Week: Observed...

So I watch everything...all the time, always listening, always taking in whatever the next
step might be able to be taken.
I was eavesdropping on all of you all the time @ Banquette- it gave me a lot of insight.
The thing you should know is "Opportunist" is not a
dirty word to me....I realized this week I need to be out there listening even more.

So here is a partial Week:Observed...

Tuesday I got to experience a DLANC ( neighborhood council ) meeting , I was thrilled to partake
in the free pizza and sodas and observe a few things.
****edited:
I have come criticisms of some of the things going on-
however I am going to quit bitching -
my petty grievances are just that...petty.
I want to be a vehicle for change.
All in all it was an "interesting" thing...
The best part of it was hanging out in The Palace...that is a pretty little room oh and free pink lemonade delights me
Still, the state of affairs with the council is a little unsure-
as an outside observer who has been watching all this stuff happen for 3 years now from cafe tables and behind the counter...seems like a whole bunch of the same.
I do believe in them though...I have to, this is my neighborhood.
I have hope in it going further...however, the nepotism is suspect.
but I'll shut up about it...I have work to do and the more I worry about others - the more I dilute my focus.
Went to The Redwood for a little Mickey Champion and then to the Where?house for some late night art and fun...Such crushes flourish in such late hours....like I even have time for crushes these days.

Wendsday: Oh what a day...we launched the book club.
20 people in the house!...I will pull from my other blog to tell you a story about Wed.:

" It was amazing to sit in a room with all of us sharing in the same thing...it reminded me that
a common passion and curiosity is all it takes to link people at times.
We walked to Pershing Square, marveled at the remnants and stared at blank spaces- looking for ghosted outlines of the losses..
I looked for Arturo and my other ghost Elizabeth around every corner,they lurk behind palms. Him hiding in the open space of Pershing Square,her little taps clicking down Olive, to The Crown Jewel,to oblivion....
A Little Dahlia Story for you ...
She haunts me even now ...last Wendsday I went to the new speakeasy after coming home from 3's. As I left the alley I drew up to the corner looking at the building I noticed the familiar paneling ...
I was around the corner from the front door of The Crown Jewel which is the last place she was seen alive..
I had my big white flower in my hair that night and I was in my standard black.
Knowing full on where I was simply terrified me a very white hot fear seared through me and I broke in to a run up 9th...just to get away...
I don"t think I'm her or anything....don"t think that. However, I have just spent so much time with her over the last year, in books and in my head- in photos, on canvases...her image repeating and repeating.
Elizabeth has become apart of me.
As I walk the streets with my white flowers in my hair...i open an invite for her to follow me..Sometimes, like that night I get terribly frightened that it will be taken as an invitation to harm.
So I ran..heels clicking..I ran away from it...sometimes the darkness that I asked in has the power to swallow me whole..
I return to This Wendsday night though...
I walked everyone back by The Alex and hopped on my bike and jetted up to Broadway to see
"Yankee Doodle Dandy" @ The Los Angeles.
What a lovely movie...sure it was a lot of grandstanding and flag waving but it was also a reminded of a time when being "An American" was something to be proud of...
It left me feeling a little inspired to work harder at fulfilling my deep wish that that feeling of solid patriotism can be felt again regarding this country in this lifetime..
Considering I came in to the world as Nixon was getting canned...
I have never in my life known what it is like to believe in my country or my president...

I wandered around the Los Angeles and took in a few of the snooty know it alls from the conservancy and that was a reminder that in my taking on the role of teaching, guiding ect...
to always be loving,informative and excited...
It is strange when you can see people's agenda hanging
on them as awkwardly as their vintage clothes.
I saw the prime example of that parading around last night...
I avoided being recognized because I didn't want to listen to a commercial.
I've never forgiven them for saying to ME "If you ever want a real emcee for your show"
Yeah...you just wait for that call.....
I love everything the conservancy does and what they stand for but why do some of them have to be so weird??
I shrugged off the oddities, unlocked the bike and went for a loop around Pershing Square up the ramps and to the wall of the Carey McWilliams quote
I got to the last panel as I was reading the last line a GIANT cockroach ran right underneath it, as if to emphasize and accent the impact of the final words
My "EW!" quickly turned to loud laughing.
My dirty pretty thing, my Los Angeles sent me a dare...If you love me, you will love my flaws...my giant roaches and rats that fall from palm trees, my bad traffic, poor air and everything...You will love me, and love my scars...Los Angeles dares you to love her-no wonder I love her so...

