Oh, how I love you, Eric Ripert

Dear huddled masses,

What about bodies of stagnant piped-in water makes you throw your hard-earned money away? I really can't understand. Is there some specific origin of this ridiculous custom I don't know?

Please educate me,
Laura

Add trying to sound like Bob Dylan when singing "Then I Kissed Her" to the list of weird things Phil Spector did.

(This way too long documentary series All You Need is Love made by a British man in the 70's is alright. Wouldn't like it if not for these great weird interviews. Most of the information seems a little inaccurate or already known to me, but most people would probably learn a lot of new stuff).

This post is mainly for Lillian.

The black boots I finally procured after buying and returning and buying and returning again (although thankfully I didn't pay anything near that price. The second pair I got in a different color (Mud on the site; I don't know why they won't let me link the correct picture):

Dear L.A. River Report with Ed Reyes,

I would be much more into you if you were not accompanied by monumentally dull music. This isn't a hotel television menu channel show. Too bad it sounds like one (okay, obviously, I'm already admitting a lot by saying I watch LACityView channel 35).

Laura

P.S. THE L.A. RIVER IS A RIVER. DON'T MOCK IT.

J.L.Curtis part II

She thinks I "may have a runway" in my future and should have majored in costume design. She gets this all from a jacket. Excellent.

Also part II of What/Who Ron Jarvis Thinks I Look Like Today (although this is actually in reference to Monday): Coco Chanel. I'll take it.

Harry Shearer was there, too.

Wes Anderson

If you have seen any Wes Anderson film, particularly The Darjeeling Limited, you have probably realized he likes to use his soundtrack to very heavy-handedly underscore every emotion he wants the audience to feel. Quite frequently, my reaction is "OKAY, WES, I GET IT."

I saw Fantastic Mr. Fox this evening. I wonder if Anderson has ever used any diegetic music. I doubt it. Nevertheless, it didn't bother me as much this time. Maybe because I love the Beach Boys. And "Heroes and Villains" is my favorite song.

Also, Mario Batali is one of the minor voices? Crazy.

I need this necklace.

Please, please, please. Channukah present?!?

Dear people who decide San Vicente and Fairfax is an acceptable place to block the intersection,

WHAT THE HELL?

Laura

P.S. When is it ever acceptable to block an intersection?

New segment: "What/who Ron Jarvis thinks I look like today"

Bobby Darin

when the shark bites?

Dear man, whose business card I have already lost, at bar ,

Your socks were great.

Indeed,
Laura

Jamie Lee Curtis likes bluegrass and my new hat

and John C. Reilly wanted to know if I was going to play him a mini glockenspiel solo.

I like buying socks too much for someone who wears flip flops almost every day.

Don't worry, I'm not buying either of these.

Dear clothiers,

After doing some research, it seems what I dislike is called sublimation printing. If I am wrong, please correct me. Whatever it may be called, I do not understand why it exists. Why would one want clothing with random white stretches of fabric? Is it supposed to look like the ink just couldn't be absorbed there? It's not like dye just misses portions of a dress. It also usually accompanies a disastrous Ed Hardy-esque pattern. This is confounding.

Please explain,
Laura

Some examples:

OMG UCLA PARKING I HATE YOU

After returning the portrait, the art thieves reclined

Did you know the Los Angeles Police Department has an Art Theft Detail? Did you know it is the only only full-time municipal art investigative unit in the United States? It's a good thing, too, considering how, as Greg Allen says, "Seriously, there is some great art in LA. Or at least there was, until it got JACKED."

One of the stolen pieces is one of Andy Warhol's portraits of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. According to the aforementioned Allen, eight were commissioned by the man who had one set of athletes' portraits stolen. I have my own picture somewhere of one that hangs in the UCLA Chancellor's Residence, on loan from the Hammer Museum (perhaps they got one of the 4/8 given away), but this one will have to do because I can't find it. I have no real opinion on Chancellor Block's wife other than that I really enjoy her statement to the Daily Bruin: "'I met Kareem at a UCLA event recently and I said, ‘Oh, I see you every day.'"

Dear blog readers,

Analytics tells me my most popular posts are ones with the least comments. What's going on?

Laura

I like to sleep with the window open and you keep the window closed.

L-R, T-B:
1) Paul McCartney: Give My Regards to Broad Street
2) Paul Simon: Hearts and Bones
3) Paul Simon: Still Crazy After All These Years
4) Peter Sellers: the Best of Sellers
5) Petula Clark: The World's Greatest International Hits!
6) The Police: Ghost in the Machine

1) Rhino Records 99 cents purchase, yeeeeah. But, this album is just whatever. It's a soundtrack of a movie I'd never heard of. I didn't even realize it was a soundtrack until writing this right now. The bizarre pictures all over the gatefold should have clued me in, but one never knows with these rock stars. (oh my that was so cheesy). Anyways, this has a lot of his already released tracks. So, basically, this is the kind of record I buy when I'm just record shoppin' quickly and the albums are 99 cents.

2) I don't remember where I got this record. I don't even remember ever listening to it. So, alas, all I can say is that it has really ugly album art.

3) A classic I took from the parents, which includes the classic that gave this post its title. I don't think anything bad could be said about this album. Well, actually, it could be said that it's super annoying that my dad starts singing "Still Crazy After All These Years" every time someone mentioned something related to many years or being crazy. But I'll overlook that. Why, you ask? The answer is easy if you take it logically (what's that too much? Probably only if you know that it comes from "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" -- track four). okay okay "YOU'RE KIND" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS EVER>BIG DEAL!11!!!!1!!1 (the 1s are to denote to gkla the level of excitement here). If you want to listen to a super perfect duo of songs, you want to listen to this song and then "Heart of the Country" from Paul McCartney's solo album, Ram.

---NOTE---: There are a lot of records that have been procured since this picture was taken, but I'll save writing about them 'til I have pictures.

4) MAMSROC. This is a weird not 12" 33 1/3 LP but 10", which means that it comes from the time when only classical music and 'musical' music was given the 'privilege' of getting more shellac. I really like the Parlophone logo.

5) Also MAMSROC. and, also ORANGE VINYL. woooooo!!! Also includes the silly rework: "The Boy from Ipanema." I think it is one of these (thank you internet! google "petula clark orange"): "There are also numerous bootleg albums from Taiwan which have become quite collectable. These are generally inferior quality copies of her American or British hit albums on red, orange, green or yellow vinyl with poorly xeroxed art work." true, but the poorly xeroxed art work looks kinda nice.

6) Rhino Records $0.49 purchase from early high school. I liked this record a lot then.

What I'm Not Doing Tonight

(What up what up LACMA !)

playlist for LACMA

• Leonard Cohen - A Bunch of Lonesome Heroes
• Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains
• Antony and the Johnsons - Shake the Devil
• Esthero - Superheroes
• Old 97's - Up the Devil's Pay
• Llibertines - Time for Heroes
• Starlight Mints - Seventeen Devils
• Danielson - Propaganda for a Comic Strip
• The Kinks - Superman
• Roxy Music - India
• Tommy Dorsey - Song of India
• Screamin' Jay Hawkins - Little Demon
• Steve Earle - Angle is the Devil
• Blitzen Trapper - Devil's A-go-go
• The Anniversary - Devil on My Side
• Marty Robbins - Devil Woman
• Rufus Wainwright - Evil Angel
• Willie Bobo - Evil Ways
• The Smiths - Handsome Devil
• The Germs - Lexicon Devil
• Helen Shapiro - Little Devil
• Robert Johnson - Me and the Devil Blues