Subject: Santa Monica

• Straight Dopes at the Times

  The LA Times editorial mudpatch really threw a bitch-fit over Sheila Kuehl's SB 1437, which they say would require California textbooks to "tell the stories of contributions made to history by gays and lesbians." They jest that Kuehl (D-Santa Monica) may be trying to write herself into the history books (Kuehl was the first openly gay member of the State Legislature). The Times takes issue with Kuehl because they think history books ought to "tell about the most important contributions, and misd

  May 9, 2006

• When Liberal Bias at the LA Times is Not Liberal Bias

  Poor Los Angeles Times. It's getting hammered all over, from buyouts to force-outs to ever-shrinking page counts to perceived shoddy coverage of La Lindsey. Now they're getting criticized by conservative news watchers for running a positive review of my book, ¡Ask a Mexican!, without disclosing that I'm a contributing editor to the Times' op-ed pages. Newsbuster.org contributor Dave Pierre claims this is just more proof of the Times gone amiss. "In other words, Arellano had about as much

  May 29, 2007

• Driving: Me Crazy!

  You know what I hate most about my new life in Orange County? No, not that. That either. What I hate is that if I stay out any time later than, say, 10 p.m., the odds seem to be about 50/50 that the freeway exit I need will be randomly closed. Or even that the entire freeway will be randomly closed. Is this some kind of cruel initiation ceremony being perpetrated upon me? Because if I'm forced off the road at, say, Knott's Berry Farm, I don't yet know how one gets back to Santa Ana using surf

  June 13, 2007

• Black and Blue at the zoo

  June 19, 2007

• Sonic Youth to Retrofit Urban Outfitters for Radio Benefit

  Avant-garde jam band Sonic Youth and electronic-pop tunesmith Dntel (Jimmy Tamborello of the Postal Service) will be playing a free concert to benefit KXLU-FM 88.9 (Loyola Marymount University's campus station) at Santa Monica's Third Street Promenade Urban Outfitters, Saturday, July 21 (time as yet unknown). It's part of the nationwide Free Yr Radio program (with support from Toyota Yaris, too), which aims to raise funds for non-commercial stations. Touring behind the reissue of their highly

  June 27, 2007

• Saturday's Headlines & Surprises: One Down in Murder at Sea Case

  Inaction Action! In their hunt for additional pay and perks, Orange County sheriff’s deputies flexed their muscles again Friday by delaying the transfer of incustody folks to court for criminal hearings. The, if you will, inaction action is designed to frightened county supervisors at the negotiating table with union officials who represent the deputies. Union boss John Nichols tells Reg reporter Peggy Lowe that the protest demonstrates “frustration.” In the past, the union has won wildly

  October 6, 2007

• Hybrid Culture: A night of art and music with the Basco family

  Even though it rained pitbulls and kittens Wednesday evening, a ton of people were in attendance at Dante Basco Presents: Hybrid Culture and Tard & Feathered at the Dragonfly Club in Santa Monica. If you don't know who Dante Basco is, you probably know him by another name. He was Rufio in the movie Hook. But little Rufio's long since grown up and besides acting and penning poetry, he owns and operates the Dragonfly. I chatted up SqueekDoe, one of the MCs of Seal Beach-based group WillieWho?

  January 24, 2008

• KCRW, Now with Even More User-friendliness

  Extraordinarily popular Santa Monica-based radio station KCRW 89.9 FM is introducing a new cutting-edge media player that, its publicist claims, “will empower online listeners to make KCRW their own.” (Does that mean we have to make the coffee, too?) KCRW’s Director of New Media, Anil Dewan, explains that “The player allows [listeners] to access playlists, subscribe to podcasts, embed content on blogs, buy a CD from an artist or a book of the author being interviewed, and share links

  January 31, 2008

• My Bloody Valentine to Tour N. America (Fingers Crossed)

  It's the musical equivalent of J.D. Salinger emerging from seclusion. A mere 16 years since their last visit to this continent, shoegazer-rock masters of the omniverse My Bloody Valentine return to feed us with their bliss. Among the eight dates [see below; ht- Pitchfork], there'll be two at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, Oct. 1 and 2. (Oohh, nurse, the smelling salts.) 09-19-21 Monticello, NY - Kutshers Country Club (ATP New York) 09-22 New York, NY - Roseland 09-23 New York, NY - Roselan

