Nick’s Cafe: New to me, but not Los Angeles.
August 30, 2011
This past weekend I wanted to find a new breakfast place in Downtown LA. There’s a gazillion yummy restaurants, but I wanted to find a new dive-perhaps a place I could go every weekend. I was craving The Pantry, but I was little under-the-weather and didn’t want to stand in line. And then….I found Nick’s!
Right past Chinatown, on the way to St. Vincent’s, there’s it was. I must have driven by it a hundred times, and never really noticed it.
Well, It’s been there since 1942. And, according to our lovely waitress, people who frequented the place back then still come in now.
Parking was a breeze. There’s a parking lot. And, on our way in, I noticed two becca pieces, so I knew the place was cool.
Here’s one of the Beccas:
When I got inside, I realized Nick’s would be a perfect location for a movie involving a diner. Just take down the tons of amazing Los Angeles ephemera hanging on the walls, and the diner could be anywhere.
I imagined Bukowski frequenting Nick’s. It seems like his sort of place. The staff seemed to know everyone. The waitresses were super friendly and down-to-earth. They were not actresses. They were professionals. There were so many scrumptious items on the menu that we requested their help picking our breakfast.
This is what we got:
My friend got eggs and corned beef hash with a side of bacon (which was amazing). I got the Scrambled SoCal.
Everything was delicious, fresh and homemade. The only downside–my scrambled egg portion seemed a bit small.
I’ll definitely be returning. I want the wait staff to know my name.
I’m Watching…Orthodox Jews Smuggle Ecstasy
November 1, 2010
Since I’m obsessed with that National Geographic show “Locked Up Abroad“, I decided to watch a recommendation from netflix: Holy Rollers. It came out this year and premiered at Sundance–but apparently it only grossed $302,886.* I’m about halfway through the Jewish Drug-Smuggling movie, and I’m quite enjoying Jesse Eisenberg’s(Social Network) performance as the naive protagonist. And, there’s a really hot guy in it- Justin Bartha (The Hangover), who plays the bad-boy neighbor.
From IMDB*:
In Brooklyn, a youth from an Orthodox Jewish community is lured into becoming an Ecstasy dealer by his pal who has ties to an Israel drug cartel.
I can’t recommend the movie as I have finished it yet. But, I love the premise and it’s based on true events. Check out the trailer below.
An Inside Look at Nathan Turner’s Pottery Barn Kids’ Halloween Carnival Benefiting Operation Smile …
October 24, 2010
He did it again! My boss, Nathan Turner, put on a beautiful AND fun party! I was there to help…but the concept was all his. My big contribution was the green-screen photo booth (which was a big hit.)
The Halloween party was put on by Pottery Barn Kids to benefit Operation Smile. The venue was a gorgeous private Residence. There were quite a few celebrities were in attendance and the turnout was fantastic!
Here’s Nathan dressed as Harry Potter:
And here I am as Hermoine:
Check out more photos I took of the party below:
All Halloween decorations from Pottery Barn and Pottery Barn Kids.
All the pumpkins were donated by Melissa’s Produce. Nathan painted the white picked fence signs! And, we rented a ton of props from a really cool place called Green Set.
Nathan had these custom quilts and pillows made for the event!
The backyard was completely transformed!
Those barrels were filled with candy! A trick-or-treater’s dream come true.
The craft area-adorable PB Kids table and chairs. This is where the pumpkins from the pumpkin patch were decorated.
PB Kids also provided a ton of fantastic costumes! They were perfect for the green screen photo booth.
More pumpkins from Melissas.
Part of the fruit/veggie buffet–berries also donated by Melissas.
Press! This brings back memories.
A cute boy enjoying the party.
That’s an adorable bucket of popcorn!
Fun times at the craft area!
There was also a mini petting zoo! It was quite a popular spot!
People were definitely having a blast….did I mention there was incredibly attractive caterer boys?
