L.A. Times Celebrates 101 Best Restaurants of 2024 on Dec. 3 at the Hollywood Palladium.

 L.A. Times Celebrates 101 Best Restaurants of 2024 on Dec. 3 at the Hollywood Palladium

                                                                             

The Los Angeles Times will unveil its annual 101 Best Restaurants guide, presented by City National Bank, at the Hollywood Palladium on the evening of Dec. 3, coinciding with the guide’s publication on latimes.com
(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot Hollywood, CA October 31 2024)

By Karen Ostlund
                                                                           
The 101 Best Restaurants list was created in 2013 by the late, Pulitzer Prize-winning restaurant critic Jonathan Gold as a guide to the places that is specific for Southern California food culture.
Now in its 12th year, the 101 has become a hallmark of The Times Food section and one of the newspaper’s most widely read annual guides.

                                                                               

The 2024 guide is curated by The Times’ James Beard Award-winning Restaurant Critic Bill Addison and Times Food Columnist Jenn Harris. Together, Addison and Harris are researching, writing and ranking the 101st best restaurants in the region based on sustained excellence in cooking and the dining experience.
                                                                              

Chefs and award-winning restaurateurs will gather to serve up exquisite dishes and celebrate another year of exceptional dining, with Gilberto Cetina, Michael Cimarusti, Genevieve Gergis, Charbel Hayek, Ludo Lefebvre, Ori Menashe and Nancy Silverton, among others, scheduled to attend.

Guests can enjoy unlimited sips and bites from dozens of the city’s top restaurants and bars, while The Times Food team presents a countdown of this year’s 101 list, live from the Palladium’s newly renovated ballroom.
This year’s guide will also spotlight the best places to drink in Los Angeles, plus new inductees into the Hall of Fame, a standing list of restaurants that have become part of the fabric of Los Angeles and define what it means to eat and live in Southern California.
                                                                                    

Participating restaurants and bars for the 101 reveal party include: 1010 Wine and Events, Azizam, Bavel, Bistro Na's, Bridgetown Roti, Dulan's on Crenshaw, Dunsmoor, Found Oyster, Here's Looking At You, Holbox, Jitlada, La Casita Mexicana, Ladyhawk, Majordōmo, Morihiro Onodera, Osteria Mozza, Petit Trois, Pizzeria Sei, Poncho's Tlayudas, Providence, Rustic Canyon and the Benjamin Hollywood with more to be announced. VIP entry for the 101 reveal party on Dec. 3 will begin at 7:15 p.m., with general admission open at 8 p.m.
The digital edition of the guide will be available to Times subscribers beginning Dec. 3. The premium print edition of the guide will be delivered to Times Sunday subscribers on Dec. 8 and The Times online store. For more information and tickets, visit latimes.com/food and latimes.com/101

Skirball presents the U.S. Debut of "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion” until Aug.31 2025.

 Skirball Cultural Center presents the U.S. Debut of
"Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion” until Aug.31 2025


The exhibition chronicles the fashion icon’s career from the 1970s to today, interweaving her personal history as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor while showcasing special artifacts now until Aug.31 2025.
                                                                         

Photos by Karen Ostlund

WestHollywoodToday.blogspot  LOS ANGELES, CA (October 18, 2024)

The Skirball Cultural Center presents the U.S. debut of "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion", an exhibition exploring the remarkable life and work of fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg. This multidisciplinary exhibition invites visitors to discover the extraordinary milestones of von Furstenberg's career, from the 1970s to the present day. Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion, which opened to the public on October 17, 2024, and will be on view through August 31, 2025.
                                                                             

"We are thrilled to bring this powerful exhibition to Los Angeles, showcasing not only von Furstenberg's iconic designs but also her enduring message of female empowerment,” says Skirball Cultural Center President and CEO Jessie Kornberg. “Jewish connection to garment industries and needlepoint trades spans continents and generations. Past exhibitions like the retrospective on Rudi Gernreich or the textile art of Aram Han Sifuentes celebrated these connections. Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion builds on that work with new vigor and a new dimension - the creative energy and conquering spirit of one extraordinary woman."
                                                                             

Curator Nicolas Lor at Diane Von Furstenberg exhibit at Skirball.

“When my hometown, the City of Brussels, came to me and said they wanted to present an exhibition of my work at the Brussels Fashion and Lace Museum curated by Nicolas Lor, I was honored,” said von Furstenberg. “It was very emotional to have this just down the street from where I went to school as a young girl. Now, I am touched that the Skirball Cultural Center is bringing the show to another city very close to my heart in Los Angeles.”

