Drive-in theater among downtown LA high-rises | Video | abc7.com

Drive-in theater among downtown LA high-rises | Video | abc7.com

Weekend Hangout – The Birthday Continues…..River Cafe

27OCT

After a wonderful celebration with family and friends in LA on my actual birthday of October 19th, my friends in New York planned a 2nd birthday celebration. This time it was in New York or Brooklyn to be exact, at the fabulous River Cafe. This place is hands down, one of my favorite places to dine. If you want to have a romantic evening or just gather with your family and friends, this is the place to be.

The River Café draws more New Yorkers and visitors into Brooklyn than just about any entity since Coney Island. It has been the location of many major films, hundreds of commercials and countless television shows. It has hosted many of the most famous – from within government and business to celebrity and royalty from around the world.

The River Cafe has won numerous awards including The 2012 Michelin Guide Award, Distinguished Restaurants of North America Award (DiRoNA), The New York Parks Council Award and The Municipal Arts Society Award.

I would highly recommend if you’re in New York, make a reservation, because if the food doesn't do it for you (and it would be surprising if it doesn't , the spectacular views and excellent service will have you hooked!

One Water Street

Brooklyn, New York 11201

 718.522.5200

**After 5:00 p.m. each day, jackets are required for gentlemen in the Main Dining Room and the Bar. Ties and collared shirts are always preferred.

Appropriate clothing and footwear is always required in all areas at all times. Men wearing backless sandals are not permitted.

My Niece/God-Daughter in Times Square

This weekend was the Covenant Service for my niece/god-daughter Mallory. She was given her Hebrew name of Michaela, named for my sister-in-law’s mother Michele. As a surprise for my brother and sister-in-law, I wished Mallory a “Happy Baby Naming” in Times Square – New York.

My girl looks beautiful, appearing on the jumbo screen at the ‘crossroads of the world”. Whoo…Hoo!

Please Help This Family If You Can!

I know it's early in the morning but this story breaks my heart. There's this wonderful family of 4 living here in Los Angeles. I met the mother briefly in my exercise class. She has stage 4 Lymphedema (which is a terrible debilitating disease of the lymphatic system). It has gotten so bad for the family that they literally have little to no food and must vacate their apartment has soon as possible.

The problem is that the system is so backed up and flawed that she doesn't qualify for food assistance because her disability payment is too high...basically, I'm sorry your family has no food, but we can't help you. Housing isn't an option because the wait-list is well over a year. I will do everything I can to help them, but if there's 
anything any of you can do, please contact her family at 310.902-3134 - Evette.. No one in a country like the US should go hungry especially children.

Weekend Hangout - Birthday Edition

I know I’ve been missing for a couple of weeks with the Weekend Hangout, but I was sick with terrible allergies. Now I’m back in time for my birthday! Today is the date my mom was in labor with me for 15 hours…as I’ve been told over the years, many, many times.  I can’t wait for a frozen strawberry margarita and some fun.

But because we are in rather tough times and my REAL favorite affordable Mexican food restaurant, Acapulco,  is no longer near where I live, I have rounded up a group of family and friends for Happy Hour at El Torito Grill.

I actually enjoy going there for Happy Hour in the Cantina. You can either sit indoors and enjoy some of the best chips, salsa and guacamole around or go out on the patio to enjoy the cool, mild LA evenings with drinks and friends in tow. Their Happy Hour lasts from 3 – 8 p.m….five hours to get your eat and drink on.  Another plus is  the staff… they’re so nice, friendly and accommodating. Ask for Lance, he’ll hook you up.

So if you’re ever in the Los Angeles area and looking for a good bang for your buck, stop by…you won’t be disappointed.

El Torito Grill

9595 Wilshire Blvd.

Beverly Hills, California 90210

Phone:  310-550-1599

Open Daily
Monday-Thursday 11:00am-9:00pm
Friday-Saturday 11:00am-10:00pm
Sunday 12:00am-9:00pm

Cantina Small Bites (7 Days/wk in the Cantina).

