What It Actually Takes To Be Happy in L.A.
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She toppled two of Hollywood’s most powerful moguls, but is Charlotte Kirk a villain or a victim? The 28-year-old actress who set off the town’s latest scandal finally breaks her silence
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DE CE M BE R 2020
N E ON N I G H T S
Chips, a landmark of Googie architecture since 1957, is still serving up hearty fare in Hawthorne.
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Charlotte’s Web
Roadside Attractions
Get Outta Town
Stoned Again
She toppled two of Hollywood’s most powerful moguls, but is Charlotte Kirk a villain or a victim? The 28-year-old actress who set off the town’s latest scandal finally breaks her silence.
The photographer Ashok Sinha has spent four years hunting for L.A.’s midcentury roadside architecture and going to great pains to capture the sparkling neon, stucco motels, coffee shops, and gas stations for his new book, Gas and Glamour.
If ever there was a time to leave your cares behind, it’s now. Hit the road for a quick, easy trip to one of these six nearby destinations—from the peaceful desert to the snowy mountains—and get away from it all.
A remarkable new oral history about the making of Richard Linklater’s classic Dazed and Confused chronicles the lost paradise of early ’90s indie filmmaking as it transitioned unsteadily to the Hollywood mainstream.
EDITED BY HAILEY EBER
BY MELISSA MAERZ
BY BENJAMIN SVETKEY
BY CHRIS NICHOLS
8 L A M AG . C O M
P H OTO G R A P H Y BY AS H O K S I N H A
Features
Buzz DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY
DE CE M BE R 2020
» UCLA and other institutions are studying kindness as an antidote to a cruel world. Plus, what it costs to be happy in L.A. BY RICHARD MORGAN PAGE 19
THE BRIEF
» A dispute between neighbors (and its surprising Gilligan’s Island connection) pops off in Orange County; a long-buried Gucci family secret comes to the surface; and Bob Evans’s most personal effects go up for grabs PAGE 22
RECYCLING’S DUMPSTER FIRE
» COVID-related home deliveries are adding mountains of waste to L.A.’s already-stressed recycling infrastructure BY SUSAN CARPENTER PAGE 24
Column FIRE SEASON
» The impact of a brother’s untimely death moves through a family like wildfire across the canyons BY SUSAN HEEGER PAGE 66
Ask Chris S E A S ON’S E AT I NG S
Delicious holiday truffles by Valerie Confections to celebrate the time of year.
» What’s up with the recently remodeled Century Plaza Hotel? Do actors get paid more if they speak onscreen? Our resident historian answers all your burning questions BY CHRIS NICHOLS PAGE 108
The Inside Guide » We’ve gathered together everything you need’ll to survive
the holidays—from good reads to classic films and cannabis drinks to COVID-safe family fun. PLUS, dozens of gift ideas for everyone on your list—no matter your budget PAG E 2 7
10 L A M AG . C O M
ON THE COVER Charlotte Kirk Photo by Elisabeth Caren. Producer, Richard Villani for Villani Productions; set design and stylist, Jordan Grossman; hair, Christopher Loera; makeup, Agostina for Exclusive Artists using Tarte Cosmetics. Photographed at Forge L.A. on October 28, 2020.
P H O T O G R A P H E D BY K Y L E DAV I D M O R E NO
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Maer Roshan
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF EXECUTIVE EDITOR
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Editor’s Note
BY MAER ROSHAN
I N A N O R M A L Y E A R , the ap-
proach of the holidays summons a mix of anxiety and hope. But as we limp towards the finish line of 2020, the latter seems to be in short supply. Following a year of natural and human disasters, many of us had prayed that November’s election would mark an end to the polarization that has gripped the nation for the past four years; instead, it merely accelerated it. Days before the vote, entire neighborhoods disappeared behind plywood barriers to guard against potential civil unrest. In Beverly Hills, a crowd of flag-waving MAGA housewives traded barbs with counterprotestors from BLM. In West Hollywood, a gaggle of self-described Gays for Trump dodged insults (and occasional cocktails) from the city’s less conservative citizens. The president did little to quell the dissension, of course. In the waning days of his campaign, Trump assured Americans that COVID-19 was a media hoax, certain to be forgotten by November 4. As I write this, on 16 L A M AG . C O M
“Finding our way back to normalcy won’t be easy. But we promise we’ll do our part.” FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER @MAERROSHAN
November 5, infection and hospitalization rates are once again spiraling across the country. Here at home, the prospect of another lockdown looms. Back in April, the stay-at-home orders were tolerated as a novelty—Zoom meetings! Baking bread! Quarantinis! But nine months later, the thought of returning to enforced isolation threatens to drive us to insanity. Sanity, of course, is not the only casualty of this moment. Since the lockdown began last March, L.A. has suffered more business closures than any other city in the nation. With little fanfare, thousands of local businesses have shuttered, from decades-old landmarks like the Satellite, Rage, Four ’n 20, Pacific Dining Car, and Beverly Soon Tofu, to thousands of lesser-known stores, restaurants, and cultural venues. Each padlocked business leaves an unmendable hole in the cultural fabric of the community that it served, and throws scores of people out of work. Restoring some semblance of normalcy will require time, hard work, and a shared sense of purpose—as well as a commitment from government leaders and businesses to seek creative solutions to the city’s misfortunes. Los Angeles will certainly try to do its part. Throughout the pandemic, we’ve devoted many pages to commemorating disappearing landmarks while promoting local brands and businesses that still survive. To that end, this issue’s holiday gift guide spotlights homegrown companies and local shops, from Merci Milo and Geary’s to Vroman’s Bookstore. Our annual Give supplement, packaged with this issue, celebrates the people and companies at the forefront of charitable giving in Los Angeles, along with hundreds of worthy charities and volunteer programs that could really use your money and participation. Los Angeles, even in the best of times, can seem like a lonely place, where people tend to retreat into their own bubbles. If nothing else, the past year has taught us the limits of such isolation. A recently transplanted friend used to complain to me that on evening walks his neighbors barely acknowledged him; now he constantly meets neighbors he never knew existed. These are socially distanced, acro across-the-street types of connections, but connections connec nevertheless. As Angelenos, we are all lear learning to be less obsessed with our own needs and more empathetic about those of others. On b behalf of myself and my colleagues at Los Angeles Angeles, I wish you a happier, healthier, and more hop hopeful New Year.
Maer Roshan, Editor-in-Chief P H O T O G R A P H E D BY E L I SA B E T H CA R E N
N O H U R R Y. N O W O R R Y.
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12.20
Don’t Worry, Be Happy UCLA AND OTHER INSTITUTIONS ARE STUDYING KINDNESS AS AN ANTIDOTE TO A CRUEL WORLD BY RICHARD MORGAN
I L LU S T R AT I O N BY JA S O N R A I S H
L A M AG . C O M 19
BUZZ
S TAT E O F M I N D
20 L A M AG . C O M
U C L A / R E E D H U TC H I N S O N
T
he year 2020 has been the worst in the lives of pretty much everyone you know. Imagine, then, in this darkest of clouds, spending your days studying silver linings. That’s the job of Daniel Fessler and Stacey Freeman, two academics who head UCLA’s Bedari Kindness Institute, a new multiG R I N A N D L E A R N UCLA, Stanford, Yale, and Rice are among the U.S. colleges offering courses in disciplinary program. mindfulness and well-being. Yale’s “Psychology and the Good Life” is the most popular course in the Fessler, the institute’s director, is university’s 319-year history and was expanded into an online version for the public. an evolutionary anthropologist whose In a nation whose founding docuresearch specialties read like a quarDacher Keltner, Greater Good’s coment cites “the pursuit of happiness” antine diary: aggression, conflict, codirector. “It changes your brain. It as a fundamental right, that’s a tall oroperation, disease avoidance, emochanges your gene expression.” der. Bedari has dispensed $6,000 feltion, food, risk, and sex. Freeman, the Major medical facilities and even lowships to an epidemiologist studyprogram’s executive director, is an government agencies are reclassifying ing food insecurity, a B-school student education-policy specialist with a side kindness as a physical necessity akin studying gratitude, and a law student gig running a lifestyle blog heavy on to heart health and nutrition. In 2018, studying legal incentives to promote presumably uplifting content like noVivek Murthy, the Obama administrakindness. bake Special K chocolate bar recipes. tion surgeon general, made happiness UCLA isn’t the only higher-educaThe Bedari Kindness Institute was his signature crusade, blaming lonelition institution to have elevated emconceived in 2019 when hedge-fund ness and spiritual emptiness for a host pathy into an academic pursuit. In millionaire and USC alum Matthew of medical and emotional problems. response to anxiety and depression Harris got the ball rolling with a $20 Last year, Nadine Burke-Harris, Caliamong the university’s students, Yale million donation. According to Befornia’s first surgeon general, debuted psychology professor Laurie Santos in dari’s lofty mission statement, the ina statewide program that urges Cali2018 began teaching Psychology and stitute was established with the goal fornians to monitor their stress levels the Good Life. The course, which exof empowering citizens and leaders to and calm their minds. amines happiness and invest in building more Still, translating these principles into how to achieve and sushumane societies. How practices is an open and evolving protain it, quickly became do they do that? “At the cess, admits Jason Marsh, editor-inthe most popular class simplest level, my job is chief of Cal’s Greater Good Magazine. in Yale’s history and to help spread kindness “There isn’t yet the definitive recipe, deHow do you was later expanded into around the world,” says spite the general support,” he says. translate an online offering for Freeman. “When you Researchers are aware that our curfuzzy abstract the public. talk about kindness, evrent moment is a perfect backdrop for platitudes At Stanford, proeryone knows on a funstudying happiness. fessor Jamil Zaki’s Bedamental level what that “I think it’s important to recoginto an coming Kinder course, means.” nize that we’re going through this imacademic based on his 2019 book But do they? The inmensely difficult time in many ways discipline? The War for Kindness, stitute could just as eastogether,” Zaki says. “We, as a culture, is among the school’s ily have been founded by have a lot of preexisting conditions— most popular classes. Deepak Chopra, the we were getting lonelier, more cynical, Last year, UC San Diego Dalai Lama, Meghan angrier—and we are now reeling unscored $100 million from Denny SanMarkle, the Obamas, Joel Osteen, or der chronic separation from one anford, the subprime credit card billionMr. Rogers. How do you translate other, the loss of our sense of shared aire, to study empathy and compasfuzzy abstract platitudes into an acapurpose and shared space.” sion in medicine. Cal’s Greater Good demic discipline? Says Freeman, “It’s amazing how Science Center, born in the wake of “We want tangible products at many people are completely clueless 9/11, has steadily injected academthe end of this,” says Fessler. “It’s not just because they’ve never had to conic rigor into a field previously domienough to say, ‘Well, give me some sider anyone else’s perspective. Everynated by the likes of Oprah Winfrey, money, and I’m going to think about one should be educating themselves, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anthony Robthis problem for a while,’ which is the but most people don’t even know bins. “Kindness increases your life exway, frankly, a lot of academia works. where to begin.” pectancy by eight to ten years,” says We are more ambitious than that.” Now it’s her job to help them.
HOW TO HAPPY IN L.A.
STATISTICALLY, WE’RE LESS SATISFIED THAN OUR NEIGHBORS FROM SAN FRANCISCO TO SANTA ANA. SEE BELOW FOR WHAT IT TAKES TO TURN THAT FROWN UPSIDE DOWN BY A N D R E W D U B B I NS • I L LU S T R AT I O NS BY C H R I S M O R R I S
THE GEOGRAPHY OF HAPPINESS In California, even Rancho Cucamonga is happier
L.A. ranks last among select U.S. cities Washington D.C. (#18), Dallas (#19), Houston (#21), Boston (#23), Chicago (#25), Atlanta (#26), Miami (#27), Philadelphia (#28), New York (#30), Los Angeles (#31) 23
28
30
25
18 26
19 31
27
21
Fremont (#1), San Jose (#3), Irvine (#4), Huntington Beach (#7), Santa Rosa (#9), San Francisco (#14), Santa Clarita (#16), Oceanside (#17), Glendale (#18), Anaheim (#19), San Diego (#24), Chula Vista (#25), Garden Grove (#26), Oxnard (#37), Rancho Cucamonga (#52), Santa Ana (#53), Long Beach (#62), Fontana (#78) Los Angeles (#80)
NOTE: Criteria were emotional and physical well-being, income and employment, community, and environment
Where is the happiest place on Earth? L.A. is No.31 on a list of 186 global cities based on subjective well-being. Scandinavia dominates the Top 10 #1 Helsinki (Finland) #2 Aarhus (Denmark) #5 Copenhagen (Denmark) #6 Bergen (Norway) #7 Oslo (Norway) #9 Stockholm (Sweden)
THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS
THE DEMOGRAPHICS OF HAPPINESS
L.A. is bummed. How come?
Good news if you’re married, religious, and own a pet
According to a USC study, happiness in L.A. is lower than the national average. Why are Angelenos more miserable?
• In the 1970s, rural residents were 10% happier than urban dwellers but the groups are about equal now, thanks to surging millennials who prefer city life.
1. It's harder to own a home • L.A.’s housing expenses are 127% higher than the national average.
2. The cost of living is too damn high • The average worker in L.A. makes $60,000 per year. That may be 12% higher than the national average, but doesn’t make up for the 42.6% higher cost of living. • Rents are more racially stratified in L.A. compared to rest of U.S.
• About two-thirds of Angelenos rent their homes, a proportion that’s higher than the national average.
• Republicans have been happier than Democrats since the 1970s regardless of who’s in office. One factor is Republicans’ greater religiosity, which studies have linked to happiness. • Growing income inequality starting in the 1990s has caused happiness to rise among America’s upper class and fall for lower and middle classes. • Thanks to economic inequality and discrimination, Black Americans tend to be less happy than white Americans. But over the past decade the gap has been narrowing.
Pets and kids
• Latino and Black Angelenos report a lower amount of affordable rent compared to the rest of the U.S.
• A British study found pets bring laughter to six in ten owners, and seven in ten people feel more relaxed in their company. • A study of 22 Western countries found that parents in countries with subsidized childcare are happier than people without children, but not in the U.S., where the cost of childcare is higher.
What it costs to be happy in . . . Researchers at Purdue University pinpointed the optimal salary required to achieve maximum happiness in 50 U.S. cities. In L.A. all you need is a dream and $204K. California Fresno Sacramento San Diego Long Beach Los Angeles Oakland San Jose San Francisco Elsewhere Las Vegas Miami Denver Honolulu Seattle
3 Lowest Nationwide
$113,000 $133,875 $186,000 $188,055 $204,855
$211,260 $273,000 $319,935 $126,105 $143,955 $151,410 $211,155 $214,200
Cleveland Memphis El Paso
$80,955 $88,515 $91,560
3 Highest Nationwide New York San Jose San Francisco
$219,765 $273,000 $319,935
SOURCES: Wallet Hub, World Happiness Report, USC The Livability Report, Purdue University, Psychology Today, Time, Washington Post, Jama Network
L A M AG . C O M 2 1
N E WS & N OT E S F R O M A L L OV E R
G I L L I G A N ’S I R E
Schwartz, Gross, and the mighty sailin’ man.
SIT RIGHT BACK AND YOU’LL HEAR A TALE BILLIONAIRE BILL GROSS AND HIS LAGUNA BEACH NEIGHBORS ARE WARRING OVER A MILLION-DOLLAR LAWN SCULPTURE. NOW THEY’RE TURNING UP THE VOLUME BY IAN SPIEGELMAN
INVESTMENT
firm cofounder Bill Gross and his partner, former tennis pro Amy Schwartz, are accused of blasting pop music, rap, and even the theme to Gilligan’s Island to annoy their Laguna Beach neighbors in a rapidly worsening feud. The heart of the dispute is a $1 million, 22-footlong, glass lawn sculpture, which tech entrepreneur Mark Towfiq and his wife, Carol Nakahara, say obstructs their seaside view. The problem isn’t the piece itself—which was created by Dale Chihuly and features ten-foot cobalt reeds, swimming marlin, and blown-glass globes—but the protective netting that surrounds it. In dueling lawsuits, Towfiq and Nakahara accuse Gross and Schwartz of harassment 22 L A M AG . C O M
mother nature,” adding that a palm frond caused $100,000 in damage. In their lawsuit, Towfiq and Nakahara claim the netting was at first removed intermittently but has since remained up, with Gross and Schwartz neglecting to address the issue. Towfiq complained to the city, which then had the property inspected. Afterward, in a July 28 letter, they informed Gross that the netting, lighting, and sculpture lacked the proper permits. Things soon got ugly. Towfiq and Nakahara claim in their suit that Gross and Schwartz began blaring music at all hours—even when they weren’t at home—to get their neighbors to drop the complaint. In an October 15 application for a temporary restraining order, which was granted, Towfiq cited
and intentional infliction of emotional distress, while Gross and his partner claim the netting is necessary after the sculpture sustained more than $50,000 in damage “apparently” due to a thrown rock that, they claim, is evidence of an “escalating campaign of vandalism.” Towfiq and Nakahara claim the art was probably damaged by GLASS CONFLICT something falling The $1 million Chihuly that started it all. on it. Emails obtained a text message allegedly by the Los Angeles sent by Gross, reading, Times from the City of “Peace on all fronts Laguna Beach, meanwhile, or well [sic] just have indicate that a person nightly concerts big boy.” associated with Gross Their Superior Court and Schwartz told a code lawsuit states, “Defendant enforcement officer the William Gross is a 76-yearnetting was temporary and old billionaire used to necessary to protect the getting his way no matter sculpture from “trees and what. As proven by their
behavior here, Gross and his decades-younger girlfriend, defendant Amy Schwartz, are bullies.” For their part, Gross, who cofounded investment firm PIMCO, and Schwartz claim in their October 13 suit that Towfiq is obsessed with them, installing cameras directed at their property and engaging in “Peeping Tom behaviors.” In his own request for a temporary restraining order, which is pending, Gross said he felt “trapped in my own home.” In their lawsuit, Gross and Schwartz accuse Towfiq of invasion of privacy, among other things, stating, “Defendant Towfiq appears to have a particular fascination not only with Mr. Gross but also Ms. Schwartz, particularly when the pair are swimming and thus wearing minimal, if any, clothing.” Gross is no stranger to bizarre property disputes. In 2018, his ex-wife, Sue Gross, accused him of turning a different Laguna Beach home over to her only after befouling the place with fart- and vomit-scented sprays. Gross later admitted to the malodorous stunt, saying that the divorce had grown “very ugly.” Towfiq has requested that the temporary restraining order be converted to a lengthier civil harassment order, and a hearing has been set for November. Gross has been given an extension until November 16 to seek the proper permits.
CO L L AG E CO M P O S E D O F G E T T Y I M AG E S , A N D R E A S E F L E R / P I XA B AY; A RT I N STA L AT I O N : B I L L G R O SS A N D A M Y S C H WA RTZ
The Brief
THE APPROXIMATE NUMBER OF VOTES WON BY KANYE WEST DURING HIS QUIXOTIC PRESIDENTIAL BID. THOUGH HE EARNED LESS VOTES THAN A 15-YEAR OLD CALLED “DEEZ NUTS” (WHO TOOK A SHOT AT THE POSITION IN 2016), WEST SAYS HE’S GOING TO TRY AGAIN IN 2024.
TROUBLE IN THE HOUSE OF GUCCI E V E R S I N C E Aldo
Gucci opened his New York store in 1953, the fashion family has suffered through murder-for-hire schemes, inheritance wars, secret second families, and tax evasion. Now one of Gucci’s granddaughters is suing her former stepfather for allegedly sexually abusing her. Alexandra Zarini, 35, filed suit in L.A. Superior Court against Joseph
CO L L AG E : YO U T U B E .CO M /A L E XA N D R A G U CC I C H I L D R E N ’ S FO U N DAT I O N ; R O B E RT E VA N S : CO U RT E SY J U L I E N ’ S AU C T I O N S
Alexandra Zarini
Ruffalo in September, claiming that, while he was married to her mother, Ruffalo sexually assaulted Zarini in their Beverly Hills home, starting when she was six and continuing through young adulthood. Zarini also blames her mother, Patricia Gucci, for enabling the assaults, and her grandmother, Bruna Palombo, for ordering her granddaughter to “keep quiet and cover them up.” In the lawsuit, Zarini says she knew an assault was coming when she heard the ice clinking in Ruffalo’s whiskey glass as he would “stumble down
the hallway” and into her bedroom. She claims the assaults often occurred after her mother struck her, with Ruffalo using the incidents to “rescue,” isolate, and abuse her. While Gucci told the New York Times that Zarini disclosed the abuse to her doctor in 2007 and that she “immediately initiated divorce proceedings,” she added that she is “devastated by the allegations against me, which are completely false.” Zarini says the abuse left her with mental health issues, such as obsessively bathing, pulling her hair out, and attempting suicide in high school. “What he has been informed of, he vehemently and categorically denies,” Ruffalo’s lawyer told the New York Times. “Mr. Ruffalo and his wife were greatly concerned about the mental wellbeing of Alexandra and took steps to address her instability. Apparently, their efforts failed.” Zarini’s lawyer, ClaireLise Kutlay, tells Los Angeles, “She has made this brave decision so she can obtain accountability and justice and raise awareness. She has bravely stepped forward where others have not.” Zarini filed the suit in time for the launch of her anti-child-abuse nonprofit, the Alexandra Gucci Foundation, and though she expects to be disinherited from the family fortune, she says any money she wins will go to the foundation. — I . S .
60,000
BUYING BOB EVANS
W
hen legendary movie mogul Robert Evans died in October 2019, he left behind a Beverly Hills hideeaway packed with dapper clothes, old movie scripts, and mundane personal effects. The trove fetched $1.7 million at Julien’s Auctions. A few highlights:
Monogrammed bar towels Estimate: $150-$250 Actual: $1,280
Evans cel from Cartoon Network’s Kid Notorious Estimate: $200-$400 Actual: $1,250
Spanish leather vest Estimated Price: $300-$500 Actual: $448
1971 Golden Globe won by ex-wife Ali MacGraw Estimate: 0 $1,000-$2,000 Actual: $22,400
Leather-bound Chinatown script inscribed by screenwriter Robert Towne Estimate: $8,000-$10,000 Actual: $40,625
Embroidered scarlet-red silk robe Estimate $150-250 Actual: $1,562.50 Battered 1980 passport Estimate: $800-$1,200 Actual: $2,240 ‘Wor Bitch’ cap ‘Work Part of o a lot of six baseball caps Estimate: $150-$250 Estim Actual: $384 Actua —CHRIS NICHOLS
L A M AG . C O M 23
Buzz
ENVIRONMENT
Recycling’s Dumpster Fire COVID-RELATED HOME DELIVERIES ARE ADDING MOUNTAINS OF WASTE TO L.A.’S ALREADY-STRESSED RECYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE BY SUSAN CARPENTER
L
I F T T H E L I D on most of
L.A.’s blue bins and amid the plastic bottles and food containers you’ll now find disposable masks, gloves, delivery packaging, and other COVID-related trash. The pandemic is exacerbating a problem 30 years in the making, ever since the city first instituted its residential curbside recycling program: what to do with all that waste? Of the 800 tons of recyclables L.A. Sanitation and Environment hauls away each day, about a quarter are incinerated or bulldozed into landfills. The good news: plastic bottles, detergent jugs, and clamshell food containers—plastics numbers 1 through 3—are still being recycled because there are buyers for them. But not so those staples of home deliveries—the plastic grocery bags, polystyrene containers, and the rest of the numbers 4 through 7 plastics. It’s been almost three years since China put the kibosh on accepting recyclables, not just from Los Angeles es r, but anywhere in the world. This year, L.A. is on track to spend $20 million to get rid of its recyclable waste, when six years ago it was making a $4 million profit, thanks largely to now-banned sales to China. “We had grown very complacent with our reliance on the China market,” says Enrique Zaldivar, general manager of Sanitation and Environment, “to the point where we thought it would be there forever and didn’t develop any alternatives.” Under Mayor Eric Garcetti’s Green New Deal, Los Angeles is supposed to phase out Styrofoam by 2021, end the use of plastic straws and singleuse takeout containers by 2028, and stop sending trash to landfills by 2050. Which leaves L.A. with the contradiction of transforming itself into a zero-waste city but with few
24 L A M AG . C O M
“We had grown complacent and didn’t develop any alternatives.” ENRIQUE ZALDIVAR, L.A. SANITATION AND ENVIRONMENT
options, for now, to get there. A ballot initiative, the California Recycling and Plastic Pollution Reduction Act of 2020, never made it to voters earlier this year. In September, lawmakers in Sacramento killed SB 54, a companion bill to AB 1080, which is still under consideration and would require all single-use plastics to be recyclable, reusable, or
compostable. Meanwhile, Sanitation and Environment has started pilot programs to localize recycling—one approach will repurpose plastic bottles into asphalt for paving—but these are small scale and will take years to implement. “L.A. has a problem that everyone faces,” says Dave Vaughn, executive vice president of Athens Services, one of seven companies the city contracts to pick up recyclables and sort them into individual commodities like aluminum, paper, or PET plastics. So what are environmentally conscious Angelenos to do? According to Zaldivar, continue throwing paper, aluminum, and all seven forms of putatively recyclable plastics into the blue bins while the city figures out new methods of disposing of them. In some are putting into the meantime, mean prac practice the longstanding greenie m mantra: reduce and reuse. Joseph and Lauren Macrino are co-owners of Tare, a plastics-free grocery T sto in Highland Park that store opened on Earth Day and sells more than 400 products without single-use packaging, from flour and vinegar to plant-based milks, tofu, and condiments. Originally, customers were to bring their own containers, weigh them, fill them, and subtract the weight of the container when they paid, but the pandemic has forced the store to pivot and pay staff to do the weighing and filling. “Food packaging is one of the biggest areas of single-use plastic,” says Lauren, who recalls plucking plastic bag after plastic bag from the beach in her hometown in Australia. She has since reappraised her relationship with recycling. “I was always in this utopia, thinking you put it in a recycling bin and there’s no waste,” she says. “That’s not the case at all.” P H O T O G R A P H Y BY WA L RU S
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Inside Guide GLIMMER GIRL
Vanessa Kirby is an Oscar frontrunner for her turn as a bereaved mother in Pieces of a Woman.
