blogdowntown weekly — january 13, 2011

NEWS FOOD EVERYDAYEVERYDAYConnector refines Little Tokyo station

Mas Malo opens, Umami coming

Fort Moore’s waterfall to be fixed?

blogdowntown turns six

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LIFE IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES / BLOGDOWNTOWN.COM / JANUARY 13, 2010 2.02

BROAD DESIGN UNVEILED

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Last Thursday a Downtown crowd got its first look at renderings for The Broad, the $130-million Bunker Hill museum that will be built to house Eli and Edythe Broad’s 2,000-piece collection of contemporary art.

The design by Diller Scofidio + Renfro focuses on “the veil” and “the vault” — the honeycomb lattice that will comprise

the exterior of the building and the second-floor space that will house the majority of the collection not on display.

Visitors to the structure will enter at 2nd and Grand, taking an escalator ride up through the building’s second-floor archive vault to the 40,000-square-foot gallery space above. The column-free design is touted as providing almost an acre

Continues on Page 3

By Lauren Mattia

10 11LA Phil Goes to the Movies

ART WALK

UPCOMING SHOWS CIRQUE BERZERK THROUGH JAN 30 CLUB NOKIA

JOYCE THEATER ‘THE A.W.A.R.D SHOW!’ JANUARY 16 REDCAT

RENÉ PAPE RECITAL SAT JAN 15 7:30PM LA OPERASandra Yagi

Feathertail Possum (2010)at Bert Green Fine Art

By Eric RichardsonMetro last week confirmed what blog-downtown first sniffed out back in Decem-ber: the transit agency is in talks to buy Los Angeles’ historic Union Station.

A potential partner in the purchase is the California High-Speed Rail project, which would need easements to build the station facilities it would require.

Metro currently owns the East Portal to the station, as well as the transit plaza and the agency’s One Gateway Plaza headquar-ters. Easements allow Metro, Amtrak and Metrolink to operate trains on the site.

Roger Moliere, Metro’s head of Real Property Management & Development, said that the purchase is one that the tran-sit agency has been considering for years.

“Clearly, it’s a natural fit for us as a tran-sit operator,” he said. “[Union Station is] going to expand whether high-speed rail comes or not.”

While a final purchase price is going to be dependent on how negotiations play out, Moliere said that the transit agency’s general fiscal condition doesn’t really play into this purchase.

“A big part of it pays for itself,” he explained, citing income on the property from leases to retail and other transit operators.

The site is also full of development potential. “It’s actually 38 acres,” Moliere said, “with five million square feet of enti-tlements.”

If the purchase is to go forward, it will appear on the agenda for the February meeting of Metro’s Board of Directors.

This isn’t the first time that Metro — or at least one of its predecessors — has tried to buy the station. On July 17, 1980, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation allowing the Southern Califor-nia Rapid Transit District, Caltrans and the City of Los Angeles to jointly purchase the station. Despite years of effort, that sale was never completed.

At the time, the estimated price tag was only $18 million.

Downtown News was first to report the news of Moliere’s confirmation.

News

DISCUSSONLINE bdtwn.com/ 5966



By Lauren MattiaThe excavation for a garden in LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, a public cultural center celebrating L.A.’s Mexican American heri-tage, stirred up controversy last week among archaeologists and Native American activist groups.

While critics such as Wendy Teeter, curator of archaeology at UCLA’s Fowler Museum, claim that the excavation does not comply with California health code law on cemeteries, a LA Plaza press release says that “all professional archaeological and oesto-logical procedures and regulations” are being strictly followed.

Excavation for LA Plaza’s garden began in October 2010, and shortly after breaking ground, archaeologists from The Sanberg Group discovered remains from the origi-nal cemetery of the neighboring La Placita Church dating from the first half of the 19th

LA Plaza Dig ContinuesMuseum defends itself in handling of unearthed bones

century. Records show that the cemetery and the remains within were relocated after its closure in 1844.

“The discovered human remains are in a very fragile state and are being treated carefully and with the respect they deserve,” said Sandy Schneeberger, Registered Profes-sional Archaeologist and President/CEO of The Sanberg Group. “Based on the data recovered to date, the context of the remains appear to be consistent with those found in a historic Catholic church cemetery.”

After the remains are excavated, they are stored securely in an offsite location where they are recorded and analyzed. After-wards, they are given to the Archdiocese for reburial.

It’s not all about the bones, however. Archaeologists have dug up artifacts like historic period bottles, porcelain dishes, and other items dating back to the 19th

century, uncovering some of Downtown’s hidden history.

According to LA Plaza, the Sanberg Group “will publish a report on their findings, which will be made available by LA Plaza to the scientific community and other interested parties.”

LA Plaza is set to open its doors in April, and will house a public walkway connecting Main and Spring streets and an outdoor garden with a memorial olive grove honoring those buried in the cemetary, which was the resting place for Native Americans, Spanish, Mexican, and European settlers.

Metro Confirms Talks to Buy Union Station, Possibly With High-Speed Rail as Partner

PhOtO by ERIC RIChARDSON

The alignment originally planned for the Connector (shown in red) passed through the entire block before making a turn too sharp for the TBM.

The new alignment for the Little Tokyo Regional Connector station uses a softer curve and careful placement of the station box to reduce the land needed to just the piece shown in blue.

The soft curve allows this site at 1st and Alameda to be used for insertion of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), reducing cut-and-cover construction to just the area shown in red.

Connector Refines Plans to Fit Into Little TokyoNew station location lessens need for property acquisition, removes cut-and-cover from 2nd StreetBy Eric RichardsonNo neighborhood has been more vocal than Little Tokyo in the planning process for the Regional Connector, the $1.4-billion link intended to connect the region’s light rail lines through Downtown. This week a new design for the station at 1st and Alameda will be offered as a response to the neighbor-hood’s concerns.

The refined station takes up only half the space of the previous design, fitting into the northern half of the block bounded by 1st, Alameda, 2nd and Central. More important-ly, it creates a gentle curve onto 2nd Street that will allow Metro to use open land at 1st and Alameda to insert the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) needed for construction of the underground line.

