My Weekend In Pictures

Amazing Tortilla paintings by Joe Bravo...


Some great 9 foot tall Luchador Sculptures


Me and Levi at the Fashion Show downtown for XR Collection


I like being pet by sculptures apparently


Me before the show


Backstage and models are missing...

Hmmm

Not a very good Easter weekend. Bummer. Life goes on. :)

As I have tomorrow off...

Have a great Easter Weekend! hehehehe

A great weekend for Zacki!

It was nice to have a weekend just roll on by at the perfect pace with lots of fun stuff to do, and some relaxation thrown in.

Friday was dinner after work with my Uncle Ken, my sis, my friend Mark, T and myself. We hit up Home in Silverlake for some really yummy foor then headed over to the Bigfoot Lodge for a cocktail or two. Since the week had really taken its toll on us, we were all pretty tired, and add into that a huge dinner and we were ready to head home a little early.

Saturday I woke up, headed back home for a quick shower before spending the day with my sister and uncle. We grabbed lunch at Litterati 2 in Century city and then headed to the Skirball Center to see a staged reading of Kenneth Lonergan's "This is our youth" starring Mark Ruffalo, Josh Hamilton, and Missy Yager. This reading was done without a set, costumes, or any kind of framework except for the actors reading and an actor off to the side creating all the sound effects from a door slam to rolling a joint. It was great to see a play pared down to this, it just shows how good the writing is and just how talented these actors are when they are simply sitting on a stool, but you aren't missing a bit of the realism and emotion. I really dug it and am totally in love with Mark Ruffalo.

After a stomach churning trip to the almighty Tommy's Burgers in Eagle Rock, we headed to the Echoplex to see the band "The Sadies" from Toronto. They were pretty great.



I liked the venue of the Echoplex, but must say I could do without the 1,000 degree temperature... it was like standing in hell's mouth with a tiny fan blowing on you intermittently while you stand and drip...

Sunday I met up with T for lunch at his place, and we headed out to the Faultline for their beer-bust LA Leather kick-off party. It was a good time. His friends were there and it was fun to see them and do some people watching. We swear we saw perfect look alikes for Morgan Freeman and the Blair Witch. After the merriment, we had some delicious yellow curry and hit the hey for some snuggle time. All in all a great weekend!

All in all a good weekend...

It was a weekend... I got an extra day off, meaning Monday, which in the biz is kinda rare unless you're between gigs and that doesn't feel anything like a vacation... more like "I'm never gonna find work again... I suck at what I do and am broke and want to die." Yeah, more like that.

Saturday was pretty good. I try to keep any expectations about V-day to a minimum even when I have someone to share it with cause god knows its just one torturous disaster waiting to happen for most people if you fuel it with any power. The boy kept saying "Sorry, I don't do Valentine's day well." It was fine. I like it being just a nice day with the opportunity to spend some time together and maybe if there is a little card or somthin' then that's a nice treat. I basically, expect nothing. I gave him his card which he thought was hysterical, I knew he'd like it... He's probably the only person I know who would. We exchanged some small gifts, he acted oddly to my opening of the fun little trinkets and stuff he got me and seemed to think something was wrong. I'm never good in these kind of moments... when someone is acting weird or seems perturbed, I kind of mirror it. It was all good, and he was relieved and we went about our evening together. We had dinner at his place and then went out to meet a friend of his for their birthday at a place we both loathe... Needless to say we weren't there all that long and were off to another less "scene-y" bar, then the Gold Coast for one and then bed.

Sunday was spent with some friends watching a Nascar race... The Daytona 500... I like Nascar leave me alone. I hated that the race ended in rain delay... and was called. Oh well, Kenseth isn't loathesome. Sunday night I saw "Push" which all in all was mediocre at best. Dakota Fanning kind of made me want to slap her and burn that little book she kept scrawling in. Thank god the lead actor was hot... why didn't he ever take that damn shirt off?!