Here is the last panel..... read...


"...It suddenly occured to me that, in all the world, there neither was nor would ever be another place like this City of the Angels. Here the American people were erupting, like lava from a volcano; here, indeed, was the place for me--a ringside seat at the circus."

Carey McWilliams


I got on my bike and rode in loops around the perimeter of the fountain...I went to leave and realized I hadn't really looked so I doubled back I rode fast all around the inside lip.
I listened to the water, looked at the palms and the strange art that no one likes but pays tribute to a story I love...
I looked at the park for the trees and the fact that there actually IS grass there...
The Biltmore,The Oviatt, Bandini, The Dahlia...ghosts and gods of architecture...
I cut across and down the ramp at breakneck speed...I raced home, looking around me...repeating and repeating..."you pretty, pretty town"...."

Yes, it really was that rhapsodic.

Thursday...
More fun,more meetings , more typing...
Got to host the Miss Downtown L.A. pageant ..that was pretty fun..people were too drunk and I in my production mode sure do "get on the headset" when I feel like something isn't being handled well or people aren't "safe" to do their job..
Got to see Dale Youngman drunk off her ass as she barged down the staircase during the pageant, yes, we know I don't like her but it is a little sad to see someone her age continually such a trainwreck in public. It's sort of like seeing your mom drunk at a little league game...
Really looking forward to the show next week though
The guys are really cool and definitely have vision...
now , just a little structure and we are set.

Friday:Nothing worth writing about....slept in, typed alot...ate my favorite turkey soup from Ray's...went home, slept more...after all the meetings and running around this week I needed a recharge.
Today we have the Fante tour, then Kim and Richard are taking me to a fun party in Brentwood.
free food and classy people...can't wait.

All in all it was a good week...hoping the next week will be even better.
See you next Saturday for another Week:Observed....

The Return of the Rolled Eye Jedi

Charming Friends and Captive Audience-

After a year of absence from the Downtown L.A. scene ( apparently larceny ain't so grand)
My "augmented ego" Bella Beretta is returning below the Alvarado Belt.
The "sassy lassy with the vavoom chassis" makes her debut tonight as co-host of

The Miss Downtown L.A. Pageant.

Last week art star Emmeric manned ( any my what a man!) the mic alone...
However as the contest has grown in infamy,
it was determined it was time to bring out the big guns for reinforcement....
The Big Beretta to be precise
So I will be there in Ostrich feathers and rhinestones galore to be the girl friday
to Emmerics naughty antics...( does he have any other kind?)
@
Broadway Bar
830 S. Broadway
LA,CA 90014
Signups to compete for the title are from 9-11
and the contest starts @ 11 SHARP!
Please bring $$ for donations
All proceed generated by the contest will
be going to LA Animal Services

Ladies!!!
This is a grand contest and after tonight there will
be 2 more nights ( next Thursday @ Bar 107, the following @ La Cita)
for you to come compete
for the coveted title of Miss Downtown L.A....
for more details please check out:

http://www.myspace.com/downindowntown

So get in your pageant best,vaseline those teeth and
practice your wave ("elbow-elbow-wrist-wrist-wrist")
And we'll see you @ The Broadway Bar!

XOXO-
Miss Bella B.
"What good is being famous, if it's not Infamous."
www.theinfamousmissberetta.com

Nobody Reads In L.A.

I am quite proud of this....when things are right.
they are RIGHT.
Oh- and for 5 minutes, I am allowed to run around
and yell about my awesomeness, then return to my regularly scheduled self-snarking .






