This will be fascinating, I promise

Scrapbooks, Army Surplus, Comics and Other Stuff 

A Conversation with Graphic Storyteller C. Tyler

C. Tyler is the author of You’ll Never Know: A Graphic Memoir. In an illustrated conversation with USC Annenberg’s Henry Jenkins, C. Tyler will talk about comics, family memories, material culture, gender, generations and the stuff that gets exchanged between members of a family.

Thursday, January 31, 2013 : 7:00pm to 11:00pm

University Park Campus
Annenberg Auditorium

Admission is free. Reservations recommended. To RSVP,click here.

Reception to follow.

I've read two out of three volumes of You'll Never Know. It's a real achievement and is beautifully told. If you are interested in the film business and you are not learning everything you can about comics and graphic novels, then you may not really be interested in film. We'll be exploring that further in coming weeks, but for now let me say that any opportunity to hear Henry Jenkins talk about comics shouldn't be missed and Tyler's work is a great example of one of the most interesting comic forms today. Do me a favor and at least read the full description of the event here and then think about reserving a spot. It's not like you can't walk there.

Tim Robbins at the Aero

Annie -- you might be interested in this because of Maron, more that Robbins. (If you don't know why, look him up - his webcast should be required listening for you.

Anyway, for all of you. this is at the Aero in Santa Monica and should be interesting.

In-Person Discussion!

Live Talks LA 2013

Live Talks LA: An Evening with Tim Robbins in Conversation with Marc Maron

Wed, January 23 • 8:00pm

Join us for a conversation with Academy Award winner Tim Robbins. A multifaceted talent, he has proved adept at wearing such varied hats as actor, writer, director and even musician. Among his credits are MYSTIC RIVER, BULL DURHAM, THE PLAYER, BOB ROBERTS and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION. He will be interviewed by comedian Marc Maron, who for more than 15 years has been writing and performing raw and thought-provoking comedy for print, stage, radio and television.Tickets only available at www.livetalksla.org

Paley Festival Lineup

So the way this works is I end up taking groups of 4 -5 usually to an event based upon their night time schedules. Some things sell out to quick to get into -- for example the two Whedon shows will go quickly, as will Battlestar. Start telling me now what show you are interested in -- the entire cast and producer, sometimes writers, will be there for a q & a.

April 10, 2009

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia

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April 11, 2009

90210

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April 13, 2009

True Blood

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April 14, 2009

Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog

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April 15, 2009

Dollhouse

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April 16, 2009

The Big Bang Theory

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April 17, 2009

The Mentalist

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April 18, 2009

Desperate Housewives

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April 19, 2009

Unaired Pushing Daisies with Bryan Fuller

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April 20, 2009

Battlestar Galactica / Caprica: A Look Back and a Look Ahead

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April 21, 2009

The Hills

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April 22, 2009

Big Love

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April 23, 2009

Fringe

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Zappa's JOE'S GARAGE on stage for the first time

I LOVE THIS CITY. I am so going to this.

From Sergio Leone and the infield fly rule:

"How you react to the Open Fist Theater’s first-time-ever staging of Frank Zappa’s satirical rock opera Joe’s Garage, or even simply the news that director Pat Towne and producer/co-writer Michael Franco have taken on the long-thought-unstageable project, will depend almost entirely on your affinity/reverence for Zappa’s music. Attending Joe’s Garage is not likely to make a convert to appreciation for Zappa’s singular talent out of anyone who doesn’t know “Catholic Girls” from “Jewish Princess,” or what the hell means Waka/Jawaka, or the story of Bobby, the very potato-looking ne’er-do-well who resides in Zappa’s San Ber’dino. But for those, like me, who consider Zappa an epic musical genius often misunderstood and/or dismissed by both the star-maker machinery behind the popular song and the general audiences who never, beyond the occasional novelty hit, cottoned to his avant-garde leanings or his penchant for holding a foul-mouthed mirror up to the basest stupidities of human society, Open Fist’s production of Joe’s Garage (extended through December 21) is, literally, a dream come true, made flesh..."
Read the rest here.

Los Angeles as a character

Bad Lit (See sidebar) reports on a one day film festival that would be a must-see if we were assembled already.

