Events for May 15-21, 2014

Get with THE PROGRAM

THURSDAY, MAY 15

ART

Artopia @ Grand Central Market (Downtown)
Sometimes I just love walking through the Arts District to look at all the street art and just absorb all of the creativity that is in the air in the neighborhood. LA Weekly celebrates the area's vibrant art scene with this event that brings together live art installations, music, film and fashion under one roof. Since the venue is Grand Central Market, there is plenty of food and drink to be purchased from vendors who are staying open after regular hours (Horse Thief, Sticky Rice, Valerie at GCM, G&B Coffee, to name a few) as you're walking through the exhibits.

COMEDY

TMZ Comedy Tour @ The Ice House (Pasadena)
Often times what makes the bits of celebrity gossip revealed on "TMZ" so riveting are the people that deliver them. That's because some of those personalities have been entertaining crowds from comedy stages for years. Tonight's stand-up event gives four of the TV show's regulars – Brian McDaniel, Rick Mitchell, Katie Hayes and Myke Anthony – the spotlight to share their witty commentary on pop culture and beyond.

FRIDAY, MAY 16

FILM

In Theaters This Week
The always great Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen and Bryan Cranston lead a cast that also includes Sally Hawkins, Ken Watanabe and Juliette Binoche in Godzilla; Million Dollar Arm stars Jon Hamm as a sports agent who recruits cricket players to play in the MLB. Also in theaters: Stage Fright

MUSIC

Maximo Park @ Troubadour (West Hollywood)
The British fivesome is touring the nation in support of their latest album, Too Much Information, that released last month and stop in Los Angeles tonight. Kick off your weekend swaying to the beat of new songs "Leave This Island" and "Midnight on the Hill" and singing along with older tracks like "Apply Some Pressure," "Going Missing" and "Our Velocity." You are sure to work up a sweat, let go of some of the week's stress and have some fun.

SPORTS

Amgen Tour of California (Santa Clarita to Mountain High)
One of the best parts of the Tour de France broadcast in the summer is watching the fans that stand on the sidelines, yelling at the top of the their lungs while wearing awesomely ridiculous outfits to ensure they get on TV. If you have ever longed to be one of those passionate crowd-goers, then don't miss your chance to cheer on world-class riders, like Peter Sagan and Mark Cavendish, as they breeze through Southern California. Today they ride from Newhall to Palmdale then up to Big Bear and Mountain High ski resort. Saturday's course runs from Town Center Mall in Santa Clarita and over to Mount Wilson before passing the Rose Bowl, Colorado Street Bridge and Old Town Pasadena. The tour's final stage takes place on Sunday in Thousand Oaks, and it will be thrilling to see who ends up wearing the yellow jersey.

SATURDAY, MAY 17

ART

Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary Art Show @ Gallery 1988 West (Mid-City West)
"Are you troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night? Do you experience feelings of dread in your basement or attic? Have you or your family ever seen a spook, spectra or ghost? If the answer is 'yes,' then don't wait another minute. Pick up the phone and call the professionals…" This year marks many ups and downs for the supernatural comedy: losing one of its writers and stars (Harold Ramis), celebrating its 30th anniversary and the confirmation of a third Ghostbusters film coming to theaters next year. If you're a fan, then you should definitely head over to this touring exhibit's L.A. stop at Gallery 1988 West through June 1. Every piece in the show is awesome, from DKNG's Ecto-1 (above), Joshua Budich's They're Here to Save the World, Tom Whalen's Confectionary Kaiju and Richard Kelly's Keymaster.

FASHION

Super Saturday @ Barker Hangar (Santa Monica)
If you love searching for bargains at estate or yard sales every weekend, then this "Rolls Royce of garage sales" (as dubbed by the New York Times) is for you. Hosted by celebrity stylist Rachel Zoe and model/actress Molly Sims, Super Saturday not only offers you luxury brands for 30- to 50-percent off, all proceeds go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. You can get clothes and accessories for the whole family for a bargain and help a good cause while you're at it.

FILM

Office Space @ Santa Monica High School's Memorial Greek Amphitheatre (Santa Monica)
Eat|See|Hear's outdoor movie-food-music series is in full swing for the summer, and tonight's feature is one of my favorite comedies. If you're loving Mike Judge's new series, "Silicon Valley," on HBO, then you should see Office Space, his first feature-length film. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennifer Aniston, Gary Cole and Stephen Root in a story about workers who can't stand their job or their greedy boss. The End of Summer perform a set before the movie, so grab some grub from food trucks like Son of a Bun, India Jones and Coolhaus and settle in for an awesome night under the stars.

