Judy Collins, Walt Disney Concert Hall,  Saturday, Feb. 11

Known for her classic interpretations of “Both Sides Now,”  “Amazing Grace” and
“Send in the Clowns,” the Grammy winning singer songwriter has thrilled audiences worldwide for more than 40 years with her unique blend of interpretive folk and pop.  Accompanying herself on piano and guitar she performs music by her contemporaries and from her own classic songbook.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Roberta Flack and the Pacific Symphony at  Segerstrom Hall Feb 9-11

Valentine’s Special, Grammy Award winner Roberta Flack visits the Pacific Symphony bringing her Intoxicating ballads: “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly with His Tongue,”  “Where is the Love” and more. Richard Kaufmann conducts. Segerstrom Hall, 715 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA.

Sex and the City Zoo Celebration,  Sunday, Feb. 12

The Greater LA Zoo Association invites you to  their annual lighthearted “celebration of animal dating, mating and cohabitating” for Valentine’s Day.  Zoo veteran Jason Jacobs will share insights about the pros and cons of relationships in the animal kingdom. Champagne and chocolate will be provided for the humans.   Witherbee Auditorium at the LA Zoo, 5333 Zoo Drive, Los Angeles, CA

Watson Adventures’ Naked at the Getty Scavenger Hunt, Saturday, Feb. 11

Celebrate Valentine’s Day at 5 p.m. on Saturday evening with Watson Adventures on a Valentine’s Day scavenger hunt for nudity in art.  Teams of two to six people will discover secrets hidden in works of art involving nudity while tackling witty, tricky questions. No knowledge of art – or nudity – is needed to succeed. Advance reservations required.  Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center, Los Angeles.

18^th Annual Valentine’s Celebration: Men in Blaque & UCI A Capella, UCI ArtCenter, Feb. 14

Bring your date or a friend and enjoy some wonderful music, at 8 p.m. on the 14^th., conducted by Joseph Huszti. Join them for a post-concert reception. UCI Arts Center Winifred Smith Hall, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA

 Venice Valentine’s Scavenger Hunt, Feb. 11 and 12

This biking scavenger hunt through Venice Beach is designed for teams of two to get to know each other’s intellectual side while enjoying a day out exploring. There are prizes for the top 3 teams. Bikes are available for rent, or you can bring your own.  A portion of ticket proceeds goes to the Boys and Girls Club of Venice.  Scavenger Hunt, 1800 Ocean Front Walk, Venice.

Four Course Valentine’s Dinner, Laguna Canyon Winery, Feb. 11 & Feb. 14

Enjoy fine epicurean creations paired with artisan boutique wines while listening to live music. The Valentine’s WineMaker’s Dinner is $125 per person, plus 21% service charge plus tax. Members receive a 10% discount.  Laguna Canyon Winery, 2133 Laguna Canyon Rd., Laguna Beach.

Zeppelin Air Tour over Los Angeles  Take an air tour over LA in the only airship in the US licensed for commercial passenger transport, Airship Ventures’ Zeppelin Eureka. It’s not private, but there are only 12 passengers per flight, with plenty of room to move around and enjoy the views out the large picture windows.  Opt for the sunset flight.     Airship Ventures, 250 Airflite Way, Long Beach, CA

Valentine Sunset Cruise with Dana Wharf Whale Watching Tours

Sail aboard the 95′ Dana Pride at sunset and search for whales, dolphin and other marine life set against the beautiful Orange County coastline. Chocolates and Valentine’s Day treats are included, as well as a glass of champagne.  Dana Wharf Whale Watching Tours, 34675 Golden Lantern, Dana Point, CA

Valentine’s Day Dinner benefits ‘Save Our Beach, at McKenna’s in Long Beach

Fundraiser  Valentine’s Day dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. at McKenna’s. For $100 per person, which goes to Save Our Beach, diners will get dinner, champagne and a guaranteed raffle prize.  McKenna’s, 190 N. Marina Drive, Long Beach, CA

Queen Mary Red Hot Singles Mix and Mingle on Valentine’s Day

The party’s on from 8 p.m. to midnight complete with live music, dancing and a sweet treat candy station. Tickets are $19.95 per person and include parking.

The Queen Mary is at 1126 Queens Highway, Long Beach.

Valentine’s Day Dinner with a View, Orange County Mining Company

Floor to ceiling picture windows offer your table a stunning view of Orange County, and the saloon takes you back to the mining era.

Orange County  Mining Co., 10000 Crawford Canyon Rd., Orange, CA

Waterfront Beach Resort Anti- Valentine Day party  in Huntington

On the flip side if you are really not into prescribed holidays, but still want to party, you can join with others and celebrate your censoring at the Waterfront Beach Resort in Huntington.  The Waterfront Beach Resort, 21100 Pacific Cst.  Highway, Huntington Beach, CA

Clybourne Park, Mark Taper Forum, Center Theater, now thru Feb. 26

Winner 2011 Pulitzer Prize.  Headed for Broadway in April, the LA Times called it, “Biting satiric comedy, damnably enjoyable.”  By Bruce Norris. Directed by Pam MacKinnon. Jokes fly and hidden agendas unfold as two vastly different generations of characters tip-toe the delicate dance of social politics, pitting race against real estate at the crux of two seminal events — 50 years apart — in the same north Chicago house.  Mark Taper Forum, Center Theater, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles.