In the plan approved by Metro’s Board of Directors in October, that machine would have been inserted directly on 2nd Street

via cut-and-cover digging. In fact, the new design eliminates cut-and-

cover on 2nd Street completely. That should create less construction-related impacts for businesses and residents, while also allowing Metro to avoid a large storm drain located underneath the street.

For construction staging, Metro will like-ly acquire part of the 1st and Alameda site that had been planned for a large mixed-use development. Negotiations between the City of Los Angeles and the developer of the proposed Nikkei Center ended in December, two years after the developer won the right to buy the land.

The October approval of the project’s Locally Preferred Alternative allowed work to begin on the Connector’s environmental documents and an application to be made for federal funding. Earlier this month Metro received notice from the Federal Transit

Administration that it could continue with preliminary engineering, a strong sign that the agency intends to approve that request.

Metro believes the Regional Connector will save 20,400 daily hours of commute time by cutting down on the need for riders to transfer between lines.

Once completed, the project will create an entirely underground link between the Blue Line’s current terminus at 7th and Metro and the Gold Line’s tracks at 1st and Alameda. Along with the new Little Tokyo station—a replacement for the existing above-ground Gold Line stop—stations will be added at 2nd and Broadway and at 2nd and Hope.

Metro anticipates opening the line in 2019.

PhOtO by RObERt GARCIA / thE CIty PROjECt

RENDERING COURtESy Of MEtRO

blogdowntownWeekly2 Online at blogdowntown.comJanuary 13, 2011

MORE ONLINE bdtwn.com/ 5994

of uninterrupted space, allowing maximum flexibility for the art displays.

“Our goal for the museum is to hold its ground next to Gehry’s much larger and very exuberant Walt Disney Concert Hall through contrast,” explained architect Eliza-beth Diller. “As opposed to Disney Hall’s smooth and shiny exterior that reflects light, The Broad will be porous and absorp-tive, channeling light into its public spaces and galleries. The veil will play a role in the urbanization of Grand Avenue by activating two-way views that connect the museum and the street.”

Thursday’s press conference at Walt Disney Concert Hall was more a congratu-latory celebration, as over 200 gathered for the event.

Speaking first was Eli Broad himself. He thanked his wife of 56 years, who is also the co-founder of the Broad Art Founda-tion. Broad also thanked the mayor, whom he called “a champion of the arts.” He then introduced the 12 member board for the museum, 11 of whom were present for the conference.

Villaraigosa noted that the Broads were “a part of the fabric of the city,” and that years ago, Broad “talked about the dream of Disney Hall, which seemed like a pipe

dream.” The Concert Hall opened in 2003. Broad believes his namesake museum will open its doors in early 2013.

Following Villaraigosa was Councilwoman Jan Perry, who hailed the renderings as “an inspiration to us all,” and thanked the Broads “for their precious gift.”

Community Redevelopment Agency Chairman Ken Fearn assured guests that the collaboration will “bring another cultural icon to Los Angeles.” Fearn stressed the revi-talization that the museum will stimulate, commenting that its development will create 1300 construction jobs and 100 permanent jobs. He also stated that a parking facility under the museum will help the surround-ing area.

Liz Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro presented the renderings, telling the audi-ence that her company was challenged with the “great responsibility to provide a sound home for the [Broad] collection,” and added that they stayed close to the original vision of the Bunker Hill area while planning to offer an interesting contrast to the architectural icon that is Walt Disney Hall.

The architect also said that the sidewalk adjacent to the museum would be widened to accommodate the 200,000 visitors the museum is projected to receive yearly.

Broad said that construction is set to begin by mid-2011, with a projected opening in early 2013. The Broad museum’s inaugu-ral exhibition will feature 200 of the Broad collection’s most memorable works from the 1950s onward.

Online: Watch a fly-through video showing the museum rendered onto Grand Avenue.

Design by Diller Scofidio + Renfro for The Broad focused on “The Vault” and “The Veil”

Exploded view shows how the third-floor gallery space stacks on top of the archive vaults. An escalator takes visitors through the archives on their way to the exhibits.

DILLER SCOfIDIO + RENfRO



Continued from Page 1

The lobby of the museum connects to Grand Avenue

The museum’s third-floor gallery features no columns, allowing galleries to be configured for the needs of each show

You Said...Although many readers see The Broad as an exciting part of Downtown’s revitalization, its unoncentional design received its fair share of criticism from commenters. Some readers claimed that its lattice structure will be difficult to maintain, while others see the design offering an exciting contrast to Walt Disney Concert Hall.

I think the outside is ugly, the white precast concrete will be impos-sible to keep clean and (in LA’s smog)will look dirty in no time. As with so many buildings downtown, it only invites people in from one or two corners of the structure. Ken L. Hall

I love it and can’t wait to see the broad come to fruition! My main concern rests with the County buildings (the court-house and admin building) preventing the Grand Park from really tying together all the disparate properties into one cohesive urban context. Brigham Yen

It is ugly. I heard it described as resembling “tripe”. this design will attract dirt and pigeons (can’t you just see a nest of pigeons in each of those alcoves?). I was hoping for more. Downtown Cowboy

Is there a rendering showing how this new building integrates itself into the architecture of the Disney Concert hall? Or other neighbors? Who’s dollars go to the upkeep and maintenance of the exte-rior? Some of the images evoke biology class text books - looking at cross-sections of skin with very large pores. Guest

Theflythroughvideomakesthemuseum exhibit space look small. Also with all those open pores would impact will the direct sunlight have on the art work? Rob

It cannot be kept clean. the birds will roost, the particulates will settle, the design will age quickly. I think M/M broad are LA’s #1 citizens, I am delighted that they are willing to donate their money to thegreaterbenefitof thecity. I’vebeeneagerly awaiting the museum design. but I am disappointed. Maybe it will look better on the ground. Disgruntled Goat

I am SO happy that this new

museum will be downtown. Along with all the other incredibly designed buildings on Grand. Once again, we get a bunch of sad people looking back instead of forward. We need this building to, once again, jump start the economy and the continuing advancement of downtown! Greensmark

If they can pull it off as like what we see in the renderings, the experience ofbeinginthetop-floorgallerywillbelikeno other interior space that I’m aware of. With no beams or pillars, it will be other-worldly, will far outshine museum spaces designed by Louis Kahn, Richard Meier and Renzo Piano. Guest

Wow, so many architects &

structural engineers here! think of all the money broad could have saved by just consultingcommentatorsonthisfineblog. Guest

SEE ALL COMMENtS bdtwn.com/ 5994

blogdowntownWeekly 3Online at blogdowntown.com January 11, 2011

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College basketball season has not yet hit full swing, but the Los Angeles Athletic Club has announced its 30 male candidates and 20 female candidates for the John R. Wood-en Award. Considered college basketball’s most prestigious honor, the award is given annually to America’s top male and female college basketball players.

