A Novel Saturday at the Book Festival

Hoping to avoid the crunch — not to mention the swealtering temps — the Kid Formerly Known as the Blogger Toddler and I drove out to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books early on Saturday — and I’m glad we did.

(Maria was at home, still recovering from a terrible virus that knocked her out for several days. Yeah, it’s been a pretty rough week here at Franklin Avenue HQ, between that and the car accident.)

Parking was $8, but ultimately worth being so close to the festivities. (In years past, we’ve gone on a Sunday and hunted for free parking spaces.) The real reason we got there so early: “Johnny and the Sprites.”

Getting there before 10 didn’t make much of a different with the heat; it was a sauna all day.

If you’re going tomorrow, one reminder: Don’t pay for the overpriced, disappointing vendor food; just go to UCLA’s Ackerman student union, where there are several fast food choices.

Now, some shots from Saturday:

Ahh yes, the main reason we were there with the Kid Formerly Known as Blogger Toddler: A live performance on the Target Children’s Stage by Playhouse Disney’s “Johnny and the Sprites.” “Avenue Q” star (and “Sesame Street” alum) John Tartaglia headlines the show, and appeared on stage with two of the show’s puppet characters. Ex-Blogger Toddler enjoyed it, as did his cousin (who we met up with); I now have those damn songs in my head. (It was actually a pretty good, nearly half-hour show — not bad for free. Gladly took this over seeing those creepy “Doodlebops.” Would have liked to have seen “Choo Choo Soul,” but that performance was slated for the afternoon.)

J. Eric Lynxwiler and L.A. Observed‘s Kevin Roderick man the Angel City Press book, signing copies of their Wilshire Blvd.-themed book.

The spirit of the book festival: Strangers standing side by side, solving crossword puzzles together.

Hi De Ho Comics promises “books with pictures.”

Pop culture historian Charles Phoenix holds up one of his great books, a colorful look at life in post-war Southern California. Charles confirms that he’s taking a break from doing his Disneyland-themed tours of downtown L.A., but he’s excited about his Roller Skating Spectacular at Glendale’s kitschy, historic Moonlight Rollerway. Event, which takes place May 17 and 18, includes Charles’ retro slide show, this time celebrating roller skating, and an after show all-skate party, among other things.

The “Comix Strip” row of mostly animation/comics-related booths (although, strangely, several non-comics booths resided there as well, including Tribune’s Metromix).

Pretty self-explanatory.

A Novel Saturday at the Book Festival

Hoping to avoid the crunch — not to mention the swealtering temps — the Kid Formerly Known as the Blogger Toddler and I drove out to the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books early on Saturday — and I’m glad we did.

(Maria was at home, still recovering from a terrible virus that knocked her out for several days. Yeah, it’s been a pretty rough week here at Franklin Avenue HQ, between that and the car accident.)

Parking was $8, but ultimately worth being so close to the festivities. (In years past, we’ve gone on a Sunday and hunted for free parking spaces.) The real reason we got there so early: “Johnny and the Sprites.”

Getting there before 10 didn’t make much of a different with the heat; it was a sauna all day.

If you’re going tomorrow, one reminder: Don’t pay for the overpriced, disappointing vendor food; just go to UCLA’s Ackerman student union, where there are several fast food choices.

Now, some shots from Saturday:

Ahh yes, the main reason we were there with the Kid Formerly Known as Blogger Toddler: A live performance on the Target Children’s Stage by Playhouse Disney’s “Johnny and the Sprites.” “Avenue Q” star (and “Sesame Street” alum) John Tartaglia headlines the show, and appeared on stage with two of the show’s puppet characters. Ex-Blogger Toddler enjoyed it, as did his cousin (who we met up with); I now have those damn songs in my head. (It was actually a pretty good, nearly half-hour show — not bad for free. Gladly took this over seeing those creepy “Doodlebops.” Would have liked to have seen “Choo Choo Soul,” but that performance was slated for the afternoon.)

J. Eric Lynxwiler and L.A. Observed‘s Kevin Roderick man the Angel City Press book, signing copies of their Wilshire Blvd.-themed book.

