It was a sad day for adrenaline junkies back in September when the cast and crew of theater production Point Break Live! announced it was packing up its surfboards and ex-presidents masks to head for Las Vegas after nearly a year of sold out shows in Los Angeles.  Lucky for us, Point Break Live! has returned to the Dragonfly in Hollywood and you can catch it there every Saturday night from here on out.
 
For those who aren't in the know (or haven't read Lovell Estell III's review), Point Break Live! is a riotous and interactive, DIY stage adaptation of director Kathryn Bigelow's 1991 blockbuster about a gang of bank-robbing surfers led by Bodhi Sattva (Patrick Swayze) and infiltrated by undercover FBI agent Johnny Utah (Keanu Reeves). Remember that scene in the beginning of Point Break where Gary Busey's character (Angelo Pappas) goes diving for bricks at the bottom of the FBI swimming pool? Well, substitute that Olympic sized for an absurd, plastic kiddie pool and a poncho-clad audience getting soaked with every splish, splash of Pappas' shallow swim. That is Point Break Live.

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Words by Liz Ohanesian, photographs by Jackie Canchola. Click images for entire Metal on Metal slideshow.

Chivalry, honor and the spirit of a ruthless Cimmerian god abound Saturday night at the Steve Allen Theater in For the Glory of Steel, where tournament battles following the militaristic and societal codes of the Middle Ages presented by the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) met up with the mosh pit chaos of L.A. band Crom for a night of metal madness. Limbs were severed, sweat was flung from thrashing chunks of hair and in the end we weren't sure if we had visited a violently gallant past or stumbled into a lawless alternate present.

The SCA, an international organization that aims to recreate aspects of medieval life, came from lands tucked inside the the Kingdom of Caid, a grand conquest that includes what modern men and women know as Southern California, Greater Las Vegas and Hawaii. They represented primarily the Baronies of the Angels (parts of Los Angeles and the San Gabriel Valley), Altavia (San Fernando Valley) and Gyldenholt (Orange County), dressed in their battle best and prepared to raise swords in a "heavy metal parking lot" complete with long-haired guys in cut-off denim jackets.

Meanwhile, Crom emerged from the shadows of L.A. clubs and DIY spaces with penchants for black metal and Conan the Barbarian, bearing guitar riffs that actually live up to the album review cliche "brutal" and manage to leave a trail of blood and spilt beer in their wake. Vice Magazine loves these guys. Your prissy childhood best friend probably doesn't. They had come to brandish axes towards our insignificant skulls.

And so the question was asked, who would be victorious in the great engagement of Metal vs. Metal? 

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Hey, Lost fans – did you hear about the big event at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood last night? The one launching the new line of Kubrick figures – the tiny Lego-plus-like figurines originated in Japan that have become all the rage amongst toy collectors – based on characters from the show? Figured you didn’t have the energy to trek down in the middle of the work week? You screwed up, man.

Click image for entire slideshow.

(L-R) Abrams, Lindelof & Cuse. Click image for entire slideshow.

A veritable public staff meeting – with Sharpies! – was set up courtesy of the excellent Meltdown crew and ABC, including series creators J.J. Abrams (fresh off his super-exclusive press tour previewing footage from the upcoming Star Trek reboot) and Damon Lindelof; executive producers Bryan Burk, Jack Bender, Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz and Carlton Cuse; and writers Elizabeth Sarnoff, Paul Zbyszewski, Melinda Hsu Taylor, Kyle Pennington, and Brian K. Vaughan. As Cuse confirmed for us prior to the signing, it’s probably the most creative talent behind the hit show that had been gathered for any event that wasn’t Comic-Con… if not more. And yet it did seem as though the organizers expected a larger crowd, given all the placards and notices posted in the store that the team would not be able to chit-chat with the fans, please keep the line moving, etc. Nevertheless, for the ultimately healthy turnout that did show up, the Lost gang was more than happy to sign and banter with the enthusiastic fanboys ‘n’ fangirls for over an hour, while crews from the network shot one-on-ones and interview footage for next season's DVD release.

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By Erica Wrightson


Violet Valentine seduces the crowd at the Derby. Photo by Jackie Canchola. Click image for entire slideshow.

Backstage at the Derby in Los Feliz on Saturday November 15, a miniature classic car show materialized in the parking lot. Members of the Venice-based Devils Car Club parked their Cadillacs and Chevys out back, showing off their shiny fenders and sparkling hoods, serving drinks in blue party cups out of their open trunks. The Devils' president, Jose De Leon, stood proudly behind his '55 Ford Custom with Mercury taillights and a bright green hood that glittered under the smoky glow of the moon. Next to him was Reb Kennedy of Wild Records, dressed impeccably in a suit and hat and leaning against his '58 powder pink Cadillac Coupe de Ville with a mint green roof.

