Bobos in Paradise
David Brooks defined a new generation when he penned this work of cosmic sociology back in 2001. Proof that a Bobo Paradise exists is found in Larchmont Village in Los Angeles. Brooks analyzes the village mindset perfectly.
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See a Different Side of LA...
Known for the Beach Boys and the sun and fun cliche, LA gets a new
ID with these two beautifully written histories.
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by lou bardel click here for more
! NERUDA !
God of Latin poetry and all things beautiful and romantic
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DVD REVIEW:
REVOLUTIONARY ROAD
What if the hopes and dreams of marriage and the nuclear family turned out to be empty?
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“Beauty and the Beast” art installation at 33third Los Angeles lifestyle company
5111 West Pico Blvd., Los Angeles
Sixty years after the invention of spray paint, the art of graffiti is still a transgressive medium. However, it is recognized by many across the world as, according to Wikipedia, “a democratic expression of artistic values by the people”. The "Beauty and the Beast" installation is one example of attempts by business and community leaders to legitimize the art form.
And while you are at it, go visit...
THE BEST PIECE OF THE 'HOOD:
Pico and La
Dis Movie is da Bomb
Speaking truth to the masses, Michael Moore deconstructs capitalism and exposes Wall Street for the crime scene it is.
Poignant, funny, incisive - you must see this if you want to understand how the United States' love affair with capitalism has gone so bad.
Arianna Huffington on Capitalism: A Love Story
STREETS OF BLOOD
a B-movie shoot 'em up
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B O O K P i c k s...
We recommend a couple of oldies but goodies, Les Keyser's tome about the life and work of directorial genius Martin Scorcese and Ken Gangemi's recount of riding through Mexico on a motorcycle.
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Amiri Baraka's Key Works of Philosophy
A REFLECTION ON ONE OF AMERICA'S
MOST RELEVANT BARDS
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BIG BAD JUAREZ
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Photographer Alexia Lewis aims her sights on several themes: mourning, Black girls, and, among many other things, her very own human nature. Click here for more Picasso @ New York's Gagosian
Show runs until June 6: Selected works from the last decade of Picasso's life, ferocious examples from a man exploring and expanding his Cubist method. Theme: Mosqueteros. Click Here For More
PHOTOGRAPHY OF YOUSOUNDHOLLOW
FROM THE "SLOWDEATHA SERIES" - A SERIES OF PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN OF THE OIL TOWN
ODESSA, TEXAS
YouSoundHollow http://www.flickr.com/photos/elenatari/sets/535286/
WHAT LOVE IS NOT
A militant love poem
By Wil Wynn CLICK HERE FOR MORE
EDITORIAL:
POLITICS IS SEXY...
Politics is sexy! Knowledge is sexy! Action even sexier!
In today’s day and age, politics not only means running for public office.
It means engaging humanity.
Politics, action, knowledge intertwine beautifully on the streets of life.
Even with disgraceful wars being perpetrated across the world, life has so much to offer. A brief scan of YouTube, Facebook and MySpace reveals that people are getting into interesting, varied stuff.
Shame on people who say all of life is shit. Shame on people who oppose our freedom of speech. Shame on anyone who doesn’t see the bigness in life.
We here implore you to leave your cynicism at home. Go out and experience the life we have been given.
To experience life and the streets defeats ignorance.
We the people have been battling ignorance since time immemorial. But one striking period of battle was the European Renaissance.
School of Night
A play about Christopher Marlowe...
The author of Dr. Faustus was a rare bird indeed. Lavon Rucker visited downtown LA's Mark Taper Forum to see this biography and gives her review. Louis Bardel muses on the history of the European Renaissance and extrapolates some lessons. click here for more
Literary Fox, Nikki Love, wants to keep it real. Raw, scary and bluntly honest - there's no other way to describe her writing. Check out the fire of this literary trailblazer. Click here for more
SHORT EYES In 1974, playwright Miguel Pinero was a fresh voice in the New York theater world. His work had grit and humor and he dared to go where others shied away. His first play was the gutsy Short Eyes. Click here for more
FILM REVIEW:
THE WRESTLER
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The Maroon Wars
Scholars are reinterpreting the history of emancipation, focusing more attention on the battles waged by renegade slaves against the plantations. Johanna Iraheta opens the door to a new room in the History Department. click here for more
Luis Valdez's
American Masterpiece
The Living and Breathing History
of Los Angeles click here for more
Editorial: REVEALING THE TABOO
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THE MIND OF NIKITA MARIE
L.A. PERFORMANCE POET AND ALL-AROUND GOOD LADY WITH THE WORDS AND THE INSIGHTS TO MAKE YOU SAY "HMMMMMM...." (with interview by Louis Bardel) CLICK HERE FOR MORE
WANTED: AMERICAN POET
JIM MORRISON'S 65TH B-DAY CELEBRATION AT BARNEY'S BEANERY IN WEST HOLLYWOOD
STORY AND PICS BY LOUIS BARDEL
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LA AUTHORS
Mike the Poet has penned a fantastic poem about the history of literary Angelenos. He is the author of I am Alive in Los Angeles. click here for more
ESTEBAN OCHOA
Author and adventurer gives us
"The Best Enchiladas".
