Painting in the River of Angels: Judy Baca and The Great Wall exhibit at LACMA until June 2nd 2024.

(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot, Los Angeles, CA—October 26, 2023)  

Photos by Karen Ostlund

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Painting in the River of Angels: Judy Baca and The Great Wall, the artist’s first solo exhibition at the museum, until June 2 2024.
                                                                             

JUDY BACA (2nd from right) with her LACMA team.

Painting in the River of Angels is co-curated by Dhyandra Lawson, Andy Song Assistant Curator of Contemporary Art, and Deliasofia Zacarias, Executive Assistant and Fellow, Director’s Office, LACMA.

The Los Angeles artist Judy Baca (born 1946) conceived The Great Wall of Los Angeles (1975) as a monument to the people of California. Over five summers (1976-83), Baca collaborated with 400 youth, artists, and community members on a mural that told the erased histories of local communities.

The artist, alongside members of the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), an organization Baca co-founded, designed the mural and painted it on the walls of the Tujunga Wash, a tributary of the L.A. River in North Hollywood, California.

 In 2021, SPARC received a grant from the Mellon Foundation to expand the landmark’s chronology into the 21st century.
                                                                          

The Great Wall of Fire, Generation of Fire.

At LACMA, Baca and SPARC artists will paint new sections of The Great Wall during the museum’s public hours. These new paintings span the 1960s with the first panel depicting moments of the Chicano Movement including the Farmworkers’ Movement and the East L.A. Student Walkouts, and the second panel featuring vignettes of the Watts Rebellion, Watts Renaissance, and community organizing by the Black Panthers.
                                                                       

Great Wall of LA Farmworkers Movement East LA.

After the artists complete the paintings at LACMA, these panels will be added to The Great Wall, as part of the expansion that creates a mile of visual history.

LACMA’s exhibition will also debut Generation on Fire, a new section of the wall memorializing activists known as the Freedom Riders. In 1961, they boarded buses traveling from Washington, D.C. to Southern states to challenge segregation on public transit. Baca centers the activists forming a circle in solidarity.

It features materials from the artist’s archive that have never been exhibited, revealing Baca’s process and innovations to muralist. The exhibition includes Baca’s Augmented Reality Lens, The River Once Ran (2022), part of Collection II of LACMA × Snapchat: Monumental Perspectives.  
                                                                        

The Great Walls of LA, Division of the Barrios and Chavez Ravine.

Fifty years ago, Judy Baca began painting in the L.A. River to share communities' unreported perspectives, effectively shouting from the gutter of history,” said Dhyandra Lawson. “Her impact in L.A. and on the history of art and muralism are immeasurable".
"We are honored to work with Judy and SPARC artists on this unprecedented project, illuminating her vision for a people’s monument she now expands into the present.”              
Deliasofia Zacarias added, “Baca is revered for many career-long achievements that have expanded public access to art and art education. At LACMA, she continues this commitment by allowing museum audiences to witness her work in real time, thereby challenging traditional distinctions between public and private space, as well as public and private practice.”

                                                                                

Judy Baca at LACMA.

LACMA’s galleries will transform into an active art studio, where audiences will be able to witness Judy Baca and her team paint new murals of The Great Wall of Los Angeles before they are permanently installed on the banks of the L.A. River,” said Michael Govan, LACMA CEO and Wallis Annenberg Director. “Baca’s work re-examines history, monumental painting, and representation of Los Angeles and its communities.
Painting in the River of Angels is a testament to artistic legacy and the power of visual storytelling in amplifying diverse voices.
Judy Baca has created public art for four decades.
In 1974, Baca founded the City of Los Angeles’s first mural program, which produced over 400 murals, employed thousands of local participants, and evolved into an arts organization—the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC).
She continues to serve as SPARC’s artistic director while promoting social justice and participatory public art projects.
Her best-known work is The Great Wall of Los Angeles, located in the San Fernando Valley. The mural spans half a mile and is still a work in progress that is engaging another generation of youth.
The mural-making process has exemplified community involvement, employing more than 400 youth and their families from diverse social and economic backgrounds, artists, oral historians, and scholars.
 In 2017 The Great Wall of Los Angeles received national recognition on the National Registry of Historic Places in the U.S.                                  

Watts Rebellion, Watts Renaissance, and community organizing by the Black Panthers.