Placido Domingo in Verdi Masterpiece Simon Boccanegra LA Opera, Music Center, Feb. 11, 15, 19,21, Mar. 1

Thrust into power, undone by a sordid past. Conducted by James Conlan with projected Engish Translations . The unrivaled Placido Domingo brings his celebrated interpretation of one of opera’s most complex characters to his home company.  LA Opera is located at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion and is part of the Music Center of Los Angeles, 135 N. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA

Cinderella Les Ballets De  Monte Carlo at Segerstrom Hall, Feb. 9 – 12

Sophisticated interpretation of this classic  fairy tale romance , choreographed by Jean-Christopher Maillot.  Exclusive West Coast engagement and Center premiere.  Segerstrom Hall, 715 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa.

West Coast Premiere: Elemono Pea, South Coast Repertory,  Now thru  Feb. 26 Playwright, Molly Smith Metzler, and Director, Marc Masterson, give you this keenly observed comedy about class, family and the choices that shape who we are. Unfolding in real time,  the sisters of an absurdly rich New York ad man and a visiting blue collar family  from Buffalo collide.   South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa,CA

Star Wars, Where Science Meets Imagination, Discovery Science Center, Santa Ana,  Runs now through April 15

Imagine humanoid robots translating languages, land speeders zooming down highways, and X-wing Starfighters guarding  the skies. Could these  Star Wars™ technologies  become  reality?  Find out in Discovery Science Center’s out-of-this-world exhibit, by Bose Corporation. Discovery Science Center, 2500 N. Main, Santa Ana, CA

Bowers  Museum’s  Warriors, Tombs and Temples, China’s Enduring Legacy, runs now through March 4.  Following the extraordinary 2008 Exhibition, Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor, the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana partners with Houston Museum of Natural Science to show 200 newly discovered treasures from ancient Chinese tombs.   Debuting now in the U.S.,  these  ancient works of art come from  three dynasties of Chinese civilization.   Bowers Museum,   2002 North Main Street, Santa Ana, CA

Newport Beach Jazz Party at the Newport Mariott, Feb. 16-19

President’s Day Weekend  is a four-day festival of “Right Down the Middle and Straight Ahead” jazz  with  big bands and duos, playing everything from Ellington to Sinatra. Stars include John Pizzarelli (Thursday) and Frank Sinatra, Jr. (Sunday). The Newport Mariott Hotel and Spa, 900 Newport Center Drive, Newport, CA

Now through April see the Gray Whales, and from May to October see the Blue Whales, in Los Angeles, Marina Del Rey, Palos Verdes, San Pedro, Long Beach, Newport, Dana Point, and San Diego

With summer like weather upon us, Southern California is a target rich area for the whale migrations of fifty foot grays and hundred foot blue whales.  To capture this wondrous display of nature’s most magnificent creatures and inspiration in the water, or from land–here’s

Travelin’ Local’s Annual Edition of:

The Best Places in Southern California To Go Whale Watching

Including The Best Guide of Boat Tours from LA to San Diego, including the  best  land based Viewpoints

And just to pique your interest, we’ve included a special Marine Wildlife by Air Tour

Right now you can see more Gray Whales heading for their calving grounds in the breeding areas at Baja’s southern tip. Starting in May, you can see the stunning Blue Whale, the largest known animal on the planet. The Blue Whales feed off the Southern California coast and travel in pairs in their migration, which can be seen until October.

Along the way, huge pods of Dolphins are also frequently spotted off our coast near Redondo Beach, Marina Del Rey, Long Beach, Corona del Mar, and San Clemente.

For your outing take sunglasses, sunblock, a hat, light jacket, binoculars, camera, rubber soled shoes and  Dramamine for  sea sickness.

Be part of this 5,000 mile migration.  Claim your viewpoint now!

Southern California Whale Watching Tours:

Los Angeles – San Pedro – Redondo Beach – Marina Del Rey – Long Beach

American Cetacean Society Whale Watching Cruises, P.O. Box 1391, San Pedro, CA 90733-1391

Belmont Pier Sportfishing, 2939 Ocean Ave., Long Beach.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium has whale watching tours out of San Pedro. 3720 Stephen M. White Drive, San Pedro.

Marina del Rey Sportfishing . Dock 52, Fiji Way Marina del Rey

Los Angeles Harbor Sportfishing  79 Berth, San Pedro.

LA Whale Watching  Harbor Breeze Yacht Charts and Cruises, 100 Aquarium Way, Dock #2, Long Beach, CA 90802

Redondo Sportfishing,.233 North Harbor Drive, Redondo Beach.;

Spirit Cruises, 429 Shoreline Village Dr #100, Long Beach;

Newport Beach

Newport Landing Whale Watching, 309 Palm St, A, Newport Beach   

Davey’s Locker, 400 Main St., Newport Beach

Funzone Boat Company has many Newport Harbor tours including a sea lion cruise, 600 Edgewater Place, Balboa

Dana Point

• Festival of the Whales in Dana Pt. March 3-4 and 10-11

Capt. Dave’s Dolphin & Whale Safari, 34451 Ensenada Place, Dana Pt.

Dream Catchers Yacht Charters, 24450 Dana Pt. Harbor Dr., Bldg. A1, Dana Pt.

Aventura Sailing Association – one of the few whale watching tours powered by the wind on luxury sailboats. 24707 Dana Drive, Dana Pt.

Dana Wharf Watching and Sport Fishing with special notes:

•  Valentine Sunset Cruise – Dana Wharf Watching tours offers a sunset    cruise complete with champagne in search of whales and dolphins.
• Ocean Institute of Marine Mammal Cruises – check out the field trips for kids and learn more about all of the opportunities at the Ocean Institute.
• Art Lessons with famed artist, Wyland in the Wild offers dockside art lessons for kids plus a whale watching cruise.

San Diego

Hornblower Cruises and Events 1066 North Harbor Drive, San Diego

San Diego Harbor Excursions - Birch Aquarium at Scripps has twice-daily cruises with San Diego Harbor Excursions. 3- and 5-day whale watching expeditions  to Baja California are also offered… 2300 Expedition Way, La Jolla, California.