The award, which was created in 1976, isn’t only about prestige. Every year at the L.A. Athletic Club, the award partners with Special Olympics Southern California to host a day-long tournament that takes place on the Friday before the Wooden Awards ceremony.

While the candidates come from teams all over the country, Kawhi Leonard of San Diego State, Jasmine Dixon of UCLA, and Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pedersen of Stanford earned nods for their California teams.

Returning male players include MVP of

blogdowntown.com

Most Popular Stories Most Commented StoriesLease Signed for Umami to Open on Broadway bdtwn.com/5999

Medieval Outfits Meet Tight Orange Shorts bdtwn.com/5982

Fairey Mural Defaced in Arts District bdtwn.com/5955

Designs for Broad Museum Unveiled bdtwn.com/5994

Mas Malo’s Sleek Design and Mexican Comfort Food bdtwn.com/6001

Lease Signed for Umami to Open on Broadway — 63 this week – 63 total bdtwn.com/5999

Designs for Broad Museum Unveiled 30 this week – 30 total bdtwn.com/5994

Pioneering Cafe Banquette Closes21 this week – 23 total bdtwn.com/5983

Medieval Outfits Meet Tight Orange Shorts 21 this week – 21 total bdtwn.com/5982

the 2010 Final Four Kyle Singler of Duke University and All-Mountain West Confer-ence player Jimmer Fredette of BYU. Return-ing female players are 2009 award winner Maya Moore of Connecticut, Dawn Evans of James Madison and Jantel Lavender of Ohio State.

The 35th annual Wooden Award ceremo-ny, which will include a special tribute to Coach Wooden and Wooden Award founder Duke Llewellyn, as well as the presentation of the Wooden Award All American Teams and the Legends of Coaching Award, will take place the weekend of April 8-10, 2011, at the Los Angeles Athletic Club.

A full list of the top 30 male candidates and the top 20 female candidates can be found on the Wooden Award website.


Connecticut guard Maya Moore, seen here accepting her 2009 John R. Wooden Award alongside Clipper forward Blake Griffin, is the only returning winner on the candidate lists for a 2011 award.

LINKS ONLINE bdtwn.com/ 5996


Wooden Finalists Announced

blogdowntown Turns Six

UConn guard Maya Moore, winner of 2009 women’s award, among candidates for 2011 honor

By Eric RichardsonIt was six years ago that the January

Downtown Art Walk last happened to fall on the 13th. The day also happened to be the day that blogdowntown was born, launched with what else but a pair of Art Walk stories.

Fast forward to 2011 and somehow both are still here, though both have had their near-death experiences.

In six years we’ve published more than 4,000 stories, to which readers have added nearly 26,000 comments. Today, 30,000 people each month turn to blogdowntown.com for news and informa-tion, while 15,000 more read blogdowntown Weekly in print.

That’s pretty cool, and probably would have seemed like quite the longshot that first day in 2005.

Look a little different? This was blogdowntown’s layout in August of 2005, a year and a half after the site launched. To this day, no one is sure why stars made sense in the header.



Fort’s Waterfall to be Rehabbed?It’s been dry for 33 years, but the Fort Moore waterfall is scheduled for a 2013 restoration study

By Lauren MattiaJust in time for L.A. Arts Month, the Ritz-Carlton hotel at L.A. Live has launched a package aimed at attracting out-of-towners to take in some Downtown art. The luxuri-ous hotel offers visitors a “Downtown Los Angeles Art & Architecture in Style” package in partnership with Quick Culture, an art appreciation tour company founded by two

DISCUSS ONLINE bdtwn.com/ 5995

Ritz Woos With ArtDowntown’s galleries part of package designed to attract guests

museum-trained art guides.In addition to an overnight accommo-

dation, the package provides visitors with a customized art aficionado’s experience. Each tour is “tailored to the guest,” says Ritz-Carlton PR Director Brigid Finley. “A family with three children under the age of ten would obviously have a tour different than a couple in their 30s.”

“We try to encompass a little bit of history and what’s unique to LA--things you can find in L.A. that you can’t find anywhere else,” says Quick Culture’s co-founder Ellen Greenberg. While Quick Culture features tours for all ages in Culver City, Beverly Hills, and Santa Monica, Greenberg said, “Younger people are more interested in the revitalizing and the gentrifying of Downtown.”

By David MarklandThe Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial was dedi-cated on July 3rd, 1957, to commemorate the site of a Mexican-American War adobe fort. Located on Hill Street just north of the 101 Freeway, the memorial features the nation’s largest bas-relief military monument. It also featured an 80-foot-wide waterfall, at least until the tap was shut off in a 1977 drought.

“The sound of the waterfall could be heard

from blocks away and the splashing water could be felt if you were standing on the side-walk in front of it,” wrote Liza Hernandez in the comments on a previous blogdowntown story mentioning Fort Moore. “And the best thing was that from a several blocks away, southeast of the waterfall, it looked as though the the Hollywood Freeway ran right under this big waterfall, a great optical illusion.”

Now, over 33 years later, a plan appears

to be in place to get the water running again.According to Monica Valencia, a spokes-

man for Councilman Ed Reyes office, $50,000 in Prop K funds will be used for a 2013 environmental study to “assess the structural integrity of the current structure, while identifying how a project would meet Prop K guidelines.” An additional $450,000 in Prop K funds allocated for the project will be used for the restoration itself.

Since the Fort Moore park property is currently owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD), a Joint Use Agree-ment between the City and LAUSD must also be worked out. That would determine issues such as maintenance responsibilities and access.

