There’s so much going on in the City of Angels, it can be hard to keep track of it all. Thanks to the new Flavorpill, we’re inviting the entire community to make suggestions with its gorgeous city-based culture guide — an open platform where our very own editors and curators meet and mingle with artists, gadabouts, and other tipsters for a limitless variety of both ongoing and one-off recommendations. With this in mind, please enjoy our weekly list of hand-picked event suggestions here on Flavorwire, and in the meantime, be sure to check out the new Flavorpill. We’ll see you there.
Monday, August 12
FILM: Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen We’ve suddenly found ourselves in a world where there’s simply too much stuff, which is both good and bad. The most obvious drawback of overproduction is a stagnant economy, but it’s not really a downside when all the manufacturing happens overseas. Yet in many ways, the western world’s recent bloated display of conspicuous consumption is now a benefit to both artists and audiences; there’s so much material to reclaim and re-contextualize that it’s fueling an already creative population which is turning to “used” goods as raw material for brand-new works of art. Besides architecture, design, and fine arts, this inventive spirit extends into the film world, too. Over the course of three years, György Pàlfi — Hungarian director of the disturbing-yet-compelling Taxidermia (2006) — has integrated hundreds of film clips into a single cinematic opus that visually captures this neo-traditionalist spirit of adaptive reuse with the highly appropriate title Final Cut: Ladies And Gentlemen. — Tanja M. Laden
Tuesday, August 13
BOOKS: Red Hen Press at the Annenberg Community Beach House
FOOD/WINE: Grand Park’s Marketplace
Wednesday, August 14
ART: In Conversation: The Colby Poster Archive X-TRA editors celebrate their summer issue with a conversation about the Colby Poster Archive at the Verdugo Bar, a Glassell Park hotspot that’s hidden away between low-cost housing, convenience stores, and a local recreation center on lightly traveled Verdugo Road. From the front, it’s as nondescript as it gets. Inside, however, it’s a beer-drinker’s party paradise. Verdugo has recently found its stride, and is usually packed with a diverse crowd, like this one. Pay tribute to X-TRA‘s 15th edition by raising a glass to all that makes the magazine so amazing. Expect issues of the beloved periodical, along with drinks, specials, raffles, and of course, some very stimulating conversation. — Tanja M. Laden
Thursday, August 15
ART: Indian Larry: Photographs by Timothy White
FILM: HollyShorts Film Festival
Friday, August 16
ART: Create:Fixate presents Cross Creativity Fundraiser Local visual artists, musicians, performers, DJs, and other creative types converge for festive happening for a cause. Diehard art appreciators and party fans alike know that Create:Fixate is something of an institution here in the city, and it’s hitting Santa Monica’s massive art space, Cross Campus, in order to help support the art collective’s Young Creatives program, which benefits at-risk youth. Donations, raffle tickets, and all art purchases go towards kids who don’t just love art, but need it, too. — Tanja M. Laden
PARTY: Symbiosis Gathering Pre-Party
Saturday, August 17
PERFORMING ARTS: US Air Guitar National Finals While Guitar Hero may have reduced pretend rock ‘n’ roll to mere button-pushing, the US Air Guitar Championships prove that the second-most popular private bedroom activity is still a sacred art form. Founded in 2003, the competition lets entrants mime frenetic shredding, mimic triumphant wails, change costumes on-stage, and flaunt grimaces that prove rocking out so hard isn’t easy. Like in pro wrestling, there is a certain skill to believable playacting, but don’t expect feats of athleticism — former champion William Ocean came on stage sipping a can of Sparks. — Vincent Chung
Sunday, August 18
CITY GEM: Johnny Ramone Tribute Most of the Ramones died far too young, but Johnny Ramone’s legacy lives on at Hollywood Forever. An eight-foot-tall bronze statue of the punk-rock forefather is one of the cemetery’s top draws, while the annual tribute to the Ramones guitarist is a beloved LA tradition. This year’s tribute is hosted by iconoclastic director John Waters, who presents his 1990 film Cry Baby in honor of Johnny, who was a big fan of cult films. Vintage Ramones concert footage and music videos are also screened on the 42-foot mausoleum wall. Waters and Cry Baby costar Traci Lords — Johnny’s longtime friend — participate in a Q&A and autograph session. Come dressed as your favorite Ramone for the lookalike contest judged by Johnny’s late wife Linda, along with Sex Pistol Steve Jones. Net proceeds benefit the Johnny Ramone Research Fund at USC Westside Prostate Cancer Center. — Karin E. Baker