French G’Vine Gin Launch at Optimist Studios in Los Angeles.

 At G’Vine Gin Launch at Optimist Studios, LA        

(Los Angeles, CA October 25, 2021)  #Ginsideout #GVineGin

This October 2021, G'Vine Gin made of grapes instead of grain launched the U.S market with tasting at G’Vine Garden Optimist Studios in Los Angeles.

By Karen Ostlund

Rick Arline is mixing signature drinks: D-Vine's Gin & Tonic and Tangerine Dream, made of G-Vine Gin, Dry Vermouth, Orange Bitters and Fino Sherry.

The G’Vine gin was created in 2006 from the master distiller Jean-Sébastien Robicquet and the team at Maison Villevert, using French grapes and vine blossoms, which gives gin a much smoother and silkier taste, compare to gin made of grain.

Once a year, in mid-June, the vine flower blossoms, for just a few days before maturing into a grape berry, which get handpicked to preserve its fragrance and flavor. "Not only do grapes produce a sweeter liquor than grain, but grapes also create a more well-balanced gin, for who want to move away from grain spirits and gluten in general," said Alexandre Robicquet, North America Market Manager.
                                                                                   

"The vine flower is a summer bloom that actually tastes like the season, that’s why G'Vine gin lends well to the concept of 'making summer last longer'," added Alexandre Robicquet.

Each vine flower is harvested by hand before being macerated in grape brandy for a few days, then distilled into a fragrant alcohol. "The flower essence alcohol" is then combined with other plants and spices, distilled to form a spirit. This spirit then undergoes a second and final distillation in an alembic dubbed “Lily-Fleur,” in the step of Gin de France, before becoming G’Vine.
                                                                               

The G'Vine gin family is divided in four groups; G'Vine Floraison which is a fresh, smooth and rounded spirit with a distinct floral note from fragrant vine flowers; G'Vine Nouaison which is a bold, spicy, crisp and aromatic spirit inspired from a 1495 recipe and suited for cocktails like the Negroni; June By G'Vine flavored collection (Royal Pear and Cardamom and Summer Peach and Wild Fruits); and Nouaison Gin Reserve, aged in Cognac barrels. https://g-vine.com/en/

                                                                                   

G’Vine Garden at Optimist Studios, LA

The Grand Opening of Fixins Soul Kitchen LA, a Sacramento-based soul food restaurant by former NBA player Kevin Johnson.

The Grand Opening of Fixins Soul Kitchen downtown LA, a Sacramento-based soul food restaurant by former  NBA player Kevin Johnson.

                                                                         

Kevin Johnson and Charles Barkley at Fixins Soul Kitchen Opening, October 18 2021.

  #FixinsSoul  #FixinsSoulKitchen  
 By Karen Ostlund

Kevin Johnson, former NBA All-Star and mayor of Sacramento, opened his restaurant Fixins Soul Kitchen, in  Shaquille’s space at L.A. Live at 800 West Olympic blvd after a year of preparations.
                                                                            

Former NBA player Charles Barkley and sports anchor Jim Hill from CBS2, at the grand opening.

 Shaquille’s space belonged to Hall of Fame basketball player and former Lakers star Shaquille O’Neal,  who opened his first LA restaurant Shaquille’s in February 1st 2019.
Shaquille left the restaurant to Kevin Johnson and Fixins Soul Kitchen in Sacramento, when Covid-19 pandemic hit Los Angeles, March 16 2020.
Many staff members from Fixins Soul Kitchen in Sacramento moved to Los Angeles to prepare for the opening of their second restaurant in October 2021.
                                                                                  

FIXINS Peach Cobbler with ice cream

Johnson and wife Michelle Rhee first opened Fixins in the Oak Park neighborhood of Sacramento at the corner pf Broadway and 35th street, in 2019 with the desire to serve home-style soul food. They focused on family recipes like grandma Gladys’s peach cobbler and home-made Banana Pudding.
                                                                                      

FIXINS Crispy Chicken and Waffles

Their signature dish remains crispy fried chicken and waffles, with choice of white or dark meat.

