If I'd been a ranch, they would've named me the Bar Nothing

"I can never get a zipper to close. Maybe that stands for something, what do you think?"
The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre is screening Gilda (1946) on Saturday, June 21st at 1 PM as part of their Femme Fatale Hall of Fame series, brought to you by the inimitable programmer, Hadrian Belove (formerly associated with Cinefile). Rita Hayworth is a spellbinding knock-out opposite Glenn Ford in Charles Vidor's classic noir romance. Gilda taught women everywhere how to toss their hair and strip off their black satin opera gloves.

Gilda's nightclub performance of "Put the Blame on Mame":



The Silent Movie Theatre is owned by the brothers who are responsible for Family, a curated bookstore that, I was told, only carries books with aesthetically appealing covers. Family also hosts events for writers and artists , sometimes with corollary evenings at Cinefamily, like the recent Gary Panter book-signing and companion screening of pre-code cartoons.

The Silent Movie Theatre can be found at 611 N Fairfax Ave, LA 90036, or call 323.655.2510
Family is located close by at 436 N Fairfax Ave, open from noon-9.

20x200

The formula is: large editions + low prices x the internet = art for everyone.
Jen Bekman started 20x200 and set some basic rules: two new pieces are introduced each week, one work on paper and one photo, each piece comes in three sizes. There are 200 editions of the smallest size (8 1/2" x 11") at $20 apiece, 20 editions of the medium size available for $200, and two of the largest size for $2000.

Fly the Plane into the Eye of the Storm

Augusten Burroughs on his work habits (in bed, around the clock), advice for blossoming writers (just read), and how to conquer writer's block, "Just sit down and write about the writer's block! The more you write about it, the more you'll dissolve it, like dropping a couple of Alka Seltzer tablets into a glass of water, it'll fizz and it'll go away."

Coast to Coast Burden

Chris Burden's "What My Dad Gave Me" officially opened Wednesday in Rockefeller Center. It is a 65 ft skyscraper made of 16,000 lbs of Erector Set components commissioned by the Public Art Fund. On how this piece relates to the rest of his oeuvre, Burden said, "These are structures that are performing themselves in their forms." Performance has always been a factor for Burden, especially in his earlier works (like his infamous "Shoot").
There's also a great NY Times article by Randy Kennedy.




"What My Dad Gave Me" is an elaboration on its precursor, "Small Skyscraper", which I saw at LACE in 2003. The dimensions of "Small Skyscraper" exploit a loophole in LA County building code that waives a permit for structures under 35 feet tall and 400 square feet in area. It has four rooms, and had to be displayed on its side in the gallery. The LACE exhibit literature called it, "a sculpture disguised as a house disguised as a skyscraper."

Common Materials

David Mach and his coat hanger sculptures, especially the silver back gorilla, have been generating lots of praise from the internet today. Boingboing woke me up with it this morning.


When it comes to coat hanger art, there's only one for me- Dan Steinhilber's untitled installation (2002) at the Hirschhorn in Washington, DC. This piece always made me think of a dense flock of birds changing direction mid-flight. The application of the material is whimsical and ingenious, very Tim Hawkinson-esque.

Have you seen Chi Chi?

Will the notoriously garboesque Chi Chi show up for her own first anniversary? The best analogy for Chi Chi's Word Parlor is a live, fictional version of This American Life, featuring music and bouts spontaneous improv writing. Chi Chi's is rolling out the highlights of the last year of performances on Tuesday, June 10th at 8pm at the Atwater Playhouse at 3191 Casitas Ave, Los Angeles 90039. Donations appreciated.
Submissions will be welcomed again when July's theme is announced.

Art Crimes: Lowry Robbery

LS Lowry's "The Viaduct", a pencil sketch of "The Surgery", and the artist's palette and brushes were taken among other works in a morning home invasion robbery on May 2nd of last year, in which three men held a couple and their two year old daughter at knifepoint. Greater Manchester Police have now charged Casey Miller, and questioned three other men about the crime, according to the BBC. When the robbery occurred, DS Tony Cook said, "These burglars appear to have known exactly what they were looking for. They must have known Mr. Aird was an art collector and that he would have the paintings in the house." The stolen works are still at large.

Watching the Hours Away

Strangers on a Train
Halloween- is going to be my touchstone for new research into slasher flicks
La Strada
Honkytonk Man
American Graffiti- Nick says, "Richard Dreyfuss was always old, wasn't he?"
Forbidden Zone- I can't even say how awful
Le Mepris- c'est pour ca que je ne sors pas avec les mecs francais!
Bee Movie- I always wanted Jerry Seinfeld to make features, but not necessarily this one
27 Dresses- waste of time, whatever
And a Judy Holliday rom-com double feature:
Bells are Ringing- with Dean Martin in a time before voicemail
Born Yesterday- with William Holden, the original

Sighting:
The dimly famous grandpa waiting for his family outside La Brea Bakery on Sunday turned out to be Len Lesser, or Uncle Leo from Seinfeld.
Not even in the same stratosphere as the morning I saw Jake Gyllenhaal getting breakfast with his mother there.

The music is coming from the Hall of African Mammals

First Fridays at the Natural History Museum presents The Mountain Goats and Annuals, plus DJ sets by Kutmah and Nobody of Dublab in the Hall of African Mammals. Last summer, some big guns played sets here: Deerhoof, The Submarines, Autolux.
Friday, June 6th at 900 Exposition Blvd, LA 90007. Advance tickets: $2-$9, music from 7-10pm.

The Mountain Goats video for Sax Rohmer #1:

Sumo without Caution

The 2008 Grand Sumo Tournament is this weekend, June 7-8, at LA Sports Arena. I have it on good authority that there will be unparalleled bento boxes and Japanese beer for sale. Matches start at 4pm. Cheap seats are $35. Email director@usasumo.com for info.
Thanks, Tori.

Weapons of Mass Beautification

There was a great LA Times article, by Joe Robinson about the Guerrilla Gardening movement in Los Angeles and abroad. At guerrillagardening.org, you can join an existing cell and post pictures of your missions.



DIY:
The first time I saw guerrilla gardening in action, my friend's father was struggling to solve the problem of a fenced-off empty lot next to their apartment building. "A scar on the face of Paris," he called it. It spoiled the view from their dining room, for sure. This is how he did it:

A dozen eggs
+ seeds and small amount of soil
+ tissue paper
+ water based glue
1. Knock a smallish hole at the pointy end of the eggs and drain into a bowl.
2. Carefully wash the eggshells.
3. Pack the eggshells with a few seeds and some soil.
4. Seal with tissue paper and glue.
5. Wait for evening. Open a window and launch your gardening bombs into the offending, barren patch of land.
Then make omelettes with leftover egg contents.