Monday, Me and T woke up and had breakfast with his roomie. Then we made plans to go Bowling... On a rainy day in LA it isn't a good idea to show up at any bowling alley and think it will be a small wait. After checking into it, it was gonna be a 2 and 1/2 hour wait... fuck that. So instead, we turned bowling into drinks, hanging out and sushi. Me, T, his roomie, and her friend all went to a place called "Shabu Shabu" and it was pretty good. If you've met me you probably know that I have never had a good sushi experience. I hate the flavor of seaweed and since that was my main concern, I put my trust in the boy and was willing to give it one more go. We ordered the sushi with soy paper instead and it was pretty darn good. I had a great time, the sake helped, the food and company was pretty fantastic... so all in all it was a pretty good weekend. Now back to the week and the grindstone...

My new tattoo!

I've wanted this tattoo for a while now...



It is based on the saying you find on the back of your fries or drink from Whataburger. I like the macabre nature of the saying but it can be interpreted lots of ways... I like the tattoo cause its a funny nod to pop culture, I also like the idea of the body just being a vessel for the soul, and I the other meaning I take from it is if I am empty of passion, drive or creativity I feel useless and it reminds me to keep pushing to avoid just that.

Retarded but fun

So the screening went well. We had a smaller crowd than usual, but the typical horrifying fare hit the screen and some serious fun ensued. If you missed the show, you missed out. I have to say, The Hottie & The Nottie was perfectly terrible and ending the night with "Polyester" was sheer genius. I think i'm officially "tarded out."

Da Getty

It was a pretty good weekend for me this week. On Friday I had a little run-in with the law on my way up Vermont Ave. I had been pulled to a stop behind another guzzler of an SUV and decided to pick up a piece of paper on the seat beside me and glance it over. With my window down and grooving (aka singing along) to Erykah Badu, I noticed out of the corner of my eye a cop car pull up beside me. He leaned out his window and informed to stop reading and drive if I didn't want a ticket. The two pimply teenagers in cuffs in the back seat snickered as I said "No problemo." That wasn't the best start to my Friday evening, but it was easy to shake off... Later that night I got to see my good friend Minnesota David for the first time in about a year and a half. We hit the usual spots. He go to see how Jumbo's Clone Room (MJ's) has changed since we used to hang there together. Admittedly I think he dug it more this way with its twinky stripper aesthetic being all the rage. We then headed over to the Regal Beagle, where I ran across Liquid-wayno, it was nice to finally meet him in person.

Saturday was all about hanging with my sister and Uncle Ken who's visiting from back East. We hit Amoeba, Carnie's, and then drove up the coast. Later that night it was time for a wonderful dinner at Ford's Filling Station in Culver City. This restaurant is owned by Harrison Ford's son and boasts a great selection of cured meats, cheeses, wines, great entrees, and one really adorable waiter... hehehe After stuffing ourselves in the swanky digs of Ford's we headed over to the Jazz Bakery to see a performance of Dr.Lonnie Smith and his trio called the Crescent Boogaloo. He is also known as the "Turbanator" sporting his funky muslim garb, beard, and a turban while playing some of the best damn jazz organ you'll ever hear. It had been such a long time since I had been to see some live jazz, and I'm glad this was the show I chipped my teeth on. These performers were incredible at their improvisation and tight knit groove. Everything played was improvised on the spot and played with complete passion. I had forgotten how great jazz is like amazing foreplay... hits you in all the right spots, surprises you at odd moments, and when it really hits the spot, you find yourself vocalizing "Yeah!" "Woo" and of course applause is called for after a good session. hehehehe

Sunday was the perfect day for us to head over to the Getty. The sun was out, the breeze was blowing, it was perfect. Right now their exhibit of California Video/film artists is really intriguing. You have to chack out the footage of the Cramps playing at a sanitarium in the late 70's... what a show that must have been live! The exhibit of photography by Gabriela Iturbide is pretty stunning, with some amazing photos of Gangs in East LA from the mid 80's that show compassion and a huge amount of trust on their part towards her. These are very beautiful personal works that show the true soul of her subjects. I think I could have done without the "Sacrafice" portion of her work that shows a large scale goat killing in Mexico, but it was still some amazing photography. The problem with that place lies in how prickin' huge it is. I need to go back soon to catch the other two exhibits I wanted to check out.

