Rodeo Realty

May 22, 2018

USPS Issuing First-Ever Scratch-and-Sniff Stamps

First of all, we’re thrilled to announce that the United States Postal Service still exists. Whether you appreciate them or not, they’re still wearing those charming uniforms, delivering written correspondence, and apparently making stamps even better. Because scratch-and-sniff stamps are here. As in, smell-o-vision, but for mail. As in, the future.

The Frozen Treats Forever stamps are the first scratch-and-sniff Post Office stamps in US history, and they “feature illustrations of frosty, colorful, icy pops on a stick.” There’s just no better way to simultaneously support our nation’s greatest mail-delivering institution, give the gift of a moderately pleasant smell, and be endearingly retro.

These little slices of summer will be unveiled in Austin, Texas, a city where frozen treats do not go unappreciated, on June 20. But you can pre-order online now, and they’ll be delivered, one assumes by the Postal Service, shortly thereafter.

Your booklet will contain 20 stamps — 10 designs total, with two frozen treats per stamp — and while you may not have sent 20 letters in your life, this is your chance to start. The artwork is by Margaret Berg, and the design is by Leslie Badani.

Also that “Forever” isn’t just branding. These Frozen Treats stamps are First-Class Mail Forever, “which will always be equal in value to the current First-Class Mail one-ounce price.”

Plus, if you don’t ever end up sending those letters, you can just scratch and sniff them yourself.

Story courtesy of Thrillist.

May 19, 2018

Economic update for the week ending May 19, 2018

California existing home sales and prices increase in April – The California Association of Realtors reported that total existing home sales totaled 416,790 in April, on a seasonally adjusted annualized rate, that was 2.2% higher than last April’s sales rate. Prices continue to increase. Statewide, the median price paid for a home was $584,460, up 8.6% from April 2017. Local markets posted varying gains. In Los Angeles County, the median price paid for a home was up 10.1% from last April. The median price in Ventura County increased just 4.7% year-over-year. The Orange County median price gained 5.5%. Inventory levels rose 1.9% in April, marking the first rise in three years. The unsold inventory index in April had a 3.2 month supply of homes, up from a 2.9 month supply in March, but still lower than a 3.3 month supply in April 2017.

Stocks lower for the week – Higher interest rates and renewed trade talks put pressure on stocks this week. Oil prices reached a three year high, which some believe will spark inflation levels and cause the Federal Reserve to raise rates more swiftly. At the same time, the dollar straightening to a 5 month high. That makes imports less expensive and lowers inflationary pressure. We will have to wait and see. Experts are mixed on whether bond rates have topped out for the year. The 10-year treasury bond yield topped 3% this week, and hit 3.11% at one point before dropping back. Higher interest rates increase corporate borrowing costs, which lowers profits. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 24,715.09, down from last week’s close of 24,831.17. It is unchanged year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,712.97, down from 2,727.72 last week. It’s up 1.5% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed at 7,354.34, down from 7,402.88 last week. It is up 6.5% year-to-date.

Treasury Bond yields much higher this week – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 3.06%, up sharply from 2.94% last week.The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 3.20%, up from 3.10% last week.

Mortgage Rates higher this week – The May 17, 2018 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.61%, up from last week’s 4.55%. The 15-year fixed was 4.08%, up from 4.01% last week. The 5-year ARM was 3.82% up from 3.77% last week.

Have a great weekend!

Syd

May 18, 2018

The Best Movies On Hulu Right Now

Netflix may have been first to the streaming game, but it’s far from the only player. Hulu, for example, has steadily improved the quality and diversity of its on-demand streaming offerings, to the point where now you can find titles that are just as good (if not better) than what’s on Netflix. Here, to make our case, are the best movies currently on Hulu:

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Ignore the fact that J.J. Abrams’ second Cloverfield movie isn’t a straight sequel to the 2008 original, and you’ll stumble into one of the eeriest thrillers in ages — and one of the best movies of 2016. The story of three fated companions averting (theoretical) apocalypse in a subterranean bunker runs like clockwork. Every 10 minutes offers a new reveal, a new exacerbation of paranoia. Unnerving performances — especially Mary Elizabeth Winstead’s troubled captive — and a delight in madness prevent 10 Cloverfield Lane from settling on just one answer. It’s a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too horror movie, where the sights and sounds crescendo to the very last beat.

A League of Their Own (1992)

The movie that famously taught us that there’s no crying in baseball follows a (fictional) season of the (real) Rockford Peaches, who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, founded during World War II when many of the best Major Leaguers were off in the service. With a roster of actresses including Geena Davis, Madonna, and Rosie O’Donnell, the Peaches try to save their league, win a title, and in their most daunting challenge, turn around their alcoholic jerk of a manager, played by Tom Hanks. (Spoiler: they accomplish two out of three.)

