hustler of culture

LA - "Y'AINT GONNA GET THERE FREE : Screams in Hollywoodland" (01.10.09 - 01.31.09)

NYC - "Follow the Nosebleeds" (01.08.09 - 02.07.09)

Mark Mulroney
Follow the Nosebleeds

January 8 - February 7, 2009
Opening Reception:Thursday, January 8, 6 - 8 p.m.

Mixed Greens is elated to announce their third exhibition with Mark Mulroney. This time, he uses collage, drawing, painting, sound, and sculpture to expose the viewer to a fascinating, interconnected universe of religious and scatological thought.

SF - Richard Misrach New Works (01.08.09 - 02.28.09)

Experimental Gameplay 2009 Call for Participation

Game designer/developer and friend Jonathan Blow would like to remind all of you that the Experimental Gameplay 2009 is now taking submissions:

The Experimental Gameplay Sessions occur every year at the GDC; it’s a two-hour showcase of unusual and cutting-edge game designs. Each designer gives a ten- or fifteen-minute presentation of each game, including a live demo.

We’re now looking for submissions for the 2009 workshop, which will be happening in March. If you make unconventional kinds of games, I encourage you to apply. Our Call for Submissions document discusses everything in more detail:

Experimental Gameplay 2009 Call for Participation

Third Place Sports Influencer: Tony Hawk

Tony Hawk on Japanese television in 1984 (part 1) by Tony Hawk

Forbes has named skate champion Tony Hawk the third most influential athlete in the world beating out other sports megastars such as baller Shaquille O'Neal, race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., and multi-Olympic gold medalist swimmer Michael Phelps. Aside from his winning slab superstature, Tony's rise in influence and fame rose with the help from the blockbuster videogame franchise, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater -- a game my husband Silvio is proud to have been the lead artist for, for the first couple of iterations. What a long way, skateboarding has come. And videogames too.

Good pal and tech journalist Daniel Terdiman interviewed Tony for cNet. Tony talks about technology, entertainment, charity-work, and skateboarding. He says, "More kids are skating than playing little league now... the same cities that are discouraging them aren't providing facilities for them. So I wanted to help bridge that gap and provide skate parks in low-income cities." Huh, really?! Wow, cool!

Jean Charles de Castelbajac vs. LEGO

JCDC VS LEGO from Four H on Vimeo.

My Paris-based fashion industry insider cousin Lan pointed me to Jean Charles de Castelbajac's whimsical S/S 3001 collection (related to his Spring/Summer 2009 collection). I dig the marriage of high fashion and popular culture (LV and Murakami/Stephen Sprouse) but pray tell, who is the audience for this line?!

SF - Jerome Rothenberg and Jefferey Robinson Book Event (12.29.08)

Geoff McFetridge's Nail Salon

Geoff McFetridge's Nail Salon from Alissa Walker on Vimeo.

Alissa posted a video of artist/illustrator Geoff McFetridge's real-time nail salon sign he painted while presenting at GOOD Design: LA impressing the importance of preserving the "one-of-a-kind, handmade objects in our city".

Pain Au Chocolat

December 23, 2008 - 9:30 am PST - Paris, France

While in Paris, I indulge in food. I eat, eat, and then I eat some more. Why? Because I generally only have about a week out of a year to satiate my French culinary cravings. It's the simplest foods, like the breakfast pastry, pain au chocolat above, that drives me craziest. Why oh why can't we have a good Los Angeles version of this chocolate croissant?! It's a good thing for us, our French family and friends are very accommodating and schedule our activities around meals. Bon appetit, indeed!

Bod's Birthday Brekkie!

< December 21, 2008 - 12:20 p.m. - Mar Vista, CA

Theresa hosted a yummy fun proper English breakfast for Bod's birthday. It was delightful, delicious, and fun as hell. Happy Birthday, Bod!

Le Pain Quotidien's Gazpacho Soup

December 20, 2008 - 3:52 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

I've eaten a lot of gazpacho soup in my lifetime and I can confidently say that Le Pain Quotidien's is the best in all of Los Angeles. I don't like my gazpacho too blended or too chunky and they do it perfectly. The chilled soup is super refreshing and I'm curious to know, what secret fresh vegetable or ingredient is inside making me want more, more, more?! Maybe it's the fruity mango?! Whatever it is, it's mmm mmm good!