 Baca is a recipient of the Guggenheim Fellowship, the United States Artist Rockefeller Fellowship, and the Mellon Foundation Grant for the expansion of The Great Wall.
Most recently, she was honored with the 2021 National Medal of Arts. Baca makes art shaped by an interactive relationship of history, people, and place. Her public artworks focus on revealing and reconciling peoples’ struggles for their rights and affirming the community’s connections to place.
On November 4, 2023, Baca was honored alongside filmmaker David Fincher at the 2023 Art+Film Gala, presented by Gucci at the LACMA Museum.
LACMA.org

FACTS ABOUT THE GREAT WALL OF LOS ANGELES:
The Great Wall of Los Angeles, also known as "The History of California"  is a half-mile long mural telling the history of California through images of significant figures and historic events from diverse and traditionally marginalized communities.
The mural is painted on the west wall of the Tujunga Flood Control Channel in the North Hollywood area of the City of Los Angeles, California, and was completed between 1974 and 1984 by teams of young people and artist supervisors.
Chicana muralist Judith F. Baca, working with the Social and Public Art Resource Center (SPARC), was primarily responsible for the artistic vision and subject matter depicted in the mural. The flood control channel was built by the Army Corps of Engineers, and is owned and maintained by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works.  

The Great Wall of Los Angeles is one of the largest murals in the world, 13.5 feet high and 2,754 feet long, stretching over half a mile and is located in a section of the Tujunga Flood Control Channel bounded by Oxnard Street to the north, Coldwater Canyon Boulevard to the east, Burbank Boulevard to the south, and the Coldwater Canyon Extension road (sometimes called Lancer Lane) and a parking lot to the west. The mural is arranged in connected chronological segments depicting eras of California’s history from prehistoric times through the 1960s.

The 2023 Chrysalis Butterfly Ball at Petersen Automotive Museum.

 (WestHollywoodToday.blogspot CA October 1 2023) By Karen Ostlund  

#ChangeLives  #ChrysalisButterflyBall

The 2023 Chrysalis Butterfly Ball took place at Petersen Automotive Museum on September 30 in Los Angeles.
                                                                          

(left) Joe Drake, Lindsay Price, Chris Hart, and Nathan Kahane.

Since more than two decades ago, the illustrious Chrysalis Butterfly Ball has raised over $20 million toward helping individuals navigate obstacles on their path to meaningful employment.

This event, celebrates the spirit of Chrysalis clients and honor esteemed leaders in film, television, music, art, and business who are dedicated to making waves of transformative change.
                                                                      

The evening's hosts Terry Crews and John Cho.

Chrysalis celebrated their annual Butterfly Ball at the Petersen Automotive Museum, with beloved TV-personality, Terry Crews, and honored Lionsgate Motion Picture Group’s Chair Joe Drake and President Nathan Kahane, along with United Talent Agency’s Partner and Co-Head of Talent, Chris Hart for their long support of the organization.
                                                                              

The acoustic band, The Fray performing at Chrysalis Butterfly ball.

The guests enjoyed fine dining, a live auction and a special performance by the acoustic band, The Fray.
Attendees included John Cho, who presented the Spirit of Chrysalis Award to Chris Hart and Ike Barinholtz, who presented the Spirit of Chrysalis Award to both Joe Drake and Nathan Kahane.
The live auction included a generously donated buyout at Maude Restaurant from new co-chairs Lindsay Price and Chef Curtis Stone.
                                                                          

(left) James Respondek, Alan Long, Karen Murphy O'Brien, Amanda D’Elia, Garrison Kearl.

                                                                                    

(left) Ike Barinholtz, Joe Drake and James Weaver.

Chrysalis’ services are free and available to all. The only requirement is that the person is willing and able to work. The first step to becoming a client,  is to attend an orientation session. The program consists of an orientation, an enrollment meeting with an employment specialist, job preparation courses, a one-on-one resume writing session, and a practice interview. Clients attend the classes and one-on-one meetings over the period of 2 to 3 weeks.
100% of the clients are low-income, 74% are unstably housed, and 65% have been impacted by the criminal justice system. ChangeLives.org

The Grammy Museum's exhibit "The Roxy: 50 Years on the Sunset Strip" until January 7 2024.

 (WestHollywoodToday.blogspot CA September 18 2023)
By Karen Ostlund
The Roxy Theater is turning 50 this month and the Grammy Museum is getting in on the celebration with a new exhibition, "The Roxy: 50 Years on the Sunset Strip", which opened on September 17 and running through January 7, 2024.
                                                                              

 Lou Adler, the legendary co-owner of The Roxy, attended the opening to present a short documentary and participate in a panel discussion featuring curator Jason Emmons, Cisco Adler (musician, songwriter, producer), Paul Tollett (president/CEO of Goldenvoice and co-founder of the Coachella Music and Arts Festival), Allison Hagendorf (music journalist, media personality, Steve Appleford (LA Times music journalist) and Julie Pilat (award-winning music, media and digital entertainment executive).

This collection of live recordings spans back to the earliest days of The Roxy, which was co-founded in 1973 by Adler and live music pioneer Elmer Valentine; largely credited with putting the Sunset Strip on the map after opening the Whisky A Go-Go and the Rainbow Bar & Grill, in addition to The Roxy.
The exhibit features over 60 photographs that illustrate why the Roxy has been and continues to be, a Los Angeles music institution.
The exhibition is curated by the Grammy Museum’s Chief Curator and VP of Curatorial Affairs Jasen Emmons.
                                                                                 

Jason Emmons and Lou Adler.