                                                                                 

"Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion" includes a selection of items drawn from the DVF archives along with ephemera, fabric swatches, media pieces, and information on her philanthropic work.
                                                                                

Michelle Obama's DVF silk-jersey wrap-dress in 2014.

The U.S. debut of Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion exclusively includes:

New artifacts that shed light on von Furstenberg’s biography as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and a war refugee, offering additional perspective on the factors that shaped her life and work.
75 items, 29 of which are exclusive to the Skirball’s presentation.
A spotlight on Diane's mother Lily Nahmias featuring audio, images and text that explore her experience as a member of the resistance and a Holocaust survivor, including a reproduction of the letter she sent her parents after the Nazis imprisoned her.
Garments from Greco-Roman drapery to kimonos, dance uniforms, and fellow designers that explore the connections between these historical pieces and the designs of Diane von Furstenberg.
                                                                              

The exhibition "Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion" is organized into four sections, the first section of which explores the origins of her iconic wrap dress through a selection of items and sculptures that showcase the inventiveness of the dress and its historical context.


Section two examines von Furstenberg’s bold designs and sources of inspiration through three lenses: nature, art, and freedom. Nature is an important motif in her work and playful animal prints and floral patterns have been featured in her designs throughout her career. Art holds a similar prominence for her, with many prints inspired by or made in collaboration with artists such as Jackson Pollock, Konstantin Kakanias, and Andy Warhol.


Also explored in this section is von Furstenberg’s deep personal connection to the theme of freedom. Having given birth to von Furstenberg just 18 months after she was liberated from a Nazi concentration camp, her mother referred to her as her “torch of freedom.”
The theme of freedom is a unique part of von Furstenberg’s design ethos, epitomized in her wrap dress which became a symbol of liberation.

Section three entitled “The American Dream”, follows a twenty-six-year-old Diane von Furstenberg in 1972 with the launch of her brand and shows the remarkable success she achieved.

A pivotal factor in her commercial success lies in her vision for women: resilient, confident, and fiercely feminine. Often serving as her own muse, she featured herself prominently in ad campaigns and marketing. In the early stages of her career, she traversed the United States to meet and help women try on her designs. This approach enabled her to develop a lasting connection with the public, listening to their aspirations and concerns and translating them into clothing that continues to resonate with women more than half a century later.

The final section four, “WeAr(e)Able Stories,” is a play on words merging two expressions, Wearable Stories and We Are Able. It encapsulates the power von Furstenberg gives to women through her brand and her advocacy.
                                                                                   

Beginning with a dress, von Furstenberg sought to liberate and empower women. Since then, she has used her voice to advocate for gender equity and human rights on a global scale.
For more information about Diane von Furstenberg: Woman Before Fashion, please visit:. Skirball.org
https://www.skirball.org/museum/diane-von-furstenberg-woman-fashion

The Academy Museum Presents 2 new exhibits: "Color in Motion" and “Cyberpunk” through April 12, 2026.

(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot CA October 7 2024) Photos by Karen Ostlund.


The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Presents Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema & Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema.
                                                                                   

Shirley Temple costume from The Little Colonel, 1935.

Both exhibits opened on Sunday, October 6 2024. - Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema runs through July 13, 2025 and Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema runs through April 12, 2026.

The Academy Museum's galleries and store are open six days a week from 10am to 6pm and are closed on Tuesdays. AcademyMuseum.org
                                                                            

Speakers: (Left) Sophia Serrano, Jessica Niebel, Amy Homma, Bill Kramer, Doris Berger, Shraddha Aryal and Nicholas Barlow.

"Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema" investigates the role of color in film, from the scientific and technological advancements that made it possible, to its emotional and psychological impact on viewers, to the ways filmmakers use color as a storytelling tool.

The exhibition takes an immersive and innovative approach to understanding cinematic color through six unique galleries, each focusing on a different aspect of film color.
"Color in Motion" engages visitors through dynamic, colorful film installations and features objects from the silent era through the digital age, including cameras, projectors, costumes, props, animation cels, and film posters. It is curated by Senior Exhibitions Curator Jessica Niebel with Assistant Curator Sophia Serrano, Curatorial Assistant Manouchka Kelly Labouba, and Research Assistant Alexandra James Salichs.
"Color in Motion: Chromatic Explorations of Cinema" is accompanied by a catalogue co-published with DelMonico Books.