More kids having fun:
The DJ was Nathan’s co-host-Henry, a boy who was born with a cleft-pallet. He was born into a privileged family and wants to help less fortunate children all over the world get the surgery to correct the birth defect. He’s such an inspiration!
And now for some of the celebs in attendance:
Kyle MacGlachlan and son
Minnie Mortimer and her daughter Tuesday
Ben Lee and Ione Skye (two of my favorite people in the entire world)
Marcia Cross and Nathan
Mark Wahlberg and family
And my favorite photo –Mark Walhberg with the pumpkins his children decorated.
Thanks to everyone who made this party a huge success!
What I’m Watching….
October 21, 2010
SABRINA (1954)
Just in case you were wondering…..It’s one of my favorites. I love re-watching my old faves every couple of years.
Billy Wilder directs Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart, and William Holden in this critically acclaimed romantic-comedy. I could watch it for the set-design and wardrobe alone.
Netflix it. Totally worth your time now that Mad Men’s season just ended.
Mad Men Home
August 23, 2010
I’m constantly looking at what’s going on in the background. Sometimes I take photos of furniture/accessories I like while watching my favorite cable series or obscure vintage movie. While watching Mad Men tonight(via Itunes), I captured some of my favorite treasures from the controversial episode.(Season 4, Episode 5).
Above, Betty meets with Sally’s new therapist. I love the entire look of this room. It evokes such a feeling. It’s drab, full of (fabulous) vintage toys, and the only touch of (forced) color is the bright orange “patient” sofa with yellow pillows.
The side of the sofa is either grasscloth or wicker (some natural grass or palm)– which is so “in” right now.
It started with Fashion a few years ago….see Anya Hindmarch clutch below:
Now it’s moved to Interiors:
Vintage Albini Ottomans are hot this Summer:
This chest is featured on 1st Dibs (I have one that’s pretty similar!):
And, I am super fond of these tiered wicker side tables from Robert Lighton:
(*bad iphone photo of ad in Elle Decor magazine)
They remind me of my grandparents house when I was a kid.
As far as accessories go, I’m digging these gold-rimmed cocktail glasses spotted in the office:
I have a few of my own gold-rimmed glasses, which I’ve picked up at various thrift stores. Mixing and matching is the way to go.
And….then there is this thing:
It’s called a “drinking bird“. And you can get them here. Fancy that.
For more fun props found on Season 4 of Mad Men, see EW photo gallery here.
Casting Couch…Current Design-Related Casting Notices
June 30, 2010
This post gives me an excuse to show one of my fave projects. I needed a photo of a rad interior space. I co-designed a loft( with my amazing friend and designer Jeffrey Thompson) to showcase the Pioneer Kuro TV. Basically, it was a space for directors, cinematographers, actors, and video game designers to come test out the amazing Kuro. We did the entire thing in monotone colors. The TVs were like art-with bright colors.
Anyhow– Here are two design-related casting calls I’d like to pass on.
FIRST:
-A major cable network is searching for talented experts to be part of a mischievous and fun “gang” of builders, scientists, inventors, engineers, carpenters, welders, and/or designers for a new series where they will mod/re-purpose/fabricate/retro-engineer everyday machines & objects and then release them back into the world.
-Do you get a thrill out of designing your own contraptions, hacking gadgets, or modifying machines and watching them in action? We are looking for people who love to invent, hack, tinker, build robots, race power tools, weld together bizarre machines that drive, fly, climb, shoot flames or launch.
-Looking for men and women late 20s to early 40s, all ethnicities. Skills could include: welding, knowledge of aeronautics, auto mechanics, hydraulics, metal working, engineering, carpentry, pyro technics, thermodynamics, aerodynamics, material science, electronics.
-You MUST be totally at ease with technology, well schooled in science, and comfortable working in a shop/lab environment. Should be credible, interesting, and authentic with a unique point of view.
No prior television experience necessary — just have a passion for mad and unconventional science.