American Gangster (2007)

Word of advice: Never piss off Denzel Washington. The Oscar-winning actor stars in this biological crime drama as Frank Lucas, a 1970s drug lord operating out of New York City. But of course, no film about a crime boss is complete without a cop — in this case, that’ll be Russell Crowe — who’s determined to take him down.

Anomalisa (2015)

Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson’s intoxicating stop-motion-animated drama mixes existential crisis and self-discovery in a way that’s at once depressing as hell and uplifting. Honing in on a popular motivational speaker’s business trip, the duo tackles the pitfalls of the mundane while making a movie that’s anything but. David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh play characters so rich, you’ll soon forget they’re lending their voices to puppets.

Arrival (2016)

Based on a novella by acclaimed science-fiction writer Ted Chiang, Arrival abandons space operatics and alien super-weapons to tell a first-contact story about the virtues of communication. When a squadron of spacecrafts touches down in remote areas of the globe, the Army enlists a linguist (Adams) to “speak” to the extraterrestrial squids inside. Through code-breaking and conversation, our human heroes learn a little about this highly intelligent species and even more about their emotional capacity. Methodical and chilly, almost to a fault, Arrival delivers the biggest twists of the year. Like, maybe we Earthlings could learn to get along.

Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016)

More than a decade after the last Barbershop, the gang’s debates on relationships, gender, family, and age gaps are even wilder, thanks to Ice Cube’s bro-heavy barbershop sharing floor space with Regina Hall and Nicki Minaj’s salon. And in the hands of Black-ish creator Kenya Barris and Tracy Oliver (Survivor’s Remorse), they’re crucial. The barbershop, always a safe haven, is embroiled in gang violence and city bureaucracy. Cube’s Calvin, his staff, and his patrons find their usual fire silenced by tragedy. Names like Freddie Gray, Michael Brown, and Trayvon Martin are on the tips of these characters’ tongues. The movie has the dramatic prowess to make it work, swinging from hard laughs — Common, New Girl’s Lamorne Morris, and the fiery Minaj steal the show — to potent drama.

Basic Instinct (1992)

Has any movie ever done more for ice-based weapons? Nineties bad-boy director Paul Verhoeven (Showgirls, Total Recall) gave us this lurid tale of a damaged cop, played with real scumbag glee by Michael Douglas, investigating an icepick-wielding serial killer, but Sharon Stone is the real star of this show. Unlike the late-night premium cable schlock that attempted to steal its sleazy style, this pulp classic has a sense of humor and a Hitchcockian playfulness to go along with all the nudity, violence, and cheesy one-liners.

Carrie (1976)

Adolescence is horrifying. Having taught high school English and endured his own punishing awkward teen years, Stephen King channeled a lifetime of social anxiety, discomfort, and anger into his brisk, righteous first novel, which Brian De Palma then turned into a stylish bloodbath. Anchored by a vulnerable, complex performance from Sissy Spacek and a showy turn from Piper Laurie as Carrie’s God-fearing mother, it’s the rare horror film that works both as psychological portraiture and special-effects blowout. Skip the muddled 2013 remake and get your thrills straight from the source.

Crank 2: High Voltage (2009)

Building on the over-the-top sensibility they explored in 2006’s Crank, writer and director team Neveldine/Taylor unsurprisingly take the “more is better” approach to this action movie sequel starring Jason Statham. Unlike the Transporter movies, which try to make the bald-headed Englishman look as cool as possible, the Crank films are all about putting his hapless character Chev Chelios in humiliating positions: the guy gets beat up worse than Wile E. Coyote. In this one, his heart has been replaced with a battery and he needs to keep it charged — or die trying. It takes the “Speed but with a human” idea of the first Crank to dizzying, hilarious heights.

Columbus (2017)

Set against the real-life architectural wonders of Columbus, Indiana, this blissful drama pairs Casey (Haley Lu Richardson), a fresh-out-of-high-school librarian who studies town history by day and cares for her ex-meth-addict mother by night, and Jin (John Cho), a Korean book translator who returns to the Midwest when his father, a prominent designer, takes ill. Together they wander the modernist menagerie of Columbus, tour guide trivia making way for intimate conversation, and eventually, arguments that challenge their worst habits. Director Kogonada, a video essayist with Reddit cred, frames everything from towering glass office buildings to the long hallways of Casey’s house with Zen-like composition, giving Columbus a beauty that strengthens the foundation of its two transcendent lead performances.

Creed (2015)

Names carry weight. Ryan Coogler’s simultaneously tender and ferocious boxing story owned carrying a legacy as its primary theme. Watching Michael B. Jordan’s Adonis Creed struggle to accept his own father’s name becomes a complex metaphor for the movie’s own tricky relationship with Sylvester Stallone’s iconic 1976 original. How loyal to the past should we be? Coogler doesn’t have the answers, but, like in Fruitvale Station, he raises tough questions with tenacity and grace.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (1988)

Michael Caine and Steve Martin are the best/worst kind of partners in crime. As con artists looking to defraud the uber-rich floating around the French Riviera, the two become uneasy partners before their clashes lead to a bet on who can defraud an heiress, with the loser leaving town for good. The physicality of Martin plays perfectly off the refinement of Caine, and together with Glenne Headley (as the heiress), they deliver one of the funniest, twist-filled movies of all time.