PHOTO BY MIKE MARSLAND/WIREIMAGE
M ov i e s
Action Star
Plus > Michael J. Fox’s inspiring next act PAGE 32
> The best holiday lights and delights PAGE 38
BRITISH BEAUTY VANESSA KIRBY COULD EASILY HAVE GONE THE COSTUME-DRAMA ROUTE. INSTEAD, SHE’S CHOSEN PHYSICALLY DEMANDING ROLES—AND OSCAR BUZZ
> How cannabis tonic is replacing wine
BY MERLE GINSBERG
PAGE 48
L A M AG . C O M 27
THE INSIDE GUIDE
ANESSA KIRBY HAS
had an action-packed few years—literally. After a breakout role as Princess Margaret on the first two seasons of The Crown, the predictable path for someone with her delicate features and exacting elocution would have been to play British blue blood after British blue blood. Instead, she opted for badasses, playing the arms dealer/ psychopath White Widow in Mission: Impossible—Fallout, and Jason Statham’s tough-guy sister/sidekick, Hattie, in Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. “I’ve always really wanted to play women who are messy, passionate, not in control, very real—like Gena Rowlands in Woman Under the Influence,” Kirby says via Zoom from London, where she grew up the daughter of a surgeon and a magazine editor. “She and Jessica Lange were my heroes. I was waiting for my turn to play that kind of emotional force of nature.” She’s getting that turn now. In September, Kirby wowed at the Venice Film Festival for her roles in two dark indies: a married frontierwatch. Birth can be grotesque; but swoman who falls in love with her it’s completely magic and sacred. female friend in The World to Come I feel that’s life. I watched a ton of and a grief-stricken mother in Pieces movies with births, but of a Woman. they were sanitized Kirby won the best versions. Eventually, I actress prize at Venice wrote to obstetricians for the latter, which airs “I’ve always about observing. The January 7 on Netflix, after doctor who delivered showing in theaters for a really wanted week in December. The to play women Katherine Waterston’s baby (her costar in The opening of the film finds who are messy, World to Come) finally her playing a pregnant passionate, said I could shadow woman who goes into not in control, a birth. I sat there for labor at home with her very real.” five hours taking in husband (Shia LeBeouf ) a very difficult one— and a less-than-compeforceps, no painkillers. tent midwife. In one The woman delivering continuous shot, Kirby felt really sick, really screams, cries, belches, queasy. So, oddly, when we were and nearly vomits for 30 minutes. shooting me in labor, I really did feel “I’m so glad you brought up the nauseous—and just burped! Didn’t burping!” the 32-year-old says. mean to! I didn’t think about it till “That’s sort of my philosophy, encapafter Venice, when women started sulated by the burping: some things coming up to me saying, ‘Thank you in life are just messy, unpalatable to
28 L A M AG . C O M
B A R E LY H OL D I NG ON
In Pieces of a Woman (premiering on Netflix January 7), Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf portray a young couple grieving the loss of a child who died at birth.
for the burping!’” Next up, Kirby is headed back to Venice to shoot Mission Impossible 7 and 8. She has nothing but praise for costar Tom Cruise, and she says they both find reports of their supposed off-screen romance hilarious. “Any single woman he shoots with instantly becomes his tabloid girlfriend,” says Kirby, who is single after splitting from her longtime actor-boyfriend, Callum Turner, in February. “But Tom really is the loveliest, the hardest-working man in show business, with a great work ethic. And he tells a great Kubrick story. I’ve learned so much from him.” She adds, “He and I were laughing on the phone the other day about me being his future ex-wife.”
CO U RT E SY O F N E T F L I X
V
M OV I E S
Eyes on the Prize WITH A SLATE LOUSY WITH PRESTIGE PICS—AND VIEWERS AND VOTERS STUCK AT HOME—NETFLIX COULD FINALLY NAB A BEST PICTURE WIN BY MERLE GINSBERG
S
E V E N Y E A R S A G O , the Hollywood establishment snickered when Netflix, originally launched as a DVD-rental-by-mail service in 1997, entered the content-creating game with House of Cards. “Everyone thought they were nuts,” says one industry insider. Now, with COVID-19 wreaking havoc on theatrical releases, the streamer may be having the last laugh. “For a long time, Netflix had a lot of resentment aimed their way,” explains veteran awards marketer Stu Zakim, also an Academy member. “But the pandemic only helps them. They’re the savior, the white knight, of the whole film business. They’re bailing out studio films that lost distribution, and they didn’t have to shift release dates. Whatever good will they didn’t have is now definitely headed their way.” Netflix cohead Ted Sarandos had his heart set on taking the top trophy for Alfonso Cuarón’s Roma in 2019, but sappy Green Book took home the big prize, although Cuarón nabbed a statuette for directing. After the loss, Netflix brass berated their awards-campaign teams, telling them, “We didn’t spend
millions for best director!” In 2020, Netflix again failed to nab the big prize, despite a slate that included Martin Scorcese’s The Irishman and Noah Baumbach’s Marriage Story. In 2021, Sarandos may finally get his big win. Netflix is creating more prestige programming than anyone, they have an ideal distribution model for COVID-19 times, and old Hollywood has warmed to the company—and even come to work for it, likely for a great deal more money than they were being paid at the studios. Plus they’ve got awards veteran Lisa Taback—known for spearheading successful Oscar campaigns for The English Patient, Shakespeare in Love, Chicago, The King’s Speech, and The Artist—leading the charge with an Oscars marketing budget reportedly as high as $100 million, several times what competitors can spend. “I admit I’d always trash their films because, hey, they had every advantage,” says the industry insider. “Now I just signed a contract with them. And all I can say is, ‘Hallelujah!’ By next year, the whole town will be working for them.”
Here’s a look at Netflix’s biggest Oscar contenders coming out in late November and December
H I L L B I L LY E L E GY
MANK
M A R A I N EY’S B L AC K B O T T O M
T H E M I D N I G H T S KY
> Ron Howard directs Amy
> In David Fincher’s latest,
Gary Oldman plays harddrinking Herman J. Mankiewicz as he struggles to finish the script for Citizen Kane. Remarkably retro in both look and sound, the film is garnering raves for its technical achievements—and likely endearing it to below-theline Academy members. Oldman and Amanda Seyfried are also getting early acclaim. December 4
> Denzel Washington
produces; the source material is an August Wilson play about 1920s jazz musicians; it stars Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman in his final performance—this film is steeped in Oscar cred. Boseman could score two Oscar noms, for his role here and in another Netflix film, released over the summer: Spike Lee’s Da 5 Bloods. December 18
George Clooney, directs and stars in this big-budget sci-fi thriller about a lone scientist in the Arctic attempting to alert a spaceship crew about how dystopian Earth has become. With its topical subject matter—and Oscar-winning composer (Alexandre Desplat) and editor (Stephen Mirrione) on the crew—this horse has multiple shots at the gold. December 23
Adams and Glenn Close in the cinematic version of J. D. Vance’s bestselling memoir about three generations of an Appalachian family dealing with extreme poverty. Oscar voters love an unglam turn, so Close, playing a Kentucky matriarch, might finally get the trophy that has eluded her, despite seven noms over the years. November 24
> Mr. Oscar-bait himself,
L A M AG . C O M 29
The Inside Guide
BOOKS
A recurring bit in the book is that the bathroom is your most creative space. Why is that? The bathroom is the one place in life that is completely acceptable at all times to be like, ‘I’m going to be alone and no one can come in and interrupt me.’ I can spend as long as I want in there without anyone jumping on my ass. What’s the best piece you ever wrote in the bathroom? Are we counting the tub? The lyrics to the song “The Math of Love Triangles” [from Crazy Ex-Girlfriend]. Not counting the tub, some pretty good tweets.
The Full Bloom
RACHEL BLOOM’S DELIGHTFULLY HONEST PERSONAL ESSAYS ARE RICH IN EMBARRASSMENT BY A N DY L E W IS
I N H E R F I R S T book, I Want to Be Where the
Normal People Are (November 17), Rachel Bloom has transformed the things most of us try to conceal—being unpopular in high school, dealing with depression, pooping—into delightful, squirm-inducing stories. Naturally, the always-candid creator of My Crazy Ex-Girlfriend says she’s especially enjoying recording the audiobook. “Its very theatrical,” enthuses the 33-year-old Manhattan Beach native who now lives in Silver Lake with her husband, writer-producer Dan Gregor, and their baby daughter. Here, she discusses creativity and parenthood. 30 L A M AG . C O M
One of the things I thought was powerful in the book was your writing about being bullied both as a kid and as a young writer and learning to speak up for yourself. Do you think #MeToo is having a ripple effect on bullying in Hollywood? I like to think that it is. That being said, I think that sometimes when you’re bullied at a job, especially in Hollywood, it’s not someone saying, “You suck” or “Fuck you.” And in the instance I talked about in the book, it’s harder to define. [Bloom confronted a former colleague about how she felt the writer’s room was a hostile environment.] The problem with all of this is that you need people to really understand nuance. They understand the bluntness of “Harvey Weinstein’s a rapist” or “Jeffrey Tambor is straight up screaming at people.” But when it comes to the overall culture, I think it’s a little harder to change because it’s a little harder to define.
You grew up in L.A. and now you’re going to raise a child here. What’s good and what’s bad about raising a child in Los Angeles? The things that I worry about aren’t really specific to L.A., but specific to the fact that both her parents work in entertainment and one of them is somewhat well-known. I’m nervous about the dysfunction that comes from privilege and wealth. I’m apprehensive of that Los Angeles entertainment bubble. I worry that it doesn’t make for well-rounded people. Are you discovering a lot of fun kid music now? Oh, yeah. There are kid bands that are almost like these indie bands that are really cool. Raffi is just the shit. Does it make you interested in doing something for kids? It makes me think about songs of mine that, with just a couple of lyrics tweaks, could easily be children’s songs. Do you have a song in mind? “Ghost Snake.” It’s a real B-side track from my first album. My friend who is a kindergarten teacher said to me, “It says, ‘I’m a motherfucking ghost snake.’ If you changed that to, like, ‘Mama-flipping ghost snake,’ that song would be the perfect children’s song.” What’s next? I have a bunch of potential things I want to pitch. But the biggest thing is for my daughter to stop having her sleep regression. If I have a real goal for my life, that’s the one.
The Inside Guide
THE ORIGINALS
IRONY WILL Fox has said his life got exponentially better after his diagnosis.
Survivor
IN HIS LATEST BOOK, MICHAEL J. FOX CONFRONTS THE LIMITS OF “COMMODIFYING HOPE” AS HE DEALS WITH THE RELENTLESS PROGRESSION OF HIS PARKINSON’S DISEASE BY ANDREW GOLDMAN
O N E E A R LY M O R N I N G in the summer of 2018, on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, Michael J. Fox found himself writhing in agony on his kitchen floor. A hard fall had shattered his arm. It did no good to scream for help; his wife of 32 years, actress Tracy Pollan, who had picked him up from so many falls in the past, was 300 miles away, in Martha’s Vineyard. In this lowest of moments, while trying to drag himself, commando-style, with his one good arm, to the phone across the room, he decided he might at last be out of the making-lemons-intolemonade business. “I had no optimistic happy talk for this, no “Cheer up, Mike” thing I could give myself. I had nothing but regret and shame,” he tells me on a recent afternoon in his office, for the latest episode of Los Angeles’s podcast, The Originals. “I thought about how I’ve been trying to sell optimism as a panacea, how I was really glib about it. And here I am with a broken arm, and I just feel like shit.” His arm is healed and he’s in good spirits and walking on his own again, but the admission is nonetheless dispiriting, a bit like hearing Mr. Rogers declare that, on second thought, he’s decided we’re not all so special after all. In the 30 years since learning, at 29, that a persistent twitching pinky was a symptom of early-onset Parkinson’s disease, at every turn, Fox has been an inspirational figure, the kind of person 3 2 L A M AG . C O M
who, despite his personal discomfort with maudlin displays of admiration, tends to bring audiences to their feet whenever he appears publicly. Parkinson’s patients look to him as an exemplar of glass-half-fullness. “Commodifying hope,” is what he labeled his personal brand of optimism. And, as laid out with humor and unflinching honesty in three best-selling memoirs—his latest, No Time Like the Future: An Optimist Considers Mortality, was published November 17—this optimism allowed him to achieve far more than he did in his prior life as the healthy A-list star of the Back to the Future trilogy. He saved his marriage by quitting drinking; added three daughters to his brood and a fifth Emmy to his collection for his guest arc on Rescue Me; starred in The Michael J. Fox Show, an NBC sitcom that made light of his health travails; and started a his eponymous foundation that has raised nearly a billion dollars for Parkinson’s research—all while getting progressively sicker. His life, he declared, was exponentially better after his diagnosis than it had been before. Somehow, an incurable, degenerative disease brought Fox the kind of clarity, mindfulness, and appreciation for living in the moment that those of us who are healthy spend our entire lives chasing, mostly in vain. “It was one of the great ironies of my life that only when it became virtually impossible for me to keep my body from moving would I find the peace, security, and spiritual strength to stand in one place,” he once noted. “I couldn’t be still until PH O T O GR A PH Y BY M A R K S E L I GE R
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The Inside Guide
THE ORIGINALS
could—literally—no longer keep still.” parkinsonian symptoms—the resting Fox became a young wise man; his tremors, the poverty of movement, called friends began jokingly referring to him as bradykinesia, have become progressively “Gandhi.” Recently, some wits on Twitter more pronounced. He’s totally lost his took perverse delight in Rush Limbaugh’s sense of taste, and speaking has become tearful announcement that he was more difficult. He apologizes for his dying of cancer, given that, in 2006, he’d speech being a bit slurred, like he’s fallen heartlessly accused Fox of faking his off the wagon and had a few. Owing to Parkinson’s symptoms for a pro-stem-cell balance issues, golf, which he took up political ad. Fox refuses to join in on the fun. “I believe in karma to an extent,” he says. “I look SUPER TROUPER Fox no longer acts, but at it as: a seed planted “I can still tell a story, will be a tree that grows. and maybe people get Then you’ve got a tree something out of it.” full of apples. I like that karma.” Fox’s particular Zen armor came under assault that morning in 2018, when, as he writes, the fates served him up a “shit salad.” Doctors had previously discovered a tumor on his spine that, left untreated, would paralyze him. After months spent recuperating from surgery, he took that hard fall in his kitchen, splintering his humerus from shoulder to elbow, necessitating surgery and 19 screws to fasten a steel plate onto his shattered bone. The accident left him immobile, in a deep depression, heaping recriminations on himself for what he After his accident, perceived as the carelessness that affected everyone in his life, most notably Pollan, Fox says, “I had no whose patience with him he describes as optimistic happy talk “Thank you, sir! May I have another?” “I blamed myself because I did it,” I could give myself.” he says. “Parkinson’s, I didn’t do. The tumor, I didn’t do. I was yelling at myself. I was so angry. I felt like I let everybody post-diagnosis and looked forward to on down. It was the worst I’d felt since the annual trips with his close friends George early days of Parkinson’s on Spin City, Stephanopoulos and writer Harlan when I would beat my arm up because Coben, has become nearly impossible. it wouldn’t stop [moving involuntarily] As for acting, Fox says, “I think I’m when it was time for me to do my scene done working.” He says he can no longer in front of the audience.” in good conscience expect shows to By Fox’s own admission, his health schedule around his symptoms. Speaking sucks and will only suck more. The 3 4 L A M AG . C O M
and remembering lines have become an issue. He bids adieu to these twin passions with trademark equanimity. “Like Tracy said after we sold our house in the country, the one the kids had grown up in: ‘This house owes us nothing,’” he writes. “I feel the same way about my second act, and golf, too, for that matter. They both took me further than I expected, to places I may never visit again.” And as words increasingly elude him, he’s grappling with the fact that in addition to near physical paralysis, he’ll possibly experience memory loss, dementia, and paranoid delusions. So, naturally, who would blame Fox if he decided to turn over his happy-talk megaphone to someone with a slightly less dire prognosis? In 1998, while still hiding his diagnosis from the public and his Spin City colleagues, he underwent a thalamotomy, surgery to kill the section of his brain that caused his primary Parkinson’s symptom, a pronounced left side tremor. Two weeks after surgery, the tremor was totally gone. But it was immediately replaced by a brand-new tremor on his right side. The progressive disease did what it had to do—progress—and so did Fox. He did all he could do, which, as he once put it, was “just show up and do the best that I could with whatever lay in front of me.” The best he can do right now is sharing the thoughts of his still-agile mind in his books. “If you’re a creative person, you need an outlet for your creativity,” Fox says. “I draw, but I can’t draw anymore. I play guitar, but I can’t play guitar as well anymore. I act, but I find limitations in that, limitations in my memorization of lines. But I can still tell a story. And maybe people get something out of it. And that’s not my business. It’s my business to just tell the story.”
Explore Art with Us Visit Getty from home with art, podcasts, videos, and more. Read, watch, listen, and learn at getty.edu/art. Untitled Rayograph (detail), 1922, Man Ray. Gelatin silver print. The J. Paul Getty Museum. Š Man Ray Trust ARS-ADAGP. Text and design: Š J. Paul Getty Trust
The Inside Guide
MIXED MEDIA
A Cut Below
great things, which are surely what lured Coppola back. The biggest change with Coda comes at the beginning, where a scene between mafioso Michael Corleone and an archbishop has been moved up half an hour. Coppola has also cut the film back from nearly three hours to about two and a half, probably due to common complaints by critics that the movie is too long, which isn’t actually the case. A narrative can seem too long when, in fact, it’s too short— A NEW EDIT OF THE GODFATHER: PART III FAILS TO when the pace is so frantic in an attempt to keep viewers’ IMPROVE UPON FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA’S attention in an ADHD culture that the story’s emotional LONG-MALIGNED ENDING TO HIS GREAT AMERICAN EPIC stakes are not sufficiently established. BY STEVE ERICKSON The biggest and most irrecoverable problem with Godfather III, however, is its godfather. Of the many great things R IGI N A L LY R E L E A S E D I N 1990, The Godfather: in the first two movies, nothing is greater than Al PaciPart III was never going to live up to expectations. no’s performance of war hero Michael Corleone transformMaybe because it wasn’t so much a failure as a ing into a nihilistic mobster, as supreme a piece of acting missed opportunity, it became a movie that both as any in American film, ironically Oscarless even as it’s fans and critics remade in their heads over the decades. Even bookended by two Oscar-winning performances by Marwriter-director Francis Ford Coppola has indulged in various lon Brando and Robert De Niro. In Part III, Pacino’s peredits of his oft-maligned film, from when it was first released formance is never bad; often he’s very good. But by that on DVD in 2001 to a “new” version called The Godfather, point in his career, Pacino had turned into an outsize acCoda: The Death of Michael Corleone, available on Blu-ray tor. It doesn’t make sense for his Michael—this Cain who and various digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Vidslew Abel, sitting alone outside in the shadows at the end eo, December 8. The first of Part II—to be an outsize two parts of The Godfather— character. He’s portrayed made in the early 1970s and as a larger-than-life “Uncle Al Pacino in The Godfather: Part III winning nine Oscars beMikey” who cracks Tony tween them, including two Bennett jokes, and that’s a Best Picture awards—are, misconception of charactogether, the Great Ameriter that can’t be salvaged can Epic, a grand, six-hour in the editing room. noir in which the femme faUnderstandably, the tale is the Statue of Liberty. release of Coda will lead With he rise of a crime famaudiences to expect a difily paralleling the rise of the ferent movie. So I have to American dream, the parts report that I’ve watched were already melded into both Coda and the origia single legend in the aunal Part III back to back, dience’s mind by the time and, other than the first the third part came along scene, damned if I can Coda is an alternate version of a movie that tell much difference. At almost two decades later was an alternate version to begin with, (both in real time and the this point, there are some narrative time line). half a dozen iterations of a fever dream of Michael’s future in lieu of The Godfather: Part III the film among the varithe void to which he’s clearly doomed. was accompanied from the ous video, DVD, and cable outset by a slight whiff of channel versions, whose desperation. Coppola opendistinctions are nuanced ly admitted at the time to needing the money. The studio at best. The closest to definitive is the 170-minute DVD/ was unwilling to pay Robert Duvall what he deserved to Blu-ray that came out in 2008. It has an extra eight minreturn. Coppola’s daughter, Sofia—just 18 at the time and utes of texture, lyricism, and sweep, and it echoes most resdoomed to unjustly become the film’s scapegoat—was cast onantly the “I believe in America” credo that’s muttered in in the role that Winona Ryder abandoned at the last minute. the first Godfather’s opening shadows before we even know (Sofia’s success as a filmmaker in her own right has been her who’s speaking. Ultimately, Coda is an alternate version of best revenge.) Worst of all, a struggling Paramount pushed a movie that was an alternate version to begin with, a fever to get the film out as quickly and cheaply as possible. An undream of Michael’s future in lieu of the void to which he’s even movie hiding a better one, Godfather III is still full of clearly doomed. 36 L A M AG . C O M
CO U RT E SY PA R A M O U N T P I C T U R E S
O
The Inside Guide
FESTIVITIES
Holiday On Ice
SURE, CELEBRATING IS DIFFERENT THIS YEAR, BUT BELOVED TRADITIONS OLD AND NEW SHINE ON BY SEAN FITZ-GERALD AND CHRIS NICHOLS
A ROAD SHOW > When you first approach the new drivethrough attraction Elf on the Shelf: A Magical Holiday Journey, one of Santa’s cheerful helpers comes out to scan your car’s level of “Christmas spirit.” It may be found to be distressingly low—after all, it’s 2020—but it’s nothing that a cruise through a wonderland can’t recharge. The Broadway-style production features a cast of 50, an original score, and nearly a mile of oversize sets by award-winning designer David Korins (Hamilton, Dear Evan Hansen, the 2019 Oscars). Constellation Immersive, a just-launched division of CAA, is the producer behind it all. $20 to $75, through January 3; Pomona Fairplex, 1101 W. McKinley Ave., Pomona; elfontheshelfjourney.com.
Trees Of Light > COVID concerns almost made Altadena’s Christmas Tree Lane—a mile-long display of lights nestled in the boughs of 188 enormous cedar trees—go dark this season, its 100th. But organizers managed to keep the event alive by encouraging visitors to celebrate the spectacle through their windshields rather than on foot. This year’s drive-through light show will magically appear early in December (to discourage crowds, organizers have not announced an opening night). Visitors will be able to download an app that helps them join in on the music, history, and magic of the lane as they drive by. Dates TBD; christmastreelane.net.
The Holy Sea > Decorated watercraft will parade along Newport Harbor’s 14-mile perimeter for the 112th Newport Beach Christmas Boat Parade. Watch from Balboa Island, Marina Park, or your couch—for the first time, Newport is livestreaming the festivities, including a contest for bestdecorated waterfront home. Free to watch; December 16–20; Newport Harbor, Newport Beach, christmasboatparade.com.
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Windows on the Westside > Head west for some easy cheer. In Santa Monica, local artists are decorating the Third Street Promenade’s vacant storefront windows with timely holiday tableaux. In Beverly Hills, you’ll find mannequins posing on the Rodeo Drive median for Visions of Holiday Glamour, a Fashion Week-inspired floral fête. Free, November 21-January 3.
Green Tide > Catch Long Beach’s famous floating Christmas trees nightly in Alamitos Bay and Colorado Lagoon. Follow the 77 trees from Bayshore Beach by driving along Corso Di Oro, Vista Del Golfo, and Corso Di Napoli. Or, if you’re feeling adventurous, rent a Hydrobike or gondola to get up close, and then cruise through the decked-out Naples Canals. Free (additional cost for bike and boat rental), November 27January 1.