FOOD

California Strawberry Festival @ Strawberry Meadows of College Park (Oxnard)
As you're driving up the 101 with your windows down on a hot summer day, It's hard to ignore the pleasant, hunger-inducing aromas as you pass the many strawberry farms located in Ventura County. I'm salivating just thinking about it. You can easily satisfy your every strawberry craving today and tomorrow at this year's California Strawberry Festival. Aside from treats like chocolate-dipped strawberries, strawberry pizza, strawberry funnel cake and strawberry margaritas, there are performances from the Young Dubliners and Mariachi Divas, a strawberry pie eating challenge, relay race, hat competition and shortcake build-off contest.

SUNDAY, MAY 18

SHOPPING

Artists & Fleas @ Arts District (Downtown)
What could be more relaxing on a Sunday afternoon than perusing the wares of artists, designers and vintage sellers all in one place? This curated marketplace that is open all year long in Brooklyn and Manhattan finally makes its way west. With local vendors like Gull and Marie, Soiyl, Mt. Washington Pottery and Groceries Apparel, you can pick up clothes, jewelry and home goods. There are food vendors and a DJ on site for you to enjoy as you take a break from shopping.  Also Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 21

MUSIC

Isabel Beyoso @ Molly Malone's (Beverly Grove)
This is the perfect show to get you over the mid-week hump. The L.A. singer-songwriter, model and actress released her debut full-length, It's Time, last summer and is performing a special acoustic set tonight. From the heart-wrenching "Pursue Me" to the sassy "Better Than Nothing" and delightful "Mm-Mm Spell," Beyoso crafts songs that touch upon your every mood. When she performs them live, they are absolutely entrancing.

New Release Tuesday 10/29/13

Oct. 29, 2013

MUSIC

Arcade Fire – Reflektor (Merge)
I can't stand it when detractors dismiss Arcade Fire as being too dramatic. From the first time I experienced the Montreal group headed by Win Butler and Régine Chassagne perform live at Coachella in 2005, they won me over with their anthemic songs and infectious spirit of fun. I have never felt put off by the passion they exude from the stage at any of their shows since and was happy to hear their ability of rocking with carefree abandon captured on Reflektor. Their fourth album was produced by LCD Soundsystem's James Murphy, and with its punched-up dance grooves, you can feel his touch on every track. He doesn't overwhelm, though, as the album's primary themes of the Greek Orpheus myth and Chassagne's parents' homeland of Haiti are woven throughout. If you aren't already addicted to the title track, you will fall in love with "Flashbulb Eyes," "Here Comes the Night Time" and "You Already Know."

The Devil Makes Three – I'm a Stranger Here (New West)
The trio of singer/guitarist Pete Bernhard, guitarist/banjoist Cooper McBean and stand up bassist Lucia Turino have found boundless inspiration on the road since leaving their rural Vermont hometown for their new base in Santa Cruz, Calif. and playing festivals and stages across the country. Ten of these road songs find their place on the band's fourth album, recorded with producer Buddy Miller at Dan Auerbach's Nashville studio, and they're some of the Devil Makes Three's darkest (both lyrically and sonically) and biggest sounding yet. Coming to terms with mortality ("Dead Body Moving"), friends' addiction battles ("Mr. Midnight") and relationship struggles ("Worse or Better") are all documented on I'm a Stranger Here, as is the destruction of Hurricane Katrina and the flood in Brattleboro ("Forty Days") with guests the Preservation Hall Jazz Band.

Minor Alps – Get There (Barsuk)
The debut effort from the collaboration between Juliana Hatfield and Nada Surf's Matthew Caws is a a departure from most of their past work but terrific in its own right. The two artists wrote each of the 10 tracks together, share lead vocals and play every instrument (except for some drumming and programming by Parker Kindred and Chris Egan) on Get There. Their harmonies are beautiful on songs like "Far from the Roses," "Radio Static" and "Waiting for You." Catch them at the Echoplex  Nov. 12.