Emmons’ relationship with Adler started  this year when Adler brought up the idea of a Roxy 50th anniversary exhibit to Emmons, who for the first six weeks of conversations was under the impression Adler would be providing the materials for the exhibition.
 "I realized, my job was going to be a lot more difficult than I thought, because in 1973, no cameras were allowed for general public ticket holders inside The Roxy”.

Emmons got the photographs with help of his network of photographers, cultivated during his time at the Museum of Pop Culture.

“It was much more challenging than I expected,” Emmons confessed. “You hear about these legendary shows at The Roxy. Now you’ve got to find somebody who went to those shows and took a great photograph of it. There aren’t many photographs of those shows.”

Emmons managed to collect photos from a wide range of performers, as well as unforgettable backstage shots including one of Nils Lofgren guzzling two bottles of liquor at the same time, and one of a young-looking Bruce Springsteen — so young you have to check twice to make sure it’s actually him.

“That’s a Kevin Goff photograph of the Springsteen show,” Emmons explained of the image snapped in 1975. “He said no one was allowed to bring a camera in. He snuck his in under his jacket.“It’s like detective work,” he continued.
                                                                             
The Roxy: 50 Years on the Sunset Strip is arranged chronologically with a decided emphasis on the first decade. Opening night has its own section, beginning with images of Adler with the Sunset Strip’s “rock ‘n’ roll village” power players: Bill Graham, Roxy Chuck Landis, Mario Maglieri, Elmer Valentine and David Geffen.

There is a cross-section of images from the first show, which was headlined by Neil Young and the Santa Monica Flyers on September 20, 1973. These include Young driving to the venue to backstage, soundcheck and even a fan with a sign saying she needs tickets. To top it off, there is a once-in-a-lifetime photo of Elton John arriving and shaking hands with Geffen.

The photographs from the 70s and 80s include Patti Smith, the Go-Go’s, the Runaways, the Stray Cats, Guns N’ Roses, Bob Marley and Prince in zebra print underwear. Also collected are more candid shots of John Lennon and May Pang, Mick and Bianca Jagger, Robert de Niro and floor-to-ceiling contact sheet of Bob Dylan and Ronee Blakely.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show, was another Lou Adler production which was staged at The Roxy for almost a year within a few months of the venue’s opening, has its own section of photographs. 

  Lou Adler launched The Rocky Horror Show in the US, to an opening night audience that included Jack Nicholson, Cher, Mick Jagger and John Lennon. It has also played a pivotal role in the careers of comedians like Cheech & Chong, Paul Reubens and Richard Pryor. 

                                                                                     

left, Bill Graham, Lou Adler, Chuck Landis, Elliot Roberts and David Geffen.

Collected in a glass case is memorabilia in the form of a show program,  mask, press release, ticket and more. There is even a photo opp with Tim Curry as the larger-than-life Dr. Frank N. Furter taking up an entire wall, where your head would be firmly positioned in his crotch.

Almost as famous as The Roxy is Adler’s private club on the second floor, "On the Rox". The images from this super-exclusive, tiny space club are of Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson and Janet Jackson letting loose. Also from "On the Rox" is its white piano whose ivories have been tickled by everyone from David Foster, who served as the piano player for The Rocky Horror Picture Show to John Lennon.

In the 20-minute documentary short film, Adler tells his own rock ‘n’ roll stories, about and related to The Roxy.
Adler, whose resume includes producing multi-platinum albums as well as films; managing iconic musical acts; winning Grammys; not to mention being a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee — hasn’t shared all of these tales.
Now 89 years of age, it’s great to hear these stories straight from the source. It’s even more entertaining to hear anecdotes from his sons, as well as Cheech Marin and Foster.

In September 1973, the club was co-founded by Adler and Valentine, with music industry legends Elliot Roberts, David Geffen, Bill Graham and Peter Asher participating as investors and/or consultants.

The Roxy hosted many of the biggest names in music at early stages of their careers over the past 50 years and continues to be a career defining moment for emerging talents.
Upcoming shows: TheRoxyTurns50.com

The Academy Museum's "John Waters: Pope of Trash” exhibit & films on view thru August 4, 2024.

The Academy Museum's "John Waters: Pope of Trash” exhibit and films on view September 17 thru August 4, 2024
Photos by Karen Ostlund
(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot.com, CA, Los Angeles - September 16 2023)  

#AcademyMuseum  #PopeOfTrash
                                                                                

Opening "Pope Of Trash" speakers: Director of Academy Museum Jacqueline Stewart, Co-curator Jenny He, filmmaker John Waters, Co-curator Dara Jaffe and CEO of Academy Museum  Bill Kramer.

The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures latest exhibit "John Waters: Pope of Trash" is the first comprehensive exhibition dedicated to the artist’s contributions to cinema. It opens on September 17, 2023 thru August 4 2024.. It’s exploring Walter's themes and unmatched movie-making approach. 