Everybody Wants Some!! (2016)

What Dazed and Confused did for the hazy, hedonistic high school years, Everybody Wants Some!! does for the horn-dog college experience, a moment when lives reboot and anything is possible. On the first weekend before school, incoming freshman Jake (Blake Jenner) joins his new baseball team brethren to party like he’s never partied before, rolling through disco joints, punk clubs, house parties blasting Van Halen, and every vice under the sun. Luckily, the perfect cast keeps Everybody Wants Some!! light on its feet.

Fences (2016)

This adaptation of August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play is a national service. Most of us didn’t catch the playwright’s sixth “Pittsburgh Cycle” installment when it debuted on Broadway in 1987, nor did we see Denzel Washington and Viola Davis in the acclaimed revival in 2010. Thanks to a commitment by Washington to film Wilson’s body of work, the world can now witness this tightly wound examination of African-American life, adapted for film by Wilson himself. (He completed the screenplay before his death in 2005.)

Girls Just Want to Have Fun (1985)

Long before we knew her as Carrie Bradshaw, a young Sarah Jessica Parker played a sheepish high school gymnast named Janey in this film that pretty much set the tone for many popular dance flicks that have followed it. The film centers on sheltered teenagers Janey and Lynne (Helen Hunt), who make it their mission to audition for a chance to appear on the fictional DanceTV against Janey’s conservative father’s wishes.

Heathers (1988)

If it weren’t for Heathers, the darkest of pitch-black teen comedies, there’d be no Mean Girls. A young Winona Ryder stars as Veronica, the precocious high-schooler tasked with taking down a clique comprised of Heathers Duke, McNamara, and Chandler from the inside. Veronica gets help, though — from a smoldering Christian Slater as ultimate bad boy J.D. What follows is acerbic and absurd, and left an undeniable mark on the teen pop culture that followed.

Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016)

This New Zealand backwoods adventure roughs up every single coming-of-age cliché. Julian Dennison’s Ricky is an absent-minded, hip-hop-obsessed, rebellious orphan. His grizzled foster father would like nothing more than to ship the little [expletive] back to government care. When the two find themselves stranded in the woods, mistaken for on-the-lam criminals, they… decide to own it. Wilderpeople is a generous genre blend, with Taika Waititi, director of the wacky, vampiric mockumentary What We Do in the Shadows, finding cheeky jokes in the duo’s perilous journey. Backed by a synthy, horror movie-like score and lush backdrops, Wilderpeople is one of 2016’s most transportive comedies.

Let the Right One In (2008)

The timing was perfect for this grimly brilliant Swedish import: vampires were getting more than a little anemic (sorry) and long in the tooth (sorry again), but this fascinating adaptation of John Lindqvist’s celebrated novel popped up and reminded us that vampire movies could still draw blood (very, very sorry). It’s a simple story of a bullied young boy and an old vampire trapped in a teenager’s body — but it manages to branch off in a variety of unexpected directions. And hey, the American remake (Let Me In) is pretty solid in its own right.

Manhunter (1986)

Michael Mann’s sleek, stylish crime thriller, adapted from Thomas Harris’s novel Red Dragon, will always exist in the shadow of Jonathan Demme’s far more popular and acclaimed Hannibal Lecter movie The Silence of the Lambs, which won Best Picture in 1991 and turned fava beans into a national punchline. (For some contemporary horror fans, Bryan Fuller’s TV series Hannibal looms even larger.) That’s fine: Manhunter, which features Brian Cox as the cannibalistic serial killer and William Petersen as expert profiler Will Graham, benefits from lower expectations. It’s the perfect late-night streaming discovery.

Melancholia (2011)

At once a family melodrama, an apocalypse movie, a fantasy epic, and a symbolic meditation on mental illness, Lars von Trier’s Melancholia features a first act that focuses on Justine (played by Kirsten Dunst), a severely depressed bride-to-be struggling to make it through her nuptials, while part two shifts the focus to her sister Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), as both she and Justine react very differently to the discovery that a rogue planet is on a direct collision course with Earth. Overflowing with stunningly evocative imagery and devastating performances, Melancholia is one of the all-time best cinematic representations of depression, one that will haunt you long after the closing credits.

Nerve (2016)

Before they terrified you with Paranormal Activity 3 and 4, directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman made the social media paranoia doc Catfish, an essential document of pre-Tinder online dating. Their movie Nerve, an Emma Roberts- and Dave Franco-starring techno-thriller about a deadly mobile-gaming app, splits the difference between visceral scares and sly social commentary. It’s the rare movie that attempts to mimic the aesthetics of the internet — emojis, text messages, Skype — and mostly gets the details of the Pokémon Go era right while still providing old-fashioned scares.