Last night after a long two days of jetting around, it was time to veg and hit the hay early... now I could really use a weekend to just relax.

Pop a pill...stay a while

See you all tomorrow at our screening of "Liza with a Z" "Valley of the Dolls" "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" and if you're there past midnight: "Showgirls!" Get ready to see some unstable chicks lose themselves to the music, the booze, the drugs, the dance, the men and the pills! If you need directions etc. feel free to contact me.

My president free weekend

I had a really great weekend. Finally I was able to breathe a bit better and the chest cold from hell had subsided enough for me to feel human. My sister called Friday and tossed out the idea of going to check out the LA Derby Dolls for an intensive lesson in Roller Derby action. I had wanted to go for so long and it was the perfect opportunity to go somewhere new on a Saturday night.

My sister has always dreamed of being a roller derby queen, so I'm trying to convince her to strap on her skates and kick some butt. We'll see if she tries out in the next year or two. The best part for me would be helping her find a suitable name. Her red hair would help out with that....

I had a great time at the bout! I ran into friend Ernessa (Who used to be in the Tough Cookies) for the first time in ages. It was great to see her and meet the new hubby. I had to cheer the tough cookies on as it was the only tie in I knew here in LA, but for being underdogs in Saturday's bout, they came back with a vengence and kicked some serious ass. My voice is still a little raw from all the screaming. With names like Gori Spelling (and her number is 90210) Titty Titty Gang Bang, Laura Palm-Her and Laguna Beyatch, they won their way into my heart pretty fast.

Here they are after their big win:


Sunday was the Daytona 500 with my friends Billy and Glen. We had a great white trashy southern breakfast with grits and egg mess... it was delish. It was also possibly the gayest NASCAR party ever as the mimosas flowed between discussions of Points, new sponsers, areo-loose, and cocks. I'll spare you the details as many get a little freaked at me showing too much enthusiasm for this redneckiest of sports, but here's a few bullit points:

Tony Stewart: You're my man, but cut the hair and unswallow yourself.... the people are watching..
Reed Sorenson: You look a little less like a baby doll...way to grow up.
Kurt Busch: Fuck you....yeah, that about sums it up...
Dale Jr: Good job, can't wait to see how the rest of the season treats ya!
Franchitti: You are adorable, and the accent is killing us all, keep it up, glad you switched over from Indy...
Carl Edwards: just show us your abs and do that flip thing you do...
Newman: Congrats, first victory in years and its the biggest race you could have hoped for!

Monday I stayed in and mainly vegged and watched some good movies. You simply must check out "Closet Land" with Alan Rickman and Madeline Stowe. Really beautiful, amazingly creepy, and the perfect statement about interrogation and torture one could witness. This movie needs to be mailed to every single representative we have in this country and they should be forced to watch it..... while being waterboarded...



Then, the movie I've beeen saving to watch.... "Once"

It was great. Loved the music, which is 80% of the film and I now have a big ol' mancrush on Glen Hansard, star of the film and lead singer of the frames. He is dreamy....



Ahhh good weekend!

Kitty Litter Cake

Also known as: Happy Birthday Anne!

My friend Lauren and I had a blast this past Saturday night making this sickening looking cake for our good bussy Anne. Happy 30th Annie, hope you had fun digging into the tasty treat!

There Will Be Blood

and the amazing sequels: "There is Some Blood Right There" and "There Was Blood" and the incredible finale "Remember the Blood?"

So if you haven't already guessed, this post is about movies I saw this weekend. I started the weekend off with a bang and saw the perfect little gem of a film called "Juno." I can't stop telling people how much I loved this film. Yes, it was hyped to the ends of the Earth by the time I got to see it, but it really lived up to all the buzz. Cody Diablo, aka Brook Bussey Hunt, has written an incredible first screenplay that is almost a shoe-in to winning Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. I have looked up her memoir as a stripper in Minneapolis and will be buying it and reading it before the week is out. I can't wait to see what she brings to the table in the future. If you can see one film this week and haven't been out to see this one yet, do yourself the favor and check it out.