Drink Specials (M-F 3-8pm in the Cantina).

Tags: Beverly Hills, Birthday, entertainment, family, fashion, food, friendship, Los Angeles

The 99 Cent Store May Invade 1%-er's Playground

This cracks me up! The residents of Beverly Hills and surrounding affluent neighborhoods, are the same people who have tried endlessly to stop the subway to the sea because they’re afraid that the “wrong people” will invade their bastion of wealth and entitlement, though they won’t publicly admit it. Now the 99 Cent Store wants to further encroach on the mecca of conspicuous consumption by opening a store on Rodeo Drive…my how times have changed. For some strange reason, I’m pulling for the 99 Cent Store. I would love to see the faces of the old money elite shivering in their designer duds when they see different people, not of the Beverly Hills/Bel Air set, marching proudly into the store, feeling that a store they’re familiar with, is reason enough to take a trip to Rodeo Drive. If this comes to fruition, I too will drive down there and do my shopping right beside all the other working class people rubbing the wealthy’s noses in the mere fact of us being there. Sorry 1%-ers, it just may be open season on your playground.

Dollar Store Seeks to Rub Elbows on Rodeo Drive

If your Rodeo Drive shopping stops include Versace, Armani, Chanel and Tiffany & Co., perhaps you’d be interested in a store where you could drop a real bundle, of $1 bills that is.

The 99 Cents Only Stores chain announced that it’s searching for a retail space on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, Calif., one of the toniest shopping strips in the world.

“We think our store will do well. Our highest amounts of sales are happening in our branch on Wilshire Boulevard. We know for a fact a lot of customers there are coming from Beverly Hills. This store will be here to stay. The major reason for its success will be the challenging economy which came as the final impetus to open the store,” Eric Schiffer, The 99 Cents Only Store CEO, told ABC News.

The 99 Cents Only Store is confident that opening on Rodeo Drive be a winning move. “We’ve had many success stories that are similar to this scenario. After we opened our store in West Hollywood on West Lincoln Boulevard, a Whole Foods came right next to us. As soon as it did, our business went up dramatically,” he said.

“Oh my God! How will it work in the middle of all the fancy-shmantsy?” Beverly Hills resident since 1977 Ann Garry told ABC News when she heard the news.

“If there’s a 99 Cent Only Store on Rodeo Drive, I will definitely shop there. I wouldn’t dream of shopping on Rodeo Drive. Instead of just looking at the windows I can now shop there,” said Garry.

Mikael Choukroun, manager of 208 Rodeo restaurant located on the Rodeo Drive, he is concerned about the street losing its high-class identity.

“Hearing news of The 99 Cents Store opening is very disappointing. I worked for 20 years at Les Champs Elysees [in Paris] and I have seen what such stores have done to it. After McDonalds and similar places opened many of the high-end brands left Les Champs Elysees and it’s now full of cheap stores. I can see this happening to Rodeo Drive if they start opening such stores,” said Choukroun.

Making ends meet as far as rent will be a challenging task, said Schiffer. “We’re hoping to find a landlord who will understand that with opening such a store we will increase traffic on Rodeo Drive, which has been slow due to the bad economy,” said Schiffer.

“By putting our news release out on Tuesday we hope to attract the interest of landlords and perhaps cut the middle-man process, and by that, cut some extra costs,” he said.

The store hopes to appeal to locals and to tourists. “Shops on Rodeo make most of their sales from tourists. When tourists get their basic needs from our store, as opposed to paying a lot more for the same items at their hotels, they will have saved enough to shop on Rodeo,” said Schiffer.

The 99 Cent Stores operates 303 outlets in California, Texas, Arizona, and  Nevada. “We were the first store to sell in 99 cent or a buck items. We are an LA iconic business. We started in LA 30 years ago and grew to 300 stores and we want it to be the home of our flagship store… the city where we started.  Also, what’s wrong with having an exception, and we would be that exception,” said Schiffer.