Jessica Niebel, Senior Exhibit Curator said, "Color in Motion" will offer visitors a learning experience and an emotional connection through the senses. They will explore colors through the lenses of technology, artistry and experimentation".

Vice President of Curatorial Affairs Doris Berger said, "I'm excited that our exhibit presents classic Cyberpunk movies, along with recent futurist films around the world."

Both "Cyberpunk" and "Color in Motion" are part of PST ART: Art & Science Collide, presented by Getty featuring more than 70 cultural institutions across Southern California.
                                                           

Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939).

Highlights include:

• Dorothy’s ruby red slippers from The Wizard of Oz (USA, 1939).

• A green costume worn by Kim Novak in Vertigo (USA, 1958).

• A blue costume worn by Jamie Foxx in Django Unchained (USA, 2012).

• The red jacket worn by Jack Nicholson in The Shining (USA, 1980).

• A red sari worn by Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Jodhaa Akbar (India, 2008).

• Two-color and three-color Technicolor cameras highlighting the Technicolor II and IV processes.

• A yellow color study model of the house from Pixar’s Up (USA, 2009)

• Original materials from Disney’s Ink & Paint Department.

• An early stencil cutting machine and stencil application machine used at Pathé studios.

A Color Arcade concludes the exhibition with an opportunity for visitors to physically interact with color through physical movement, inviting them to see, create, and experience "color in motion."
                                                                          

Tinted filmstrips from late 1800 Century.

Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema examines the global impact and lasting influence of the science fiction subgenre cyberpunk on cinema culture. Featuring near-future scenarios set in worlds that resemble our own, cyberpunk films juxtapose technological advances with social upheaval, ecological crisis, and urban decay. Central to these stories are outcasts and rebellious characters who fight against corrupt political systems, technology gone haywire, global mega-corporations, and colonialism.
                                                                                 

Vid phone-booth from Bladerunner, 1982.

The Academy Museum’s Cyberpunk exhibit features production materials, costumes, props, and concept art from iconic cyberpunk films including Blade Runner (USA, 1982), Tron (USA, 1982), and eXistenZ (Canada, 1999).

It also spotlights international films like Sleep Dealer (Mexico/USA, 2008) and foundational animated features such as Ghost in the Shell (Japan, 1995).
The installation explores themes and visual motifs of cyberpunk and futurist films, with a voice-over scripted by writer-director Alex Rivera. The installation illustrates cyberpunk’s 20th-century origins and the new, global directions it has taken in the 21st century - as it  expanded into genres like Afrofuturism (Neptune Frost, Rwanda/USA, 2021), Latinxfuturism (Alita: Battle Angel, USA, 2019), and Indigenous Futurism (Night Raiders, Canada/New Zealand, 2021).
                                                                                   

Three-color  Technicolor IV camera, 1937.

The catalogue offers new perspectives on cyberpunk cinema and its legacies, and a mixed-reality experience, created in partnership with Magnopus, explores the creation of a dystopian cyberpunk landscape

Cyberpunk: Envisioning Possible Futures Through Cinema is curated by Doris Berger, Vice President of Curatorial Affairs, with Nicholas Barlow and Emily Rodriguez, assistant curators. AcademyMuseum.org 6067 Wilshire blvd, Los Angeles CA 90036.

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER’S "DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS 2024" RETURNS TO AN ALL-DAY EVENT, OCT.26 2024

HOLLYWOOD FOREVER’S
DÍA DE LOS  MUERTOS 2024
RETURNS TO AN ALL-DAY EVENT, OCT.26 2024

Photos by Karen Ostlund

(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot CA October 4 2024)
                                                                               

Grupo Folklorico.

                                                                                  

Altar 64.

Step into the mystical world of Tonas and Nahuales—spiritual guides and guardians central to indigenous Mesoamerican cultures—as Hollywood Forever’s Día de los Muertos returns for its 25th edition, October 26th. The gates opens at 10 AM for an all-day activities into the heart of Mesoamerican tradition.This year’s artwork by the visionary artist, Antonio Fuentes, captures the magic and mystery of Tonas and Nahuales. His  hand-carved and painted Xoloitzcuintli sculpture is the centerpiece of this year's event art.

