Happy Christmas (War Is Over). A shot of the band after the jump.
»continue reading Spaceland on Ice: Los Abandoned @ Pershing, 12/21/06

There’s something in the air. ‘Tis the magic season wee Angelenos, boys and girls alike, wait for all year. Finally the morning arrives. After a fitful sleep they rise extra early, fresh-faced and twinkly-eyed. They grab a cup of joe and a smoke, get strapped into their carseats and are unceremoniously hauled by mom and dad over to Hancock Park to stare in amazement at the House of Christmas® David™s.

Let us take a few moments to side-by-side the changes in the annual decorum, then…
»continue reading House of Christmas® David™s: A Two-Year Analysis

Dear Daily News,

It’s not you. It’s me. But our relationship has to stop. I can’t have you showing up at my doorstep at four o’clock each morning. I told my fiancee our relationship was over, and she’s getting upset.

Please don’t think I haven’t tried, Daily News. I did.

I remember the chilly day we met last year. A burly man with a name tag that read “Bud” called out to me. Daily News, he said, $24 for 12 months.

“And it comes with a $10 gift card,” said Bud. “So cheap, you don’t even have to read it.”

I remember laughing, Daily News. But then I felt bad that someone would sell you so short. You are clearly worth far more, and I wonder if that has affected your self-esteem.

I appreciated your local coverage and your jaunty red and blue masthead. I think your sports columnists are superior to those of the LA Times, and I like the fact that I can read you in 25 minutes, the time it takes for my Metrolink train to whisk me downtown.

But no more. We had three newspapers at the time: the LA Times, the NY Times and the Daily News. We were overwhelmed. Stacks of newsprint gathered in our home like an illustration in a Shel Silverstein poem.
»continue reading The Daily Dump

The man-in-the-middle for the pre-game huddle.

Good form on his free throw shooting up to this point. But everything after this freeze frame could use a little work.
»continue reading UCLA’s Lorenzo Mata: In Pictures

Victor’s subtle masterpiece The Grove Parking Structure, 12/20/05 became a zeitgeist of its age, heralding the hopelessness of the congestion at the corner of Third and Fairfax while providing the viewer with unequivocal proof that Victor himself was a part of the problem, attempting entry into aforementioned at the time of capture . . .

UPDATE: Having learned nothing from last year’s battle, Victor returned to the site to face the beast again. He photographed this 2006 version at 6:39 p.m. today.

To be continued…

YOU. That’s right, YOU. YOU are commenter of the month. Writing comments because YOU care. YOU are changing the goddamn world. From YOUR cubicle. Or YOUR home. In YOUR boxers. Or, if a lady, in YOUR capri sweatpants. YOU are emboldened and empowered. YOU have an IPod and YOUtube and MYspace, yet YOU still comment. YOUR voice has taken the form of comments and YOU have been heard. Congratulations, YOU.

My

Good

God

It’s

So

Nice

To

Be

Back

Here.

Los Angeles.

Home.

Trip details and scattered photos following 78-hour sleep marathon.

Visit our concert calendar for a full show list, links to buy tickets and our top picks.

PICK OF THE WEEK: Jeremy Enigk @ Troubadour

Top Five Mispronunciations of Enigk Eenig Innig V Neck Eunuch Ewok

HEADS UP
Autolux, Dead Meadow @ Little Radio Sun 12/31
Killers @ Paramount Studios Backlot Sun 12/31
Lady Sovereign @ El Rey Wed 1/10
Lou Barlow @ The Smell Wed 1/10
M. Ward @ El Rey Fri 2/2
Lily Allen @ Henry Fonda Sat 2/3
Paul Weller @ Avalon Sat 2/3
Paul Weller @ Avalon Sun 2/4
Camera Obscura @ El Rey Sat 2/17
Midlake @ Troubadour Sat 3/3

MONDAY
Delta Spirit @ Spaceland (free)
Parson Red Heads @ The Echo (free)
Sarah Silverman @ Largo
»continue reading Losanjealous Concert Picks: December 18 – 24

L.A. Galaxy forward and U.S. Soccer poster boy Landon Donovan will tie the knot with CBS midseason comedy Rules Of Engagement star, Bianca Kajlich on New Year’s Eve.

Biandon’s wedding registry is online, but I already made the couple something really special: an album of photos called “World Cup 2006–Precious Memories.” It includes images of all of Landon’s outstanding plays and many goals during Team USA’s campaign in Germany this summer. Best of all, it’s cost-effective since the fucker is totally blank.

Disclaimer: A Curve Across The Pond has nothing to do with Los Angeles, other than the fact that it is written by an Anjealeno.