Le Pain Quotidien
316 Santa Monica Blvd
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 393-6800

Le Saigon's Nem Nuong Cuon

December 19, 2008 - 7:34 p.m. - Los Angeles, CA

When I'm craving Vietnamese food, I try to hold out for a weekend trip to Westminster. If I can't wait, I'll sometimes hit up Le Saigon in West Los Angeles. It's certainly not the best Vietnamese food, however, it is one of the best on the westside (where there's little competition). The Nem Nuong Cuon or the sweet pork meatball fresh rolls are pretty tasty and I would recommend these to anyone.

Le Saigon
11611 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90025-2907
Phone: (310) 312-2929

'The Twitter Film' by CSK

the twitter film (racing north, chased by tweets, chasing tweets) from svanes on Vimeo.

Christian shot his road trip from Los Angeles to San Francisco on May 30, 2008. He recently finished his short film about a time lapse journey by car. Christian meant for the clip to move time forward on three levels, "the actual travel that is recorded on film that can be measured in distance and time, while the twitter postings provide an additional register of the day’s progression." Two of my tweets are used in the film, "check your IM chat log PUNK ASS. May 23rd. 6:56 p.m. APOLOGIES good for the next 24 hours," and "according to GOOGLE MAPS, there are 7 car accidents waiting for me on my commute home. looks like i'm taking surface streets from BURBANK!" It's a fun clip, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ray Eames: Notes for a Celebration Recap

December 18, 2008 - 7:24 p.m. - Santa Monica, CA

The Eames Office is hosting an exhibition "Notes for a Celebration" to celebrate the art and design of Ray Eames. She was an American designer, married to Charles Eames, who worked in furniture, graphic, and industrial design, film and architecture. What I enjoyed so much from the show were the paper doll cut outs Ray made as a child. Well, those and the incredibly beautiful hand-written notes.

The Relationship

December 17, 2008 - 11:27 p.m. - Hollywood, CA

The best part about dropping by Shepard's annual holiday party was meeting Nate Shaw and Brian Bell of the recently formed rock group, The Relationship. Nate described The Relationship's music as very rock and roll, emphasizing roll. For someone who's been writing music and performing live since he was a young teenager, he was excitedly talking about the new band like it was something totally different and fresh. His infectious enthusiasm definitely made me want to check out the music. Brian's best known venture was probably playing guitar for alternative rock act, Weezer. He performed with The Space Twins and even tinkered a wee bit with Ringside, eventually forming The Relationship -- a band described as a new music group made up of old friends. Sean Lennon was mentioned as someone who might be guest appearing on the debut album. The Relationship say they're looking for a record deal. I say, have a listen. If you like what you hear, check back, I know I will. I'm told there's more music coming soon.

Caramel Apple

December 16, 2008 - 5:03 p.m. - Burbank, CA

SF - Virginia Holt Works (12.19.08 - 01.12.09)

Virginia Holt

December 19, 2008 - January 12, 2009
Opening, Friday, December 19th, 6-9pm

Come listen to some records and have a drink with us tonight to celebrate the opening of an exhibit of paintings from the mid-1960s by artist Virginia Holt!

Chabot Space & Science Center

December 14, 2008 - 1:59 p.m. - Oakland, CA

Having grown up with the National Air and Space Museum in my backyard, I'm a sucker for all space-related museums. While up in the Bay Area, my family friends took me to the Chabot Space & Science Center for an afternoon with their kids. It was nice. Very interactive. But not as glamorous as its Washington DC cousin. Nevertheless, I had a lovely nap during the Search for Life screening. Laying back with the stars spread across the Megadome screen in front of me, reminded me of falling asleep in the backyard as a kid. I highly recommend visiting this museum on an evening where a clear sky is predicted so that you can take advantage of the observatories' powerful telescopes.

LA - "Ray Eames: Notes for a Celebration" (12.18.08)

Entertainment Gathering 2008 Recap

Entertainment Gathering 2008 was incredibly inspirational and moving. I was at times, welling up witnessing what was on stage. But mostly, I was in awe of the human spirit and all the exciting projects and things people were up to. The company was top notch! So many creatives. So much talent. So nice people! I am grateful to have seen and heard what had transpired over a few days in Monterey, California and I look forward to attending the event again in the near future. Thanks EG 2008 for all the story-worthy memories.