The history of TONAS AND NAHUALES:
In the Zapotec tradition of Oaxaca, each person is born with a Tona, an animal counterpart that shapes their destiny, sharing its traits with them. Alongside the Tona, the Nahuales serve as spiritual guardians, often taking animal form. According to legend, some powerful beings can even shapeshift into their Nahual under the veil of night, embodying their animal spirit. This celebration honors these sacred bonds, illuminating the deep connection between our physical and spiritual realms.
Xolotl - the hairless dogs of the Aztecs - ruled over the sunset, lightning and death.  According to creation stories, humans and xoloitzcuintlis were formed from the same Bone of Life. Xolos are a gift to humans to guard them in life and guide them through the stages of the afterlife.
                                                                          

Costume contestants.

The 2024 exhibition of Haitian Vodou Flags - with beaded and sequined wall hangings - will feature gods and goddesses from the Vodou pantheon, and cross cultural exploration of the Haitian Vodou Spirit of Death and Guide to the Afterlife – Baron Samedi—often depicted as a skeleton figure in top hat and black tail coat smoking a cigar and guzzling rum.

                                                                               

Altar musicians.

                                                                                    

Johnny Ramone's Altar.

Performances:
This year, the stage will be set by an extraordinary lineup:
Pedro Fernández – Bringing the soulful essence of Mexican ranchera to life, his voice will guide you through the celebration like a true spiritual guardian.
Los Lobos – The legendary rockers who blend Chicano rock with traditional Mexican sounds, they’ll transport you to the very soul of the festivities.
Reyna Tropical – Formed as a duo in 2016, and now the solo project of guitarist and songwriter Fabi Reyna will immerse you in their tropical rhythms, echoing the vibrant energy of Tonas.
Ambar Lucid – With her ethereal voice and dreamy tunes, she’ll serenade your spirit, bridging the physical and the mystical.
El Santo Golpe – Their explosive beats will make you dance to the rhythm of your Nahual, awakening the ancient spirit within.
Tania Libertad – Her powerful voice will channel the essence of transformation, resonating with the wisdom of the ages.

For more information visit ladayofthedead.com
                                                                                

                                                                     Pane dei Morti.

Los Angeles' ongoing property-war with Syria.

 LA’s ongoing Property-War with Syria. (WestHollywoodToday.blogspot, CA Oct.1 2024)

By Karen Ostlund

A true story about LA's ongoing property-war with 'Syria Arab Republic', which country is using Sweden for Syria - to tear down tall fences and gates of private property in LA -  to renovate and change unit numbers, for rental  with 100% profit for themselves. Syria is also having their own representatives at US airports to get VISA WAIVER for Sweden. 

 (Updated Oct.21 2024)
This case origin from an American Indian ranch with multiple houses, under renovation, located at Highland Ave. to Las Palmas Ave., in-between Franklin Place and Yucca St. in Hollywood,  CA.
A Syrian handicap-group has printed out flyers as staff for Housing Department and Mayor Karen Bass, to force renters and homeowners to pay scep-fees and rent-increases to them - plus give them permission to enter homes for Covid-19 inspection.(213-252-2800).
The same Syrian handicap-group is stealing rent-checks and taking over phone-lines from Property Management's offices.
Rents are cashed using  "Housing Department" at 1910 W.Sunset and "Source One Property Management" at 6725 Yucca St. - without showing it on credit-card statements or bank-statements.

With further knowledge, scep-fees belongs to African states - as to put coins in a piggy-bank for each rented unit, and get a receipt from the manager.
"Sickness-checkups" by Housing Department, involving to enter private homes, also belongs to African states - NOT US


According to Post-office-staff, this case can be resolved, because hundreds of LA 's property owners,  that own the LAND of their property, have  lifetime/eternal mailboxes with their names in cement, in the backroom of US Post-office, 1615 Wilcox, 90028.
These eternal mailboxes, also list the correct apartment number, if someone changed it on the internet or at LA County Recording office in Norwalk.

Since LA County Registrar Recording listings moved to Norwalk from downtown LA, a new login has been created by staff from "Swedish Government owned property for lease abroad". It's a 3 weeks film, that cover the real unit numbers and names of real owners.
The new login lists owners of property without escrow.
Sweden is a socialist country, that build apartments, stores and family-homes for lease, listed on one government owned website.Anyone in Sweden can login to this website, to see who is renting an apartment.
The Swedish Government staff decide the amount of  the lease, and who to pay.