"It’s the one-night only short film screening series Los Angeles as a Character, which will take place Saturday Nov. 15 at 8:00 p.m. at the Echo Park Film Center. I have the lineup of films that will be screening below, but here’s the official description of the night:

One night only screening of experimental, narrative & documentary short films and videos with the city of Los Angeles as a peripheral or central theme, backdrop or character.

...

Actually, I know that two of them are already awesome. They are Doran’s own Westsider and Kenneth Hughes’ Mr. Freeway, who I told to submit in the first place, so I feel like I contributed my part. And thirdly, I just love the idea behind this event. L.A. is such a great big weird interesting place that you can understand why it’s movie central U.S.A. The city is so fractured and diverse that no matter how many square blocks of it are captured on camera, nobody will ever capture it all.

Plus, it really does look like a good, diverse mix of shorts. For descriptions of the films and filmmakers, please visit the Los Angeles as a Character website, but the general lineup is here:

Dance, Eli, Dance, dir. Ava Hess
Dichotomy, dir. Van Veng
Hair Cowboy, dir. Patrick Robins
I Remember Venice, dir. Will O’Loughlen
Intoxicated Demons, dir. Donlee Brussell
Iris: Los Angeles, dir. Valentina Martin
Memories of an Undefined Image, dir. Mason Shefa
Moose, Indian, dir. Nicholas Kokich
Mr. Freeway, dir. Kenneth Hughes
Palm Tree Song Line, dir. Dagie Brundert
Roger, dir. Jennifer Stefanisko
Rollingman, dir. Mike Sakamoto
Some Los Angeles Apartments and a Dorm, dir. Laura Daroca
Westsider, dir. Charles Doran"

Click the Mr. Freeway link -- it's great, and the trailer for Westsider is hilarious.

Lucha Va Voom

Reminder -- I've bought our tickets for Lucha Va Voom. Five students asked for tickets. I know it was Jia, Verlaine, and three others from the "guy" booth at Bob's Big boy. Ken, Jose and ? I don't remember, so let me know who to set the tickets aside for. We'll have a couple of former Duke in LA'ers join us. And in case you forgot, it's Thursday, February 14th.

Paley Fest

Based upon the limited input thus far, this is my strategy for tomorrow at 9. I can only buy 8 tickets total for any one event. (for most events, that means 6 student tickets). They have to be purchased in blocks of 4. I have to use my membership for 4 and my wife's for the other 4. I, and everyone else, start with the perceived "most in demand" show and work their way down. Cult faves sell out quicker than mainstream hits (Most Paleyfest people are not your average TV watcher) Therefore, for example, Buffy will likely be a quick sell-out as will Pushing Daisies.
My strategy is going to be as follows:
I'm going to try for 4 Buffy tickets, followed by 8 Apatow tickets, followed by 8 Damages, followed by some Madmen and Pushing Daisies attempts. This won't work. We won't get everything we want. It's very much worth going to even if we're all watching Chuck, but I'll do my best to get a good allotment. I will hand them out based upon who has posted. Many of you have not posted a request yet. If anyone has a radically different thought or objection to this approach, time's ticking away...

paley festivel - in constant state of revision!

Okay, after a crazy frenzy on line, this is what we've got from our wish list:

2 Ugly Bettys
2 Nip Tucks
2 Office

Heroes and Lucas sold out immediately -- I got the last 2 tickets for The Office. Simpsons also sold out

To cover ourselves, I also got 4 tickets for Closer (Tuesday) and three for Dexter (Wednesday), both of which are supposed to be great shows.


One other update: No more ugly Betty tickets available either. There are more Nip/Tuck at this time -- if we can't make our current group of acquisitions work out.

Here's what I think so far:

1. Ben gets an Office ticket -- he owns that show. Sorry, everyone else. If there is anyone who has classes on both Tuesday and Wednesday, he or she can have the other ticket. Otherwise it's between Sam and Keith and they can flip for it. If someone else really needs to be in on that flip, I'll make it a guess my number between 1 and 100.

2. Aaina and Janet get the Nip/Tuck tickets. If someone hates the thought of going to any of the other choices and wants me to try to get more tickets, I will consider it.

