los Angeles mag), asked guests to imagine what L.A. might be like when the city magazine hits 100.

In one room, attendees were asked to fill out cards and give their take on the future of Los Angeles. Those cards will be put in a time capsule -- along with items such as a signed Simpsons script by Matt Groening -- and buried, to be open again in 2061. (I'll be 87 years young!)

L.A. mag also asked readers to design mock covers of what L.A. mag like look like in 2061 -- and some of the entries were quite comedic.

Also at the party, Chef John Rivera Sedlar created special Hors d'oeuvres tied to classic L.A. eats: Chili, inspired by Chasen's; Cobb salad shooters, inspired by the Brown Derby; tricolore amuse, inspired by Rex; duck prosciutto, inspired by L'Ermitage; pastrami tacos, inspired by Saint Estephe; and chocolate bacon truffles, inspired by Animal. The chili was a particular hit with me -- a nice spice, with crispy sage.

Among those in attendance: George Takei; Rodney Bingenheimer; Councilwoman Jan Perry; histo-tainer Charles Phoenix; KCBS anchor Laura Diaz; Los Angeles City Office of Historic Resources head Ken Bernstein; the L.A. Times' James Rainey; and "Flipping Out's" Jeff Lewis. It was also great to see LA Observed's Kevin Roderick, and we hung out with Dodger Thoughts' Jon Weisman, my former Variety co-worker. Congrats to Los Angeles magazine editor Mary Melton and everyone at the magazine for pulling off a fun and tasty event!

Some photos:

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Los Angeles magazine editor Mary Melton toasts the anniversary.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Councilwoman Jan Perry delivers a city of Los Angeles proclamation.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Me with George Takei, who now can be seen on Nickelodeon's "Supah Ninjas."

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
The cover of a 1971 issue: "Smiling Through the Downturn California Style." I can't get past this cover: A flabby old guy in a lawn chair, his feet sticking right at us. Not quite visually appealing. Can you imagine anyone doing a cover like this today?

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Cobb salad shooter.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
The 50th anniversary cake -- which prompted a debate earlier in the evening: Was it truly a cake? Turns out it was. And delicious.


Tricolore amuse.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Celebrities were a big choice for the magazine's cover in the 1980s.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Pastrami tacos.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Chili.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Me with Rodney on the Roq.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Playing the theramin.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Fake future Los Angeles magazine cover in 2061

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
"Mayor Bieber." Another fake future cover.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
"Lady Gaga's Comeback at 75." Another fake cover, this one by Charles Phoenix.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Photographer Larry Underhill: He doesn't just shoot pictures, he creates time capsules! Larry took sewer pipe and created the capsule, and then etched in the magazine's name and a message.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
Among the items going into the time capsule: A "Simpsons" script signed by Matt Groening.

Los Angeles magazine 50th anniversary
One of Los Angeles mag's most buzzed-about covers, the famous Villaraigosa "Failure" issue. (Nope, Mayor V wasn't at Wednesday night's affair. That might have been embarrassing.)

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