Path Of Light > Descanso Gardens won’t have its elaborate Enchanted Forest this year, but you can enjoy Reflections at Descanso instead. Go for a meditative (and masked) walk through the gardens and take in its holiday centerpiece, a Christmas tree sculpture by artist Kaz Yokou Kitajima upon which you can hang a wish—for a vaccine, perhaps—for the new year. $5–$15 (kids under five gratis), 1418 Descanso Drive, La Cañada, descansogardens.org.
A Cut Above > Since 1952, Pasadena’s Upper Hasting Ranch Holiday Light Up has been putting on the glitz. Carolers will be a no-go this year, but the neighborhood will still flaunt its festive, homemade wood cut-outs, which you can admire from your car while tuning into KGGI (99.1-FM) for Christmas ditties. Free; December 12–January 2; enter at Riviera Drive and Sierra Madre Boulevard, Pasadena, facebook.com/UHRAPasadena.
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Malibu Country Mart A holiday daycation for the whole family he 2020 holiday season is sure to be one unlike any we’ve seen in the last century, and that calls for an entirely new wintertime shopping experience. Gone are the days of eagerly joining the mobs at crowded shopping malls and braving shoulder-to-shoulder checkout lines at the big box stores. Instead, local boutiques and a peaceful atmosphere surrounding a tree-lined park may be more your speed. Enter Malibu Country Mart, Southern California’s premier seaside destination for shopping, dining and a welcome breath of fresh ocean air. Featuring more than 50 retail shops and eight cafes and restaurants, many of them locally owned and operated, the venerable center offers something for everyone — all served at a relaxing pace. Tucked away along the coastline in the heart of the Malibu Civic Center, Malibu Country Mart is a short daytrip away from any part of the greater Los Angeles region. Most visitors enjoy the scenic drive up Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Monica, while others head southeast from nearby Ventura County. Others crest the hill from Thousand Oaks, Westlake Village, Calabasas or Woodland Hills, the Pacific sparkling before them as they approach from the north. Upon arrival, passing by the carefully curated art pieces and bubbling fountains, you’ll want to take a stroll through the beautifully-manicured grounds. Beginning near the oversized Christmas tree, head counter-clockwise around the park and eco-friendly children’s play area. Stop first at the Malibu Colony Co., a local favorite for gifts, home décor, fine jewelry, bedding, candles and more. Then continue along to Faherty and All Things Bell, each Southern California-owned retailers featuring the latest in casual, beachside fashion.
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The park at the heart of Malibu Country Mart is the perfect place to relax for a family picnic during a carefree day of holiday shopping.
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For a midday bite, pick up a smoothie from SunLife Organics, a burger from Malibu Mutt’s Grill, a deli or bakery item from Malibu Kitchen or a gourmet sandwich from John’s Garden — you guessed it, all locally owned (to get in the holiday spirit even more, try The Pilgrim, a John’s Garden specialty featuring roasted turkey breast and cranberry sauce, reasonably priced at $12). For a caffeine fix, Starbucks has all your favorites, and trendsetting coffee purveyor, Alfred, will soon follow suit with the upcoming debut of Alfred Malibu. From there, venture into the mysterious, fashion-forward Chrome Hearts or Malibu’s favorite men’s store, John Varvatos. You also won’t want to miss ba&sh, home to carefree femininity and effortless French style. And that’s just the beginning. Toy Crazy will become your new favorite place to find toys and gifts for the kids. Tobi Tobin and K Chocolatier will satisfy your sweet tooth with decadent chocolate creations. If you don’t have a fortune, get yours told to you at Malibu Shaman. M.Fredric, Nomad Malibu, Ron Herman, gorjana, Encore and Sunroom complement PAIGE, Vince, Vuori (sure to be a new Malibu destination) and Ralph Lauren’s Double RL. For the latest eyewear trends, visit Oliver Peoples or Malibu-owned 9026-Eyes. For a beauty pick-me-up or a gift for that special someone, try Beauty Collection or the award-winning Cie Salon. We could go on, but you get the picture. As the day winds down, the twinkling holiday lights will guide you to one of Malibu Country Mart’s beloved fine dining establishments. Tra di Noi, a longtime local favorite, serves up Italian comfort food in a serene setting next to the park. Taverna Tony, the region’s premier Greek restaurant, features Malibu’s favorite outdoor dining patio and generous portions of souvlaki, spanakopita and dolmathes. Yes, that can be a mouthful. They’ll be joined this winter by Lucky’s, a Montecito institution branching out down the California coast with their delicious array of gourmet steaks, chops, seafood and cocktails. Upon returning home, appropriately-nourished and relaxed from your cheerful excursion, the car full of holiday goodies, a thought may enter your mind: when can I make my next trip to the Malibu Country Mart?
Malibu Country Mart is home to some of the West Coast’s best outdoor dining, including Tra di Noi and Taverna Tony (pictured), home of the Greek feast.
The Inside Guide
FESTIVITIES
Nice and Naughty THESE DECADENT SEASONAL DESSERTS DEFINITELY BELONG ON THE “GOOD” LIST B Y H E AT H E R P L AT T P H O T O G R A P H E D B Y K Y L E D AV I D M O R E N O
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1. Margarita Manzke’s
Strawberry Roll features housemade vanilla cream. $42 at République, 624 S. La Brea Ave., Hancock Park, republiquela.com.
1
5. A vibrant Cuban
Mango Mousse Cake is light, fluffy, fruity, and fun. $27 at Porto’s Bakery, locations at portosbakery.com.
2. This Bûche de Noël is
covered with chocolate mousse and adorable decorations. $55 at Lark Cake Shop, locations at larkcakeshop.com.
6. Austrian Linzer Torte Bars are a Röckenwagner family favorite. $4 each at Röckenwagner Bakery, 12835 Washington Blvd., Culver City, rockenwagner.com.
3
3. These Almond Cookies
can be ordered in festive tins. $3.99/dozen at Phoenix Bakery, 969 N. Broadway, Chinatown, phoenixbakeryinc.com.
2
4. Filled with almond
paste or vanilla cream, Saffron Buns are a traditional Swedish Christmas treat. $6 each at bullebakery.com.
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8. These Holiday Truffles are festive no matter what you’re celebrating, and can even be customized with your own designs at an additional cost. $55 for 20 at Valerie Confections, locations at valerieconfections.com.
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7. This traditional German Stollen is filled with dried fruit and marzipan. $38 at Lucques Catering, 345 N. Maple Dr., Ste. 100; Beverly Hills, lucquescatering.com.
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The Inside Guide
R E S TA U R A N T S W E L L H U NG
At Dear John’s in Culver City, dedicated mask hooks feature a Frank Sinatra quote.
The Hookup AT A RETRO-TINGED STEAKHOUSE, A CHIC PLACE FOR PATRONS TO HANG THEIR MASKS BRINGS SOME MUCH-NEEDED FRIVOLITY TO EATING OUT IN THE ERA OF COVID-19
WHEN FILMMAKER CHRISTOPHER Guest and his wife, actress Jamie Lee Curtis, were recently dining at Dear John’s, they brought up the issue of what to do with their masks while eating. “Christopher quipped that they should have ‘mask hooks,’” recalls Curtis. The Culver City steakhouse’s co-owners, Patti and Hans Röckenwagner, quickly took action, installing tiny hooks next to each of the 30 seats on the restaurant’s patio. To provide a clean surface for patrons’ masks to brush up against, the Röckenwagners decided to hang disposable cards 4 4 L A M AG . C O M
on the hooks. And to keep things stylish and fun—something the Röckenwagners have made great efforts to do since reopening the restaurant with chef Josiah Citrin last year— they designed the cards with a line from Frank Sinatra, who was a regular at Dear John’s back in the day. “You gotta love livin’, baby, ’cause dyin’ is a pain in the ass,” the placards read. Patti says the quote walks the line between practicality and playfulness, a tricky balance in pandemic times. “It captures the spirit of being safe but not being a downer,” she says. “Because you’re coming to a restaurant to have fun.”
P H OTO G R A P H BY JACQ U I E J O
BY HAILEY EBER
The Inside Guide
W H E R E T O E AT N O W
New & Notable Damian A RT S D I S T R I C T
The Son Also Rises
AT HIS NEW WEST HOLLYWOOD RESTAURANT, WOLFGANG PUCK IS COOKING UP VIBRANT CAL-ASIAN FARE—AND PASSING THE TORCH TO HIS 26-YEAR-OLD SON B Y A N D Y WA N G
I T H H I S L A T E S T restaurant,
will be his son Byron, 26, who will serve as the chef Wolfgang Puck is both general manager for both Merois and Ospero. reflecting on his glorious past and A front-of-house star who has managed Spago planning for a bright future. in Beverly Hills for the past two years, Byron Merois, Puck’s new Asianalso loves being in the back-of-house and has inspired bistro, is perched above Sunset Boucooked in the Puck test kitchen. levard on the rooftop of the Pendry West “I love meeting our guests, but I definitely see Hollywood. The location is meaningful for Puck, myself bouncing back and forth [between the who opened the original Spago on the Sunset kitchen and front-of-house],” says Byron, who Strip in 1982. That now-legendary restaurant started washing dishes at Spago when he was quickly became a celebrity hangout and a driving 12 and has cooked at fine-dining powerhouses force for vibrant California cuisine, with Puck’s like Chicago’s Alinea and Spain’s El Celler de Can smoked-salmon pizza becoming a star in its own Roca. “I love the creative side of the kitchen.” right. “For me, that’s where it all started,” Puck His jovial 71-year-old father says he’d love says, “looking out from for Byron, or one of his Spago, out on the city, and younger brothers, to evensaying, ‘Wow, L.A.’ And tually run the company. then having such a suc“I was approached many cessful restaurant beyond times to sell the business,” my wildest dreams.” Puck says. “I really don’t Puck is writing a new want to do that. Ideally, it chapter of his Sunset will stay a family business. story at the Pendry, where My dream is to look down he’ll be handling the food from heaven and say, ‘Oh for the entire property, my God, the kids are doing from Merois to in-room much better than I did.’” dining to a new café called 8430 Sunset Blvd., West A L L I N T H E FA M I LY Wolfgang Puck (right) and his son Byron. Ospero. And at his side Hollywood, pendry.com.
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The Barish H O L LY WO O D O Nancy Silverton’s first
new restaurant in seven years is a steakhouse with Italian flair in the Hollywood Roosevelt. Prosciutto and pasta share the menu with a wedge salad and New York strip steak. 7000 Hollywood Blvd., thehollywoodroosevelt.com.
Courage Bagels E A S T H O L LY WO O D O This long-awaited bagel
shop from a beloved farmers’ market vendor focuses on the relatively small, crispy Montreal version of the beloved bread. 777 N. Virgil Ave., couragebagels.com.
Adrift Burger Bar VENICE O Restaurateur David
Myers returns to L.A. with a joint that will serve a version of the burger he made at the late Comme Ça and other creations. 1025 Abbott Kinney Blvd., adriftburgerbarla.com. —HAILEY EBER
TO P : P H OTO G R A P H BY O S C A R Z AG A L . B OT TO M : P H OTO G R A P H BY M A R CO R I O S B O L L I N G E R .
C AV I A R D R E A M S
Marinated bigeye tuna with Kaluga caviar at Merois.
O Enrique Olvera’s highly anticipated L.A. debut has a stunning patio and equally stunning Mexican fare. Seafood dominates the menu, from a rockfish ceviche with olive kosho to albacore “carnitas.” Desserts, like a hibiscus meringue with pomegranate— a variation on the famous corn-husk meringue Olvera’s business partner, Daniela Soto-Innes, created at Damian’s “brother” restaurant, Cosme—are not to be missed. 2132 E. 7th Pl., damiandtla.com.
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The Inside Guide
DRINKS
The New Green Deal
DRINK—DON’T SMOKE—UP! SALES OF CANNABIS-INFUSED BEVERAGES ARE ON THE RISE, AND ONE LOCAL COMPANY, AND THE BUSINESS SCHOOL BROS WHO FOUNDED IT, ARE LEADING THE WAY B Y A L E X A N D R A I L YA S H O V
milligrams of THC, compared to the usual 5 or 10 milligrams. candies and chocolate bars. More and more can“We loved that Cann focused on low-calorie, low- and nabis consumers are opting to drink their drug controlled-dosage THC,” Massanet says. “We hope that one of choice. The cannabis beverage market, worth day Cann will be as successful as Coca-Cola.” $901.8 million in 2018, has grown 45 percent annually in Others in the industry are less bullish. “I don’t doubt the the past two years and is expected to reach $5.8 billion beverage category will be big, but there’s this perception by 2025. One of the category’s that it’s absolutely meteoric, and breakout hits is the Venice-based that’s just not the case yet,” says Cann. Launched in June 2019, Mitch Baruchowitz, managing Cann has quickly risen to the partner at Merida Capital Parttop of the category, thanks to its ners, a cannabis-focused private stylish packaging, subtle flavors, equity firm. “I’m not sure if concelebrity fans, and the businesssumers will walk into a dispenschool acumen of its founders. sary, look at 52 types of flower, “Cann is one of the brands edibles, patches, tinctures, subthat has really led the charge in lingual tablets, and then go, ‘Let making these beverages mainme look at the cooler and grab stream,” says Kiana Anvaripour, one of those drinks as well.’” the CMO of Sweet Flower, an Though Cann was designed L.A.-based dispensary with locafor fraternizing—it’s sold in sixtions in Studio City, downtown, packs that retail for $24 and the Fairfax district, and Westbills itself as a “social tonic”— it’s wood. Cann is Sweet Flower’s been quite popular in the antitop-selling cannabis beverage by T H I S BU D’S F OR YO U social pandemic era. After sellCann founders Jake Bullock (left) and Luke Anderson volume, accounting for 50 pering only 150,000 cans in its first met at Bain & Company and got interested in cannabis cent of total sales in the beverage beverages in an effort to drink less booze. six months in business in 2019, category. Sweet Flower’s Cann Cann sold 1.85 million cans in sales have doubled since March, the first ten months of 2020, and which Anvaripour attributes to boldfacers like Chelsea Handler have Instagrammed them“‘canna-curious’ consumers seeking healthier alternatives to selves drinking the product. “The marketing celebrities are help them manage the day-to-day.” doing on our behalf during COVID has been crazy,” says AnCann’s founders initially cooked up the product as an alcoderson. “We’ve never paid for posts in our company’s histohol alternative. “Our twenties were very, very heavy-drinking ry, and we have not been asking celebrities to post about the years. And now that we’re in our thirties, a hangover is debiliproduct.” Some celebs—including actors Gwyneth Paltrow, tating,” says cofounder Jake Bullock, 32, a Stanford business school grad who met his business partner, Luke Anderson, also 32, an alum of Harvard Business School, while they were working at Bain & Company consulting firm. The two thought of Cann as a way, Bullock says, “not to replace alcohol, but to drink 20 to 40 percent less than we did before.” It’s a philosophy in line with the way many are looking to live now. Half of U.S. adults say they’re trying to drink less alcohol, according to 2019 data from market research firm Nielsen. Investors have taken notice. In January, Cann raised $5 million in a funding round led by Imaginary, a retail-andtech venture capital firm cofounded by Natalie Massanet, the creator of Net-a-Porter, and cannabis VC firm JM10. Imaginary wasn’t expressly vying for a cannabis brand to back, but the idea of a chic alcohol substitute was appealing, as was the fact that Cann is relatively low dose: each beverage has just 2 4 8 L A M AG . C O M
CO U RT E SY C A N N
F O R G E T T H E M A N Y buzz-inducing gummy
L AG U N I TAS : C A N N AC R A F T; W U N D E R : CO U RT E SY W U N D E R ; PA B ST B LU E R I B B O N : CO U RT E SY PA B ST L A B S ; C A L E XO : B R A N D O N A N D R E W; M A D L I LY: CO U RT E SY M A D L I LY.
Rebel Wilson, and Darren Criss; NBA star Baron Davis; YouTuber Casey Neistat; and musician Tove Lo—have gone a step further and have invested in Cann. “People we’ve dreamed of paying to work with us are saying, ‘I believe in what you’re doing, I believe [drinking too much] is a universal problem, and I want to be part of the solution.’” Cann’s flavoring and branding has been key to its success. The pastel cans were designed to look like they “would fly off the shelves at Whole Foods and not remind somebody of PTSD from a pot brownie in college or look like they came from a gas station in 1995,” Bullock says. “I’d never been to a dispensary before starting this company, and found all other cannabis products to be very stigmatizing. So I really understood the idea of being not-cannabisforward,” adds Anderson. Half of Cann’s customers are weed newbies or teetotalers—think thirtysomething professionals and moms who might otherwise reach for a glass of chardonnay—which is by design. “Extreme, daily cannabis users are never really going to be our customer,” says Bullock. “If you’re trying to find the cheapest way to get high, our product actually keeps you from getting too high.” Flavors like grapefruit rosemary or lemon lavender have been developed by a food scientist formerly at Unilever and are free of preservatives and not too sweet. The company recently rolled out Roadies, concentrated liquids to mix with seltzer or other drinks, that are more travel-friendly and allow for customized dosing. Dozens of new flavors are in development, with the latest, cranberry sage, pegged to Thanksgiving. It’s all part of the Ivy Leaguers’ plan to take their low-dose cannabis beverage more and more mainstream. “We often joke that we’re selling light beer to speakeasies at the end of Prohibition,” Bullock says. “We want to get to a place where there’s beer, wine, and Cann at every party.”
BUZZY BEVVIES
Local dispensaries are stocking their shelves with a growing array of beverages packed with THC and CBD. Whether you’re looking for something that tastes like a microbrew or a White Claw, options abound. Here are five:
L AG U N I TA S H I - F I H O P S
These no-cal concoctions from Petaluma brewery Lagunitas taste convincingly hoppy to satisfy IPA-cravings and come in three THC dosages, from 2 mg to 10. $9 each at Erba Markets, 12320 W. Pico Blvd., Sawtelle, erbamarkets.com.
WUNDER
Launched in July, this is the first beverage to include Delta-8, a unique lowpsychotropic cannabinoid promising physical relaxation and mental clarity. $6 each at The Pottery, 5042 Venice Blvd., Mid-City, thepottery.la.
PA B S T B L U E R I B B O N
The dive-bar beer brand entered the cannabis space in October—sorta. This lemon-flavored seltzer is actually made by a separate company launched by PBR alums. $25 for a four-pack at KTown Collective, 7382 Melrose Ave., Fairfax district, ktowncollective.com.
CALEXO
This newcomer, available since April, is hefty in size (22 oz.) and dosage (10 mg of THC) but is designed for sharing. Flavors include citrus rose and cucumber citrón. $20 each at Sweet Flower, locations at sweetflower.com.
M A D L I L LY
Available in SoCal since July, this entry balances 5 mg of THC and 5 mg of CBD, has no added sugars, and contains just 30 to 50 calories per bottle. Flavors include raspberry hibiscus and passionfruit mango. $9 each at Eaze.com.
L A M AG . C O M 49
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CHUMASH CASINO RESORT Welcome to Freedom
The seasons are changing and there’s never been a better time to escape and experience a break from the ordinary. Head up the coast and into Santa Barbara wine country, where you’ll discover golden hillsides and red-orange grapevines. Take in expansive views of the stunning natural surroundings. At the heart of this relaxing oasis, a truly extraordinary destination still beckons: Chumash Casino Resort.
Always game responsibly. Call 1-800-GAMBLER if you can’t. Must be 21 years of age or older. Copyright ©2020 Chumash Casino Resort
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L.A. WORKS Mission For 30 years, L.A. Works has been passionate about producing volunteer opportunities that create an equitable, diverse and thriving 3VZ (UNLSLZ )\[ PU [PTLZ SPRL [OLZL ^L YLJVNUPaL OV^ KPMÄJ\S[ [OH[ can be. The pandemic has forced us to adjust to a new normal. The growing social justice movement requires us to take a hard look at why equality in our community does not truly exist. It is time to take action. As Los Angeles’ largest volunteer action center, we have the opportunity to truly create change in our community. But we can only do it together—even when we are physically apart. Each year, we mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers through unique community service programming because we believe service unites diverse communities and inspires a culture of stewardship and compassion. Through virtual and remote opportunities, socially distanced in-person service, and online advocacy bootcamps, L.A. Works offers ways for Angelenos to volunteer their time and become advocates for change.
How you can help The pandemic has compounded the issues of homelessness, food insecurity, and education inequality. Our mobilization efforts have not slowed down, though, as L.A. Works remains committed to helping the most vulnerable in our community. Visit laworks.com for a calendar of remote and virtual signature projects; a database of longer-term programs and skilled volunteering such as providing interpretation services for immigrants or grant writing for nonprofits; and turn-key business solutions for corporations engaging in service projects. Your support will give more Angelenos the skills, resources, and opportunities necessary to be empowered and succeed in this increasingly uncertain time.
570 West Avenue 26 Suite 400 Los Angeles, CA 90065 (323) 224-6510 laworks.com
THANK YOU, VOLUNTEERS! From drive-thru COVID-19 testing sites to wellness checks on seniors, L.A. Works is proud to support the thousands of frontline volunteers who have worked tirelessly to serve our community during this uncertain time.
A special thank you to the following organizations for their COVID-19 support.
laworks.com/donate Facebook: @laworks
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Instagram: @laworksnow
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Twitter: @laworksnow
GIVING TUESDAY DECEMBER 1, 2020
GIVING TUESDAY is an annual day of giving offering the chance to share your time, make a donation or advocate for those in need within the L.A. community. This GIVING TUESDAY, Los Angeles magazine encourages you to Z\WWVY[ [OL MVSSV^PUN UVUWYVÄ[ VYNHUPaH[PVUZ MLH[\YLK PU [OL edition of GIVE Los Angeles magazine.
The Bail Project bailproject.org/ losangeles
LA Family Housing lafh.org
City Year Los Angeles
Enterprise Community Partners
HFS Adoption & Foster Care
cityyear.la
enterprisecommunity. org/GiveLA
hfs.org
L.A. Works laworks.com
Para Los Niños paralosninos.org
LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program lasbest.org
PledgeLA PledgeLA.org
Wallis Annenberg PetSpace annenbergpetspace. org
Learn about these nonprofit organizations and the people working tirelessly to make a difference in our community in the pages of GIVE Los Angeles magazine. Online at lamag.com/givelosangeles
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Wrap Stars FTS H O L I D AY G I
WANT TO SPREAD JOY OVER THE HOLIDAYS? WE COMBED THE CITY IN SEARCH OF THE SEASON’S MOST MERRY-MAKING GIFTS, MANY FROM LOCAL BOUTIQUES AND BRANDS BY HAILEY EBER AND L I N D A I M M E D I AT O
P H O T O G R A P H BY B K E N T R O G OW OWS SKI
L A M AG . C O M 55
I FTS H O L I D AY G
Food + Drink
FROM BEAUTIFUL BOOZE TO FESTIVE ICE CREAMS, QUAFFABLE AND EDIBLE TREATS ARE ALWAYS IN GOOD TASTE
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TIE ONE ON
O Beloved local apron
company Hedley & Bennett just introduced limited-edition, of-the-moment tie-dye styles. Jasper Apron, $95 at hedleyand bennett.com.
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BITTER OFF
O This complex alter-
native to Aperol and Campari comes in a stunning bottle and makes a mean negroni or spritz. St. Agrestis Inferno Bitter, $35 at Bar Keeper, 614 N. Hoover St., Silver Lake.
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COLDHEARTED
that keeps on giving— especially when the packaging is as colorful as this from Monterey Park’s Art of Tea. Loose-leaf tea gift set, $80 at artoftea.com.
love ice cream. McConnell’s Reindeer Tracks features peppermint candy and chocolate cookies. Gift it in a single container, as part of a holiday sampler pack, or splurge on a “pint of the month club” subscription. $12 a pint at McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, locations at mcconnells.com.
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O Three-Michelin-star
O L.A.-based Bright-
chef Dominique Crenn is getting in on the edibles game. Rose x Crenn Delights, $35-40, locations at roselosangeles.com.
land offers high-grade olive oils made with California produce and packaged in UVcoated glass bottles to preserve freshness. Awake olive oil, $37 at brightland.co.
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O Caffeine is the gift
SALAD DAYS
THE HIGH LIFE
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BOOK SMART
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O With the follow-up
to his acclaimed debut, Season, molecular biologist-turnedcookbook author Nik Sharma breaks down the science of deliciousness. $35 at Vroman’s Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena.
1 . S H AYA N AS G H A R N I A ; 2 . CO U RT E SY O F ST. AG R E ST I S ; 3 . AU D R E Y M A ; 4 . I M AG E S CO U RT E SY O F R O S E D E L I G H TS WWW.C B D R O S E D E L I G H TS .CO M , 5 . CO U RT E SY O F M CCO N N E L L’ S ; 6 . CO U RT E SY O F C H R O N I C L E B O O KS ; 7. J U L I A STOTZ
O Face it, we’d all just
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Home
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4
O They can use this
O The hand-poured,
acrylic menorah during Hanukkah (with a set of oil cup candles, purchased separately) or year-round as a bud vase. Apeloig Collection menorah, $380 at Gifted LA, 10590 W. Pico Blvd., Cheviot Hills, or apeloig collection.com.
soy-based candles by Lait might be inspired by the fragrances of France, but they’re made right here in Los Angeles. Lait candle, $12 at shoplait.com.
COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS
GET (AND GIVE) COZY WITH BEAUTIFUL CANDLES, UNIQUE DÉCOR ITEMS, AND PRACTICAL MUST-HAVES 2
2
SUCK IT UP
O This robotic floor
cleaner, designed in Pasadena, can easily tackle a multi-pet household and comes equipped with an Alexa voice-control feature. Yeedi K650 vacuum, $219 at amazon.com.
3
3
SHINE ON
O Bring some holiday
cheer with this rubyred crystal snowflake, cut with 110 facets for maximum shimmer. It’s also engraved with “2020” to commemorate the year. Swarovski crystal ornament, $79 at Macy’s, 750 W. 7th St., downtown, or macys.com.
4 5
SCENTS AND THE CITY
5
STAND AND DELIVER
O Make their 9-to-5
more enjoyable and your living space less cramped with a supremely compact standing desk, built in Torrance. It’s a snap to assemble (no tools required). Plus it folds flat for easy storage during off hours. Work From Home Desk, $449 at workfromhomedesks .com.
6
SIGN OF THE TIMES
O Eagle Rock stationer
Jennifer Parsons Upham, whose clients include Natalie Portman and Mariska Hargitay, frames what we’re all thinking. F*CK 2020 letterpress sign, $20.20 at tinypinepress.etsy .com.
P R O D U C T P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS
7
ABOVEBOARD
O Reversible and made
6
7
of ethically sourced Central African ebony, each board comes with an anti-slip mat for extra control. Stella Falone cutting board, $199 at stellafalone .com.
L A M AG . C O M 57
I FTS H O L I D AY G
1
Grooming BRIGHTEN UP THEIR HOLIDAYS—AND THEIR HAIR, SKIN, AND NAILS—WITH LUXE PRODUCTS AND HIGH-TECH TOOLS
1
HANDS ON
O Beverly Hills’s Olive
2
2
SOOTHE MOVES
O Looking to give the
gift of some muchneeded chill? The popular Playa del Rey wellness company has you covered—in both fragrant and fragrancefree options. Lord Jones High CBD Body Lotion, $40–$60 at lordjones.com.
3
ROLL WITH IT
O Easily transportable,
3
this white nephrite jade-and-rose-gold face roller depuffs, detoxes, and firms facial muscles. Jenny Patinkin roller, $32 at Bluemercury, 158 N. Larchmont Blvd., Larchmont.
5
4
SET THE TONE
O Beverly Hills aes-
thetician Biba de Sousa’s skin-care line is beloved by celebs like Miley Cyrus and Emily Blunt. This winter must-have is one of her best-sellers. Hydrating toner, $38 at bibalosangeles.com.
5
A CUT ABOVE
O Trim errant neck
hairs—without the use of a second mirror or an extra set of hands. LVL Shave Co. razor, $25 at Shave & Co. Barbershop, 10283 Santa Monica Blvd., Westwood, 424-288-4183.
4
6
SUPERSONIC STRANDS
O Say “buh-bye” to
frizz and flyaways, while boosting shine. Dyson Supersonic hairdryer, $400 at Dyson, 10250 Santa Monica Blvd., Ste. 1370, Century City, 310-464-3373 or dyson.com.
6
58 L A M AG . C O M
P R O D U C T P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS
& June ups the ante on at-home manis and pedis with vibrant, long-lasting hues that are free of toxic chemicals. Olive & June nail polish, $8 at oliveandjune.com.
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I FTS H O L I D AY G
Fashion + Accessories SOME STYLISH ACCOUTREMENTS FOR YOUR CLOTHES-MINDED FRIENDS
3
2 1
1
MASTER CLASS
O Worn by astronaut
2
LINKED IN
O Whether he’s on the
studio lot or simply on the prowl, these gold and lacquer Panthère cuff links will tie his suit together purr-fectly. 18K cuff links, $4,800 at Cartier, 370 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills.
3
ISLAND VIBES
4
O Even if a trip to the
Aloha State isn’t in the cards, you can conjure the beauty of Hawaiian hibiscus with a tropical-print tie. $60 at Pocket Square Clothing, 205 W. 7th St., downtown, or pocket squareclothing.com.
4
HAPPY FEET
O Stranger Things fans
will get cozy quickly with a pair of colorful, kitschy-chic Santa Cats and Hats socks designed by Dusty Bun himself. Happy Socks x Gaten Matarazzo, $16 at Happy Socks, 1410 Abbot Kinney Blvd., Venice.
5
GAME TIME
O Go for gold with a
distinctly sumptuous, tactile update on the classic court shoe in this lightweight, softcushion iteration. Tory Burch Howell court sneaker, $198 at Tory Burch, 366 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills.
6
CABANA BOY
O With a sunglasses
loop, bottle pocket, and plush terry lining, this koi-print robe goes just swimmingly with poolside lounging. El Garibaldi Yukata robe, $148 at shop.california cowboy.com.
5
6 0 L A M AG . C O M
P R O D U C T P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS ; E L G A R I B A L D I Y U KATA R O B E : A L L I S O N A LO G N A
Kathy D. Sullivan—the only person to walk in space and visit the bottom of the ocean—this ceramic-and-leather watch is made for adventure. Omega Seamaster Planet Ocean 600M Co-axial Master Chronometer, $6,000 at Feldmar, 9000 W. Pico Blvd., Pico-Robertson.
6
9
7 8
7
11
O No, we don’t expect
O Cozy enough for
you to hike with it, but this monogrammed canvas carryall tempers its natural polish with a slightly rugged edge. Christopher PM backpack, $3,050 at Louis Vuitton, 295 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, or us.louisvuitton.com.
L.A.’s nippier nights, this puffer adds requisite warmth minus the excess weight. Guess jacket, $128 at Guess, 411 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, or guess.com.
8
O Marrying the ease of
STRAPPED IN
10
HAT TRICK
O Bid adieu to bad-hair
days and questionable toppers with a perennially chic felt chapeau with chain band. $1,625 at Hermès, 434 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, or hermes.com.
11
12
DRESS CODE
your favorite silky robe with the pared-back elegance of a highneck gown, this midi goes miles. Silk twill dress, $1,050 at Max Mara, 451 N. Rodeo Dr., or maxmara.com.
13
NEXT TIME
9
SUPER STAR
O Named for a princess
12
PUFF DADDY
and fit for a queen, this pavé-diamond pendant adds a pop of bling to holiday looks. Roberto Coin Princess Star of David pendant with diamonds, $1,750 at Geary’s, 351 N. Beverly Dr., Beverly Hills.
10
EMERALD CITY
O Flanked by two
diamonds with a rich green gemstone as its centerpiece, this gold ring oozes vintagestyle glamour. Beaux ring, $11,000 at Single Stone San Marino, 2527 Mission St., San Marino.
O Combining layers of
carbon fiber and fiberglass for a one-of-akind, matte-case finish, this muscular, futuristic watch is nevertheless quite light. GirardPerregaux Laureato Absolute crystal-rock watch, $16,900 at Westime, 206 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, or westime.com.
13
14
FUTURE CLASSIC
O A standout from
the already-iconic Tiffany T collection, this bracelet can be worn stylishly stacked or as a solo statement piece. T1 narrow diamond hinged bangle, $9,500 at Tiffany & Co., 210 N. Rodeo Dr., Beverly Hills, or tiffany.com.
14 L A M AG . C O M 61
I FTS H O L I D AY G
1
Toys
2
KEEP THE KIDS HAPPY AND ENGAGED WITH COOL WHEELS AND HOT GAMES
1
3
O Made out of recycled
O The brainchild of L.A.-
materials, Elysian Valley-based Lander skateboards can be purchased assembled, or you can design your own from the ground up. Lander skateboards, $149 at lander.la.
based Kimelia Weathers Smith, this simple card game asks players (ages 14 and up) to answer trivia questions on a variety of topics—or bluff their way to victory. Brilliant or BS?, $20 at brilliantorbs.com.
2
4
DECKED OUT
3
ROOMS OF THEIR OWN
O They can play house
while you work from home. Foxtail Villa dollhouse, $235 at Miracle Mile Toy Hall, 5464 Wilshire Blvd., Mid-City.
GAME ON
4
SERVE IT UP
O Toy food trucks
are this generation’s race cars. Candylab taco truck, $15 at Etude Boutique, 450 S. Western Ave., Ste. 220, Koreatown, or candylabtoys.com.
5
FLIP OUT
5
O This Jenga tower-
like game has kids racing to stack meat patties, cheese slices, and various accoutrements into the perfect backyard delicacy. Burger Academy, $13 at Wizardry Foundry, 2355 Westwood Blvd., Ste. 537, West L.A., or wizardryfoundry.com.
6
THE BIG SQUEEZE
O All the cool kids know
xylophones are so last year. Wooden accordian, $32 (order online and curbside pickup only) at Merci Milo warehouse, 547 Arden Ave., Glendale, shopmercimilo.com.
6 62 L A M AG . C O M
1
2
3
Tech
4
NIFTY GADGETS FOR CAMPERS, SWIMMERS, GYM RATS, AND BUDDING SHUTTERBUGS
1
4
O Teach kids how to spin
O Who knows what will
their own yarns with this interactive device, loaded with dozens of engaging programs. Lunii’s My Fabulous Storyteller, $80, B8ta, 395 Santa Monica Pl., Santa Monica, 310260-8333, or lunii.com.
catch a child’s eye while behind the lens of this point-and-shoot camera from tech company Oaxis. MyFirst Camera Insta 2, $100, shop.oaxis.com.
EASY WRITERS
M Y FA B U LO U S STO RY T E L L E R : N I C K P R E S N I A KOV; A L L OT H E R P R O D U C T P H OTO G R A P H Y CO U RT E SY O F B R A N DS
2
5
5
SPIN CONTROL
THE LIFE AQUATIC
O These luxe, vibration-
O Local start-up Zygo
dampening turntables marry sonic ingenuity with style. Music Hall Audio mmf-11.3, $6,495 at Ahead Stereo, 7428 Beverly Blvd., Fairfax district, aheadstereo.com.
just released the first underwater headphones that use radio frequencies to seamlessly connect to music and fitness apps. Zygo headphones, $299, shopzygo.com.
3
6
O California-based
O This compact
company Third Eye offers campers a choice of stylish bands for their headlamps, like the ones inspired by Mexican blankets. Third Eye headlamp, $50, and band, $12, at thirdeyeheadlamps.com.
machine offers a fullbody home workout, with on-demand classes taped at the West Hollywood flagship studio. Technogym LIT Method, $1,750, ondemand .litmethod.com.
PATHFINDER
6
SAY “CHEESE”
TRANSFORMER
L A M AG . C O M 63
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L.A. Stories
SUSAN HEEGER
Fire Season
THE IMPACT OF A BROTHER’S UNTIMELY DEATH MOVES THROUGH A FAMILY LIKE WILDFIRE ACROSS THE CANYONS I N 1 9 0 0 , W H E N T H E A V E R A G E white American man died at 47, my brother, John, would’ve been considered old, the victim of an old man’s fate. These days, actuarial tables figure 58 is still young; had things gone differently, John should’ve made it to 80. Did he have trouble breathing that day? Shooting pains? A finance executive, he’d driven himself for years with long days and nonstop travel. He was the guy people counted on, the one who never said no, which he seemed to believe was crucial to his becoming managing director of a major bank. Outside work, though, his life was a mess. This became apparent gradually in the days after he failed to wake up in a city he’d traveled to for work. Picture this: A man with business and law degrees dies without a will, leaving a wife he’s always told people was a fellow lawyer, but who in fact has little education, a sketchy work history, and speaks minimal English. He has not just one dependent child, as he’s claimed to family and colleagues, but also two stepchildren and less money than he might, given the above. His wife thinks that his par6 6 L A M AG . C O M
ents, from whom he’s been estranged for years, are dead. They meet for the first time at his funeral. Over the next months, the shock would crush my ancient parents. Mom fell and broke her back. Dad took to bed, went into a tailspin. It happens. The body loses its ability to carry the heart. In John’s Chicago living room, the portrait of him—funereal, softly lit—showed an overweight, beat-up version of him I couldn’t imagine actually sitting on the damask sofa below it. He’d sent me jpegs, some of his pretty wife, mostly of his five-year-old son, who, when we finally met, wore a little rep tie, chinos, loafers—John clothes. Isn’t he the most beautiful child you’ve ever seen? John would say, rushing to catch a plane, his slightly slurred, full-on verbal charge a legacy from his childhood stutter, which got worse when he drank but persisted long after he stopped. He needed an audience but had no time for friends. Just me. I had a son, too; I’d understand. My son, who hardly knew John, didn’t come to Chicago. My husband and I had knots to unravel. John had handled I L LU S T R AT I O N BY M A X - O - M AT I C
be playful be light be bright
be home.
V I S I T U S AT C O R C O R A N . C O M
Š2020 Corcoran Group LLC. All rights reserved. CorcoranŽ and the Corcoran Logo are registered service marks owned by Corcoran Group LLC. Corcoran Group LLC fully supports the principles of the Fair Housing Act and the Equal Opportunity Act. Each franchise is independently owned and operated.
all the household business, in a manner of speaking, stuffing check stubs into bags in his closet, which was off-limits to his wife. My husband, Rob, and I sorted bills and helped track down money. My long-divorced parents mumbled together in a playroom, Mom patting Dad’s face, fierce with Parkinson’s. In a bathroom big enough for a kingsize bed, I opened a cabinet. Nothing with alcohol. John was in recovery. How could anyone know anyone?
O O O O
A T J O H N ’ S F U N E R A L , colleagues
talked about a team player who listened. One woman said he’d called her repeatedly after Hurricane Sandy hit. “He was a mentor,” said someone else. To hold up my family’s end of things, I described John as a funny boy who loved popsicle jokes. I recalled a detective game, “Bill and Ben,” we’d played every day for a summer, pretend-smoking, -drinking, and -swearing as we nabbed a criminal named Slippery Sydney no one else could catch. In case he was listening, I praised John’s professional triumphs, his devotion to his family.
68 L A M AG . C O M
My family hadn’t seen him in years until the day before, when we’d “viewed” him in his box, mute and stiff with buffed skin, glued lips, and a copper-orange pompadour. (When did he start coloring his hair?) Even I, the only one he was still talking to, got only phone time. I kissed his alien, refrigerated brow, and he had to lie there and take it.
O O O O
S O M UC H H A S happened since. Once
you die, the world spins on heedlessly, except for those who love you—but then they die. My parents’ death exacerbated my feelings of emptiness. I was stunned by the pileup, a devastation that found echoes everywhere—in our lying, tyrant-loving, white nationalist president; in the mutual slaughter of Buddhists and Muslims in Sri Lanka; in Syria, poisoning its own people with chemical weapons; and, closer to home, in wildfires raging across California. Every day, newspapers showed charred woods around Mount Shasta, wipedout farms near Mendocino. There’s been no letup since in terms of presidential horrors, global unrest,
or nature signaling climate change with earthquakes, hurricanes, and more pyrotechnic fury. So much of California has gone up that authorities have begun lumping individual blazes into “complexes.” Each flame symbol
Once you die, the world spins on heedlessly, except for those who love you— but then they die. on a map might stand for hundreds of homes, businesses, personal tragedies, which, for those living through them, are all there is. John wouldn’t recognize the world he left.
O O O O
W H E N I G O O G L E M Y BRO T H E R ,
I’m surprised by how little I find: one entry about a charitable donation. There’s nothing about his job or his
wife or son. John passed away in July, says the funeral home’s website. John was a resident of Chicago. Another item describes a 35-year-old with the same name arrested for forging checks in Alabama, the kind of fate our dad—a depressed ex-Marine who was in and out of work, and drank—used to warn John about if he didn’t get cracking. John was a sort of do-over for Dad. But John was John. Unable to sit still in school, slow to tie his shoes. When we were kids, John liked to tell me he had another, better, real family out there. Or that he was actually a dog, or a spaceman with a computer for a brain. On summer nights, to worm his way into my room, he became a stand-up comic. Why did the banana go to to the hospital? What did the light bulb say to his mother? His timing was perfect. I’m not peeling well! I wuv you watts! You could see he believed he could be Johnny Carson. Or an astronaut like that other John.
been mean to him, beat him up, mocked his stutter, felt happy when he cried. Families, like societies, have scapegoats; I’ve read this on the internet—about the one who carries the discontents of others. Well into his recovery, John had sent Dad AA’s Big Book. Dad returned it. Your problem, not mine. If only we’d known. I’ll always love you. I’m sorry, I scribbled in the note I dropped in his coffin, encouraged by the mortician. Probably what the others said.
T H E OL D WOR L D “Families have
scapegoats; I’ve read this on the internet—about the one who carrie s the discontents of the others.”
He’s buried in a cemetery on the North Shore of Chicago that I probably could find again but won’t. Edged with trees and a golf course (he loved to play but had no time), the cemetery was cold and raw as we gathered, my family in one group, his in another. Once the coffin was lowered, we took turns tossing roses in, even Dad, who got up from his wheelchair and swayed over the hole. After, heavy machines scooped the dirt in and pounded it down. John’s grave, one of hundreds, could have been anyone’s. I remembered times when I’d
Christmas
O O O O
Y E A R S AG O, I N M Y WOR K A S
a design writer, I did a story on a house overlooking the Pacific. The owners described it as their “dream,” conceived with everything they’d ever wanted—a giant master suite, a motor court for party guests. After the story hit, so did one of the great Malibu fires. I called the architect who confirmed the couple had lost the house but were already plan-
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L A M AG . C O M 6 9
LIST
PROMOTION
2020 Los Angeles Builders BallŽ Thursday, September 24 Habitat for Humanity of Greater Los Angeles’ (Habitat LA) 2020 Los Angeles Builders BallŽ went virtual this year and raised nearly $700,000 with an online auction and live fund-a-need, raising over $200,000. Habitat LA honored Turner Construction Company, Edison International, and The Los Angeles Dodgers with presenting sponsor City National Bank. habitatla.org
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Walk for Hope Sunday, October 4 *P[` VM /VWLÂťZ Ă„YZ[ L]LY ]PY[\HS >HSR MVY /VWL VU :\UKH` 6J[VILY ^HZ H O\NL success! More than 3,700 people raised over $1.2 million for the research, treatment HUK WYL]LU[PVU VM IYLHZ[ HUK N`ULJVSVNPJHS JHUJLYZ 0M JHUJLY Z[PSS L_PZ[Z >L:[PSS>HSR for Hope! walkforhope.org
From Left: Sue & Anthony Marguleas, Co-Chairs; Sherry Lansing, Honorary Chair
California Spirit BeneďŹ ting the American Cancer Society Friday, October 9 The sold-out virtual dinner party featuring Chef Ludo Lefebvre raised more than $250,000! 200 guests enjoyed an exquisite meal from Petit Trois and tuned in to dine with Chef Ludo, Mixologist Charlotte Voisey, Honorary Chairs Sherry Lansing & Phil Rosenthal, and were treated to a special performance by Grammy-winner Lisa Loeb. CalSpirit.org
70 L A M AG . C O M
ning the rebuild on the same footprint. What were the chances fire would strike the same place twice? That was before Al Gore’s truth. The endless drought. The hottest summer on record. El NiÂło cycles that release heat from the sea into the air. Repeated evacuations from the same towns. We never know. We keep the trunk packed, people say. As one Vietnam vet put it after getting out with his heirloom clock, his late mother’s rie, and his dog, I’ve been shot twice and blown up twice, but a goddarn ďŹ re, that’d be a real pisser, wouldn’t it?
O O O O
A F T E R T H E F U N E R A L , I took Mom on a trip to recover. I went for a walk, leaving her alone long enough for her to topple down some stairs and wind up in a hospital. John’s two families barely spoke again, except one day when his wife surprised Dad by popping in with his grandson at Dad’s nursing home, bringing balloons. Dad went on a tear and changed his will to make extra gifts for her, the grandson, the stepkids, and also, puzzlingly, the Masons, a group he’d joined as a young man but seemed largely to forget. He also made a small one, unexpectedly, to Mom. Soon afterward, he was buried on a California hill, accompanied by a color guard of Marines. Mom, who died last, is part of our garden, with our old dog Molly, their ashes feeding daffodils. The fires keep burning. Every day new maps in the paper, new flames spread across the pages. Some survivors say they’ll build again, on lots that resemble singed, denuded skin. But it’ll be years before the forests return, the oaks and redwoods, the Joshua trees. Who knows who’ll be there to see them when they do? Now we notice them in their absence. Impermanence is the essence of everything, writes the Buddhist teacher Pema Ch¸dr¸n. Reectively, she adds: Could our minds and hearts be big enough just to hang out in that space where we’re not entirely certain about who’s right and who’s wrong? We lived like blind eas on a dog’s back. It’s easy to recognize now how small the dog was and at the same time, that he was all, everything. Lovely and wrecked. Honest and lying. Loving and savage. And then the wind came, and the ames, and he was gone.
PROMOTION
COMING
DECEMBER
2020
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For updates, tickets, and more information visit *Event details subject to change
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CHARLOTTE’S WEB She toppled two of Hollywood’s most powerful moguls, but is Charlotte Kirk a villain or a victim? The 28-year-old actress who set off the town’s latest scandal finally breaks her silence
By BENJAMIN SVETKEY P H O T O G R A P H S BY E L I SA B E T H CA R E N
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C H A R L O T T E K I R K wants to talk. She’s dying to talk. She leans forward in her chair, her brown eyes opening wide. She slowly begins to form some words, then stops herself, and bites her lip. She is clearly agonizing over what to say next. The question she’s been asked is, “How are you feeling?” The answer isn’t hard to guess. For the past 20 months, the 28-year-old, little-known British actress has been at the center of multiple Hollywood scandals that have taken down not just one but two of the industry’s mightiest players—Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, ousted in March 2019 after his 2013 affair with Kirk was exposed by The Hollywood Reporter, and vice chair of NBC-Universal Ron Meyer, who lost his job in August when it was revealed that he, too, had been sexually involved with Kirk back in 2012— and thrust her into a role she could never have imagined
G I R L , I N T E R RU P T E D Charlotte Kirk, photographed at The Forge L.A., October 28, 2020.
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H E R E A R E , as always, two sides to every story. In this case, maybe even three or four. Everybody, it seems, has a different Rashomon-like view of who Kirk is supposed to be. To many, she’s an ambitious temptress who used her feminine wiles to seduce some of Hollywood’s wealthiest, smartest, and most powerful men, then sank her fangs into them to 74 L A M AG . C O M
CIRCLE OF FRIENDS Clockwise from left: Kirk with her BFF, Hollywood Sex Wars star Jenae Altschwager, at a private screening in early 2017; striking a pose at the 2018 Ocean’s 8 premiere in New York; Kirk’s ex, Aussie billionaire James Packer, with then-girlfriend Mariah Carey in Italy in 2015; former Universal chairman Ron Meyer reportedly met Kirk at a screening; Tsujihara and Brett Ratner share a laugh at the premiere of The Hobbit in 2014; Kirk leaving the Ivy with her ex, director Joshua Newton, in 2015.
extract auditions, film roles, and money. Frankly, when the scandal first broke, her publicist at the time didn’t do much to counter that image when he asked inquiring journalists from The New York Times and Variety how much they’d pay for an interview. (Their answer was “Nothing,” and that publicist turned out to have never been on Kirk's payroll; Los Angeles did not pay for this interview.) There’s other evidence helping to paint that less-thanflattering portrait, like the series of text messages between Kirk and Tsujihara printed in THR that suggested the casting couch was still very much a functioning piece of furniture in Hollywood. “You’re very busy I know,” she wrote the married studio chief in 2015, “but when we were in that motel having sex u said u would help me and when u just ignore me like you’re doing now it makes me feel used. Are u going to help me like u said u would?” But there’s another version of Kirk, one that started gaining traction around the time she went to court in the fall to ask a judge to free her from her NDA. In this telling, she’s a #MeToo victim, a silenced martyr of a brutal Hollywood system that dehumanizes young women and treats them as sexual cattle. There’s evidence to support that view, too, including accounts of Kirk being treated like a party favor by members of the “Ratner Sex Trafficking Syndicate,” as her legal team refers to her alleged abusers in some of the hundreds of pages of court documents that have recently become available to the public. “They passed Kirk around
KIRK WITH ALTSCHWAGER: CLINTON WALLACE/ZUMA WIRE; OCEAN’S 8: DIMITRIOS KAMBOURIS/WIREIMAGE
and certainly never asked to play. She has, in fact, become an entirely new type of Hollywood archetype. In a town famous for attracting and then chewing up pretty young things, here was a pretty young thing who chewed up the town—the mogul slayer. And she did it all without uttering a single line of dialogue—at least not in public. Over the ensuing months— through thickets of international headlines, lawsuits, accusations of extortion, counter-accusations of sexual harassment and even of sex-trafficking—Kirk hasn’t said a word. She’s been forced to remain silent or else risk breaking a nondisclosure agreement that she signed in 2017 (for which she received $3.3 million) and that she has so far been unsuccessful in unwinding in court, despite a new California law that’s supposed to make NDAs in cases of sexual harassment (if that’s indeed what happened to her) unenforceable. Today, however, on this warm October afternoon, sitting at a table in the backyard of her cozy rental in Studio City, Kirk is finally speaking out—sort of—in an exclusive interview with Los Angeles. Her NDA still prohibits her from discussing anything involving Tsujihara or Meyer, as well as a slew of other colorful characters ensnared in the scandals—like director Brett Ratner and Australian billionaire James Packer, to name two—and one of her many attorneys is sitting in on the conversation to make certain her words don’t wander into legally dangerous territory. The lawyer has brought along backup of his own—an enormous German shepherd named Boomer, who sits obediently beside the table throughout the two-hour interview, glaring. Nevertheless, Kirk has much to say, about Hollywood, her journey here from England, and where she hopes to someday end up. “Hindsight is a wonderful thing, isn’t it?” she notes as Boomer licks his chops. “You’re talking to me now, at 28. If you spoke to me when I was 19, when I first arrived in L.A., I was another person. I was socially awkward. It was hard for me to look people in the eye. And I was really trusting. Gullible and all of that. Unfortunately, I had to learn the hard way. And I made a few mistakes. I got hurt and betrayed. I’m skeptical now,” she adds coolly. “Very skeptical.”