The exhibition traces the grotesque, daring, deliberately tacky, hilarious, and salacious elements that recur throughout Waters’s sixty-year career of film-making and reveals how his movies have redefined independent cinema.
FILM SCREENING SERIES:
John Waters: Pope of Trash will be accompanied by a retrospective film screening series from September 17 to October 28, 2023, programmed by Interim director of film programs K.J. Relth-Miller. On the exhibition’s opening day, the museum will present the ultra-rare silent screening of Waters’s third film, Eat Your Makeup (1968), about women who are forced to model to the point of death, with  live commentary from Waters at 3pm. This rarely screened short, which first premiered in Baltimore’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church in 1968, was shot on 16mm with a Bell & Howell camera on view in the exhibition and was recently restored by the Academy Film Archive. That evening at 7:30pm, the museum will also present a 35mm screening of Serial Mom (1994), preceded by a conversation with Waters and Peaches Christ.

Additional screenings include Multiple Maniacs (Sept. 21), Pink Flamingos (Sept. 23), Female Trouble (Sept. 28), Polyester (Sept. 29), Hairspray (Oct. 5), Desperate Living (Oct. 20), double feature screenings of Pecker and Cry-Baby (Oct. 26), and double feature screenings of Cecil B. Demented with A Dirty Shame (Oct. 28). For information about these programs and tickets, visit AcademyMuseum.org
                                                                                   

Costumes from movie HAIRSPRAY 1988.

John Waters: Pope of Trash is organized by exhibitions curator Jenny He and associate curator Dara Jaffe, with the support of research assistant Emily Rauber Rodriguez and former curatorial assistant Esme Douglas. It will be the museum’s third large-scale temporary exhibition, following Hayao Miyazaki (2021–22) and Regeneration: Black Cinema 1898–1971 (2022–23) in the museum’s 11,000-square-foot Marilyn and Jeffrey Katzenberg Gallery.
                                                                               

Divine's dress and Fishpaw's cart in the Polyester movie 1981.

On view through August 4, 2024, John Waters: Pope of Trash journeys through Waters’s complete filmography, from his do-it-yourself independent beginnings to his rebellious Hollywood productions, including four shorts and twelve feature films. Collaborating closely with Waters—anointed the “Pope of Trash” by author William S. Burroughs—as well as members of his casts and crews, the co-curators selected more than 400 works for the exhibition, many of which have never been displayed publicly.

Director and President of the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures Jacqueline Stewart said, “I offer my deep gratitude to John for trusting our museum with the formidable endeavor of telling the story of his vast film career. As the subject of numerous exhibitions on his visual art and photography, John is accustomed to the process of exhibition making. For John Waters: Pope of Trash, he has uniquely plumbed decades of remembrances and searched high and low—literally attics and basements— for the works seen in this exhibition”.

“Known for pushing the boundaries of ‘good taste,’ Waters has created a canon of high shock-value, high-entertainment movies that have cemented his position as one of the most revered independent auteurs in the history of American movies,” said Academy Museum exhibitions curator Jenny He and associate curator Dara Jaffe. “Waters’s subversive audacity is matched only by his loving treatment of his characters. His cinematic worlds, consistently set in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland—are absent of mean spirit, which could account for his current phase of respectability, garnered despite decades of gleefully making ‘trash films'.
                                                                                 

Cry-Baby’s leather jackets worn by Johnny Depp.

"Pope Of Trash" Exhibit Highlights:
Visitors enter the exhibition through an introductory gallery featuring an abstracted chapel setting that winks at several aspects of Waters’s personal history and film-making. The gallery explores the filmmaker’s early life and works includes Hag in a Black Leather Jacket (1964)—Waters’s first film, an 8mm short made when he was 17 years old—as well as Roman Candles (1967). These films, in addition to Eat Your Makeup (1968), Mondo Trasho (1969) and The Diane Linkletter Story (1970), have been restored by the Academy Film Archive for the exhibition with film materials on loan from the Museum of Modern Art, New York, for the latter three.
                                                                               

Movie posters from Pope Of Trash exhibit.

Individual feature films—Mondo Trasho, Multiple Maniacs (1970), Pink Flamingos (1972), Female Trouble (1974), Desperate Living (1977), Polyester (1981), Hairspray (1988), Cry-Baby (1990), Serial Mom (1994), Pecker (1998), Cecil B. Demented (2000), and A Dirty Shame (2004)—are explored in depth through works such as handwritten scripts, set decoration, costumes, props, production design, posters, correspondence, scrapbooks, photographs, and film clips. 

At the center of the exhibition is an experiential gallery highlighting the recurrence of music and dance throughout Waters’s films. The exhibition concludes with a gallery dedicated to Waters’s cult status, featuring fan art and other nods to the filmmaker’s career.
                                                                                

John Water's cover of L’Uomo Vogue, NY Film festival poster and Saint Laurent fall campaign.

