Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Turkeys Galore

"Heritage Turkeys", Submitted by ExperienceLA

Deep fried turkey, turducken, upside down turkey... so many ways to prepare them. Delish.

Just wanted to wish everyone an early Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget to check out your local farmers markets for your last minute Thanksgiving meal purchases, as well as our latest newsletter for great giveaways (Wooden Classic, Enter Shikari Debut)!

Cheers and Happy Eating!
-ExperienceLA Staff

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Being a Star Nerd

The first and only time I checked out the Griffith Observatory's remodeled planetarium, I sadly fell asleep. It's definitely not because the show is boring by any means. My body is just wired to pass out the moment the lights go down while I'm reclined in my seat listening to the soothing voice of the narrator with his glowing ball of light. I honestly wanted to stay awake and learn about the stars, but found myself waking up to the cosmic explosion halfway through - mouth gaping open and all...

The Observatory, itself, is beautiful. And while parking up at the Observatory is now available again, I didn't mind taking the Galactic Express (free shuttle ride) and pretending to be a kid on a field trip. "Are we there yet??"

To compensate for my narcoleptic tendencies, I checked out Glendale Community College's Planetarium show last Friday. GCC's Planetarium is an all digital full dome theater with power reclinable seats. While the show isn't as fancy as Griffith's, I definitely learned a lot (and stayed fully awake this time around)!

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Cultural Marketing Assistant

Monday, November 19, 2007

Freebie of the Week: Spiritual Warriors, The Film

We love freebies and we're sure you do too.

Starting today, catch free screenings all week long of "Spiritual Warriors"... and get your hands on a free copy of the book that inspired the film, Dr. John-Roger's LA Times #1 bestseller "Spiritual Warrior".

Brief synopsis: "Spiritual Warriors" stars Jsu Garcia as Christopher Finn, a sometimes mob gofer/sometimes actor who eludes police pursuit after a drug deal goes bad. After hiding behind the walls of an opulent estate, Finn is awakened the next morning by an old man who seems to know more about Finn than he possibly could or should...

Screening at Fine Arts Theatre 7pm & 10pm every night. November 19th - 25th.

-ExperienceLA Staff

Thursday, November 15, 2007

KT Tunstall at Avalon

I love small venues. They're intimate, you get a good view, and it brings you back to the heart of music.

Teitur opened for KT Tunstall at Avalon on Tuesday. An awkward guy... but he totally grows on you, and soon enough, his awkwardness makes him all the more endearing. His music, on the other hand, is anything but awkward. With lyrics like "She stole, my grandmother's watch, a treasure to touch, to keep time to herself" accompanying his quiet but steady melodies, I was pretty sold. He closed with his song "One and Only"... and that's been playing on repeat on my computer ever since.

Then came along KT Tunstall, full on personality with her sparkling sequin minidress rockin' on her guitar... she makes me want to be a rockstar with a glitter guitar!

She was great live... hilarious with her random comments and facts, fully comfortable interacting with the audience, and easily shifting around any technical difficulties. It wasn't simply some concert with a clear division between artist and audience. It reminded me of the gigs at a small event... where it's just as much about the audience and venue as it is about the artist.

Highlight of the night: KT Tunstall layering sounds/voices with her looping pedal, only to pick up on our screams for the rest of the song.

Random fact of the night: Many trees get randomly planted because squirrels bury seeds and forget where they placed them. "Squirrels are like the eco-friendly warriors of the world!" - KT Tunstall

-Sarah Koo, ExperienceLA Arts/Cultural Marketing Assistant

ExperienceLA/Lonely Planet Cover Photo Contest!

Do you have what it takes to capture the feel of Downtown LA? Enter for a chance to have your image featured as the cover photo for our upcoming ExperienceLA Downtown LA guidebook, specially produced by Lonely Planet.


From now until December 14th, go out and capture what you think defines Downtown LA... Then follow these steps to submit your photo(s) to the contest. Your photo(s) will be considered for use on the cover of our guidebook that will be distributed free of charge internationally, nationally, and locally to LA visitors! There are also plenty of other chances to be featured (and credited) in our guidebook, so submit as many photos as you want!

Check out ExperienceLA for more information about our contest!

-ExperienceLA Staff