MARIAH CAREY AND JAMES PACKER: GETTY IMAGES/PHOTOPIX/GC IMAGES; RON MEYER: STEFANIE KEENAN/GETTY IMAGES; TSUJIHARA & RATNER: ERIC CHARBONNEAU/INVISION FOR WARNER BROS./AP IMAGES; CHARLOTTE & NEWTON: WINSTON BURRIS/WENN.COM/ALAMY
like an inanimate sex toy,” reads one complaint, “to impress and reward each other for their own perverted pleasure and male ego inflation.” Still, the actual, flesh-and-blood woman sitting in her backyard in Studio City, dressed casually in a black silk blouse, jeans, and brown boots, seems no more a Jezebel than she does a Joan of Arc. She’s nervous and halting at first. She fiddles with her voice recorder before placing it on the table; she wants her own account of what’s said during the interview (her lawyer tapes it as well). But as the conversation picks up steam, she starts sounding more self-possessed. She speaks with a distinct working-class dialect—not Eliza Doolittle, exactly, but not posh BBC English either (although, upon request, she’s able to launch into a near-perfect American accent). She’s tall and slender, polite and polished, attractive and charming, and sometimes a bit overanxious (setting up the interview required more negotiations than the Paris Peace Accords). In short, she
seems like a completely normal Hollywood actress, in so far as such a thing actually exists. Her birth name was Charlotte Dyke (she changed it when she started acting), and she was raised in Kent, about 30 minutes by train from London. Her dad was an electrician, her mom a home care worker. Early on, she was diagnosed with autism and Asperger’s. “I was different,” she says. “I had learning difficulties. I was always bullied in school.” Not surprisingly, she fled into fantasy, which she suspects is how she ended up becoming an actress. “I always loved to role-play,” she says. “I don’t know if it’s normal, but I always imagined I was being watched.” At the same time, the cruelty of her classmates ignited embers of ambition. “It pushed me to say, ‘I’m going to prove you motherfuckers wrong,’” she says. “From a young age, I wanted to escape from Kent. I wanted to go to London. I knew that’s where it was at.” It didn’t take her long to get there. At 17, she enrolled in acting classes in Kent, then started landing modeling gigs, which led to commercial work (like an ad for Nintendo) and enough money to rent a flat in Kensington. During a trip to Paris, she was offered a modeling contract in France, which she turned down. “I liked modeling,” she says, “but it wasn’t where my heart was at. My heart was in acting. So it was a big decision. Paris or the U.S.? Because everybody said that if I wanted to be an actor, I should go to the U.S.” L A M AG . C O M 75
social situations as a result of her autism, Ms. Kirk, hopOne of those everybodys may well have been Meyer. The ing to secure a movie role in order to further her longtime exact circumstances of their first encounter are fuzzy—did dream of becoming a world-renown actress, submitted to she approach the mogul or did he approach her?—but it’s Ratner’s force and performed oral sex.” The document goes certain that they met in London in the spring of 2012 at a on to describe a “cycle of sexual harassment” that included Hollywood Foreign Press Association party after a screen“numerous vulgar text messages” (like the one Ratner aling of Snow White and the Huntsman. Kirk is prohibited legedly sent in June 2012 asking Kirk to “send some pussy from talking about Meyer, who cofounded CAA in the shots”). All this, of course, was years before mid-1970s before climbing to the top of the the 2017 Los Angeles Times story in which Hollywood hierarchy at Universal. But a six other actresses—Olivia Munn and friend who prefers to remain anonymous Natasha Henstridge among them—accused describes her as being “flattered” by the Ratner of forcing them to perform a range mogul’s attention. “She was 19. He was 66. of sexual misdeeds. She thought of him as a sort of grandfather Nevertheless, Ratner, through his atfigure, a powerful man who was interested torney Marty Singer, vehemently denies in her as an actress,” the friend says. “She the accusations: “Mr. Ratner never had didn’t think he had any sexual desires for sex with Miss Kirk and never asked her her.” (In other words, she was “gullible and to do anything for him,” Singer maintains all that.”) Mr. Packer met in a statement to Los Angeles, attaching Either Meyer suggested that Kirk give a 2017 letter Kirk sent to Ratner in which him a call the next time she was in Los me at the enshe wrote, “I have no claims or issues Angeles, or Kirk asked if she could call trance to his with you” and called rumors that she was him—it's fuzzy. Kirk’s first stop when she pursuing a harassment claim against him did move to America a few months later grand suite and “very crazy.” was New York, where she had contacts at led me to the Still, there are other horror stories a modeling agency. “I rented a flat on the alleged in the court documents from Upper East Side,” she recalls. “I was there living room around that period. Like the time Ratfor a couple of months and thought, ‘I’m where a man in ner introduced Kirk to director James in the wrong bloody place. I need to be in Toback at the Harvard Club and ToL.A.’” For a while, she shuttled back and a shirt and suit back allegedly attempted to get Kirk to forth between the East and West coasts, trousers was perform oral sex on him. (Toback, who auditioning for film roles and landing in the years since has been accused of some bit parts, including a walk-on in sitting on a sofa harassing 38 different women, could James Franco’s low-budget NYU Film snorting cocaine not be reached for comment.) Or the School production Black Dog Red Dog. time Ratner introduced her to his friend (She never actually met Franco, who from a coffee Patrick Demarchelier, the famed fashion himself was later accused of harassing table.” photographer, and he purportedly atactresses.) It’s been reported that Kirk tempted to perform oral sex on her durtraveled in a flashy crowd at the time and CHARLOTTE KIRK ing a photo shoot. (Demarchelier could even briefly dated billionaire producer not be reached for comment, either.) Not Steve Tisch. But she denies it. “I’m not surprisingly, by the end of the summer a party girl,” she insists. “I’m like an old of 2012, Kirk had enough of New York person, really. My idea of fun is sitting in and decamped for Los Angeles for good, hoping to make a nice, cozy place with a cup of tea.” a fresh start. Even so, she clearly had a knack for showing up at the She rented a dumpy studio apartment in Beverly Hills—at right place at the wrong time. In June 2012, while dining the corner of Camden and Wilshire—and used her modelat Dan Tana’s, she met Ratner, director of such blockbusting savings to purchase an old Chevy. But she says she spent ers as Rush Hour and X-Men: The Last Stand. At the time, most of her time either attending classes at the Lee StrasKirk was having visa problems—she had permission to work berg Institute or sitting in a local coffee shop, scouring the in the U.S. as a model, not an actress—and Ratner offered trades for auditions and writing emails to agents. She says to write a letter of recommendation to DHS's immigrashe had virtually no social life in L.A. in those early days. tion department. “Ms. Dyke is an outstanding actress with She did, however, take up that offer from Meyer. remarkable talent. She has the unique ability to deliver each “She called and got put right through,” recalls Kirk’s of her lines seamlessly,” he gushed in his 2012 endorsement. friend. “She wasn’t a celebrity, but when she phoned one “I don’t recommend just anyone, but I believe that Ms. Dyke of the most powerful men in the industry, he got right on is an outstanding actress who would make a welcomed addithe line.” Meyer invited her to visit him at his C suite on tion to the United States entertainment industry.” the Warner lot, where he gave her the five-star treatment. But Ratner’s interest in Kirk apparently went beyond “He flattered her relentlessly. ‘You’ve got talent, you’ve got her theatrical abilities. According to court documents, the the looks, the camera would love you,’” the friend goes on. director insisted that Kirk have sex with him as a condi“And he picked up the phone and called [producers] Jeffrey tion of his help. “Ms. Kirk refused to sleep with Ratner, but Katzenberg, Brian Grazer, and Joel Silver—three of his close Ratner insisted and demanded that Ms. Kirk perform oral friends—and sang her praises in front of her. And, of course, sex,” reads one of the court filings. “Due to her difficulty in 7 6 L A M AG . C O M
PROTESTERS: BENJAMIN SVETKEY; MARTY SINGER: RICH POLK/GETTY IMAGES
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they said, ‘Send her over.’” Kirk did indeed meet with Grazer and Silver, according to court documents, both of OT ALL OF KIRK’ S adventures in whom offered encouraging words, although Hollywood ended badly. When Polish Grazer clunkily admitted to Kirk that he was filmmaker Tomasz Szafranski came to L.A. only taking the meeting as a favor to Meyer. to cast No Panic, with a Hint of Hysteria, Meanwhile, Meyer and Kirk continued coman English-language comedy that he was municating by phone—up to three times a about to shoot in Warsaw, he hired Kirk week, according to Kirk's friend—until late as one of the leads, alongside Stephen one night Meyer purportedly popped up at Kirk’s Beverly Baldwin. The film was barely noticed in the U.S., but Hills studio with a bottle of wine and a gift, a necklace in Kirk proved, if only to herself, that she could handle a a box labeled, awkwardly, “Jennifer Meyer”—the name of starring role. There were smaller gigs, as well, including Meyer’s daughter’s jewelry company. a don’t-blink appearance in a low-budget thriller called What happened next is hotly disputed. Meyer, through Fractured—”I was just a dead person, really, laying naked his lawyer Howard Weitzman, adamantly denies any nonwith blood all over me,” she says—and a few scenes in a consensual contact, calling the claims “false, frivolous, and Bruce Willis direct-to-video sci-fi drama called Vice. fabricated.” But according to papers filed by Kirk’s lawyer, But in 2013, Kirk met a man who promised to make the studio chief demanded that Kirk sleep with him as a everything right: Australian billionaire James Packer. The condition of his continued career assistance. “Driven by strapping six-foot-six Aussie, then in his midforties, was extreme pressure and intimidation,” partners with Ratner in their film the lawyer wrote, “Ms. Kirk slept production company, RatPac, and he with Mr. Meyer, believing that she clearly made a big impression on Kirk had no choice but to submit to his when Ratner introduced them over demands.” Over the next couple of drinks at his suite at the Hotel Bel-Air. days, feeling bad about what hapThe next day, Packer took Kirk shoppened, Meyer supposedly apologized ping on Rodeo Drive, bought her a on the phone and allegedly attempt$65,000 Rolex, and promised to make ed to make amends by helping Kirk her a star. “Charlotte believed she’d land a part in a picture Silver was met her Prince Charming,” says Kirk’s producing—a Liam Neeson hijackfriend. “She fell in love.” ing thriller called Nonstop. About The affair went on for months. But a week after he turned up at her there was a hitch: Packer had a wife apartment, Meyer invited Kirk to a and family back in Australia. Also, hotel to discuss the role—a lead as a Packer was apparently a lot less in stewardess—promising Kirk that he’d love than Kirk was, which became “behave.” He didn’t, at least accordcrystal clear in September of 2013, ing to another document filed by during another encounter at the Hotel Kirk’s lawyers, which claims Meyer Bel-Air that, if accurately described “again forced himself” on Kirk. in Kirk's declaration, can safely be “Completely untrue,” counters a described as the nadir of her Hollysource close to Meyer, who reiterwood experience. It started with a text ates that the studio chief never message from the billionaire: “What r FRIENDS AND FOE had nonconsensual sex with Kirk u doing now? I have the opportunity Top: Protestors gather at the Stanley Mosk and adds that Meyer never once of a lifetime for u.” A few minutes Courthouse in downtown L.A. while Kirk unsuccesspromised her a role in anything. later, another text arrived: “Come to fully petitions to have her NDA overturned. He goes on to argue that Kirk's Bel-Air now. U will never be able to Bottom: Marty Singer at the Israel Film Festival claims against Meyer conveniently re pay me.” Still another: “The most in 2016. The pitbull Hollywood attorney is repping both Packer and Ratner against Kirk’s allegations. didn't come up until years after the important man u can meet.” alleged incidents, when Kirk and That man was Tsujihara, then her “gang” threatened a lawsuit to Warner Bros. CEO, who was in “extort” him for hundreds of millions of dollars. the middle of negotiating a $450 million production Whoever is telling the truth, Kirk never did get that deal with Packer and Ratner. “Mr. Packer met me at the lead role in Nonstop. Instead, she was demoted to a entrance to his grand suite and led me to the living room smaller part as a passenger. But she did get flown firstwhere a man in a shirt and suit trousers was sitting on class from L.A. to New York, where the film was being a sofa snorting cocaine from a coffee table” is how Kirk’s shot. She was picked up at the airport by a limo and declarations describes her first encounter with the then delivered to the set to shoot a scene that took all of ten 49-year-old studio head. After some small talk, Tsujihara minutes to complete. Then the limo drove her back to left for one of the suite’s bedrooms and Packer directed the airport for her return flight to L.A. “It seemed like her to follow him. “When I entered, I was shocked to find a fake scene,” says Kirk’s friend. “Just a charade, part Mr. Tsujihara on the bed, naked, on his back,” Kirk’s decof the seduction.” Fake or not, Kirk’s turn in Nonstop laration continues. Kirk fled into the nearest bathroom ended up getting cut from the film. and texted Packer, still in the living (CONTINUED ON PAGE 104) L A M AG . C O M 7 7
T E X T BY
CHRIS NICHOLS P H O T O G R A P H S BY
ASHOK SINHA
A S H O K S I N H A R AC K S U P A L O T O F M I L E S
ON HIS RENTAL CAR WHEN HE COMES TO VISIT HIS FAMILY IN LOS ANGELES. FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS, THE NEW YORK-BASED PHOTOGRAPHER HAS BEEN HUNTING FOR L.A.’S MIDCENTURY ROADSIDE ARCHITECTURE AND GOING TO GREAT PAINS TO CAPTURE THE SPARKLING NEON AND STUCCO MOTELS, COFFEE SHOPS, AND GAS STATIONS FOR HIS NEW BOOK, GAS AND GLAMOUR. “I HAD THIS IDEA OF LOS ANGELES AS SORT OF A DREAM CITY,” SINHA SAYS. “IN MY FANTASY, THERE SHOULD BE A CERTAIN KIND OF A GLOW TO IT. THAT’S WHERE I GOT THE TITLE.”
E D I S D R OA
THE DONUT HOLE 1968 LA PUENTE
E V E RY B O DY L O V E S RA N DY ’ S D O N U T S
in Inglewood, but what if the doughnut was even bigger, and you could drive through it? The Donut Hole in La Puente dates back to 1968, a few decades after California first fell in love with programmatic architecture like the Brown Derby and the Tail O’ the Pup. Sinha also captured the enormous beer barrels of the Idle Hour bar in North Hollywood, and the Fleetwood Center in Tarzana, a minimall shaped like the front end of a 1970 Cadillac.
AT T R A C T I O N S
JAC K C O L K E R’S U N I O N 76 1965 B E V E R LY H I L L S
T H E R E H A S B E E N A G A S S TAT I O N O N T H I S C O R N E R
for almost 100 years, but when it got a space-age upgrade in 1965, sales skyrocketed. The eye-catching design was by Gin Wong of William Pereira & Associates, the designers behind CBS Television City and the theme building at LAX. Writer Tom Wolfe described the shape as a “spherical triangle whose swooping lines and upthrust ends reach for the sky.”
R I C H A R D A N D M AU R I C E M C D O NA L D H A D J US T
MC D ONA L D ’S 1 9 53 D OW N E Y
completed their plans for a food revolution and needed a distinctive and recognizable building that would show it all off. Architect Stanley Clark Meston created an exciting glass fishbowl to showcase all that modern efficiency, wrapped it in festive red and white tile, added a pair of giant golden arches with flashing neon—and a legend was born. The world’s oldest McDonald’s was restored in 1996 and features a museum and gift shop.
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THIS IS ONE OF THE
BOWLIUM 1958 M O N TC L A I R
last survivors from an era when bowling alleys grew ever more lavish as operators competed to build larger and more luxurious complexes. Some midcentury pin palaces had cocktail lounges, ďŹ ne-dining restaurants, and plush nightclubs
T H E BA R O Q U E S C R I P T
SAGA MOTOR HOTEL 1959 PASA D E N A
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of backlit letters oats in white above the lean and low walls of this sleek roadside lodging built in 1959. Travelers along Route 66 can stop in to enjoy the same giant swimming pool, breeze blocks, and dozens of soaring palms you might see in Palm Springs, plopped down in genteel Pasadena. The motor hotel, by architect Harold Zook, has been designated a Pasadena landmark.
that appealed to young couples in the new suburbs, with supervised playrooms for their baby boom kiddos. Bowlium was designed by Long Beach-based Powers, Daly & DeRosa, the undisputed kingpins who reinvented the modern bowling experience.
DRI F T WO OD DA I RY 1 9 61 EL MONTE
D R I V E - I N C U LT U R E D I D N ’ T E N D AT M O V I E S
and restaurants. Midcentury banks, doughnut shops, and even churches allowed you to conduct much of your life from behind the steering wheel. Why trudge to the market to pick up milk when you could glide through the market, which was more of a space-age pavilion, and eager clerks would bring you all the bread, eggs, and ice cream that the milkman forgot? The unique glue-laminated beams create an enormous open span large enough to shield an entire fleet of tail-finned cars from the warm California sun.
Excerpted from the book Gas and Glamour by Ashok Sinha. L A M AG . C O M 83
If ever there was a time to leave your cares behind, it's definitely now. Hit the road for a quick, easy trip to one of these six nearby destinations—from the peaceful desert to the snowy mountains—and get away from it all
GET OUTTA TOWN PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMIE KOWAL
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D E S E RT
PALM SPRINGS With its modernist architecture, familyfriendly activities, and storied history as a desert destination for celebrities from Marilyn Monroe to Leonardo DiCaprio, Palm Springs is at once glamorous and low-key. In the winter, the weather is mild, with highs in the 70s and low 80s, making it an ideal time to visit.
STAY The upscale Parker Palm Springs (4200 E. Palm Canyon Dr., parkerpalmsprings.com, from $329), a 144-room jewel that unveiled a Jonathan Adler-designed renovation in 2017, has three pools, four clay tennis courts, pétanque, and croquet on its lush, 13-acre grounds. The Kimpton Rowan (100 W. Tahquitz Canyon Way, rowanpalmsprings.com, from $208), a 153-room resort that debuted in 2017, is an anchor of the revitalized downtown and within strolling distance of dining, shopping, galleries, and hiking trails. DO Go on a self-guided architecture tour to check out stunning structures like Richard Neutra’s iconic Kaufmann House (470 W. Vista Chino). Head to the Palm Springs Modern Committee website (psmodcom.org) to buy a map and an app to plan your own itinerary. Other options include riding 8,516 feet into the air to enjoy spectacular wilderness views INSIDER from the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway (1 Tram Way, All of winter and spring is a lovepstramway.com, $16.95ly time to visit Palm Springs, but $26.95). Or drive 30 minutes Feb. 6 to April 11 will be especially to explore Indio—delightfulbeautiful. That's when Desert X ly mellow when Coachella returns with site-specific art inisn’t happening—and learn stallations throughout the Coachella Valley. how to play foot golf at the Lights at Indio Golf Course (83040 Ave. 42, indiogolf.com, $15, $7 for children 17 and under).
TIP
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FAMILY The charming Palm Springs Air
Museum (745 N. Gene Autry Trail, palmspringsairmuseum.org, $18.50 for adults, $16.50 for children, free for kids five and under) has an impressive array of wartime aircraft, some of which are available for rides. —ANDY WANG
BIG BEAR µ
EAT Lively downtown newcomer El Patrón (101 S. Palm Canyon Dr., elpatronps.com) serves wild-caught seafood on housemade tortillas. Birba (622 N. Palm Canyon Dr., birbaps.com) boasts one of the city’s loveliest alfresco settings and a deservedly popular plate of meatballs in red sauce.
Jet Away!
Prefer to ski in Tahoe this season? JSX (jsx.com) recently launched a direct flight from Burbank to Reno. The affordable semiprivate air carrier promises no more than 30 passengers on each flight, no middle seats, and a private terminal for easy check-in. (Round trip from $278.)
Offering the closest groomed slopes to the city, Big Bear is an obvious destination for skiing and snowboarding, but other wintry activities—from spas to glow tubing—abound.
STAY The Club at Big Bear Village (40671 Village Dr., from $419) is far and away the area's most luxurious accommodation, just a ten-minute drive to the slopes. All 38 rooms have full kitchens and gas-burning fireplaces. Though technically a timeshare operation, the place has a full staff onsite, and weekend stays can be booked (choicehotels.com). For a more boutique experience, drop
M A I N : CO U RT E SY O F V I S I T PA L M S P R I N G S ; J E T: J SX ; S N OWS H O E : V I S I T B I G B E A R
M O U N TA I N
B R E W E RY: V I S I T B I G B E A R ; LO D G E I N T E R I O R : CO U RT E SY O F N O O N LO D G E AT M A L L A R D B AY
your bags at one of the 16 cabins at Noon Lodge at Mallard Bay (214 S. Lagunita Ln., noonlodge.com, from $150). The three-star property is nestled among evergreens alongside the lake and features stylishly rustic decor and firepits.
DO The two main peaks, Bear Mountain and Snow Summit, share a single lift ticket. More experienced skiers tend to prefer the latter for its larger acreage and more challanging slope. (bigbearmountainresort.com, from $79 for a full day). Don’t like to go downhill? Try Rim Nordic Ski Area (35050 CA 18, rimnordic.com) in nearby Running Springs for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing on nicely groomed trails. Take it even easier at Altitudes Massage & Spa (42184 Moonridge Rd.,
INSIDER
TIP
Download the Quick Maps app from Caltrans (quickmap.dot. ca.gov) before heading out of Los Angeles. It1ll keep you up-to-date in real time regarding road closures and delays.
Ste. 4, altitudesmassage.com), where you can choose from more than a dozen types of massage, from shiatsu to Hawaiian lomilomi to myofascial release.
µ TAKE A SNOW DAY
Clockwise from left: Snowshoeing in Big Bear, the Noon Lodge at Mallard Bay, beers at the Big Bear Lake Brewing Company.
EAT Big Bear Lake Brewing Company (40827 Stone Rd., bblbc.com) is a boisterous brewpub at 6,752 feet. Order the beer-battered avocado bomb with the signature Bearly Legal blond ale, which is brewed with orange blossom honey. For something fancier, make a reservation at Peppercorn Grille (553 Pine Knot Ave., peppercorngrille.com). Although it specializes in Certified Angus steak, the pasta dishes are also excellent. FAMILY Little ones, ages five and above, looking to learn to ski or snowboard can take group lessons at Snow Summit ($113-175), but the resort is offering only private lessons for the four-and-under set L A M AG . C O M 87
The Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort
this season. At Big Bear SnowPlay (42825 Big Bear Blvd., bigbearsnowplay.com, $35), kids can tube down one of five custom-built snowslides. Better yet, on Friday and Saturday evenings, the park offers glow tubing beneath rainbow fluorescent lights. —BRAD JAPHE
WI N E C O U N T RY
THE SANTA YNEZ VALLEY
STAY Just a few minutes, but seemingly worlds, away from kitschy downtown Solvang, the 10,000acre Alisal Guest Ranch and Resort (1054 Alisal Rd., Solvang, from $735 a night with breakfast, dinner, and many activties included) offers an array of on-site activities, from golf and tennis to horseback riding and BBQ boot camp, and accommodations are in stand-alone units. In trendy Los Alamos, Skyview (9150 US 101, Los Alamos, from $179/ night), a roadside motel-turned-boutique hotel renovated in 2018, is less than a mile from the main drag and features 33 stylishly appointed rooms and a heated pool. DO Explore downtown Los Olivos’s shops and tasting rooms, many of which have moved outdoors. Palmina (2982 Grand Ave., palminawines .com) focuses on Italian varietals, from sangiovese to tocai friulano. Story of Soil (2928 San Marcos Ave., storyofsoilwine.com) makes wines with biodynamically grown grapes and minimal intervention. After the alcohol has lowered your defenses, make tracks to 88-year-old Jedlicka’s Western Wear (2883 Grand Ave., jedlickas.com) and treat yourself to a new pair of boots. You’ll need them when you saddle up at the Alisal, which just started offering trail rides (from $150) for non-guests. Of course, beautiful wineries in the area abound. One of the most stunning is the hilltop Presqu’ile (5391 Presqu’ile Dr., Santa Maria, presquilewine.com). A tasting flight and mezze platter on the sprawling terrace makes for a perfect afternoon. Or stop in at Bodega (273 Bell St., Los Alamos, bodegalosalamos.com), an impossibly chic wine garden where you can sip natural wines and unique beers from various producers while getting in a game of bocce.
