MY 10 THINGS TO LOVE ABOUT LOS ANGELES*

In the holiday spirit, and in the spirit of the year drawing to a close, K suggested I write a list of 10 Things I Love About Living in This Town. Surprisingly, or not so surprisingly, I had trouble keeping the list to just 10 things (apologies to fellow contributors/comment-makers Dahoud and Mr. N, both of whom are probably having a fit right now that anyone could find 10 things to love anywhere). It's late and I've been nipping at the old nog a bit, so I might delve a bit deeper than our loyal readers are used to going, but bearing with me holds its own rewards:

1) The Light. Much has been said of our sunsets, but to me, the light in LA is wondrous all the day long. We all need a good healthy dose of Vitamin D every once in a while. But in LA, the daily UVA is delivered in such gorgeous golden tones as to inspire an entire industry (see: film), multiple essays, theories and odes to it. It's incredible. Anyway, 2008 marks five years of my repatriation as an Angeleno. I've learned that the light here has ruined my ability to live anywhere else for any extended period of time. See: S.A.D. Chalk it up to latitude, the special refractory bowl that is the LA Basin and the curve of the coast, or just magic, but I can't live without it.

2) The Landscape. The following anecdote is also closely related to my above reason for loving LA, and it wouldn't be possible were it not for our unique geography. I was heading east on the 210 freeway a few days ago to visit the extended N clan just before dusk. Somewhere around Monrovia, I noticed the gorgeous glowing oranges of sunset in my rearview mirror. And to my right, the fantastic salmon tones of the mountains, reaching clear across the horizon, so sharp and so close. I could even see snow bouncing the last rays of the day from the slopes of Mt. Baldy. I looked back in the rearview mirror to see palm trees outlined in orange. I looked forward to the open highway heading east, and the now purple mountains. I looked back to the palm trees. I looked forward to the mountains. I looked back. I looked forward. I almost slammed into the car in front of me. That's how stunned am I sometimes by the sheer beauty of where we live. We got the city, we got the beach, we got the mountains. It's pretty awesome. Granted, we got the valley and the traffic and the smog, too, but on a clear winter day, there's not much that can get me down.

3) The Food. Forget the frozen yogurt wars (the cognoscenti all know that regardless of whether your berry is pink or your cupcake is sprinkled, Scoops has the dessert market cornered in this town), I'm talking about street food: the grandmothers selling tamales from shopping carts in West LA, hot dogs wrapped in bacon on top of trashcans in Hollywood, and chili-pepper corn in East LA. Also, the sheer variety of places to eat, regardless of your budget, and the hard-working families who make those places so special. You know my love for Bombay Grill, but I also love that ethnic food isn't ethno-centric in LA. Where else can you find restaurants with Mexicans serving Indian food, Koreans serving Mexican food, and Guatamalans running the floor at a Jewish deli? Diversity isn't just for your stock portfolio, people--it tastes damn good, too.

4) The people who sit in coffee shops all day on their laptops. We all know they're just checking email and updating their Facebook pages while appearing to write the next big screenplay, but I love them. And I love that a stellar screenplay, novel or blog post probably does live in their hearts. This is the land of dreams, and it takes a lot of creative people wishing, wanting, and doing to attract the muses. Bring it on, I say. No one in LA is just a waitress, or a bookkeeper, or a Pilates instructor. Plenty of cynics will rehash how cliche and annoying the cafe layabouts are, but I find them refreshing and inspiring. And we're not all actors, BTW. Some of us are aspiring commercial airline pilots and ninjas in training, so there.

5) People who actually watch movies without talking, using laser pointers, answering their cell phones, standing up to stretch, throwing things, or generally stinking up the place. I've been subject to all of the above disrupting my favorite two hours of the week, but never in Los Angeles. Maybe it's cuz I'm a snob and stick to places like the Arclight where the above behavior is not tolerated, but I also like to think it's because so many of us here, working in the 'biz or not, simply respect the medium and all the work that went into it (see #4). Then again, now that tickets cost $14, you gotta respect something.

