Mormons - La Jolla, CA

Caltrans District 7 Headquarters - Downtown Los Angeles

Morphosis' Caltrans District 7 Headquarters in Downtown LA is one of the most unreal buildings I have seen in a while. Like most architecturally significant buildings of our times, i.e. the Walt Disney Concert Hall, you might notice it from a car commercial or two.

My favorite features of this building is the way the address of the building is displayed and the function of the screen wall on the building. Which can all be seen here.When I first saw the building I thought the design of randomly open aluminum panels was a bit superfluous until I read an article in Architectural Record about it. Basically the screen panels "open and close mechanically in a continually moving pattern, providing surface variety on the facade, shielding the interior from the sun and giving office workers changing views to the outside." Not only this but it helps release heat that would otherwise be trapped between the shade and the offices.

Frank Lloyd Wright - Anderton Court Shops - Beverly Hills, CA

Built in 1952 the Anderton Court Shops, located on Beverly Hills famed Rodeo Drive, is one of the only commericial properties built by Frank Lloyd Wright.

The Academy Theater and 5th Ave. - Inglewood, CA

Both of these theaters are located a couple of blocks from each other on Manchester Blvd. (3141 and 2541 respectively) in Inglewood, the "City of Champions". The Academy Theater, designed by renowned architect S. Charles Lee, was built to to host the Academy Awards although it was never held here and is now a church who keep the theater well preserved. The 5th Ave. on the other hand is sadly neglected but right next door to Permanent Hair Replacement and Lookin' Sharp!

New Explosions in the Sky song "Welcome, Ghost" MP3

This is, what I read from P-Fork, the shortest song in their whole catalogue and is off the forthcoming LP All of a Sudden, I Miss Everyone. I actually saw them perform this at their recent and amazing show at the El Rey. That being said it was a little meaner and guitar heavy at the show. Warning: This song is a speaker destroyer as I have never heard a song so bass drum heavy, I couldn't imagine listening to it loud in your apartment without upsetting everyone around you. It's a strong song but to me their music is more contextual to the album itself so although it's far from a disappointment I am still waiting to hear it in context.

The album will be released on February 20th and will also come in a limited edition double disc which includes a remix cd that with the likes of Four Tet and Eluvium. You can hear the song in full below.

Welcome, Ghost

My New Favorite Website: HornyManatee.com

www.hornymanatee.com

There is a great story behind this but I want you to go to the site first, have a laugh, and then I will tell you about it.

Done? Checked it out? Okay.

I rarely watch TV. These days I never find time for it, the only show I watch with any form of consistency is Real Time with Bill Maher (even that is only on On Demand which I watch at my convenience). That being said, I was up last night on the computer and decided to have The Late Show with Conan O'Brien, a show I love but have not watched for ages, on in the background. I love the show but again, the act of watching TV is one that I avoid. He began to talk about how he had a sketch on about new rejected mascots, a staple of the show, and how the night before he made a joke about how you can see him at www.hornymanatee.com. What he didn't know is that if he says a website on the air, even as a joke, and it doesn't exist, NBC is required by some sort of law to purchase that domain name.

Conan decided since they had to buy it that they should not let it go to waste so they made the page itself. I was really in stitches about this, yes I just said that, and I thought it was so funny that I would share it with you. So enjoy the hot Manatee action.

The Fountain - An Abomination

I can’t write a review quite as scathingly good as the one here at the LA Weekly, which i advise you read as everything it says is true. Darren Aronofsky’s new film, The Fountain was an abomination to the likes of which I haven‘t seen in awhile. I knew within the first minutes of the film that it was bad and I was ready to walk out at least 15 times but I decided to stick through it as I never walk out of films. The review I linked covers a lot of what I feel about the film but there are a couple of things I would like to mention.

There is a scene in which Hugh Jackman’s shadow is practicing karate in front of the stars in space... yeah that good. Also I have never felt more claustrophobic watching a film. Every shot seemed to be some insanely close close-up of Hugh Jackman or whoever was in the frame. Near the end of the film there is this ridiculous scene in which Hugh Jackman turns into the tree of life… yeah, you read that right, and someone out loud in the theater said “ I didn’t know this was a comedy” And it’s far from it. Among many of the film's glaringly obvious problems, the biggest one is how earnestly serious the film takes itself, never taking a step back to realize how god awful it is.

I really have trouble understanding how someone can go from amazing to atrocious so quickly. Pi is fine, the acting wasn’t much to write home about but it was interesting and done extremely well especially with the budget in mind. Requiem for a Dream though was brilliant. Not only was it extremely technically innovative, being composed with over 2000 cuts, using various technical gimmicks and succeeding, it was one of the most harrowing film experiences I had ever had (although a few years later Irreversible definitely beat it out as I had trouble looking at the screen half the time). After my friend Gady and I saw the film we were so depressed and we tried to go out and have a good time but it was impossible. I thought I would never be able to watch it again but I have seen it at least 5 times since and everytime the ending grabs you by the balls (or vagina) and never lets go. And then The Fountain... Brad Pitt made the best decision of his life backing out of this film. This is not a film that is some sort of misunderstood movie that will become a cult classic, because it's just flat out bad. I wonder if Southland Tales is this bad?