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µ LOAFIN' AROUND
Bob Oswaks is famous in the valley for his artisanal loaves and great breakfast fare. He just opened a second location of his Bob's Well Bread Bakery.
EAT Earlier this year, Food & Wine named Daisy Ryan, an alum of the French Laundry and the chefowner of Bell’s (406 Bell St., Los Alamos, bellsrestaurant.com), one of its “best new chefs.” The bistro’s pitch-perfect French fare and lovely patio make it an ideal lunch or dinner destination. Former Hollywood exec-turned-baker Bob Oswaks bakes beautiful artisanal loaves and breakfast and lunch dishes at Bob’s Well Bread Bakery, which just opened a second location (550 Bell St., Los Alamos, and 2449 Baseline Ave., Ballard, bobswellbread.com). Tucked amid warehouses, Industrial Eats (181 Industrial Way, Buellton, industrialeats.com) turns out gourmet sandwiches, pizzas, and an eclectic array of specials—fig toasts with ricotta and bottarga, little gems with pancetta and boquerones—that have made it a favorite with locals and in-the-know out-of-towners. All seating is outdoors, and you can also take out. Newcomer Peasant’s Feast (487 Atterdag Rd., Solvang, peasantsfeast.com) is also great for patio dining and pickup orders, with various family-style meals—cheesy polenta, fried free-range chicken— available to go. FAMILY Funky roadside attraction Ostrichland USA (610 E. Highway 246, Solvang, ostrichlandusa. com, $2-$5) offers the chance to get up close to— careful, they bite!—and even feed ostriches and emus. The big birds are rather famous: they appeared in Sideways and inspired a Simpsons episode. —HAILEY EBER
T R A I L R I D E S : CO U RT E SY O F T H E A L I SA L G U E ST R A N C H & R E S O RT; B A K E R : ST E V E CO L L I N S
From Solvang to Los Alamos, the small towns that make up Santa Barbara County’s major viticulture region are a delightful mix of gorgeous scenery, cowboy charms, quirky attractions, wonderful restaurants, and, of course, great vino.
Wine tasting in the Santa Ynez Valley
Balboa Park
San Diego Mission Bay Resort
INSIDER
TIP
W I N E G L ASS : CO U RT E SY O F T H E A L I SA L G U E ST R A N C H & R E S O RT; B A L B OA PA R K CO LO R F U L E X T E R I O R : CO U RT E SY O F B A L B OA PA R K C U LT U R A L PA RTN E R S H I P ; R E S O RT P O O L : CO U RT E SY O F SA N D I E G O M I SS I O N B AY R E S O RT; F L A M I N G O : CO U RT E SY O F SA N D I E G O ZO O
February is San Diego Museum Month (sandiegomuseumcouncil .org). Grab a discount pass good for half-off admissions at over 40 institutions from participating public libraries and Macy’s stores.
CITY
SAN DIEGO With many of the same selling points as Los Angeles—year-round warm weather, a vibrant restaurant scene, diverse museums, and uncrowded beaches—but fewer crowds and less traffic, our cousin to the south makes for a relaxing retreat.
STAY The Guild Hotel (500 W. Broadway, theguildhotel.com, from $145) opened last year with 162 minimalist-chic—think sleek wood furniture, leather headboards—rooms in the former Army-Navy YMCA downtown. The 1924 Italianate façade is outshone only by the leafy interior garden that’s perfect for sipping coffee in the morning or cocktails from the Guild Bar in the evening. Beachy but still just minutes from downtown, the 357-room San Diego Mission Bay Resort (1775 E. Mission Bay Dr., missionbayresort.com, from $205) recently underwent a $21-million renovation. Guests can relax around the pool or indulge in water activities like sailing and Jet Skiing, then roast marshmallows over the hotel’s beach firepits at night.
DO Sprawling across 1,200 acres, Balboa Park (balboapark.org) is a great spot to picnic and
µ PRETTY AND PINK
The San Diego Zoo raises birdies from four of the six flamingo species. It's one of the only zoos in the world to do so.
features 17 museums. Some, like the San Diego Museum of Art (1450 El Prado, sdmart.org, $8-10) are currently open. The San Diego Natural History Museum (1788 El Prado, sdnhm.org, $11.95-19.95), meanwhile, is set to reopen in early 2021 with a new exhibition, California Blooming, examining climate change and the state’s unique wildflowers. Forget driving and take the oldest working wooden ferry in the U.S. (flagshipsd.com, tickets from $5) across the bay to Coronado Island to browse quaint shops and galleries.
EAT Over a dozen restaurants in Little Italy have staked out a stretch of India Street for outdoor dining. Among them, Civico 1845 (1845 India St., civico1845.com) skews southern Italian with specialties like paccheri with a slow-braised pork shoulder ragù. Down the street, Ironside Fish & Oyster (1654 India St., ironsidefishandoyster.com) serves L A M AG . C O M 89
Parasailing off Catalina Island
some the city’s best lobster rolls. Alternatively, dine among the skyscrapers at Lumi (366 Fifth Ave., lumirooftop.com), chef Akira Back’s new rooftop Peruvian-Japanese eatery. INSIDER
ISLAND
Just an hour ferry ride from Long Beach, Catalina feels of a different era. You’ll rarely encounter a car, but you will see foxes, quails, bald eagles—and the island’s most illustrious residents: bison.
STAY The irresistibly quaint Snug Harbor Inn (108 Sumner Ave., Avalon, snugharbor-inn. com, from $288) is a nineteenth-century throwback consisting of just six rooms overlooking Avalon Bay. The stylish suites come furnished with New England charm—along with plush bedding and deep-soak jet tubs. Reopened in late 2019 after an extensive renovation, the Zane Grey Pueblo (199 Chimes Tower Rd., Avalon, zanegreyhotel.com, from $399) is named after the twentieth-century author who called this hilltop adobe home until his death in 1939. It features 16 deluxe rooms surrounding a pool, including eight suites with terraces cantilevered high above the town. DO Hit the links at Catalina Island Golf Course (1 Country Club Dr., $40, call 310-5100530 for tee times), the nation’s oldest course west of the Mississippi. It’s also one of the most unique nine-holes you’ll ever play, carved into a corrugated landscape that looks like a set piece from Jurassic Park. Journey into the island’s interior on a Bison Expedition (Island Tour Plaza, Avalon; catalinatours.com, from $85) or soar 800 feet high with Parasail Catalina (105 Pebbly Beach Rd., Avalon, californiaparasail.com, $75). A 10-minute thrill ride affords you a bird’s-eye view of the island’s rugged terrain. EAT At Bluewater Grill (306 Crescent Ave, Avalon., bluewatergrill.com), you’re not just 9 0 L A M AG . C O M
µ
CATALINA
SIDE NOTE
Looking for an island vacation further afield? Hawaii is now open to visitors. Travelers can opt for a COVID-19 test prior to travel to bypass the 14-day quarantine requirement. For more information, go to hawaiicovid 19.com/travel.
eating fresh sea fare, you’re also seated right above it. The waterfront patio has great views, an awesome happy hour, and is petfriendly. Trade the surf for turf at Buffalo Nickel (57 Pebbly Beach Rd., Avalon), a local favorite serving tacos and barbecue.
FAMILY The island’s long-running Glass Bottom Voyage (Green Pleasure Pier, Avalon, catalinatours.com, from $21) is a mellow, affordable attraction that gives a unique view of the marine preserve. The tour is just 45 minutes, ideal for travelers of all ages with short attention spans. —BRAD JAPHE
PA R ASA I L I N G : CO U RT E SY O F LOV E C ATA L I N A I S L A N D ; C ATA L I N A I S L A N D OV E R H E A D : CO U RT E SY O F C ATA L I N A I S L A N D G O L F CO U R S E ; H AWA I I : G E T T Y I M AG E S
TIP
FAMILY Check out the The ferry to the island can book U.S.S. Midway (910 N. up quickly, so while reservations Harbor Dr., midway.org, tickaren't required, they're strongly ets from $10-$26), a decomadvised. (Go to catalinaexpress missioned aircraft carrier .com.) Plus, there's no charge to cancel up to 24 with a flight simulator. And, of hours ahead. course, the San Diego Zoo (2920 Zoo Dr., zoo.sandiegozoo. org, $50-$60) houses an unparalleled panoply of over 3,500 animals representing nearly 700 species. —ERIC ROSEN
Hotel Californian
CITY
SANTA BARBARA
P I ZZ AS : J E R E M Y B A L L ; SA N TA B A R B A R A OV E R H E A D : CO U RT E SY H OT E L C A L I FO R N I A N
The crown jewel of the Central Coast has welcomed a spate of new high-end eateries, boutique hotels, and craft breweries in recent years. Plus it boasts some of the greenest infrastructure in the state, so you can easily recharge both your soul and your EV.
STAY Three years ago, celeb designer Martyn Lawrence Bullard revamped the Hotel Californian (36 State St., hotelcalifornian.com, from $300) and turned the landmark 1925 property into the hottest high-end lodge in town. Suites feature marble baths with ocean views, and the rooftop pool and lounge area is one of the city's best spots to catch a sunset. Remodeled in 2019, the Hideaway Santa Barbara (420 W. Montecito St., hideawaysantabarbara.com, from $295) is a laid-back gem about a half mile from the Funk Zone and three blocks from the shore. DO Spend your morning watching for whales, dolphins, and sea lions aboard the Condor Express (condorexpress.com, from $65). Or paddle the waves on a two-hour kayak with Paddle Sports Center (117 Harbor Way, Ste. B, paddlesportsca .com, $60) and learn more about the area’s history and wildlife. Feeling a bit less adventurous? Rent an e-bike from Wheel Fun Rentals (24 E. Mason St., wheelfunrentals.com, half day for $60) and hit the Cabrillo Bike Path. After skirting the three downtown beaches, cycle up to Shoreline Park to take in the sunset. Then, head to the lively Funk Zone (funkzone.net) for wine and beer tasting.
Catalina Island Golf Course
µ LIFE OF PIES
At press time, Bettina was closed for indoor dining, but the restaurant's naturally leavened, Neapolitanstyle pizzas are available for takeout and delivery for both lunch and dinner daily. Order up!
EAT Loquita (202 State St., loquitasb.com) has one of the nicest patios in town and serves Spanish small plates made with farm-fresh ingredients. Bibi Ji (734 State St., bibijisb.com) offers up some of the best modern Indian fare in all of Southern California, with a thoughtfully curated natural wine list to boot. Lucky Penny (127 Anacapa St. luckypennysb.com) draws people in with its Instagrammable, pennycovered facade, but the coffeehouse also crafts superb wood-fired pizzas. Bettina (1014 Coast Village Rd.. bettinapizzeria.com) is also awesome for pizza. FAMILY The Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History’s Sea Center aquarium (211 Stearns Wharf, mysbnature.org, from $7) affords thrilling closeups of marine life indigenous to the Santa Barbara Channel. —BRAD JAPHE L A M AG . C O M 91
STONED FRIDAY NIGHT, LIT
92 L A M AG . C O M
AGAIN A remarkable new oral history about the making of Richard Linklater’s classic Dazed and Confused chronicles the lost paradise of early ’90s indie filmmaking as it transitioned unsteadily to the Hollywood mainstream BY M E L I S SA M A E R Z
L A M AG . C O M 93
Indie Star to Studio Director
Richard Linklater’s 1991 breakthrough ďŹ lm, Slacker—a shaggydog story about young misďŹ ts killing time in Austin, much as Linklater had in his twenties—established him as a major talent and a generational voice, but it also left him deeply in debt. It debuted at Sundance just as the ďŹ lm festival was emerging as a launching pad for a new style of American movie. Jim Jacks, a vice president of production and acquisitions at Universal, was hardly a hipster, and he later admitted he didn’t totally get Slacker, but something about the ďŹ lm stuck with him and he approached Linklater about doing his next ďŹ lm at the studio. RICHARD LINKLATER: I never wanted to work on the fringes of the industry. I thought, heaven forbid I become a good editor or something—I’d never get my own ďŹ lms made! By the time I was doing it, the path was much more open to make your own weird indie ďŹ lm and then go make a low-budget studio ďŹ lm after that. I was born at the right time. JOHN PIERSON (FILMMAKER): Jim Jacks had a long trail of those 6-million-dollar-type second features that marked the true beginning of some really impressive, sustained careers. RICHARD LINKLATER: I wrote about our ďŹ rst meeting in my diary: “Of course it’s Hollywood—they’re expecting me to hop up on the desk, squint my eyes, and peer through the rectangular 94 L A M AG . C O M
movie-screen ratio I’ve formed when I put my thumbs to my index ďŹ ngers, and then declare, ‘I see . . .’ I can talk forever about this ďŹ lm, I just can’t act like some goofy salesman or cheerleader. We’re joined by producer Sean Daniel, who used to be head of production at Universal for many years (The Player position). We talk about teen movies we’ve liked—I soon have to drop Over the Edge, River’s Edge, and certainly Los Olvidados from my list. Rule No. 1: Never like or discuss in positive terms a movie that didn’t make lots of money. And never mention that you might like foreign ďŹ lms—you’re an immediate suspect. So for now it’s the obligatory American Graffiti/Fast Times at Ridgemont High/The Breakfast Club references.â€? We had just had lunch when Jim introduced me to Tom Pollock, the head of Universal. We walked over to his table, and he was like, “Oh, yeah, Slacker. That made some money, right?â€? I don’t think he’d seen it, but he recognized the title from Variety. SEAN DANIEL (PRODUCER): All of us were inspired by American Graffiti. Tom Pollock had been George Lucas’s lawyer and was instrumental in getting the ďŹ nancing for American Graffiti. RICHARD LINKLATER: Tom thought that’s the best movie ever made. So we were like, “Great! We will be the American GrafďŹ ti of the ’70s.â€? ROBERT BRAKEY (APPRENTICE EDITOR): If they wanted a 1970s American Graffiti, I don’t understand why the guy who did Slacker would be the candidate. Slacker was this nontraditional ďŹ lm that drifted from character to character. The whole point was that it doesn’t have to have a point. RICHARD LINKLATER: Unfortunately, Tom Pollock saw Slacker, and he was like, “What the fuck?â€? Jim [Jacks] told Tom, “How do you know Slacker isn’t Rick’s THX 1138?â€? That was George Lucas’s weird art ďŹ lm that didn’t make any money. Then he
COURTESY OF HARPERCOLLINS.
A
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THE BOYS (AND GIRLS) OF SUMMER
Left, clockwise from top: Parker Posey, Marissa Ribisi, Christine Harnos, Deena Martin-DeLucia. Below: Director Richard Linklater and Matthew McConaughey.
made American Graffiti. SEAN DANIEL: Because I was the executive on Fast Times at Ridgemont High and The Breakfast Club, Tom said to me, “Come on, get it to be like that!” And it was like, “No!” BRIAN RAFTERY (JOURNALIST): All those ’80s teen movies were frankly about rich kids’ problems. The John Hughes movies were all about idolizing rich kids. When you watch Risky Business now, it’s shocking how much that movie is about going to an Ivy League school and becoming rich. It’s that whole Alex P. Keaton era. I think what made Dazed so appealing was that it didn’t have that weird ’80s ambition hanging over everything. JIM JACKS (PRODUCER): When we finally had a script that we liked, the studio was still like, “Eh, I don’t know.” There was another studio, Paramount, that was interested in doing Dazed. Universal had to either make it or send it back to us. SEAN DANIEL: No studio wants to see a movie they developed go to another studio and then get made. Studios live in fear of that moment. JIM JACKS: Universal decided at the last second they’d make the movie. But they weren’t jumping up and down about it.
COURTESY OF HARPERCOLLINS.
Endless Auditions
No one was making high school movies in the early ’90s. When Linklater began casting Dazed in the spring of 1992, he called an agent in New York to ask if there were any good teenage actors left. She told him there wasn’t a single one. He enlisted Dazed coproducer Anne Walker-McBay, who had helped cast Slacker, and hired Don Phillips, a loud-talking, vodka-swilling casting director who’d worked on Animal House, Serpico, and Melvin and Howard and was known for being especially passionate about finding the next generation of stars.
JOEY LAUREN ADAMS (SIMONE): For a lot of us, getting cast in Dazed and Confused is our origin story. WILEY WIGGINS (MITCH): I was in front of Quackenbush’s— that’s the coffee shop that’s in Slacker—and Anne had been handing out little cards saying, “We’re making an independent feature film. Give us a call if you want to audition.” RICHARD LINKLATER: Catherine Morris, who ended up playing Julie, Mitch’s girlfriend, in the film, she was helping us. She was handing out cards at her school. Everybody came in for an audition. Everybody. I think we floated it to Brendan Fraser because he was in Encino Man. That was kind of a studio thing. I suspected he wouldn’t want to do it because he was a little older, and sure enough he liked the script but did not want to play another high school kid. So I could be like, “Well, I tried!” LISA BRUNA (CASTING ASSISTANT): I pulled out all the casting sign-in. I’d forgotten some of them: Mark Ruffalo. Hilary Swank. Wil Wheaton. Mackenzie Astin. RICHARD LINKLATER: Claire Danes came in. She was in sixth or seventh grade. It was like, “You’re one of the best actors I’ve met! But you’re just too young.” DON PHILLIPS: Reese Witherspoon came in. She’d done Man in the Moon. I really dug her. But I asked Jason [London] about Reese, and he said not to do it. JASON LONDON (PINK): When I did Man in the Moon with Reese, she was a baby! I probably just thought she was too young. RICHARD LINKLATER: Jennifer Love Hewitt came in. And Mira Sorvino. Ron Livingston. LISA BRUNA: Denise Richards was also up for Shavonne. Alicia Silverstone auditioned for Sabrina. I have a very early headshot of Kirsten Dunst in the folder. PARKER POSEY (DARLA): I really liked the character Cynthia, who hangs out with the guys, because I have a twin brother and I L A M AG . C O M 95
SHANA SCOTT (CASTING ASSISTANT): I was there when McCohung around his friends. So that was the first part I felt really naughey auditioned. I hated him. He came in with such swagright for. But then there was Darla, the bad girl. ger, like he owned the joint. And he did, I guess! But at the time, RICHARD LINKLATER: Darla was originally a little more tough-girl it was very off-putting. character. We’re talking tough, mean-girl types. But then Parker MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: That first audition, it was like I was came in, and I was like, Oh no, this is much better! going in for a job interview. I’d better shave. I better put on a DON STROUD (STAND-IN): Renée [Zellweger] was just a girl from button-down and tuck my shirt in and give a firm handshake some small town in Texas. She was living in Austin and had and say, “Yes, nice to meet you, Mr. Linklater.” connections to the Slacker folks because of her boyfriend [Sims RICHARD LINKLATER: He was clean-cut. I was like, that’s not Ellison], who played in an Austin band called Pariah. Wooderson at all. I need an asshole. Rough around the edges. RICHARD LINKLATER: Renée probably would’ve gotten a bigger You can’t say that I cast Matthew for his looks because his looks part, but we had her as kind of a Darla, and Parker had that almost kept him out of the movie. role. BILL WISE (EXTRA): Casting directors are always like, “I’m in the RENÉE ZELLWEGER (EXTRA): Somebody I worked with told me not coal mines down here. Where the fuck are my diamonds?” And to do it. It was like, “You’re not going to learn a lot. And after Matthew was a cocky shitbrick, in college anyway. He’s bone taxes and agency fees, you’re going to be pretty poor.” But I’m handsome. Good skin, nice teeth. How could you not have so glad that I did do it. looked at him and been like, “This motherfucker is going to BEN AFFLECK (O’BANNION): I read for the role of Pink, and right be a star!” away they were like, “Why don’t you read for something else?” I was a little bit oversized and still had a lot of baby fat, and the roles that I was playing were bullies. Throwing people against Dazed and Confused was definitely not Universal’s highest lockers was my specialty, if a 20-year-old kid can be said to have priority. When Linklater started principal photography, the a specialty. So I read for the O’Bannion part. DON PHILLIPS: It was between Vince Vaughn, Cole Hauser, and studio was also working on Jurassic Park and Schindler’s Ben for that part. Vince Vaughn, we didn’t think he was enough List, but that didn’t prevent it from micromanaging Linof an asshole. klater’s decisions. “Experienced directors with track records RICHARD LINKLATER: Vince Vaughn gave a great audition! But I would tell them to get fucked, so it’s easier for them to fohad Ben. I offered Vince Vaughn stuff later, and it was just like, cus on Dazed and the new kid,” he wrote in his diary. Ten“Pass, pass, pass, pass.” It was like, “Does he hate me?” sions emerged between those who understood Linklater’s JASON LONDON: I originally auditioned for the part of Tony. process and those who seemed to be working against it. “By I don’t know at what point I became Pink. I was such a little the time we’re in production,” Linklater wrote, “we’re at war.” goody-goody in high school. Me starting to smoke weed ended BEN AFFLECK: The image of Hollywood as “the suits versus the up being the best thing for that character and for my career. JOEY LAUREN ADAMS: Don told me I didn’t have the tits to be creatives” was still very present in the early ’90s. In the ’80s, Shavonne. There’s a demeaning of women that goes on that’s blockbusters and cocaine had kind of ruined the movie busijust normal. It’s like the sky’s ness, and I thought people blue, and men are going to like Rick were getting it say shit like that. You knew back to where it needed you didn’t get certain parts to be. JASON DAVIDS SCOTT (UNIT because your tits weren’t PUBLICIST): The joke was, big enough, but they don’t when Rick and Lee [Daniel, say that. They say, “Yeah, director of photography] she just wasn’t right for were talking about anyone the role.” So in a weird RICHARD LINKLATER close to the studio, they’d reway, I think there was fer to them as “the Van Patprobably some relief of tons of the Van Patton family.” Don just saying, “You BILL WISE: When Jim Jacks or Sean Daniel or anyone from Unijust didn’t have the tits for Shavonne, Joey, but I love you! And versal would come through, the word would go out that the I’m going to get you in this movie.” DON PHILLIPS: Bullshit! I never said that. Well, I might’ve said Van Pattons are on set, and that meant you had to put your it after Dazed and Confused, when everyone would come out weed away. JASON DAVIDS SCOTT: The opposing baseball team in the movie to my house in Malibu. I gotta tell you I was drunk most of the is sponsored by Van Patton Plumbing. time back then, so I don’t remember. But I wouldn’t have said BILL WISE: John Cameron was the first AD [assistant director]. that during the audition. I was sober when I was working. RICHARD LINKLATER: At first, Matthew [McConaughey] thought He was from the studio system. He was from the Van Pattons. RICHARD LINKLATER: At that time, I was thinking, Universal is maybe he could be a PA on Dazed. TRACEY HOLMAN (WARDROBE ASSISTANT): Then they ended up going to assign some AD who’s going to want to make Dazed switching him over to the acting role. look like we’re making a fucking TV commercial. I mean, we
The Van Pattons
“We were like, ‘Great! We will be the American Graffiti of the ’70s!’”
9 6 L A M AG . C O M
ed talking down to us like we were six-year-olds, and we had to put that motherfucker in his place real quick. JOHN CAMERON: Rick would tell the actors, “Hey, it’s us against them.” And that’s the movie, right? The kids against the establishment? So creatively that made a lot of sense. RICHARD LINKLATER: It was like, I am Mitch. I’m the new kid. And they’re hazing me. I’ve just got to make it through this gauntlet of abuse and disrespect.