Silence (2016)

Martin Scorsese spent 20 years developing his adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s novel, the story of two Portuguese Catholic priests who travel to Nagasaki, Japan, to rescue their mentor from religious persecution, and it feels like the minimum time required. Silence is a weathered ark, wrestling with the power and pull of religion from a God’s eye view. Sebastião (Andrew Garfield) arrives to Japan to push his scripture. Over his journey, lush, meditative, and bloody, thanks to the Japanese campaign to force Christian priests into apostasy, he will question everything, and beg his savior for guidance. Scorsese asks the Big Questions, making for one of the most challenging films of his career.

Young Adult (2011)

Mavis Gary, the protagonist of Jason Reitman’s acerbic dark comedy Young Adult, is a jerk. She’s got a drinking problem, a failed marriage, an unfulfilling career as a ghostwriter, and a tendency to greet every person she meets on a trip back to her hometown with barely concealed contempt. And, yet, Charlize Theron’s clever performance and Diablo Cody’s sharp script make you understand Mavis’ plight without sacrificing the bitterness that makes her such a captivating character. It’s a high-wire act that the movie nails in its brisk runtime. By the end, you might not want to hang out with Mavis, but you at least know where she’s coming from.

Zodiac (2007)

David Fincher’s movie is for obsessives. In telling the story of the Zodiac Killer, a serial murderer who captured the public imagination by sending letters and puzzles to the Bay Area press, the famously meticulous director zeroes in on the cops, journalists, and amateur code-breakers who made identifying the criminal their life’s work. With Jake Gyllenhaal’s cartoonist-turned-gumshoe Robert Graysmith at the center, and Robert Downey Jr.’s barfly reporter Paul Avery stumbling around the margins, the film stretches across time and space, becoming a rich study of how people search for meaning in life. Zodiac is a procedural thriller that makes digging through old manilla folders feel like a cosmic quest.

May 17, 2018

Weekend Events: May 18 – 20

Los Angeles provides no limit of things to do, some awesome and some not so awesome.

Since time is precious in this fast paced city we curate a list of things to do in Los Angeles for every weekend that’ll help you decide how you want to spend your limited supply of attention (not to mention dollars!).

This week weekend, from Friday, May 18 to Saturday, May 20, features LA Times Food Bowl Night Market, EEEEEATSCON, a Bug Fair at NHM, an L.A. LIVE Block Party, the California Strawberry Festival, a Cuban American Music fest Museums of the Arroyo Day, BEAT SWAP MEET and MUCH more.

Enjoy!

Friday May 18th, 2018

1. LA Times Food Bowl Night Market (May 16-20) features dozens of restaurants and food trucks selling food for purchase, plus an assortment of DJ’d music and entertainment, taking place in Downtown Los Angeles’ Grand Park. Be sure to check for discounted tickets for access to the VIP Super Market as well. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

2. Visit the Skirball Center for Uncorked Wine Festival, an evening of wine, food and live music happening May 18-20. Sample 50+ wines from family-owned and operated wineries from top wine regions from around the world. Ticket also comes with gourmet hors d’oeuvres and appetizers. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

3. A free Night of Electronic Music at Union Station in Downtown Los Angeles featuring Rival Consoles, underground mainstay John Tejada (Kompakt) and Tottie (Dublab) in collaboration with Decibel Festival. FREE

4. WhedonCon 2018, taking place May 18-20 at Warner Center in Woodland Hills is a Joss Whedon-inspired convention that includes Fan Friday, Supernatural Saturday and Super Sunday.

5. Brennan’s will host a Friday PieDay Pizza Party Power Hour on the patio from 4 to 7 p.m. with free pepperoni or cheese pizza and live music.

6. ARTXFOOD, a nightly series of communal meals merging the worlds of art and cuisine, will take place at Goya Studios in Hollywood every evening from May 11 through June 3. Top Chef All Starswinner Richard Blais will create the food, while L.A. artist Greg Ito creates art that will surround you during the evening.

7. Rooftop Cinema Club returns to the rooftops of The Montalban in Hollywood and LEVEL in DTLA with multiple screenings this week that include Get Out, Coco, Top Gun and more.

8. Blogger turned fashion designer Sincerely Jules is having a sample sale from May 18-20 hosted by Eclipse.

9. Monrovia Days 2018 takes place May 18-20. The community fair will feature games, rides, food, vendors, a parade, live entertainment, and more to celebrate the city’s birthday. FREE

10. Urban Death: Spring, a haunted theater attraction, is currently in session at Zombie Joe’s Underground Theatre Group in North Hollywood. Urban Death have terrorized audiences in L.A. for over a decade. Expect a completely new experience of inexplicable horrors and unfathomable monstrosities for this spring edition.