Once the environmental report is finished and the LAUSD partnership determined, Ejike Mbaruguru with the City’s Bureau of Engineering believes the restoration should take no more than a year.

Whether any of this comes to pass in 2013 remains to be seen. blogdowntown was unable to find anyone with the city or LAUSD who appeared to be championing the project.

Los Angeles Magazine associate editor and preservationist Chris Nichols said that the last time he checked with the city on when the waterfall would be restored, he was told, “not in our lifetime.”

Still, there do appear to be people who are ready to rise to the occasion. Asked about the project, Regina O’Brien, the Los Angeles Conservancy’s Modern Committee chair, said that she’ll be putting the Fort Moore Memorial waterfall restoration on the agenda. “We would love to take this project up,” she said, “and ‘take it under our wing’ as it were.”

PhOtO by DAvID MARKLANDThis 80-foot-wide waterfall, part of the Fort Moore Pioneer Memorial, has been turned off since 1977

Want to get blogdowntown’s stories delivered to your inbox every day?

Try out the newly redesigned Daily Digest, available at http://blogdowntown.com/digest


FoodBy Lauren Mattia

Mas Malo, a take on Silverlake’s original Malo restaurant, opened on Friday to serve up Chef Robert Luna’s Mexican comfort food to Downtowners.

Mas Malo joins 7th Street’s up-and-coming Restaurant Row, and occupies an impressive art-deco building that was formerly Brock Jewlers in the early 1920s. Drawing from 1960s Brazil as well as Down-town’s urban landscape, interior designer Tracy Beckmann chose to use “loud, bois-trous colors.”

Inspired by the building’s unique interior, Beckmann focused on “elevating the histori-cal architecture by highlighting what was there and not retracting from it.” In order to do so, Beckmann used simple paint colors on the rosetted ceilings “to make it more sophisticated.”

While most of the restuarant follows Malo’s signature red, black, and white color scheme, the basement of the restaurant offers a completely different color palate and design style, “adding a cool, Brazilia hippie layer,” according to Beckmann. She

By Lauren MattiaIn what should be good news for nearby

office workers, an initiative launched on Monday aims at providing grub from L.A.’s famous food trucks as a replacement for the eateries closed by construction at the 7+Fig complex.

Representatives from Brookfield Proper-ties reached out to the Southern California Mobile Food Vendors Association (MFVA) in mid-December to offer local patrons new lunch options after the closure of several of 7+Fig’s offerings.

While the restaurants on the lower level have closed due to construction for a renovation that will bring Downtown’s first Target store. Adoro Mexican Grille, California Pizza Kitchen, and Morton’s the Steakhouse will remain open during

noted that the basement has been hailed as “one of the best rooms Downtown.”

As for the menu, many of Luna’s Malo favorites are featured, like tacos with ground beef and pickles, cheddar and potato, and soya-riso, as well as the eatery’s signature chewy chips and burnt habanero creme salsa.

While Mas Malo stays true to its older sibling’s menu (PDF, via Eater), it also goes into new territory with dishes like Huachi-nango Al Mojo de Ajo (Pacific red snap-per sautéed in habañero white wine garlic butter), Ensenada Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp, and Rock Lobster tails sautéed with garlic, red chiles, lime, and white wine to add some Downtown refinement to the locally-sourced focus.

Mas Malo offers Mexican fare with Down-town flare, and brings Restaurant Row one step closer to becoming a culinary force with which to be reckoned. Mas Malo / 515 W. 7th / 213-985-4332

construction, which is set for completion in Fall of 2012.

“We are taking a lot of direction from Brookfield,” said Matt Geller, SoCal MFVA’s VP. “They wanted trucks that are really well-known, that look really good and fit really good into their plaza.”

“We are going to have different trucks every day at least for the first three weeks,” Geller continued.

He stressed that Brookfield wants to provide local patrons with the trucks that they want by providing customers with ques-tionnaires. “They want a lot of interaction with the customers,” Geller said..

A third truck is also on the plaza, though not associated with the two brought in by the MFVA. George’s Greek Cafe closed its location in the complex as a part of construc-

tion, but now has a truck that is parked on the plaza Monday through Friday.

Food trucks associated with the MFVA will park on the plaza on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays between 11am and 2pm.

Food Trucks Take 7+FigMobile food court provides lunch options for nearby officeworkers


PhOtO by LAUREN MAttIA

Customers wait in line for the Me So Hungry truck at 7+Fig on Tuesday

While the main Mas Malo space adapts to the history of the building, the basement gave designer Tracy Beckman a chance to add an entirely new feel

PhOtO by LAUREN MAttIADISCUSS

ONLINE bdtwn.com/ 6001

Mas Malo Opens on 7thRestaurant Row addition brings Chef Robert Luna’s fare Downtown

Follow @seventhandfig on Twitter to learn more about scheduling.


By Eric RichardsonRevitalization efforts on the southern end of Broadway got a big boost on Friday as word leaked that Adam Fleischman’s Umami is planning to open Umamicatessen near the corner of 9th and Broadway.

Eater LA was first to report on the new restaurant, which will feature four kitchens — one offering Umami burgers, another mini tapas sandwiches, the third house-cured deli meats and the fourth dessert.

The lease for the roughly 7,000-square-foot space at 852 S. Broadway was signed on December 31 after several months of talks. The restaurant will combine two storefronts, one the former location of SipTea and the other most recently the site of a planned eatery that never opened. ANJAC Fash-ion Buildings owns the property, which is next door to the Orpheum Theatre. Putting together the plans for the space is SODA Inc., the Downtown-based designers of the recently-opened 1886 Bar in Pasadena and the soon-to-come bar beneath the El Dorado.


Councilman Jose Huizar’s office is plan-ning a January 25 press conference to celebrate the lease and other activity on Broadway.

“When we began working with Steve Needleman, ANJAC, and the Umami folks on this idea back in the summer, we knew bringing it to fruition would be no small feat, so we’re thrilled we will be welcoming Umami downtown as part of Bringing Back Broadway,” said Huizar on Friday.