6) Canyon shortcuts. Traffic sucks, especially trying to get anywhere on the other side of the hill. But I never tire of driving over the canyons. I love these little enclaves of precipitously perched homes, scenic vistas, and clutch-burning climbs. Whether swinging around blind curves on Beachwood Canyon only to meet the Hollywood sign face to face, gunning through rock n'roll history on Laurel Canyon or avoiding the madness of the central Hollywood fun-zone on Outpost (shhh-don't tell) to Mulholland, I never tire of the thrill found in escaping up and over. It even helps soften the blow of landing in the Valley, because at least I know I can always go back the way I came. The 101, or the 405, however, is not as certain, but that leads me to my next favorite thing about living in Los Angeles:

7) Freeways. Yep, I said it. I was born to drive, and am probably better suited to the Autobahn than LA's freeways, but apparently the Germans have adopted speed limits and it's just not the same. For those of you who know me, and know my love of public transporation and deep-seated shame at not having a better option for my morning commute than spending an hour to go 10 miles in my car, this may seem a rather strange favorite thing--AND YET. I drive surface streets at rush hour, but given the alternative, I always choose the freeway. It's sick and strange, I know, but freeways make me feel secure. Whenever I'm lost, if I can find a freeway onramp, any onramp, as soon as I climb onboard the concrete trail, I know exactly where I am and where I'm going. There's nothing like the endless stretch of asphalt into the palm-laden horizon to get my juices going. We'd be better off without them, I know, but sometimes you've gotta love the one you're with. I just wish there were more murals along the way. Like the Olympic-era murals on the 10/5/101 interchange downtown. Can we revive those?

8) My friends. Anyone who says LA people are stupid and (we hear it lots) fake are ignorant fools. Some of the finest folk in the world live here. Get out there and meet them.

9) The music. As diverse as the food, any night of the week. For more details, check out LosAnjealous.com . I think those folks go to a show every night and they're always in the front row (just look at the pics). Seriously, so many venues, so many artists and occasional rock stars to choose from, and so little, little time.

10) Pico Boulevard, duh.

*Special thanks to photog Lloyd Prudhomme for letting us use his gorgeous pic of the LA skyline above. Check out more of his work here.

Happy New Year, People.

FRIDAY LIST DAY - 20 MOVIES STUCK IN DEVELOPMENT HELL

PHOTO FROM REVELATIONS ENTERTAINMENT

Premiere.com has put together an interesting list of 20 Movies Not Coming To A Theatre Near You. Here's a few highlights:

-The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

Apparently this was greenlit by producer Scott Rudin with Natalie Portman and Tobey Maguire set to star. Then turnover in studio management stalled it. Personally, I really hope they get it together for this one as I'm pretty sure they could pull it off without ruining it.

-Dino

Casino screenwriter Nicholas Pileggi wrote the script for this Dean Martin biopic. This picture was going to reunite Pileggi with Martin Scorsese, but remains on the shelf. Apparently the "potential" cast had John Travolta possibly playing Frank Sinatra. Yeah that's not gonna work.

-A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

Another great book. According to Premiere, there was a bidding war between New Line and Miramax for the rights to this. Mr. Eggers chose New Line and a potential director was Paul Thomas Anderson. However, (and this is a big however) a potential star was Tom Cruise. Um . . . No. I vote no.

-Rendezvous With Rama

This was the first film announced by Morgan Freeman's new production company, Revelations Entertainment. It's an adaption of the Arthur C. Clarke's (2001: A Space Odyssey) novel. This film (or wannabe film) has been lingering for 10 years with no action (but it's still on their website). I wish they'd get on it, I'd like to see it.

-Wonder Woman

Apparently Joel Silver has been hanging on to this one since 2001. A few writers attempting it, then in 2005 Joss Whedon was on board, however his present day version apparently didn't get anywhere. So it's pretty much in no-man's land. I'm pretty sure Whedon would have knocked it out of the park with this one. Without him behind it, I've pretty much lost interest.