3. Meron gets an ugly Betty ticket. So does Janet (sorry guys, but she checks the blog more than I do -- and there was an extra ticket so someone was going to get to two shows -- she deserves it for her blog devotion)

So how about Closer and Dexter? The Closer is a legal/crime drama which takes place in Los Angeles and is apparently very LA focused. (and it stars Kevin Bacon's wife, so he'll probably be there) Dexter is about a sympathetic serial killer and the lead actor will be the only one appearing, which should make it pretty in-depth, in terms of an actor discussing a role. Heather and I are going to The Closer, so there's two tickets left for that one, and three for Dexter.


Final point -- I know it's more fun to go to a show that you love, but the point is to go hear how a show is creatively put together, and any show will be instructive.

Feb. 10th Hunchback field trip confirmed

I just got our tickets for the The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Vox Lumiere for 2/10 at 7:00 at the El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. We're all set.

LYNCH and DONOVAN at the KODAK THEATRE!

This Sunday evening -- The Big Event: Celebrate the Publication of David Lynch’s New Book
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity
ALONG WITH THE MUSIC OF DONOVAN
We will be attending an extraordinary event with filmmaker David Lynch and singer/songwriter Donovan to celebrate the publication of David’s new book, Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity (Tarcher/Penguin). David will discuss his new book, his new film INLAND EMPIRE, and his new foundation, which is bringing stress-reducing meditation to at-risk school children and teens. He will answer all questions and talk about the creative process. Donovan will celebrate David’s new work with a live concert showcasing his greatest songs from the 1960s and ‘70s.

It's at the Kodak Theatre, you know, the place where we host the Oscars!I got the tickets and we can all go. This is a 6000 seat venue, and its a sold out event so it's going to be crowded -- expect some celebrities at this one.
Read more at the Lynch Foundation MySpace here.

Read the NY Times piece on this here.

message from the crime bus

I got this e-mail from the tour people:
"The Real Black Dahlia Crime Bus rolls on Saturday, January 13, 2006.
Your seat(s) await. Read on for all you need to know to be on the bus
when the tour begins.

SPREAD THE WORD: If you booked a tour for your friends, I may not have
their email address! Please pass this message along to everyone in
your party.

DEPARTURE LOCATION/PARKING: We are starting in front of Bedlam Art at
1275 E. Sixth St., Los Angeles, CA 90021. This is just east of
Alameda, in downtown Los Angeles. See below for a map link. There is
some free lot parking in the space directly west of 1275, and free
street parking on the north side of the street. Do not park in the
lots on the south side. Passengers should allow time to park and walk
to the meeting spot. Watch for red zones and park legally. If lost,
call Richard at 310-995-4591 on tour day.

Map Link

Duke people -- We'll already be assembled from breakfast so we'll head down for parking together from Philippe's.

DEPARTURE TIME: We will start the tour PROMPTLY at 11am on Saturday
January 13, and return by 4pm. Riders are advised to be in front of
1275 E. Sixth St., ready to be
checked in no later than 10:30am. There are no refunds for riders who
miss the bus.

BUS RULES: You may bring food or drink, but please, nothing messy. No
video- or audio-taping without prior approval. We will enjoy
complimentary crime-themed gelato during the tour, but you are advised
to have a filling breakfast and bring a sack lunch if desired. You may
also bring sun hats, sun block, parasols and walking shoes for our
brief time off the bus.

POST-TOUR LOST WEEKEND SATURDAY EVENTS: There will be an opportunity
to visit the Bedlam Art space after the tour for refreshments and
socializing. At 7pm, "Severed" author John Gilmore will be reading
from his book at the Regent Galleries, 446-450 South Main Street, site
of the Dahlia-inspired art exhibition "Her Name Was Elizabeth." At
10pm, the Galleries will host a screening of Ramzi Abed's "Black
Dahlia Movie" (cost $5 including soda and popcorn). For additional
info check with your hosts on tour day or visit
http://myspace.com/thelostweekendlosangeles for more details.

The Queen tickets

The four tickets for the Queen have been spoken for, but if anyone else is interested, let me know this week and I'll try to buy another round of tickets.