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What Happens When a Friendship Turns to Sh*t?

15OCT

“Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down”.  Oprah Winfrey

I know in every long-term friendship,  like with any other relationship, you’ll hit a bad patch. But what happens when you absolutely do not recognize the person who has been your best friend forever? This is a question that I thought I would never be compelled to ask. My best friend…my brother, has turned into someone I can’t comprehend nor understand. He’s sullen, sulking, combative, moody, irritable, defensive…whew, it’s exhausting. It’s as if he’s turned into some Jekyll and Hyde, walking advertisement for schizophrenic psychotropic drugs. I’ve tried to talk with him but I’ve hit a brick wall every damn time.

More than anything, this is the behavior that’s the most puzzling; we have always been able to talk about any subject or issue that was bothering us, now we can barely talk about anything. He’s had several life-changing events in his little slice of the world over the last year and a half and I understand that, but I’ve been there for him every step of the way. However, the blame-game is what’s troubling. It seems that everything that’s going wrong in his life or bothering him, is someone or something else’s fault or responsibility.

The environment around him is most times…toxic and I called him on it. But as usual, he started with a childish response instead of an adult solution. This type of erratic behavior has only made our relationship even more strained and splintered. Today for example, he went with me to a meeting and all the way there you could feel the tension in the car. Normally we’re laughing, joking and having fun, but oh no, not this time, it was awful. On the way back, it was more of the same and when we are out and about, we normally stop by his home to see my niece/god-daughter (a long story about that title) and I had made arrangements with his wife to do so because I hadn’t seen my little muffin for about a week.

He made an excuse about being too busy and I could “catch up tomorrow”. Excuse me, but tomorrow is Monday and I haven’t won the lottery, so I need to handle my business. This is uncharacteristic behavior and I’m at a loss on what to do. Before anyone starts with maybe his wife has something to do with us having issues (which has been brought up by others), she’s a genuinely nice person and it’s not in her personality to cause trouble. Believe me, I know what friends and relatives look like when they’re knifing you in the back. I also want people to know that my brother is not an inherently bad person either, he has a good heart but at this moment, it’s just hard to remember.

I have almost arrived at the conclusion that maybe we need a good long break from one another…maybe we've hit an insurmountable brick wall and it’s just best to change routes…I don’t know at this point. I want him in my life, but I’m not quite sure that he still wants me in his. He has never verbally indicated anything of the sort, but if it’s not that, then what? The one thing that I feel he resents is my friendship with his wife…he even said to her, “why were we communicating”, that I was HIS friend…HIS sister. But how can I have a relationship with my niece/god-daughter and him if I don’t have some sort of amicable relationship with his wife? You see, none of this makes sense.

I’m at a loss on how to fix this and for me, that’s a first. I don’t want to keep going around in circles with him nor do I want to walk on eggshells around him. It has almost become untenable and that has to stop. Do friendships have expiration dates or do we need to freeze them every once in a while to make them last longer? What to do……

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Liz and Dick – Why We’ve Forgotten Lindsay Lohan IS Such A Good Actress

It’s very easy to forget that youth is a time for reckless abandon; partying, finding yourself (sometimes with the wrong person and in the wrong place at the wrong time), buying those shoes, handbags or what not that you know is way over your budget but not giving a damn because you had to have them, breaking up over and over with a boyfriend or girlfriend you know is toxic, but they’re hot and the sex is great (or so you think), drinking way too much, puking your guts out, passing out in your clothes and make-up, waking up later that morning feeling like warmed over death, only to do it all over again the next night because that’s what young people do.

Lindsay Lohan is no different from any other out-of-control youth who thinks she’s got it ALL under control. No one can tell a young person shit and I was no exception. But here’s the thing, she’s an addict and as an addict with a self-destructive personality, she has to stay away from certain stressors and triggers that can negate any progress she’s made. Lindsay left Los Angeles waxing poetic about how LA is too this and too that. So now she’s in New York and guess what, her ass is in a jam yet again. Why, because she hasn’t really embraced who she is in regards to her addiction. Nothing is under control in her life until she owns up to her addictions and completely exorcises the things and people who keep pulling her down into the abyss. Unfortunately we may keep seeing the Lindsay headlines until, and I’m hoping this will never happen, there will be a final tragic headline lamenting her untimely death.

