L.A. has little to spellebrate this year as local entry Emma Manning was eliminated in the fifth round of the Scripps National Spelling Bee on Thursday. Emma’s early exit is unsurprising for an L.A. delegate–not a single champion has hailed from Los Angeles in the Bee’s 82-year history. Here’s a look at our last 11 representatives and how they fared.

We here at Losanjealous are of the mindset “Thirty days late may or may not be better than never,” particularly when it comes to dishing out that most coveted of online awards; namely, the Losanjealous Commenter of the Month Award. With this philosophy firmly in place, we are proud to introduce you to our April winner, SHENNY: Avid commenter, indie rock lover, non-betta owner, punk rock unabridged-UK-versions-only reader, eggbeater-eater. Ladies and Gentlemen. Denizens abroad and at large. I give thee: SHENNY!

Shenny on Music

You played a crucial role in the historic “Losanjealous Concert Picks, April 23-29” thread, eventually boosting that article’s total comment count to 159. On April 23 alone, you commented no less than 14 times. What was it about that thread that spurred you all to such great heights? The ‘weekly concert list’ comments have traditionally outperformed the rest of the week’s output, this we know, but for some reason the commenting activity for that particular week soared into the stratosphere. Was the moon waning?

Somone actually counted my comments?! It happened that a lot of events/shows were going down the week of Coachella. So we were all swept up in the fervor of secret show speculations (particularly ‘Nickelback’), Troubadour emails, and Coachella-related happs.
»continue reading Losanjealous April 2007 Commenter of the Month: Shenny

We get asked to giveaway a ton of promo swag here at Losanjealous HQ. Some of it cool, some of it not so cool. Case in point, our 3rd floor conference room is currently full of stacked boxes of According to Jim beer koozies that we had to pass on featuring in a giveaway. (You want to get those out of here already, Casagrande?)
»continue reading This Elvis Costello 7″ Record Can Be Yours

»continue reading Electrelane @ Greek Theater, 5/29/07

»continue reading Arcade Fire @ The Greek Theater, 5/29/07

Thursday, May 24: Chanson

The line up for “A Night of Russian Chanson” at the Disney Concert Hall at first seemed a little awkward: Saul Williams, DeVotchKa, and Petra Haden, all sharing the same stage for the same general genre – spoken word intensity mashed with gypsy hysterics… However, with the delicious acoustics of the hall, each brought their own unique flavor to the night of Russian Chanson. »continue reading Shadow of Stalin: Two Nights at Disney Hall

• Screech
• Tom Sizemore
• Paris Hilton
• Pam Anderson
• Snoop Dogg
• Lil John
• Erin Daye*
• China
• Vince Neil
• O.J. Simpson’s Lawyer’s Daughter & Ray J

*Warning: Googling her to verify dubious celebrity status is highly UFW†

†”Unsafe for Work”© & ®2007, V.’s Abbreviated Abbreviationsâ„¢

PICK OF THE WEEK

Arcade Fire & Electrelane @ The Greek
Tues | Wed | Thurs (Electrelane solo @ Troubadour)

Sure, it’s easy and obvious to go with Arcade Fire, especially in a week loaded with contenders–Voxtrot, Brakes w/ Pela, Deerhoof, Raveonettes w/ Midnight Movies, Manu Chao, et al–but considering these are the Fire’s 1st headlining shows since the Troub in Jan. 2005 B.L. (Before Losanjealous), they get the nod. Getting to The Greek early on a weeknight is always dicey but Electrelane is worth the effort.

Airborne Toxic Event @ Troubadour Sat 6/9
Noisettes @ Amoeba Fri 6/15
The Fratellis @ Avalon Sat 6/16
The New Year, David Bazan @ Spaceland Wed 6/20
Carina Round @ Amoeba Fri 6/22
Klaxons @ El Rey Tue 7/10
VHS or Beta @ Troubadour Fri 8/3
Tim & Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! @ Troubadour Wed 8/15
Sunset Junction Street Fair @ Sunset Blvd. (headliners TBA) Sun 8/19
Sunset Junction Street Fair @ Sunset Blvd. (Ben Harper, Blonde Redhead, Morris Day & The Time) Sat 8/18
Blonde Redhead @ Glass House Sun 8/19
Gogol Bordello @ Henry Fonda Tue 8/28
Ulrich Schnauss @ Troubadour Fri 10/5
Akron/Family @ Troubadour Fri 10/12

»continue reading Clientele & Beach House @ Knitting Factory, 5/24/07

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 [email protected].

FRIDAY

Peep Show
Experience an extremely rare screening of obscure underground ’60s filmmaker J.X. Williams’ “Peep Show.” Produced in Copenhagen in 1965, the film chronicles a secret history of the Kennedy administration, revealing a mafia plot to addict Frank Sinatra to heroin.

Star Wars: Celebration IV
Bringing the best of the Star Wars universe together in one place, to a weekend that’s designed by fans for fans. Through Mon 5/28.

»continue reading Losanjealous Benevolent Society Events: May 25 – 31

Sunday
May 27, 2007
2-6 p.m.
Epoxybox Gallery
602 Venice Blvd. (Corner of Abbot Kinney and Venice)

1pm – Doors
2pm – DJ
3pm – Fashion show
4pm – Satellite Party
5pm – DJ
6pm – End

Guests to include bassmen Peter Hook & Flea, and, for some reason, pro-surfer Kelly Slater.

OK…
»continue reading “Lost” Season 3 Finale Recap

»continue reading Mando Diao @ Troubadour, 5/22/07

I hung around
On the planet mabel
She tried to stand
But she was not able

Holy bittersweetastic semi-precious candy-striped fancypants and the like, does anything sound better than Hams Jr covering Frank Black? Don’t answer. The answer is NO. Break me off a piece of that again dad, that was a stone cold solid you slipped me. Twice.

I caught Hams Jr at the Ritz Theatre in Austin, during south by southwest. Caught him again last Monday night at the House of Blues. Live And Direct From The Sunset Strip! Home to the juice! The razzle! The dazzle! That palpable “industry-heavy” vibe smacks me even before I walk in the back door. Cringe-inducing? Not tonight. It’s House of Blues time. Almost bragging, I’d told [redacted] from [redacted label], “House of Blues, man. Last time I was here was nearly seven years ago. They wheeled John Lee Hooker out onto the stage in a wheelchair and prodded him with a cane until he stood up. He died a month later. I have no regrets with that track record.”

John Lee is a tough act to follow, no two ways about it Hams, but you treated me right. Yes you did, sir. Questionably informative side-by-side comparison of two Albert Hammond, Jr gigs after the jump.
»continue reading Albert ‘Honeybaked’ Hams Jr: A Side-By-Side Primer