HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 1

2 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 3
 CONTENTS

ON THE COVER:
Ivanka Trump

Trump
International
Hotel & Tower
Chicago

COVER
08 Ivanka Trump
The Powerhouse
September2010
ENTERTAINMENT
16 Sunset Strip Music Festival Email: editor@jacksonpublishing.com.
Slash And Fergie Thrill The Thunderous For Advertising inquiries call: (323) 934-6397
Crowd On Sunset Blvd! or Online at: www.hollywoodweekly.net

18 HW knows how to Party

Hollywood Weekly magazine launched their PUBLISHER, DIR. OF MARKETING PHOTOGRAPHY
August 2010 issue with an industry soirée EDITOR IN CHIEF Launy Rhem Irwin Jazmines
at plush Bar 210 at the Beverly Hilton. Prather Jackson
LIFESTYLE EDITOR PRODUCTION
22 Sunset Junction VICE PRESIDENT Niki Shadrow MANAGER
To Celebrate 30 years of Diversity Bernice Harris Hector Santacruz
SENIOR EDITOR
50 LA Theatre Beat OPERATIONS Pamela Spyrs CONTRIBUTORS
Erskine D. McSwain Anthony Calderon
HW checks in with the local theatres
(1991-2000) CREATIVE DIRECTOR Leah Michele
Autumn Hawarden Yananton
FASHION VP MARKETING
Michael D. Coxson DISTRIBUTOR
Sarah Klegman
Adam Freeman
25 Fashion Week VICE PRESIDENT
NEWSWAYS Pockross
Rachel Stuhler
Mercedes-Benz & Magic Los Vegas OF INTERNATIONAL STAFF WRITER Leah Yananton
AFFAIRS Toria Gaylord Rayne Sieling
42 Frankly & For Real Parandis Khalili Steve Zall
Introducing the World Premiere ASSISTANT EDITOR Sid Fish
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Jenny Werth Lauren Selman

LITERATURE Anthony Calderon

WEBMASTER
Autumn Hawarden
Zoi Patra

46 Aspiring Writers
Pitching their ideas
Hollywood Weekly is a monthly publication wholly owned by

TRAVEL Jackson Publishing Company. ©2010 All Rights Reserved. Re-

34 Puerto Vallarta
An Extraordinary Hollywood Playground
production of any content without written permission of the
Publisher is expressly prohibited. Letters to the Editor may be
sent to: Hollywood Weekly, 4221 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 290-06,
Los Angeles, CA 90010.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 5
 PRaTHER JaCksON
EdITor

Editor’s Note
September 2010

Editor’s Note: We are pleased to

showcase Trump International Hotel

& Tower Chicago. This edition fea-

tures our exclusive cover story on Ms.

Ivanka Trump, who serves as the Vice

President of Real Estate Development

and Acquisitions for the Trump

Organization and developed the 92

story Trump International Hotel &

Tower Chicago, recognized by Travel

& Leisure Magazine as the #1 Hotel

in North America and Canada.

I wish to personally invite you, our

readers, to share this special edition

with your friends, family and business

associates.

6 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
TRUMP CHICAGO
WORLD’S BEST
AWARD WINNER 2010

TRUMP INTERNATIONAL HOTEL & TOWER CHICAGO

Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago has been named the #1 Large City Hotel in the
Continental U.S. and Canada in Travel + Leisure’s 2010 World’s Best Awards. Experience ultimate
luxury for yourself in Chicago or any of the other remarkable Trump Hotel Collection locations.

NEW YORK: CENTRAL PARK & SOHO | CHICAGO | LAS VEGAS | WAIKIKI ®

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TrumpHotelCollection.com

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 7
 TRumP
CHICaGO
Ranks
Number
One

Ivanka Trump:
The Powerhouse
Written by Toria Gaylord

8 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 COVER STORY

The road down real estate development is nev-
er an easy task, it is full of many unexpected twists
and turns, but there was never a question of how
businesswoman Ivanka Trump would handle the
ride when she got behind the wheel of construct-
ing the Trump Chicago Hotel back in 2008. She had
been preparing for it most of her life. From the start,
Ivanka has been blessed with an incredible business
savvy and strong guiding principles that are hard-
wired into her DNA and her passion for the Trump
brand has just paid off. Travel and Leisure Magazine
recently named The Trump International Hotel
&Tower Chicago No. 1 as the Best Large City Hotel
in the America for 2010 and the hotelier, designer
and author speaks candidly with Hollywood Weekly
about success of the Trump Chicago, her attention
for detail and her love for real estate.
Ivanka, Congratulations to The Trump Chicago’s
number one ranking as the Best Hotel in America
by Travel and Leisure Magazine.
Thank you – it is incredibly exciting.

WHaT makEs THE Brunacci, cook for them WHaT Is yOuR

TRumP CHICaGO
HOTEl sO
dIsTINCTIVE?
There’s so much to
this property. The building
itself is architecturally stun-
ning; as the second tallest
building in Chicago – and
the seventh tallest in the
world – it has now become
integral part of the city’s
beautiful skyline. Whether
it’s in the guest rooms,
Sixteen (the property’s
award-winning restaurant)
or Rebar (the cocktail and
sushi lounge), the views of
Lake Michigan, the Chicago
River and Chicago’s histor-
ic architecture are unpar-
alleled. Chicago magazine
just named The Terrace
at Trump the city’s best
outdoor lounge in part be-
cause of its amazing views
of the city and the sum-
mer fireworks that take
place in Chicago every
week.
The hotel’s guest
rooms and suites are
spacious, contemporary
and luxurious. Every guest
room is outfitted with a full
kitchen featuring only the
finest in appliances, china
and stemware. In addition
to our great restaurants,
guests can also order
from an in-room dining
menu that was the first
in the country to be cer-
tified organic – or better
yet, they can request that
our executive chef, Frank
in their suite! The Spa at
Trump is a 23,000 square-
foot facility that includes
11 treatment rooms, a
heated indoor swimming
pool, fully-equipped car-
dio and weight rooms and
yoga and spinning studios.
There are also 53 special-
ly-designed guest rooms
located on the spa level,
which are perfect for a
spa getaway.
As the final phase of
our build-out, we recently
completed the River Walk,
which is adjacent to the
Chicago River and serves
as both a gathering place
and a gateway to the
famed Michigan Avenue.
What really unites all of
these components, though,
is the service. It is nearly
impossible to find service
as efficient and gracious
elsewhere. Our guests
know that Trump Chicago
is truly a home away from
home.
WHaT dOEs THE
RECOGNITION mEaN
TO yOu?
It is an incredible
honor for the Trump Hotel
Collection, and a testa-
ment to our vision for
building and managing the
best hotels in the world.
Awards like these are great
motivation to maintain our
position, and continually
strive for more.
faVORITE PaRT
Of THE TRumP
CHICaGO HOTEl?
When I’m not eat-
ing at Sixteen, I love The
Spa at Trump. Our signa-
ture gemstone massages
feature oils from Dubai
that are infused with ru-
bies, sapphires, emeralds
and diamonds. That ser-
vice, followed by one of
our Kate Somerville fa-
cials, is the perfect way
to unwind.
I know you were
heavily involved in the
design and construction
even down to the staff
uniforms.
My brothers and I
oversaw the Chicago proj-
ect – we worked closely
with the architects, design-
ers and construction com-
panies involved to define
the aesthetic and see it
through implementation.
We gave consideration to
every detail, down to the
uniforms worn by the hotel
staff. I wanted to ensure
that every piece was as
refined as the property
itself. Each look was de-
signed to reflect the as-
sociate’s purpose and the
area of the hotel in which
the uniform is worn. The
trick was to balance style
and practicality to create
a fashion statement that
was understated, fluid and
contemporary.
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 9
10 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 11
To what do you
attribute your
successful leader-
ship in real estate
development?
I think it’s a com-
bination of energy,
drive and focus, asking
thoughtful questions, ne-
gotiating with confidence
and taking advantage of Growing up, when
the right opportunities,
even when times are
did you realize you
uncertain. wanted to go into
real estate?
What is a typical
day like for you?
My calendar is al-
ways full. A big part of
my job includes scout-
ing locations for new
projects, so I travel fre-
quently. When I’m home,
I usually get up at about
5:30 a.m., exercise and
read through a stack of
12 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
newspapers. Generally,
I’m in the office by 7:30
a.m., which is an ideal
time to respond to emails
or make overseas calls
since so many of the
deals we are doing are
abroad. I have meetings
and calls straight through
until about 6 or 7 p.m.
I don’t think there
has ever been a time
when I imagined going
down a different road,
in large part because I
grew up with real estate.
Both sides of my family
span generations of de-
velopment, engineering,
building and construc-
tion. Most of my forma-
tive memories include a
bulldozer or a construc-
tion site!
Does your Dad What is next for
give you a lot of you in real estate?
advice? We have many op-
My father’s experi- portunities that we are
ence makes his advice currently pursuing. Earlier
this year, we opened in
invaluable, and I always
appreciate his insight Waikiki, and Trump SoHo
just opened in April. We
are currently working
on Trump Panama and
What is the most Trump Toronto. Both are
challenging part very exciting hotel proj-
of your job now? ects that are opening in
early 2011. Trump Tower
Right now, I find Istanbul will also be open-
myself balancing be- ing next year.
ing young with also be-
coming – hopefully – a
visionary in business. I What pearls
appreciate every level of
detail that goes into our
of wisdom can
projects and have a thirst you offer to
for being very hands-on, entrepreneurs
which sometimes leads
me to micromanage. starting out?
Being a business leader I recently published
also means thinking big
a book called “The Trump
picture and delegating. Card: Playing to Win in
Work and Life”. In the
book, I encourage young
entrepreneurs to get
out there and try differ-
ent things; knowing what
you love is also in part
eliminating the things you
don’t enjoy doing. Young
people in the business
world shouldn’t be afraid
to be bold, work incred-
ibly hard and ask smart
questions. The level of
drive that stems from
passion is what will sepa-
rate someone from being
moderately successful to
being very successful.
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 13
 MUSIC
suNsET sTRIP
musIC fEsTIVal
slasH aNd fERGIE THrILL THE
THUNdEroUS CroWd oN SUNSET BLVd!
All it took was some killer rock
music and an anxious crowd filling
every inch of Sunset Blvd. to cre-
ate the perfect welcome for rock
favorites sung by many talented
stars including Slash, the Smashing
Pumpkins and even the talented and
sexy Fergie!
A wild, yet controlled, crowd
accumulated over three days on
LA’s famed Sunset Blvd., during the
intense Sunset Strip Music Festival
held from Thursday, August 26th
to Saturday the 28th. Like always,
Saturday’s performances drew out
major bands, such as Slash and
Smashing Pumpkin. At the last min-
ute, ‘The Dutchess’ and Black Eyed
Peas star herself, Fergie, decided to
join Slash on stage to rock out a few
all-time hits including Heart’s famed
song Barracuda and Gun’s N’ Roses
all time-favorite hit Sweet Child O’
Mine. And the fans? They were
watching the most beautiful ‘Sunset’
the strip has ever offered.
The larger-than-life crowd
danced, threw their arms up in the
air, fought for the perfect picture and
sang along with the A-list singers! It
Written by Jenny Werth
was an event some fans wait for
throughout the year. “Having Slash
play live on the Sunset Strip is like
the ultimate concert; it’s nothing like
listening to a concert held in a ven-
ue like The Greek; this is so much
more authentic. Truly rock music
being played where it all started-
on the Sunset Strip,” says Slash fan
Robert Slanter.
And although Slash, Fergie
and The Smashing Pumpkins were
among the most popular stars/
bands to sing; there was an im-
pressive line-up of other very well-
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 15
 Smashing Pumpkins
admired bands. Among
the most anticipated live
performances that packed
out the house were by
the beloved American rap-
per (and actor) Common;
hip-hop star, Kid Cudi;
the New York rock band
sensation, Semi Precious
Weapons; the cover band

photos: Joshua Barash

for many hair metal 80’s
band, Steel Panther and
the hugely popular alter-
native band Neon Trees.
Motley Crue bassist and
main song writer, Nikki
Sixx, gave a lengthy inter-
view in The Viper Room
on Saturday afternoon to
a thrilled crowd (includ-
ing most of the press);
while new blond beauty,
Candice Levinson prepared
to strum her guitar for a
performance with her band
Warner Driv.