Sail Jada Charters, 4318 Montalvo Street, San Diego

Helgren’s Sportfishing,. 315 Harbor Dr S, Oceanside

San Diego Maritime Museum - daily whale watching tours aboard the historic yacht, America, between December and April. 1492 North Harbor Dr., San Diego

Adventure Rib Rides  – a fun, fast ride onboard an authentic Navy SEAL Rigid Inflatable Boat (R.I.B.).1380 Harbor Island Drive, San Diego.

Dennis Conner’s America’s Cup Experience‎, 1050 North Harbor Drive, San Diego

San Diego Boat Tours, Shelter Cove Marina, 2240 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego.

Blue Horizon Sportfishing, 2803 Emerson St, San Diego‎.

San Diego Whale Watching Excursions‎, 1050 North Harbor Drive, San Diego.

Best Viewpoints for Whale Watching in So. CA

Balboa/Newport Beach – Some of the most fertile waters in California are just outside Newport Bay. There you will find the grey whale migration thru April, and in the summer many blue whales.

Channel Islands National Park- Some 10,000 grey whales move through the Santa Barbara Channel between the Channel Islands and the California coast. Then off Santa Rosa Island the summer offers sightings of the blue whale.
Dana Point – One of the prime viewpoints in South Orange County, the migration season is celebrated here in March with the Festival of Whales. The Ocean Institute also provides a network of classes and hands on marine experiences for kids of all ages.

Long Beach – For LA visitors, this is an easy drive and there are several choices in tour groups.

Palos Verdes Peninsula – This is one of the best whale watching viewpoints in the L.A. area, close to Los Angeles on the Palos Verdes Peninsula at Point Vincente.

San Diego – The Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, The city’s land-based viewing spot, with an outdoor observatory providing  a view 400 feet above sea level. San Diego has been cited as one of the best whale watching spots in the world.

Ventura – Grey whales can be seen in the Santa Barbara Channel now thru March. From July until September you may see humpback and blue whales, or killer whales.
From the Air…

Riter Aviation VIP Whale Watching Tours – Marine Wildlife Tours is a VIP whale watching tour in a light aircraft out of Torrance airport, between Los Angeles and Long Beach. Seeing whales from the air with the pilot able to scour the ocean for views puts a whole new spin on whale watching.

This story is not political, nor has as its intent the notion to have people think that it is—from a layperson’s perspective, it’s important to understand the magnitude of the sustainability of our way of life in the Golden State, and how to deal with the complex changes required to maintain our current quality of life.

Can the 1 trillion miles driven annually per year, grow into 400 trillion miles? Simply put—yes.

The growth in the number of people, the number of cars, and the number of drivers would generate astronomical numbers. (Not that we don’t already have them currently).

What and how can we stop this trend in our reliance on the use of cars, ease traffic, decrease carbon emissions, and improve the quality of our lives here? First some background:

Los Angeles County Profile

10. Tom’s bartending scene from “Cocktail”: Tom played an ex-soldier that tries to get a marketing job, but when he realizes he needs a college degree, he finds work as a bartender, an alternative career in which he successfully executes one of the most famous bartending scenes in the history of film. Not only did Tom Cruise flip bottles and entertain bar-goers in the movie “Cocktail” with flair, but his role as Brian Flanagan also earned him a nomination for the Razzie Award for Worst Actor. But hey, we still loved it!

9. Tom’s casino scene from “Rain Man”: Wanna learn how to master blackjack by counting cards and nearly bankrupting a casino? It’s exactly what Tom Cruise and Dustin Hoffman did in the movie “Rain Man.” In this classic scene, Tom and Dustin cheated their way Vegas-style to a large sum of winnings. We all know cheating is wrong, but it never looked like so much fun!

8. Tom’s motivational speech from “Magnolia”: Tom Cruise may be an actor, but he proved in “Magnolia” that he could deliver one heck of a compelling motivational speech on the big screen. It might not have been the exact “motivation” the audience would have expected from a typically clean-cut boy like Tom, but with his now famous “seduce and destroy” pitch, he taught male audience members exactly how to seduce women. So, remember to, “respect it… and tame it.”

7. Tom jumps car-to-car in “Minority Report”: From dramas to comedies, Tom Cruise has starred in numerous genres of movies and has pulled off many different types of characters. His most beloved roles, however, may just be those from his action movies. In “Minority Report,” he pulled off an intense car chase scene as he jumped from vehicle to vehicle, capturing a memorable movie moment.

6. “You Can’t Handle the Truth” from “A Few Good Men”: Some lines make scenes memorable, and some scenes become the heart of a film. This is particularly true with the now infamous line, “You can’t handle the truth!” from the movie “A Few Good Men.” Even though Jack Nicholson delivered the line, the courtroom scene with Tom Cruise goes down in history as a legendary moment. The line is listed at #29 on American Film Institute’s Top 100 movie quotes.

5. Tom hangs upside down while breaking in from “Mission: Impossible”: The “Mission Impossible” movies are known for their intense action scenes and Tom Cruise is known for entertaining audiences by performing the majority of the stunts himself. In the first “Mission: Impossible,” Tom showed off his athleticism in one particularly memorable scene when he hung upside down on a wire while trying to break into a CIA computer. 4. “Show Me The Money” from “Jerry Maguire”: Sometimes, a movie’s most famous line is more memorable than the plot, and in 1996, Tom Cruise delivered a line that would go on to stand the test of time. Still best known for the line, “Show me the money!” “Jerry Maguire” would go on to score an Academy Award win for Best Supporting Actor, Cuba Gooding, Jr. Although Cuba originated the line, Tom called and repeated it along with him. The line is listed at #25 on American Film Institute’s top 100 movie quotes and #80 on Premiere’s “The 100 Greatest Movie Lines” list.