Series shoots Fall 2010
If interested, please submit the following:
– BUILD SERIES in the subject line
– FULL NAME, HEIGHT, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, EMAIL
– RECENT PHOTO OF YOURSELF (please make sure we can clearly see your face)
– RESUME or BIO
– PARAGRAPH DETAILING YOUR QUALIFICATIONS
– SHORT VIDEO (under 3 minutes) showing you and your funny and relevant skills.
** Be sure to say your name, occupation and phone number on the video.
** Be sure to make it entertaining, informative & conversational.
** Not looking for polished news anchors or hosts, but you, natural, on your best day. Have fun.
Please submit via email ASAP to barbarabarnacasting@gmail.com AND cablenetworkcasting@gmail.com.
SECOND:
So maybe you’re not creative. Need help with your home?
I’ll be sure to post more castings in the future.
You have to listen to this…Lilly Wood and the Prick
June 8, 2010
During High School and College I worked for MTV discovering bands in Denver (my hometown), and later Los Angeles. One of my favorite discoveries for MTV was Phantom Planet.
It’s been a few years since I’ve worked for MTV, but I still love finding rad, new bands. I just discovered Lilly Wood and the Prick. I actually can’t take credit for finding the brilliant French band that sings in English—it was my mom (who’s a bit of a finder).
I bought the album right away, and began looking for Los Angeles tour dates–none, as of yet. Not many people know about this little French treasure. But, I have a feeling they’ll catch on pretty quickly. I’ve been listening to a lot of Black Keys, The XX, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Broken Bells as of late. Lilly Wood and the Prick fit quite nicely into my current music collection.
From Lastfm.com, “Lilly Wood & The Prick are Nili Hadida (lead vocals, piano, glockenspiel) and Benjamin Cotto (guitar and backing vocals). Formed in 2006 in Paris, their first self-titled EP is composed of 6 tracks among which there is a folk version of hit L.E.S. Artistes by Santigold. The song “Water” ran is featured on the compilation Folk and Proud.Their first album Invincible Friends was released on May 31, 2010.”
Below are some excerpts from an interview Lilly Wood and the Prick did with France24.com
On how they chose their name:
“We just decided to pick this one because it’s a block of words that communicates our music… It’s folky and soft and magical and it’s a bit weird to have the word prick in your name. We thought it was funny”.
On what type of music they listen to?
“We listen to funk, folk music, pop music…We like all styles of music. This is something that’s really important to us- mixing everything. Because there’s good in a lot of styles. We like hip hop and rap. “
On success:
‘We are not used to being on TV or being interviewed. It’s like a big game and its very entertaining. We’ll see if the album works. We hope it will because we love making music and want to keep on doing it.”*
Watch their awesome music video for “Down the Drain”:
*France24.com
One of My Favorite Music Videos Ever…
May 10, 2010
This is one of my favorite music videos ever.
Radiohead’s Just-Remixed
Mark Ronson Featuring Alex Greenwald of Phantom Planet.
It gets really good around 0:45.
(the audio sucks, but I LOVE this video)
Below is a new music video I discovered today from Chiddy Bang: Opposite of Adults. I’m kinda digging it.
I like the MGMT sampling.
La Vie en Rose…Loved It.
April 12, 2010
I have a real fondness for all things French. My loft is heavily influenced by 1930s-40s Paris. I don’t know why I hadn’t seen La Vie en Rose until this weekend. I absolutely loved the movie about Edith Piaf’s life, although quite depressing. This rags to riches story focuses on what it means to be an artist. I absolutely adored the film’s production design, wardrobe and cinematography. Below, find a few examples of the remarkable set and costumes.
And one of my favorite quotes from the film:
Raymond Asso: You’re an immense artist!
Edith Piaf: I’m wearing high heels.
If you haven’t seen this beautiful film yet, put it in your Netflix queue. The music is amazing, and the movie definitely deserves all the awards it earned. Marion Cotillard‘s performance as Edith Piaf is nothing short of brilliant.
