Foreword by Stan Lerner: “The Phantom Of The Opera – And I” is not only the first blog of the new year 2010 for this writer, but is by definition the first blog of the new decade for this writer as well. To write about a masterpiece such as The Phantom Of The Opera is [...]
Archives: Arts & Culture
BREAKFAST AT BOTTEGA LOUIE
FOREWORD BY STAN LERNER: downtownster does not celebrate its first birthday until February, but I still feel compelled to post the TEN BEST downtownster blogs of 2009. And while I think all of our blogs have been great, these are the ones that readers read the most and gave us the highest level of props [...]
BETTY BOOZE 3
FOREWORD BY STAN LERNER: Downtownster does not celebrate its first birthday until February, but I still feel compelled to post the TEN BEST downtownster blogs of 2009. And while I think all of our blogs have been great, these are the ones that readers read the most and gave us the highest level of props [...]
NO ENCORE FOR OLIVER
FOREWORD BY STAN LERNER: Downtownster does not celebrate its first birthday until February, but I still feel compelled to post the TEN BEST downtownster blogs of 2009. And while I think all of our blogs have been great, these are the ones that readers read the most and gave us the highest level of props [...]
HOLLYWOOD – A LOVE AFFAIR
The LA Times recently published a piece that pronounced the recent rash of Hollywood Executives to be shown the door the best slasher story in years. The LA Times of course left out the second best slasher story, that being all of the slashing that went on at the LA Times, but that would be [...]
Scenes From The DFFLA
Foreword by Stan Lerner: before I embarked on the “Road To Nowhere” I left the trusty Alec Silverman to record for all of us the last half of the Downtown Los Angeles Film Festival. Upon my recent return to Los Angeles he proffered the following account. Well, I got in on the tail-end at the [...]
More Short Short Fiction of Catherine Coan
One thing I found surprising about Catherine Coan’s short short stories was the variety of voices and writing styles therein. I, on the other hand, seem to write “…all one, ever the same and keep invention in a noted weed…”, if I may quote the English language’s most famous sonneteer. The next surprise came in [...]
Grade School Memories ─ Dogbite
For Diane Schneider McArdle At Colfax Avenue Elementary School in North Hollywood I had Mrs. Grover as my fifth-grade teacher. Mrs. Grover was the most elderly, in appearance, of anyone who taught me before college with her fully grey head of thick hair and her leathery pruned face and old fashioned eyeglasses. She was [...]
The Flash Fiction of Catherine Coan
“This is really short short fiction”, I remarked to myself as I read the stories below by artist, poet, author and educator, Catherine Coan. I was immediately inspired to compose short introductions à la Rod Serling. “Imagine if you will…” The first of the three featured stories speaks to the collapse of the real estate [...]
Artwalkin’ with Stan ’n’ Al
This morning I am writing in pain. That’s better than writhing in pain, but in this case, they are not far apart. I was involved in a single-pedestrian accident on the sidewalk in front of Arty gallery last night. The official report states that alcohol was not a contributing factor. The victim had a blood-alcohol [...]