Highlights of never-before-exhibited objects on view include original handwritten scripts (on legal pads) from early films such as Multiple Maniacs and Pink Flamingos; eyeglasses from Pink Flamingos worn by Mink Stole as Connie Marble, which the Academy Museum has recently acquired and conserved; the electric chair from Female Trouble; Grizelda Brown’s tutu costume from Desperate Living worn by Jean Hill; scratch ’n’ sniff “Odorama” cards used for Polyester ’s theatrical gimmick; the exploding wig worn by Debbie Harry as Velma Von Tussle and Tracy Turnblad’s roach dress worn by Ricki Lake in Hairspray; Cry-Baby’s guitar and leather jackets worn by Johnny Depp and Jonathan Benya as Cry-Baby and Snare-Drum, respectively; the prop lamb leg weaponized by Beverly Sutphin (Kathleen Turner) in Serial Mom;the camera used by the titular character played by Edward Furlong in Pecker; the skeleton costume worn by Maggie Gyllenhaal as Raven in Cecil B. Demented; and a gas can prop used by Johnny Knoxville’s Ray Ray in A Dirty Shame.

Objects on view are from Waters’s personal collection; the John Waters Archive housed in the Ogden and Mary Louise Reid Cinema Archives at the Jeanine Basinger Center for Film Studies at Wesleyan University; the Academy’s Margaret Herrick Library; the Academy Film Archive; the Vincent Peranio Archive housed in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library at Yale University; and the Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections, University of South Carolina Libraries. Private lenders, among them Waters’s cast, crew, and supporters, include Bob Adams, Jonathan Benya, Noah Brodie and Divine Official Enterprises, David Davenport, Tony Gardner, Jeffrey Pratt Gordon, Traci Lords, Gene Mendez, Pat Moran and Charles K. Yeaton, Deborah Rausch, Scott Rutherford, Ted Sarandos, Emily Sienicki, Mink Stole, Rachel Talalay, and Brook H. Yeaton.
                                                                             

GLEN PUPPET from Pope of Trash exhibit.

As part of John Waters: Pope of Trash, the museum presents an interactive augmented reality experience in which visitors can style themselves as John Waters or a character from his films. Using a set of selfie face filters, guests will transform themselves into some of Waters’s most iconic characters, including Tracy Turnblad in Hairspray and Divine (living under the alias of Babs Johnson) in Pink Flamingos. Access the filters https://www.academymuseum.org/en/johnwatersar

Adjacent to John Waters: Pope of Trash, in the Warner Bros. Gallery, the Academy Museum presents "Outside the Mainstream", an installation that pays homage to the work of other radically independent filmmakers—such as Kenneth Anger, Jack Smith, Andy Warhol, Gregg Araki, and Todd Haynes—who operate beyond the pale of mainstream cinema. Drawing from a vast list of non-conformists, this exhibition focuses on examples from the American avant-garde, underground film, and New Queer Cinema, movements that were supported by forward-thinking film journalists including Jonas Mekas and B. Ruby Rich.

"Outside the Mainstream" installation is organized by curator Jenny He, with the support of curatorial assistant Manouchka Kelly Labouba. AcademyMuseum.org

L.A. Times FoodBowl Reveals Chefs and Restaurants for September 2023.

 L.A. Times FoodBowl Reveals Chefs and Restaurants for September 2023.

Photos by Karen Ostlund   #LAFOODBOWL  #LATimes

 (WestHollywoodToday.blogspot.com HOLLYWOOD CA – September 3, 2023)

                                                                          

LA Times Foodbowl Nightmarket at Paramount Studios.

The L.A.Times has announced the full lineup for LAFoodBowl and its annual celebration showcasing Southern California’s food scene, presented by City National Bank.

Throughout September, LAFood Bowl, presented by City National Bank, will host food celebrations across the city, featuring dozens of restaurants and top culinary talent, including Marcus Samuelsson, Stephanie Izard,  Aarti Sequeira, Tiffani Thiessen, Jon Yao, Bricia Lopez, Thitid "Ton" Tassanakajohn, Gilberto Cetina, Jenee Kim and Malcolm Lee .
                                                                           

HOLBOX yellowtale ceviche and FARMHOUSE shortrib w/polenta

September 13 at 7pm LA Food Bowl will present a special dinner in celebration of the "Restaurant of the Year", Holbox, chosen by LATimes restaurant critic Bill Addison. Hosted by LATimes Food general manager Laurie Ochoa and Holbox chef Gilberto Cetina. The intimate dinner will feature curated dishes highlighting Holbox’s Yucatan-style seafood specialities, including passed appetizers and welcome drinks followed by a five-course tasting menu.

This year’s roster will feature a launch party at the Aster on Sept. 6, dining events honoring The LATimes’ Restaurant of the Year, Holbox, and Gold Award honoree, Park’s BBQ. The Night Market, a food and drink festival will take place at the Paramount Pictures Studios Backlot Sept. 22, 23 and 24, plus the return of the "Outstanding in the Field" dinner series. 

