The Fair

This weekend we headed over to The LA County Fair in Pomona. We went to the fair last year via T's truck but someone decided to be a dick and swiped his flaming eyeball antenna topper. To avoid being victims of petty theft crimes this year, we decided to join our friends and took the Metrolink from the gorgeous Union Station to Pomona.


Union Station at dusk

Union Station - one of my most favorite places to visit in all of LA. This station was built in 1939 and is considered to be "the last of America's great rail stations". Just take a look at how absolutely stunning it is inside.


This is the waiting area, one of my favorite places to read. They have these giant pleather thrones you can sink yourself into. I used to walk through this hall everyday when I commuted from Pasadena to Santa Monica for work. Seeing the beauty of Union Station made my daily two-hour commute bearable.


This is the main lobby of Union Station. It is closed to the public and only available for film shoots and/or special events. When you see it in person, it's like stepping back into time. Look hard and you might see a ghost or two.


Union Station was designed by the father and son team of John Parkinson and Donald B. Parkinson, who also designed Los Angeles City Hall, and whose firm designed many landmark Los Angeles buildings from the late 19th century onward. The structure combines Spanish Colonial, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne style, with Moorish architectural details such as eight-pointed stars. - Stolen from Wikipedia


The Metrolink

Now, it's off to the fair we go!



The LA County Fair is open from September 8 through October 1, Wednesdays to Sundays only. General admission is $15 on weekends but you can stop into any Cingular Wireless store and pick up a ticket for only $9.

So what did we do at the fair? We watched animals sleep, of course!



There were chickens, turkeys, bunnies, goats, lambs, pigs, dogs, horses, cows... even water buffalos from Asia. The fairgrounds is the largest in the country. There's a section for each of the following: animals, shopping, food, rides, horse racing, concert arena, and competition areas. You do a lot of walking around.


Best ride at the fair: the 25 cent foot massager chair

The best part of the entire fair is taking a visit to Dr Bob's Handcrafted Ice Cream shop. They make possibly the best tasting ice cream in the US. All of Dr. Bob's Ice Cream have 16% or greater butterfat content. He uses only the finest ingredients such as Scharffen Berger Chocolates and Tahiti and Madagascar vanillas. What I like best about Dr. Bob's is that the ice cream leans to the flavorful side as opposed to sweet. My favorite, hands down, is the "Strawberries, Sour Cream & Brown Sugar" Ice Cream and I don't even like strawberry ice cream! There's only one other ice cream flavor that is better: Greg's "Roasted Marshmallow" Ice Cream in Toronto. The difference is that Dr. Bob's is consistently good, especially with unconventional ice cream flavors. Last year, I tried their "Walnut" Ice Cream. It was light, refreshing, and delicious. I hate walnuts but I friggin' loved this ice cream!

Dr. Bob's Ice Cream is extremely hard to find in stores. Once they come in, they quickly sell out. Believe me, it's that good. Thank goodness you can order them via mail order. You would never know through their catalogue but Dr. Bob has created over 60 ice cream flavors, including sorbets, sherbets, and non-fat yogurts. Unfortunately, you can only order their most popular flavors through the mail. This is why we go to the fair, to experience the rarer Dr. Bob's Ice Cream flavors. Some examples include: Creme Fraiche, Lemon Curd, Chunky Peanut Butter Vanilla Swirl, and Raspberry Cabernet.

As the day came to a close, the crowds got larger. I guess this is the time when all the drunks come out to party. As we were leaving the fairgrounds we saw a guy with a t-shirt on that read "Laugh, so I can see them bounce." Still, it didn't beat the shirt that we saw on sale in the shopping area of the fair:

A Movie and a Rant

Inside the main theatre on the Paramount lot.

What's better than watching blockbuster movies with LA's biggest geeks at The Grauman's Chinese Theater on opening night? Better than going to the now defunct $3 movie theatre at One Worldwide Plaza in NYC after school on a half-day? Watching crappy movies for free at the Paramount lot, that's what!