Sunday I went to see the other highly hyped film, "There will be blood." This film was pretty, Daniel Day Lewis was wonderful and creepy, the mood and suspense of each shot was perfectly done.....but it kind of left me cold. I really wanted to like it more than I did. I couldn't really put my finger on why until the credits rolled and there was my answer: "based on 'Oil' by Upton Sinclair." The main issue I had with this piece, was the fact that we couldn't really get too close to these characters....and that can be due to Upton Sinclair's writing style. I have found his writing to be a bit dry when it comes to the backgrounds, and flushing out of the people who populate his works. Sinclair tends to be more a man about the main idea and less about the intimacy of the lives in front of us. I must hand it to DDL as it must have been hard to fill in the blanks on a character that spends half his time lying, and the other half refusing to divulge anything about how he feels or what his past contains. We are always kept at arms length with these men. The ideas and issues are palpable and clear, but the real interesting stuff for me, would have been to see under these rough exteriors a bit more. My guess is the hype will work, and if "No Country for Old Men" doesn't take best picture, it'll surely go to this film. I think as far as a perfect, well crafted gem I wish "Juno" stood a chance, but those dreams never really come true on Oscar night do they?

And yet more film watching...

Again, a quick rundown and review of some movies I spent the majority of my weekend watching...

1. A Prairie Home Companion

I used to endure this radio show in my childhood due to my mother's infatuation with Gerrison Keeler... I wasn't particularly fond of it. This movie was very odd (Ya kind of lost me Mr. Altman with that chick in white crap) but it made for a fun concert if you simply were to fast forward through the terrible Lindsey Lohan performance, ugly wig on Lily Tomlin, boring Gerrison Keeler stories backstage, a possibly high Kevin Kline getting his fingers caught in stuff, and Meryl Streep sitting on her ass..... and just watched them sing. Then it woulda been worthwhile, but it also would have been a 20 minute movie.

2. Tideland

Terry Gilliam is great at painting a believable picture for me to accept as reality. In this film, we see childhood through the eyes of a lonely little girl who's parents are druggies, and her world is one of make believe to escape the horror. You should really be in the mood for this one as it is very eff'ed up but extremely worth a watch. The performances are fantastic, especially the little girl who had to even know about the themes here let alone act them out.

3. Talk to me

Ok Ernessa, your call out to everyone to see this film was well worth it and I second it. The performances rocked my world, just as much as how well written this film was. I laughed out loud, alot, while watching it alone.... me laughing out loud is tough, especially when it comes to watching things alone. This film really did run you through a gammut of emotions. I also have to give huge kudos to a fantastic costume design. For a film that covers essentially 3 iconic decades, the looks were realistic, flawless and not the usual sterotyped crap we see so often. These characters weren't "dressed," they went and picked out their clothes like they always do, cause they were real to me.

4. This is England

This was a gem I stumbled upon in the video store that deserves high marks. Another look at life as child under difficult circumstances, but first and foremost a fascinating look at the world of skinhead youth in 1980's suburban England. Another hard role for a child to pull off, and agaain a huge success.

5. Superbad

After so much seriousness, I needed something that would just make me laugh... This movie succeeded. I laughed alot, was surprised how well the typical teens on a mission to get laid storyline could still work, and felt like I could watch it again someday. Funny, pleasant, and actually quite hilarious each time that poor fat kid got hit by a car.

Anyone have any suggestions for next weekend?

Where I recount 4 more movies I watched this past weekend...

1. Home for the Holidays.

Holly Hunter, a slightly drugged (please, you can tell...) Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes, Anne Bancroft, Steve Guttenberg, Dylan McDermot, Cynthia Stevenson... Directed by Jodie Foster... How can you go wrong? Since 1995, I have watched this movie at least once around the holidays and it hasn't gotten any worse, if anything I laugh harder each time I see it. This pretty much sums up family and holidays to me, a must watch this time of year!