“This deal represents a great collabora-tion between a visionary property owner, a pioneering business owner and city depart-ments, to fill long-vacant space, bring jobs Downtown and revitalize Broadway. We look forward to discussing the details of this -- and another great business coming to Broadway -- in just a couple of weeks.”

Umami Inks Lease for 9th and Broadway Umamicatessen plans to offer four kitchen concepts in one space


You Said...Umami’s newest Downtown location was this week’s most frequently commented post on blogdowntown.com. Many readers were excited that the restauarant will fill one of Broadway’s many vacant spaces, thus contributing to the effort to revitalize South Broadway. Other readers thought that the hip burger joint is a poor choice for the neighborhood.

the Wurstkuche of burg-ers. Overpriced and skimpy. Charg-ing for an extra spoonful of ketchup? Enjoy it, yuppies. this is exactly what I feared about huizar’s project.. Anthony Costantino

the truth is, vacancies lead to more vacancies because businesses want to locate where other businesses thrive. Activity leads to more activity and vacant commercial districts are not good for anyone. Guest

Downtown at one point was a vibrant shopping area with some opulence to it. I’m not for a bunch of Pinkberrys or Starbucks moving in, but business-es bringing ChOICE for the residents and revenue for the City is nothing to harumph at. It’s also the best way to see these older buildings are repaired and put to use, instead of dying a slow, empty death before they’re demolished. Neva Chevalier

Something for everyone would be nice. Dont see why tacos mexico and this place can’t be friends (off topic, I hate umami’s fries). Ankur

Anthony - you moved Downtown 2 years ago for it’s ‘grit’, when any urban planner worth their salt could have told you that it’s going to undergo rapid gentri-fication,andnowyouarepissingandmoaning about it now that the inevitable change is occurring? If you truly wanted a neighborhood that will stay gritty longer, you probably shouldn’t have moved to the heart of LA, where a large stock of underutilized historic buildings are just waiting to be renovated and redeveloped. Chris Loos

I never thought it would come to this, but I’m actually sick and tired of all the restaurants and bars opening Down-town. I lived in South Park when it was still gritty and loved it, but I also loved it when they opened Ralph’s. I have enjoyed the revival of various neighborhoods and can never get over the sight of lots of people walking about town on a weekend after-noon. but we still greet the opening of every restaurant with oohs and ahhs. how many do we need? J-M

A new owner just took over the

eastern retail spaces last month, they are supermotivatedtofillthesespaces(oldowners not so much). film rob

This retail space at 852 S. Broadway will soon be the site of construction for Umami


Calendar

THURSDAYJANUARY 13

T A L KRichard JacksonThu Jan 13 6:30pmMOCA250 S. Grandmoca.orgL.A. artist Richard Jackson dis-cusses his practice and work as an educator.

M U S I C Joseph HammerThu Jan 13 7pm The Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgJoseph Hammer performs. Also featured are sets by Sean Mc-Cann, Orbless, and Terrors.

S P O R T SLA MatadorsThu Jan 13 7pmNOKIA Theatre777 Chick Hearn Ctnokiatheatrelalive.comLos Angeles Matadors go head to head with Miami in the World Series of Boxing, formed by the International Olympic Committee.

S C R E E N I N GHer Wild Oat Fri Jan 14 7:30pmThe Orpheum Theatre842 S. Broadwaylaorpheum.comIn partnership with The Los An-geles Organ Society, L.A. Conser-vancy will host “Her Wild Oat,” a 1927 silient film comedy that will be accompanied by the Or-pheum’s Mighty Wurlitzer organ.

T H E A T E RStories By HeartThrough Feb 13 7:30pmMark Taper Forum135 N. Grandcentertheatregroup.orgJohn Lithgow’s one man show is a rendition of two stories that goes beyond storytelling. With the help of an easy chair, reading lamp, and a book, Lithgow connects an audience to his emotional past.

M U S I CDudamel conducts Mahler’s 9thThu Jan 13 8pmWalt Disney Concert Hall111 S. Grandlaphil.orgGustavo Dudamel conducts the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Gus-tav Mahler’s Symphony No. 9.

P E R F O R M A N C ECirque BerzerkThrough Jan 30Club NOKIA L.A. Live800 W. Olympicclubnokia.comThe post gothic-punk circus that rose from Burning Man now finds a home in the cozy indoors of Club Nokia. Fans are assured by Cirque Berzerk producers that the venue change brings no loss of the show’s over the top deca-dence.

M U S I CHarnell + Koonse + Goldings + McGilliccudyThu Jan 13 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.orgHit the whale for a night of jazz

with Jason Harnell on drums, Larry Koonse on guitar, Larry Goldings on piano, and Ryan Mc-Gilliccudy on bass.

M U S I CJake La BotzThu Jan 13 9pmThe Redwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.comDon’t miss a night of Chicago-inspired blues with La Botz and special guests.

FRIDAYJANUARY 14

C O M E D YDoc WillisFri Jan 14 8pmDowntown Comedy Club114 W. 5thdowntowncomedyclub.comDoc Willis headlines the 8pm set.

M U S I CNew West Guitar TrioFri Jan 14 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.orgUnwind with acoustic and electric jazz guitarists Jeff Stein, John Storie and Perry Smith.

M U S I CDunesFri Jan 14 9pmThe Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgDunes sweep the stage. Also performing are The Babies, White Fence, and NAR.

SATURDAYJANUARY 15

M U S I CMazeSat Jan 15 7:30pm NOKIA Theater777 Chick Hearn Ctnokiatheatrelalive.comMaze performs with Frankie Beverly. And don’t miss an ap-pearance by special guest Patti Labelle!

M U S I CRené Pape RecitalSat Jan 15 7:30pm LA OperaDorothy Chandler Pavilion135 N. Grandlaopera.comCharismatic bassist René Pape returns to LA Opera for a recital, his first appearance since his 2007 Company debut in the Verdi Requiem.

M U S I CRene PapeSat Jan 15 7:30pmLA OperaDorothy Chandler Pavilion135 N. Grandlaopera.comGo to the opera for Rene Pape’s solo recital, who, accompanied by pianist Brian Zeger, sings Schubert, Schumann and Hugo Wolf.