If you are one of the lucky few who either works for or knows someone who works for Paramount Studios, you know what I'm talking about: the plush EZ Boy seats, the giant screen, zero commercials or slideshow advertisements, no sticky floors but only thick, plush carpeting under your feet. The best part is that it's all FREE! It's like watching a movie at some billionaire's house. It's quiet, impeccably clean, and gorgeously designed. Once the lights go down, the magic begins. No ads. No trailers. Just the movie. It's the way it should be.

Of course, not just anyone can access the main theatre on the Paramount lot. Screenings are only open to employees of Paramount Studios, plus ONE guest. Lucky for me, I have access to the theatre because T works on the lot. We try to take advantage of free screenings but unfortunately a lot of it is crap. I mean, really crappy, like "War of the Worlds" crappy. The best kind of movie to watch here are the ones you want to see but aren't willing to pay for. We did this for "A Series of Unfortunate Events", "Spongebob Squarepants, The Movie", and "The Last Kiss" which was the movie we saw last night.

What can I say? I really, really wanted to like this movie. I thought it was going to be a film about "the quarter-life crisis". Instead, it's just a poorly directed film about the pitfalls of marriage and the consequences of cheating. Plus, it doesn't help the fact that I have serious problems with Mr. Braff being labeled as the voice of our generation with his directorial debut, "Garden State". To top it all off, they are using his popularity with the kids to advertise "The Last Kiss" with a byline of "a film by Zach Braff" as if he has directed it. UGH! It's all so annoying.

Now, I admit that I am player-hatin'. I'm sure Mr. Braff is a very nice guy. He's pseudo charming in that non-threatening kind of way. I just don't like his films. Sorry kids! Just because you think you have great taste in music, doesn't mean that you should pepper your films with all your favorite songs of the moment. It just screams, "LOOK AT ME! I'M SO COOL BECAUSE I LISTEN TO KCRW!" It doesn't make you a good director. It makes for great mix tape making, not great filmmaking.

"The Last Kiss" suffers from the same problem I have with "Garden State", a movie that annoyed me to bits because of its incessant use of non-diegetic mood music. It was like watching a very long WB episode. I understand that Mr. Braff did not direct this film but I hold him partially responsible because (1) he served as executive producer and (2) he was directly involved with the selection of the soundtrack. Although the music was good, it took you right out of the movie. If you have to rely on the lyrics of a song to drive the movie forward, it's no longer a movie; it's a music video.

See, I have my own theories on the proper usage of music in film. If you care to read them, they are outlined as follows:

1) If you must use music with lyrics in them, choose only one or two songs, not an entire soundtrack. The best example of this is the infamous scene of Lloyd Dobbler blasting his stereo to Peter Gabriel's "In Your Eyes" in "Say Anything".

2) If you must insist on using more than one or two songs, get a musician or band to score the film for you. This way, everything is coherent. Examples include: Simon and Garfunkel for "The Graduate" and Air for "Lost In Translation".

3) The only exception to using multiple songs in a movie are films that take place in a specific place in time like "Diner", "Shag", and "The Wedding Singer". In this case, the music works because it's mostly diegetic sound, sound whose source is visible on the screen or whose source is implied to be present by the action of the film, like a radio or a live band on stage.

4) What if you're not making a period piece? Place the source of your music in the world within the movie. "Pulp Fiction" is the perfect example of this. Remember the scene where Mia Wallace turns on the radio to dance to Urge Overkill's "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon"? OMG, so brilliant and unforgettable!

When a song is used non-diegetically (outside the world of the movie), the song becomes internalized. The audience is now forced to relate to the music because the focus is no longer on the film; it's shifted to the lyrics of the song. Thus, taking you out of the movie completely. This is a bad thing. Use a score if you can! Music should enhance the picture, not detract you from it.

OK, I'm done with my rant. I understand that some of you might disagree with my theories. Rules are meant to be broken, right?

Call me a traditionalist, purist, snob, whatever! I'm not the only one who's player-hatin'.

They Don't Call It the Gold Line For Nothing

Mission Street stop off the Gold Line at dusk.