There were vendors

for everything from lem-
onade, diverse beer selec-
tions in the festival’s beer
garden to hot dogs and
complimentary cokes and
vitamin water in the VIP
sections. Naturally, almost
every kind of alcohol one
could dream of was being
served in the over-crowd-
ed VIP areas. There were
areas that concentrated
on popular festival spon-
sor, Jack Daniel’s whiskey
drinks; while others bar-
tenders were happy to of-
fer all brands of vodka and
rum. All in all, a content-
ed and often- tattooed VIP
crowd sipped on cocktails
as they sat in plush circu-
lar black sofas and puffed
on cigarettes (and the
occasional ‘green weed’)!
By the end of Saturday
night, many tired and-let’s
be honest- drunk festival
fans decided to call it a
night at the nearby The
London and infamous The
Standard Hotel; among
others, who were each
offering customized pack-
ages for festival goers.

Without a doubt it
was yet another party in
West Hollywood that will
go down in the books.
Until next year’s festi-
val anyways. ROCK ON
SUNSET STRIP, ROCK ON!!

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 17

HW magazine
kNOWs HOW TO THROW a PaRTy
Hollywood Weekly mag-
azine launched their August
2010 issue with an industry
soirée at plush Bar 210 at
the Beverly Hilton. I wasn’t
at the event long before I
realized there was some-
thing truly unique going on
under the soft pools of light
in this swanky hotel bar. To
my left, ordering his second
glass of champagne, stood
a long time talent manager
who had just finished ex-
plaining to me the best way
to go about packaging a
script. To my right sat a mu-
sic marketing manager from
Warner Music Group, here to
scope out the artist gracing
Hollywood Weekly’s August
issue’s cover. Next I spot-
ted actor and musician Mike
Rossi, who can be seen all
over this season of Bravo’s
smash hit Million Dollar
Listing, chatting up a sultry
brunette obviously absorbed
by his charm. Prying himself
away for a moment, he gave
18 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
me the scoop on his current
project, Creative Collision,
an LA-based arts and music
movement that combines live
music with visual and per-
formance art. At a quieter
corner table, up and coming
writer/producer Ben Bostick
discussed his latest feature
film with Kristen, an enter-
tainment news director.
As the flow of guests
into the posh lounge in-
creased, so did the pho-
tographer’s flashes. Chrissy
Sutphin and Tasya Swisko,
account execs from Luck
Media & Marketing were on
hand to oversee yet another
superbly executed show-
case for their client Christa
photos: Irwin Jazmines
Written by Tyler fascett
Borden. In addition to land- Weekly’s publisher, Prather
ing Christa, their classically Jackson. All Access Music
trained songstress, her first Group editor Mark Strickland
U.S. magazine cover with came out but kept a low
Hollywood Weekly, they had profile catching up with an
arranged for her to belt out associate in a cozy booth
a few songs live with her near the stage. I chatted with
band at the evening’s event. Ramela, a movie critic, whose
In the center of the
room Danny Bopp, a model
and pro stock car driver
in the NASCAR K&N series,
and his publicist posed for
a few quick photos while
holding court with Hollywood
spot on reviews made me
rethink everything I thought
I knew about modern alter-
native comedies. Brandon
Gibson, the publicity and
branding gun-for-hire who’s
been ahead of trends in LA
for years, made his rounds.
I met manager Michael
Dybnis, who summed up
his client strategy with
his ever-ready slogan, “I’ll
keep you famous.” There
were screenwriters on the
smoking patio, an about-to-
break fashion designer by
the back bar, and an en-
tertainment lawyer had just
arrived.
At this point, I had to
step back and survey the
scene. Staring out over
the now bustling lounge,
something struck me about
my company: these were
the people in the business
who actually get things
done. I’ve been to many
an event in Los Angeles
dubbed under the guise of
an “Entertainment Industry
Party,” but the majority of
these events consist of re-
cent LA transplants scour-
ing a lackluster crowd for
anyone they think they’ll
be able to hustle into fur-
thering their brilliant (and
inexplicably stalled) act-
ing careers. To a writer
who’s covered those types
of events before, there’s
even something olfactory
about that whole scene—
it’s the smell of shameless
self-promotion, with notes
of desperation, and subtle
Christa borden with her band
hints of fraud. This event
was far different. And for
that matter, the only de-
tectable scent was the
mouth watering aroma of
truffle oil wafting from the
plates of gourmet sliders
exiting the Bar 210 kitchen.
Something very unique, and
very refreshing was hap-
pening here. This eclectic
cross section of entertain-
ment industry profession-
als had been assembled by
Hollywood Weekly magazine
with the Hollywood Weekly
brand as their sole com-
mon bond.
It has been said
that networking, in its fin-
est form, exists truly as a
chemical reaction. Tonight
things were synthesizing
all around me. Individuals
in totally unrelated areas
of the business were mak-
ing connections. It wasn’t
about back scratching and
it didn’t matter if the direct
benefits of their relation-
ships were apparent. Art
and business, talent and
opportunity, musicians and
a racecar driver, all thrown
together in a pot and sim-
mering. And remarkably it
felt very organic. Publicists
and PR reps mingled ele-
gantly, while the celebrities
and the suits sipped marti-
nis and perused the pages
of the Hollywood Weekly
magazines that were dis-
played throughout the
lounge. People were genu-
inely enjoying themselves.
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 19
 Just after 9pm the soulful
sounds of Christa Borden and
her band filled the posh Beverly
Hilton space, and the party
gravitated toward the stage. Her
upbeat “Better than She Can”
energized the room, and her di-
verse selection of cover tunes,
everything from the Eurythmics to
MGMT, kept us in the groove. But
it wasn’t until she hit the eerie,
soul-bearing notes of “Drowning”
that we really got it. It wasn’t just
the tragic beauty of her lyrics
that had us all transfixed, but the
sincerity in her voice.

After her set, I asked Christa

about her song writing process.
She described how, “Sometimes
inspiration is this mythical beast
that drags me out of bed and
forces me to sit at the piano in
the middle of the night and some-
times it is the tiniest moment or
a person I meet.” Though her
muses change, she’s always look-
ing for new ways to be inspired.

I suppose deep down it is

that ever present drive to get a
hold of some solid inspiration, or
maybe sometimes the quest for
a cocktail, that brings us out to
these types of events in the first
place. From what I could tell on
that summer night at Bar 210, no
one left empty handed.

photos: Irwin Jazmines

20 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 21
 EVENTS
Written by Toria Gaylord

suNsET JuNCTION
to Celebrate 30 years of diversity
micheal mckinley: An Affair to remember
For the past thirty years, The
Sunset Junction Street Festival has
been a local fundraising institution
for Los Angeles residents. Inspired by
cultural diversity and human rights
back in 1980, the Sunset Junction
Street Festival is set to celebrate its
30th Anniversary on Aug 21-22 2010
in Silver Lake.
Micheal McKinley, the event’s
organizer has been a part of the
festival since its humble beginnings.
Known for his compassion about the
event, he is excited and grateful for
the festival’s success and endurance.
As a long-term resident of Silver
Lake, McKinley has seen the ben-
efits and the challenges of keeping
Sunset Junction alive.
The festival, which is known
for attracting past performers like
Chaka Khan and Beck, has become
a mainstay in American culture. With
crowds expected to reach more
than 150,000, the festival will have
over 250 artists, food vendors and
5 stages with musical performances
from The Whispers, Bad Brains and
Ghostland Observatory.
Hollywood Weekly talks with
Micheal about how he feels about
the commemorative year of the festi-
val; his tireless commitment to com-
munity organizing; working with at
risk youths and his love of good
music.

HOW dId yOu bECOmE INVOlVEd WITH THE
sIlVER lakE/suNsET JuNCTION dIsTRICT?
In 1980, I moved to Silver Lake and but worked as a
hairdresser in Beverly Hills. When I arrived, there was a lot
of tension between the Gay and Lesbian and gang commu-
nities because many people felt we were causing gentrifica-
tion and were to going uproot the residents who lived there.
There was a lot of gay bashing happening at that time.
HOW dId yOu dEal WITH THE sITuaTION?
HOW dId IT GROW INTO a sTREET fEsTIVal?
Our goal was to celebrate diversity in harmony. We
talked to a number of non-for profit organizations and local
businesses to sponsor and support our cause. We received
wonderful feedback from the residents. At that time, there
were 15 to 16 different gangs in the surrounding areas of
Silver Lake, Echo Park and Los Feliz. We reached out to El
Centro del Pueblo, a nonprofit organization that interacts
with the gang community, asked if they would call a truce
during the festival, and invited the gangs to act as security
for the event.

Others and I were heavily involved in marches and

peace protests for Gay and Lesbian rights in Washington
DC and Sacramento. Coming from that experience, the gay
community felt empowered and wanted to bring peace
to the neighborhood. Therefore, we created the Sunset
Junction Neighborhood Alliance and wanted to have a block
party as a way to bring the community together.
WHaT Was THaT fIRsT ONE lIkE?
Sunset Junction festival came off smoothly. The police
who had predicted we would have a blood bath on the
streets, over reacted with swap teams. However, since the
rival gangs acted as security, there was no violence that
weekend. We thought we would only have a few hundred
people show up and instead tens of thousands came out
to support us.