The spirit of the book festival: Strangers standing side by side, solving crossword puzzles together.

Hi De Ho Comics promises “books with pictures.”

Pop culture historian Charles Phoenix holds up one of his great books, a colorful look at life in post-war Southern California. Charles confirms that he’s taking a break from doing his Disneyland-themed tours of downtown L.A., but he’s excited about his Roller Skating Spectacular at Glendale’s kitschy, historic Moonlight Rollerway. Event, which takes place May 17 and 18, includes Charles’ retro slide show, this time celebrating roller skating, and an after show all-skate party, among other things.

The “Comix Strip” row of mostly animation/comics-related booths (although, strangely, several non-comics booths resided there as well, including Tribune’s Metromix).

Pretty self-explanatory.

Fall of the National

As LAObserved reports, the land where Westwood’s Mann National theater once stood has been smoothed over. The theater is all gone.

Thepetecom put together a Flickr set of National Theater demolition shots, including the one above.

Can’t say I ever saw any masterpieces at the National, but I did love the time warp feel I got when walking inside; I felt like it was 1981 all over again. Movies I did see there included “Private Parts” and one of the “Austin Powers” sequels.

It’s always sad to see a large, single-screen movie theater go. RIP, National!

Scenes from "The Simpsons Movie" Premiere and After Party

Marge’s hair looms over the Fox Westwood Village Theatre, where “The Simpsons Movie” premiered on Tuesday night.

Finally — 18 years after “The Simpsons” bowed in 1989 (I’d been a fan since first seeing the shorts on “The Tracy Ullman Show”) — there I was Tuesday night, enjoying the long-awaited “The Simpsons Movie” in a crowd that included the voice actors, Matt Groening, exec producers like James L. Brooks and Al Jean, execs like Peter Chernin, producers extraordinaire like Brian Grazer, writers like Judd Apatow, and more.

Security was tight: Those who weren’t able to sneak their phones in the door (and there were a lot who pulled off this feat) had to check them in. I was standing behind Brian Grazer, who, with Blackberry in hand, was trying to figure out where to go.

I brought along my friend Tony, who writes for “King of the Hill” (animation fight!) and we plopped down in the front row balcony. Premieres never start on time, and this one finally got going about 40 mins. after its 7:30 start time.

Then, the movie. What a fun ride. Some of the story points are semi-familiar (after 400 episodes, how could they not be?). But finding a big enough story to make it worthy of a “Simpsons Movie” couldn’t have been easy — and yet, the writers pulled it off. The jokes are on-target and the animation is beautiful. The action focuses mostly on the family — so although all of your favorite characters are there, few of them play major roles. (Good parts for Flanders and Comic Book Guy, however.)

Afterward, the party at the Wadsworth Theatre (on the VA grounds in Brentwood) was big enough that it never felt crowded. Food was on the not-so-healthy side (Mac and cheese, pot roast, tacos, etc.) — but what else would you expect from the Simpsons. Celebs sighted included Joe Mantegna (who voices Fat Tony), Fred Willard, Michelle Kwan, B.J. Novak (“The Office”), Rex Lee (“Entourage”), Masi Oka (“Heroes”), Nancy Cartwight (voice of Bart)…

And yes, there were donuts. Some pics:

Homer’s head, meanwhile, hung over the Bruin, where “The Simpsons Movie” was also screening.

The Duff Beer blimp flies over the yellow carpet festivities.

A gospel chorus sings “Spider-Pig.” (See the movie — you’ll understand.)

“Marge-a-rita,” anyone?

Dancing Lisa and Marge silhouettes.

Bart’s chalkboard gag.

Bartenders pour drinks inside a massive fake donut.

“Simpsons”-style donuts: Pink frosting on Krispy Kremes. A sugar explosion. I’m still bouncing off walls.

Fried Candy Bars. Mmmmm…. grease!

Fried Milky Way. I tried a few bites, but it was a little too doughy and the Milky Way wasn’t melted enough. Yes, I should probably throw up now from all the junk I ate last night.

Thanks to 20th Century Fox Film’s Chris Petrikin for squeezing a couple TV guys into the screening and shindig.