The LA MTA had a crazy promotion this month. They gave away free weekly metro passes to anyone who bothered to send in vouchers through the mail. I received my free pass last week for the week of September 3rd through the 9th. I'd thought that I should take advantage of the free rides and meet up with my friend for Afternoon Tea at the Chado Tea Room in Old Town Pasadena.


Chado Tea sells over 300 varieties of loose tea leaves, most of which you can purchase online through their website. They also have two tea rooms located in the LA area that offer a complete Afternoon Tea experience "without a hint of snobbery". Chado Tea is especially popular with brides and mothers-to-be so make sure you call beforehand to reserve a spot for you and your guests.



Afternoon Tea includes a pot of tea (choose from over 300 varieties) and the following:
1. Four quarter sandwiches: Salmon, Mediterranean, Punjab, and Souchong Chicken.
2. Scone with clotted cream and fresh strawberries and jelly.
3. Cookie and a slice of cake. Choose from chocolate, carrot, and lemon bundt cake.

Looks can be deceiving. This is an extremely heavy meal. I usually can't get past the scones. Try to space out your meal over several hours so that you can finish your plates. This is a good place to gossip and/or play catch-up with friends. Afternoon Tea at the Chado Tea Room is priced at $15 per person. Save an additional 15% with the CityHero card.

After I parted with my friend, I took the Gold Line to Mission Street to hit the local farmers' market.


The Mission Street Farmers' Market happens every Thursday from 4PM to 8PM on Mission and Meridian. It's one of my favorite farmers' markets in all of LA (and there are a lot here). You can find the freshest organic fruits and vegetables here, all year round, thanks to LA's unchanging weather. Must buys include zucchini flowers, green garlic, and heirloom tomatoes whenever they are in season. They also have a ton of food stands here, serving such delectable edibles like old-fashion kettle corn, garlic french fries, fire roasted artichoke and organic rotisserie chicken.

Every time I'm on Mission Street, I have to stop by the antique store located just around the corner from the farmers' market. They have some amazing things at this store. Unfortunately, most of the items there are priced at exactly what they are worth... EXPENSIVE. However, last night we discovered a goldmine.

As I was browsing through the store, I noticed that they had acquired several boxes of someone's old comic book collection. I took one glance and noticed that they were selling the following in the "$5 per comic" box :

(from left to right) Raw Magazine Issue #1, #3, and #4.

Were my eyes deceiving me? Did they even know how much these are worth? Apparently not. Upon closer inspection, I noticed that they were in near mint condition, complete with catalog, inserts, and this:

A handwritten note from Francoise Mouly.

But that's not all folks! We also found 1st edition single issues of The Watchmen, all 12 issues for only $1 each. They are not nearly as valuable as the Raw Magazines though.

Still... I left the store feeling very guilty and victorious!

Suds and Soda

Yes, this is an actual heart of stone we found on the beautiful beaches of Malibu. We are so G-A-Y.

What did we do for Labor Day? We did what all responsible, self-respecting, patriotic Americans do... we went to the beach!


Ahh, Malibu. Check out the eight-million dollar oceanside view. Pretty freakin' incredible, isn't it? Malibu has many beaches with 21 miles of coastline. The beach that we frequent the most is usually secluded, so I will not be disclosing its location. It was still pretty mellow, even on Labor Day.

But first, we had to stop by our favorite soda-pop shop Galco's to stock up on sandwiches and soda.


Galco's is an incredible place. They specialize in beverages of the "carbonated variety". You can find over 250 variety of sodas on their shelves, including Mexican Coca-cola, which has actual sugarcane sweetener instead of the usual high-fructose corn syrup used to sweeten regular Coke. Galco's even sells old-fashion candies like Charleston Chews, Lemonhead, and Bubble Gum Cigarettes (I thought these were banned). What I didn't know is that they also sell kick-ass sandwiches.