Syria took over the Swedish government's login and discontinued the Swedish passport because no-one of their country-men are born in Sweden, but they live in Sweden.
Many in Syria live on the streets to build-out another person's home, to live-in.
                                                                                    

A 1940 photo of ALADDIN filmed at Imperial Palace in Las Vegas with a look-a-like Elvis, named Laurent Buster Philip Marc Ostlund and Pernilla "Py" Or-Ostling.

The Syrian Property Managements in LA are using names to collect leases of deceased owners of LA Property Managements as;

LBPM Property Management stands for founder LAURENT-BUSTER-PHILIP-MARC Ostlund and his electricity company Z & A Associates for 2 streets: Hillpark drive and 3 storage buildings at 6755-6773  Yucca st, (originally entrances, 1770 n. Highland and 6742 Franklin Place).He was also known as realtor Buster HUBBARD Ostlund, who had his name in cement, an eternal mailbox, for owner of the LAND of wood-storage-houses at 6755-6773 Yucca st, 90028.
Z & A Associates electricity company is on AUTO-PAY by him, since 1970.

PIL PEL Property Management was the name for farm and baby-food with owner Ruben Ostlund in Sweden since the 40s. He used the name PIL PEL to file tax-return as management for 1422 n. Fairfax's 8 units and its guesthouse until 1997, when he passed away. Ruben still owns the trucking company VIP RELOCATION, that has several lawsuits registered as a stolen trucking company, used by not registered drivers.
The owner of the building of 1422 n Fairfax is still Rita Or-Hollongshead, who has her name in cement at US Post-office, 1615 Wilcox as owner of the LAND of 1422 n. Fairfax and 1st floor Bungalows at Hillpark drive - before 2nd, 3rd and 4th floor were built in 1966. The Hillpark drive estate was listed as HOLLONGSHEAD estate, before 1980.

In 1978 'Syria Arab Republic' took over Swedish Consulates in Sweden and issued a Swedish passport to Rita Or-Hollongshead's underage daughter Karen, with her mother's birthday 29 May, but 30 years younger - in her father's last name Ostlund. Syria changed her birthplace from HOLLYWOOD to HUDIKSVALL to live for FREE in her dead parents property in LA, and block renewal of Florida DMW drivers license to be transferred to California DMW.

In 1973 'Syria Arab Republic's country-men were both ankle and hand-cuffed - wearing diapers, when traveling in aircrafts, because their women carried children from animal-semen. It's still a box in the Syrian passport, that specify which semen the person is born from as: CALF, SHEEP or GOAT. In 1973, there was also instructions inside the aircraft's toilets, how to use toilet-paper with handcuffs on.
Majority of women in Sweden are transgender without puberty, because calf-semen is an Arab blond semen, that is too low to grow a vagina and ovaries in a human body.Their babies comes from Syria, with a Syrian passport to fill-in last name of future parents.

Other problems in LA created by Syria Arab Republic;
                                                                         

The Van Nuys Courthouse has cases dismissed since October 2014 because of a Syrian guard next to the judge in the court-room, who is openly showing that he has the keys to several units in 6700 Hillpark dr. and 6769 Yucca - to rent out and pay him. Some units have a collector box inside the mailbox.(photo)

A group of Syrian transgender in JP Morgan has renewed an old loan to live off,  in-between Rita Or-Hollongshead and a family member with the German military title Oberhoffer.

In 2007, a Syrian group took away the phone-lines of K/L Property Management for 954 Palm/975 Hancock/Palm Garden Apts, and the renters were forced to change the recipient of the rent-checks to DAHLIA GARDEN until 2014, when manager Clinton was run over and killed.
By law, Chase Bank need to reverse all checks payable to DAHLIA GARDEN, 2007 to 2014.
                                                                              

Rita Or-Hollongshead's family originated from Monroe, Wisconsin and a cheesecake factory, that produced Gerber Squash baby food. Rita's daughter Karen Or-Hollongshead (Ostlund) became the first Gerber baby.

In 1967-1971, the big house at 6742 Franklin Place, 90028 belonged to the garden of 6755-6773 Yucca St., without a mural-fence in-between. It was used to film scenes from the Western-series “The High Chaparral". Filmmakers created scenes, filmed in Hollywood, CA to appear to be in Texas.
The ranch at 6742 Franklin Place, 90028 was built by American Indians, and named "Sanlee Margot Lis is Rois de Bois”, translated, "Beloved-Margot-God-King-of-Wood”.