While vintage tunes spun in the background, classic bodies glistened under the dim red lights of the Derby's cozy bar, and women in stilettos and coal black bobs tucked themselves into leather booths lined with heavy velvet curtains. The Whistle Bait Mods and Rockers event, presented by Pinup Girl Clothing, was a fusion of 1950s style and 1960s rock and soul from DJs Alberto Sol, Johnny Devil and DJ Hellhound, including a special set from Sol called East L.A. Review, highlighting music from 1960s East L.A. on 45s. "Everybody's groovin’ tonight," said Alexander the Great, Alberto Sol's DJ partner, remarking on the unique combination of live rockabilly music and bodacious bods.

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By Libby Molyneaux

Cast members Breckin Meyer and Kathy Najimy. Photo by Christopher Victorio. Click image for entire slideshow.

Hank Hill sells propane. “And propane accessories” he would be quick to amend. Fans of Fox's King of the Hill have 13 seasons of reruns to obsess on the Hill family of Arlen, Texas. There will be no more pearls of wisdom from Hank, or Bobby, or Peggy, since Fox announced the show will not be returning for a 14th season. Rumors that ABC may pick it up abound, but the network hasn't commented. Episodes will run until September 2010. We'll see Luanne and Lucky have a baby; Hank have an uplifting experience under the knife; and Peggy's disappointment when she realizes she’s no longer cool.

So it was with a Texas-size helping of melancholy that the cast, writers, producers and assorted press gathered in an Encino conference room for the final table read of the 250th episode.

King of the Hill is the second longest-running animated show and one of the top 30 longest television show ever. The mood at the table read was upbeat, though one insider noticed, “I didn’t see anyone cry but I can sense the sadness and the emotion in all of them.” Show creator and Hank voice Mike Judge and Luanne voice Brittany Murphy were on teleconference, but after the script was read, Kathy Najimy, Breckin Meyer, Tom Petty, Pamela Segall, Johnny Hardwick and Stephen Root were feted with a standing ovation and a cake with a picture of a hibachi barbecue. For a group photo, Najimy smiled and yelled out “Cancellation!” There weren't tears, but, as Hank once told Bobby, “Bobby, if you weren't my son I'd hug ya.”

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This Friday, the final performance of Bernie Mac hits theaters nearly three months after his untimely death of complications from pneumonia. A bittersweet coda to the late funnyman’s career, to be sure; nevertheless, the buddy comedy Soul Men (co-starring Samuel L. Jackson and featuring, by sad coincidence, the last screen appearance of the legendary Isaac Hayes, who died just one day after Mac) so far hasn’t been getting the sort of fanfare that sometimes accompanies posthumous performances. It’s up for debate whether that’s due to the mixed reviews the film’s getting (currently 60% on Rotten Tomatoes – still fresh!), the typically less-starry reception that comedies receive versus weighty dramas or massive blockbusters… or in rare cases, that film which is both, such as The Dark Knight. A film for which the late Heath Ledger, whose accidental overdose has dominated the headlines most of the year, is still hotly tipped for at the very least an Oscar nomination, if not a win. It is always a curious bell-curve to observe: Which swan songs don’t result in the sort of legendary status afforded to a James Dean or a Bruce Lee, but rather as poignant grace notes or notable – and sometimes, underrated – curiosities. Here are 10 such performances:

Bela Lugosi, Plan 9 From Outer Space: Had Lugosi not expired shortly after Ed Wood filmed what might otherwise have been an innocuous bit of footage of the horror icon sniffing a rose outside his house, his contribution to one of the much-beloved bad films of all time could surely have been eclipsed by yet more baffling forays into B-movie legend. Instead, Wood finished the rest of his 1959 film using his wife’s chiropractor impersonating Lugosi – badly, holding his cape up to his face for the entire film – and crystallized what remains perhaps the strangest – and shortest – posthumous performance in film history.

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There's a bit of advice I want to share with you readers this fine Monday morning: never drink red wine and whiskey in the same night. Never, ever. Not even if it's free. You see, over the weekend I hightailed it out of L.A. and up to San Louis Obispo for a friend's wedding where I made the aforementioned mistake. Perhaps it was the Mötley Crüe and Guns N' Roses blasting through the speakers during the reception... or perhaps it was just the Irish wedding-at-a-winery thing... whatever my excuse was, I spent Sunday paying for it dearly. But don't worry; I promise none of the wedding photos or video footage will end up in this weekend roundup. Luckily, while I was off researching brain damage, some of L.A. Weekly's finest hit the town for three events you're bummed if you missed:

Beyond the Stage with Flogging Molly

Group hug. Photo by Timothy Norris. Click image for entire slideshow.