C O M E D YJen MurphySat Jan 15 8pmDowntown Comedy Club114 W. 5thdowntowncomedyclub.comLaugh off your work with Jen Murphy’s “Friendly Paranoia.”

M U S I CDave Robaire QuintetSat Jan 15 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.orgBassist Dave Robaire takes the stage with Vanessa Robaire, Larry Koonse, Josh Nelson, and Dan Schnelle.

M U S I CColin L. OrchestraSat Jan 15 9pmThe Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgColin L. Orchestra performs; also featured are performances by CSC Funk Band and Residual Echoes.

M U S I CBlack WatchSat Jan 15 9pmThe Redwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.comBlack Watch plays at the Red-wood. Later, The Furious Seasons take the stage.

M U S I CThe Quarter AfterSat Jan 15 10pmCasey’s Irish Pub613 S. Grandcaseysirishpub.comBrian Jonestown Massacre’s Rob Campanella performs with his side project The Quarter After.

SUNDAYJANUARY 16

S P O R T SClippers Sun Jan 16 12:30 pmStaples Center

The A.W.A.R.D Show!REDCAT631 W. 2ndThrough January 16redcat.orgThe Joyce Theater, New York City’s premier contemporary dance venue, comes to Los Angeles! The A.W.A.R.D. (Artists With Audiences Responding to Dance) Show is a fundraiser for The Joyce Theater Foundation and debuts for Downtowners at the REDCAT. For three nights, local choreographers showcase and discuss their work with the audience. One selection from each evening’s quartet moves on to Sunday’s finals, where the winning choreographer is awarded a $10,000 prize. The contenders are Rachael Lincoln & Leslie Seiters, Arianne Mac-

Bean, Barak Marshall and Christine Suarez (Thursday, January 13); Maria Gillespie, Pam Gonzales, Holly John-ston and Bradley Michaud (Friday, January 14); and Rande Dorn, Victoria Marks, Meg Wolfe and Karen Schaff-man with Liam Clancy, Eric Geiger & Leslie Seiters (Sat-urday, Janaury 15). The finals are Sunday, January 16 at 7pm.

Bradley Michaud. Photo by Mark Stevens.


1111 S. Figueroanba.com/clippersIn this installment of the Down-town Hallway Series, the Clippers are the home team.

M U S I CJoe SatrianiSun Jan 16 7:30pmThe Orpheum Theatre842 S. Broadwaylaorpheum.comBay area guitar hero Joe Satriani comes to the Orpheum with Ned Evett & Triple Double.

Vicky & the VengentsSun Jan 16 9pmThe Redwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2ndtheredwoodbar.comVicky & the Vengents, The Dead-beat Vultures and Love of Ivy perform.

Graf OrlockSun Jan 16 9pmThe Smell247 S. Mainthesmell.orgGraf Orlock’s record release party features guests appearances by Touché Amoré, Ghostlimb and Death Hymn Nine.

MONDAYJANUARY 17

S P O R T SClippersJan 17 12:30 pmStaples Center1111 S. Figueroanba.com/clippersL.A. Clippers vs. Indiana Pacers.

S P O R T SLakersJan 17 7:30pmStaples Center1111 S. Figueroanba.com/LakersL.A. Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder.

S C R E E N I N GRadical Light: Alternative Film And Video in the San Francisco Bay AreaMon Jan 17 8:30pmREDCAT631 W. 2ndredcat.orgThis survey of essays, reminis-cences and striking visuals high-lights the Bay Area’s experimental film and video scene from 1945–2000.

M U S I CPhil AlvinMon Jan 17 9pmThe Redwood Bar & Grill316 W. 2nd

theredwoodbar.comDon’t miss blues blaster Phil Alvin in full rockbilly power. Also per-forming are The Empires.

TUESDAYJANUARY 18

T A L KTom RachmanTue Jan 18 7pmCentral LibraryMark Taper Auditorium630 W. 5thlfla.org/aloudAP foreign correspondent Tom Rachman discusses his novel, “The Imperfectionists,” with L.A. Times blogger Carolyn Kellogg.

WEDNESDAYJANUARY 19

S P O R T SClippersWed Jan 1 7:30pmStaples Center1111 S. Figueroanba.com/clippersClippers vs. Minnesota Timber-wolves.

M U S I CBaroque Variations: L’ArpeggiataWed Jan 19 8pmWalt Disney Concert Hall111 S. Grandlaphil.comConsisting of some of to-day’s finest European soloists, L’Arpeggiata is a French music ensemble directed by Baroque lutenist/harpist Christina Pluhar. Through January 23.

M U S I CBetontanc and Umka.lv: Show Your Face!Wed Jan 19 8:30pmREDCAT631 W. 2ndredcat.orgThrough theater, puppetry, dance, and live music, a contemporary parable is transformed into a modern-day Everyman. This West Coast premiere is a collaboration between Slovenian avant-garde physical-theater troupe Bet-ontanc, Latvian object-theater masters Umka.lv, and Slovenian pop-electronic group Silence pro-viding a moody soundtrack. Runs through January 23. M U S I CPolarityWed Jan 19 9pmBlue Whale123 Astronaut E.S. Onizuka(Weller Court)bluewhalemusic.orgStop by for a night of experimen-tal jazz at the Whale.

By Lauren MattiaLos Angeles Arts Month was officially kicked off last week at Music Center Plaza, where a series of speakers and performers heralded L.A.’s unique art culture. The yearly event aims to encourage residents to explore the arts that Los Angeles has to offer.

The launch featured a performance by Cirque du Soleil as well as a musical set by David Hidalgo and Louie Perez of Los Lobos.

Arts Month takes place each January, and this year is comprised of over 160 gallery events, film screenings, performance art, and festivals that promote L.A’s unique culture “where the cutting edge is neigh-bored with the historic.”

