During her years as a Hollywood-based screenwriter in the 1930s, Dorothy Parker remarked, “Los Angeles is 72 suburbs in search of a city.” While LA’s diverse flora and fauna can often bring about a wide range of location-based adventures, many plans are often derailed by distance and rush-hour traffic. Luckily, Flavorpill recently unveiled its beautiful new city-based culture guide, an open platform where anyone can create and share local happenings. Follow events from the entire community, including suggestions from Flavorpill’s very own editors and curators. Below are our own recommendations for this week, hand-picked by yours truly, aka Managing Editor of Flavorpill Los Angeles, Tanja M. Laden. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the new Flavorpill. We hope to see you there!
Monday, March 11
PERFORMING ARTS: Write Club Los Angeles The folks behind Write Club say it’s not unlike “Fight Club meets literary salon.” This monthly event at brings out the competitive edge in writers who write their best, donating money to the charity of their choice. This month’s episode features three bouts between two professional writers as they spar and scrawl for seven minutes on the topic of Bacchanalian revelries. The audience decrees the winner. Who knew writing could be a bloodsport? — Karin E. Baker
BOOKS: Sam Lipsyte discusses and signs The Fun Parts: Stories
Tuesday, March 12
COMEDY: Fan Friction Fan Friction features an excellent lineup of some of the best comedy writers around, each reading customized fan fiction inspired by film and television, but with a very personal twist. Host Mike Betette of “Epic Rap Battles of History” and Jimmy Kimmel Live! reads The Little Mermaid, with Douglas Sarine of Curb Your Enthusiasm and “Ask a Ninja” reading The Big Bang Theory. Tamara Federici of The New Yorker and NPR’s Ask Me Another reads Lincoln, and Cole Stratton of the Pop My Culture podcast and SF Sketchfest reads Police Academy. Kerri Feazzell of Westside Comedy Theater’s own long-form, choose-your-own adventure-esque Improv Diary… (Uh) comedy show reads Beaches, rounding out a hilarious evening that’s an intriguing blend of both innovative comedy and pop-culture pastiche. — Tanja M. Laden
Wednesday, March 13
FILM: The Sadist (1963) Nebraska native Charlie Starkweather took his 14-year-old girlfriend on a murder spree in the 1950s, killing 11 people during a two-month road trip throughout the midwest. The teenage homicidal maniac was like an extreme, real-life version of James Dean — he reportedly began to imitate the mid-century film idol after watching Dean play a misdirected, disillusioned youth in Nicholas Ray’s 1955 classic, Rebel Without a Cause. Like James Dean, Charlie Starkweather also developed a cult following of young girls who tearfully protested his execution. Starkweather’s disturbing life inspired a number of full-length feature films, including Badlands (1973) and Natural Born Killers (1994), just to name a few. But long before either of those hit theaters, a black-and-white exploitation flick called The Sadist capitalized on Starkweather’s notoriety, just four years after his execution in 1959. The Cinefamily at the Silent Movie Theatre resurrects his story with a rare presentation of The Sadist on the big screen. — Tanja M. Laden
Thursday, March 14
CITY GEM: March Art Walk Tour of the Times LA’s premier newspaper since 1881, the Los Angeles Times is still going strong, despite numerous recent blows to the print industry over the past few years. With nearly four decades of publishing experience under his belt, Darrell Kunitomi leads a 90-minute walking tour of the LA Times Olympic Printing Plant, which includes fully operational four-story printing presses, laser-guided robots, and stacks of newspapers 50 feet high. While the awe-inspiring space may not look like the bustling press nerve center of yore, it’s still the largest printing plant in the country, and it’s definitely worth a visit, especially for free. — Tanja M. Laden
Friday, March 15
MUSIC: Insomniac presents Awakening feat. Maya Jane Coles and Maceo Plex In Los Angeles, all-night dance parties often extend into dawn, and nobody makes it more fun to stay awake than the Insomniac crew. Famous for the extra-large Electric Daisy Carnival, Insomniac hosts the weekly Friday-night Awakening, which arouses the senses and stirs up dormant impulses while stimulating awareness. When it comes to dance parties, Insomniac is the very definition of wakefulness and it sets the bar high. — Tanja M. Laden
Saturday, March 16
SPORTS: LA Streetquest Real-Time Run Event Running doesn’t have to be a solitary sport with Streetquest’s running-event app. Bring a smartphone and you can paint the city, survive a monster invasion, and collect stars — all while sharing your results. So it’s not just about health and the thrill of competition, but it’s about making running social, too — finally. – Karin E. Baker
ART: Apiary Gallery presents Bummer California by Keith Marlow
Sunday, March 17
MUSIC: Part Time Punks: MIDI 03 w/ DJ Daddy Long Legs The aptly named Part Time Punks is a Sunday-night trek into the beat-filled world of classic indie pop, tinged with new/no wave, industrial, post-punk, funk, synth, and everything in between. Whether live or on vinyl, these tunes are designed to get you into the groove and out on the dance floor. While they may not have invented the moshpit, Part Time Punks definitely knows how to keep its spirit alive. — Tanja M. Laden