22 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
NOW THaT suNsET
JuNCTION Is CElEbRaT-
ING ITs 30TH yEaR, dId
yOu EVER aNTICIPaTE
IT WOuld sTIll bE GO-
ING sTRONG?
No not at all. Initially,
we did not have a grand
plan for longevity. I do not
think any one of us thought
the festival would be here
thirty years later. It was a
natural progression. When we
first started out, we had a
disenfranchised community
plagued with violence and
unrest. We helped to empow-
er the youth and clean up
the community. Silver Lake is
now thriving and is one of
the hippest areas in the city.
WHaT dOEs THE suNsET
JuNCTION sTREET
fEsTIVal mEaNs TO
yOu?
It is amazing. You just
never know what your journey
in life will be. The energy of
the festival is so real and the
impact its’ had on the neigh-
borhood has been phenome-
nal. The Sunset Junction has
been extremely popular with
Angelenos and has put Silver
Lake on the map. It is a nice
legacy.
yOu HaVE Had sOmE
amazING PERfORmERs
suCH as CHaka kHaN,
bECk aNd luCINda
WIllIams aT THE fEsTI-
Val. HOW dId yOu GET
THEm INVOlVEd?
I have always loved
music and entertainment. In
the early days, I would take
some of the gang youth to
see the greats like Al Green
and Gladys Knight because
I wanted to expose them to
a bigger world. Seeing these
concerts made a difference
in their lives. Therefore, I
thought it would be a good
idea to bring these artists to
the festival. They supported
our cause and wanted to
give back to the community.
It was a win win situation for
everyone. The year is exciting
we have Evelyn “Champagne”
King, The Ohio Players and
The Whispers performing.
sINCE THE suNsET
JuNCTION, sTREET
fEsTIVal Is ONE Of
THE PROGRams uN-
dER THE umbRElla
Of sJ NEIGHbORHOOd
allIaNCE. CaN yOu
Talk abOuT HOW
yOuR ORGaNIzaTION
WORks?
The Sunset Junction
Alliance is a 501(c) 3 non-
profit organization and the
SJ street festival is our most
important fundraiser of the
year. Because of the festival,
we have been able to keep
other SJNA projects running.
We have created a number
of programs in partnership
with area schools such as
an after school soccer team
and an at-risk youth program
to help keep young people
out of trouble. The SJNA also
has a coffeehouse also which
provides job training for the
youth as well as open mic
Wednesday have to help fos-
ter their musical talents. We
sponsor a community beauti-
fication program in which we
paint murals, plant trees and
keep the parks clean.
WHaT kINds Of CHal-
lENGEs dO yOu faCE?
In last decade, Silver
Lake has become home to
many young people who do
not appreciate the 30-year
legacy of the Sunset Junction
Street Festival. Putting the
event together has proven to
be more challenging in recent
years. For instance, the price
of admissions has been a
problem. The 15-dollar entry
fee has been a psychological
barrier with the young people
and they feel they do not
have to pay it. However, we
give away 5ooo free wrist-
bands to the community to
keep the festival thriving.
WOuld yOu say THE
fEsTIVal sERVEs as a
susTaINING fORCE IN
THE COmmuNITy?
Yes. The street festi-
val brings in lots of money
that keeps the neighborhood
thriving and pulls it together.
Its takes a lot of patience to
get newer residents to under-
stand what Sunset Junction
is. Throughout the years, we
have had many people who
have graduated through our
program who come back
as adults and parents and
help with the festival because
of how the SJNA programs
changed their lives. The sad
part is if we ever decide to
pull out there would be a
huge hole left in the commu-
nity. People should educate
themselves more about SJNA
and our mission and place in
the community.
yOu aRE fasCINaT-
ING. yOu HaVE aCCOm-
PlIsHEd WHaT maNy
COmmuNITIEs HaVE
NOT bEEN ablE TO dO.
WHaT dO yOu THINk
yOu dId dIffERENTly?
You know I have always
wanted to work with young
people. In addition, I think
people can tell if you are sin-
cere and honest no matter
what levels of dysfunction.
In the beginning, there were
lots of bureaucracy and pa-
perwork and we (Silver Lake
residents) just wanted to cre-
ate situations where we could
earn money for the commu-
nity and help young people.
Through it all, I have learned
you must be patient and
be grounded and just care
about people.
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 23
24 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 FASHION
WEEK
Mercedes-Benz
Magic Las Vegas
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 25
 FASHION
mercedes benz
fashion week
From debut lines such as former Victoria’s Se-
cret swimwear designer Matthew Zink’s line
Charlie, to tried and true swimwear faves from
Jessica Simpson, True Religion, Ed Hardy and
Diesel, Miami Beach got EXTRA skimpy on a
nothing-but-a-bikini wardrobe during Mercedes
Benz Fashion Week Swim 2011 collections.
26 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
Designers and
models rocked
the runway in
South Beach
Written by abbI JOHNsON
Despite torrential rain, swelter-
ing humidity and major traffic, the
chicest of the industry still made it
out to Miami Beach’s hottest ticket
of the year for the fashionably in-
clined. Mercedes Benz Fashion Week
Swim brings a hint of Hollywood to
the East Coast year after year and
continues to impress.
Celeb sightings, including R
& B singer Mya, some America’s
Next Top Model contestants and of
course the Kardashian sisters, kept
the gossip journalists buzzing while
swimwear editors from top glossy
publications sat front row mixing
business with pleasure while taking
in beach-ready fashion and sipping
mojitos between shows.
Eastern influences
at Ed Hardy

Among the sea of astonish-

ingly cellulite-free models, bold-
faced names from Miami, Los
Angeles, New York and beyond
partied day and night at the in-
credible events that took over the
town during swim week.

International premiere luxury

concierge service Quintessentially
rocked the party scene with two
of the most sought-after RSVP
confirmations outside of getting
into the official runway tents at
the Raleigh Hotel. Kicking it off
with an exclusive event honoring
Matthew Williamson’s premiere
swim collection at the famous
Webster boutique, attendees
were the first to shop the col-
lection via an on-location pop
up store. The following evening,
Quintessentially partnered with
Cast Affair and Mogul PR to pres-
ent fashion shows by Cosabella,
ANK and A’Che at the W hotel in
Miami Beach.

In an inaugural presenta-
tion, MOD Swim Week took over
the infamous Nikki Beach and
Mansion nightclub with a jam-
packed schedule of one runway
show after another featuring
some seriously colorful bikinis.
Celebs, press and VIPs enjoyed
complementary swag from design-
ers such as Kristi Grinna, Azure
Swim, Keva by Keva J, House of
Jackie Brown, Hermosa Jewelry,
Betsy Moss, BR Republic, We Love
Colors, Boca Tanning Club, Ailey
V, Plasti-Chic and more. In ad-
dition to the beachside runway
blitz, the MOD Media crew hosted
the MOD Swim Lounge, a fabu-
lous gifting suite, at the W Hotel
Bungalow. Extravagant gift bags
stuffed with the latest and great-
est in beauty and fashion swag
were gifted to attendees.

sWIm 2011 COllECTIONs

SWIMWEAr SIZZLES AS
dESIGNErS PrEVIEW 2011
CoLLECTIoNS....

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 27
 Hawaiian flavor
ruled at Poko Pano

Country girl chic at

True Religion

Ultra-mod at
Trina Turk

Swimwear hits a
fashion high note
on the runway with
Australian label

Kooey Swimwear

28 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 hot tip: LISA BURKE
trade a frizzy head A Hot
of hair for smooth
locks with an on-
Second
location blowout by With...
Miami freelance stylist
Rachel Paul. Mention
Hollywood Weekly for Lisa Blue
a VIP discount. designer
1
Lisa Burke

HW: What inspires you to design?

LB: I was a surfer and lived in a bikini, so I was
often designing bikinis. One day while out in the
ocean on my surf board it came to me to put
my two passions together - ‘save the whales’
and ‘bikini designs.’ My label Lisa Blue was born,
which donates a full 25% of the profits to helping
protect the whales and dolphins.
2
HW: How did you start Lisa Blue?
LB: I took a leap of faith and just went in totally
blind. Looking back I was like a baby crossing a
six lane highway. I was unaware of what a huge
journey I was undertaking. But I made it to the
other side and am now ready to take on the
3 world!

HW: How did you get involved with

1. America’s Next saving whales?
Top Model’s Anchul
4 Joseph with Johanna LB: During the creation of Lisa Blue I searched
Thompson for an appropriate cetacean protection organiza-
tion to donate to. I found the Australian Whale
2. The scene back- Conservation Society to be a powerful, well run
stage at True Religion organization with upmost integrity. The AWCS is
one of a number of organizations that put pres-
sure on the Australian government so that in
3. Entourage Star 1978 Australia announced its position as anti
Perrey Reeves at the whaling both domestically and internationally. The
MOD Swim Lounge at AWCS engages with governments and organiza-
the W Hotel. tions to bring about lasting change.
5
4. Keva by Keva J at HW: How important is it for design-
MOD Swim Week
FemmeScience ers, actors and other high profile
Body Cream was
5. Backstage glam-
people work with a charity?
gifted to VIPS
our at Tyler Rose LB: Well, I truly hope that Lisa Blue sets a trend
for the future so that other companies will also
adopt a philanthropic approach. When more busi-
nesses and other entities in power use their influ-
ence towards environmental issues or poverty the
world will become a more peaceful place.

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 29
maGIC
in Vegas
The MAGIC is in the numbers
– two convention sites in Las Vegas,
mazes of booths on multiple floors
– and the numbers are growing. The
Men’s Apparel Guild in California,
which considers itself the “world’s
largest fashion trade event,” stated
it had a 25 percent increase in re-
tailer registration for its August 2010
event.
30 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
MAGIC hosts two events annual-
ly, one in February and one in August.
The Mandalay Bay Convention Center
was the site for MAGIC Menswear,
PROJECT, S.L.A.T.E, Premium, Street
and the POOLTRADESHOW. The Las
Vegas Convention
Center hosted WWDMAGIC, FN
PLATFORM, and Sourcing at MAGIC,
which will highlight India. Event host
Written by april moon
l
largest fashion
Trade Event
Showcases
Trends for 2010
Sourcing at MAGIC stated an antici-
pated 30 percent increase in size
compared to the same time last
year.
MAGIC premiered the Indigo
Gallery, described as a new platform
within the Premium show “highlighting
the latest in men’s denim and denim
inspired sportswear.”
 Famous retailers included
Many California retailers and
designers attended to showcase
their latest lines.

Doramafi, a Downtown Los

Angeles staple for 15 years,
showcased the jeans they say
are “hot in Europe.”

The mission of Not For

Pot (notforpot.com), based in
Riverside, is not only the pro-
motion of medical marijuana, but
for the love of stoner girls. Two
models showed off the “I (heart)
Stoner Girls” T-shirts. Their motto
is that they are “clothing deal-
ers,” oh, and that they love
“stoner girls.” Jaime Kennedy
sported their clothes in a film
festival.