  May 6, 2008

• DJ Frane at the Continental Room Tonight

  Don't try this at home: DJ Frane's infamous "lightning lip scratch" trick. Recent Sprawl of Sound star DJ Frane will be spinning at Continental Room's event in Fullerton tonight; he also plans to play some records. And oh what records he'll play. Anyone who's heard his bongadelic hip-hop instrumentals (composed of hundreds of samples from Frane's deep, deep stash of excellent funk, psych-rock, prog-rock and spoken-word wax) will attest to the Santa Monica producer's impeccable taste. The man

  May 27, 2008

• Insane In the Membrane

  May 31, 2001

• Ramblings From the Lady on the Megaphone at the Peace Rally Who's So Annoying You Almost Become Pro-

  February 6, 2003

• Indie 103.1 Goes Off The Airwaves, Lives On Online

  Edit: As you can see, the shock of this news has affected more than one of us here on staff...Acclaimed LA/OC radio station Indie 103.1--which attracted nationwide attention due to their deep playlists and unconventional specialty shows in the face of increasingly uniform FM radio formats--is abandoning terrestrial radio today, in favor of broadcasting solely online.A statement on their official site says, "Indie 103.1 was recently faced with only one option --- to play the corporate radio game"

  January 15, 2009

• It's a Quick Read 17

  Orange County Register: South Coast Plaza shoppers are oblivious to President Obama's visit two miles away. If they can still afford South Coast Plaza, they are oblivious to his message, too. . . . Another Kobe Bryant court appearance, another dismissal. This time he was getting out of jury duty. Whew! No need to buy the wife a diamond. . . . Aliso Niguel High School security supervisor and part-time basketball coach Thomas Cole pleaded guilty to having sex with a teen girl and is expected

  March 19, 2009

• If Your Tap Water Tastes Like Rocket Fuel, Go Here

  California's Department of Toxic Substances Control, which oversees the ongoing cleanup of a toxic site in Chino Hills which for years had been an Aerojet manufacturing facility, is collecting public comment on its efforts through April 10. Some testimony will be gathered at a hearing Thursday concerning the closing of a unit used to destroy ordnance. There have been fears that spilled rocket fuel and other nasty stuff from the facility has leeched into the Santa Ana River

  March 25, 2009

• [Best of OC 2008 Post Cards] Foodstuffs: Greetings From Rachel Klemek

  October 9, 2008

• Pounded Pavement

  September 4, 2008

• [Sprawl of Sound] DJ Frane's Heady Hip-Hop Goes Up in Smoke

  May 15, 2008

• Counter Intelligence

  The quest for the perfect burger ends in Irvine

  December 20, 2007

• New Column!

  February 13, 2003

• 2007: Looking Back at the Year Ahead

  Predictions for 2007

  January 4, 2007

• Wipe Out!

  June 2, 2005

• A Toothless God

  May 19, 2005

• The Closing Of The Orange County Frontier

  December 30, 2004

• Green No More

  February 19, 2004

• Tuning in, turning on

  January 15, 2004

• I Love Paris in the Meantime

  January 1, 2004

• All This Senseless Beauty

  August 28, 2003

• Letters

  August 7, 2003

• Slate Nailer

  December 19, 2002

• Wheels of Desire

  May 2, 2002

• Nice Dish!

  January 31, 2002

• Raving In Wonderland

  September 6, 2001

• Letters

  May 17, 2001

• Holy Mackerel!

  February 1, 2001

• Lost Weekend

  November 2, 2000

• Risky Business

  April 13, 2000

• Letters

  September 9, 1999

• Where the Surf Meets the Turd

  August 5, 1999

• The Year in Dark Places That Smell of Popcorn

  January 7, 1999

• Marché Moderne's Market Is A Feast For the Senses

  As I mentioned recently, Marché Moderne is celebrating two years at South Coast Plaza with a two-night special tasting menu and market for diners. Last night was the first night; I attended--and also Twittered about the experience. The food was superb, the dishes showcasing top-tier produce from the restaurant's suppliers, who also came to sell their wares at the market. A corner of the restaurant's rooftop patio was taken over by seven vendors, selling everything from flowers--including real l