Also available – Alterprod's Class Struggle; Bad Religion's Christmas Songs; Bad Things' self-titled; Body Parts' Fire Dream; Botany's Lava Diviner; Bottomless Pit's Shade Perennial; Dead Letter Circus' The Catalyst Fire; Diane Coffee's My Friend Fish; Ed Kowalczyk's The Flood and the Mercy; Far-Out Fangtooth's Borrowed Time; Jace Everett's Terra Rosa; Jonwayne's Rap Album One; Juana Molina's Wed 21; Julie Roberts' Good Wine and Bad Decisions; Kelly Clarkson's Wrapped in Red; Laurel Halo's Chance of Rain; Linkin Park's Recharged; Loves It's All We Are; MellowHigh's self-titled (Oct. 31); Moonface's Julia with Blue Jeans On; Mutation's Error 500; Pampers' self-titled; Protest the Hero's Volition; Quelle Chris' Ghost at the Finish Line; Quiet Life's Wild Pack; Robert Glasper Experiment's Black Radio 2; Russian Circles' Memorial; Seether's 2002-2013; Sepultura's The Mediator Between Head and Hands Must Be the Heart; Skeletonwitch's Serpents Unleashed; The Songs of Tony Sly: A Tribute; Survive This!'s The Life That You've Chosen; The Swellers' The Light Under Closed Doors; Thomas Rhett's It Goes Like This; Trace Adkins' King's Gift; Vandana Jain's Anti Venus; White Denim's Lemonade Corsicana; Yamantaka // Sonic Titan's UZU; Yancey Boys' Sunset Blvd.; Zula's This Hopeful

MUSIC VIDEO

Isabel Beyoso – "Mm-Mm Spell"
The L.A. singer-songwriter debuted the new video for the first single from her album, It's Time, today. Check out "Mm-Mm Spell" below:

BOOKS

The Pioneer Woman Cooks: A Year of Holidays by Ree Drummond (William Morow)
I am totally obsessed with Ree Drummond's "Pioneer Woman" show and frequently replicate many of her recipes at home. The blogger, bestselling author, photographer and "accidental cowgirl" releases her third cookbook today, and it's definitely going on my Christmas list. She shares ideas  and 140 recipes for every special event you might find yourself hosting, from brunches and dinner parties to Halloween and Fourth of July. She beat Bobby Flay in a Thanksgiving "Throwdown" three years ago, and you can find some of those dishes in the 19 recipes she shares in A Year of Holidays' Thanksgiving section. The cookbook sold out in mere seconds when it debuted on QVC a few weeks back, so I know I'm not alone in my obsession.

Also available – The 21-Day Sugar Detox by Diane Sanfilippo; After Dead by Charlaine Harris; A Cruel and Shocking Act by Phillip Shenon; Codex Seraphinianus by Luigi Serafini; Dark Witch by Nora Roberts; The De-Textook by Cracked.com; The Hogwarts Library boxed set by J.K. Rowling; Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh; Monsters by Rich Cohen; Pok Pok by Andy Ricker; S. by Doug Dorst; Stitches by Anne Lamott; The Southerner's Handbook by the Editors of Garden and Gun; Their Life's Work by Gary M. Pomerantz; Tune In by Mark Lewisohn; What's So Funny? by Tim Conway

DVDS

Film – Monsters University tells the story of how beloved monsters Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sulley (John Goodman) met and became friends. Also with the voices of Steve Buscemi, Helen Mirren and Sean Hayes; Byzantium stars Gemma Arterton and Saoirse Ronan as two mysterious women with a shared secret; Ryan Reynolds and Jeff Bridges are undead police officers in R.I.P.D.

Music – Bruce Springsteen's Springsteen & I; CeeLo Green's Loberace Live in Vegas; Celtic Woman's Home for Christmas: Live from Dublin; Joe Bonamassa's Tour de Force: Live in London; Lady Antebellum's Live on This Winter's Night; Move Me Brightly: Celebrating Jerry Garcia's 70th Birthday

TV – Damages: The Complete Series; Cook's Country: Season Six; Degrassi: Season 12; Family Tree: The Complete First Season

Also available – All Hallows' Eve; Bounty Killer; Bye; Cars 3D; ESPN Book of Manning; Free Samples; Glass: Perfect American; Heartland Christmas; Margarita; Night Vision; Out in the Dark; Running Mates; Santa Claus Conquers the Martians; Silver Bells; The Snow Queen; Surrendered; Switchmas; Tabu