Timothy Norris got up close and personal with Flogging Molly backstage and on stage at the Palladium.

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Doing the "Thriller" dance at Hollywood & Highland. Click image for entire slideshow.

Despite a serious lack of dark musty alleyways, overgrown graveyards, smoke-machine fog and Ola Ray, the spirit of funkified undead was alive and well in the courtyard at Hollywood & Highland Saturday morning, part of an online-organized public performance of the iconic zombie dance in Michael Jackson's "Thriller." This Los Angeles chapter of "Thrill the World '08" -- across the globe, dances in 91 cities in 12 countries took place the same day -- was up and at 'em at an hour that ought to make the dead crawl back into their tombs and whimper. In an attempt to hold the world record for the most people to do the "Thriller" dance at one time, dozens of aspiring zombie strutters gathered in the bowels of the shopping complex's garage -- level 6E to be exact -- with coffee and donuts, makeup and hairspray, costumes and boomboxes to pump up, dress up, and get in last minute practice.

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Amy Sedaris gets naughty with butter. Photo by Erin Broadley. Check out entire slideshow here.

A cross-section of enthusiastic crafters and comedy fans -- bespectacled students, gay couples, and hipster moms pushing their progeny in strollers -- gathered on the third floor of Barnes & Noble at the Grove on Thursday night for a Q&A and signing with Amy Sedaris, whose immensely useful (and spit-take hilarious) party-planning tome, I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence, is out now in paperback. With the seating packed and a line of fans snaking through the aisles all the way back to the Starbucks counter, Sedaris arrived smartly dressed in polka dots, red platform pumps and her favored chunky Buddy Holly specs. She immediately launched straight into a craft demonstration with an eager fan ("Yes, you! The Chinese one on the end!"), teaching her how to make a bean bag cozy with nylons and felt -- just the thing for getting that puffiness out of your orbits after a long day. (If it helps relax you, she added, "You could add lavender to it. Or coconut, whatever.")

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By Liz Ohanesian

Philip Seymour Hoffman (L) and Charlie Kaufman (R) on the set of Synecdoche, New York.

There will be a moment in Synecdoche, New York, the directorial debut from screenwriter Charlie Kaufman (Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) when you realize that decades have passed since the opening scene. The moment may differ from viewer to viewer, but at some time, it will hit you, Caden Cotard, the neurotic theater director played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, and the women who are intrinsically involved in his life, have grown weary with years. And when you reach this point, it will feel like a conversation with a long lost friend where all you want to do is escape to the bathroom to discern if you too are now old.

“It’s something that I felt in editing,” says Kaufman of time’s sly passage throughout the film. “I was really sort of excited because I didn’t want to have 10 years or 15 years later in this movie, title cards. I liked the idea because that’s sort of the idea that I was working with, that time passes in a very creeping way.”

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Photo by Shannon Cottrell. Click image for entire slideshow.

Last night I stopped by the Edison for Radio Room -- a speakeasy-themed cabaret show that was, in all truth, light on the cabaret and heavy on the belly dancing. With high-profile events like Lucent Dossier, Radio Room and this weekend's upcoming Jules Verne film festival, the swanky underground bunker of club Edison is quickly becoming a haven for exotic and subversive performance (as well as for expensive drinks). Just blocks away from Downtown's tent city, sipping a cocktail of champagne, rum and honey at Radio Room felt so wrong, but tasted so right. Before getting my drink on, I was handed a cup of lemon punch, compliments of the house, and told by a waiter that in the late 1700s it was traditional to serve punch before any drinking session. He added that this particular "Philadelphia Fish House Punch" was made popular by George Washington and his fishing buddies back in the day. Who knew?

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By Chris Martins

By the time headlining "Kids in the Hall" alum Bruce McCulloch took the stage on Saturday night, October 18, the Steve Allen Theater was filled up with funny—so much so that it'd have to spill into the street sooner or later. The small building was packed to the gills for McCulloch’s closing night (after a month-long residency), with a healthy handful of S.R.O. tickets going to the faithful who’d lined up outside to see a bill that also promised to deliver fellow "Kid" Kevin McDonald. Lucky them, they got a high-profile surprise as well.