3. Tom Cruise as Les Grossman in “Tropic Thunder”: He was hairy, vulgar, and a killer hip-hop dancer. In a role that would go on to become a hilarious alter ego, Tom Cruise caught audiences by surprise with his cameo as media mogul Les Grossman in “Tropic Thunder.” One of his most memorable scenes involved showing off his dance skills and doing what Les does best while jamming to a hip-hop beat. Les Grossman even made a return to the small screen by “producing” the 2010 MTV Movie Awards and has since landed his very own movie at Paramount. We wish nothing but success for Les as he continues to, “achieve greatness against the odds.”

2. “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” in “Top Gun”: In all of Tom Cruise’s movies, he gets the girl, but in “Top Gun,” he delivered one of the best pick-up lines of all-time. Not only is, “She’s lost that lovin’ feeling” a memorable line from the movie, but his character, Maverick, swept Charlie (played by Kelly McGillis) off her feet with his (and 20 of his fellow cadets’) rendition of the actual song “You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feeling” by The Righteous Brothers. Of course, Charlie was probably slightly embarrassed by Maverick’s approach, but deep down inside, what lady doesn’t want to be serenaded to by a group of complete strangers?

1. In what initially looked like an embarrassing mistake on the part of Beverly Hills, a sign in front of City Hall has been exposed as a movie prop, and for a Tom Cruise film, according to a comment left by Mayor Barry Brucker at the Beverly Hills Patch. Beverly Hills’s ornate 1931 City Hall is playing the part of LA’s government center during the course of a one-day shoot, reports the Patch, which initially thought the sign was an amusing screw-up.

It’s not clear what the movie’s about (could it possibly be alien genocide flick Horizons?), but the crew couldn’t have shot the real thing 11 miles east?

· Update: City of…What? [BH Patch]

Oscar Week Events

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences paid homage Tuesday morning to the early days of cinema by bestowing the lion’s share of Oscar nominations on two films that are valentines to the early days of cinema. “Hugo,” Martin Scorsese’s heartfelt love letter to filmmaking, earned the most nominations with 11, including best picture, best director and best screenplay as well as several technical Oscars. “The Artist,” the low-budget black-and-white silent movie that offers a glimpse of Hollywood during its transition to the “talkies,” earned 10 nominations, including nods for best picture, best director, screenplay, actor and supporting actress.

BEST PICTURE

“The Artist,” Thomas Langmann, producer
“The Descendants,” Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor, producers
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close,” Scott Rudin, producer
“The Help,” Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and Michael Barnathan, producers
“Hugo,” Graham King and Martin Scorsese, producers
“Midnight in Paris,” Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, producers
“Moneyball,” Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt, producers
“The Tree of Life,” Nominees to be determined
“War Horse,” Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers

LEAD ACTOR

Demián Bichir, “A Better Life”
George Clooney, “The Descendants”
Jean Dujardin, “The Artist”
Gary Oldman, “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy ”
Brad Pitt, “Moneyball”

LEAD ACTRESS

Glenn Close, “Albert Nobbs”
Viola Davis, “The Help”
Rooney Mara, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Meryl Streep, “The Iron Lady”
Michelle Williams, “My Week With Marilyn”

BEST DIRECTOR

Michel Hazanavicius, “The Artist”
Alexander Payne, “The Descendants”
Martin Scorsese, “Hugo”
Woody Allen, “Midnight in Paris”
Terrence Malick, “The Tree of Life”

SUPPORTING ACTOR

Kenneth Branagh, “My Week with Marilyn”
Jonah Hill, “Moneyball”
Nick Nolte, “Warrior”
Christopher Plummer, “Beginners”
Max von Sydow, “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”

SUPPORTING ACTRESS

Bérénice Bejo, “The Artist”
Jessica Chastain, “The Help”
Melissa McCarthy, “Bridesmaids”
Janet McTeer, “Albert Nobbs”
Octavia Spencer, “The Help”

WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY)

“The Descendants,” Alexander Payne and Nat Faxon & Jim Rash
“Hugo,” John Logan
“The Ides of March,” George Clooney & Grant Heslov and Beau Willimon
“Moneyball,” Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. Story by Stan Chervin
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Screenplay by Bridget O’Connor & Peter Straughan

WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY)

“The Artist,” Michel Hazanavicius
“Bridesmaids,” Annie Mumolo & Kristen Wiig
“Margin Call,” J.C. Chandor
“Midnight in Paris,” Woody Allen
“A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi

ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

“A Cat in Paris,” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli
“Chico & Rita,” Fernando Trueba and Javier Mariscal
“Kung Fu Panda 2,” Jennifer Yuh Nelson
“Puss in Boots,” Chris Miller
“Rango,” Gore Verbinski

FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM

“Bullhead,” Belgium
“Footnote,” Israel
“In Darkness,” Poland
“Monsieur Lazhar,” Canada
“A Separation,” Iran

DOCUMENTARY (FEATURE)

“Hell and Back Again,” Danfung Dennis and Mike Lerner
“If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front,” Marshall Curry and Sam Cullman
“Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory,” Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky
“Pina,” Wim Wenders and Gian-Piero Ringel
“Undefeated,” TJ Martin, Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas

DOCUMENTARY (SHORT SUBJECT)

“The Barber of Birmingham: Foot Soldier of the Civil Rights Movement,” Robin Fryday and Gail Dolgin
“God Is the Bigger Elvis,” Rebecca Cammisa and Julie Anderson
“Incident in New Baghdad,” James Spione
“Saving Face,” Daniel Junge and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
“The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom,” Lucy Walker and Kira Carstensen