Cutline International, based

in Los Angeles for decades,
showcased their line of graphic
T-shirts and jeans.

Billionaire Mafia, a Vegas-

based company with stores in
Los Angeles, featured their Croc
MAGIC STONER jacket in a window display.
GIRLS MODELS &
Buckaroo Jeans, with a
JEREMY HUGHES
showroom in Los Angeles, said
AND THE
their 153 jeans are a top seller.
NOTFORPOT.COM
In the MAGIC workroom,
I HEART STONER
Los Angeles-based ZAK, next to
GIRLS MODELS
Kanvis 215, proudly showed their

BILLIONAIRE MAFIA
CROC JACKET

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 31
 JAMAL AND BUCKAROO JEANS

THE 153 JEAN

Track Suit, which they say is

popular.

New to MAGIC was tattoo

artist Ami James of “Miami Ink”
fame. He launched Ami James
Ink to showcase his other artis-
tic talents (see side story).

The trend for 2010 is that

Los Angeles retailers and de-
signers are still inspired and de-
signing for the future, and they MAGIC TRACK SUIT
are not alone.

amI JamEs INk

Ami James of “Miami
Ink” launches line at MAGIC
in Vegas
Ami James is an artist.
Whether it’s designing a tat-
too or a T-shirt for his new
line
Guild in California convention held in Mandalay
Bay this August.
He said motorcycle riders and “a lot of rock
and roll” inspire the design of his T-shirts, jeans
and accessories. Ami James Ink is higher-end cloth-
ing with a vintage feel and a “great price point.”

Ami James Ink, he

wants to be known for all of
his creative talents.

So, for the past year, he

has been working on a line of
clothing that “goes with my
style and what I love.”

Ami James spoke pas-

sionately about his inspira-
tion for his “life brand” in his
booth at the Men’s Apparel

Ami James of “Miami Ink” fame

launches his new line Ami James Ink
at MAGIC in Vegas. He is wearing his
1968 Easy Rider inspired T-shirt.

32 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 TRAVEL
PuERTO VallaRTa
an Extraordinary Hollywood Playground
Puerto Vallarta. The infamous
Hollywood vacation hideaway where
Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton
built their love nest, partied under a
star-lit sky, cavorted Hollywood-style,
fought tumultuously and then rendez-
voused again, and again, and again.
Yes, Puerto Vallarta’s got fabulous
history in its veins, hypnotizing depth,
intoxicating spots for escapades and a
slice of nature’s most abundant play-
ground. It’s a place where the Pacific
reflects the vibrant green plant life that
bursts out of each road beckoning a
myriad of visitors.
It’s incredible that it’s already
been 40-years since the release of The
Night of the Iguana; the movie that put
this then-remote Pacific coast fishing
village of 12,500 souls on the map and
catapulted it into a movie location fa-
vorite. How times change. Make it
there soon and you just may run into
Bradley Cooper whose recently been in
Puerto Vallarta filming important scenes
34 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
for the upcoming action movie also
starring Robert De Niro, Dark Fields.
Still, besides Puerto Vallarta’s
movie allure, the basic facts are irrefut-
able. It’s Mexico’s most popular Pacific
Written by Jenny Werth
Coast destination complete with crys-
tal blue waters, picture perfect sunsets,
fabulous beaches and stunning world-
class resorts. But it’s what lies beneath
the surface that makes Puerto Vallarta
truly extraordinary. The lush tropical
jungle landscape surrounds the city in
every corner making it an intricate part
of Vallarta’s history, culture and devel-
opment. The vivid greenery of the city’s
plant life, along with the towering Sierra
Madre Mountains rolling into the shores
of the colossal Banderas Bay make it
simply breathtaking.
Not far away from the bay is the
enchanting Viejo Vallarta, also known
as Old Town, with its maze of cobble-
stone streets lined with charming inns,
independently-owned restaurants and
galleries which showcase local artists.
Perhaps the first thing you’ll notice when
walking through Old Town is the lack of
modern development. The city’s original
structures make Puerto Vallarta both
a beach resort and authentic Mexican
city. Mercifully, you’ll find very few modern con-
structions of popular American chain restaurants
now ever present in beach resorts such as Cancun.
Sorry, no low-fat grande vanilla lattes available on
every corner here- you’ll be hard pressed to find
a Starbucks (a welcome reprieve). Instead, within
the traditional concrete and brick buildings along
the tree-lined paths, you’ll find bakeries turning out
dozens of delicious pastries, boutiques with hand-
made clothing, relaxing sidewalk café’s, lively bars
and tiny markets with unique local products.

Within the windy streets of this eclectic archi-

tectural mix you’ll find one of Vallarta’s most fash-
ionable and scrumptious restaurants, de Santos.
This cosmopolitan restaurant is one of the most
avant-garde in all of Puerto Vallarta packed with
Hollywood-type ‘beautiful people.’ Within its adobe
walls and century-old brick archways contrasted
with modern, clean and simple white walls, is a
place where the rich locals and trendy visitors go
to dine and party the night away. This hot spot
with flickering candles, soft lights and a rooftop
sky bar certainly make this the ‘place-to-be-seen’
in Vallarta.

Si senorita, throw on that low-back sexy dress

that shows off your tan, but also be ready to
suck in your stomach after eating in the restau-
rant! The menu offers yummy appetizers such as
the popcorn shrimp and gourmet foods such as
the homemade ravioli stuffed with lobster, ricotta
cheese and eggplant. Not to mention the incredible
wine and cocktail selections; such as the ‘Coco,’ a
scrumptious drink made of Vodka Grey Goose, milk
and crème of coconut. www.desantos.com.mx

After a night of partying at de Santos, you’ll

need a remarkable place to stay… and that’s where
the truly astonishing The Quinta Maria Cortez comes
into play. Just south of town awaits this exclusive
Hollywood-worthy bed and breakfast. Don’t let the
B&B label fool you however; this is not a simple
place to just eat and sleep. Really, it’s a slice of
heaven that masterfully combines beautiful antique
furniture that could easily be in a French chateau,
along with a dramatic design and exquisite views.
This Mediterranean Villa is truly unique with its
seven tiered levels built into the hotel’s white sandy
beach front cliff. The brochure is right, it really is
“a bit of whimsical tropical antiquity by the sea.”
The panoramic ocean view all-suite accommoda-
tions do feature Wi-Fi and phones even though
most people take refuge in escaping the modern
world within the open walls of these villas. In the
heart of the B&B is a lovely common area with
sitting room, fireplace, terrace and palapa-roofed
dining area. There is history within the walls of this
villa that’s worthy of a book; and the villa’s manag-
er, Jose,’ will happily tell you some of its secrets. A
wedding here would render speechless any guests:
guaranteed most people have never seen a setting
such as this in Mexico. www.quinta-maria.com

However, if you’re looking for accommoda-

tions in the heart of Puerto Vallarta that also share
in a part of Hollywood-history then The Hacienda
San Angel is your place! This luxurious hotel and
colonial-style hacienda transports you into an ex-
terior tropical haven and interior antique paradise
with relics and paintings of museum quality. The city
and ocean view Hacienda has five Mexican villas;
the first two are joined to the third and fifth villa by

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 35

a path that winds through a
picturesque terraced garden
filled with climbing plants,
vibrant flowers and a charm-
ing fountain. Villa four is lo-
cated just across the street.
Notably, Villa one, also
known as Villa Bursus, was
purchased by actor Richard
Burton as a Valentine’s Day
gift for his then wife Susan.
Thus, the Villa ‘Bursus.’ In
fact, you can sleep in their
actual master bedroom with
amazing views and a delight-
ful breeze.
The Hacienda has been
beautifully restored and of-
fers today’s most modern
guest amenities found in
any luxury accommodation,
including a water purification
system. Its old world charm
is only enhanced by three
36 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
large heated pools that
each immerse you into total
tranquility. One offers pan-
oramic views of the city and
Banderas Bay, while another
is situated right next to the
romantic rooftop terrace
that gazes directly over the
crown of Guadalupe church.
They even have their own
private church, with a beau-
tifully painted ceiling for
weddings and other private
events. www.haciendasan-
angel.com
And although Vallarta
clearly has a Hollywood-
standard side to it, it’s
also just as sun-kissed and
slow-paced as any other
rural village. The sun filters
through the abundant palms,
kids splash in the bay, ven-
dors hawk their wares on
The Hacienda
San Angel
cobblestone streets, the
scent of roast pork and tor-
tillas linger in the air and
red bougainvillea climb over
walled haciendas. At its tradi-
tional core is a pleasant pla-
za where kids chase pigeons
and shoeshine stands do a
brisk business. At one end
of the plaza is the Malecon
(ocean front walkway) that
attracts clever locals who
turn into sandcastle artists,
jugglers and musicians by
dusk. While on the other
side, the crowned tower
of Our Lady of Guadalupe
church rises like a beacon.
And in the distance are
all the narrow, cobblestone
streets that snake up into
the hills where red-tiled roof-
tops peek from a lush tangle
of tropical foliage.
Naturally, after explor-
ing the Malecon, you’ll end
up hungry for some real
Mexican food! Our pick is
El Arrayan, an intimate little
Mexican restaurant with a
lot of soul. Situated in the
heart of Old Town, it’s an
easy stroll from the Malecón.
They do a delicious job of
rescuing old family recipes
using 100-percent locally
produced ingredients, includ-
ing the use of their corn
which is milled fresh every
day. El Arrayan is on a
mission to change Mexican
food stereotypes; such as
the popular belief that all
Mexican food must be deep
fried with blankets of melted
cheese on top. This is truly
a one-of-a-kind, authentic
Mexican restaurant. Your
mouth will melt as you savor
Quinta Maria Cortez

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 39
dishes with pre-Hispanic ingredients such as chile,
cactus paddles, beans, avocados and corn. And
once they’re combined with European ingredients
brought to Mexico many years ago which are now
staples; such as beef, cheese and pork among
many others; you end up with a taste you will
not soon forget. These quality ingredients have
given this charming mostly outdoor courtyard-like
restaurant a wonderful reputation and large clien-
tele following.