11. Vegan-friendly pub Tony’s Darts Away celebrates their 8th anniversary with a weekend-long party kicking off this Friday. Expect vegan and non-vegan food and plenty of special sour, old cellared, casks and rare craft beer. Party begins at midnight.

12. Online upscale consignment company Luxury Garage Sale (LSG) will pop-up IRL for a 30-day run in Los Angeles. The first location will launch Tuesday, May 15 at the Westfield Century City Mall, and a second will open Friday, June 1 at Westfield Topanga & The Village.

13. Happy Place has found a new home at LA Live’s Event Deck, opening on April 26 and running through May 27 the very Instagram friendly experience will feature a giant pot of gold and indoor confetti dome, a bath tub filled with rubber duckies and more. Happening all week. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

14. Aussie fashion label Misha Collection is having a sample sale hosted by Eclipse from May 18-20.

15. Visit the Pasadena Showcase House of Design, a majestic Mediterranean masterpiece built in 1915 and designed by distinguished architect Reginald Davis Johnson, from April 22-May 20. The tours have been going strong since 1948, it’s also one of the oldest, largest and most successful house and garden tours in the country.

16. BB Dakota is having a sample sale from May 16-20. All items will be $10. Sizes range from xs to 2x and include dress, rompers, blazers, jackets and more.

17. The Unauthorized Musical Parody of Clueless takes over the Rockwell in Los Feliz with Broadway style performances in an intimate cabaret setting. Happening Thursday and throughout the weekend. (DISCOUNTED) via Goldstar

Saturday May 19th, 2018

18. EEEEEATSCON, by The Infatuation returns to Santa Monica’s Barker Hangar with a bevy of top restaurants from L.A. and the East Coast. Expect local favorites like Lunasia Dimsum House and Night + Market; New York spots Roberta’s, Fuku, Ravionly and San Francisco’s Liholiho Yacht Club to be in attendance.

19. The Wiltern will host cult classic film Fight Club with the Dust Brothers and Jacob Maymudes performing a live musical score to accompany the screening.

20. The L.A. LIVE Block Party will feature a pop-up marketplace with over 40 local vendors plus live music and food and drink specials from participating restaurants.

21. The 35th Annual California Strawberry Festival returns to Strawberry Meadows of College Park in Oxnard on May 19-20 for a weekend-long event packed with everything a strawberry lover could want.

22. Street Food Cinema returns this weekend with a screening of The Land Before Time at Park Center in Griffith Park and Wonder Woman at Glendale Central Park. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

23. The Venice Family Clinic Art Walk & Auction at the Google Campus on May 19-20 is a weekend filled with art and fundraising. This annual event, features a silent art auction, artist studio tours, art installations, food, live music and a beer and wine garden.

24. Pico Block Party is a celebratory afternoon taking place at 18th Street Arts Center in Santa Monica. The free family-friendly festival is focused on youth artists and empowering youth voices. FREE

25. Tom Gun Live brings back their Top Gun spoof party to Union Night Club in Hollywood this Saturday Night. The performance includes karaoke sing-a-longs
dance-offs, paper airplane battles, missiles ziplining through the crowd, and more.

26. HUSHfest returns for 2018, with five different Silent Disco events taking place on Saturday nights throughout the summer. These all-ages headphone dance parties will take place on the Santa Monica Pier. The first installment theme is Divas: Old School vs Material Girls vs Queen Bees.

27. Amoeba Hollywood is having a gigantic garage sale in their underground parking lot this Saturday. Expect bargains on vinyl, CDs, books, DVD, Blu-ray, 7″s, dance 12″s, VHS, magazines, posters, box sets, games and lots more. DJs from KXLU 88.9FM will provide the shopping soundtrack for sale.

28. Cinespia is back for its 17th summer season, at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery for screenings of films modern, cult, and classic. This Saturday they’ll screen Drive.

29. Come greet your bug-eyed friends during the Bug Fair at NHMLA on May 19-20. Highlights include exotic bug collections, bug-created products, bug chefs and nature walks.

30. 7th Annual LitFest Pasadena, hosted within the Pasadena Playhouse District, is a literary-focused festival that’s free for all ages. The event takes place May 19-20 and features workshops, panels, readings and more. FREE

31. Once every month Griffith Observatory hosts a free public star party allowing the public to view through telescopes to see the stars and beyond as well as discuss with knowledgeable amateur astronomers about our solar system. FREE

32. Eat|See|Hear returns for 2018 with a screening of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial at North Hollywood Recreation Center. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

33. The Museum of Failure in Hollywood and Highland includes epic failures like Juicero, Facebook Gifts, Pets.com, and Google Wave. There’s also an entire section dedicated to Hollywood with some of the industry’s biggest fails. Happening all week. Check for discounted tickets before making your purchase. DISCOUNTED (via Goldstar)

34. Beyond the Streets is a fully immersive exhibition of street and graffiti art comprised of over 30 artist in a massive 40,000+ square feet exhibits. Artist are an eclectic mix of street and beyond including Retna, Shepard Fairey, Kenny Scharf Dennis Hopper and Jenny Holzer. Open Tuesday through Sunday this week.