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AFI FEST 2008
The American Film Institute comes to Los Angeles for two weeks of indie theater. Movie reviews of DEADGIRL, CHE, and THE WRESTLER. click here for more
AFGHAN DIARY:
OPERATION VIPER
The real words of paratrooper Michael Quinones who was on the ground and saw the action with his own eyes... click here for more
MOVIE REVIEW: LOVE THE HARD WAY
A VISUALLY-STUNNING FILM
STARRING CHARLOTTE AYANNA AND ADRIEN BRODY.
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Editorial: Republican Sneaks
and their Boneheads Click here for more
BOOK PICKS
A selection of titles from the publisher's bookshelf: Poetry, nonfiction, plays, it's all in there with a distinctly LA flavor. Click here for more
VICKY CRISTINA BARCELONA
Woody Allen's latest masterpiece about love and art
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Dexter: The show you are embarrassed to love
A review of the beautifully written yet creepy soap opera. Click here for more
The Poetry of Wil Wynn
A collection of poetry by an underground maestro with a review by Louis Bardel. Click here for more
WALKING LAOSHAN
Michael R. Shea explores enigmatic China: the beauty, the poetry, the mishaps and the humor.
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Editorial: Make Spanish the Official
Language of Los Angeles Read More
The Steamy Stories of
Cashmere Bates
Vivid and smooth, these pieces will take you from the mean streets of Detroit to the steamy apartment of a scorned lover. Reminiscent of Anais Nin, Cashmere's stories are sure to provoke you. CLICK HERE FOR MORE
Movie Review
Gonzo: The Life and Work of
Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Written and directed by Alex Gibney, this biopic offers plenty for the Thompson fanatic to chew on. Stageandscreenwriters.com gives it three stars.
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Journey to Tangier
Gonzo tales of ancient cities, art and culture shock. Pictures of Barcelona graffiti included. Click here for more
My Method of Play Creation, or
Rising from the Depths of Hell
like a Phoenix
"Being a playwright I like the thing, as in Hamlet’s sage words, 'The play is the thing...'" writes Sigrid Gilmer. "I am an American and like any good God-fearing American I love the product – the finished play. Shiny. New. Accomplished." Sigrid dives into the writing process. Click here for more
WHAT A LONG STRANGE TRIP:
Bicycle messaging in the Big Apple
"Working as a bike messenger is unlike any other job I know of," writes Kent Giltz."It is dangerous, exhausting, exhilarating,frustrating, adrenaline-rushing, but most of all it is an incredible experience." Click here for more
BLOODY BOXERS
What does one do when he is the Killer Hitter? Why of course he gets in the ring and fights. Trace this primordial tale of blood and guts as a young boy is initiated into the world of punching. (Read More)
POETRY AND THE FEMALE IMAGINATION
The yin, the Sapphic, and the fire of the feminine. This month we feature poetry from Debra Behr and Crystal Carter. And we ask the question, how does the female imagination differ from that of the male? Click here for more
Is Puritanism Dead in America?
Guillermo Rios explores America's cultural nadir and offers some sage alternatives. Click here for more
Below are the "originals" - a family member, an old friend, and a woman of her word...
GUS BARDEL (1905-1999) In May 1928 Gus embarked on a steamship across the Atlantic, one year before the bottom fell out of the world economy. Steaming into the Mediterranean to Mussolini's Italy and Pompei, to Greece and the Parthenon, to Egypt and the Pyramids, and to France, the Riviera, the French Alps and Paris. Read an excerpt from his travel diary New York to Paris 1928.
JW CHEF Your average guy, doing an average job, living an average life, and having fun doing it. Check out his tales of life on the edge.
YOUSOUNDHOLLOW See Barcelona through the eyes of YSH. A world traveler with camera always at the ready, YSH focuses on the telling detail and the subtext of a scene. An excellent UK-based artist. See More