So, por favor, leave the concept of El Torito’s

fried and frenzied menu behind as you sip on a
tequila or an authentic raicilla (a homegrown ver-
sion of tequila) with soft traditional Mexican music
playing in the background. Then prepare your
taste buds and savor some of their specialties;
like the delicious black bean and cheese filled
plantain fritters or their many different salsas (or
moles) that enhance every meal. Be sure to
save room for the desserts! The cajeta (caramel
spread) flan is to-die-for! You can even impress
your friends by bringing them a package of El
Arrayan’s locally grown vanilla. elarrayan.com.mx.
Follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

It’s as if the native vanilla scent reaches

Californians in the air! Countless people think of
Puerto Vallarta as a perfect vacation spot while
de Santos
encompassing all the ingredients for the idyllic
honeymoon. But more and more, Californians
are looking to Vallarta as a place to get married.
The warm weather, ocean breezes, friendliness of
the people, and easy accessibility by air are all
attractions. Le Kliff restaurant is one such ideal
wedding location. It’s located about 20-minutes
south of Vallarta almost literally at the end of
the windy car-accessed road in the lush Boca
de Tomatlan area. One step into Le Kliff is all
it takes to understand why it’s been a perennial
favorite for diners seeking extreme elegance with
spectacular views. The romance of the restaurant
is only enhanced by its purplish-blue sunset hues
with views of the jungle and ocean surrounding
the cliff-top location. Waves crashing against the
rocks below and Latin America’s “largest straw
palapa” (umbrella-style roof) only add to the lus-
cious ambience. Receptions can be held right on
location and the space can elegantly handle up
to 200 people. www.lekliff.com

Puerto Vallarta is a spectacular sun-filled

oasis; even when the tropical rains fall, it’s still
warm and serene. Sure, newer Mexican resort
developments such as Cancun and Los Cabos
may be slightly better known, but they’re also
just the creations of government planners and
land speculators. Puerto Vallarta’s historic heart
remains pure while other ocean resorts lack any
real historic atmosphere. For more than 40-years,
this seacoast town on Banderas Bay has grown
like the bougainvillea on its many terraces into
the plush, colorful coastal escape it is today. A
combination of the sights and sounds awaken
your senses, much the way the wind feels as it
blows through your hair. The media may scream
that Mexico is dangerous every day, but, the bor-
der towns that experience the violence are far,
far away from Puerto Vallarta. In fact, the only
danger in Puerto Vallarta is the threat that you’ll
never want to leave.

40 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 REVIEW

Frankly & For Real By Frankie J.

Allow me to introduce myself.
My friends call me loyal, men call
me constantly but you can call me
Frankie…Frankie J., that is. You
won’t see me on lifestyles of the Rich
and Famous but, quite frankly, you
won’t see me at Wal-Mart either.
I’m just your typical Hollywood
hip-chick looking for love, money
and opportunity in a city where it
is all around and ever elusive. But
isn’t that what we’re all here for?
This is my column and I give it to
you. Besides, what’s the fun in hav-
ing something amazing if you can’t
share it?
Let’s be real for a moment and by
real I mean, we’re gonna talk about
real life, real love and real people in a
town where you’re blessed when you
find anything real. But when you do
find it, you’d better appreciate it and
hold on to it with both hands.
In this new Hollywood Weekly
Column, I am interested in only the
coolest products, services and experi-
ences by the realest of people. I’m
not promising to solve world hunger,
and I’m definitely not a shrink, but
hey, I’m gonna be frank. Actually
I’m gonna be Frankie J. with you
and give you the only thing I have
that no one can deprive me of…my
opinion. Enjoy!

Taking the work out of nutrition Meal Delivery Services

So they say losing weight and keeping it off is 75% nutrition
and through many experiments that I would rather not men-
tion, I tend to agree. Eating foods in the most natural form
that you can find should be a law. I was fortunate enough to
grow up eating organic and all natural before it was the “in”
thing to do. We lived in a one-room apartment, wore Kmart
clothes and rolled in a beat up royal blue Chevy Nova (they
stopped making them for a reason) but my Mom made sure
she bought the healthiest foods, often from the local co-op.
As kids, my brother and I longed for a snack drawer with
the likes of Oatmeal Crème Pies, Cool Ranch Doritos and EL
Fudge Cookies. Instead, we enjoyed natural fig bars, home-
made frozen creamsicles, made from natural yogurt and o.j.
and faux fudge consisting of natural pb, powdered milk and
honey. We dreaded the moment our friends would say, “I’m
hungry.” But embarrassed no more and frankly, I’m extremely
blessed that
I have adopted my Mother’s nutrition know-how. I guess you
can say I was born knowing about nutrition so I am gonna
hook you up with how to make it convenient in this amaz-
ing City of Choices. I have spent hours and hours logging
daily calories into the Notes section on my iphone. Digging
cans and boxes out of the garbage after I forgot to log the
calories, but not before I threw away the chicken fat, coffee
grinds and moldy pasta sauce. Fun times! Maybe I could
keep up with that if I was in my early 20’s again when all
that really mattered was being skinny and figuring out next
Friday’s outfit. Life has happened and I need convenience but
assurance that what I am eating is what they say it is and
provides me with energy to run a company, 5 miles, and a
fast moving social calendar. I’m not Oprah or the Queen and
like the majority of us common folk, do not have a personal
chef on my payroll. I’m not hating, I’m just saying.
Talk about freakin convenience! Holy Moly are these things
a blessing for the busy woman (or man) that is asking for
their food to simply show up. If you totally want to check
out of putting any thought into what you eat while still fol-
lowing a strict diet and appropriate calorie level then this is
for you. The only problem is that there are a ton of meal
delivery services to choose from, especially in LA. So I re-
searched them all and tested the 3 services that I thought
encompassed convenience, deliciousness, health, and in true
Frankie J style Realness.
Susan’s Gourmet - Irvine, CA
(Susanshealthygourmet.com)
Sometimes it’s the little things that make me fall in love
with a company or service, which is the case with Susan’s.
I feel like there are a bunch of grandmas, moms and aunts
nestled in a kitchen preparing these meals with the fresh-
est of ingredients and the best of intentions. I visualize my
Gramma’s kitchen on a Sunday evening as all of the women
prepare a fresh meal, often with ingredients from my Uncle
Herky’s garden.
Susan’s does cutie little things like attaching a sheet with the
Monthly Specials that include Nutritional tid-bits. The food
was great and I even chose the lowest calorie option. The
freshness was obvious by the taste but they pride themselves
on only needing orders 48 hours before delivery time, which
is awesome for those of us who have a hard time committing
way in advance. If only all of life was so flexible. Meals can
be very strict and customized based on calories. When order-
ing you have the options of quick and easy ordering where
you pick the calories and they pick the meals, or pick n’
choose ordering where you pick your own meals. The meals
promote good health, not just weight loss. A complete day’s
meals meet or exceed the daily nutritional guidelines recom-
mended by the American heart Assn., the American Cancer
Society, and the American Dietetic Assn.

42 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY

California Chef Services
- Chatsworth, CA
(www.californiachef.com)
Sonoma Chicken Salad, Herb Crusted
Salmon and Florentine Egg Sandwich –
Oh My! Everything is very personalized
to you and your needs. You discuss
your dietary requirements, food prefer-
ences and meal delivery schedule with
your personal chef and they design
meals especially for you. The personal
chef thing had me at hello! The detailed
questionnaire leaves no room for er-
rors and you should rest assured that
if you gag at the sight of mushrooms
then those bad boys will be nowhere
to be found!
Owner and executive personal chef
Denise Macuk has a passion for great
food, and is committed to serving ev-
eryone, no matter what their diet, sen-
sational meals. Chef Denise has traveled
to more than 20 countries to study
their gastronomy, and was trained at
Westlake Culinary Institute in Asian,
Italian, French, Mexican, and vegetarian
cuisines.
Bistro MD
(www.bistromd.com)
The cool thing about Bistro MD is that
it can be delivered anywhere in the
U.S.; I mean really anywhere –even
Homestead, Pennsylvania (I tested it).
If only they were around during the
days when I travelled for work con-
stantly they would have prevented me
from leaving each city with a few ugly
friends – LBS!
Bistro MD follows a scientifically for-
mulated approach to help you rebal-
ance and retrain your metabolism over
a period of weeks, designed by busy
wife and mother of four, Caroline J.
Cederquist, M.D. It is more than just
calories to Dr. Cederquist, she will not
create a cuisine that was low-calorie
at the expense of flavor. Thank you
Sweet Caroline! The meals are frozen,
so a microwave or oven is a must, but
still tasty and satisfying. With over 80
different Bistro MD meals you will nev-
er be bored. BistroMD is offering FREE
Shipping for all new orders. Enter cou-
pon code LAFOOD at checkout. Coupon
good for one use per new customer.
Local
If you still like to go out to eat and
can control yourself on the breadbasket
and dessert tray but want guidance on or needs. How awesome is that? This
where to go and what to order here are
my suggestions. Just like they say Drink
way you are sure to eat responsibly,
considering you may not be drinking
Responsibly, I say Eat Responsibly. too responsibly as you and your crew
work the town. Then you can hang out
at the hotel bar and maybe run into
Quick Grabs a sexy rocker and you won’t have to
worry about feeling bloated.
Earth Bar – Get the greens drink DAILY
(it will change your life) or a power
smoothie with hemp milk, almond but- Something Sweet
ter, banana, blueberries and whey pro-
tein before or after an intense workout. Yogurt Stop -keep it simple. The yogurt
This place is a must visit. It brought out is so tasty you do not even need the
a ton of sensations in me. Watching the toppings. Get the PB and Cake Batter
worker grind up all the greens without swirl and I guarantee it will satisfy your
an ounce of added artificial ingredients cravings. It has been referred to as sex
was so sexy and natural to me. Walking in a bowl by
out of there knowing exactly what I was many! You
putting into my body and realizing that may want
we always have a choice – ALWAYS to take
made me feel so barbaric and powerful it To-
– I’m weird I know. Go;).
Casual – Nite Moon Café
at Golden Bridge
- A Spiritual Village
While you are there, take the spiri-
tual yoga. Just make sure you do
not accidentally take a front row
seat in the maternity yoga class that
occurs at the same time, unless of
course you are indeed pregnant. The
Nite Moon Café introduces yogic food
to Hollywood, inspired by the ancient
wisdom for your creative vibrant soul!
The salad bar is my go-to choice.
There are many selections of organic,
whole, alive and delicious veggies and
homemade salad dressings.
Celeb Citing
Urth Café on Melrose– ½ Urth
Salad with chicken and fruit
smoothie. Beautiful greens piled
high with tomatoes, chickpeas,
hearts of palm, pine nuts, chemi-
cal free chicken and the faintest Nothing like going out with a bang.
toss of a refreshing dressing is the
That’s all I got! Until next time.
perfect balanced meaI. BTW, I saw
Robert Redford, Jodi Foster and xoxo
some other people that I should Frankie J
know their names but I’m kind of
bad with that.
PS: “To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently
is an art” – La Rochefoucauld
Girl’s Grazing Preview for next month: Workouts, for Real!
Sunset Marquis Restaurant is the Ask Frankie J anything! E-mail advice@xoxof-
perfect place to pre-game with rankiej.com
the girlies! Check this out – Chef
Burlion will prepare a seven to fif- If you have a product, service or experience that
teen course tasting menu tailored you think Frankie J would love, e-mail the infor-
to your specific dietary preferences mation tocheckitout@xoxofrankiej.com
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 43
 WORLD
Photo Credit: seyda kapsiz
Thus far I have fo-
cused primarily upon the
role of language in global
citizenship. My academic
training allows me to com-
municate in many foreign
languages as well as my
own. However, life experi-
ence suggests that actions
may truly speak louder
than words when working
across cultures.
Impersonal Western con-
ceptions of professionalism
may displease non-Westerners,
44 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
Third Conversation
on Global Citizenship:
High-Context Communication (actions)
Written by dr. laura Wilhelm
lauraWil Intercultural
action is
eloquence.
(William shakespeare)
who often favor relational high-
context communication in work
environments.
Knowing this, I make it a
point to invest time and care in
cross-cultural relationship build-
ing. Over the years I have of-
fered extra attention in many
forms to extremely appreciative
intercultural associates of all
kinds.
Facebook and other so-
cial media sites were invented Photo courtesy of The salon
to build personalized global net- by maxime salvador for
works that result in mutual gains
based upon mutual regard.
yotam solomon.
Highly competitive Western
cultures typically honor the
clock. However, I have learned
to anticipate and to some extent
accommodate tardiness and delays
as a fact of intercultural life. In the
West time may be money, but good
will is solid gold worldwide.

