Serving Larchmont Village, Hancock Park, and the Greater Wilshire neighborhoods of Los Angeles since 2011.

Weekend Buzz – Events for February 4-5, 2017

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The rain should be clearing up later today, so it looks like we’ll be able to go about our weekend without worrying about the weather.

256px-John_C._Fremont_Branch_Library,_Los_Angeles,_CaliforniaAlso, most of Saturday’s local events start later in the day, so you can sleep in a bit, too.  Once you’re up and about, however, check out the Friends of John C. Fremont Library’s monthly book sale (which includeds DVDs and CDs in addition to both old and new books).  The sale runs from 12-4 on Friday, and 12-5 on Saturday.  Just the thing for a relaxing Saturday morning.

yearofroosterLater, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, it’s time to celebrate the Lunar New Year with the 118th Golden Dragon Parade in downtown’s Chinatown. Sponsored by the Chinese Chamber of Commerce of Los Angeles, the event draws more than 100,000 people to North Broadway each year. It’s billed as “the premiere cultural event in the Southern California Asian-American Community” and will include almost two dozen floats, along with marching bands, government officials, dignitaries, entertainers and cultural groups.  For details and parade route, see the link above.

papermoonIf you’re more in the mood for a movie, the New Beverly Cinema, 7165 Beverly Blvd., is showing Peter Bodganovich’s 1973 classic “Paper Moon,” at 1 p.m. on Saturday. It stars real-life father and daughter Ryan and Tatum O’Neal as a conman and his precocious daughter working their way through a string of schemes and scams during the Great Depression.

stateoftheunionLater, for art that reflects and challenges our current political climate, visit “State of the Union,” a new group show that opens Saturday at the new, artist-run Brainworks Gallery, 5364 W. Pico Blvd.  According to recent polls,  more than 80% of Americans say the country is more deeply divided on major issues this year than in the past several years. Polarization between urban and rural communities, liberals and conservatives, and the widening gap between the wealthy and the poor has created deep and painful wounds in the national spirit. The exhibit curators say, “State of the Union seeks to discover who we are as a nation, where we are hurt and how we can heal the divisions among us.” Participating artists include: Ajuan Mance, Dwora Fried, Edi Dai, Emily Wiseman, Erin Adams, Jane Szabo, Kim Abeles, Kio Griffith, Linda Sue Price, Marjan Vayghan, Narsiso Martinez, Richard Wilks, Rick Dallago, Robbie Conal, Scott Froschauer, Terri Lloyd, Vincent Tomczyk, Yasmine Diaz. An opening receptin will be held at the gallery from 5 to 8 p.m.

langstonhughesFebruary is also Black History Month, and two events this weekend explore the history and legacy of African Americans in the United States. The first is  A Tribute to Langston Hughes, in which members of the Word Theater tell stories, recite poems and perform jazz and blues in celebration of Hughes, the acclaimed poet, novelist, social activist and a key figure of the Harlem Renaissance.  Location is the Hall of Liberty at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills. Time is 7:30 p.m.  And tickets are free.

Next, the play “Periphery,” with shows on Friday, Saturday and Sunday now through February 26 at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Hollywood, dramatizes how sit-ins by four young Black college freshmen at the Woolworth’s lunch counter in Greensboro, NC, galvanized the U.S. civil rights movement in February, 1960.  See the link above for ticket prices and showtimes.

bluevelvetAnd finally on Saturday, more classic films, as the American Cinematheque screens a double feature of David Lynch’s 1986 “Blue Velvet” and Douglas Sirk’s 1955 “All That Heaven Allows” starting at 7:30 p.m. at the Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood Blvd.  In “Blue Velvet“, squeaky-clean suburbanite Jeffrey (Kyle MacLachlan) gets a crash course in the dark side of life when he stumbles upon a severed ear in a field near his home…and in “All that Heaven Allows,” Jane Wyman, a lonely widow with two spoiled, almost grown children and a circle of snobbish, upper-middle-class friends, suddenly finds herself falling in love with her gardener (Rock Hudson).

lacmabromanceOn Sunday, for family fun, try LACMA’sArtist Bromance” event, which is part of the museum’s Andell Family Sundays series.  Drop in any time between 12:30 and 3:30 pm. to see works by Diego Rivera and Pablo Picasso, who lived at the same time, were friends and had a lot in common – classical art training, a love of experimentation, and love for ancient art from their respective countries (Mexico and Spain).  After the tour, you’ll have a chance to make your own Diego- and Pablo-inspired art. The event is free, and open to all ages with general admission to the museum.

whistlingpinesFinally on Sunday, it’s back to the movies for some vintage western fun as the New Beverly screens a double feature of Gene Autry’s “Riders of the Whistling Pines” and Roy Rogers’ “Eyes of Texas,” starting at 6:30 p.m.  Although the two films are westerns, however, note that they’re not your standard frontier-era stories. “Pines” features some surprisingly modern themes (insect infestation of forests, pesticide use, and monopolization of logging rights), as well as some gritty character quirks (e.g. alcoholism)…and “Eyes” features Rogers as a mid-20th-century marshal called in to investigate when the owner of a ranch for WWII orphans is seemingly killed by a pack of wolves.

Enjoy…and have a great weekend!

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Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller
Elizabeth Fuller was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN but has lived in LA since 1991 - with deep roots in both the Sycamore Square and West Adams Heights-Sugar Hill neighborhoods. She spent 10 years with the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council, volunteers at Wilshire Crest Elementary School, and has been writing for the Buzz since 2015.

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