The Vampires
About 30 minutes into Dazed and Confused, the film switches from daytime to nighttime. There’s a marked departure from the breezy, “school’s out for summer” mood of the film’s beginning. And that was reflected off-screen as well for a young cast with time on its hands in Austin, Texas, in the summer of 1992. SASHA JENSON (DON): When we transitioned from day shoots
TEENAGE WASTELAND
UNIVERSAL PICTURES/PHOTOFEST
Released in the fall of 1993, Dazed and Confused grossed $7.9 million and became an instant cult classic. Director Quentin Tarantino placed the movie in his Top 10 of the greatest films of all time.
hired John Cameron, but he ultimately felt like more of a studio guy. We weren’t on the same wavelength. JOHN CAMERON: I can see from Rick’s perspective that, “Oh, this guy’s here to control me.” As an AD, you’re the one in the director’s face, saying, “We can’t start the day until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow because of the actors’ turnaround.” Rick doesn’t want to hear that. There was an instance where he kicked a bucket at me. BEN AFFLECK: Rick would say, “I don’t know exactly what we’re going to shoot today.” To the small mind, that sounds like ineptitude or inexperience or both. But to the open mind, it was easy to see that, actually, what he was doing was creating a creative environment. JASON LONDON: The AD, we had a real problem. Because in his mind, he’s like, “Fuck, I’ve gotta wrangle 20 fucking kids.” From the minute we got to the hotel from the airport, that dude start-
into night shoots, that’s when it shifted gears for us, too. We all got a little darker during that period because we turned into vampires. COLE HAUSER (BENNY): As you get older, you can’t get smashed on a Sunday from 1:00 a.m. to 8:00 a.m., fall asleep, and wake up at 6:30 p.m. and feel good. But at 17 years old, you’re like, “Give me a bottle of water! I’m ready to go.” ADAM GOLDBERG (MIKE): I got so high one time in Jason’s room, I didn’t recognize myself in the mirror. BEN AFFLECK: I had a bad experience with marijuana at 15. I had a dissociative panic attack. So I only smoked weed if everyone else was smoking, and I had to sort of “Bill Clinton” it and fake it. I also wasn’t a very heavy drinker then. I became an alcoholic much, much later. JOEY LAUREN ADAMS: I was high for the scene on the football field. A lot of us were. JASON DAVIDS SCOTT: Ben Affleck got a baby Siberian husky, but he had to keep it in the hotel room and not let them know. So he just didn’t have them clean his room, and it smelled. BEN AFFLECK: Only when you’re 20 do you think, “I’m broke, I have nothing, maybe I can be responsible for an animal?” JOEY LAUREN ADAMS: Matthew wasn’t staying at the hotel. The whole cast was there for two months and got really close, like family. And Matthew didn’t feel like a part of that to me. COLE HAUSER: Matthew was like, “C’mon guys, get out of your hotel room. Let me take you down to the river.” You’d have these tubes, and you’d just throw a big cooler of beer in the middle and just float. ADAM GOLDBERG: Floating down the river? I never did that shit. NICKY KATT (CLINT): Cole and Rory [Cochrane] and Ben and me, we were all blowing our per diem at Red’s Indoor Range. That was probably me trying to show off. You know, “I’ll show you what real men do.” COLE HAUSER: We’d shoot all kinds of guns: .44s, .57s, shotguns. Man, they would give you anything. If they’d had a bazooka in there, we would’ve shot it. RORY COCHRANE (SLATER) : We went shooting on magic mushrooms. Which was not a great idea. COLE HAUSER: I wasn’t on mushrooms. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 106) L A M AG . C O M 97
THE HOT LIST L.A. MAGAZINE
Fett’unta with chilled lobster and radish from Ospi P. 99
OUR MONTHLY LIST OF L.A.’S MOST ESSENTIAL RESTAURANTS E D I T E D
BY
H A I L E Y
E B E R
WEST T H E B R E A K D OW N
Birdie G’s
SANTA MONICA » American $$
James Beard Award–nominated chef Jeremy Fox gets personal with a sunny spot dedicated to comfort food and named after his young daughter. The high-low menu is full of playful riffs on comfort food, from a corned beef platter to a matzo ball soup with carrot miso to a nextlevel relish tray. Don’t miss the jiggly rosepetal pie for dessert. 2421 Michigan Ave. (310-310-3616 or birdiegsla .com). D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.
Broad Street Oyster Co.
MALIBU » Seafood $$
If ever there were a car picnic scene, it’s at this open-air spot overlooking Malibu Lagoon State Beach (and across from a SoulCycle, if we’re being honest). You can grab a great lobster roll (topped with uni or caviar if you’re feeling extra fancy), towers of raw seafood, great clam chowder, and a burger sprinkled with shio kombu (dried kelp) that shouldn’t be overlooked. 23359 Pacific Coast Hwy. (424-644-0131 or broadstreetoyster.com). L-D daily. Beer and wine.
Cassia SANTA MONICA
» Southeast Asian $$$
Bryant Ng mines his Chinese Singaporean heritage, honors wife Kim’s Vietnamese background, and works in the wood-grilling technique he honed at Mozza at this grand Southeast Asian brasserie. Hunker down at a table on the patio—or treat yourself to some great takeout—to devour turmericmarinated ocean trout or chickpea curry with scallion clay-oven bread. Wherever and however you enjoy Ng’s cooking, you won’t be disappointed. 1314 7th St. (310-393-6699 or cassiala.com). D nightly. Full bar.
Colapasta SANTA MONICA
» Italian $
It’s equally pleasant to grab and go or eat at this
9 8 L A M AG . C O M
At press time, restaurants remained closed for indoor dining, so we’ve focused on our favorite spots for eating alfresco or ordering takeout and delivery.
2020
quiet, affordable spot that features fresh pastas topped with farmers-market fare. The colorful, poppy-seed-sprinkled beet ravioli is delicate and delicious, while the gramigna with pesto and ricotta is hearty and satisfying. 1241 5th St. (310-310-8336 or colapasta.com). L-D Mon.-Sat. Beer and wine.
Dear John’s » Steak House $$$
CULVER CITY
W EST
EAST
Includes Beverly Hills, Brentwood, Century City, Culver City, Malibu, Marina del Rey, Mar Vista, Palms, Santa Monica, Venice, West L.A., Westwood
Includes Atwater Village, Eagle Rock, East L.A., Echo Park, Glendale, Los Feliz, Pasadena, San Gabriel Valley, Silver Lake
T H E VALLEY DOWNTOWN Includes Arts District, Bunker Hill, Chinatown, Historic Core, Little Tokyo, South Park
Includes Agoura Hills, Burbank, Calabasas, Encino, North Hollywood, Sherman Oaks, Studio City, Toluca Lake, Van Nuys
CENTRAL
SOUT H
Includes Beverly Grove, East Hollywood, Fairfax District, Hancock Park, Hollywood, Koreatown, West Hollywood
Includes Bell, Compton, Gardena, Hermosa Beach, Long Beach, Manhattan Beach, Torrance, Watts
Denotes restaurants with outdoor seating $ $$ $$$ $$$$
I N E X P E N S I V E (Meals under $10) M O D E R A T E (Mostly under $20) E X P E N S I V E (Mostly under $30) V E R Y E X P E N S I V E ($30 and above)
Price classifications are approximate and based on the cost of a typical main course that serves one. For restaurants primarily offering multicourse family meals, the cost per person of such a meal is used.
The good news: Josiah Citrin and Hans Röckenwagner have taken over this former Sinatra hang with their menu of steak-house classics—crab Louie, oysters Rockefeller, thick prime steaks—that pay homage to the lounge’s Rat Pack past and can be enjoyed on a sunny new patio. The bad news: the restaurant has a two-year shelf life. The building will be razed for a development in 2021. 11208 Culver Blvd. (310-881-9288 or dearjohnsbar.com). D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.
Felix
VENICE » Italian $$$
Evan Funke is a pasta purist who can slip Italian lessons into any meal. He now presides at Felix, a clubby, floral-patterned trattoria that occupies the former home of Joe’s. His rigatoni cacio e pepe— tubes of pasta adorned only with Pecorino Romano cheese and black pepper—nods to Roman shepherds who used the spice to keep warm, while the rigatoni all’Amatriciana with cured pork cheek sings brilliantly alongside Italian country wines. 1023 Abbot Kinney Blvd. (424-387-8622 or felixla.com). D nightly. Full bar.
Kato SAWTELLE
» Cal-Asian $$$
Jon Yao isn’t serving his acclaimed Taiwanese tasting menu at the moment, but he is serving up his acclaimed fare à la carte and outdoors. Kato’s new patio menu features a tightly edited array of interesting dishes, from grilled spot prawns with spiced butter and lime to char siu wagyu beef with lettuce, herbs, and chili paste. 11925 Santa Monica Blvd. (424-535-3041 or katorestaurant.com). D Tues.-Sat.; brunch Sat.
WO N H O F R A N K L E E
DEC
n/naka PALMS » Japanese $$$$ Niki Nakayama’s acclaimed kaiseki restaurant has long been one of the city’s harder-to-score reservations, so naturally its to-go meals aren’t easy to get ahold of either. But if you do nab some takeout, you’re in for a treat. The $65 California Ekiben bento box is packed with delights highlighting the state’s bounty, like Monterey Bay abalone and Santa Barbara uni. Proceeds benefit the California Community Foundation’s Wildfire Relief Fund. 3455 S. Overland Ave. (310-836-6252, n-naka.com, or @nnakarestaurant). Takeout via Tock. 5:30-9 p.m. Wed.-Sat. Wine, sake, and cocktails to go.
Ospi
VENICE » Italian $$$
Jackson Kalb’s new Italian joint brings bustle to a corner on an otherwise quiet stretch. Whether you opt to dine at a sidewalk table or grab takeout, delicious options abound. Pastas, including a spicy rigatoni alla vodka and raschiatelli with a pork rib ragù, are sublime, and most travel remarkably well. Roman-style pizzas boast a uniquely crispy, cracker-thin crust; to get the full crunch, enjoy them while dining at the restaurant or have a slice as you drive your takeout home. 2025 Pacific Ave. (424-443-5007, ospivenice.com, or @ospiveni). Takeout via Toast. D nightly.
Pasjoli
SANTA MONICA » French $$$$
Dave Beran’s à la carte spot bucks the trends and eschews bistro clichés in favor of old-fashioned thrills—an elaborate pressed duck prepared just as Escoffier would have and served with potatoes au gratin dauphinois—and modern French fare. The showy duck must be reserved in advance as there are a limited number of birds available each night. But there are plenty of other exciting dishes on the menu, such as the chicken liver in brioche and a beef tartare spiked with nasturtium pesto. 2732 Main St. (424-330-0020 or pasjoli.com). L Fri-Sun.; D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.
Pizzana BRENTWOOD
» Italian $$
It’s not easy to make over the local pie joint, but 35-year-old chef Daniele Uditi has reimagined an urban standby with equal parts purism and playfulness that has become a neighborhood favorite in the process. Most impressive is the open-mindedness that has him deftly transforming the Roman pasta dish cacio e pepe into a pizza or putting a hearty short rib ragù on the Pignatiello pie. And in a real twist, appetizers and seasonal salads aren’t afterthoughts but highlights. The pizzeria is also making its famous limited-edition sub sandwiches more readily available (check Instagram) and has been making free meals for doctors and nurses. 11712 San Vicente Blvd. (310-481-7108, pizzana.com, or @pizzana). Pickup and delivery via ChowNow. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Also at 460 N. Robertson Blvd., West Hollywood (310-657-4662).
DOWNTOWN Bavel ARTS DISTRICT
» Middle Eastern $$$
Husband-and-wife duo Ori Menashe and Genevieve Gergis’s follow-up to Bestia is sort of the Godfather II of restaurants. Fans fervently debate whether the first installment or the second is superior, but one thing is certain: dishes like grilled prawns with harissa marinade and slow-roasted lamb-neck shawarma are delicious, as are the superb hummus and pita. 500 Mateo St. (213-2324966 or baveldtla.com). D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.
Bestia ARTS DISTRICT
» Italian $$$
The good times keep rolling at this lively spot that
put the Arts District on the foodie map. It has reopened with several new items on the menu, including a decadent lamb shank with morita peppers, raisins, creamy farro, and mint gremolata. But fear not, classics like the bone marrow with spinach gnocchetti remain. 2121 E. 7th Pl. (213-514-5724 or bestiala.com). D Tues.-Sat. Full bar.
NATALE E T H A I
C U I S I N E
Guerrilla Cafecito ARTS DISTRICT » Breakfast $-$$ This new breakfast offshoot around the corner from Guerilla Tacos makes a perfectly balanced brekkie burrito that rivals the city’s long-established best. The caramelized-milk-and-lemon doughnuts are wonderfully not-too-sweet: a doughnut even a nondoughtnut lover can love. No wonder they often sell out. 704 Mateo St. (213-375-3300 or guerrillacafecito.com). B daily.
Guerrilla Tacos » Mexican $-$$
ARTS DISTRICT
Though founder Wes Avila recently departed, this slick counter-service spot remains fairly true to its taco-truck origins, with many old favorites— potato taquitos, tempura-battered fish tacos, a hamachi tostada—still on the menu. The complex salsas are some of the best in town, while the cocktails provide another reason to visit. Try the ahi-tuna tostada paired with a rum-spiked yuzu lemonade. 2000 E. 7th St. (213-375-3300 or guerrillatacos.com). L-D daily. Full bar.
“The Best of Culver City” 9 Years in a Row - Culver City News
Lasa CHINATOWN
» Filipino $$
If you’ve followed the wave of new Filipino restaurants in the City of Angels, there’s a very good chance you’ve heard of brothers Chase and Chad Valencia. The cooking at their Far East Plaza restaurant exudes the sharp, resonant flavors of traditional Filipino food and the produce-driven aesthetic of California—Alice Waters filtered through Manila. Thoughtfully selected natural wines perfectly complement dishes like whole fried pompano. 727 N. Broadway, Ste. 120 (213-443-6163 or lasa-la.com). 12-4 p.m. Wed.-Sun. Wine and beer.
Pearl River Deli CHINATOWN » Chinese $ Chef Johnny Lee has gained a reputation as a poultry wizard, and his succulent Hainan chicken is a highly sought-after dish. Sadly, he’s serving it only as an occasional weekend special at his tiny Far East Plaza takeout spot. But don’t despair: the ever-changing menu is full of winners, from a pork chop sandwich on a pineapple bun to a beefy, memorable rendition of mapo tofu. 727 N. Broadway, Ste. 130 (626-688-9507, pearlriverdeli.com, or @prd_la). Takeout by calling the restaurant. 11-7 p.m. Wed.-Sat., 11-6 p.m. Sun.
Redbird
HISTORIC CORE » New American $$$$
Neal Fraser has defined his own kind of L.A. elegance over the 20 years he’s been cooking in his native city. Setting up shop in the deconsecrated St. Vibiana Cathedral offered an opportunity to add theatrics to a space that’s contemporary and classically plush and now boasts three distinct outdoor dining areas. A delicate curried carrot broth and beluga lentils transform slices of smoked tofu from wholesome to haute, while lamb belly spins on a spit in the former rectory. 114 E. 2nd St. (213-788-1191 or redbird.la). D Wed.Sun. Full bar.
Sonoratown FASHION DISTRICT
» Mexican $
At this downtown spot known for its flour tortillas, you can order à la carte or opt for affordable family-style takeout options to make your own tacos, burritos, or chimichangas filled with chorizo, carne asada, or mesquite-grilled chicken. Wash it all down with a six-pack of Tecate or seasonal aguas frescas. 208 E. 8th St. (213-628-3710, sonoratown.com, or @sonoratownla). Curbside
“Readers Choice Award”
“Best of The West Side”
- LA Times
- The Argonaut
Venice: 10101 Venice Blvd. | (310) 202-7003 Full Bar | Sushi Bar Beverly Hills: 998 S. Robertson Blvd. | (310) 855-9380 Full Bar | Valet Parking
Dine In | Delivery | Take Out | Order Online
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L A M AG . C O M 99
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pickup by calling the restaurant; takeout and delivery via Caviar. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Beer to go.
CENTRAL H A L L O F FA M E 1 9 9 6 - 2 0 2 0
Alta Adams » California Soul Food $$
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Angelini Osteria BEVERLY GROVE » Italian $$$ Gino Angelini grew up eating his grandma’s lasagna in a town outside the Adriatic city of Rimini, then came to Los Angeles to cook with Mauro Vincenti. He’s not above finishing a crostino of lardo with truffles, but his wheelhouse is a more understated realm: soup is thick with soft potatoes, tripe is buoyed by a slow-cooked soffritto, and all the veal kidneys need is cooked-down onions and a splash of wine. 7313 Beverly Blvd. (323-297-0070 or angelinirestaurantgroup.com). L Mon.-Fri.; D nightly. Beer and wine.
Antico LARCHMONT VILLAGE » Italian $$
Reader’s Choice 2015
PINK’S FAMOUS HOT DOGS Thank you L.A. for 80 years! Located next to iconic PINK’S SQUARE. Still family run since 1939 with the same juicy snap of its 40 varieties of hot dogs. Recently voted No. 1 Hot Dog in California by People magazine. Pink’s also features yummy hamburgers and its legendary chili fries! pinkshollywood.com Corner of La Brea and Melrose (323) 931-4223
Take comfort. Some of the city’s best ice cream is now available to pick up. Chef Chad Colby has converted his East Larchmont Italian restaurant into a takeout spot for foccacia pizzas and ice cream, fashioning a makeshift pizza oven with the plancha top that used to sit on the restaurant’s hearth. The ice cream has a wonderfully smooth texture, and the flavors are spot on. The honeycomb and strawberry have garnered a lot of praise since the restaurant opened last year—and rightly so—but Colby and pastry chef Brad Ray have also been introducing flavors like cookiesand-cream and pistachio. 4653 Beverly Blvd. (323-510-3093, antico-la.com, antico_la). Pickup and delivery via Caviar. 3-8 p.m. Mon.-Tues., 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Wed.-Sun. Wine to go.
A.O.C. BEVERLY GROVE » California $$$
Unforced and driven by culinary excellence, A.O.C. is anchored by a courtyard with soft sunlight and laurel trees. Caroline Styne’s wine list doesn’t shy away from the ecology of vineyards, while Suzanne Goin’s cooking has become indispensable. Carefully constructed salads showcase vegetables at their best, and the roasted chicken with panzanella is both an homage to San Francisco’s Zuni Café and a classic in and of itself. 8700 W. 3rd St. (310-859-9859 or aocwinebar.com). D Tues.-Sat.; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
Badmaash FAIRFAX DISTRICT
WINNERS LAmag.com/bola
Call Eugene Supnet at (323) 801-0033 to participate in this Hall of Fame showcase
10 0 L A M AG . C O M
» Indian $-$$
This Indian gastropub concept comes from the father-and-sons team of Pawan, Nakul, and Arjun Mahendro, who are all well versed in the culinary techniques of East and West. The menu features contemporary mash-ups, like a version of poutine smothered in chicken tikka, tandoori-spiced chicken wings, and a spicy lamb burger. If tradition’s your thing, you’ll be comforted by a superlative butter chicken and what they call “good ol’ saag paneer.” 418 N. Fairfax Ave., Fairfax District (213-281-5185 or badmaashla.com). Takeout or delivery via Caviar and DoorDash 12-9 p.m. daily.
F O U R T O T RY H AWA I I A N P I Z Z A S PIZZA MAESTROS ARE REIMAGINING THE CONTROVERSIAL PINEAPPLEAND-CANADIAN BACON PIE
1 HAWAIIANA COSA B U O N A
Slicing the pineapple paper thin keeps chef Zach Pollack’s take (above) from slipping into dangerous territory. “There’s nothing worse than picking up a slice and readying your open mouth in anticipation of the sweet-andsour explosion to come, only to have big, cumbersome chunks of pineapple, wet with their own juices, come tumbling off onto the plate.” says Pollack. $17, 2100 W. Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, cosabuona.com.
2 BACON WITH SPICY PINEAPPLE GRÁ
This unique iteration features a sourdough crust, smoked mozzarella, cilantro flowers, and pickled pineapple. Treating the fruit in that way intensifies its flavor and “gives it an extra kick,” says founder Michael McSharry. $20, 1524 Pizarro St., Echo Park, gra.com.
3 PINEAPPLE EXPRESS A N T I CO
Pickled jalapeño peppers keep Antico’s fluffy, foccacia version in balance. “They’re really the magical component,” enthuses coowner Kevin Caravelli. “They bring a little heat and acid that contrasts the pineapple’s sweetness perfectly.” $32, 4653 Beverly Blvd., Larchmont, antico-la.com.
4 HAPA OSPI
The new Westside restaurant tops its pie with roasted pineapple and both raw and pickled jalapeños and relies on ground pepperoni for the pork element. “Grinding it gives us more surface area and a chance to let bits and pieces char,” says chef Jackson Kalb. $23, 2025 Pacific Ave., Venice, ospivenice.com.
DY L A N + J E N I
Best Lasik Eye Surgeon, 1999
Riffing on his grandmother’s recipes, Watts native Keith Corbin slips soy and miso paste into braised oxtail and spiced cashews into baked yams. Soul food in this city is too often associated with Styrofoam containers, yet the low-lit room here, carved out of a transformed Spanish revival building, is a lovely place to linger, as is the lovely verdant patio. Hot sauce splashed onto skillet-fried chicken is pure pleasure, enhanced by a bourbon drink the bar tints with roasted peanuts and huckleberries. Finish the night by taking on a heroic wedge of coconut cake. 5359 W. Adams Blvd. (323-571-4999 or altaadams.com). D Wed.-Sun; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
Beer and wine to-go. Also at 108 W. 2nd St. (213-221-7466).
Brandoni Pepperoni WEST HOLLYWOOD » Pizza $$ Six nights a week, Brandon Gray turns out some of L.A.’s most exciting pizzas in the back of the WeHo Gateway shopping center. Gray, a veteran of Navy kitchens and top local restaurants like Providence, brings boundless imagination to his pies. They’re topped with premium ingredients—Jidori chicken, Sungold tomatoes, Spanish octopus—in exciting combinations. A curry-Dijonnaise dressing renders a side salad surprisingly memorable. 7100 Santa Monica Blvd., (323-306-4968 or brandoni-pepper oni.com). Pickup only. 4-8 p.m., Thurs.-Tues. Wine to go.
République
HANCOCK PARK » Cal-French $$$
République may be devoted to French food, but its soul is firmly rooted in Californian cuisine. Walter Manzke is as skilled at making potato and leek beignets as he is with at roasting cauliflower and local dates. At breakfast people murmur over cast-iron pots of shakshouka and drool over the pastries while waiting to be seated. At dinner the rib eye—served with soft marrow— can be had in two sizes. Afterward it’s time for Margarita Manzke’s orange-blossom cream puff. 624 S. La Brea Ave. (310-362-6115 or republique la.com). Takeout or delivery via Tock. B-L-D daily. Full bar.
Slab BEVERLY GROVE
E.P. + L.P. WEST HOLLYWOOD
» Barbecue $$
Hungry diners used to line up in the driveway of
Burt Bakman’s home, desperate for a taste of his famous smoked barbecue meats. In 2018 Bakman came up from the underground, opening a sleek storefront that’s now filling to-go orders for hearty fare, from perfectly marbled brisket to pulled-pork sandwiches and collard greens. You can even get a six-pack of Bud Light. 8136 W. 3rd. St. (310-8557184, slabbarbecue.com, or @slab). Takeout and delivery via Postmates. ww11 a.m.-9 p.m. daily. Beer and wine to go.
Son of a Gun » Seafood $$
BEVERLY GROVE
Florida-raised chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo deliver a certain brand of sun-drenched seashore nostalgia. Dropping into the nautically themed dining room for chilled peel-and-eat shrimp and a Hurricane feels as effortless as dipping your toes in the sand. There are buttery lobster rolls and fried-chicken sandwiches
» Pan-Asian $$$
With a killer rooftop dining area, this dual-concept restaurant and bar would probably attract scene-y crowds regardless of its menu. The ThaiChinese-Fijian plates are playful and progressive, including fried-crab-curry buns and ahi-tunatartare crostini with kimchi relish. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd. (310-855-9955 or eplosangeles.com). D nightly; brunch Sat. and Sun. Full bar.
Harold & Belle’s JEFFERSON PARK » Southern Creole $$ For Creole-style food—a mélange of French, African, and Native American flavors—Harold & Belle’s is as close to the Dirty Coast as you’ll come on the West Coast. The crawfish étouffée in spicy gravy will have you humming zydeco, while the bourbon bread pudding will leave you with a Sazeracworthy buzz. 2920 W. Jefferson Blvd. (323-7359023 or haroldandbelles.com). L-D daily. Full bar.
Lalibela
FAIRFAX DISTRICT » Ethiopian $-$$
The strip of Fairfax known as Little Ethiopia has long been dominated by the same handful of restaurants. Chef-owner Tenagne Belachew worked in a few of them before opening her own sophisticated haven, which invites with the swirling aromas of berbere and burning sage. Stretchy disks of injera—the sour, teff-flour pancake that doubles as a utensil for scooping up food by hand—arrive piled with uniquely pungent delights. There are wots, or stews, made with chicken or spiced legumes or lamb sautéed in a creamy sauce. 1025 S. Fairfax Ave. (323-965-1025 or lalibelala.com). L-D daily. Beer and wine.
Luv2Eat Thai Bistro HOLLYWOOD » Thai $$ Vibrant flavors and spices abound at this stripmall favorite from two Phuket natives. The crab curry, with a whole crustacean swimming in a creamy pool of deliciousness, is not to be missed (it travels surprisingly well), but the expansive menu is full of winners, from the massaman curry to the Thai fried chicken with sticky rice and sweet pepper sauce. 6660 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-498-5835, luv2eatthai.com, or @luv2eat.thaibistro). Takeout and delivery via SappClub, ChowNow, or phone. 11 a.m.- 10 p.m. daily.
