Art in the City, and we're up in arms..

Roxy Paine's 2007 piece Erratic has landed in Beverly Hills' Beverly Gardens Park and there has been some predictable reactions: letters to the editor of The Courier excoriating the purchase (some 300k) and the general appearance of the piece.

I can understand. On the one hand, I love it. There's something so otherworldly about the simulacrum of a stone made out of hammered and welded stainless steel. Plunked down into the verdant strip of grass in Beverly Hills makes it more confrontational than it is in the more urban one of New York City's Madison Square Park. I can also see where some would look at it and be appalled. It's disturbingly organic yet machined. In this town, the home of Michael Bey movies it could be construed as a by-product: a Transformer Turd in our park.

As I said, I like it, and I like the artist. I'd have loved to see some of his other pieces chosen for the city, like Conjoined or Inversion, but perhaps there were reasons these ultra-pointy lawsuits-waiting-to-happen weren't in the running. But it's getting people talking about the city, the art here and perhaps getting people to go out and enjoy a nice walk in our beautiful park. In my mind that's priceless.

Photo: James Cohan Gallery

Hooray for Hollywood

NCIS LA premiered this evening, and it's enjoyable: LL Cool J and Chris Connelly have a nice spiky repartee going on, and anything that gives us more and better Linda Hunt is a good thing.

One of the things I noticed is that the "secret" headquarters of the NCIS looks to be one of the Arthur and Nina Zwebell buildings in Los Angeles. I wrote previously about one of them; this one looks like the Andalusia. I love that the filmmakers have a love of classic LA architecture (Buffy did too) but it kind of comes across as silly to have them open up to soundstage sized sets with touch-screen jumbotrons and software that can identify the DNA of the Mongolian Fruit Fly. Oh well, I'll just look at the scenery and hope LL takes his shirt off.

Photo: elcabrillohollywood

Traveling with friends

This past weekend my BFF Bitsy was in town on business and decided that she needed a long weekend away from her high-powered and high-stressed job. Fortunately for her, her job is also relatively high-paid, so she could afford to take herself to a room at the Ojai Valley Inn, and nice enough to invite me for the ride. I am lucky to have a couple of friends who are perfect traveling companions: Bitsy and I are like 16-year olds together: we called our Garmin "Sally Lou" and delighted in her harrumphing electronic exclamation "Recalclulating" whenever I thwarted her plan to get us onto a traffic clogged artery I knew to avoid. At the resort we sat by the pool and drank Daiquiris and read trashy novels, quoting them to each other and laughing at the abuse of adverbs.

Ojai is a beautiful place with a great bookstore and a lovely downtown. Try not to miss the "Pink Moment", just before sunset when the hills to the East are bathed in the pink light of the sunset. Just the thing to have a Daiquiri to with your BFF..

image: Association of Water Agencies Ventura County

The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!!

This is a still from the History Channel's gleefully Debbie-Downer series "Life After People". If you'd ever wondered what would happen if one day everyone on earth just vanished, this series is for you. Starting from 5 minutes after we're gone to 50,000 or so, it follows the collapse of our buildings, demolition of our cities and eventual erasure by the forces of nature and time.

I find it strangely entertaining to have it explained exactly the mechanism of our cities demise. As a matter of fact, this show and "Modern Marvels" have made the History Channel my default viewing station of choice..

Photo: History.com

RIP Julius Shulman

1910-2009

Julius Shulman was arguably the father of architectural photography and certainly a peerless chronicler of the architecture of Southern California. In this video from The Los Angeles Times he talks about taking one of the most famous pictures of architecture ever taken: Case Study House #22, with the LA basin in the background.

Video: LATimes.com

I'm enjoying Lifetimes "Drop Dead Diva"

It's a kind of mash-up of "Pushing Daisies", "Desperate Housewives" and a little soupçon of "Life and Loves of a She-Devil" (the book, not the movie).

My only problem is that were supposed to think that Brooke Elliot is just soooo fat. Ms. Elliot is a beautiful, talented woman who might be a size 12. She looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones younger, slightly plumper sister. Even with unflattering photography you can see that most men would be kissing their elbows for the chance to date her. I mean, if this is the image that women are supposed to take as a hopeless loser, what have they have to look forward to?

The show however is a ball, I can't wait to see what they do with it and Brooke Elliot is a lady to watch.

Photo: Lifetime

Supermarkets, and less than super markets..

Paul at Deliver Rants wrote a funny post about modern shopping. It's pretty hilarious, and like most of his posts, dead on. Maybe if we all ask pretty he'll write more?

Photo credit: The Daily News

Happy Fourth everyone!

Isn't this a marvelous picture? It's from the New York Times showing the Macy's fireworks over the Hudson. Also, the crown of the Statue of Liberty (thanks, France!) is open to visitors again.

I vividly remember watching the fireworks from the roof of my East Village hovel, the World Trade Center framing them and the ones to celebrate the centennial of the Brooklyn Bridge. The fourth was also the date when I first became close friends (as opposed to casual acquaintance) with my best friend of over thirty years long ago at the Three County Fair, my dear Moo.

So I hope that all of you are having a great holiday weekend with those dear to you eating far too much hot dogs and having far too much fun. You can sleep in tomorrow unless you have church, in which case you'll have something physical to repent in addition to spiritual.

Lastly, I'm taking a moment to think about the 233 year history of this nation. It ain't perfect, but it's pretty darned good.

Photo: NYTimes

Your World, Boning You

Just got an email breathlessly informing me that I can have a new "Navigator" give me turn-by-turn directions sent to my iPhone for only $9.99 per month!

Why am I not biting?

Well, most of my month is going to work. Here's the directions (when I drive): turn left out of garage. Turn right onto Beverly Blvd. Go straight until you hit Spring St. (10 miles). Turn right, enter garage. Directions home? Exit garage. Turn right on 3rd. Drive 10 miles. Re-enter alley. Park car and get mail.

When you can get me the turn-by-turn directions to find the pen I misplaced in apartment I'll be impressed. Actually, if you can get me service in my apartment I'll be impressed.

Image from the email ATT sent me