Craig Ferguson once said, “I do love America, and LA is a very short commute to America. It’s, like, half an hour on the plane.” It’s true, too; California is like a country of its own, one with the eighth largest economy in the world. Here in Los Angeles, that means a wide array of adventures — from surfing and sun-worship to hiking, skiing, and city-based happenings — but it can all get a little overwhelming at times. Enter Flavorpill’s 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. Enjoy, and don’t forget to check out the new Flavorpill. We hope to see you there.
Tuesday, April 16
FOOD/WINE: Cortina Lifestyle: Seminar and Wine Tasting
Wednesday, April 17
FILM: Zero Film Festival In a city where big budgets are often confused with big ideas, the fifth annual Zero Film Festival reminds us that self-financed filmmaking can be infinitely more expressive. Screening in alternative venues across the city, the celebration of cinematic subversion showcases a wide range of creative moving images. What unfolds is not a mere film festival, but a full-scale party praising free-thinking filmmakers everywhere. — Tanja M. Laden
THEATRE: Allen Ginsberg’s Kaddish: A Hal Wilner Project
Thursday, April 18
CONVERSATION: Fowler OutSpoken Conversation: Race, Representation, and Repression The Birmingham-born Angela Davis is a legendary living activist who got her political start with the Black Panthers, the Communist Party, and the Civil Rights Movement. In 1970, she became one of the FBI’s Most Wanted in connection with owning the firearms that were used in the shooting death of a Marin County judge, a crime from which she was acquitted in a highly publicized case. She has since addressed, in her writing and speeches, everything from the prison industrial complex to identity politics to the Occupy movement. As part of the Fowler’s engaging and provocative conversation series, Davis joins artist Ken Gonzales-Day and Harvard University anthropologist Jean Comaroff in a panel discussion about apartheid, moderated by UC Berkeley political theorist Wendy Brown. — Bonnie Chan
Friday, April 19
BOOKS: Akashic Books pre-LA Times Festival of Books Party Brooklyn-based indie publishers Akashic Books are traveling out west for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, and they’re hosting a party with Ian F. Svenonius, author of Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock ‘N’ Roll Group ; and Simon Tofield, artist and author of Simon’s Cat in Kitten Chaos . (Tofield’s eponymous YouTube sensation has over 280 million hits and counting.) The annual pre-book festival bash also honors a number of Akashic’s other authors, including Jim Pascoe and Tom Fassbender ( By the Balls: The Complete Collection ) and Jerry Stahl ( The Heroin Chronicles ), plus numerous other authors featured in Akashic’s drug chronicles series. — Tanja M. Laden
Saturday, April 20
ART: Echo Park Art Walk Echo Park is one of the many walkable neighborhoods in Los Angeles, home to a host of creative types — from indie musicians and starving artists to the enterprising adventurists behind the annual Echo Park Art Walk. Even if you don’t live in the area, now is a great chance to explore the nooks and crannies of this perpetually up-and-coming enclave. Discover pop-up chain-link fence galleries, ad-hoc sidewalk chalk art, crafting stations, driveway theaters, and live performances — all part of Echo Park’s yearly display of public art (and affection). — Tanja M. Laden
CITY GEM: Crawling Down Cahuenga: Tom Waits’ LA
Sunday, April 21
CITY GEM: Spring Garden Event Enjoy the rare chance to visit four of LA’s most beautiful gardens during this spring garden tour. Visit the garden of a Holmby Hills home that once belonged to Elvis Presley, with features including an expansive koi pond and a Japanese teahouse. At the other three homes — all in the Brentwood area — you’ll be able to partake in a flower-arranging demonstration and instruction, enjoy the tea table, bid in an auction, and learn about gardening from master gardeners. Presented by the Santa Monica Bay Auxiliary, all proceeds benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. — Karin E. Baker