SHORT FILM (ANIMATED)

“Dimanche/Sunday,” Patrick Doyon
“The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore,” William Joyce and Brandon Oldenburg
“La Luna,” Enrico Casarosa
“A Morning Stroll,” Grant Orchard and Sue Goffe
“Wild Life,” Amanda Forbis and Wendy Tilby

SHORT FILM (LIVE ACTION)

“Pentecost,” Peter McDonald and Eimear O’Kane
“Raju,” Max Zähle and Stefan Gieren
“The Shore,” Terry George and Oorlagh George
“Time Freak,” Andrew Bowler and Gigi Causey
“Tuba Atlantic,” Hallvar Witzø

ART DIRECTION

“The Artist,” production design: Laurence Bennett; set decoration: Robert Gould
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” production design: Stuart Craig; set decoration: Stephenie McMillan
“Hugo,” production design: Dante Ferretti; set decoration: Francesca Lo Schiavo
“Midnight in Paris,” production design: Anne Seibel; set decoration: Hélène Dubreuil
“War Horse,” production design: Rick Carter; set decoration: Lee Sandales

CINEMATOGRAPHY

Guillaume Schiffman, “The Artist”
Jeff Cronenweth, “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Robert Richardson, “Hugo”
Emmanuel Lubezki, “The Tree of Life”
Janusz Kaminski, “War Horse”

COSTUME DESIGN

Lisy Christl, “Anonymous”
Mark Bridges, “The Artist”
Sandy Powell, “Hugo”
Michael O’Connor, “Jane Eyre”
Arianne Phillips, “W.E”

FILM EDITING

“The Artist,” Anne-Sophie Bion and Michel Hazanavicius
“The Descendants,” Kevin Tent
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“Hugo” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Moneyball,” Christopher Tellefsen

MAKEUP

“Albert Nobbs,” Martial Corneville, Lynn Johnston and Matthew W. Mungle
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2,” Nick Dudman, Amanda Knight and Lisa Tomblin
“The Iron Lady,” Mark Coulier and J. Roy Helland

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE)

“The Adventures of Tintin,” John Williams
“The Artist,” Ludovic Bource
“Hugo,” Howard Shore
“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” Alberto Iglesias
“War Horse” John Williams

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG)

“Man or Muppet” from “The Muppets,” music and lyrics by Bret McKenzie
“Real in Rio,” from “Rio,” music by Sergio Mendes and Carlinhos Brown; lyrics by Siedah Garrett

SOUND EDITING

“Drive,” Lon Bender and Victor Ray Ennis
“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Ren Klyce
“Hugo,” Philip Stockton and Eugene Gearty
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” Ethan Van der Ryn and Erik Aadahl
“War Horse,” Richard Hymns and Gary Rydstrom

SOUND MIXING

“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Bo Persson
“Hugo,” Tom Fleischman and John Midgley
“Moneyball,” Deb Adair, Ron Bochar, Dave Giammarco and Ed Novick
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” Greg P. Russell, Gary Summers, Jeffrey J. Haboush and Peter J. Devlin
“War Horse,” Gary Rydstrom, Andy Nelson, Tom Johnson and Stuart Wilson

VISUAL EFFECTS

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2″ Tim Burke, David Vickery, Greg Butler and John Richardson
“Hugo,” Rob Legato, Joss Williams, Ben Grossman and Alex Henning
“Real Steel,” Erik Nash, John Rosengrant, Dan Taylor and Swen Gillberg
“Rise of the Planet of the Apes,” Joe Letteri, Dan Lemmon, R. Christopher White and Daniel Barrett
“Transformers: Dark of the Moon,” Scott Farrar, Scott Benza, Matthew Butler and John Frazier

100 Years of Paramount Pictures

January 26

For the next five months, on the last Thursday of each month, Film Independent at LACMA invites you to a celebration of the 100th anniversary of Paramount Pictures that will include a double feature of movies chosen from the studio’s archives. To kick off the Paramount Pictures’ centenary, the focus is on a pair of comedies created by the films’ female stars—women whose unique timing and specific approach to sexuality in film is groundbreaking for very different reasons. The first film is the unique and rarely revived A New Leaf, the 1971 directorial debut of Elaine May. In this odd and defiantly sweet take on a comedy of manners, Walter Matthau stars as Henry, a high-living player who has run through his entire fortune. This rake’s idea of progress is to seduce and marry the peculiar botanist and heiress, Henrietta (May). May’s film garnered her a WGA award for its script. In the second half of this bill, the seduction is on the other foot—that is, the slipper. In the 1933 comedy She Done Him Wrong, Mae West helped adapt the successful Broadway sex farce, “Diamond Lil” (which she wrote) that made her infamous. Speedy and hilarious, the 1890-set Wrong follows Lou (West) as she cuts a swath of larceny and lasciviousness through the Bowery, and her targets include a younger actor in his second role with his new stage name: Cary Grant.

7:30pm

A New Leaf

1971/color/102 min./digital

Scr / Dir. Elaine May; with Elaine May, Walter Matthau, George Rose and James Coco

9:15 (approximate start time)

She Done Him Wrong

1933/black & white/ 66 min.

Scr. Mae West / dir. Lowell Sherman; with Mae West, Cary Grant and Owen Moore

$7 for LACMA members

$5 for Film Independent, LACMA Film Club, and New York Times Film Club members.
Members of these groups will be required to show proof of membership when retrieving their tickets.

