TORRANCE (Losanjealous):: Former Mayor Dan Walker assumed things were all shored up once he agreed to pay for the costs associated with the installation of a 300-lb. bronzed frog he donated to the city with a stipulation that it be placed in Miramar Park, according to today’s Daily Breeze cover story:

Called “Dreaming of the Kiss,” the sculpture is an early work by Sedona, Ariz.-based artist Kim Kori, who specializes in charming sculptures of small animals with human attributes. Only 16 of this particular piece were cast and one recently sold for $30,000.

Not everyone in the sprawling seaside community is hopped up over the smug, arms-crossed, fully bronzed former tadpole and potential park resident (pictured), however, including Vista Bahia Home Owners Association President Chris Alan Michalski:

“While beautiful, it belongs in an appropriate environment where all may understand and appreciate its merits,” Michalski [said]. “That place is not at the beach.”

»continue reading Former Torrance Mayor’s Bronzed Frog Draws Ire of Coastal Residents; Frog’s Fate in City Council Hands

Watch out for that west side traffic snarl and seek ye local watering hole. KTLA says:

SEPULVEDA PASS — A fast moving brush fire has forced the evacuation of thousands of people from the world famous Getty Center art complex in the Sepulveda pass.

The fire has burned between 30 and 40 acres of dry brush at Getty Center Drive above Sunset Boulevard west of the 405 freeway, according to Los Angeles City fire spokesman Eric Scott.

Sepulveda Boulevard has been closed between Sunset Boulevard and Mulholland Drive, near the Skirball Center due to the fire.

Some 800 staff members and several thousand visitors have been evacuated from the Getty Center, according to Getty spokesman Ron Hartwig.

» Brush Fire Forces Evacuation of Getty Center (KTLA)

From the LA Times:

In a move that trims $8.5 million off the Lakers’ payroll, [Vladimir] Radmanovic was sent Saturday to the Charlotte Bobcats for a pair of third-year pros — forward Adam Morrison and guard Shannon Brown.

This gives us a nice opportunity to dust off Adam Morrison’s Five Stages of Grief from the archives in his honor:

Welcome aboard, Adam.

THE STORY TO DATE
Some manager (and Agent for Service of Process) at El Coyote, an insufferably terrible restaurant with strong drinks to make you forget about the mind-blowingly horrible food and parking nightmares, donated $100 to a direct “Yes on 8″ organization (protectmarriage.com), thereby potentially giving outraged citizens a tangible reason to not further patronize the insufferable, taste-void, overblown, overpriced tourist haven.

»continue reading DEVELOPING: Following “Yes On 8″ Donation Discovery, LA Blog Commenters In Full-On Crazy Tizzy Over Boycott of Insufferably Bad Restaurant

Unsure of your polling place? Look it up right now. Vote provisional if they can’t find you. It is your right. Vote, Vote, Vote.

Above: Fred Thompson and Larry the Cable Guy, who will presumably not be voting for Fred Thompson.

After the jump
Special Bonus Fred Thompson Photos! (A Topical Look Back)
»continue reading Don’t Forget To Vote Tuesday!

Above: Three battleground Obama posters gradually coalesce, suggesting unity while continuing to individually vie for eyeballs. Note, six Sheps™ fit tidily in the space of five Non-Sheps™, thereby affording the Shep™ posterer the ability to deftly repeat his or her politi-message du jour twice more than competing brands before fleeing the scene at 4am

Thou Shalt Enjoy Live Music in Santa Monica Confines No Longer…

Temple Bar shuts its door end of September, further bolstering Santa Monica’s longstanding general disapproval of quality live music. Whether or not all of the acts previously booked on the west side will continue to crowd Little Temple (Silverlake; same owners) remains to be seen.

TEMPLE BAR: THE FINAL OFFERINGS
» The Soul of John Black Mon 9/29
» Farewell party w/Seneca; hosted by Carlos Niño (Dublab; KPFK Spaceways radio, Build an Ark, etc) with “Very Special Guests” Tues 9/30

» Myspace: The Soul of John Black
» Myspace: Fill The Heart Shaped Cup (Carlos Niño; Miguel Atwood-Ferguson)

Set list:

»continue reading Radiohead, Hollywood Bowl, Night #2, Monday, August 24, 2008

15 Step
There There
Morning Bell
All I Need
Pyramid Song
Nude
Weird Fishes / Arpeggi
The Gloaming
National Anthem
Wolf at the Door
Faust Arp
Exit Music
Jigsaw falling into place
Idioteque
Climbing up the walls
Bodysnatchers
How to Disappear Completely
—–
Videotape
Paranoid Android
Dollars and Cents
Reckoner
Street spirit (fade out)
—–
House of Cards
Lucky
Everything In Its Right Place

Set list photo from sweetcell’s Picasa.