                                                                            

FIXINS Oxtails and Fried Chicken Salad

Other popular entrees include, Shrimp and Grits, Oxtails, and Smothered Pork Chops and Fried Chicken Salad.                                                       
Sacramento style appetizers on the menu include, Deep Fried Deviled Eggs, Fried Green Tomatoes with Chipotle mayo, Catfish Nuggets and Artichoke dip.
                                                                                  

FIXINS Deep Fried Deviled Eggs and Catfish Nuggets

Opening night's most popular cocktails were Kool Aid with Ciroc, Lavender Lemon drop with Tito's, Water Melon Margarita with El Jimador Tequila, Uncle Nearest Mint Julep and Myer’s Dark Rum Float Hurricane. FixinsSoulKitchen.com                       

Early evening at Fixins Soul Food Kitchen at L.A. LIVE.

22nd Annual Día de los Muertos festival returns to Hollywood Forever Cemetery, October 30th in two sessions.

 By Karen Ostlund  (Hollywood, CA October 15 2021)                                         

Tyler Cassity, president and co-owner of Hollywood Forever Inc. at rehearsal October 13 2021 with Grupo Folklorico Sabor de Mexico.

22nd Annual Día de los Muertos festival returns to Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Saturday October 30th 2021, featuring a daytime and an evening event, “Dia de los Muertos” & “Noche de los Muertos” - allowing guests to experience a more intimate look at this year’s theme THE RETURN OF QUETZALCOATL – EL REGRESO DE QUETZALCOATL.

 "Adorned with the feathers of the Quetzal bird we welcome the Return of Quetzalcoatl, the plumed serpent, ancient God of the Mayans and Aztecs, Priest King, Lord of the Winds and the Harvest Maize – that seed of civilizations – and the One God who descends into the underworld and resurrects humankind with his own blood".

On Dia de los Muertos, tradition holds that the dead return to earth to visit their living relatives, which can be traced to Aztec people in central Mexico.The Aztecs used skulls to honor the dead a millennium before the Day of the Dead celebrations emerged.

 It is believed that although these relatives can’t see them, they can s feel them. It's a night is an important feast and when family members share memorable stories that evoke the lives of their ancestors.

Dia de los Muertos is one of Mexico’s traditional holidays reuniting and honoring beloved ancestors, family and friends.

It's an ancient ritual when the living commune with the dead – a mystical night when the veil is lifted between their two realms and they may share a day together. The historical roots of this celebration date back to the pre-Hispanic cultures of Meso-America of the indigenous people, especially the Nahua (Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecas, Tlaxcaltec, Chichimec, Tecpanec) and others native to Mexico more than 3,000 years.                                                        

Headliner daytime, Banda Las Angelinas.

Dia de los Muertos
9AM GATES OPEN - 3PM, OCTOBER 30 2021               

THE DAYTIME EVENT FEATURES A CHILDRENS PLAZA AND  CULTURAL PERFORMERANCES, AS WELL AS ALTARS, ART EXHIBITIONS, AZTECS, FOLKORICO DANCE, TRADITIONAL DANCE, CHILDRENS PLAZA, ARTS AND CRAFTS VENDORS, AND CULINARY VENDORS.


MAIN STAGE
Banda Las Angelinas, the female Mexican blow-horn music band.

Christopher Garcia
Grupo Folklorico Sabor de Mexico
Inspiraciones De Danza Mexicana
Ballet Folklorico Cielito Lindo
Ballet Folklorico del Mosaico

LA CATRINA STAGE
Jaime López
Leticia Servin
Laurie Muniz
Eli Presser
Martin Espino

AZTECA STAGE
CATHEDRAL ART EXHIBITION
UNAM EXHIBITION
L.A. TACO CULINARY VENDORS

                                                              

 Chilean singer, Mon Laferte is headliner evening session.

Noche de los Muertos
5PM GATES OPEN - 12AM, OCTOBER 30 2021               


THE EVENING EVENT FEATURES MUSICAL ARTISTS, AS WELL AS ALTARS, ART EXHIBITIONS, AZTECS, TRADITIONAL DANCE,  CULTURAL PERFORMERS, ARTS AND CRAFTS VENDORS, AND CULINARY VENDORS.