Tickets available to members Thursday, December 15 at 5 pm | Tickets available to the public Thursday, December 22 at 5 pm

Film Independent – History – About

The seeds for what would grow to be Film Independent were planted in 1981 when Gregory Nava and a small band of directors, writers, and producers began gathering regularly to share creative ideas and discuss ways to increase resources for independent filmmakers.

The non-profit member driven organization Independent Feature Project (IFP)/West soon emerged from these meetings with the mission to cultivate the careers of independent filmmakers, build larger audiences for independent film, and champion diversity in the entertainment industry. National recognition quickly followed when the organization took on production of the Independent Spirit Awards in the late 1980s and assumed ownership of the Los Angeles Film Festival in the year 2000.  In time, IFP/West would become IFP/Los Angeles and in 2005 it took on the name Film Independent—a more accurate banner for the spectrum of services the organization had expanded to include.

Today, Film Independent remains a collective of filmmakers, industry professionals, and film lovers, but encompasses a broad community of individuals who appreciate and sustain artist-driven filmmaking.  Film independent empowers filmmakers to tell their own stories, in their own voices and provides a support system in which their work can be appreciated.

Be independent. Not alone. Click here or call 310.432.1231 for information on becoming part of the Film Independent community.

How many movies, television shows and books have described and shown underground tunnels, subways, railways, and other sundry desolate images of long abandoned underground urban locations.

Notably, I recall many of the scenes with Keanu Reeves in the Matrix series when he was “stuck” in the train station waiting for the “Key Man,”

Or, how about the scenes from many a horror, mainstream movie such as the re-make of “The Taking of Pelham 123″ or even “Planet of the Apes.”

Well there’s a lot of truth to what we oft think of fiction meant to influence our darker emotions and to create both an ambiance and mis-en-scene of darkness, doom and foreboding.

Indeed, I had a movie executive friend who actually wanted to make a movie about people who allegedly lived “underground” in groups. Now I must admit, even still, that while the facts are proven as to the existence of many an abandoned underground “Railway” or other tunnel–I’m still skeptical as to the allegations of underground people. ( I hope I’m correct).

Be that as it may, some interesting history with full documentation has been recently published about Los Angeles’ miles of secret underground tunnels–To wit:

Did you know that there are 11 miles of tunnels under downtown LA? Creepy cool, right?
Dave Malkoff from KTLA did a nice piece about it a little over a year ago…

“Downtown Los Angeles is postcard perfect with its high rises, trendy bars and signature sports venue.

But buried beneath all of this is what many Angelenos are unaware of says LA Historian, Richard Schave, “there are 11 miles of tunnels at one point connected throughout downtown Los Angeles…..

Mysterious murals, rusted machinery, and broken down brick line the basement of the King Eddy Saloon on 5th and Main – an establishment that’s been around since the 1900′s.”

Read L.A.’s Underground Tunnels

Today I came across this superb article from KCET, written by Nathan Masters. You don’t have to be a history buff to enjoy this piece of LA history. Not only fascinating, the old photos are great.

“Underground passageways hold the power to excite–especially when they’re hidden underneath a busy city soaked in sunshine. News reports have explored the miles of pedestrian tunnels still buried beneath the civic center. Action films and car commercials often feature images of automobiles speeding through the Second and Third Street tunnels.

Other tunnels in downtown Los Angeles, including L.A.’s first subway, were landmarks for decades but are no longer open for exploration or exploitation……

This subterranean shortcut shaved tens of minutes off travel time between Hollywood and downtown Los Angeles. On September 15, 1909, local citizens celebrated its opening with a Tunnel Day joyride down Sunset Boulevard, motorcars and horse-drawn carriages racing alongside the Los Angeles Pacific’s streetcars”

Read more about “The Lost Tunnels of Downtown LA”

Angelenos practice an air raid drill in the former Pacific Electric subway in 1958. Courtesy of the Los Angeles Public Library Photograph Collection.

Cecilia Rasmussen at The Los Angeles Times writes…

“The little-known tunnels have been used for transferring criminals and, once, a billion dollars…officers with submachine guns, shotguns and gas grenades guarded the loot while others pushed the cart. Nearly 70 years before the Red Line subway began whisking passengers under the Civic Center, Los Angeles was already a city with tunnel vision.

Beneath the busy streets of the City of the Angels is a complex network of pedestrian tunnels that stretch several blocks from Spring and Temple streets to 1st Street and Grand Avenue….”

Read Footpaths beneath L.A. echo history

- Exhibition Info

- Pacific Standard Time

- Closing Weekend Festivities (January 6-8 2012)

In conjunction with the Getty’s now world famous city wide exhibition, Pacific Standard Time, The Hammer Museum is presenting the show: Now Dig This! Art and Black Los Angeles 1960-1980

This comprehensive exhibition examines the incredibly vital but often overlooked legacy of Los Angeles’s African American visual artists, featuring works from public and private collections located across the country, some of which have not been seen for decades and were previously considered lost.

Now Dig This! will feature artists including Melvin Edwards, Fred Eversley, David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, Senga Nengudi, John Outterbridge, Alonzo Davis, Dale Brockman Davis, Noah Purifoy, Betye Saar, and Charles White, displaying their artistic progeny for putative perpendicular happenings to bring forth all donnections among individuals and groups of different ethnic origins.

This multicultural ([Ed.Note] Oh lord, component will bring to light a significant network of friendships and collaborations across racial lines, while underscoring the influence that African American artists had on the era’s larger movements and trends. [Ed.Note] Skip the last paragraph–it means nothing.

[Ed.Note] Why do curators and Museums have to “break down” their art exhibitions into ethnic, cultural, and racial lines? It’s almost as if they’re perpetuating the inherent institutional bias that’s been so prevalent in our society–and the world–for a very long time and a day. I can just hear it now:

“Oh so you’re a black avante grade Artist!” and other such nonsense—Hmm, Art is Art is Art.