35. ClimateFest is a free community event that aims to inspire climate action. Get to know the community working on climate action, get educated about sustainability, enjoy music, entertainment, panels and workshops. FREE

36. The Beverly Hills artSHOW is four blocks of fine art featuring 240 artists from around the country. FREE

37. WE RISE, a free 10 day pop-up festival (May 19-28) will honor Mental Health Awareness Month through artists presentations, 50-hours of creative programming and workshops, activism, sports, art along, musical performances and panels – all focused on supporting a call to action for mental health as a civil right. Participating will be Common, Jesse Williams, Kobe Bryant, Shepard Fairey, Common, YG and much more. FREE

38. Join Katherine C. Grier, author of Pets in America: A History, as she discuss how pet accessories developed as early as the 1800s and learn about how our love for pets have evolved over the past two centuries into a 20 billion dollar industry during Pet Pampering 101: The History of Pet Products at Wallis Annenberg PetSpace. FREE

39. Tanaka Farms in Irvine is hosting a Strawberry Festival every Saturday and Sunday of May featuring strawberry treats, tours, vendors, ATV rides, bunnies, tours, ice cream making, games and much more. Admission to the farm is free.

40. Vanderpump Dogs 3rd Annual World Dog event takes place at West Hollywood Park featuring dog-friendly vendors, food trucks, a dog agility park, live entertainment, a wave surfing truck for dogs, adoptions and more. FREE

41. Museum of Selfies opens on April 1 and will run till May 31 with 10 interactive exhibits that welcomes visitors to take a closer look into the cultural phenomenon. The curators of the Glendale museum have also collected an array of Instagram-inspired art as well as an Iron Throne made of selfie sticks for guests to enjoy.

Sunday May 20th, 2018

42. On Sunday six area museums and historical homes will open their doors free of charge for Museums of the Arroyo Day. The list includes the Gamble House, Heritage Square, the Los Angeles Police Museum, the Lummis Home and Garden, the Pasadena Museum of History, and The Autry’s Historic Southwest Museum Mt. Washington Campus. Back to the Future fans can head over to Pasadena’s famous Gamble House on May 20 for Doc Brown’s Open House during the day’s festivities. Meet Doc Brown at the DeLorean Time Machine, tour the house, enjoy free lemonade and cookies, play lawn games and more. FREE

43. BEAT SWAP MEET celebrates 10 years this Sunday! Shop, sell or trade records from passionate collectors, listen to music in four different areas, attend a scratch q&a by Open Format and more. BSM is held during Smorgasburg at ROW DTLA. Free to attend.

44. South Bay Beer & Wine Festival takes over Ernie Howlett Park in Rolling Hills Estates with over 80 food and drink vendors and unlimited samples.

45. Clean Made L.A. comes to California Market Center in Downtown Los Angeles with responsible vendors in clean food and beverage, beauty and wellness, fitness, home and garden, energy and sustainability, apparel, kids, pets, natural health, and more. There will also be speakers, demos, yoga, meditation hut and to other wellness events.

46. Angel City Brewery’s 6th annual Heritage Music and Arts Festival is a celebration of the brewery’s sixth birthday and a salute to the culture and heritage of Angel City’s neighbors and community through a day of live art, music, dance, local food and cold beer.

47. Enjoy a day of Cuban culture when La Plaza de Cultura y Artes hosts the Cuban American Music Festival on Sunday, with four musical acts, dancing, local Cuban artists, and Cuban food and drink.

48. Visit The Skirball Cultural Center for A Place for Us a performance inspired by Leonard Bernstein’s mission of making classical music accessible to all, hear a special arrangement of the West Side Story classic “Somewhere,” plus an uplifting symphonic and choral repertoire performed by the Harmony Project and the Urban Voices Project: A Skid Row Choir.

49. Gourmet food, classic cars and tasty libations will collide at the CBS Studio Center Back Lot duringFlavor of LA.

50. Dog Haus Running Club and Party Goats Los Angeles will join forces for a hike with goats at Echo Mountain in Pasadena. The hike cost $5 and will go directly to the goats. No dogs are allowed on this hike.

51. Alamo Drafthouse presents a screening of SPICE WORLD along with a party and drag bingo at The Regent in DTLA.

52. Speak Easy Yoga is a brand-new series curated especially for Hotel Indigo Los Angeles Downtown on Sundays through the end of May. Do a down dog and namaste to music from the 1920s. If you follow your yoga session with Indigo’s Bootlegger Brunch, it will include one complimentary beverage with purchase of a brunch entrée.

Schedule provided by We Like LA.