Here's our reminder:

A quick note to remind you we are meeting weds. night at lost souls
to discuss John Fante's "Ask The Dust",

http://nobodyreadsinla.com/askthedust

I hope you can attend. We will discuss the prologue to the book,
published separately in the collection, "The Big Hunger", and also
some novels of the same era, which touch on the same milieu which
Fante evokes- Bunker Hill/Pershing Square as a vibrant and populated
neighborhood.

We also will also have a short walking tour of Pershing Square as
well at the end.

crack that spine-



Nobody Reads In L.A.: A book club for the nightclub set.
http://www.nobodyreadsinla.com

On LA.COM

http://www.la.com/blog/7872677.html

"While many people in LA are more likely to book tables in clubs than join book clubs, the city is far from being an illiterate wasteland. LA has a rich literary history, and has acted as home to authors like Raymond Chandler, John Fante, Charles Bukowski and Upton Sinclair. So we wouldn't be surprised if new book club, Nobody Reads in LA becomes harder to get into than a Hollywood Club. Championed by Kim Cooper and Richard Schave (both of whom helm quirky tour bus company Esotouric) and Nico Bella (of Fleur de Lethal Productions), Nobody Reads in LA will offer a place for book lovers to mingle and discuss books involving LA culture. The first meeting (which takes place on June 13 at 7pm at Lost Souls Cafe), will focus on John Fante's novel Ask the Dust (the talk will be followed by a John Fante walking tour of Downtown LA.) Future meetings will focus on Raymond Chandler's The Little Sister, James M. Cain's Mildred Pierce, Charles Bukowski's Post Office and Reyner Banham's The Architecture of Four Ecologies. For those who need a copy of the book, Metropolis Books is offering a 10% discount on copies of Ask the Dust for customers who say they're "a friend of Bandini's."

From The Downtown News

http://www.downtownnews.com/articles/2007/06/11/entertainment/entertainment05.txt

Eager Readers: Earlier this year, the aforementioned 1947project.com crew visited a Black Dahlia-themed art show in the Old Bank District's Regent Theater space curated by Nico Bella. As is wont to happen among local noir-ists, more events were spawned. One of them is the Nobody Reads in L.A. book club, launched by Bella and Richard Schave, Cooper's husband.

Open to anyone, the club's first meeting is June 13 at Lost Souls Cafe. The reading selection is Ask the Dust; purchase it from Main Street's Metropolis and receive a 10% discount.
Lost Souls is at 124 W. Fourth St., nobodyreadsinla.com.



From latimes.com

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2007/06/raising_las_lit.html

Raising L.A.'s literary profile

The Esotouric bus tours of literary L.A. have received an item in this column before, and now there’s another effort to build and maintain the visibility of L.A.’s literary heritage by an organization calling itself Nobody Reads in LA.

Construction continues to change downtown Los Angeles--old buildings are turning into swanky lofts that are intended to attract fresh professionals to live in the area. But what about perceptions of the city’s cultural life? Who is taking care of that? According to the website, Nobody Reads in LA is a "loose-knit group of individuals striving to create a stronger cultural, literary and historical sense of downtown Los Angeles. . . . Behind our efforts--which extend far beyond that of a traditional book club--is the desire to examine downtown as one of the two poles, along with Hollywood, whose gravitational pull traces L.A.’s eccentric orbit."

In the book industry, Los Angeles has long been criticized as lacking a center: Publishers frequently complain that it’s more difficult plotting effective author tours here than, say, in San Francisco or Manhattan--nothing in this city, they say, presents itself as an obvious literary hub. If Nobody Reads in LA succeeds, perhaps such a hub will be found at Lost Souls Café in downtown L.A., where the group will meet. Discussions are being planned on books that have contributed to the various images--noir capital, land of lost souls and desperate people--hanging over the city: Raymond Chandler, James M. Cain, Charles Bukowski and Reyner Banham. Directions, times and specifics can all be found at its website.

