Hustler of Culture

Tomato, Mozzarella, and Basil Salad

July 31, 2008 - 8:37 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

Simple, easy, and delicious, the tomato, mozzarella, and basil salad is a summer favorite.

Star of Siam

July 30, 2008 - 8:56 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

LA - MOCA First Sundays (08.03.08)

Drop in, create art, and share Sundays with your family at the museum's hands-on, artist-led workshops for families with children ages 5 and up. Museum admission is free to all participants. Reservations are not required. All family workshops and gallery activities are offered in English and Spanish. For more information, please contact Fabrizio Flores at 213/621-1765.

Upcoming Events:
First Sundays are For Families
08.03.08 1:00 PM
MOCA Grand Avenue

Using wood, found objects, wallpaper, and other materials, Lisa Lapinski’s work employs pattern, symbols, language, volume, and form. Participate in a special family tour of MOCA Focus: Lisa Lapinski, The Fret and its Variants, and then exercise your creativity to construct your own original forms.

Workshop led by artist Mariah Johnson.
INFO 213/621-1765 or fflores@moca.org
FREE; no reservations required

Le Pain Quotidien

July 29, 2008 - 1:35 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

LA - "Real Life Superheroes" (08.02.08)

Real Life Superheroes

Joshuah Bearman discusses the real and true exploits and foibles of real life superheroes, who, just as it seems, are people who fight crime in costume.

Please join us this Saturday August 2nd at 8pm for a lecture on real life superheroes by Joshua Bearman. Previous visits from Joshua have covered Bigfoot and Teddy Roosevelt, the world Ms Pacman champion, and a mission to China to cuddle panda bears. This talk is based on a year of research on citizens who dress up in costumes, attempt to stop crimes, and foil criminal masterminds. A familiar topic from books and movies, the only difference is that these are real people trying to stop real criminals. Free

Antwerp - "Art Trek #5" (08.02.08 - 09.13.08)

LA - "Insiders, Outsiders & The Middle" (08.02.08 -

Oakland - "FasTrak: A Bridge and Tunnel Survey" (08.02.08)

FasTrak: A Bridge and Tunnel Survey
Dates: August 2nd - 23rd
Location: Lobot Gallery | 1800 Campbell Street | Oakland CA 94607 | map
Artist Reception: Saturday, August 2nd, 7pm - till late

Lobot Gallery presents: "FasTrak: A Bridge and Tunnel Survey," part one of a split bridge-and-tunnel survey show touring the range, dynamism, and velocity of the Bay Area's extended art family. Recent ambitious works of sculpture, painting, photography, and installation by artists from both sides of the commute. Opening night musical performances by Oakland's Cloud Archive and San Francisco's Tartufi.

Artists include: Alexis Amann, Nicholas Bohac, Colette Campbell-Jones, John Casey, Nancy Chan, Amanda Curreri, Michael Cutlip, Mark Edwards, Will Gurley, Martha Sue Harris, Darren Hawk, Daniel Healey, Raymie Iadevaia, Kara Joslyn, Mary Anne Kluth, Liz Maher, Leticia Ramirez, Dickson Schneider, Shawn Sloan, Charlene Tan, Task1, Karen Thomas, Ryan Verzaal, Bryan Von Reuter, Raymond Wong, John Writer.

Pho 99 Noodle & Grill

July 28, 2008 - 1:57 p.m. - West Los Angeles, CA

When I'm feeling the urge for a bowl of Vietnamese beef noodle soup and I haven't got three hours to trek to Westminster, I hit up Pho 99 Noodle & Grill in West LA. It's the best Viet food on the Westside. Believe me, I've tried them all. The soup's not too murky, has a pretty good broth, and the condiments are perfect. A bowl of pho will set you back $7.00 which is very reasonable for lunch on this side of town.

links for 2008-07-28

• New York's Best Cheap Eats of 2008
  New York Magazine's guide to affordable eating.
  (tags: Food Restaurants NewYork NYMagazine Tips BestOf 2008)
• Celebrity Meter
  Wired Mag's Celebrity Meter will help you come to terms with the fact that you are nobody online.
  (tags: Celebrity Wired Tools Humor Technology)
• Gamers To Compete For World Title
  Watch the video game championship finals with your parents tonight so the next time they bark at you to stop playing games, you can tell them you're job training!
  (tags: VideoGames Contest NPR Culture Business)