Donahoo's Fried Chicken - Pomona, CA

This one cracks me up. I stole this photo from a blog that looks suspisously like mine, Studio 67 which has some good pictures. I just visted that Rod's place which is shown on that site and took a photo. Actually Rod's is in the middle of a pretty contentious preservation battle as they are trying to tear it down, you can read more about that here although I might end up doing a little write up on it. I have not been to this establishment although I do want to get to Pomona still so now I have to make the trip, for obvious reasons (if it's not obvious my last name is Donohue, although establishment is closer to the Phil Donahue, of the Phil Donahue show, spelling.)

FUCK YOU

Is nothing sacred? After my little write up about my two free and lovely dinners to Trader Vic's at the Beverly Hills Hilton I came across this upsetting piece of news in the L.A. Busines Journal:

"Trader Vic's Threatened
We've been hearing rumours and bits and pieces of this news for a couple years - It's now become official. A local developer is planning to demolish Trader Vic's, along with the Beverly Hills Hilton's executive conference center, Oasis Court, and the 514-space parking garage. The recently remodeled landmark 1950s hotel would remain.

The owner of the Beverly Hilton is planning to bulldoze parts the famed hotel to make way for luxury residences, according to a report obtained by the Business Journal.

Packard Bell co-founder Beny Alagem, who paid $130 million for the 569-room hotel two years ago from entertainment mogul Merv Griffin, wants to knock-down Trader Vic’s Restaurant and Bar, the executive conference center, the Oasis Court and the hotel’s 514-space parking garage.

On those sites Alagem would build two 13-story buildings containing 96 condominiums, a 104-unit, 15-story condo hotel and 96 hotel rooms in two 3-story structures. The hotel’s parking would be put underground and increased to 1,422 spaces, to meet Beverly Hills’ codes.

Though the main 353-room, 8-story tower designed by noted architect Welton Beckett would remain, the plans would result in a net reduction of 96 hotel rooms."

Vic's has been at that location for 51 years! This is another example of people having no sense of history. I am for progress but not when it ignores the past and tears down landmark institutions that become part of the fabric of a city. Tearing Vic's down just to build condos? It's really sad. The only good news is that the locals are not very happy with this decision so hopefully something can happen there. I am going to do everything I can. In the mean time, Packard Bell computers sucked and so does this plan. Fuck you Beny Alagem.

First Christian Church - Phoenix, AZ

This Frank Lloyd Wright church was built in 1973, about 14 years after his death. It can be located at 6750 N 7th Ave Phoenix, AZ. So if you are in the area or live there, might as well check it out. The cones and signs don't really compliment the architecture.

Never Get a Lawyer - Adventure at The Beverly Hills Hilton

My friend, we will call him B.A. (some may come to the conclusion that it stands for bad ass and in this circumstance it may well apply), was recently comped at The Beverly Hills Hilton for a weekend and asked for the company of The Itinerant to join him in enjoying the amenities of the establishment. I decided that, after a long deliberation, that I would accept his offer as I have been there only once before and it was to Trader Vic's not the hotel.

We first went to the bar at Circa 55 (first picture, what's with that guys shirt?), a psuedo-mid-century modern restaurant that is pool side at the hotel. We were greeted with complimentary (as if that mattered) "Circa-tinis" and continued to have various libations as well as delicious Ahi Tuna Sliders. Yum-yum. My favorite part was acting like a couple of hot shots when we were ordering and then giggling like school children when our servers would leave.

4 drinks into the evening we decided to crash an event being held at the hotel for an organization called Human Rights Watch. We entered the ballroom greeted with open arms. Open arms that were handing us books, tote bags, pens, cds, and other miscellaneous human rights paraphernalia. To put the icing on the cake we were given personal invites to a screening of the new poorly accented Leonardo Dicaprio film "The Blood Diamond" in which the Leo himself, Jennifer Connely, and the head of the WB will in attendance (I made my RSVP and the lady called me back to confirm that I will be attending Dec. 7th). After we grew bored with our gifts and human rights we headed over to our next free expensive endeavor.

Trader Vic's is the best. As shown in the pictures above B.A. got disappointed with me when I began to drink two delicious Vic's Cocktails at the same time. He accosted me and I could only find solace in delicious Polynesian libations. I would like to mention two things about the beverages there. First thing is they are all really fucking good but made with nothing but pure booze and may be poisonous. Secondly, I have a new goal which is to try every drink in the place. I think altogether I have tried about 10 different ones so far. My only disappointment is that some don't come in fun glasses. THEY SHOULD ALL COME IN FUN GLASSES! Makes no sense to have fun without a fun glass.

This is a place, although neither of us paid for it so I can't say it without a little smirk on my face, that is worth the ridiculous prices allotted to the menu items. We went again just this past Monday and enjoyed yet another ridiculously good meal. I think the BBQ Unagi and Avocado Roll might have been the most blissful sushi experience I have had since Irhoa's Spicy Yellowtail Roll. HOLY FUCKING SHIT! Is tastetastic a word? No? Fuck you! Then the Almond Duck in Plum Sauce was RIDICULOUS. It was like a crispy, then moist and tender duck... brownie... it basically was perfect.

There is a moral to this story. Don't get a lawyer ever. This is what is on your tab. My delicious meals. But if you do, I will thank you in advance.