Lunasia Dim Sum House dumplings.

Festivities will include the following:
LA Food Bowl Launch Party at the Lemon Grove on the Aster rooftop, Sept. 6 at 7 p.m. Sponsored by Singapore Airlines, the festival’s opening night event at the Aster social club will feature all-inclusive food and drinks with tastings from local and international guest chefs, including Malcom Lee (Candlenut, Singapore), Keith Corbin (Alta Adams), Jon Yao (Kato), Stephanie Izard (Girl & the Goat, Cabra), Courtney Kaplan and Charles Namba (Ototo, Tsubaki), Margarita and Walter Manzke (Bicyclette Bistro), and Marcel Vigneron (The Aster’s Lemon Grove), plus bites from Levain Bakery of New York City and local favorite Lunasia Dim Sum House.


September 12 at 6pm: In honor of this year’s "Gold Award honoree", Park’s BBQ, selected by The Times Food editorial team, LA Food Bowl will present a ceremony and dinner hosted by LA Times Food General Manager Laurie Ochoa and chef Jenee Kim. The event will feature passed appetizers and drinks as well as a family-style Korean barbecue dinner highlighting Park’s BBQ’s most iconic dishes.

 
Three-day Night Market at Paramount Pictures Studios Backlot, Sept. 22, 23 & 24: 

L.A. Times Food Bowl’s Night Market will return to the Paramount Pictures Studios Backlot for a three-day outdoor food and drink festival, featuring  unlimited tastings from more than 120 restaurants per session, live cooking demonstrations from world-renowned chefs and culinary personalities, DJs and more.The themed events include:
                                                                              

Broad Street Oyster Co.

“Fiesta Friday,” Sept. 22 at 8 p.m.
The all-inclusive celebration of L.A.’s Latin American flavors will feature restaurants, cocktails and more from Mexico, the Caribbean and beyond, with cooking demonstrations from Bricia Lopez (Guelaguetza) and Danny Trejo (Trejo’s Tacos). VIP tickets are available for purchase and include early event entry, plus drive-on parking and access to an exclusive lounge.
Friday's event is strictly for ages 21 and up. Participating restaurants include: A’s BBQ, Alfalfa, Anajak Thai, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Belles Beach House, Blue Plate Oysterette, Bridgetown Roti, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Caviar Kaspia, Chichén Itzá, Coucou, Dino's Famous Chicken, Dulanville Food Truck, East Side Cheesecakes, El Barrio Cantina, El Ruso, Evil Cooks, Farmhouse Kitchen, Fishing with Dynamite, Ggiata, Guelaguetza, Heavy Handed, Holbox, I Love Micheladas, Ilé Bistro, Kogi BBQ, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, LA Cha Cha Chá, La Sorted's Pizza, Love Hour, Love.Life, Luv2eat Thai Bistro, Maple Block Chicken, Mini Kabob, Mírate, Moto Ramen, Nossa Caipirinha Bar,  Paradise Dynasty, Park's BBQ, Puesto, Ronan, Soulmate, Tacos 1986, Tallula's, Villa’s Tacos and Wanderlust Creamery.

                                                                                

STK Steakhouse, beef burgers.

“Saturday Night Flavor,” Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.
Spotlighting global cuisine that reflects quintessential L.A., Saturday will feature cooking demonstrations from Thitid "Ton" Tassanakajohn (Le Du, Bangkok), Justin Pichetrungsi (Anajak Thai), Ahmad Alzahabi (The Golden Balance), Nick DiGiovanni (YouTube, “MasterChef”) and Food Network’s Aarti Sequeira (“Unwind: A Devotional Cookbook for the Harried and Hungry).
 Participating restaurants include: 626 Hospitality Group, Amiga Amore, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Blue Plate Oysterette, Botanica, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Cabra, Camphor, Caviar Kaspia, Chao Krung Thai & Tuk Tuk Thai, Chimmelier, Dino's Famous Chicken, Dulanville Food Truck, East Side Cheesecakes, El Ruso, Evil Cooks, Farmhouse Kitchen, Genghis Cohen, Girl & the Goat, Hamasaku, Holbox, Holy Basil, Ilé Bistro, Intercrew LA, Kato, Kinn, L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele, Le Coupé,  Loreto, Love.Life, Lunetta, Luv2eat Thai Bistro,  n/soto, Open Market, Osteria Mamma, Paradise Dynasty, Poncho's Tlayudas, Salt & Straw, Sichuan Impression, Stella, Stellar Pizza, STK Steakhouse, Sunday Gravy, Tacos 1986, The Brothers Sushi, Villa’s Tacos and Xuntos.

                                                                                 

The BrothersSushi LA

                                                                                   

JITLADA restaurant.