When she was younger, Lindsay was heralded as a great young actress in the making and I still think her talent is there. However, the Hollywood powers-that-be and the public’s patience, has run short. We live in an instant gratification society. Our attention span is mega-short and we’re always looking for the next great idea, hot gadget, newest gizmo and “it boy and it girl”. That’s the reality of a social media driven world and a 24 hour news cycle.  If she wants to salvage what’s left of her career, it’s time for her to be honest with herself and those around her about what’s important. She’s 26 yrs. old now and yes that’s still young enough to turn her life around, but how many chances does one person get?

During the press junket for “A Prairie Home Companion”, Meryl Streep was asked about Lindsay and her talent.  Meryl, who is considered the grande dame of the Hollywood elite, had nothing but praise and hope for Lindsay to achieve her full potential. When you have an Academy Award winning actress of Streep’s caliber pulling for you, you need to seriously step back and reflect on where you’re going wrong. But in true Lindsay form, she got into more trouble and continued her descent.

Fast forward to the present, here we are with la Lohan playing one of the most beloved and iconic actresses of the golden era of Hollywood, albeit on Lifetime, but it is a step in the right direction or so we thought. What happened during the filming of Liz and Dick, Lindsay gets into another car accident and of course, as usual, it wasn’t her fault. And by the way, someone needs to take away her keys or a judge needs to order her not to drive because Ms. Thang is a menace, but that’s just a mini rant on my part…couldn’t help it.

Even the woman she’s portraying had her share of foibles, missteps and bad judgement, but Elizabeth Taylor faced it all with class, grace and dignity. She never blamed anyone but herself for her headline making bad behavior and that’s why she was always forgiven. In contrast, the only time Lindsay shows a modicum of contrition is when she’s in court trying to stay out of jail and even then, she’s as phony as Kim Kardashian’s 72 day marriage.

When the announcement was made that she was staring in Liz and Dick, I admit I was skeptical at first because I love myself some Elizabeth Taylor and thought there was no way under the sun Lindsay could pull that off. Then I started thinking, this is a young women who is immensely talented and why not? I actually started pulling for her. If the reviews are good and the audience watches (in droves for cable and satellite), then this could be the catalyst needed to propel her into better projects.

Since the news broke on her latest arrest, which may threaten her probation in Los Angeles, I’m about ready to throw in the towel. New York was supposed to be a fresh start, away from the rabid paparazzi and here we go again. It’s obvious that Lindsay has no one looking out for her best interests and now it may be time for the book to be thrown at that noggin. If the charges stand up in court, at this point, the only thing I feel will be a jolt to her system is cooling her heels in the gray bar motel for a good long time.

Liz and Dick has one major hurdle to overcome and that’s…Lindsay Lohan.  What a pity that such a fascinating story about the love affair of the 20th century had to be marred by a young woman who is the train wreck of the 21st century. But isn’t that what Hollywood loves…building people up only to tear them down and make a movie about the result? Let’s just keep hoping that if a move is ever made about Lindsay Lohan’s life, it won’t be a tragedy but a triumph.

UPDATE:  10/13/2012 – Lindsay and her mom had this big argument with accusations lobbed like scud missiles at each other. It seems that Lindsay gave her mother 40 thousand dollars to save her home from foreclosure. Lindsay turned to her father for comfort (big mistake) and was betrayed by him releasing the tapes of their conversation to the media. Is there any doubt why Lindsay is screwed up…look at her parents.

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Examiner Local Editorial: No more foot-dragging on IG's recommendations | WashingtonExaminer.com

Examiner Local Editorial: No more foot-dragging on IG's recommendations | WashingtonExaminer.com