NEWS / COMMENTARY NIXON--GORE: The EERIE PARALLELS (or, WHY I STILL THINK GORE SHOULD SLIM DOWN, JUMP IN AND WIN IN 2008) > Read post>  FREE TAX FILING; Doomsday clock reset for alarming world; R.I.P. James Brown; ANOTHER STEM CELL MIRACLE and more on our NEWS page.
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MORE NEWS on our News page: REAL ESTATE under $200,000 in LA? Yes; plus, the coolest music block in LA congratuLAtions Our ongoing kudos for excellence by LA people, places and organizations; milestones or records; items worthy of recognition and praise spotlight: EPITOME SALON
EPITOME is the perfect name for this wonderful multi-faceted salon located in a shopping oasis off Beverly Glen just south of Mulholland, for this is the epitome of what a great salon should be: friendly and talented staff, relaxing vibe, multiple services at reasonable prices -- even awesome art on the walls (which you can buy) and two-hour free parking (always a plus in the ever-expanding expensiveness of LA living). Owner Stasi welcomes you with a charming smile, which (along with the smooth sounds, vaulted ceilings and ceiling fans) makes you feel right at home. Aimee was my stylist, who transformed my overlong unruly mane into perfect shape, doing so with great attention to detail plus engaging conversation. The LA Report encourages you to check out Epitome for yourself, one of our Best Bets. Along with hair styling (cut, color, blowdry, deep conditioning and more), Epitome offers tanning, facials, makeup and other services. 2938 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel Air CA 90077. 310-441-8800. BEST BET. Info: www.epitomesalon.com
everLAsting
LA traditions/institutions:
BODHI TREE bookstore - lectures, workshops, readings
WESTWOOD BREWING CO. - free Wed. night comedy
pLAces more>
CORE PILATES NYC is now in LA; Gallery 1988; PERMACITY SOLAR, TRELLIS; BEING IN LA
LAnguage
books - STOP THE SHOW! by BRAD SCHREIBER (brashcyber.com): fun anecdotes, endorsed by Eric Bogosian.
LAxicon - words of the week: popskar; pre-date; advergamer; swollet; chamelienne; devaskating; depressure; sexpectations
review haiku - "Developing Story Ideas" (M. Rabiger) read haikus Send your haikus: info@thelareport.com
LAttitudes - Why do I say I love L.A.?... read LAttitudes
Send your LAttitudes: info@thelareport.com LA lately You've seen the ads. Skinny jeans, slimming pants and the like. Like, they're all over -- at the Gap, American Apparel, etc. Yet have you seen anyone actually wearing these sveltifying denim duds? Not me. But I have a theory. I think gals into superlowcut midrifferrific jeans can't take them off. Hence they can't put on the new skinny jeans. It's just a theory. | ENTERTAINMENT The Pre-Fab Four, Live! (or an Incredible Simulation)
Rutle Reunion at the Egyptian!
Fun special events brought out throngs of Rutheads in Los Angeles. Paul McCartney is riding high again. He's been dating, reports say, and his divorce settlement is behind him. Most important, Macca's music making magic's been marvelous, and making mucho moolah.  Paul's 21st solo album, Memory Almost Full, debuted at Number 3 on the charts in 2007 and his single "Dance Tonight" got a Grammy nomination. My memory's almost full too -- of his awesome assortment of hits. Luckily, I just upgraded my brain with Apple's new iCortex, so I have room for more Paul. Which I got, in one of 2007's best boxsets, "The McCartney Years" - 3 DVDs full of classic videos, films, and gems - like Paul doing an informal rare Buddy Holly number. Macca magic, man! Speaking of Macca, his " Secret LA Show" took place at a packed-to-the-gills Amoeba Music on Sunset Blvd in Hollywood last June, one of the live highlights of 2007. Attendees lucky enough to get in included Ringo Starr (who just performed on Sunset himself, at a House of Blues party for his new release "Liverpool 8"), his wife Barbara Bach, Cybill Shepherd, Alanis Morrisette, Woody Harrelson, Jeff Lynne and about 900 others. Sir Paul called it the "most surreal gig ever." Amoeba.com has a few dozen photos of the event; YouTube has several clips to enjoy and you can also see video at paulmccartney.com. June 18-19, 2007, Home Media Magazine presented the 6th Annual Home Entertainment Summit: DVD and Beyond. This year’s event, again held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel, focused on three key components of today’s home entertainment market: DVD, next-generation high-definition optical disc and electronic delivery. Our fave panel was on social networks and UGC sites like MySpace, YouTube and SecondLife (the most popular virtual world on the net); integrating DVD ad and marketing campaigns into these brave new worlds led to more sales in nearly every case, often with better results than expected. More info at: www.dvdconferences.com. At last! Rhino, one of The LA Report's favorite labels (and master of the box set) has released The Traveling Wilburys Collection - 2 CDs, a DVD and a fun booklet that explains the legend behind TTW. Harrison, Dylan, Orbison, Petty and Lynne make one potent combo. But be careful doing the Wilbury Twist, it's kinda hard, if you actually follow the lyrics. Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur was released June 12 (Warner Bros. Records). We loved Regina Spektor's haunting cover of Real Love; in all, there are over 20 John Lennon songs covered by today's top artists. A followup CD of his widow's works by Latino artists, Loco for Yoko, has been scrapped. The Warmth of the Sun: new Beach Boys compilation of 28 tunes - pop gems and rarer tracks - is a super summery delight, a cool companion to 2004's double platinum Sounds Of Summer: The Very Best Of The Beach Boys. (Both from Capitol/EMI.) Note: both CD's are certified John-Stamos-free. DVD SPOTLITE:NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: the smash hit (a quarter of a BILLION dollars raked in) is now out on DVD; includes behind the scenes making-of doc. And how about a LIVE bonus: LA folks can see a new exhibit at the NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM with props and VERY realistic "waxalikes" of the characters; you'll swear Robin Williams (as Teddy Roosevelt) is about to leap in front of you and perform 10 minutes of standup (downtown on Exposition Blvd; www.nhm.org). Pop quiz: how much money have the films that feature both Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson made? Answer: A lot! DVD SPOTLITE 2: BECAUSE I SAID SO: stars Diane Keaton, Mandy Moore, Lauren Graham, Piper Perabo. Keaton plays an overprotective mom whose love knows no bounds or boundaries. Her 3 girls: stable psychologist Maggie (Graham), sexy, irreverent Mae (Perabo) and insecure, adorable Milly (Moore) who, when it comes to men, is psychotic flypaper. Comedic mayhem ensues when mom places online personal ad for Milly. Letterman 25th anniversary show recap Feb 1, 2007: original 1st guest from Dave's 1982 NBC debut, BILL MURRAY, dropped by... in tux, toting champagne, acting surprised there was no party going on to celebrate. Bill begged Dave for Super Bowl tix (for his entire family), since the game was to be on CBS. Dave called CBS head Les Moonves, who offered Dave a ticket, but Dave said he couldn't go because it was his day to do volunteer work... but could Murray go instead? Bill then talked to Les, who acted coy but finally promised 6 tix to Bill, "if it would make Dave happy." I wish they had shown old clips. Home Purchasing Club: online show featuring comedic actors spoofs Home Shopping channels; www.BuyHPC.com. BEATLES LOVE soundtrack - grade A; Rhino and Elektra salute The DOORS with Perception. A 6-CD, 6-DVD box set! Also new: coffee table book "The Doors by The Doors"; PET SOUNDS 40th Anniversary Edition from Capitol; NAPSTER is offering a FREE 7 DAY TRIAL; Sun alum Jerry Lee Lewis is the Last Man Standing; plus: DVDs and other products The LA Report likes. >> read more>>
film fave scramble
Pirates of the Spiderman the Third; Bug Mr. Shrek; Caribbean Oceans; 13 Even Brooks; Transformers Disturbia; Almighty Rush; Simpsons Diehard Hour; Epic Evan Movie
| TECHNOLOGY Tech with a twist, two: the August 8, 2007 Twiistup 2 was another super success, this time at Venice's cool dark bar/eatery Air Conditioned Supper Club. Even Bono was there (okay, a lookalike, but one amazing simulation - many people were convinced it really was the Irish Icon). Tw2 once again showcased innovative booths to a packed crowd eager to learn about cutting edge tech. For Twistup 1 it was Browsr, Userplane, ooVoo and AOL (promoting their dev.aol.com) among others. This time, AOL returned, and new booths included JibJab (launching STARRING YOU, where anyone can become part of a hilarious JibJab comedy video), ThisNext, Fafarazzi, Faqqly, CampusBug (their free online word processor looks hot) and fun friendly webhosting company Media Future. Look for more Twiistups soon (next stop: Vancouver.) Twiistup is a BEST BET of The LA Report. www.twiistup.com.  2008 ain't been great for APPLE stock. Still, their new MacBook Air is a gem of a notebook (less than 1 inch thick, fits in a manila envelope!) and iPod is still King of the Gadgets, so Steve Jobs' job is secure. (Stat: around 1/4 of all iPhones are UNlocked, showing that hacking ain't lacking even if Apple ain't backing.) For a fun fast informative version of this year's Apple/Jobs keynote, you must see Mahalo Daily's "Apple Keynote in Sixty Seconds" sensation.