This comprehensive exhibition examines the incredibly vital but often overlooked legacy of Los Angeles’s African American visual artists, featuring works from public and private collections located across the country, some of which have not been seen for decades and were previously considered lost.

Now Dig This! will feature artists including Melvin Edwards, Fred Eversley, David Hammons, Maren Hassinger, Senga Nengudi, John Outterbridge, Alonzo Davis, Dale Brockman Davis, Noah Purifoy, Betye Saar, and Charles White, presenting their creative output alongside parallel developments and teasing out the connections among individuals and groups of different ethnic origins.

This multicultural component will bring to light a significant network of friendships and collaborations across racial lines, while underscoring the influence that African American artists had on the era’s larger movements and trends.

EVENTS

10/02/2011
11:00 am – 5:00 pm

Museum Free Day Through the generosity of Bank of America, the Hammer Museum is pleased to offer complimentary museum admission on Sunday, October 2 to celebrate the opening of Now Dig This! Art & Black Los Angeles.

10/02/2011
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

Exhibition Walkthrough with Curator Kellie Jones Exhibition Walkthrough with Curator Kellie Jones.

10/02/2011
2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Opening Day Performance: KISS Now Dig This! artists Senga Nengudi and Maren Hassinger perform a collaborative project with Ulysses Jenkins in which they reimagine their works.In conjunction with the exhibition Now Dig This!

10/05/2011
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Twenty Twenty Roger Guenveur Smith and Marc Anthony Thompson premiere Twenty Twenty, their new multimedia performance about black music created and fostered in L.A. from 1960 to 1980. Smith and Thompson are.

11/01/2011
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Constant Elevation Renowned poets Jayne Cortez and Kamau Daaood are joined by emerging L.A. poets Thea Monyee and Javon Johnson for an evening celebrating the art of the spoken word. Hosted by Shihan Van.

11/13/2011
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm

High Voltage: The Watts Legacy Co-presented with the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA Dr. Darnell Hunt, director of the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies at UCLA, moderates.

11/15/2011
7:00 pm – 9:00 pm

Taste and Style Just Aren’t Enough Gallerist Alonzo Davis, and collectors Vaughn Payne and Joy Simmons join curator Franklin Sirmans and art historian Karin Higa.

Each concert brings a different country to light.

This week, on January 14^th, you can enjoy the Khac Chi Ensemble & Korean Classical Music and Dance Company at the W. M. Keck Children’s Amphitheatre in the Walt Disney Concert Hall.

Khac Chi Ensemble performs the music of the mountain people of Vietnam featuring rare instruments such as the dan t’rung – a suspended bamboo xylophone – and the dan bau – a one-stringed zither. The energetic rhythms and fascinating timbres offer intriguing glimpses into Vietnam’s rich musical traditions.

Korean Classical Music and Dance Company

In celebration of the Lunar New Year, the Korean Classical Music and Dance Company performs both folk and court styles. Using a 12-tone scale instead of the Western diatonic scale, the company performs authentic music and exquisite dance that originated with the ancient culture’s royal dynasties.

Even though these performances are free, you still need to get tickets. Head to Grand Avenue at 2^nd Street one hour before each scheduled concert time, which are at 11:00am and 12:30pm.

Workshops, designed to let children explore the featured culture through unique art-making projects such as calligraphy, puppets, musical instruments, accordion books, textile projects and more, are available on each concert day and are also free.

There is no human endeavor that is not intimately affected by it, and for it to succeed, local citizens and concerned communities need to be intimately involved in the process. of changes to zoning and land uses

It is evidently more and more necessary to educate those who are directly affected by it and concerned with any new modifications and changes to these laws that are fundamental to our city’s well being–and, as we shall see, it is our legislative bodies that may or may not bode well for our future; or retard our progress, and above all, as the “Occupy Movement” has shown us, it is ultimately the American citizens who must have a seat at the table and have a say in the democratization process in our society and what goes on in our everyday lives.

These rights which we hold inalienable are still intact. But, as with any large cosmopolitan city, we’re now seeing that all too frequently, the average person is being locked out of the process in the future quality of our way of life–and how our most fundamental property rights as citizens will be affected due to the actions by the City of Los Angeles’ Zoning and Amendment Codes and procedures.

Currently the City of Los Angeles has begun the most significant revisions to its zoning codes since 1946.

About a dozen different ordinances are slated for revision that has the potential to significantly affect the quality of our neighborhoods, which, will then, dramatically affect tens of thousands of buildings over time.

And with that, ultimately it’s our communities and way of life that’s affected.

There remains currently grave concern that many of the proposed changes to Los Angeles’ current zoning laws will weaken or eliminate important protections, and subsequently have severely negative impacts to our residential communities and commercial districts.

From the Los Angeles Times: “Like every municipality, we’re looking at ways of increasing revenues,to change zoning laws to allow the big guys in. “Every dollar is stretched thin.”

“So much for big development plans. Across the country, cash-strapped communities are welcoming slot machines, tattoo parlors, landfills and other businesses they shunned in the heady days of the real estate boom. Nationwide, nearly 90% of city officials polled said their communities this year are in worse financial shape than in 2009, according to a survey from the National League of Cities. About 79% of cities are cutting personnel.

California municipalities are particularly hard-pressed. Proposition 13, passed in 1978, capped annual real estate tax increases, forcing cities to increase their reliance on sales taxes to fund public services. In addition, state legislators in recent years have taken to balancing California’s books by delaying the distribution of tax revenue owed to local governments. (Proposition 22 on this year’s ballot seeks to end this practice.)”