Feast your eyes on the "South of the Border" Roast Beef sandwich. Trimmings include lettuce, tomato, avocado, hot peppers, and provolone cheese. I'm not a big hero sandwich type of person since 75% of the sandwich is mostly bread, but the bread they use is so soft. It doesn't scrape your gums like most crusty breads do. This sandwich is definitely a winner!

The sodas at Galco's are kind of on the expensive side, but it is so worth it if you know what you like. Expect to pay about $20 for 6 bottles. Here is a sample of what we purchased (starting with the worst to the best):


1. Dry Soda Lemongrass ($3.25): I am a sucker for great packaging so I got suckered into buying this soda. Look at how clean and refreshing it looks! WRONG. This soda did not taste like lemongrass at all. It tasted like the aftertaste of having your mouth washed with old-lady soap. GROSS! I took two sips and poured the rest out into the sand.
2. Fentimans Traditional Curiosity Cola ($3.35): This botanical soda is imported from England. Again, great packaging. I especially love the graphic of the dog on the label. They are not kidding when they say "botanical" soda. It kind of tastes like Coke with an explosion of floral flavors. Definitely an acquired taste. Not for me though.
3. Blenheim's Not As Hot Ginger Ale ($2.25): I am absolutely in love with this Ginger Ale. This is the best beverage in the world, hands down. Even though it is labeled as "Not As Hot", it is still pretty friggin' spicy. Feeling adventurous? Try Blenheim's HOT HOT Ginger Ale. I dare you not to choke upon your first sip. It's like drinking liquid wasabi. It goes straight up your nose.


Sadly, the creator of Blenheim Ginger Ale had passed away recently. Since his death they had slowed down production to only 30%. Last year I heard that they were going to stop production altogether. I hope this is not true because I will be very depressed. So, if you see Blenheim soda in your local specialty grocery store, stock up and send some to me!

Idiocracy

I'm trying really hard to like The Arclight but they are making it very hard. Everyone keeps talking about how great the facilities are and that it is worth the $14 because they don't tolerate bullshit like screaming babies and rude behavior. The best thing is that there are no advertisements. What I don't understand is that they only screen arthouse films, independent films, and dumb comedies. Rarely do they ever screen blockbuster films like "Xmen 3" or "Superman Returns". This doesn't make any sense to me considering that they have 14 auditoriums with the best light and sound technology. They are a reserved-seating only theatre with seats that are three inches wider than current megaplex standards. You would think that they would screen at least one of the Harry Potter movies there. Instead, they have movies like "Beerfest". BEERFEST, PEOPLE! Would you pay $14 to see Beer-freakin-Fest? It angers me so much.

The Arclight is exactly like the Angelika Film Center in NY (another theatre I loathe), just ten times bigger with incredible facilities, minus the rumbling sounds of the subways nearby. It attracts the same kind of people - pretentious, artsy-fartsy, rich scenesters. The only redeeming thing about the Angelika is the quality of movies they screen but the theatre itself is crap. The Arclight is the exact opposite - excellent facilities, crap films. What the frig?

Last night we went to see "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge at The Arclight to support one of T's best friends. Unfortunately, this film received zero publicity because Fox didn't know how to market it. T's friend didn't even know that the movie was opening this weekend until only a few days ago when he had dinner with the director, and he's in the friggin' movie! The premise is simple: an "average American" is selected by the Pentagon to be a guinea pig for a top secret hibernation program. Somehow the experiment goes awry and the subject wakes up 500 years later to discover that he is the most intelligent person alive in a society so dumbed down by corporate commercialism.

How hard is it to start the trailer off with, "From the creator of 'Office Space', 'Beavis and Butthead' and 'King of the Hill' comes..."?

This movie is supposed to be a satirical comedy but I found it really depressing because it's not far from the truth - the de-evolution of our sad society. I just kept thinking about all the Britney Spears and Kevin Federlines of the world making babies and "accidentally" dropping them on their heads (repeatedly) the whole time I was watching the movie. It's pretty obvious that this movie was a warning sign, a desperate cry from Mr. Judge telling us to wake up. I think that's why Fox had a hard time publicizing the movie. It is so openly critical about the role of mainstream media and the negative effects it has on our society, something Fox is so obviously guilty of.

