MY KIND OF DINNER PARTY

Here at Pico we try to avoid commenting on political controversy, mostly because A) we’re lazy B) it’s in our mission statement and C) it’s over by the time we get around to noticing such controversy exists. So we respectfully decline to comment on the cover of a particular literary magazine that's been buried under a pile of our mail for about 2 weeks. Fist-thumping Muslims aside, we were thrilled to discover (albeit a bit belatedly and from our favorite porcelain reading chair) that there are some real gems to be discovered within the pages of that very same issue.

To Wit: Best. Dinner Party Idea. Ever.

We especially like #4 and #7, and plan to try one (or both) in the very near future. As pretty much everyone who reads us ends up at our house for dinner sooner or later, accept this as your warning that dog biscuits may be on the menu in the very near future.

#14 is of course, our favorite. Does anyone out there remember the “Syphilis is back” poster ads that graced bus stops along La Brea Avenue last year? Those much-needed PSAs are much missed in our hood. Apropos of well, nothing, and for lack of a better segue from food-borne illnesses to STDs, we proudly present dessert.

Happy Tuesday, y'all.

PS: Just in case you've yet to sort through the mail or read all of mid-July's political commentary, here's that pesky cover. Don't say we never gave you anything.

PPS: special thanks to photogenius K for the lead shot. Yep, it's dog food.

New Yorker Ads about L.A.

I was just flipping through my fresh-from-the-mailbox copy of The New Yorker Winter Fiction Issue before bed when I discovered a four-page ad for the "all-new Chrysler Town & Country" minivan.

On the first page, Bradley Whitford (of West Wing fame) and Jane Kaczmarek (of Malcolm in the Middle fame) pose in front of said van with their three young children playing in the background.



Okay, whatever. Nothing too remarkable. But let me read you the copy:

Come holiday time, prime-time celebs Bradley Whitford and Jane Kaczmarek and their three kids take their act on the road to visit family in Los Feliz and see the lights in Griffith Park. Fortunately, the all-new 2008 Chrysler Town & Country knows how to let the good times roll.

Is it just me, or does this seem like weird location-dropping... like name-dropping, you know? It never mentions Los Angeles, just Los Feliz and Griffith Park. Is this an attempt by L.A. locals to pretend like we have boroughs? Hell, I like Los Feliz as much as the next east-side hipster, but this feels wrong. And, man, that car was able to take them ALL the way from Los Feliz to Griffith Park? Amazing! Oh, wait... they're right next to each other.

Plus, you know no New Yorkers know how to properly mispronounce "Los Feliz."

I don't know why this was so unnerving to me, but it was. I was so perturbed, I decided to take more crappy photos of the thing with my iPhone. Here's proof:





Weird advertisements aside, there is some great fiction in this magazine. Junot Diaz has a fascinating short called "Alma" on page 52:



(See? Even more crappy iPhone photos of the magazine.)

Go read the story right now and you'll see what I mean.