Generally I think a blog should be a story but this press release caught my eye — I like worthy causes and Doctors Without Borders is a worth cause:

Banned Movie Night: First monthly film festival of its kind, premiering movies banned by our country on socio-political grounds. Proceeds benefiting Doctors Without Borders.

The Revanchist Group presents the first monthly film festival of its kind, slated for Saturday, March 28, 2009, and benefiting Doctors Without Borders. Banned Movie Night (BMN) is an event celebrating freedom of expression by influential Creatives of the international community. A once a month event held at the Downtown Independent Movie Theatre, BMN is a platform promoting dialogue and entertainment, where people of various creative communities cross-pollinate, connect, and above all celebrate the arts. Continue reading Banned Movie Night →

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Once again it is time for another tasting at Ralphs Grocery Store.  Monday (today) we will be tasting red table wines from 5pm to 8pm.  Many of the table wines we sell at Ralphs are special red table wines.  This simple title lends its name to many great red wines.  Legacy from Napa county Estancia from Paso Robles carries the name as well.  Even the sought after Opus One is considered red table wine. Continue reading Hello Wine Lovers →

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I am standing on Flower Street, looking up at the Los Angeles Public Library.  Rush Hour traffic zooms on behind me.  The central tower is topped with a pyramid tiled with a mosaic of suns.  On either side there is a hand holding a torch, meant to represent the “Light of Learning.” The building definitely doesn’t look like it went through one of the worst fires in Los Angeles history.  I climb the stairs to the entrance, three pools raised in a series ahead of me.  They are named Bright, Lucid, and Clear. Continue reading Los Angeles Public Library →

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Wine lovers gather together tonight as we experience Sparkling wine of California.  Out of all the wine produced in California and the wine producing regions, none is more challenging than sparkling.  From the moment when Dom Perignon uttered the words” I am tasting stars” to the last “pop” of a cork sparkling wine has enraptured us.  With its velvety texture to its long goose like necks to it’s sturdy bell shaped bottle. Sparkling wines has satisfied many over the past decades.  The history of sparkling wine in California only spans a few decades where as in Europe it spans centuries.  We will sample this wonderful wine this Saturday evening (tonight!) from 5pm until 8pm here at Ralph’s. Continue reading Hello Wine Lovers! →

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There’s just some places you should give your business to and blu la café is one of them. After a terrible few minutes at Gen Art BoxEight’s unimportant, scam fashion show I headed over to the little place next to Cole’s to see what it was about. That’s right, if you didn’t know there’s a new little café next to Mr. Moses’ super sandwich shop and hopping bar.

No, blu la café is not a threat to other restaurants in the neighborhood. The owners, a graphic artist and an actor who just wanted a place to eat and more importantly wanted to do something for the community HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE DOING and that’s okay. Continue reading blu la cafe →

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Hello Wine and Sake lovers.  Tonight at 5pm until 8pm I will be serving Sushi and Sake  for a fun Friday night  Sushi and traditional Sake at Ralph’s.  Friday is a great night to start your evening festivities at Ralph’s with a little Sushi and Sake, then head out to your favorite places in town o get your party on. 

 Sake is an alcohol product distilled from the rice grain; it originated in Japan and slowly made its way around the world. Continue reading Hello Wine and Sake Lovers →

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Okay, I didn’t work on the script, and didn’t raise the $500,000.00 I was supposed to in order to spin downtownster.com off from its’ parent company Lerner Wordsmith Press today… Sorry shareholders, but it was a SAINT PATRICK’S DAY MASSACRE and I had to get in the middle of it—and yes like all good downtownster.com writers (Vaughn Blake) I’ve been drinking Guinness. So as Elvis would say “My boy! My boy!”

It started simply enough; I met Carlos our programmer to go over the pictures that will soon be uploaded to the coming soon downtownster.com store. That would be right here on this very website. Our initial collection of Downtown Oliver Brown clothing will no doubt be a big hit and be an even greater distraction to my screenplay and novel writing than blogging, but enough about me and downtownster. We were working and having a coffee at The Farm at LA Live…As usual there was nothing going on in the plaza. Apparently it was crowded the day before with 450 people trying to get 45 jobs in what AEG calls a job fair and the rest of us call a publicity stunt to lure CNN into using the place as a backdrop.

It was this very quiet nothing going on for the community atmosphere that we have all become so used to that struck me as I stood in the city’s other cement bunker, albeit with trees and a fountain, Pershing Square. And yes I know that the city is working on some multi-million dollar study to determine how to spend a few hundred million in funds we don’t have to make the place feel not so Cold War Era, but I’m actually of the belief that we’re headed back into a cold war with Russia, so that the current state of Pershing Square is just fine. Anyway, I took in the fountain that poured green water and smiled. Then walked to the area where the Young Dubliner’s were rocking the house. Seriously, these guys were great, if you missed them they’re going to be on Kimmel tonight—don’t miss them again.

White people, black people, brown people, I think an Asian or two all gathered in Pershing Square in an event put on by Parks and Recreation. Continue reading LA LIVE’S SAINT PATRICK’S DAY MASSACRE →

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11:03AM

Much like every St. Patty’s for the last half-decade or so, I began my morning with a nice tall pint of Guinness and proceeded to whip up a traditional Irish breakfast of Irish Baccon, Eggs, and English Muffin toast (I couldn’t find any soda bread in the neighborhood). Main Street is quiet right now, not even a few enthusiastic souls indulging in an early pint at Pete’s. There will soon, however be a parade, and I will hit the pavement to cover it for you, our fair readers. Continue reading St. Patrick’s Day Downtown LA Style →

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Mark Schumacher and Erik Loyson kicked open the doors to Old Bank DVD on  Christmas Eve of 2005.  Both veterans of the LA’s film industry (Mark’s a Director of Photography, Eric’s a grip) they saw an opportunity in downtown’s growing Old Bank District, found a space in the same building as the downtown staple, ‘Pete’s’ and haven’t looked back.  The store is serves as both a neighborhood hangout as well as the only DVD rental place around, and every night you’ll see a small gathering both inside the store as well as out, with locals sitting on the front patio enjoying a beverage or a few cigarettes. Continue reading Old Bank DVD →

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Well  it is time to put on the green  in honor of St Patrick.  Green beer will be flowing around the city I fear.  Green bagels already are being sold in the bakery and “Kiss Me I’m Irish Shirts are showing up all around the city.  Tonight at Ralph’s from 5pm to 8pm, we will revisit the traditional Irish Beer of Guinness Harp Smithwicks and Guinness stout or as many refer to it, motor oil. The price of the tasting is just six dollars. Continue reading Hello Wine Lovers →

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