Friday List Day-Prison Movies!!!

Tyler's post yesterday about Paris Hilton potentially going to jail for being an idiot got me thinking of prison movies. So, in honor of Friday List Day below is a list of Pico's top 7 prison films and why they rock. Now the only criteria used here is that the bulk of the movie revolves around prison. Obviously there are great prison scenes (48 Hours for example), but most of the movie has to be in a prison.



1) Cool Hand Luke - "Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker."

This is the epitome of chain-gang prison flicks. Luke is the quintessential anti-hero who resists authority and attempts to stick it to The Establishment. Plus, homeboy eats 50 eggs.


2) Shawshank Redemption - "Hope can drive a man insane"

This dude Andy is incarcerated for murdering his adulterous wife (who clearly had it coming) and teaches the rest of the fellas a lesson in hope. That sounds simple and hokey but if you've seen it you know it's not, it's quite beautiful. If you haven't seen it then there is something wrong with you (you might be a communist, get that checked out).

3) Bridge on the River Kwai - "I'd say the odds against a successful escape are about 100 to one. But may I add another word, Colonel? The odds against survival in this camp are even worse."

My dad watches this on cable every time it comes on, and for that I used to make fun of him. A few years ago I actually sat and watched it with him and realized I'm an idiot. It's about a POW camp with British prisoners in WWII who are ordered to build a bridge to help the enemy. This won Best Picture in 1958 and has a stellar cast featuring Alec Guiness and William Holden. Prisoners + War Movie + Obi Won = Awesome!


4) Midnight Express - "Well it's not a train. It's a prison word for... escape. But it doesn't stop around here"

This is the true story of a man named Billy Hayes who is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and is thrown in Turkish Prison (so that pretty much makes it the scariest movie ever). He gets 30 years and I think it goes without saying that's just not gonna cut it. Apparently the movie was criticized for portraying the Turks to harshly or something, but I don't care if they all carried daisies around and sang kumbaya . . . . IT'S A TURKISH PRISON. Also noteworthy, Randy Quaid brings it in this movie.



5) The Great Escape - "I mean this cat is like Charles Bronson in the 'Great Escape', he's digging tunnels" Tarantino in Reservoir Dogs

A group of allied POWs led by Steve McQueen break out of an "escape-proof" Nazi camp. And when I say a group I mean like hundreds of them. This is based on a true story which makes it even more great because who doesn't like to stick it to Nazi's??


6) In The Name of The Father - "I'm a free man, and I'm going out the front door. "

Based on a true story Gerry Conlon (Daniel Day Lewis) is falsely implicated in an IRA bombing of a pub and sent to prison. If that doesn't just suck a big one, his dad is imprisoned with him. He spends 15 years in there attempting to clear their name.


7) Escape From Alcatraz - "Welcome to Alcatraz."

And . . . another true story about Frank Morris who attempts to escape from . . . well Alcatraz. The reasons why this movie is great are simple. 1. Clint Eastwood 2. It's about Alcatraz. 3. Clint Eastwood

Honorable Mentions:
Con-Air
The Rock
Victory
Aliens3

Friday List Day - 100 Greatest Movie Lines

Premiere magazine is out with another list that surprisingly doesn't suck as bad as it could have. However, I do have a few gripes:

Sunset Blvd. - This movie blew and the musical blew harder so do we really need 3 quotes on the list??

#31 - Some lame quote from some dumb Woody Allen movie (In Love & Death)?? I could do with a list that doesn't feature any Woody Allen at all (save maybe Annie Hall).

#15 - The Incredibles - Did this line really rank over Goodfellas?? In what alternate universe is that possible?

#4 - Titanic - Enough said

#96 - "Yippie Kay-yay Motherfucker" - 96?? Seriously? 56 maybe, but not 96!