SAITEK has some very cool products coming out, including a tricked out keyboard with a bevy of programmable keys, headphones with SIX drivers and a detachable mic, and well-designed mini-speakers that can be placed 3 different ways to optimally direct the sound. Stay tuned!
SEAGATE, known for years as a pioneer in the disk drive arena, adds a small svelte ultra-portable 160GB external model to its stellar line of drives: the FreeAgent Go. Comes with software that lets you take your desktop environment and all of your files on the go. Impressive storage size and features in a very small footprint.
The LA Report recommends an excellent book from O'Reilly about Apple's creation of the original Mac: "REVOLUTION IN THE VALLEY" - go get it! Great!
i Pheel a Phunny urge to Phork out Phunds for an iPhone. Why? Because it is, in a word, superb. So is the iPod Touch -- basically iPhone sans phone. (Note: only AT&T cell customers can use the phone in the iPhone, so non-AT&Ters may prefer Touch.) Both do Wi-Fi, for wireless web wandering. Safari, Mail, Widgets, Maps, it's all here (Steve Jobs says the iPhone's Google Maps client "blows away" any other Google Maps client). You can YouTube, too! Yoo hoo! Now I have even more exciting ways to waste all the time freed up by the productivity savings of great devices like iPhone. www.apple.com Warner Bros recently shook things up in the DVD medium, announcing yet another new format for consumers. But many say Blu-Ray is the way. Sun Soul has created a unique blue fabric which, when worn, turns the sun's light into healing for the skin (e.g., for acne). You also get protection from the sun's harmful UV rays as an added benefit. Sun Soul was one of the many exhibitors in the GBK Gifting Suites in honor of this year's MTV Movie Awards; celebs such as Mimi Rogers, Shannon Elizabeth, Jason Mewes (very short hair now) and a big "Lost" star attended the opening night poker party, which benefited Six Degrees (Kevin Bacon's charity), Clothes Off Our Backs, and the Creative Coalition.
Verizon TV ad: Phone Names That Tune! Guy points phone in direction of tune he's hearing, phone recognizes it, later he downloads it. If it really is this easy to use, this is a great advance. Here is one I'd like to see: say a number to the phone and in puts it into its database. See EYESPOT: Featured at the recent conference OnHollywood . Use the eyespot Mixer to combine your videos, photos and music. Share your video and mixes with the world, Free. Also featured at the OnHollywood conference: BlogTalkRadio - lets anyone have their own talk show. Thousands already do, and you can too! DELL will let PC buyers choose which Microsoft OS they want: new VISTA or good ole WINDOWS XP. Perhaps they are trying harder, since stats show they are No. 2 in sales to PC leader HP. LG won the top prize at the 2007 CES consumer electronics show. LG: Looking Good. COOL GEAR ALERT: RMSAC40 Acoustic Amplifier. Power: 40 watt RMS. Speaker: 10” (Woofer), 2” (Tweeter). 2 Channels with separate volume control. List Price: $199.99 Mobile Movie Times Mashes Up Best Movie Content for Mobile Phones CTIA Wireless Show Wowed LA: Showstoppers and Pepcom's MobileFocus were in many ways better than the "main show" that took place at the LA Convention Center ECO / ENVIRONMENT / EARTHNORWAY announced it wants to be 100 percent carbon neutral by 2050. (Assuming we're around by then.) Speaking of electric cars, the subject makes us think of our favorite e-friendly actor, ED BEGLEY JR. Word is Ed's HGTV reality show, " Living with Ed," has leaped to the top of HGTV ratings. We spotted Ed (along with co-star Rachelle Carson and other celebs) at the grand opening party for the new Studio City eatery TommyRays (see our Events section for a review). By the way, don't forget to try Ed's line of eco conscious products, BEGLEY's BEST. |