“Cities are desperate for new businesses that create jobs and pay taxes, especially in this economic environment,” said Larry Kosmont, whose real estate advisory firm, Kosmont Cos., helps businesses take advantage of development incentives. “They’re trying to be creative.”

In Central California’s San Benito County, whose 14.8% unemployment rate is one of the highest in the state, officials recently opted to allow more garbage from outside the county to enter a public landfill. Importing trash isn’t the sexiest of economic development strategies, but the projected half-million dollars a year of extra revenue will help keep libraries open, Benito County Supervisor Anthony Botelho said. “It’s not a cure-all for our budget woes, but it does help,” he said.

Officials in Whittier want to allow oil companies to drill on land set that was previously set-aside for a park. Some residents are up-in-arms. But Whittier’s sales tax revenue is down 25% since its peak in 2007-08.

Travelin’ Local thinks its bad public policy to alter our physical environments for the worse to solve Los Angeles’ fiscal woes. Other alternatives should and must be sought. Changing or altering the very nature and essence of what our neighborhoods look like without intelligent planning is bad public policy by the City of Los Angeles to alter and change Zoning and other laws for short term gain which will give many neighborhoods and communities here long term pain.

Working within community groups, city council and existing laws, we’ve worked hard to achieve as optimal as possible livable and sustainable communities as a key component of a vibrant and cosmopolitan city like Los Angeles.

Various community groups who’re fighting these proposed changes should raise public consciousness that’s so important for Los Angeles to remain on the right path toward a more livable, sustainable, and less congested community oriented city in order to keep our current standard of living for all our residents who comprise the most important component for all our communities and infrastructure.

To gain a deeper appreciation of why we must strive for our most important objectives vis-à-vis Los Angeles’ future, the following essay by Martin Ridge, a former Senior Research Associate at the Henry E. Huntington Library, who had enjoyed a distinguished career there as a teacher, scholar, author, and editor of American history– with a special emphasis on the American West.

It serves as a testimonial for the proper urban planning of Los Angeles as a model city for the future,

To wit:

Our previously published story entitled:

Revisiting Eden: Los Angeles, A City of the Future, 1950-1990

I immediately fell in love with his words and thoughts about our great city, Los Angeles, Revisiting Eden, a City of the Future.

It isn’t often that we find an opinion that so closely matches what we know to be in our hearts and minds–so Travelin’ Local thinks it’s important to re-publish Mr. Ridge’s Essay.

Lastly, we can have ‘non-sprawled’ urban areas, even where the density is not particularly high:

Conversely, a mix of land-use types (residential, employment, shopping, etc.) puts a variety of activities – not just a variety of buildings all housing the same activity – in close proximity, shrinking the distances among multiple types of destinations.

And a well-connected, grid-like street network ensures that physical proximity actually translates into easy accessibility by offering multiple, direct routes among destinations. That is, it means short point-to-point distances are also short walking, biking, or driving distances that may not require a trip out onto the regional highway network.

And by putting dense, mixed-use, well-connected neighborhoods near transit creates yet another option for getting to desired destinations that are farther away.

Los Angeles is a good example of a city characterized by large amount of high-density sprawl. But if we measure sprawl by population density, LA would not sprawl at all. In fact, it would be the least sprawling urbanized area in the country. How can Los Angeles be so dense and yet also exhibit so many characteristics associated with sprawl, including high levels of car travel (both in per capita and absolute terms) and low rates of walking, bicycling and transit ridership?

Density by itself—the simple ratio of population to square mile—is not a very useful way to measure sprawl. What matters is the distribution of density, or how evenly or unevenly an area’s population is spread out across its geographic area. If we look at the density distribution in Los Angeles, we notice that its suburbs are much denser than those of other large U.S. cities, such as New York, San Francisco or Chicago.

These high-density suburbs compensate for the comparatively low density of LA’s urban core, and, in so doing, increase the average density of the area as a whole.

The LA region’s combination of high, evenly distributed density puts it in an unfortunate position–it suffers from many of the problems that accompany high population density, including extreme traffic congestion and poor air quality–but lacks many of the benefits that typically accompany more traditional versions of dense urban areas, including fast and effective public transit and a core with vibrant street life. Los Angeles has, to borrow a term coined by urbanist William Fulton, “dense sprawl.”

Therefore, with our dense sprawl and our need for better not worse City Planning, now is not the time for altering Los Angeles’ Zoning Codes, especially with the new push by Hollywood and the CRA to push for “Elegant Density.”

Most of us find nothing elegant in density despite the bureaucratic nonsense espoused by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, accommodating expected population growth by building mixed-use projects around transit hubs. And there is definitely something to be said for so-called smart growth, offering residents the option of using transit instead of cars.

“If this is the season to be merry, many residents of Hollywood did not get the memo. Instead, they got a community development plan they look upon as their very own nightmare before Christmas.”

“It happened earlier this month, when the Los Angeles City Planning Commission approved zoning changes that could make it easier to erect skyscrapers in the heart of Hollywood, forever changing the scale of a historic neighborhood with international cachet. They say the high-rises will block views, throw shadows and obscure the landmark Capitol Records building, and make already unbearable traffic even worse.”

Elegant density?

“What you’re talking about is the rape of Hollywood,” said a spitting mad Sarajane Schwartz.

Like others, she considers the plan a license for developers to virtually have their way, with more access to taxpayer handouts through the Community Redevelopment Agency.

“What we have is no plan at all,” said George Abrahams. “Let us build a tower unto heaven. That’s the CRA plan.”

Crosby Doe scribbled a message on his business card and handed it to me. “This is not a planning document,” he wrote, “but rather a development rights Ponzi scheme!!”