America is one of the most

individualistic of all Western coun-
tries. From birth us Americans feel
entitled to life, liberty, and the pur-
suit of happiness. Here we have
no problem whatsoever looking out
for number one. Entrepreneurship
is second nature to us. Most of us
want to be our own boss and make
a unique mark upon the world.

In many highly collectivist non-

Western cultures, American-style as-
sertiveness is considered immodest
and therefore discouraged. With
great difficulty have I tried to ad-
vise international students and cli-
ents how to “sell” themselves during
interviews and presentations. These
same individuals may hesitate to Photo Credit: Seyda Kapsiz
accept deserved awards and pro-
motions at work. Again, awareness human limitations that compels them to the tip of the cross-cultural iceberg. The
is a key to improvement. give back to the community. Most of 2000 U.S. census estimated that 53% of
all, their passionate belief in the abiding California alone is immigrant. The 2010
I can honestly say that some
promise of the American Dream restores census may reveal that this number is on
of the very best people in my busi-
hope for the future. the rise.
ness network are bi-cultural. The
resourcefulness required to cope My working relations with intercultural The global economy binds its citizens
daily with life in a different lan- associates have enriched my life beyond together more tightly every day. Whatever
guage and culture seems to drive measure. All have taught me so much our motives, intercultural understanding
them forward. Their dual orientation both in and out of the classroom. can only better our actions.
can open doors to brilliant oppor-
tunities. Their own struggles most In parting, the issues I have raised
often foster a deep compassion for in these three short editorials are only

HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 45
 Literature

Aspiring Writers
If you don’t know someone in Hollywood with a screenplay, then you don’t know
someone in Hollywood. Ask any waitress or valet, and most likely they’re working
on the next great movie blockbuster. But, before they can thank the Academy, they
have to pitch their idea to a producer, and that is where the Hollywood Weekly can
assist. In this new section, we ask aspiring screenwriters to submit their pitches to
be viewed by those in the industry who actually have the power to make decisions.
Now sit back, relax and let the pitch begin.

God’s Kids
The title for my feature film
is “God’s Kids”. It is a comedy in
which three deadbeats think they
can solve their financial and employ-
ment woes by entering the catholic
priesthood, but end up unknowingly
become a part of an evil priest’s
plan to destroy a declining parish
for personal gain. By trial and much
error our three heroes attempt to
save the parish and their souls. The
three main characters (Protagonists)
are completely different from each
other; one is a drugged-out hippie,
the other is a pessimistic jerk, and
the last one is quite the ladiesman.
After being fired from picking up
road-kill, the protagonists have hit
rock-bottom. They meet a catholic
priest who works in a wealthy part
of town and after seeing how good
he has it, they think they can do
the same. The protagonists enroll
in the seminary. Meanwhile, a priest
high up in the diocese (Antagonist) is
trying to pull off a huge real estate
deal with the city to sell property
where a church and school are built
on, but it’s in major decline. The
antagonist and his “assistant” who’s
an alter boy pull the protagonists
out of the seminary early, fool them
into thinking they’re going into an
internship program, and place them
in the declining parish, where they
hope that they will be the last piece
of the puzzle that will drive it into
bankruptcy. The antagonist and his
“assistant” who’s an 18 yr. old alter
boy have a low-key romantic relation-
ship that’s quite humorous. When the
protagonists arrive; they meet their
pushover principal, a senile deacon,
and an attractive, but innocent nun.
The deacon is old and out of his
mind, but he performs many of the
church duties so the protagonists
are also assigned duties to help
out with the school. The protago-
nists don’t really care about their
jobs; the ladiesman becomes the
marriage counselor where he sleeps
with unhappy housewives, the hippie
does drugs and is a bus driver, the
jerk is a drill sergeant gym teacher
that gambles with other teachers on
the students when the play games.
The hippie lets his homeless drug-
dealer move in with them, where they
screw around, trip on acid, and get
into adventures around the parish.
Through out the film the ladies-
man and the nun develop a strong
relationship. The nun reveals to the
ladiesman that the parish is in deep
trouble, so he convinces the others
to help turn things around. They
make progress, but the antagonist
reveals that they’re frauds and they
are excommunicated. The protago-
nists are out on the streets; the
ladiesman becomes a stripper, the
jerk is a cab driver, and the hippie
picks up elephant dung at the zoo.
The nun and deacon investigate what
happened to the protagonists and
uncover the antagonist plan. The nun
tells the ladiesman and he convinc-
es the others to save the parish.
With help of the nun, the protago-
nists ruin the antagonist’s plan and
are let back into the priesthood by
the bishop. The ending fast-forwards
years later; where the ladiesman and
nun get married and become bible-
hugging Catholics with lots of kids,
the jerk is an old school/pre-Vatican
II type priest that’s really strict, and
the hippie becomes the pope.
I already have written and
re-written this script. It was my final
project for my advanced screenwrit-
ing class in which I received an A
for my work from my professor, an
ex-Hollywood screenwriter. Screen-
writing was also my major. I feel my
idea is unique and could create a big
buzz with the controversial catholic
religion being mocked through out.
Contact Info
Mike Carfagna
Mike62Carf62@gmail.com
614-361-6506 (cell)