Orientation

*******Welcome to L.A.************
We're going to have out first meeting/meal on Sunday, January 7 at Noon for brunch. I will be providing tons of important information so don't miss it unless you haven't actually arrived.
The location is a restaurant called Blue on Blue at the Avalon Hotel in Beverly Hills.


For more map information, click here


















Valet parking is complementary.
Please RSVP to me via e-mail or via comment on this page.

January 13 Helen Mirren at the Egyptian

I purchased 4 tickets for you guys thinking at least half of you would want to see the Queen and then hear Helen Mirren discuss it. The first four of you to claim tickets get them. If there is a demand for more tickets I'll try to order more, but this will surely sell out. Mirren's going to win an Oscar for this one so it'll be fun to have been there! Note: This is the same day as the Black Dahlia tour so be prepared for a full day.

Saturday, January 13 – 7:30 PM
Helen Mirren In-Person – Double Feature:

THE QUEEN, 2006, Miramax, 97 min. Blending the rewards of a detailed film biography with an insightful meditation on character, director Stephen Frears (DANGEROUS LIAISONS; DIRTY PRETTY THINGS) puts the British monarchy under the microscope. Set in 1997, it details the bond of trust that slowly develops between the 71-year-old Queen Elizabeth – humanized by the Oscar-caliber performance of Helen Mirren in the title role – and prime minister, Tony Blair (Michael Sheen) following the death of Princess Diana. With James Cromwell. "…Helen Mirren…has turned THE QUEEN into something you never imagined it could be: a crackling dramatic story that's intelligent, thoughtful and moving." – Kenneth Turan, The Los Angeles Times "

SOME MOTHER’S SON, 1996, Warner Bros., 112 min. Terry George (co-writer of IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER) directs this clear-eyed study of the dilemna posed to a Northern Irish Catholic mother, Kathleen Quigley (Helen Mirren) when her son (Aidan Gillen) is not only convicted along with other IRA bombers, but goes on the legendary prison hunger strike that took the lives of ten men, including radical activist, Bobby Sands (John Lynch).

Discussion in between films with actress, Helen Mirren.

Post now to reserve one of the four tickets.

Things to do in LA

We will have field trips most weekends, may of which are important to the class topics and attendance is strongly encouraged, if not required. The we have things like movie nights, etc. which are more flexible, for the most part -- but I will pay for the tickets.

And then there are things which I spot that I mention just because they look interesting. If no one ever responds, I eventually get tired and stop pointing stuff out.

Nevertheless, here's something that looks pretty cool the first week you're here, if you have an interest in jazz.

Photography Herman Leonard @ Fahey Klein GalleryHerman Leonard: Jazz Giants. Mural-sized photographs. A photographic journey through the golden years of the Jazz, Blues and Bebop eras that documents the larger-than-life legends that comprise the visual album of America’s music. November 30, 2006 through January 13, 2007. Info°

Even if not interested, check out the gallery site, which is interesting in that it breaks things down entirely in genre terms.

http://www.faheykleingallery.com/featured_artists/_main/featured_artists_frames.htm

LUCHA VA VOOM

This is a great event but you must be 21 to get inside. Let me know how many of you can go and which day would be your preference. I need to get the tickets soon, as this is a sell-out.



Tuesday, February 14 or Thursday, February 16 at 8:00 PM
Lucha VaVoom Love, MEXICAN Style! Featuring Live Mexican Wrestling, Burlesque & Comedy / Tuesday only! The Lucha VaVoom Lucha Prom Night! / Prom photo op's with your loved one or with oneLucha VaVoom presents "Love, Mexican Style! 3 big days of Sexo and Violencia with a special Lucha Prom Night on Tuesday! We are pleased to announce the return of La Leyenda Azul, Blue Demon Jr.! also Super Porky,! Dr. Wagner Jr.! Los Villanos III and VI!, Cassandro!, Los Mini Estrellas Mascarita Sagrada, Tsuki, Piratita and peirrothito, The Crazy Chickens! Human Tornado! and more!!! Also featuring the lovely ladies of Lucha VaVoom Ursulina, Frida Kulo, Michelle "Toots" Lamour (Chicago) The WaU.S.$25.00-U.S.$50.00