That would be the new record by this guy. Out today on Little Record Company.

Free MP3 download of:
“The Long Conversation”

Official site & more album info
 
 
 
 

A strong earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.4 shook large parts of Southern California, shaking a wide swath from Ventura County to San Diego.

The quake shook downtown L.A. buildings and was felt as far east as Palm Springs.

It was centered near Chino Hills, about 30 miles east of Los Angeles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no reports of major damage or injuries. But the Los Angeles Police Department reported minor structural damage at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center.

The magnitude of the quake was originally set at 5.8. But Caltech officials downgraded it to 5.4 and said they doubted the temblor caused major structural damage. [LAT]

The opacity of yesterday’s apparent “STAR MISSING” publicity stunt launched by That’s So Raven Disney actor Orlando Brown is rapidly clearing, and yet the “news” made CNN’s front page today. For this modern triumph of publicity, let us hereby declare April 24 National Orlando Brown Is No Longer Missing Day! Truly, for one brief moment we stopped reading about the fucking Democratic superdelegates, paused, wtf‘d and eventually read and reread (and reread again) the alluring and wholly believable tale of an apparent That’s So Raven actor and aspiring musician previously charged with marijuana possession in Houston (one fact CNN neglected to mention), who “disappeared” following a meeting with his manager in or around an undisclosed Studio City 7-11, and then promptly turned up a few hours later following some much-needed “alone” time. Says Brown of the incident:

“I have no further comments.”

Manager Ricky Romance: We Salute You! Publicist Elayne Rivers: We Salute You!

( AP | CNN | HuffPo | Celebitchy | People | Defamer | Wiki )

Back-to-back RSVP-mandatory alcohol-suffused parties you may want to be aware of at this time:

Tuesday Apr 22

Boosted presents Claw Money’s Case Collection Release Afterparty (!?!?)
featuring special guest Santogold
Devlin & Darko, Roxy Cottontail, DJ Pube$
at the Bordello Bar; 9pm – 2am, 21+
Complimentary drinks from Skyy Vodka
You must RSVP for entry! RSVP to rsvp@swindlemagazine.com by april 21 (that’s today).

Wednesday Apr 23

FADER 53 Issue Release Party
feat. Abe Vigoda, DJs Cali Dewitt & Jenna (Mika Miko)
1269 East 6th Street (Warehouse between Alameda & Mateo)
Free Bass Ale; 9PM
RSVP HERE

HEADS UP
The Cure @ Shrine Auditorium Sunday June 1
(the evening following their sold out Hollywood Bowl gig)

Presale @ 10am today. Passwords below.
Silva password: TIMES
KROQ password: HEAVEN (according to “J” of the hallowed Losanjealous comment section)
Public onsale 11am Sat April 19.

Buy your tickets at 10am here. Good luck!

…and one about Debbie Gibson. Just an observation

• Jane’s Addiction Original Lineup Reunion Set for El Rey, Coachella?
• The Debbie Gibson Restraining Order Shake-Up
• Stone Temple Pilots Hollywood Bowl Tickets Presale
• Mötley Crüe Annöünce Crüe Fest ‘08, Saints of Lös Angeles
• Beachwood Sparks Reunion Slated for Sub Pop 20th Anniversary Show Nowhere Near Los Angeles
• Austin City Limits Festival 2008 Lineup Revealed (Foo Fighters! – Ed.)
• Significant Moments in Iron Maiden History

Van Halen may be taking a break from touring at present, but that didn’t stop Diamond Dave from inexplicably showing up in Austin and jamming with Peter Morén (of Peter, Bjorn & John) in a most unexpected turn of events. WITNESS: DAVID LEE MORÉN

Van Halen may be taking a break from touring at present, but that didn’t stop Eddie from inexplicably showing up in Austin and jamming with Lightspeed Champion in a most unexpected turn of events. WITNESS: LIGHTSPEED HALEN