LA - "Classics//Classics in the Making" (08.01.08 - 08.31.08)

LA - First Fridays (08.01.08)

Cirque Berzerk Recap

July 27, 2008 - 10:22 p.m. - Los Angeles, CA

Cirque Berzerk is an amazing circus show performed by an LA-based troupe born out of Burning Man. It's the younger, cooler cousin of Cirque du Soleil. Aesthetically it's very alternative -- a mix of Mad Max and Tim Burton. There's singing, live music, dancing/cabaret, acrobatics, breathtaking trapeze artists, clowns, and much more. The show sold out all four performances this weekend and were asked back by the park for two additional shows next week. Catch them quickly before they disappear!

NYC - Upstairs at the Square (07.31.08)

Meet Singer-Songwriter Aimee Mann and Acclaimed Author Joseph O'Neill "Upstairs at the Square" on Thursday, July 31, at the Union Square Barnes & Noble

Journalist Katherine Lanpher Hosts the Evening

Barnes & Noble, Inc. (NYSE: BKS), the world's largest bookseller, today announced the next event in its buzzed-about series, "Upstairs at the Square," held at the Union Square Barnes & Noble in Manhattan (33 East 17th Street at Union Square). On Thursday, July 31st, at 7 pm, Aimee Mann, whose new album is @#%&*! Smilers (SuperEgo), and Joseph O'Neill, author of Netherland (Pantheon, May 2008), discuss and perform their work in conversation with journalist Katherine Lanpher, who hosts the program. Admission is free, and no tickets are required. Seating is available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

LA - Barker Block (07.31.08)

Interacting with WK

Last week in the Empire State, while on my way to visit Ryan McGinness' studio I ran into NYC-based French artist, Eddie aka WK Interact. It was like the old days, running into friends while running around downtown. We caught up as much as we could about current projects, the state of affairs, Michael Jackson, and how New York's changed so much since we last lived there.

WK's art once covered a lot of Manhattan's downtown real estate. If you paid attention, his distinctive motion blur style was easy to spot. I'm hoping he'll have another show in California soon as I'm anxious to check out his new work.

Here's a video interview of WK speaking in his native tongue (too bad for you non-speaking French folks). It's interesting to learn that he was born in Normandie, lived mainly in the South of France and then Paris, comes from a creative family and that he started illustrating when he was about eight years old. He loves films and has been living in New York City since he was 18. And then he goes on to explain his process and inspiration.

Thai Red Snapper

July 26, 2008 - 8:08 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

LA - Simone Legno Event (07.30.08)

Giant Robot is pleased to announce a special in-store appearance by artist and designer Simone Legno of Tokidoki. Since relocating from Rome to Los Angeles, Legno's anime-infected art has truly exploded in the pop culture and streetwear consciousness. Not only does his stylish, sophisticated, and cute art appear on the highly visible line of handbags for Le Sportsac but it has also received the seal of approval from the unofficial artibors of Japanese pop, Sanrio (in the form of limited-edition Hello Kitty jewelry) and Medicom (BE@RBRICKS). Legno's latest project is a special collaboration with Mikasa to make a FIFA-regulation soccer ball, which he will be signing at GR2.

Simone Legno at GR2
Wednesday, July 30
6:00-8:00 p.m.

GR2
2062 Sawtelle Blvd
Los Angeles CA 90025
310-445-9276

Godzuki

July 25, 2008 - 2:24 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

Our Maine Coon mutt Godzuki gets a hair cut every summer to help him deal with the heat. He usually comes home a little embarrassed (Ugg boots are sooo two summers ago) but eventually gets used to his new lion cut. Like most lions he spends most of his day sleeping and chilling.

Monte Carlo Deli & Pinocchio's Restaurant

July 24, 2008 - 1:20 p.m. - Burbank, CA