Scenes from "The Simpsons Movie" Premiere and After Party

Marge’s hair looms over the Fox Westwood Village Theatre, where “The Simpsons Movie” premiered on Tuesday night.

Finally — 18 years after “The Simpsons” bowed in 1989 (I’d been a fan since first seeing the shorts on “The Tracy Ullman Show”) — there I was Tuesday night, enjoying the long-awaited “The Simpsons Movie” in a crowd that included the voice actors, Matt Groening, exec producers like James L. Brooks and Al Jean, execs like Peter Chernin, producers extraordinaire like Brian Grazer, writers like Judd Apatow, and more.

Security was tight: Those who weren’t able to sneak their phones in the door (and there were a lot who pulled off this feat) had to check them in. I was standing behind Brian Grazer, who, with Blackberry in hand, was trying to figure out where to go.

I brought along my friend Tony, who writes for “King of the Hill” (animation fight!) and we plopped down in the front row balcony. Premieres never start on time, and this one finally got going about 40 mins. after its 7:30 start time.

Then, the movie. What a fun ride. Some of the story points are semi-familiar (after 400 episodes, how could they not be?). But finding a big enough story to make it worthy of a “Simpsons Movie” couldn’t have been easy — and yet, the writers pulled it off. The jokes are on-target and the animation is beautiful. The action focuses mostly on the family — so although all of your favorite characters are there, few of them play major roles. (Good parts for Flanders and Comic Book Guy, however.)

Afterward, the party at the Wadsworth Theatre (on the VA grounds in Brentwood) was big enough that it never felt crowded. Food was on the not-so-healthy side (Mac and cheese, pot roast, tacos, etc.) — but what else would you expect from the Simpsons. Celebs sighted included Joe Mantegna (who voices Fat Tony), Fred Willard, Michelle Kwan, B.J. Novak (“The Office”), Rex Lee (“Entourage”), Masi Oka (“Heroes”), Nancy Cartwight (voice of Bart)…

And yes, there were donuts. Some pics:

Homer’s head, meanwhile, hung over the Bruin, where “The Simpsons Movie” was also screening.

The Duff Beer blimp flies over the yellow carpet festivities.

A gospel chorus sings “Spider-Pig.” (See the movie — you’ll understand.)

“Marge-a-rita,” anyone?

Dancing Lisa and Marge silhouettes.

Bart’s chalkboard gag.

Bartenders pour drinks inside a massive fake donut.

“Simpsons”-style donuts: Pink frosting on Krispy Kremes. A sugar explosion. I’m still bouncing off walls.

Fried Candy Bars. Mmmmm…. grease!

Fried Milky Way. I tried a few bites, but it was a little too doughy and the Milky Way wasn’t melted enough. Yes, I should probably throw up now from all the junk I ate last night.

Thanks to 20th Century Fox Film’s Chris Petrikin for squeezing a couple TV guys into the screening and shindig.

Variety on "The Simpsons Movie": It’s Groin-Grabbingly Good!

I’m heading to Westwood tonight for “The Simpsons Movie” premiere… and it’s by far the most exciting event I’ve RSVP’ed for in a long time. Now, as a bonus: The movie’s supposed to be good! (Sigh of relief.)

Brian Lowry reviews it for Variety, already posted on the web site:

Put simply, if somebody had to make a “Simpsons” movie, this is pretty much what it should be — clever, irreverent, satirical and outfitted with a larger-than-22-minutes plot, capable (just barely) of sustaining a narrative roughly four times the length of a standard episode.

Then, the doctor told me that BOTH my eyes were lazy! And that’s why it was the best summer ever.

Last Picture Show: Mann’s National Closes Tonight

(Pic by You-Are-Here.com.)

Updating our post earlier this week about the impending shutdown of the Mann’s National in Westwood.

Turns out today — Thursday — is the final show (specifically, the 10:10 run of “Shooter”). I write about it in Variety:

Having received a brief stay of execution last year, Mann’s National Theater in Westwood will go dark after Thursday night.

Mann Theaters hasn’t officially confirmed the closing, but an employee at the theater, reached by phone, confirmed that Thursday’s showing of “Shooter” would be the National’s last.