Here we are now having the time of our times back at The Paco. This time it’s packed to the Paco. I’ve never seen a bar so small and yet somehow people continue to stream through the door and manage to get drink service in a normal amount of time. Oye, Paco! Ambassador of greatness in yon Catalonia.

Allow me to describe the physical size and autentico vibe of Paco. If I can. What’s the smallest bar in LA? Anyone?… Tiki Ti? There’s gotta be something smaller. You take the Ye Rustic Inn in Los Feliz – same neighborhood. Now take just the first room of Ye Rustic Shithole. Now chop that room in half and you basically have the size of Casa Paco. »continue reading Part Eight: The Paco

The Losanjealous Benevolent Society gathers a weekly list of strange happenings and fun events in LA–the more ridiculous, the better. Visit our events calendar for the full list. And if you’re organizing or know of an event you think belongs on the list, send us info at tips@losanjealous.com.

FRIDAY

Paranoid Machine @ Machine Project
Jason Brown lectures on the connections between Gnosticism, memory palaces, text adventures, cybering, y2k and Roswell, all explained by the movie Tron.

Video Armageddon @ CIA
A night of live video game music.

»continue reading Losanjealous Benevolent Society Events: December 15-21

Love Annette, Disneyland, Dec 1955

Disney’s biggest live action star Annette Funicello sports smart western wear for an afternoon autograph session. Spin and Marty, signing beside her, go for a more casual jeans and t-shirt look. A uniformed Disneyland security guard protects the Mickey Mouse Club Stars form circle skirted and plaid shirted fans.

Speaking of the Mickey Mouse Club in 1972 when I was twelve I got a big beautiful Hobie skateboard for Christmas. I soon discovered that the best place in my neighborhood to ride it was a driveway down the street and around the corner. It was the only hilly spot around. Afternoon after afternoon I would go over there and ride my skateboard. One day a mother came outside and said “my son wants to know if you’ll come in and watch the Mickey Mouse Club with him.” I didn’t know him. He was a year older than me and far more bookish. I went in and sat in their den and watched the show with him. Then when it was over he said “Do you want to come to my room and listen to the soundtrack for Funny Girl?” I can’t tell you what he said after that!

Here’s to Annette, the Mickey Mouse Club the Funny Girl Soundtrack and YOU!

HAPPY HOLIDAZE!

Charles Phoenix

Visit Charles’ site or join his Slide of the Week Mailing List.

Slow down!!! We have to catch our breath!!!

We asked you, citizens of Losanjealous, how you felt about Bill DeMarco. . .and you responded.

Boy did you ever!

Our team of researchers at Enterprise Square (Wait, what?–Ed.) have been furiously tallying your answers. . .but they’re a little overwhelmed! We knew that Bill DeMarco was a smash hit that crossed income brackets. . .

. . .but nothing could have prepared us for your responses! Did we mention your responses? They were titanic! The amount that is! You’re not going to believe what we learned about you. . .and about Bill. (Memo to Brooks Brothers: order extra inseam stitching!)

There’s only one problem: we still don’t know where in the world Bill DeMarco is! That’s where you come in. . .just kidding. We know where he is. Just kidding. We don’t care where he is!

What???

Before Bill was sucked into space, he gave us “eyes only” clearance to enter his vault and show you, the readers of Losanjealous, glimpses of some of the stuff he was working on before he disappeared/died/got fired/is hiding.

Wait a second. . .did you say “From the Vaults of Bill DeMarco???“

Basically!

What kind of stuff?

Screenplays, acrostics, haiku, you name it. Don’t believe us? Try this on for size. . .
»continue reading Your Opinion Still Matters!

Disclaimer: A Curve Across The Pond has nothing to do with Los Angeles, other than the fact that it is written by an Anjealeno.

The Chelsea goal had sent the room into a palpable funk.

Palpable. Heat rises. Surrounded by Arsenal jerseys here. Drizzle outside. Room gets warmer. I go for a beer. They have Red Stripe™ on tap here. Tap! That´s a rarity. There are some arguably skeevy places to watch a match in the south of London and I´d somehow picked the one with the Stripe on tap. Natch. Watering holes like GrAsshopper and Bar Costena have a tendency to condition one for all manner of life. As such I was, for the most part, in my element.

But back to my shins. Was my hotel in fact built by hobbits, for hobbits? Bloomsbury had been treating me right…a visit to the Horse Hospital … the ominous reading room @ British Museum…overly extravagant consumption at the local socialist bookstore…said goodness aside, a stairway mishap on one of said hotel´s tossing (bleeding? blooding?) hobbit staircases Saturday eve had offered both shins massive bruises and swelling. Pulsing. Flesh wounds that would carry into España and beyond. I could already tell.

The match ends one to one and the crowd disperses into the drizzle.
España! Jesuchristo . . . Y ahora?

Related
Part One