"Best Week Ever" pop pundit Doug Benson eased the show open, albeit awkwardly, with 12 minutes of standard stand-up fodder and mild crowd harassment. Unfortunately, his self-deprecating setups were funnier than his jokes, which were literally read to the audience from his personal crib sheet (for instance: "According to this napkin, I’m supposed to tell you about…"). He landed a solid one-liner late in his set—the Headbergian observation that, considering the troubled economy, B of A should change its name to "B Very of A" (say aloud for effect)—but Benson went flat when he could neither make out his own handwriting, nor make a good joke out of the flub.

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Photograph by Shannon Cottell. Click image for entire slideshow.

If you've lived in L.A. long enough you know weekends are for amateurs and the real shenanigans happen on Thursdays. Case in point: Silver Lake's retro-glam "Super Sexy Show" which takes place every first and third Thursday of the month at El Cid. Last night I headed down to the Spanish grotto delight to catch this week's "Super Sexy" performance and -- after my tapas menu-induced food coma set in -- propped myself up near the stage and waited. And waited. And waited some more. At long last, 40 minutes after their scheduled set time, the dancing Hollywood Pin-Up Girls finally emerged from behind the velvet curtain decked out in torn fishnets, ruffled panties, sequined and beaded bodices, and more feathers than one could sneeze at. Enjoy the slideshow -- or peep show -- and all that jazz.

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It's undeniable that with the uptick of box office for Judd Apatow's stable of recent comedies, the rise of the dweeb as a viable leading man in film has arrived. Nothing to scoff at, although more often than not the fellers at the center of these films are still paired off with lovely, though fairly conventional ingénues and not necessarily ladies who can go toe to toe with them on geek cred. Which begs the question: When the geeks finally, completely inherit the earth, who are the actors beloved by internetters and nrrrrds who could open a picture to $35M in this new reality? Which power couplings should steal the limelight away from the Clooney/Roberts, Pitt/Jolie, and Diaz/Kutcher (urgh!) staples? Here are some suggestions. (And for those keeping score, we count at least five below who have been on the cover of Geek Monthly so far):

Nathan Fillion and Katee Sackhoff
Okay, so we’re starting off with a bit of a cheat: These two have already shared top billing together. As any die-hard sci-fi lover will tell you, however, the smouldering, charming rogue of Firefly and Dr. Horrible and the sexy, tomboy hard case of Battlestar Galactica definitely deserve a do-over when that first pairing was the direct-to-video stinker White Noise 2: The Light. Doesn’t have to be sci-fi, either; a clever spy thriller, maybe, or a straight-up action adventure would fit these two endlessly charismatic powerhouses like a glove. The only requisites are explosions, ass-whuppins, and plenty of room for acerbic one-liners bursting at the seams with sexual tension. If Joss Whedon writes it, all the better.

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Check out the Bowling for Boobies 2008 slideshow by clicking on the image above.

Monday night at Lucky Strike Lanes in Hollywood, I sat in a bowling booth next to Playboy's Holly Madison, Hugh Hefner's ex-main squeeze of "Girls Next Door" fame. Suddenly I was informed by one of her entourage that there was some creepy dude posing as a UCLA medical professor taking pictures up Playmates' skirts and claiming it was for some research project he was doing on behalf of the university. Nice one, dude.

Madison seemed rather unconcerned and, hey, that's what security is for, right? It was a slight blemish on an otherwise amazing night -- Bowling for Boobies, a charity event presented by Busted Foundation to raise money for women diagnosed with breast cancer who can't afford their medical bills or treatment.

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Bill Maher Receiving Death Threats Oct 13, 2008
Celebuspeak: My Neighborhood is a Hybrid, Driving the Westside and Beyond! Oct 13, 2008
Last Night: Presidential Comic Book Debate + Drink at Golden Apple Oct 10, 2008
Last Night: Neil Gaiman The Graveyard Book Reading and Interview Oct 7, 2008
Best and Worst Fictional Presidential Speeches on Film + TV Oct 7, 2008
Tonight: Linda Blair Goes Bad at the Grindhouse Film Festival Sep 30, 2008
Over the Weekend: Pee-wee's Big Adventure at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Paul Reubens Unveils Plans for Next Herman Film Sep 15, 2008
Seth MacFarlane + YouTube: Master of Parody Launches Cavalcade Web Series Sep 13, 2008
Fall-Time Yuk-Fest: Time Travel With Patton Oswalt and Comedy's Finest Sep 12, 2008
Donald Trump, Ed McMahon and Toxic Mold Aug 15, 2008