46 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
Andrew Dafoe
It was a sweltering summer day
when I motored into Los Angeles.
A recent film school graduate, I
was wet behind the ears. Literally,
dripping with sweat. My car was
stuffed and roasting. It felt like I
was driving a turkey as I inched
south on the 405. The stale breeze
from my air conditioner offered no
solace. Why does the cold air always
smell like a robot farted? I watched
the heat rise from the blazing sea
of taillights and sighed. I’d heard
of “needing breaks” to make it in
L.A., I just had no idea they were
talking about the traffic. The Clash
was playing on the radio. “Rock the
Casbah!” I drummed along on my
steering wheel. Mercifully, the lanes
started moving again. Someone
had broken down and rubberneck-
ing had caused the gridlock. As
I approached the crippled vehicle,
I tried not to pry like the other
nosey onlookers, but as I passed I
too did a double take. The unfor-
tunate motorist was a clown whose
fire engine red clown car had a
flat. Despite his painted smile, he
was yelling obscenities into his cell
phone and kicking the deflated
tire with his bulbous shoe. I drove
away thinking, there were probably
20 other clowns in that car. How
come none of them were helping?
L.A. is an eccentric place -- a
mix of fact and fiction, achieve-
ments and failures and corn or
flour tortillas. Apartments aren’t
furnished with refrigerators and
the entrainment industry is a tricky
ramen noodle to cook.
Earning my stripes, I worked
my way up from being a produc-
tion assistant, cleaning a Produc-
er’s dog’s urine-soaked kennel, to
being the writer’s assistant and
the Associate Producer on “Tracey
Ullman’s State of the Union”, a
sketch comedy show that aired
on Showtime. I was in the thick
of it, surrounded with some of
the best the industry can offer,
learning, sharing ideas and excel-
ling. I even got a shot at acting.
Once, when we were shooting the
first season, we needed a cadaver
whose feet stuck out of a morgue
drawer. I happily volunteered. I can
handle that, I’ll just act natural. I
yanked off my tube socks, hiked
up my pant legs and hopped on
the sliding metal gurney. For what
seemed like an eternity, carpen-
ters hammered, gaffers fought
shadows and an army of make-up
personnel fussed over how dead
my feet should look. Entombed,
I focused on being motionless. I
started wondering if there was an
award for best male carcass in a
comedy series. A Stiffy? If so, I was
sure to get a nod. Snapping back,
I realized it was quiet. Everyone
had broken for lunch and forgotten
me inside. Who needs lunch? I’m
a method actor and dead people
never eat!
Alas, like all good things, after
three incredible years, the show
ended and my writing feet were
left only partially in the drawer, I
mean, door.
Unemployment glaringly
highlights all that you are and
annoyingly reminds you of all
you have yet to become. I recog-
nize it’s a rotten time for many
and it’s tempting to turn into the
Boo Radley of the neighborhood,
leaving gum in the tree for curious
kids, but I’m driven. I’ve kept busy,
working on my own projects and
I’ve bested my longest stretch
without a shower by two days!
People say, “If this writing thing
doesn’t work out, you could do
something else, like sell insurance!”
No thanks. I’m committed. Besides
no one wants to call their insur-
ance guy and say, “I just got rear
ended.” And he says, “Did they buy
you a drink first?”
Hollywood Weekly has been
kind enough to provide a space for
the undiscovered and overlooked,
so I’m happy to shamelessly self-
promote. I’m original, relevant and
dedicated to my craft. I under-
stand that in today’s uploaded and
informed society, where attention
spans are short, entertainment
ubiquitous and opinions increas-
ingly snarky (even my 90-year-old
Nana recently said that “Glee” had,
“jumped the shark.”), great stories
are needed now more than ever. I
am passionate about telling those
stories, making a difference and
making people laugh.
I believe in the equation, Funny
= Money. Not funny = No Money.
Simply put, I know I have what it
takes, I just need a chance to make
a scene. I’m no longer a sweaty
new arrival stuck in traffic, I’m on
my way to the party. Wonder if
there will be clowns?
Andrew Dafoe can be contact-
ed at a.d.dafoe@gmail.com
Reduced
Treatment for
ENDgame
On a distant planet, across an open desert
wasteland, a futuristic battle is raging - human
soldiers fighting against a vast alien force. In the
midst of the carnage, a small unit of humans is
surrounded by a group of massive alien warriors.
The snarling creatures raise their weapons and
close in for the kill, when a translucent figure
suddenly flashes overhead, materializing into a
pistol-wielding blur of a human. Midair, he fires
several shots into each of the troll-like alien
heads, and lands in a silent crouch.
This is NOMAR…
It’s 15 years in the future, and one video
game has risen above the rest. Boasting an
active roster list of over 30 million players, it has
monopolized and revolutionized massive multi-
player gaming. But it’s not played on a computer
– using the next generation of gaming technol-
ogy, it’s played entirely within your mind.
This game is called Asgard. And it’s
awesome.
The gameplay revolves around an interga-
lactic war between the allied human nations,
and brutal alien warriors known as the DeKarr.
Players are free to choose a race, a playstyle,
and an avatar to embody as they join the battle
on the front lines.
But when a rogue group with a dark agenda
decides to sabotage the game, the conscious-
ness of over 20 million minds suddenly hangs
in the balance. Unable to eject from the game
world, and totally cut off from outside sources,
the players of Asgard go from cocky, showboat-
ing game junkies - to a panicked mass on the
verge of hysteria.
Now, the fate of the world seems to have
fallen into the hands of one player - NoMar.
In the real world he is simply Matthew Deacon
- college student, loner, a quiet kid with no
significant relationships. But in Asgard he’s a
hero, a team leader, one of the best to ever
play the game. And as the real world descends
into chaos, only he has the courage and skill
to rally his team and fight to keep the whole
system from crashing down.
As friendships are stressed, high scores
are broken, and millions around the world are
holding their breath, the citizens of Asgard will
discover that all they have is each other. The
only question is, will that be enough?
Philadelphia had Rocky, New York had Spider-
man, Asgard has NoMar. But he needs your
help! For more information on this material,
call (818) 669-6743 – Street1144@gmail.com
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 47
 addiction and demons
They told me to strip, “Take
everything off, right down to your
birthday suit,” she said. I followed the
instructions I was given as I put on
the one-piece jail suit. Check your
soul in here, before we bring you
downstairs, she should have told
me. I am now in lockdown and the
withdrawal is intense. I look out my
big glass door, no bars like you
see in the movies, and inmates are
walking circles around the tables. No
life…no expression, you can almost
see their hard lives etched in the
lines on their faces. I heard music in
the background…Any minute they will
be coming to take me to the concert,
hmm…hallucinations. I had to use the
toilet and as I take down my jumpsuit,
I see the guard staring at my naked
body. As I finish, he smiles, winks and
walks away. I have lost everything;
they may as well take my dignity. The
night was long and painful…I prayed
to God to take me.
Morning rolls around….the loud
KACHING wakes me up as the guard
unlocks our doors with the push of
a button. I’m not hungry, so I found
a shower stall to the corner which
seemed to be more private. I turned
the water on; it’s luke warm at best.
Suddenly, I feel someone washing
my back, she says, “Let me help
you” She pulls me closer to wash
my breasts. My gut feeling is…I don’t
have a choice. Lord…please help me,
I don’t belong here.
After showering with the help of
my new BFF, my husband came to
pick me up. Now comes the hard part,
trying to redeem myself. My husband
does not have a forgiving heart and
made my life hell. He put me down,
Realtor
Je nny Wer th
Croesus Realty
310.278.9422
619.871.9422
48 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
worse yet put me down in front of
our kids. Suddenly I had no rights. If
I were folding clothes…he would turn
the TV off and say I didn’t deserve
to watch it. That devastated me and
couldn’t comprehend what is in the
mind of someone who says that. He
said I took money from the family…
thought I was part of the family.
What I did was clearly stupid. I
gave some vicodin to a friend who
had migraines. This left me short
so I went to a walk in clinic and
gave a factitious name. Signing legal
documents with a different name is a
felony. This brought the police to my
house; I was arrested and handcuffed
in the presence of my kids. I never
felt like such a looser in all my life. I
had been a good wife and excellent
mom until then. Does all the good I
have ever done get erased now? I
feel like it does.
Looking back, I see exactly what
went wrong. Many surgeries, many
deaths and lots of vicodin. You enter
this grey area and self medicate to
numb the pain and the depression.
I started loosing faith in God. That
was a huge mistake and made me an
easy target for evil spirits. I had seen
spirits my whole life and soon was able
to communicate with them through
automatic writing. One morning while
having coffee, my thumb started to
move on my coffee cup and formed
letters that spelled, “Why won’t you
talk to me?” We soon starting having
paranormal activity that scared the
hell out of us. This entity would
paralyze me during the night in order
to sting or electrocute my right ear
over and over again. At the same
time, it felt like it was kissing me
8960 Cynthia St. #116
West Hollywood, CA 90069
“One Call
Does It All”
between my shoulder blades and the
feeling was so incredibly horrible.. I
have to say, it felt like I was being
rapped as much as an entity could
rape a human. During the night, our
bed would vibrate. During the day,
our couch seemed to be breathing…
it would also vibrate. Friends didn’t
want to come over anymore… it
freaked them out to much! One night
it shoved me against the wall, it felt
as if the floor was at a forty-five
degree angle…I’m being assaulted by
evil…this is freaking insane!
What it did was trick me; I
thought I was communicating with my
brother, at least that is what it told
me. It alerted us to upcoming danger,
even helped diagnosed an illness and
saved me from a blood transfusion.
After speaking with a priest who said,
“Feel free to call me anytime of the
day or night.” refused to talk to me
after disturbing apparitions… haunting
upon my visit. I feel fortunate enough
that ISIS Paranormal Investigators
documented some events. You can
view our case on their website. Scroll
down…we are the twenty-second
case…Westport, New York.
I finally learned how to protect my
family from evil. I find it so interesting
that the entity told me not to write
about it. I then started pouring my
heart out in my blog, http://shado-
wofaddiction.blogspot.com/. The love
and support from my followers and
my family helped me see that life is
worth living. Now who’s on top?
Sandra Henrichs
AKA Kaley Rain
shadowofaddiction.blogspot.com
 Warm Icy Tears
The ants have built a stadium on a gold
medal and they are skating on frozen tears of
a little boy. They do figure skating and hockey.
The boy is one of the best skaters in the city
and needs the gold medal to receive a new
pair of skating shoes which are given to the
athletes every year. It is a traditional ceremony
that the athletes attend with gold medal on the
breast to receive new skates as their prize.
The gold medal is necessary to prove
championship to get the skates. His old skates
are too small for him to wear. But his gold
medal is now the place for ants’ stadium where
they are skating on his frozen tears. His tears
have dropped on it because he has cried while
tending to the wounds of a white pigeon. He
leaves his medal so as not to destroy the
ant’s stadium. So he can’t skate for a whole
winter. In the spring he dreams that his tears
are evaporating and changing into tiny clouds.
The clouds cover everything in the house, and
change them into gold.
He gets up and sees nothing in the house
has changed into gold and there is no sign of
melted icy tear on the medal. The ants have
dissolved a black grain in his tears to make
some ink. The Queen, who is on a wax paper,
calls him. The Queen starts skating in harmony
with the dancer and singer ants and at the
same time with the ink made of tears, she is
drawing a map which is forming by the lines of
her tiny skates. It is a map of a great treasure.
They give the treasure to the boy as thanksgiv-
ing. So the boy becomes the richest person in
the city and the next winter he skates on his
personal lake with golden skates.
Reza Zardoshti
Aspiring
Writers
Paul D. Geyer
1) Novel Mores, Drama
Far from the typical or classic boy-meets-girl or love story, this
story isn’t very romantic, at least in the traditional sense. It’s a story
about sex with and without relationships and the dangers of certain
lifestyles. Casual sex is used purposefully for good against the ultimate
hypocrite. The story has some humor but is not superficial fluff or
escapist fantasy. It will probably make some people uncomfortable
(who probably won’t admit it). It doesn’t neatly fit into any genre and
the characters aren’t typical or stereotypical (e.g. cardboard cutouts).
Can be shot as R or NC-17 (TVMA). From my novel (xlibris.com).
2) Life Value, Drama
(most suitable for cable movie and series)
People with acute health problems are recruited for the oppor-
tunity to take advantage of their situations and make a difference,
contributing to the greater good. Interesting yet plausible characters
(that audiences can relate to and/or care about) take on new roles
and important new challenges. Unconventional actions and behavior
may make this story uneasily heartwarming, possibly controversial and
upsetting. Action is purposeful and necessary. May be inspiring as
well as controversial or discomforting. Tailor-made for anthology-type
series with new people recruited into new situations each week.
3) The Rescue, Drama
Because of an injury, two atypical criminals need to be rescued
from a rugged rural locale. To be safe, they call two acquaintances (a
techno-nerdy guy and a younger waitress who are strangers to each
other) to help them out. They meet each other before heading to
the rescue site. A deputy and her ex-navy seal husband, whose cabin
they broke into, also return. Twists, turns, and double-crosses in this
low-budget story that avoids clichés.
4) Chance Crossing, Drama
Why would a connected entertainment mogul be after a down-on-
his-luck guy who finds himself homeless? Did his comments on suicide
lead to the death of a teenager? Sometimes things are not as they
appear. Two event chains cross in a story of deceptions, perseverance
and compassionate people needing to be needed. Inspired by real
experience. Subtle nuanced roles for good actors.
Paul D. Geyer
805-201-2410
Cell 805-890-9029
pauldgeyer@yahoo.com
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 49
 THEATER

la THEaTRE bEaT BY STEVE ZALL AND SID FISH

don’t get so tired shopping at all of those

“back to school” sales that you won’t have
the energy to go out at night to partake of the
exciting new first shows in the new seasons
at our local theatrical venues, such as:

Garrett, it runs through October 24 at The Matrix Theatre

in Los Angeles. For tickets call 323-960-7774 or visit
www.plays411.com/neighbors.

“Camelot” is the story of a mythical kingdom in the

middle ages ruled by a king and his knights, the best of
whom has a covert affair with the queen thereby sacrific-
ing his position and jeopardizing his life. Written by Alan
Jay Lerner with music by Frederick Loewe and directed by
“All My Sons” The year is 1946. The Kellers, by all Mark Knowles, it runs through October 16 at the Glendale
appearances, seem to be the quintessential “all-American” Centre Theatre in Glendale. For tickets call 818-244-8481
family, except for one terrible secret: Joe Keller, family or visit www.glendalecentretheatre.com.
patriarch, has concealed a great crime. Tensions mount as
he attempts to hide the truth, fearful of how the repercus-
sions will affect the lives of his loved ones, still grieving
over the loss of son Larry, whose plane went down in
the war. Written by Arthur Miller and directed by Edward
Edwards, it runs through October 2 at the Ruskin Group
Theatre in Santa Monica. For tickets call 310-397-3244
or visit www.ruskingrouptheatre.com.