The National opened in March 1970 with feature “The Boys in the Band.” The theater recently played a role as a San Francisco moviehouse in last year’s feature “Zodiac” (in which Mark Ruffalo’s character watches “Dirty Harry”).

Mann originally announced last year that it wouldn’t renew its lease on the National, given rising real estate costs in Westwood. The least was originally set to expire last August, but Mann wound up signing an extension to keep the National temporarily open.

A large-screen theater with a capacity of 1,112, the National repped a dying breed of single-screen cinemas in an age of megaplexes. The theater had suffered from neglect in recent years, however, and was in need of a major rehab.

Mann continues to operate the Bruin, Festival and Village theaters in Westwood.

Still no word on the property’s fate.

Last Picture Show: Mann’s National Closes Tonight

(Pic by You-Are-Here.com.)

Updating our post earlier this week about the impending shutdown of the Mann’s National in Westwood.

Turns out today — Thursday — is the final show (specifically, the 10:10 run of “Shooter”). I write about it in Variety:

Having received a brief stay of execution last year, Mann’s National Theater in Westwood will go dark after Thursday night.

Mann Theaters hasn’t officially confirmed the closing, but an employee at the theater, reached by phone, confirmed that Thursday’s showing of “Shooter” would be the National’s last.

The National opened in March 1970 with feature “The Boys in the Band.” The theater recently played a role as a San Francisco moviehouse in last year’s feature “Zodiac” (in which Mark Ruffalo’s character watches “Dirty Harry”).

Mann originally announced last year that it wouldn’t renew its lease on the National, given rising real estate costs in Westwood. The least was originally set to expire last August, but Mann wound up signing an extension to keep the National temporarily open.

A large-screen theater with a capacity of 1,112, the National repped a dying breed of single-screen cinemas in an age of megaplexes. The theater had suffered from neglect in recent years, however, and was in need of a major rehab.

Mann continues to operate the Bruin, Festival and Village theaters in Westwood.

Still no word on the property’s fate.

National Becomes a Statistic

(Pic by You-Are-Here.com.)

Another longrunning L.A. theatre is about to see the wrecking ball, reports Jeffrey Wells.

The Mann National in Westwood (where I saw screenings for “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and “Private Parts,” among other fims) has looked stuck in the 1970s forever. Yet the house is big, and the screen even bigger — so it will be sad to see it go.

Writes Wells:

Westwood’s Mann National, a big single-screen house that once played the exclusive runs of The Godfather and The Exorcist, will close at the end of this week. This theatre has been dying for years. We live in a megaplex stadium-seating world, and sagging-at-the-heels behemoths like the National — a once-grand showplace that still has pretty good and projection quality — are all going to be toast sooner or later.

I mentioned the National’s closing to a twentysomething L.A. woman, and she told me she’d never been there. The crowds aren’t going to Westwood any more. I can let the National go but please don’t tell me this is going to happen to Mann’s Village also. If this is in the cards don’t want to hear about it.

We’re living in a multiplex world.

National Becomes a Statistic

(Pic by You-Are-Here.com.)

Another longrunning L.A. theatre is about to see the wrecking ball, reports Jeffrey Wells.

The Mann National in Westwood (where I saw screenings for “Austin Powers in Goldmember” and “Private Parts,” among other fims) has looked stuck in the 1970s forever. Yet the house is big, and the screen even bigger — so it will be sad to see it go.

Writes Wells:

Westwood’s Mann National, a big single-screen house that once played the exclusive runs of The Godfather and The Exorcist, will close at the end of this week. This theatre has been dying for years. We live in a megaplex stadium-seating world, and sagging-at-the-heels behemoths like the National — a once-grand showplace that still has pretty good and projection quality — are all going to be toast sooner or later.

I mentioned the National’s closing to a twentysomething L.A. woman, and she told me she’d never been there. The crowds aren’t going to Westwood any more. I can let the National go but please don’t tell me this is going to happen to Mann’s Village also. If this is in the cards don’t want to hear about it.

We’re living in a multiplex world.