Anyhow, I really enjoyed "Idiocracy". I thought that the first 30 minutes was brilliant but it started to lag once they discovered that he was the smartest person on the planet. Still, I'd recommend it to everyone. Go see it before it gets taken out of the theatres. It's definitely a film worth supporting, even though you might have to pay $14 to see it.

Dim Sum, Anyone?

That's not a drumstick! Those are breaded shrimp dumplings on sugarcane sticks with mayo.

NBC Seafood in Monterey Park kicks Empress Pavilion's ass in dim sum.

Ever since I moved to Highland Park, we would always go to Empress Pavilion in Chinatown for dim sum. It was convenient since Chinatown was only a five minute drive away. Unfortunately, there are a lot of bad things about Empress Pavilion. It's super popular so you can expect to wait for an hour to be seated. The service is very bad even though there are a million waiters running around all over the place. The food is good but I often find myself searching for carts most of the time instead of eating. So, goodbye Empress Pavilion. Hello NBC Seafood!

Here is a sample of some dishes we ordered:

1. Sesame balls with sweet red bean filling
2. Pork ribs - cut up
3. Egg custard tart
4. Red bean custard with coconut milk
5. Pork buns
6. Steamed shrimp dumplings
7. Fried wonton with drizzled honey
8. Hot soft tofu in simple syrup - my favorite!

Hungry, yet?

We discovered NBC Seafood thanks to my friend Mary. I met her two years ago while working on this movie. Since the end of production, we made the effort to meet at least once a month with other fellow co-workers to explore LA and also to help network. If it weren't for bumping into my friend Dan during my first year here in LA, I wouldn't have landed a job working at WOT, I wouldn't have made the good friends I have made, and I surely wouldn't have survived in LA without those friends.


This is Dan. He has become one of my best mates in LA. I don't think I would still be living in LA if it weren't for him. This is the pure honest to goodness truth, so all you NY friends can blame him for making me stay. Dan is originally from NJ. We knew each other from animation class at NYU but didn't really become friends until I moved to LA.

Here is just a small testament to show you the awesomeness that is Dan. A few weeks ago, I received the news that he had recently proposed to his lovely girlfriend Sarah. His proposal involved a forgotten suitcase, a decorated garage, and a MARIACHI BAND!!! Need visual proof? Go here for images of loveliness. Might I suggest having a Chinese wedding banquet, anyone?

Love Is Here

James, I understand that you are tired. But quit looking at me with those bedroom eyes. You are making me blush!

I made a new friend today. She is a friend of a friend who had recently moved to LA from Dallas, TX. And like the rest of us transports, she is pursuing a career in the filmmaking business, writing scripts for feature films. We've been meaning to meet for a long time, but neither one of us had a car or even a steady job to afford a cheap meal. Finally, the perfect opportunity came by.


Starsailor was having a free instore performance at the Virgin Megasore at Hollywood & Highland to promote their new album "On the Outside".

We decided to meet earlier to grab a bite to eat at a nearby In-N-Out Burger, my favorite fast food joint of them all (even though they are not so fast which is probably why they would not survive in NYC).

The best thing about In-N-Out is that they use the freshest ingredients. Nothing is ever frozen. Their burgers are perfectly cooked, the lettuce leaves are crisp and cool to the bite, and their buns... oh, their soft, sweet, warm buns are always perfectly toasted and slightly charred with delicious grill marks. The thing that is unique about the In-N-Out Burger is that they use thousand island dressing in their "special sauce" and, oh my, is it tasty! I usually order the #1 which includes the Double-Double burger (with onions), fries (well done) and drink. All this fresh goodness for around 5 bucks.

My new friend said it best when she described LA as "one giant speak-easy". LA is full of secrets. In-N-Out Burger is no exception. They have an extensive "secret menu" that's actually not-so-secret to us locals. OMG, the fries (animal style) looks MAD GOOD! I will have to try that next time.