May 17, 2018

Rodeo Realty's The Mulwood Team hosting annual Mulwood Community Yard Sale

On Sunday, May 20th, from 7am to 12pm, Tina Fanelli Moraccini and David Arcudi of The Mulwood Team Rodeo Realty will be hosting their Annual Mulwood Community Yard Sale.

This is a great opportunity for Mulwood residents to do some spring cleaning and sell the items they no longer need or use! Treasure seekers will be able to rummage through old items in the hopes of finding unique furniture, antiques, house-hold items, electronics, clothing and collectables!

The Mulwood Team will provide all the promotion and advertising of the neighborhood-wide event, neon directional signs, and sales stickers! They’ll even bring donuts!

Residents living in Mulwood who wish to participate must pre-register to this free event by calling David at 818.857.9805 or Tina at 310.980.3532.

Here’s how to participate:
https://www.facebook.com/events/161506554516989/

Treasure seekers, come to the Greater Mulwood neighborhood of Calabasas and follow the signs to the yard sales on the following streets: Town Crier Road, Schuylkill Drive, De Kalb Drive, Bon Homme Road, and Carsamba Drive.

One day only! Don’t miss it!

About the Mulwood Team:
David and Tina are proud to serve the Greater Mulwood area of Calabasas, where they both live with their respective families. They have children at all three schools in the neighborhood and are very active in the community. David has been in real estate for over 27 years, and Tina, who spent two decades in PR and marketing, sold her first house at the age of 20. Together, with their vast experience, familiarity with the vicinity, and business acumen, they offer the highest level of service to the families in the Mulwood area.

May 17, 2018

Free Summer Films at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes Returns in June

Another summer of free movie screenings is just around the corner at LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes. On June 30 LA Plaza launches the return of its annual free summer film series with a screening of Up in Smoke.

LA Plaza’s summer film series will feature five Latino-themed films over five months, one each month, concluding on October 20. Films will be accompanied by cast appearances offering meet and greet opportunities, live music, and other on-site activities and/or exhibitions.

All series events are free to the public and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Guests are welcome to bring lawn chairs or blankets. Each screening will feature live music, along with food and beverages for sale. Doors for each film open at 6 p.m., except for October 20, when doors open at 5 p.m.

Check out the complete schedule of films below.

Saturday, June 30: Up in Smoke (1978)

Up in Smoke, starring Cheech and Chong, is a picaresque stoner comedy whose dialogue has inspired the work of Quentin Tarantino. Martin Scorsese is such a fan of the cult classic, he cast the duo in his film After Hours.

Saturday, July 28: Walkout (2006)

Directed by Edward James Olmos and starring Alexa Vega, Walkout is based on the true story of a student walkout in East L.A. back in 1968 after a group of high-schoolers tire of inferior school conditions.

Saturday, September 21: Variedades on Olvera Street (2016)

Music, spoken word, theater, comedy and art converge to tell the story behind the oldest street in Los Angeles. Loosely based on early 20th-century Mexican vaudeville shows, this documentary includes Latina punk rock icon Alice Bag. A live musical performance from La Victoria will proceed the show.

Saturday, September 29: Born in East L.A. (1987)

A Mexican-American native of Los Angeles is mistaken for an undocumented immigrant and deported to Mexico in this comedy starring Cheech Marin.

Saturday, October 20: Machete (2010)

Directed by Robert Rodriguez, Machete stars Danny Trejo as a former Mexican Federale (and major badass) now living in Texas. After a ruthless drug lord (played by Steven Seagal) kills Machete’s wife, Machete seeks vengeance by any means necessary. Machete also stars Robert De Niro as a ruthless politician, along with Jessica Alba. (Note that this movie is rated R)

Story courtesy of We Like LA.

May 16, 2018

New Rooftop Movie & Music Series Coming to DTLA

A new rooftop music and film series is coming to Los Angeles, this one boasting excellent views of downtown. Skyline Sound + Cinema is a partnership among The Bloc, ALT 98.7 and Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, and it kicks off June 21 with a sing-along screening of The Greatest Showman.

The Bloc is the result of massive renovations to Macy’s Plaza and Broadway Plaza, which converted what Curbed LA referred to as one of the city’s ugliest buildings into a pedestrian- and transit-friendly, open-air plaza with retail, restaurants, and more. The Bloc will also contain Los Angeles’ first Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, though no official opening date has been announced.

In the meantime, the Austin-based theater will host a summer rooftop series on the Bloc’s massive roof featuring music curated by ALT 98.7 followed by a film. Each screening has room for 800 guests, according to a release.

The inaugural event will feature music from singer-songwriter Cary Brothers. Then, guests are invited to sing along with the 2017 musical drama The Greatest Showman, which stars Hugh Jackman in a loose retelling of circus entertainer P.T. Barnum’s life story.

Future events are planned for July 12, July 26, and August 9, but screening details have not been announced.