  April 30, 2009

• Weenie Roast Lineup Announced: Weezer, Jimmy Eat World, Kings of Leon

  Andrew YoussefThe full lineup for KROQ's annual Weenie Roast show was released today, a whopping TWELVE DAYS! before the show itself. Seems kinda quick, right? Oh well. It still looks like a pretty good show, headlined by Weezer and Jimmy Eat World (pictured)--they toured together in 2001!--Kings of Leon, Silversun PIckups, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Rancid, Airborne Toxic Event and the much-polarizing Asher Roth.Tickets for the show, which takes place on May 16 at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irv

  May 4, 2009

• Monday Night BBQs Are Back On the Menu At Ho-Hum Habana

  May is National Barbeque Month (yay!) and, so far, the weather's playing ball.Good to hear, then, that Habana at the Lab recently reintroduced its Monday night BBQ (from 10pm till midnight, from now through Labor Day), held on its gorgeous, romantic patio. Assuming I could ever last that long till dinner, I might give it shot, despite my disappointing meal there this week.True, the setting is lovely (both the exterior and the moody interior), the bar tenders know how to mix a potent ma

  May 7, 2009

• Light, Summery Recipe: Wolfgang Puck's Chinois Chicken Salad

  I've had this dish a few times at the Wolfgang Puck Bistro inside Macy's at South Coast Plaza. At Chinois on Main, Puck's restaurant in Santa Monica, it's been on the menu for over 25 years, such is its popularity. It even includes Colman's mustard, which I blogged about yesterday.Cooking a chicken from scratch might sound a little drastic, but precooked chicken should work in a pinch. Chinois Chicken SaladServes 4 as an appetizer, 2 as an entréeFor the Chinese Mustard Vinaigrette:2tsp Chinese

  June 17, 2009

• KCRW's Jason Bentley to Appear at...South Coast Plaza?

  Jason Bentley (seen looking very sly in that picture over there) took over as host of Morning Becomes Eclectic--and KCRW music director--on December 1 of last year, but though the taste-making Santa Monica-based public radio station's signal covers Orange County comfortably, Bentley hasn't had the chance to make it out here recently.That changes next Wednesday, June 24, with Bentley up in our area for the first time since taking over from the venerable Nic Harcourt. He'll be DJing the "STARS of

  June 18, 2009

• TONIGHT: KCRW's Jeremy Sole Spins at Continental Room

  Okay despite the fact that he mentions playing in the "IE" tonight on his Myspace page when referring to his gig at The Continental Room, we're willing to give Jeremy Sole a break. He's just that good. And maybe while he's down here, someone can remind him that Fullerton is still in Orange County. But either way, the fact that this late-night turntable wizard from KCRW 89.9 FM is coming down to show some love adds another solid lump on to Continental's DJ cred. As one of the co-founders of Afro

  July 21, 2009

• Notable Releases - 7/21/2009 A Free Show at the Santa Monica Pier

  Some notable releases for July 21, 2009:Sugar Ray-Music For CougarsAfter a six year hiatus to pursue other interests (like lead singer Mark McGrath hosting Extra),  Sugar Ray have returned to produce music for... um.. judging by the title, middle aged women who frequent clubs in pursuit of strapping young lads. Or maybe they are writing songs for felines. Talk about limiting your audience.Music For Cougars

  July 21, 2009

• Trabuco Canyon's Lila Rizk Guilty in Massive Real Estate Fraud

  ​A federal jury this afternoon convicted a licensed real estate appraiser from Trabuco Canyon of conspiracy, bank fraud and numerous loan fraud charges related to a massive mortgage fraud scheme that caused more than $40 million in losses to federally insured banks, the FBI announced.Lila Rizk, 42, had stood trial for five weeks alongside prominent Beverly Hills real estate agent Kyle Grasso,

  August 12, 2009

• Google Dolls

  The other day, while getting the website that mirrors your favorite OC alt.-weekly pub ready for ya'all, Clockworken noticed something interesting upon opening Gustavo Arellano's popular column !Ask a Mexican! (Special Cesar Chavez Edition). Along the top of the virtual page was a Google advertisement inside a rectangular box, but upon opening El Mex the copy inside changed. Gone were the previous product-hawking sites, which we can't recall at this moment due to a weekend spent swimming with a

  January 23, 2006

• Free Crap That Came In The Mail: Everclear, 'In A Different Light'

  ​Is there any more concrete evidence that a band is out of ideas than releasing an album full of new recordings of old songs?

  October 21, 2009