The club’s first meeting will take place June 13 at the café and center on John Fante’s "Ask the Dust." Afterward, there will be a brief walking tour of places associated with the author. Who said that books and exercise don’t mix?

Nick Owchar

A Call For Assistance

Dear Friends--

After a lot of great meetings this week, it is now written in stone
that the gallery will open again in July.
galerie/usine has officially been renamed
5
5th street,5 senses,my sister's (my perma muse) birthdate,everything...it just felt right when I said it out loud.
Thus 5 was born.
We will reopen for art walk in July with a reinstalled
"Home Is Where You Hang Your Head..." and having another "Dirty Laundry" party

I also have launched
Fleur De Lethal Productions
A production company dedicated to creating affordable, community centered events below Alvarado.
I have a whole slew of events on the calendar including
-The Ballroom Blitz: a shopping bazaar/yard sale @ The Alex( under a tiffany glass ceiling!!!)

-The Million Dollar Drive-In in parking lots and fun locations around downtown...locations TBA this week....
July : Rebel Without a Cause
August: 68 Comeback/Viva Las Vegas
Sept: Plan 9 from Outer Space/The Blob

-The new book club Nobody Reads in L.A. http://www.nobodyreadsinla.com.
sign up NOW!
We are going to be embarking on a publishing endeavor in the new year.

-The Lost Weekend: Charles Bukowski featuring the exhibit
---Buk On The Nickel @ 5,
---Esotouric's http://www.esotouric.com Charles Bukowski tour
---an 87th birthday gala and art event @ The Alexandria
---Screenings of "Barfly" and "Born Into This" @ Charlie O's

- 3 film galas featuring Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ,Blade Runner, and L.A. Confidential
in theatres and special locations on Broadway...this is REALLY exciting.

- The launch of 4 new monthly burlesque shows in various locations around downtown including The Redwood, La Cita and MORE! First thing first though - Treasure Chest Burlesque!

-The re-launch of The Deux Abeilles Theatre Company in the late fall....Death Be Damned...Midsummer Will Rise AGAIN!

However, in taking this big step to keep the world entertained and educated I am finding myself in
need of a lot of assistance in the human and financial form.
So if you are interested in getting involved in making this city a seriously fun place to be please contact me @
royalpain@fleurdelethal.com
or leave a message
@ 213.325.0907
If you cannot volunteer but wish to show support please make a donation to
Fleur De Lethal via pay pal or in person.
No amount is too small, everything helps.
I am out to raise 3 grand in the next 4 months to be able to take on all of this and do it well
All donors will be included in the sponsor list and featured in all printed materials.

Any donation over 100.00 secures you VIP passes to all events for the summer.
Anything over that and man..you can have one of my cats...or a pinky finger or something..
I am out to, along with my friends create a truly fun and exciting furry of activity in this city that I so truly love....
This project is my love letter....
Thank You for all the support dear friends. This is only the beginning I hope you come along for the adventure.
Click on the button to go to pay pal

Thank You Dear Ones...now let's have some fun.
XOXO-
Nico Bella

Coming This Wendsday to Lost Souls Cafe

The Premiere of
Nobody Reads In L.A.









we will be there @ 6:30 to get settled in...discussion begins @ 7pm SHARP ( we only have an hour!)
Here is Richard's post with the URL's and info:

As our first "book club" date nears,

http://nobodyreadsinla.com/askthedust

our local bookstore, Metropolis is offering a discount on the
featured book,

http://nobodyreadsinla.dumplingjoint.com/metropolis-askthedust

The shop is just down the street from the cafe which is hosting the
event, and we hope you can help support them as well as attend this
event.

We will conclude the event with a walking tour of Pershing Square and
perhaps even a short foray over to Belmont tunnel,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belmont_Tunnel_/_Toluca_Substation_and_Yard

http://www.flickr.com/groups/belmonttunnel/

crack that spine,

Richard


What He Said,
Nico

so it unfolds....

here...
today is the first of an all new
infamy..