The Greatest Showman screening takes place on Thursday, June 21. Doors are at 6:30 p.m., music from the Cary Brothers is at 7:30 p.m., and the screening begins at 8:30 p.m. Food and drinks will be available until 9:30 p.m. via variety of vendors. Tickets are $25. 21+.

Article courtesy of We Like LA.

May 14, 2018

Rodeo Realty and Centek Capital hosting fundraising event to help HIV/AIDS and transgender youth

The Laurel Foundation’s annual EAT. DRINK. DO GOOD. event will be held on Sunday, May 20, 2018 from 2 – 5 p.m.

Rodeo Realty and Centek Capital are two of the sponsors for the fundraising event.

This year, the event will be held at a spectacular mansion in the iconic bird streets. The stunning Sunset Strip View Estate is listed by Joe Babajian and Timmy Woods of Rodeo Realty Beverly Hills. Gloria Shulman, founder of one of California’s leading lenders, Centek Capital, is opening the doors to her home to help The Laurel Foundation increase the number of children and youth served in 2018.

The goal is to send 60 transgender/gender non-conforming youth and 105 children affected by HIV/AIDS to summer camp. Funds raised at the event will help The Laurel Foundation reach their goal of $80,000—which will send the 165 youth to the summer program.

The afternoon will include California wines, beers, spirits, non-alcoholic beverages along with local well-known eateries. In addition to the tastings, a DJ will be spinning classic sounds of summer. VIP admission to the event includes a private tour of the home. For more details on ticketing, visit www.501auctions.com/eatdrinkdogood.

For more details on the estate, visit www.1646bluejayway.com.

May 12, 2018

Economic update for the week ending May 12, 2018

Stocks up over 2% this week – Stock markets gained more than 2% this week. Strong first quarter earnings and a reduced fear of new tariffs sparked a rally this week. Corporate earnings reported for Q1 2018 have been the strongest since the third quarter of 2010. A cessation of talk of imposing tariffs on imported goods and materials has investors feeling that the Trump administration has backed off on those. Fears of a trade war with China caused a sharp sell off in February and March. Oil prices hit a 3 1/2 year high this week. Rising oil prices have helped energy stocks, but have increased prices at the pump. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed the week at 24,831.17, up from last week’s close of 24,262.52. It is up 0.5% year-to-date. The S&P 500 closed the week at 2,727.72, up from 2,663.42 last week. It’s up 2% year-to-date. The NASDAQ closed at 7,402.88, up from 7,209.62% last week. It is up 7.2% year-to-date.

Treasury Bond yields slightly lower this week – The 10-year treasury bond closed the week yielding 2.94%, almost unchanged from 2.95% last week.The 30-year treasury bond yield ended the week at 3.10%, slightly down from 3.12% last week.

Mortgage Rates unchanged this week – The May 10, 2018 Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Survey reported that the 30-year fixed mortgage rate average was 4.55%, unchanged from last week’s 4.55%. The 15-year fixed was 4.01%, almost unchanged from 4.03% last week. The 5-year ARM was 3.77%, up from 3.69% last week. Rates were slightly lower on Friday, so next week’s rates could be slightly lower.

Have a great weekend and happy Mother’s Day!

Syd

May 11, 2018

June Lineup of Cinespia Screenings at Hollywood Forever

As one of the most beloved of all summer activities for Angelenos, Cinespia lures moviegoers, picnic baskets in hand, to Hollywood Forever Cemetery for screenings of films classic, cult, and modern.

Sponsored by Amazon Studios, Cinespia has returned for its 17th summer season, with five great classics scheduled for June. Check out the complete schedule below.

Saturday, June 2: Spirited Away (2001)

In this animated feature, a ten-year-old girl and her parents stop at what appears to be an abandoned theme park. After her parents are transformed into pigs, young Chihiro must learn to deal with this mysterious world ruled by gods, spirits, and witches so she can save her family. Spirited Away is Japan’s highest-grossing movie of all time.

Saturday, June 9: To Wong Foo (1995)

In honor of Pride Weekend, see Patrick Swayze, Wesley Snipes, and John Leguizamo as NYC drag queens on a road trip whose car breaks down in a small midwestern town. The glamorous escapades also include RuPaul, Robin Williams, and Lady Bunny.

Saturday, June 16: Alien (1979)

Ridley Scott’s masterpiece of suspense stars Sigourney Weaver, who kicks some serious extraterrestrial ass when confronted with hostile alien life forms.

Saturday, June 23: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

In his first cinematic adventure, intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones deals with peril at every turn and fights off Nazis while on a quest for the Ark of the Covenant.

Saturday, June 30: Vertigo (1958)

A beautiful icy blonde (Kim Novak), a detective laden with issues both vertiginous and psychosexual (portrayed by Jimmy Stewart), and 1950s San Francisco converge in this noir-ish thriller widely regarded as the masterwork of the Master of Suspense.

Doors for all five films open at 6:45 p.m., with each film beginning at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, and can be purchased online here.

Article by We Like LA.