“Backlot Brunch,” Sept. 24 at 12 p.m.
Sunday’s brunch event will turn the backlot into an afternoon block party for all ages, featuring barbecue, burgers and cooking demonstrations from Tiffani Thiessen (“Here We Go Again: Recipes and Inspiration to Level Up Your Leftovers”), Timothy Hollingsworth (Otium) and Marcus Samuelsson (Red Rooster, Hav & Mar).
Participating restaurants include: Alfalfa, Awan, Bake Some Noise, Bridgetown Roti, Brique French Toastery, Broad Street Oyster Co., By-You Dogg, Caviar Kaspia, De La Nonna, Di Di, Ditroit Taqueria, Dulanville Food Truck, El Ruso, Farmhouse Kitchen, Goodboybob Coffee Roasters, Guzzu Bento-ya, Happy Ice,  Heritage Barbecue, Holey Grail Donuts, Ilé Bistro, Jitlada,  L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele,  La Sorted's Pizza, Le Shrimp Noodle Bar, Love.Life, Mírate, Mo's House of Axe, Moo's Craft Barbecue, Mozza Restaurant Group, Ospi, Jame, Jemma, Jemma di Mare, Paderia Bakehouse, Paloma Venice, Pasjoli, Pop's Bagels, Prime Pizza, Ray’s BBQ, Rocco's Deli Italiano, Saltie Girl, Slab, Stellar Pizza, Tacos 1986, The Brothers Sushi, Tulsi Indian Eatery, Turok's Cheesecake and West & Co.
Outstanding in the Field Dinner Series, Sept. 8 & 16: Food Bowl and Outstanding in the Field will host dinner experiences in benefit of the L.A. Regional Food Bank. Each event will feature multi-course meals from local chefs while exploring a different element of Southern California’s storied past. The series will take place at iconic locations in Los Angeles and the Central Coast, including the Malibu Pier (Sept. 8) and Coleman Family Farms in Carpinteria (Sept. 16).

For all tickets and additional information, visit lafoodbowl.com #LAfoodbowl   

Season 2 "EATING PLANTS” premiered at Studio in Beverly Hills.

 By Karen Ostlund  #EatingPlantsTV    #SecondNatureFilms
(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot.com, HOLLYWOOD CA, August. 29, 2023)

Season 2 EATING PLANTS premiered at Studio in Beverly Hills, 407 Maple drive, August 28 2023.

The most significant culinary trend in the world returned to EatingPlants.tv for Season 2 of the popular docu-series EATING PLANTS from Kate Clere and Mick McIntyre, best known from the award-winning documentary Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story.
                                                                                

Series creator Kate Clere, executive producer Jim Greenbaum and series creator McIntyre.

"We wanted to offer meat and plant eaters alike tips on flavors, textures, and tastes and offer a new range of recipes that will add protein and nutrients to plant-based meals. The series will help educate people around this delicious new culinary trend; how to cook, shop, snack, and pack great healthy food in lunchboxes," said co-creator Clere.

The series co-creator McIntryre added, "Many people recognize the need to switch to a more plant-based diet for their health and the planet." In the series, Dr. Neal Barnard of The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine states, "The health benefits of a plant-based diet include reversing diabetes, lowering cholesterol, and reducing heart disease." The recent UN Climate report identifies adopting more plant-based diets "as a major opportunity for mitigating and adapting to climate change."

The new season features six new 30 minutes episodes from Mexico, Sweden, Thailand, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, that travel the world exploring the benefits, best food, products, restaurants, influencers, and experts in the plant-based movement.
                                                                             

Plantbased guide to produce plant-based chicken and beef.

 Today many fast-food chains and restaurants are offering plant-based alternatives on their menus and spend colossal advertising and marketing dollars to attract consumers

 2nd Season EATING PLANTS TRAILER: https://youtu.be/h_uU6xkIGRA

This series offers practical tips and health benefits of a vegan diet. A colorful travelog of recipes and cooking skills to inspire viewers around the globe to put plant-based food options on their tables. The hosts engage with international experts to create plant-based alternatives that are changing the shape of food and the food industry. The series is packed with ideas from doctors, athletes, influencers, and chefs leading the movement, who effect change in cooking, health, and the planet.
                                                                             

Amber Martinez and Kathy Kola at Studio Beverly Hills.

The SEASON 2 showcases: MEXICO (hosted by actor Sofia Sisniega-recently starring in the Netflix series "Thursday Night Widows" (Las Viudas de los Jueves) and the Amazon Original comedy "Crazy for Change" (Locas por el Cambio); SWEDEN (hosted by cover model, Cajsa Wessberg- (recently featured in Vogue, Elle, AMICA, Garnier and L'Officiel); NEW ZEALAND (hosted by actor Sonam Hoani recently featured in "Shortland Strett-TVNZ", "Mr. Corman" on AppleTV; THAILAND (hosted by actor model influencer Richie Kul with campaigns for Swatch, Chevrolet, Nivea, GQ, Men's Health, Out, Cosmopolitan, FHM and acclaimed Vietnamese film Pearls of the Far East; CANADA (hosted by Amy Symington, a nutrition professor, author, researcher and plant-based chef at George Brown College; and a second AUSTRALIAN episode hosted by actor, producer, environmental activist "Martin Dingle Wall”.

