Batman, Robin, Julie Newmar and Marionette Skeletons: A Masquerade Ball to Remember at the Bob Baker

Pow! Bam! Zlonk! Chris Nichols, Los Angeles magazine's "City Scholar" (that's his new title, and an apt one at that), throws parties like no one else. In the past, we've traveled to San Bernardino's Wigwam Motel, Glendale's Ard Eeven and have hit the trains at Union Station. This year, he outdid himself by throwing a birthday party/masquerade ball at the famed Bob Baker Marionette Theatre. Special guest Julie Newmar sat next to Chris, and after the show, a surf rock band (Davie Allan & The Arrows, who scored Roger Corman's The Wild Angels, among other things) kept the crowd dancing into the night. It was a great event and a great evening. We even ran into some old blogging pals, Scott Lowe and Ellen Bloom.



Here's how the invite came. Yes, the "Wayne Foundation" reference should have been a tip-off. More on that in a moment.



We arrived to this marquee, and were glad to see that everyone had dressed the part -- 1960s masquerade ball. I was in an old tux, and Maria was in a black dress. I wore Groucho Marx glasses and Maria had a mask we had purchased last year for a KCRW event.



The crowd gathered before hand, munching on 60s-style canapes and sipping champagne.



Us, in disguise.



The show gets underway. Timur Bekbosunov kicks things off. "He looks like the Penguin from 'Gotham,'" Maria notes. In the background, John Ennis plays a Liberace-like character in a gold suit.



Creepy skeleton marionettes. It is the Bob Baker, after all!



Batman and Robin come on the scene to rescue attendees from the puppets.



Wait a second! Turns out we'd been living an episode of the 1960s "Batman" series all along! King Tut, who had been quietly sitting in the audience, stands up and tries to thwart Batman and Robin.



Uh-oh! Will the Caped Crusader and his Boy Wonder make it out alive?



They did! One final lesson from Batman and Robin.



Chris and special guest Julie Newmar enjoy the show.



Batman, Robin, Batgirl and Julie Newmar.



In the Bob Baker workshop



More from the workshop



Marionette in the workshop



Where it's all built, even Mickey Mouse



Outside the Bob Baker



Yes, even Angelyne stopped by!

Pow! Bam! A Visit to Griffith Park's Bronson Canyon, a.k.a. Batman's Batcave

Sundance TV chose a unique spot on Monday night to throw the premiere party for its new series "The Red Road": The Bronson Caves in Griffith Park. Located up Canyon Drive above Franklin Avenue (yes, Franklin Avenue!), the Caves are a part of Bronson Canyon, and are famous for playing the Batcave in the 1960s "Batman" series:



Wikipedia gives some back story:

In 1903, the Union Rock Company founded a quarry, originally named Brush Canyon, for excavation of crushed rock used in the construction of city streets. The quarry ceased operation in the late 1920s, leaving the caves behind. The caves became known as the Bronson Caves after a nearby street, giving the area its more popular name of Bronson Canyon.

Scenes of the main cave entrance are normally filmed in a manner that shows the entrance at an angle. This is because the cave is actually a very short tunnel through the hill, with the rear opening easily visible in a direct shot. The most well known appearance of the tunnel entrance is likely as the entrance to the Batcave in the Batman television series of the 1960s.

For "The Red Road," Sundance brought in generators, set up bleachers and a large screen and ran the first episode. Border Grill and Vizzi food trucks catered. But one downside to throwing a party on park property: No alcohol allowed.



Here's a daytime visit to the Bronson Caves that someone filmed for YouTube:

Toddlers, Vanilla Ice and Johnny Depp at the MTV Movie Awards

Sunday night's MTV Movie Awards offered plenty of bizarre moments -- Mark Wahlberg stopping the show when someone in the audience yelled a derogatory remark at his co-presenter, Mila Kunis, for example -- and it's always awesome to see the Black Keys live, made surreal by Johnny Depp on guitar and both Steven Tyler and Joe Perry ducking out of the way to let them play.

But some of the real strange stuff was in the audience, which Maria and I were able to attend on Sunday night. There was the "Toddlers and Tiaras" child, dressed sadly in full make up and blue taffeta dress -- and her stage mom commanding her to perform for complete strangers. There was Vanilla Ice standing in the aisle, taking out his camera phone and snapping a self portrait in front of the stage. (I thought Vanilla was banned from MTV after this moment when he trashed a studio.)

Also: The audience sat for most of the night, not feeling the Wiz Khalifa, for example. Yet it gave a standing ovation to Christopher Nolan when he stepped on stage to promote "The Dark Knight Returns." This MTV Movie Awards audience must be *hard core* Batman fans.

Russell Brand didn't do much heavy lifting as host -- a few racy jokes at the start, but that was about the last we saw of him. I'd have to say the highlight was Johnny Depp's appearance with the Black Keys -- followed by Kristen Stewart trying, awkwardly, to be funny.

Some pics snapped at the event:



Russell Brand opens the show, works in multiple Michael Fassbender penis references.



fun. performs their springtime anthem "We Are Young" with Janelle Monae.



Wiz Khalifa with the advice of the night: "Work Hard. Play Hard." Wiz, you might just have a future as a copywriter for Nike.



Johnny Depp rocks with the Black Keys. Too bad he didn't do this in full "Dark Shadows" costume.



"The Dark Knight" stars on stage to premiere a new trailer for the film -- which looks awesome, and as a bonus, it looks like a scene was shot in downtown Los Angeles' Union Station!



"Spider-Man" stars hit the stage too, to lots and lots of laser beams.

Holy Star on the Walk of Fame, Batman!

The fan-funded documentary "Starring Adam West" now has an ending.

The project, currently in the works, chronicles the efforts to get TV's original "Batman," Adam West, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. And now, it's official: West will be receiving the honor in 2012.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce announced 2012's Walk of Fame star recipients, including West. Here's the full list:

MOTION PICTURES:
Jennifer Aniston, Vin Diesel, Scarlett Johansson, John Lasseter, Malcolm McDowell, Sumner Redstone, Kate Winslet and Richard Burton (posthumous)

TELEVISION:
Valerie Bertinelli, Matt Groening, Mariska Hargitay, Patricia Heaton, Marg Helgenberger, Walter Koenig, and Adam West

RECORDING:
Pepe Aguilar, America, Boyz II Men, Hal David, David Foster, Vince Gill, Jennifer Lopez, Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart) and Barry White (posthumous)

RADIO:
Ellen K.

Boyz II Men? Seriously, way to stay current, there, Chamber of Commerce.

The Adam West movement reminds me of the move a few years ago (spearheaded by KROQ's Kevin & Bean) to get a star for Rodney Bingenheimer (read about it here).

More on Franklin Avenue:

Hollywood Walk of Fame, Demystified (July 2005)

Walk of Shame? (March 2005)

Hollywood Crack of Fame (October 2003)