MAIN STAGE 

Chilean singer Mon Laferte, known for her musical versatility, in pop, rock, bolero, cumbia and salsa will perform in the evening after dark at Noche de los Muertos.
Little Jesus
Y La Bamba
Marinero

LA CATRINA STAGE
Perla Lopez
Flor Amargo
Angel Ng
Conjunto Tenocelomeh
Cunao Danzo
Aparato
Alebriges En Vuelo
Conjunto Xi

AZTECA STAGE
CATHEDRAL ART EXHIBITION
UNAM EXHIBITION
L.A. TACO CULINARY VENDORS

SPONSORS: 

Mycielo.org
Titosvodka.com
T-mobile.com
Estrellajalisco.com
Tequilacasazul.com
Abc.com
Unamla.org
Delacalle.org
Mycielo.org
Northgatemarket.com
Unclenearest.com

6000 Santa Monica Blvd, Hollywood, CA.
HollywoodForever.com

More info and tickets:

 LADayOfTheDead.com  

Academy Museum Of Motion Pictures opened Sept.30th, with the largest film-collection in the world

Academy Museum of Motion Pictures' 50,000 square feet of gallery space, opened with the largest film-collection in the world, September 30 2021.

By Karen Ostlund                                         

1927 Oscar statuette for "Cinematography on Sunrise" to Charles Rosher.

The Academy Museum Of Motion Picture Art and Sciences has been collecting film-related  items since 1927 and has over 13 million photographs, 250,000 films, 71,000 screenplays, 67,000 posters and 137,000 pieces of production art.
                                                                                

September 30th 2021, 10 AM, the official ribbon-cutting ceremony of  Academy Museum of Motion Pictures kicked off at The Walt Disney Company Piazza.
Among the speakers were Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, Director and President of the Academy Museum Bill Kramer, AMPAS CEO Dawn Hudson, AMPAS President David Rubin, Chief Artistic and Programming officer of AMPAS museum Jacqueline Stewart and Board Chair of AMPAS Museum and Co-CEO of Netflix Ted Sarandos.

                                                                               

Taron Egerton’s costume, as Elton John, in the 2019 film “Rocketman”.

The Academy Museum was constructed by AMPAS (oscars.org) and dedicated to the history, arts, sciences, and cultural impact of the film industry. It occupies a 300,000-square-foot campus at the intersection of Wilshire Blvd. and Fairfax Ave. at 6067 Wilshire blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
The two buildings feature exhibition, special event spaces, a Shirley Temple educational studio, Café Fanny’s, a museum store, along with two movie theaters, 1000 seats David Geffen theatre and 288 seats Ted Mann theatre, both designed by Italian architect Renzi Piano. The both theatres will be the home to a year-round slate of screenings, film series, member programs, panel discussions, and other events.                            

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

The 3-floor exhibit “Stories of Cinema” features galleries devoted to Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Bruce Lee, Thelma Schoonmaker, The Wizard of OZ, Citizen Kane, Pedro Almodovar and Real Women have curves.                                                               

Prop from the movie "Jaws"

In addition “Stories of Cinema” features also costume design, production design, sound, visual effects, animation, cinematography and props from films including Jaws, Star Wars, North by Northwest, Black Panther, Alien, The Big Lebowski, Blade Runner, Toy Story, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Mad Max Fury Road and more.

In three of the temporary exhibit spaces, visitors will discover a Richard Balzer Collection of pre-cinematic technology including 1821-91 magic lanterns, peep-shows and praxino-scopes.

                                                                               

- The Pixar Toy Story 3D Zoetrope in Warner Bros. gallery features a giant zoetrope of the characters of  the Toy Story film.

-Japanese film-artist and animator Hayao Miyazaki has put together a retrospective of his 6-decade career at  the Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery in form of original image-boards, character designs and story boards together with posters.

                                                                      

“Backdrop: An Invisible Art” (September 30-October 2022) spotlights a famous backdrop painting "Mt. Rushmore"  from Alfred Hitchcock’s movie "North by Northwest (1959)" at the 34-foot double-height Hurd Gallery space at the Academy Museum.
Tickets at academymuseum.org