Events will take place all over Los Angeles. Here are a few of the Downtown highlights:

Decolonizing Architecture: This exhibi-tion at the REDCAT will be Alessandro Petti, Sandi Hilal and Eyal Weizma’s first U.S. presentation. Originally set up as a residency program in Beit Sahour, Bethlehem and recently re-established as the Decolonizing Architecture/Art Residency (DAAR), they discuss the conflict over Palestine as their main case study. The panel discussion is co-presented by REDCAT and MAK Center for Art and Architecture, and will bring together Alessandro Petti, founding member and director of Decolonizing Architecture/Art Residency; Iain Boal of RETORT, the Bay Area collective of writers, activists and scholars, and co-author of “Afflicted Powers: Capital and Spectacle in a New Age of War;” architect and UCSD profes-sor Teddy Cruz whose work centers around urban research/design within context of the U.S.-Mexico border; and Geoff Manaugh of BLDGBLOG. The panel will be moderated by MAK Center’s director, Kimberli Meyer. Runs through February 6, Tuesday-Sunday (12-6pm)/REDCAT/631 W. 2nd

Sallie Whistler Marcucci: L.A. Artcore presents an exhibit of works by visual artist Sallie Whistley Macucci, titled “Whistler’s Aunt.” The exhibition will be the artist’s first in California, and highlight’s Marcucci’s bold patterns and flat shapes, “evocative of ancient Roman cities, Medieval tapestries and Japanese paintings.” Runs through January 30, 12-5pm/LA Artcore at Union Center for the Arts/120 Judge John Aiso

A Selection of Works from MOCA’s Permanent Collection: This exhibition is comprised of some of the most significant works from MOCA’s permanent collection which spans many of the major art move-ments of the 20th century, from abstract expressionism to pop art. Tickets cost $10 for general public and $5 for seniors and students. January 6-31/MOCA/250 S. Grand

LA Craft Experience: Located in China-town’s Central Plaza, Downtown’s newest outdoor market features vendors from all over Los Angeles. In this shopper’s paradise, guests can find screen prints, letterpresses, jewelry, home accessories, children’s gifts, and much more. Second Saturday of every month, 6:00 pm/ Chinatown’s Central Plaza/943 N. Broadway

Direct from Brazi: Grupo Corpo Glorya Kaufman and the Dorothy Chandler Pavil-ion present Brazilian dance group, Grupo Corpo (literally translated to “body group”), which incorporates a modern dance style with vigorous pop and urban beats. It has received rave reviews from the New York Times for its “spectacular dancing.” Tick-ets start at $25. January 28-30/Dorothy Chandler Pavilion/135 N. Grand

L.A. Arts Month Kicks OffProgram intended to promote visits to city’s museums, galleries, and theaters touts more than 160 events on its calendar


‘A Billion Stories’Through Feb 5Dialectdowntowndialect.com215 W 6th St (111)New Adobe Illustrator vector works by Chris Leavens incor-porate “absurdity, anthropomor-phism, and a healthy dose of hu-mor.” Opening during Downtown Art Walk from 5 to 11pm.

Blue Canvas Group ShowJan 13 7pm Spring Arts Tower453 S. Springwww.bluecanvas.comThis collective is formed by a partnership between Scion, Blue Canvas, and Art Center College of Design, and features the tour-ing Scion Art Car “Unit 001” by Devo co-founder Mark Moth-ersbaugh. Just as intriguing are the emerging artists scheduled to exhibit work, especially the street art-influenced mixed media by Jonathan Callicutt, figurative realist portraits in oil by Elizabeth Mc Ghee, and story filled fine art photography by writer turned art-ist Andrea Pun. Open during Art Walk until midnight.

‘Dream Big’Through February 5990 N. Hill #205l2kontemporary.comArt Walk marks the opening reception for Scott and Denise Davis, a.k.a. Davis & Davis, first solo exhibition at the l2kontempo-

rary. Davis & Davis visited Japan in 2010 and did candid photo-graphs of the most visible of women–workers working in foods industries and public transporta-tion–to explore the gender gap in the work force. Regular hours are Thursday through Sunday from 1 to 6pm, or by appointment

Jerumani ArtistJan 13 Noon to 9Norbertellen Gallery215 W 6th (110)norbetellengallery.comNorbertellen Gallery features live painting by artist Erik Jerumanis, as well as selections from the DOTMOV 2010 Digital Film Festi-val.

‘Naked Ambition’Through Feb 25Edgar Varela Fine Arts727 S. Springedgarvarela.comPhotographer Michael Grecco takes an R-rated look at an X-rated industry with his book and accompanying documentary. It opens January 15, but there will be a preview to introduce Edgar Varla’s new art space to Art Walk.

Solo ShowsBert Green Fine ArtThrough Feb 19102 W 5thbgfa.us“New Paintings and Drawings” by Clive Barker and “New Paintings” by Sandra Yagi are exhibited to-

gether, and offer an entertaining study on two artists who explore their psychological connection to the dark and macabre. There will be an Artist’s Talk with Yagi Sat-urday, February 19 at 4 pm. The gallery is open during Art Walk until 6pm.

Street Degrees of SeparationSat Jan 8 6pm Crewest110 Winstoncrewest.org “While artists prepare for what they will unleash on walls across the planet, they found themselves coming together for this show,” said Crewest about their cur-rent exhibition, Street Degrees of Separation, a collection that explores a global connection and the unified motive shared by street artists: reinvention. Artists participating include Chris Clark, Clown and Hidden Moves, with special guest Danny Gonzalez. Runs through January 30.

‘Sunrise’Jan 13 7pm to 10pm847 S. BroadwayThe Eastern Columbia building is the site for six Armenian-Amer-ican artists displaying personal works that share old memories through a common heritage. Re-ception for the artists will be held during the Downtown Art Walk from 7pm to 10pm. The show will be open through February.

‘Unfoldings’CB1 Gallery207 W. 5thCB1gallery.com

CB1 Gallery offers the Los Angeles solo debut of works by Alexander Kroll. “Unfoldings” is a collection of abstract paintings which are “simul-taneously structural and intuitive; informal and hyper-considered; ges-tural and geometric.” His work plays with scale, “painting history, intuition, systems, emotions, and painting as a conversational nexus and means of producing an object that can embody

and contradict these issues.” Kroll received his MFA from Otis Col-lege of Art and Design and a BFA from Yale University. He studied at the Slade School of Art, University College (London), and has been working with paint for well over a decade. The exhibition will be on view during Art Walk through February 20. An opening reception for the artist will be held Saturday, January 15, from 5 to 7 p.m. Pictured: Untitled (2010) Oil, oil egg tempera and ink on panel10” x 8” by Alexander Kroll.