The multiple-season series captures the rapid growth of the plant-based industry with a predicted value of over $162 billion by 2030, according to a new report by Bloomberg Intelligence. A big percentage of consumers of plant-based chicken and beef are actually meat-eaters.

 Kate Clere and Mick McIntyre from Second Nature Films are best known for their global phenomenon documentary Kangaroo: A love-hate story - an inside look at the mass destruction of Kangaroos that prompted a parliamentary inquiry in New South Wales and launched a movement of its own. The critically acclaimed multiple award-winning films received rave reviews, including VARIETY -"Has the potential to help bring kangaroo welfare and management into much sharper focus in Australia and internationally." The NEW YORK TIMES "The filmmakers are determined to sound a wake-up siren, and they blast it here with extra strength," and "Shocking and Revealing," by BBC LONDON.

Season 1 was  distributed by TVF 7International, leading the world in documentary and factual entertainment distribution, and available worldwide on multiple platforms and formats.

EatingPlants.tv  https://www.secondnaturefilms.com.au/

17th Annual WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT Fundraiser "Walk With Sally".

 17th Annual WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT Gala to Support Walk With Sally's Fundraiser.
   Photos by Karen Ostlund            #WalkWithSally

(WestHollywoodToday.blogspot.com) El Segundo, CA — August 21, 2023

                                                                                  

Jaguar F Type at Walk With Sally's fundraiser.

The 17th annual WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT gala, Walk With Sally's flagship fundraising event, illuminated the night on Saturday, August 19th, 2023, at CAMPUS 2100 in El Segundo in California.

 The event marked a celebration of community, compassion, and the organization's commitment to children and families impacted by cancer.
WalkWithSally.org was founded in 2004 by Nicolas Arquette with its mission to help the burden of cancer for children and families, which is guided by the vision of new CEO Tash Brooks.
                                                                                   

Walk With Sally's Silent auction.

The organization has expanded its programs and services to provide support.
Walk With Sally's commitment to its mission is helped by dedicated staff, a diverse board of executive directors, and volunteers.
 
WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT, Walk With Sally's largest annual fundraiser, serves as a platform to directly support the organization's mentor ship, mental health support, art therapy, and financial empowerment programs. The gala brought together over 700 attendees and over 100 dedicated volunteers in a night of unity and shared purpose.
                                                                                

Lobster & Beer: Coastal

WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT offered attendees an experience that symbolizing the power of unity and healing, which is highlighted by the color white.
The gala showcased 17 local restaurants, for guests to enjoy in culinary delights that exemplify the best of Los Angeles' gastronomic scene.
                                                                                    

Ready Fit Go restaurant.

Among participating restaurants included Bettolino Kitchen, BOA, BuzzRock Brewing, Clarity Lounge, Eddie V’s, Hook & Plow, Japonica, Jimmy John’s, lil’Vegerie, Lobster & Beer: Coastal, Madison Brown, Nomad, Porterhouse Bourbon & Bones, Quality Seafood, ReadyFitGo, and Sushi Roku.       This culinary collaboration gave guests the opportunity to experience a diverse range of flavors,  enhanced by the evening's vibrant atmosphere.
                                                                             

Nomad Eatery.

The evening's program was hosted by the charismatic Travis Van Winkle, who introduced the organization's new CEO, Tash Brooks. CHOURA productions partnered with Walk With Sally to orchestrate a seamlessly executed event, demonstrating the collaborative spirit at the heart of the  charity's mission.
                                                                              

Marching drum-line at White Light White Night.

The WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT gala was graced by the presence of a marching drumline, captivating the audience with their electrifying performance. The highlight of the evening was a captivating live performance by the local band "IDENTITY THEFT," which brought the audience to their feet.                                                              

Local tribute band "IDENTITY THEFT.

 The event celebrated the significant contributions of two individuals who embody the organization's values, recognizing their exceptional dedication and positive influence.
The "Youth of the Year award" was presented to Heather Jenkins, while the "Mentor of the Year award" was  given Jenn Nguyen.
The gala also featured renowned Muralist Miriam Hellmann, whose vibrant creations added an artistic touch to the event. Auctioneer Letitia Frye skillfully led the live auction, engaging attendees to raise support for Walk With Sally's vital initiatives.
                                                                              

Walk with Sally's concert seating after dark.

The 17th annual WHITE LIGHT WHITE NIGHT gala was made possible through the generous support of official sponsors including Jaguar Land Rover South Bay, Don Julio, Chevron, Tito’s Vodka,Roseade, Stella Artois,  Kendall Law, Choura Events, Cal Private, Cross Country Mortgage, Community West Bank, Banc of California, St. Clair Law, Buying Time, Anheuser Busch, and Madison Brown.
                                                                                  

Karen Ostlund reporting in South Bay.