“Tape” in a motel room in one unbroken period of

real-time, the much-lauded stage drama, follows the in-
teractions of three emotionally entangled characters, who
must navigate through their volatile, differing perspectives
of past events. Written by Stephen Belber and directed by
Joelle Arqueros, it runs September 2 through September
30 at Bill Becker’s NoHo Stages in North Hollywood. For
tickets call 323-769-5566 or visit www.madworldpro-
duction.net.
“Neighbors” Have you seen the new neighbors?
“Bail Me Out” Joe, a blue collar mechanic in New
Richard Patterson is an upwardly mobile African-American
Jersey, minds his own business until his best friend Ray, a
academic. The family of black actors who has moved in
podiatrist, finally comes out to him, because Ray believes
next door is rowdy, tacky, shameless, and uncouth. They
that Joe is the only man who can convince Ray’s lover,
are not just invading his neighborhood- - they’re infiltrating
Shawn, a married black preacher, to leave his wife and
his family, his sanity, and his entire post-racial lifestyle.
kids to be with Ray, which is exactly what Joe tells him in
Written by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and directed by Nataki

50 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
a prison cell after a bar brawl with Shawn. With Joe’s wife,
the ‘un-loved’ Sherry, to Melissa, Joe’s ex-fiancé who still
has Joe’s heart and his friends in between Troy, a big-
oted ex-con and Jimmy, a foot-fearing dolt, Joe is never
far away from people that either get him off or piss him
off. Written by Renato Biribin, Jr. and directed by Joshua
Fardon, it runs September 3 through October 10 at the
Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets call 323-
960-7745 or visit www.plays411.com/bailmeout.
“Waiting For Godot” is a brilliant, bitter, comic por-
trait of the dogged resilience of man’s spirit in the face of
little hope where two dilapidated bums wait for Godot, a
mysterious figure who will either explain their interminable
insignificance or put an end to it, as they confront that
essential human dilemma: “I can’t go on! I must go on!”
Written by Samuel Beckett and directed by Timothy McNeil,
it runs September 3 through October 3 at The Studio C
Theatre at Stella Adler in Hollywood. For tickets call 323-
960-7770 or visit www.plays411.com/waitingforgodot.
“Waiting For Lefty” takes place at a union meeting
of New York taxi drivers, where the cabbies contemplate a
strike. It’s really a corrupt company union, and the cabbies
will never get anywhere unless they form their own honest
union. They await the arrival of Lefty, their elected chair-
man. Meanwhile, we look at intimate details of the lives
of the people affected by the shattered economy: A cab
driver whose wife threatens to leave him unless he stands
up for himself; A lab assistant is asked by his boss to spy
on an important chemist; A cabbie and his girl friend want
to marry, but he doesn’t make enough money to support
a family; A company spy is uncovered at the union meet-
ing; A doctor is fired due to the anti-Semitic policies of
his hospital, which also plans to close its charity ward.
Written by Clifford Odets and directed by Charlie Mount,
it runs September 3 through October 10 at Theatre West
in Los Angeles. For tickets call 323-851-7977 or visit
www.theatrewest.org.
“Dracula” is a chilling tale about a bizarre illness
fallen upon the daughter of a doctor who owns a sanato-
rium in the early 1900s, and upon the advice of her fiancé,
calls in the help of a professor who is an expert in the
macabre - but their search for answers only leads them
deep into the terrors of the unthinkable. Dramatized by
Hamilton Deane and John L. Baldeston, based on the nov-
el by Bram Stoker, and directed by Shawn K. Summerer, it
runs September 10 through October 16 at the Westchester
Playhouse in Westchester. For tickets call 310-645-5156
or visit www.westchesterplayhouse.com.
“Martyrdumb” Two buildings are sequentially cap-
tured and their occupants held hostage by bomb-wielding
terrorists. The first edifice is a business center. The second
building is the headquarters of a government strike force,
the Federal Anti-terrorist Regime Troop (F.A.R.T.). The first
assailant declares himself to be the member of an ob-
scure religious cult that worships a deity called Viknard.
The background of the second attacker is more shadowy;
however, one individual is strongly connected to both inci-
dents. Written by Jason Britt and Kerr Seth Lordygan and
directed by Maria Markosov, it runs September 10 through
October 17 at The Eclectic Company Theatre in Valley
Village. For tickets call 818-508-3003 or visit www.
eclecticcompanytheatre.org.
“Misalliance” An underwear magnate and armchair
philosopher’s spoiled daughter is bored with life and her
fiancé until a plane drops from the sky into their green-
house, bringing with it a dashing pilot and a lady acrobat.
Soon afterwards, a man with a gun and a grudge turns up
in their Turkish bath turning the rules of courtship upside-
down as everyone attempts to woo the new guests. Written
by George Bernard Shaw and directed by Martin Benson,
it runs September 10 through October 10 at the Folino
Theatre Center in South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa.
For tickets call 714-708-5555 or visit www.scr.org.
“Elizabeth Shakespeare And The Astute Detective”
a detective believes that The Earl of Oxford was the true
author of Shakespeare’s works, and so, via his computer,
he conjures up The Bard and The Earl from their four
centuries’ demise. His sleuthing brings him into conflict
with Elizabeth Shakespeare, who is positive that William
Shakespeare was the true author of the plays and sonnets.
As the detective tries to coax her to his point of view, she
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 51

la THEaTRE bEaT
fights her attraction to him as it gets down to a duel of
wits about wills and Wills, (with a little romance along
the way,) which brings them to a surprising conclusion.
Written by Alan Abraham Ross and directed by Chris
DeCarlo and Alan Abraham Ross, it runs September 11
through October 3 at the Santa Monica Playhouse in
Santa Monica. For tickets call 310-394-9779 or visit
www.santamonicaplayhouse.com.
“Titus Redux” an adaptation of William
Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus where a soldier, resolv-
ing to retire from a lifetime of killing on behalf of his
country, returns to his family after five tours of duty in
Afghanistan to bury his eldest son, but he quickly dis-
covers that the horrors of war follow him home. Written
and directed by John Farmanesh-Bocca, it runs through
September 12 at The Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City.
For tickets call 877-369-9112 or visit http://www.
CircusTheatricals.com,
“Ruined” is a powerful portrayal of the triumph of
human spirit in a war-torn country. Guided by music and
the rhythm of life in the Congo, it transports us to Mama
Nadi’s bar, a small town refuge where intimacy comes
at a price. But by creating this uneasy oasis for women
who have no place else to go, is Mama a protector or
profiteer? Written by Lynn Nottage and directed by Kate
Whoriskey, it runs September 15 through October 17 at
the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles. For tickets call
310-208-5454 or visit www.geffenplayhouse.com.
“Don Giovanni Tonight, Don Carlo Tomorrow”
backstage at a regional opera house in the Midwest,
the chorus of Don Carlo await their moment in the
spotlight as we watch them preen and pontificate, bicker
and brag, dawdle and diss, and face the unpredictable
reality of life in a post 9-11 America. Written by Dennis
Miles and directed by Kiff Scholl, it runs September 17
through October 17 at the Sacred Fools Theater in Los
Angeles. For tickets call 310-281-8337 or visit www.
sacredfools.org.
“The Web” a young man suddenly finds himself
in a world of trouble when his identity is stolen and he
discovers that there is another man whose life events
and physical appearance very closely parallel his own,
with only slight variations. Suddenly, he finds himself pur-
sued by covert operatives, including sadistic bruisers with
guns, plus a femme fatale, as he learns that the other
man is connected with a Paraguayan drug ring smuggling
massive quantities of cocaine. Written by Michael John
52 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
Garces and directed by Alyson Roux, it runs September
17 through October 17 at the Art/Works Theater in
Hollywood. For tickets call 323-795-2215 or visit www.
needtheater.org.
“The Phantom of the Opera” traces the tragic
love story of a beautiful opera singer and a young
composer shamed by his physical appearance into a
shadowy existence beneath the majestic Paris Opera
House. Written by Gaston Leroux, adapted by Andrew
Lloyd Webber and directed by Harold Prince, it runs
September 23 through October 31 at the Pantages
Theatre in Hollywood. For tickets call 800-982-2787 or
visit www.broadwayla.org.
“State of the Union” a good-looking, charming,
hugely successful and influential businessman and cap-
tain of industry, would make a great candidate for na-
tional office, or so the Republican Party of 1946 thinks
as it gears up in advance for the 1948 election. The
movers and shakers of the G.O.P. want to groom him
to become the next President of the United States,
but there is a problem: He’s a man of principles and
integrity, except that the married prospective candidate
is being hotly pursued by an attractive newspaper pub-
lisher, while his wife has taken note of a gallant military
officer. Written by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse,
and directed by Anita Khanzadian, it runs September 24
through October 31 at the NoHo Arts Center in North
Hollywood. For tickets call 877-369-9112 or visit www.
interactla.org.
“STILTZ! The Musical” is a tale about a young
woman who is willing to risk her life and losing the man
of her dreams in order to save the life of her bumbling
father, as she is imprisoned in an office and expected
to raise the funds to bail her father out of a bad busi-
ness deal. Written by Paula Miller with music and lyrics
by Deborah Johnson and directed by Wayland Pickard
and Doug Engalla, it runs September 24 through October
17 at the Actors Forum Theatre in North Hollywood. For
tickets call 323-822-7898 or visit www.theatremania.
com.
“The Reckoning” a Louisiana crawfish farm owned
by an affluent African-American family, was once a sugar
plantation worked by slaves, and is filled with secrets
and treacheries. As the family’s fiery but aging patriarch
prepares to hand over control of his estate to his de-
voted yet defiant daughter, secrets long buried gradually
come to light, and the resurgence of an age-old betrayal
will bring the family face-to-face with the family whose
long-held claims to the farm and bitter desperation have
made them a dangerous force with which to be reck-
oned. Written by Kimba Henderson and directed by Ben
Guillory, it runs September 25 through October 24 at the
Los Angeles Theatre Center in Los Angeles. For tickets
call 213-489-0994 or visit www.thelatc.org.
so play hooky tonight, grab
the kids, text your mate,
and meet up to see a show
tonight - you won’t regret it!
HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY 53
54 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY
 Shaun Twiddy

New Talent
Aloha, meet 10-year-
old Shaun Twiddy
from Hawaii

He is an actor, model,
singer, ukulele player,
bowler and aspiring
director.

By the first grade, he

had already gotten
a role as an extra on
“Lost.” Shaun was
very curious about
how television shows
are produced, and how
the cameramen and
Hair color: black director work.
Eye color: brown Shaun’s agent believes
Height: 4’ 6” Shaun will be the next
Ron Howard because
Weight: 62 lbs of this. He also likes
being in front of the
camera and meeting
Cell: (808) 368-7993 new friends.

jntwiddy@hawaii.rr.com

email: LRUEM@Yahoo.com (310) 836-2446 Beverly Hills (773) 973-1251 Chicago

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56 HOLLYWOOD WEEKLY