Writer, Editor, Investigative Journalist
When my 12-year-old son decided to spend two weeks as a novice monk at the Wat Thai temple in North Hollywood, I hoped he would learn something about Buddhism. Instead he learned how to make a flamethrower out of a lighter and a can of Febreze. Say ?Buddhist monastery? and everyone pictures a strict, disciplined environment, full of structure … Continue »
Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Woof. Mitchell Frank's barking ringtone is at it again. Tonight Frank is hosting a private party at the Regent Theater, his newly renovated venue on Main Street, in the Historic Core section of downtown Los Angeles. Outside, a painter is still delicately putting finishing touches on the red R's that adorn the windows. … Continue »
Is it that swing keeps coming back, or does it just refuse to go away? The last time early 20th century sounds burbled up to the surface was in the late '90s, when bands like Big Bad Voodoo Daddy haunted the Derby in Hollywood, a scene immortalized in (and some might say killed by) the movie Swingers. That version of the swing revival was firmly … Continue »
We know actor Jack Black for his "best band in the world" bluster as half of Tenacious D, and for his on-screen persona: a heavy metal pothead. But Black also happens to be a patron of the arts. Or just stuff that he thinks is cool. Black and his wife, Tanya Haden, have helped fanned the flames of small, select handful of projects including Art … Continue »
We've heard it before: Women aren't wired to orient to visual turn-ons the way men are. That's why women don't subscribe to Playgirl or watch as much porn as men do. And it's why I'm not anticipating any pant-inducing thrills, certainly, from seeing a naked stranger in the middle of a photography studio in West Hollywood. Yet here I am, feeling … Continue »
April 2014 was the first time Coachella's installation artists saw their names printed on the festival's poster, alongside Outkast and Arcade Fire. But it also was the first year that each artist received an official policy notice via email telling them to remove their name from their work. Response was less than positive. The email came at a … Continue »
It's called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival for a reason: large-scale artworks set the festival apart and add immeasurably to the experience, and to the event's distinctive appeal. Art isn't the reason Coachella sells out even before the lineup of bands is announced, but it's far from an afterthought - this year, according to some … Continue »
Who's cool? Who still knows what's up? Not you. You used to rock and roll all night and party ev-er-ee day. Now you're home by eight o'clock on school nights, and weekends too. Because you've got kids. At least, that's how it feels during the dark moments. The moments in which you're alone and cringing in a hard plastic booth at a Chuck E. … Continue »