it's october which brings to mind all things
spooky (and all things
love according to my horoscope. but that was covered in the last post).
although it is over for the season, one of my favorite spooky discoveries in l.a. is
cinespia and it goes like this: it's saturday, you and your pals stock up on fromage and vino (and kfc if you are the friend of a friend in the group). despite the traffic, you make your way over to the "hollywood forever" cemetery. after entering you walk through the grounds, passing perfectly manicured gravesites, one very different from the next, yet all as glossy and ostentatious as would be expected only in a hollywood cemetary.
your destination is the outdoor "theatre" marked by a large stretch of fresh grass facing the facade of the largest building on the property. upon selecting the perfect patch of grass you release your blankets into the air and watch them settle across it. this becomes the station for your food and wine and where you will gradually resign yourself to a comfortable position for the next few hours. it's right around dusk so you don't need to light any candles just yet.
a dj plays night time party music, the kind of NTPM you and your friends are willing to tolerate. kind of like when you are at a sushi restaurant and think that mild airy electronic techno crap makes perfect sense. this is different because you are outside on a lovely summer evening, the sun is setting and you are in a cemetery for heaven's sake. NTPM never sounded so good, right?
after the sun has gone down, the music fades out and the film of the week begins, none better than the last and all well revered classics. this is only proper considering where you are; watching the stars, under the stars, amongst the stars.
my favorite cinespia experience was the night of "
the night of the hunter"...if you like things that are beautiful and scary and you are familiar with chiaroscuro, then i suggest you put it on your netflix right away. oddly enough, the preacher in this movie was the first dude to rock the "love/hate" across the knuckles. hell yeah!
and if that's not enough, you can pay respect to this guy on your way out...(the bust is much better in person, believe me)...one word of advice to first timers: don't leave too late or you'll end up wandering around the grounds in the dark, alone, looking for your car, panicking at the possibility that you and your friend might be locked in "hollywood forever" forever (or at least for the night).
spooky? no. wonderful? yes.
it is a very sad day for this classic urban garden dweller. apparently the florida company that makes the pink plastic flamingo is going out of business. i suggest you promptly go out and set yourself up with a pair to stick in the yard just in time for the holidays....
speaking of plastic icons i had the pleasure of meeting this fellow over the weekend. patrick muldoon. you might recognize him from the popular soap opera "days of our lives" or "melrose place". i think his most pivotal role was as kelly's boss/love interest on "saved by the bell" back in the day. i have nothing particularly interesting to report other than the fact that he is a terrible dancer and despite much begging and pleading on his part, did not come home with me for the evening. trick? or treat? you decide.