16th Annual LA Art ShowLA Convention CenterJanuary 19 to January 23www.laartshow.com

LA’s Convention Center is a fitting venue for the Los Angeles Art Show, which is touted as the the centerpiece of the citywide L.A. Arts Month. An astounding range of painting, sculpture, draw-ing, photography, and video will be uncovered in this massive exhibi-tion space. Organizers claim that over 100 prominent galleries from around the globe will be on site.

Special programs include “China Art Today,” a series of curated exhibits and programming that puts a spotlight on Contemporary Chinese Art.

The 16th Annual L.A. Art Show will be held Thursday, January 20; Friday, January 21; and Saturday, January 22 from 11am to 8pm. The show continues on Sunday, January 23 from 11am to 5pm. The opening night premire and preview party is Wednesday, January 19 from 7pm to 10pm.

Fossils: What We Leave BehindThrough Mar 15Zzyzx Gallery7th Between Main and Springzzyzxgallery.comThis exhibit compares fossilized animal and plants alongside inter-pretations of artifacts left behind by modern society. Christopher Locke’s makes his Los Angeles gallery debut of sculptural dead technology and will be present at the opening reception held during Art Walk from 5 to 10pm.

‘Tarot 2’ ShowThe Hive Gallery and Studios728 S Springhivegallery.comThe Hive’s main gallery will show-case original art from the collec-tive’s second custom Tarot Deck collection. Also featured are art-ists Yoko D’Holbachie, Dean Flem-ing, Asia Eng, and Alex Ruiz.

COURtESy Of ZZyZx GALLERy

COURtESy Of Cb1 GALLERy

PhOtO by ED fUENtES

ART WALK GUIDEJanuary 13 — Noon to 9pm

Pop-Up Fashion and ArtP.E. Lofts600 S. MainDesigners Tascha Monique Carter, Tina Summers, Jiping Chen and artist/designer Marco Rached are among those showing in the last event before construction starts in the P.E. Lofts corner space.


By Donna PerlmutterWhat a coup it was to catch Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic in two places, practically at once!

First, I was at Disney Hall itself, for the opening concert of a tour program to be played soon in European capitals. And two days later, I repeated for a live movie-cast at a Regal Cinema Theatre near you.

Call it the age in which we live. Nothing goes unrecorded, whether as an impromp-tu Youtube video or, in this case, a deluxe 14-camera extravaganza that captured our starry resident maestro in all his irresist-ible appeal, surrounded by his happy band of virtuosos.

Yes, in 450 movie houses throughout the U.S. and Canada, folks had instant-play

access not only to the concert itself but interview snippets with the ever-ingratiat-ing 29-year-old podium blockbuster – not to mention backstage goings-on, rehearsal footage and all manner of animated inter-play.

The package culled pre-recorded mate-rial from Dudamel talking to the camera about the program – Americana works by Leonard Bernstein and John Adams, and the Beethoven 7th Symphony. Nothing high-falutin,’ as you can imagine, but penetrating and heart-felt chat because, after all, this is the conductor who, by his very authenticity, invites “the people,” and does not frighten them. And we’re talking about those who might never know of Beethoven: the non-elites, the under-served, but most of all,

their children.Think Lenny’s “Young People’s Concerts,”

translated from cultivated Bostonian English into simple, Spanish-accented words and spoken by the guy with the black curly mop and big dimples -- iconic already.

“Is there anyone cuter?” a wag in the audience murmured. In fact, Dudamel’s charm, ease, spontaneity, warmth all go to make him utterly accessible – yes, indeed, he trumps assorted attempts by symphony orchestras to popularize their wares through any other human face.

Who knows? We might even see those who throng to “Tron” shoving their way into a movie house to witness something as unknown as Adams’ “Slonimsky’s Earbox,” a whizbang thing of brilliant colorations and contours that cannot fail to catch you up in its vitality and surprise and dancey-ness.

And maybe the same cannot be said about Bernstein’s “Jeremiah” Symphony, but at least the already initiated could savor this composer’s abiding love of his kindred spirit Copland, whose plaintive chords of wide open tenderness were treated in this piece with heavy-hearted solemnity, then spunky action, then Hebraic lamentation, courtesy of mezzo soprano Kelley O’Connor, she of the dark, single-hued voice.

As for the sure-fire Beethoven, called by Wagner “the apotheosis of the dance,” there were no gambles here. Rhythmic heat natu-rally radiates from Dudamel and it ignites his players. But playing the four movements without a break made for an especially excit-ing performance.

If, however, one is looking for concert hall sonic clarity (not what sounded like the beef of four orchestras) and for an artistically

savvy visual complement, the movie house producers have a way to go. To be sure, that infernal, knee-jerk rolling of close-up camer-as to each section entrance was in opera-tion – so that you got to see, in detail, the checkered temples of a bassoonist’s glasses, and the bass clarinetist’s blownout cheeks, and the dangle of every earring.

True, we did get the benefits of multiple cameras panning from Dudamel in close-up, to side angles, wide views of the orchestra, and even fadeouts.

But I ask you, can music really make its maximum impact with all these visual diver-sions? And, oh, while we appreciate that Disney Hall is a showplace and a curiosity for audiences everywhere, it’s hardly supposed to have the supporting role in this movie. So just when Dudamel and the band are blazing through Beethoven’s propulsively dramatic heights do we really need to have our eyes yanked away and dragged up to the ceiling’s intricate complex of wood rafters?

Please, God, grant these producers/direc-tors a sensibility for the ventures to come. They have a star. Let them stick with him. And lose the too-artificial and overdone emcee Vanessa Williams.

Donna Perlmutter is an award-winning critic, journalist and author. Formerly the chief music/dance critic for the Los Angeles Herald Examiner, she contributes to the Los Angeles Times and other publications.


LA Phil Goes to the MoviesCOURtESy LA PhIL

Inaugural cinema performance offered a large dose of Dudamel’s outsized personality, but should let the music take center stage


blogdowntown weekly — january 13, 2011

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