2. Broken English

I love Parker Posey, no I really adore her in pretty much anything... I didn't dig this, it felt like a very forced attempt at romance from our friend Zoe Cassavetes. There should have been more Gena Rowlands and Drea De Matteo, less whatever it was that muddled up the center of this film. I also realized I need to figure out why I have such a crush on Justin Theroux every damn time I see him in something. Perhaps its cause he's only in like 5 minutes of the whole film every time?

3. Hell House

This is a great documentary about Trinity Church's famous "Hell House" they throw each year around Halloween, and the poeple behind the hype. This film was fiarly unbiased in its portrayal of all those involved and their intentions. I am not a big fan of Christianity when it comes to preachiness and moral judgements, so this one was a tough one to sit through. To hear young women hoping against hope that they get to be in the Abortion scene, or the suicide scene is very creepy. I also of course took issue with the "AIDS" scene with a girl trying to "save" her gay friend dying of AIDS in a hospital from eternal damnation, thanks to jesus the faggot dies and goes to hell while abortion girl repents at the last moments...all angels and halos for her... yikes. This is the scariest haunted house i've ever seen based purely on what they foist upon those who enter... This is worth a watch for those of you interested in really good documentaries, just be in the moddd to test your patience.

4. Little Children

Very, very good movie. I loved how quiet the film was, and the use of narration always scares me but it really worked in this instance. Great performances, wonderful direction, a must see. (PS: you get to see Patrick Wilson's cute butt in fairly graphic action, now you gonna rent it?)

Public Enemy was fun...when I was 15...

So I went to "Rock the Bells" with a boy, and I had a great time. Besides being robbed of 30 dollars to park at the event, it was pretty enjoyable. We both came to the conclusion that Hip-Hop is best watched and played in a club setting, not a giant frickin' field in the middle of nowhere San Bernardino. We had a lovely time people watching and of course the commentary flowed effortlessly about each sighting. Public Enemy were trite and bit rediculous with their throw away lines like "Fuck Bush" "Fuck Cheney" and no actual stance of any political nature besides such insightful commentary... Kinda lame. I was really jazzed to see some people wandering around registering voters, hopefully in the next election the youth of america might step up to the plate. The Roots were worth the trip, and it amazed me that they were able to project so much energy and keep the crowd enthralled even though they were so far from most of the crowd. Over-all, good concert, good sun and some beach time, cute boy, good fun, great weekend.

Back to work we go...

Hi ho and all that jazz. It was so difficult coming in to work today. My bed had hit that perfect temperature, the car seemed to exhausting to manage, the grey clouds outside set off that "Just stay in, watch a movie" receptor in my brain. Here I am and it just seems all so exhausting and futile. Ahhhh Monday.

The weekend was filled with all sorts of nothing but I did make a few discoveries along the way.



Pinkberry is kinda overpriced, and not very good. I'm confused by all the hype and why these stores seem to be appearing on every corner of the earth. It's a cute place...usually hyper-mod design.... lots of weird toppings like cereal, and their lame claim to fame: no Fat. I'd rather have the fat and more flavor than the weird ice-milk texture of the yogurt. The fresh fruit was really damn fresh though, I'll give them that. From my experience with friends there, stick to the pinkberry smoothie it was the best.



The other part of Saturday was spent scrounging around such lovely places as the Homo Depot, Lowe's, Army Navy Surplus, and Target for all sorts of goodies. My main goal was to find the right connectors, bases, piping, etc. that is going to form the body of these two 9 foot tall penis topiaries we're building for our camp at burningman. I found the right fabric last week thank god and probably way too much of it. Mark was a dilligent shopper with me and we didn't tire until at last we found the perfect plastic pots we could turn upside down and use for the heads. We also got our tent etc.... good shopping but a long day nonetheless.

Sunday night showed me just how much I hate LAX as it took almost 45 minutes from the time I left the freeway until I was safely parked. Then another 2 hours waiting with my sister for her lost luggage that didn't even show on the next flight by Airtran......arg....late night....Hopefully she'll recieve said luggage today and that bottle of Jamaican rum she had stashed in it wan't be broken!