Osteria Mozza/Pizzeria Mozza HANCOCK PARK » Italian $$$ Nancy Silverton’s osteria and pizzeria may share a street corner, but their true link is a fearless approach. The osteria aims for big-city elegance, with space in the dining room for a cheese counter where you can order a plate of buffalo mozzarella and Sungold tomatoes. Next door it’s about pizzas with billowing crusts and toppings like fennel sausage. A parking area has recently been transformed into Piazza Mozza to offer outdoor seating. Osteria: 6602 Melrose Ave. (323-297-0100 or osteria mozza.com). D Wed.-Sun, B Sat.-Sun. Full bar. Pizzeria: 641 N. Highland Ave. (323-2970101 or pizzeriamozza.com). D Wed.-Sun. Beer and wine.
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L A M AG . C O M 10 1
alongside artfully plated crudos and uni-slathered burrata. Don’t miss the yellowfin tuna–wrapped avocado in leche de tigre. 8370 W. 3rd St. (323-782-9033 or sonofagunrestaurant.com). Takeout and delivery via DoorDash and Caviar. L-D daily. Full bar.
EAST All Day Baby SILVER LAKE » Eclectic $$
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Jonathan Whitener’s Here’s Looking at You has, sadly, closed, but there are plenty of tasty times to be had at this ever-evolving spot on a busy Eastside corner. Breakfast sandwiches—on pastry chef Thessa Diadem’s sublime buttermilk biscuits—are truly divine, while others, like a friedchicken number with pimento cheese, make for a wonderfully decadent takeout lunch. The main restaurant is currently open for breakfast and lunch and offers takeout, delivery, and self-serve patio seating. A new pop-up across the street called Helluva Time offers dinner service on weekends. Don’t miss the genius beef tartare “au poivre.” 3200 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-741-0082 or alldaybabyla.com). B-L Wed.-Sun., D Fri.-Sat. Full bar.
Bar Restaurant » French $$$
SILVER LAKE
Chef Douglas Rankin, who worked under Ludo Lefebvre for years, strikes out on his own with this charming, pale-pink “neo-bistro” in the old Malo space in Sunset Junction. The menu features playful Gallic-ish fare, like curly fries and plump mussels Dijon atop milk toast; classic cocktails; and plenty of funky wines available by the glass. The restaurant recently expanded its already large outdoor space into the parking lot to create a festive area with plants and lights. 4326 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-347-5557 or barrestaurant.la). D Wed.-Sun. Full bar.
Hippo
HIGHLAND PARK
» Cal-Italian $$
Hidden in a wood-trussed dining room behind Triple Beam Pizza, this Cal-Ital restaurant from Mozza vet Matt Molina balances casual and refined. Snappy wax beans are sluiced with vinaigrette for a picnic-worthy salad. Sweet corn cappellacci are lush pasta pillows. Grilled chicken thighs and a glass of Vermentino deliver the unfussy pleasure found at the best neighborhood spots. Eclectic regular specials like haute corn dogs add to the fun. 5916 ½ N. Figueroa St. (323-545-3536 or hipporestaurant.com). D nightly. Full bar.
12-7 p.m. Wed.-Thurs., 12-8 p.m. Fri. and Sat., 12-5 p.m. Sunday. Beer and wine to go.
THE VALLEY Black Market Liquor Bar » New American $$
STUDIO CITY
Top Chef graduate Antonia Lofaso’s Italian chops are visible in the buxom ricotta gnudi with brown butter and pistachios. The deep-fried fluffernutter sandwich is a reminder that food, like life, should not be taken too seriously. 11915 Ventura Blvd. (818-446-2533 or blackmarketliquorbar.com). L Mon.-Fri. D Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
The Brothers Sushi » Sushi $$$
WOODLAND HILLS
This hidden gem, reinvigorated when chef Mark
C H E F FAVO R I T E S SUZANNE G OIN A.O.C., LUCQUES, AND TAVERN
HAT YAI FRIED CHICKEN LUV2EAT THAI “Chef Fern and Chef Pla are killing it at this Hollywood Thai bistro with their authentic, super-flavorful, fresh, spicy fare. I could eat their food every night, and my kids cannot get enough of this chicken.”$15, 6660 W. Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, luv2eatthai.com. THE FULL MONTY BBQ PLATTER APL RESTAURANT “Adam Perry Lang is the barbecue master. We had
such a feast the other night. Everything is perfect: the ribs, the Texas toast, the pulled pork, the sides . . . it’s all too much—meaning, too good!” $37, 1680 Vine St., Hollywood, aplrestaurant.com.
GRILLED OCTOPUS SPARTINA “This old-school gem serves wellcrafted food with perfect ingredients, like this Sicilian dish with octopus, potato, pepperoni, parsley, and a garlic aioli.” $18, 7505 Melrose Ave., Fairfax District, spartina.la.
Northern Thai Food Club EAST HOLLYWOOD » Thai $ Offering specialty dishes unique to northern Thailand, this family-run favorite doesn’t skimp on flavor, spice, or authenticity. Tasty takeout meals include the khao soi gai (curry egg noodle with chicken), laab moo kua (minced pork), tam kha noon (jackfruit salad), and pla salid tod (fried gourami fish). For those unfamiliar with the region’s distinct cuisine, the illustrious sticky rice is still a reliable bet. Need more incentive? Everything on the menu is less than $10. 5301 Sunset Blvd. (323-474-7212 or amphainorthernthaifood .com). Takeout and delivery via the restaurant’s website. 10 a.m.-9:30 p.m. daily.
Spoon & Pork » Filipino $$
SILVER LAKE
The go-to for Filipino comfort food offers a variety of dishes, all featuring one shared ingredient: deliciousness. Spoon & Pork puts an innovative spin on some Filipino favorites—just try its adobo pork belly, pork belly banh mi, or lechon kawali. The dishes elegantly mix decadence with some authentic soul. 3131 W. Sunset Blvd. (323-922-6061, spoonandpork.com, or @spoonandporkla). Takeout and delivery via the restaurant’s website.
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Okuda took the helm in 2018, is worth traveling for. Keep spirits up with the Hand-Roll Party home kits (there’s even one for kids), or splurge on an omakase to be enjoyed on the patio or to go. You can also order à la carte or get non-sushi items like soyglazed grilled chicken. 21418 Ventura Blvd. (818-4564509, thebrotherssushi.com, or @thebrotherssushila). L Tues.-Fri. D Tues.-Sun.Beer, wine, and sake.
raw, there are various salmon and tuna burgers to choose from, and the smoked-ahi dip with housemade potato chips is not to be missed. Perfect for picking up a beach picnic. 409 E. Grand Ave. (310-616-3484 or aliifishco.com). L-D daily; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
BURBANK
» Bagels $
The L.A. bagel revolution continues at this stylish new spot in the Valley that serves up carefully constructed sandwiches. Tomato, aioli, and mapleglazed bacon elevate a simple bacon, egg, and cheese, while a classic salmon-and-lox construction has thoughtful touches like salted cucumbers and pickled onions. Sammies shine with plain cream cheese, but it’s worth grabbing a tub of Hank’s “angry” spread—a spicy, slightly sweet concoction—to have in your fridge. And no cream cheese is needed for Hank’s everything jalapeno-cheddar bagel, a stunning gut bomb. 4315 Riverside Dr. (818-5883693, hanksbagels.com, or @hanksbagels). Takeout and delivery via Toast. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Tues.-Sun.
SOUTH Ali’i Fish Company EL SEGUNDO » Seafood $$
This small, unassuming spot shames all of the glossy poke purveyors popping up around town to serve mediocre versions of the Hawaiian dish. Glistening cubes of tuna, flown in fresh from the islands daily, remind you how great poke can be, and even a vegan poke, with tofu and sea asparagus, manages to satisfy. If you’re not looking to go
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Love & Salt MANHATTAN BEACH » Italian $$-$$$
Fishing With Dynamite » Seafood $$$
MANHATTAN BEACH
Hank’s
down with a craft beer or three. 247 Avenida del Norte (424-398-0237 or dinelittlesister.com). L-D daily. Beer, wine, and sake. Also at 523 W. 7th St., downtown (213-628-3146 or dinelittlesister.com).
A premium raw bar near the beach shouldn’t be unusual, but it is. The same goes for velvety clam chowder. Here it achieves smoky richness—you can thank the Nueske’s bacon for that—without any of the floury glop. On the raw bar menu you’ll find several kinds of oysters from across the country, Peruvian scallops, and Alaskan king crab legs. 1148 Manhattan Ave. (310-893-6299 or eatfwd.com). L-D daily; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
Serving pasta-centric coastal cuisine, this venture is formal enough that a waiter serves creste di gallo pasta and lighthearted enough that Larder Bakery rye toast with Cara Cara marmalade and house-cultured butter aren’t out of place. Come with a crew and try one of the family-style dishes such as a gorgeous whole roasted branzino with Umbrian lentils. Don’t miss comforting desserts like Italian doughnuts with Nutella. 317 Manhattan Beach Blvd. (310-545-5252 or loveand saltla.com). D nightly; L Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
Hotville BALDWIN HILLS CRENSHAW
M.B. Post » Fried chicken $
After three years of running a pop-up, Kim Prince has opened a brick-and-mortar that does her family’s legacy justice—she is the niece of André Prince Jeffries, owner of Nashville legend Prince’s Hot Chicken Shack, where hot fried chicken is said to have originated. Prince adds spice at every step in the cooking process to produce a complex, layered flavor. The sides ($5 and up), like spicy mac and cheese and kale coleslaw, are also winners. 4070 Marlton Ave. (323-792-4835 or hotvillechicken.com). L-D Tue.-Sun. No alcohol.
MANHATTAN BEACH » New American $$
David LeFevre (the Arthur J, Fishing With Dynamite) cuts a swath through genres and latitudes with the gusto of someone who’s clearly pleased to be at the stove. He sears Scottish salmon with roasted garlic puree, sugar snap peas, truffle vinaigrette, and charred scallions. There’s plenty of wordplay on the menu (“Meat Me Later”), but no pun can do justice to his bacon-cheddar biscuits with maple butter. 1142 Manhattan Ave. (310-545-5405 or eatmbpost.com). D nightly; brunch Sat.-Sun. Full bar.
Little Sister REDONDO BEACH » Asian Fusion $$
Chef and co-owner Tin Vuong deftly translates the flavors of Vietnam for a casual drinking scene. Nibble on Balinese fried meatballs with cilantromint chutney or fresh spring rolls with shrimp, pork, and a peanut dipping sauce, then wash it all
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The most sensual hotels in the world L A M AG . C O M 103
She toppled two of Hollywood’s most powerful fu ul ctiim? moguls, but is Charlotte Kirk a villain or a victim? n’ss The 28-year-old actress who set off the town’s biggest scandal finally breaks her silence
By BENJAMIN SVETKEY P H O T O G R A P H S BY E L I SA B E T H CA R E N
C
CHARLOTTE KIRK wants to talk. She’s dying to talk. g She leans forward in her chair, her brown eyes opening ps wide. She slowly begins to form some words, then stops herself, and bites her lip. She is clearly agonizing over ow w what to say next. The question she’s been asked is, “How are you feeling?” The answer isn’t hard to guess. For the past 20 months, s, the 28-year-old, little-known British actress has been at the center of multiple Hollywood scandals that have taken n down not just one but two of the industry’s mightiest playyers—Warner Bros. CEO Kevin Tsujihara, ousted in March 2019 after his 2013 affair with Kirk was exposed by The Hollywood Reporter, and vice chair of NBC Universal Ron n Meyer, who lost his job in August when it was revealed that hatt he, too, had been sexually involved with Kirk back in 2012— 2— — and thrust her into a role she could never have imagined
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Charlotte’s Web
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room. “He’s not very nice,” she wrote. “He just wants to fuck.” Packer replied, “U OK?” followed by “Be cool.” Kirk took that as instructions from Packer to have sex with Tsujihara and decided to leave. But she found Packer blocking her way. “I felt trapped, overwhelmed, and very afraid of what Mr. Packer might do,” she wrote. “I felt powerless to say no.” Packer and Tsujihara, who are also represented by Singer, maintain that none of the above ever happened. “My clients . . . vehemently deny engaging in any wrongful or unlawful conduct whatsoever with respect to Charlotte Kirk,” Singer says in a statement to Los Angeles, claiming that Kirk has changed her story about her relationship with Packer and Tsujihara “even more frequently than . . . her lawyers.” (In a footnote, he calculates that she has hired “eight or more different attorneys to represent her to look for new ways to continue pursuing my clients.”) “The accusations now being made by Miss Kirk are completely contradicted by . . . interviews she chose to do on television and other media,” Singer goes on, citing Kirk's statement to THR, in which she “emphatically” denied any “inappropriate behavior on the part of Brett Ratner, James Packer, and Kevin Tsujihara.” Skeptics of Kirk’s story could—and do—point to the fact that her relationship with 56-year-old Tsujihara continued for years after she found him splayed naked on that hotel bed. The two met multiple times at other hotels and motels, leaving a trail of text messages like bread crumbs. At times, Kirk’s attitude toward Tsujihara was playful and flirtatious (“Mmmm. You’re a giver,” she all but purred in one text, punctuating the message with a smiley face). At other times, not so much (“Kevin? A two-liner? U have got to be kidding me!!” she complained after getting cast in a tiny role in Warner Bros.’s How to 104 L A M AG . C O M
Be Single). Whatever the tone, though, it raises an obvious question: Why, after the incident at Hotel Bel-Air, would Kirk text with Tsujihara, let alone sleep with him again? For that matter, why continue communicating with Packer, Meyer, or Ratner, all of whom had, if her declarations were true, committed sexual harassment, if not sexual assault? Rose McGowan, the actress-turnedactivist who helped take down Harvey Weinstein and launched the #MeToo movement—and who has tweeted support for Kirk—offers one possible explanation: “It’s very scary to stand up to power,” she says. “It was scary for me, and I had a microphone. Imagine what it was like for Charlotte, for somebody who doesn’t have a microphone. Because these powerful men can destroy you. You get punished for standing up. As it turned out, Kirk got punished, anyway, with Ratner, Tsujihara, and Mey-
G O O D W I T C H O R BA D ? Kirk in The Reckoning, about a woman accused of witchcraft, directed by her fiancé, Neil Marshall. The film has been screening at festivals over the past few months.
er allegedly stringing her along for years by dangling career breakthroughs that never seemed to materialize. She was, for instance, promised the female lead in Nicole and O. J., a dark comedy about the O. J. Simpson murder trial that was going to be shot around 2017 by British director Joshua Newton, who also happened to be Kirk’s boyfriend at the time. (The two started dating in 2014 and were together for four years.) Meyer, according to court declarations, had helped set that film up at RatPac—although Meyer's attorney denies it—with Ratner putting up $1 million dollars to get the production rolling (playing Nicole was how Kirk learned that killer American accent). But to this day, that picture hasn’t been completed, and Newton, most famous for shooting Roy Scheider’s final film, 2009’s Iron Cross, ended up threatening to sue Meyer over the stalled project
for what Meyer claims was as much as $300 million. Kirk was also set to star in the remake of Hellboy. Meyer is alleged to have arranged that casting, as well. (Again, his lawyer denies it, claiming Kirk met the film’s producers at a Laker game and ended up getting an audition.) Hellboydirector Neil Marshall—the horror auteur behind 2002’s Dog Soldiers and 2005’s Decent—was said to be extremely impressed with Kirk. So much so that he later started dating her—they now share this cozy house in Studio City (most of its shelf space is filled with his Indiana Jones action figures and other film-geek memorabilia)—and directed her in his latest feature, a witchcraft period piece called The Reckoning, which Kirk cowrote and coproduced. At the last minute, though, a different actress was cast in Hellboy, possibly because producer Avi Lerner—another friend of Ratner’s who is also alleged in the court documents to have sexually harassed Kirk; he’s also represented by Singer and denies the accusation—supposedly told anyone who’d listen that Kirk’s autism made it impossible for her to “show emotion.” According to the court documents, all these promised film roles were more about damage control than a genuine effort to advance Kirk's career, an attempt to “cynically" use the prospect of stardom to “contain Kirk and her story, by manipulating her into agreeing to a confidential settlement that would secure her silence.” If true, it worked. In 2017, Kirk signed an NDA covering Ratner, Packer, and Tsujihara, which guaranteed her silence for a payment of $3 million (plus up to $1.5 million more for three promised but never-shot film roles). And she signed another NDA with Meyer in 2019, which was supposed to pay $2.5 million in $500,000 increments once a year for five years. (Sources close to the matter say that Kirk has so far received $2.6 million from the first settlement and $500,000 from the second.) But it all blew up in March 2019, when THR published its exposé. Tsujihara was fired within weeks, not so much for the affair, but because the published text messages clearly showed the studio head was trading film roles for sex. That may have once been accepted practice in Hollywood, but not in the post-Harvey era. Fifteen months later, Meyer lost his job, too. Again, not because of the affair, but because he reportedly neglected to mention to his studio that Newton (and,
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CHARLOTTE’S ’S S WEB
separately, Marshall) had been threatening lawsuits over Meyer’s promises to them to make films with Kirk, potentially exposing the studio to financial jeopardy (although there’s been speculation in the press that Meyer was on his way out anyway, and the affair was simply a handy excuse for the studio to push him through the door). In any case, Charlotte’s web had come undone.
~ ON MONDAY, OCTOBER 15, a group of protesters gathered at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in downtown L.A. There were only about a dozen of them, but what they lacked in numbers they made up for in enthusiasm. They brandished colorful handmade signs—"Let Charlotte Speak!” and “Hold Hollywood Accountable!”—and marched in a circle around the courthouse steps. “No more casting couch!” they chanted. “Truth to power!” Of all the roles Kirk has played—or been promised she would play—this may be the unlikeliest star vehicle of them all: movement leader. Inside the courthouse, Judge Christopher Lui was holding a Zoom hearing with Kirk; her boyfriend, Marshall (now her fiancé; they plan on marrying next year); and her ex-boyfriend, Newton. (The three are all now friendly, though hardly a throuple: “They hated each other for awhile,” Kirk notes.) Singer was at the hearing, as well, representing Packer, Ratner, and a bunch of others named as parties in the NDA prohibiting Kirk from speaking. While the protesters marched outside, Kirk asked Judge Lui to end her silence. One feature of that 2017 NDA was that it went beyond prohibiting Kirk from speaking; it also stipulated that should her relationships with any of the men become public, she would issue a statement claiming their encounters were consensual. And after THR published its Tsujihara story, that’s exactly what Kirk did: “There are real victims of #MeToo in our industry and my heart goes out to them,” she said in her statement. “I applaud them and support them—but I’m just not one of them.” She didn’t issue a statement when Meyer exited NBCUniversal, but then Meyer didn’t name Kirk; he simply admitted to an affair with an unnamed woman and claimed that he was being “extorted” by parties with knowledge of the affair. It took the press to piece together the identity of the woman and the alleged boyfriend extortionists. (“There was no extortion,” in-
sists Newton. “[Marshall and I] were in mediation over legitimate claims against Meyer and NBC-Universal. The evidence speaks for itself. It’s bullshit.”) But after Kirk’s name became public, and as the media began pillorying her as the blond honeypot who destroyed the lives of two powerful (and in Meyer’s case, well-liked by the press) movie moguls, she began to rethink the deals she had struck. In her mind, she was the victim, yet she was being portrayed as a cartoon vixen while her alleged perpetrators were being cast as the injured
After the media began pillorying Kirk as the blond honeypot who destroyed the lives of two powerful movie moguls, she began to rethink the deals she had struck. parties. It was destroying any hopes she had for a career. Worse, she was unable to defend herself—not without breaking the NDAs. Then she found a possible way out. Last year, in the wake of the Weinstein scandal, state Senator Connie M. Leyva passed a bill expanding California’s existing law invalidating NDAs in cases involving sexual assault to also include cases involving sexual harassment. Kirk decided become the first to legally test Leyva’s amendment. And she brought backup with her. “We worked on the law to pass it, and now we’re here to make sure that it’s enforced,” one of the courthouse protesters, Caroline Heldman, a professor at Occidental College who works with a group called Stand with Survivors, told a reporter during a break in the marching and chanting. “Putting a gag order on a victim of sexual harassment just adds insult to injury. Literally.” The implications of the law are staggering. If Kirk prevails and is released from her NDAs, it could open a floodgate of #MeToo revelations bottled up by NDAs all over Hollywood. But it will
require a long, grueling grind through the legal system. Already one arbitrator looking at Kirk’s case has issued a preliminary ruling against her—dismissing Kirk’s allegations as mere “casting couch sex”—and a few days after the courthouse protest, Judge Lui would effectively duck the issue by deciding that he lacked jurisdiction to overturn that arbitrator’s judgment. At this writing, Kirk and her lawyers are filing an appeal, likely the first of many legal battles to come until a final verdict is pronounced. “The more setbacks I have,” she insists, “the more driven I become.” But for now, sitting in her backyard in Studio City, Kirk must continue biting her tongue as her lawyer (and his dog) hover over every word she utters. So instead, she steers the conversation to safer ground. She talks about The Reckoning, the film she and Marshall shot in Budapest and have been screening at film festivals these past few months. (Kirk’s parents attended a screening at October’s Frightfest in London.) “The story is about a young widow in 1665 who gets accused of witchcraft and locked up in the dungeons during the Great Plague,” she says, excitedly describing its plot. “It’s unbelievably relevant to the world we live in today, even though, when we were making it last year, we had no idea that the world was going to be brought to its knees by another plague. It deals with topics like sexism, persecution, power, class issues, and witch hunts, both religious and political—all subjects that are still very much alive today.” Boomer suddenly pricks up his ears, as if he’s especially sensitive to subtext. “And my character,” Kirk goes on, “she’s an extraordinary woman. She fights for what she believes in. She has the utmost dignity even though men try to strip her of her dignity and pursue her for their own gratification.” That film is just the start. Kirk is already planning future movies with Marshall, including a Guy Ritchie-style gangster flick she describes as “a female Scarface.” She and Marshall are also developing a TV show focusing on the Tower of London that she’d like to produce in England, where she expects she’ll be moving at some point. “I want to raise a family in the UK,” she says. In fact, she’s already picked where she wants to live: Kent. “Which is weird because I used to think I’d never want to go back there,” she says. “But now, after everything, I think I’d be happy to go back.” L A M AG . C O M 105
Stoned Again C O N T I N U E D F R O M PAG E 9 7
Rory might’ve been. RORY COCHR ANE: Nobody got hurt, thankfully. BEN AFFLECK: Texas had extremely lax gun laws, and most of us came from states where it was next to impossible to buy guns. So part of the newfound freedom of being down there was that a bunch of us bought guns and went shooting at ranges on weekends, which seemed fun and innocent at the time, but given the subsequent tragedies with young people and guns, it now makes me uncomfortable to remember.
Method Men
One of Dazed and Confused’s most notorious scenes is the hazing ritual where the seniors paddle the freshmen. It was also one the trickiest to film because the young actors playing the freshmen thought Ben Affleck and Cole Hauser attacked the scene with a little too much verisimilitude. WILEY WIGGINS (MITCH): Those guys
were terrifying. They were like werewolf men. I still have nightmares about Ben Affleck running toward me in slow motion, like, drooling. BEN AFFLECK: Cole was definitely more scary than I was. He has a certain menace I’m not sure he’s aware of. He was quite big and strong and very “method” at the time. And he took that to mean he should be terrorizing those kids. WILEY WIGGINS: It was this fucking method-actor bullshit that those L.A. guys were into. They all thought they were gonna be the next James Dean. COLE HAUSER: I never thought of myself as a method actor, but who isn’t into James Dean? NICKY KATT (CLINT): You can spot everybody’s influences pretty clearly if you watch Dazed with your eyes closed. 10 6 L A M AG . C O M
I’m doing Mickey Rourke. Cole’s doing Christopher Walken. You really notice it with Cole. You’re like, “Wait a minute— why would a football player talk like Christopher Walken?” COLE HAUSER: The stunt guy put a piece of fiberglass on Wiley’s ass with a pad, and he said, “You can hit him as hard as you want.” And I was like, “Really?” I hit Wiley and he turned around like he’d basically been shot up the ass with a shotgun. He started crying. MARK VANDERMEULEN (TOMMY): Wiley got paddled for real. WILEY WIGGINS: Nope, I was safe. I barely felt a thing. For that scene, they blew menthol in my eyes to make me cry. But I was terrified by how animalistic their performances were getting. RICHARD LINKLATER: You’d tell them, “Hey, back off a little bit!” But those guys don’t know what it means to “back off a little bit.” That was definitely a low point. BEN AFFLECK: All I can say is, I am not the kind of person who would hit somebody with a paddle. I wouldn’t think that was fun or funny or cool. If I hit a little hard, it was an accident. CATHERINE AVRIL MORRIS (JULIE): After that, we shot the scene where Ben Affleck gets the paint spilled on his head. ROBERT JANECKA (PROPERTY MASTER): We were running out of time at the end of a 20-hour day, everybody was tired and cranky, and wardrobe only had one change of clothes left, so we had to nail it in one take. It looks like we poured a gallon of paint on him, but it was five gallons of papier-mâché material. Ben was totally pissed off. That was real. DEB PASTOR (SET DECOR ATOR): I was standing there during the scene when the kid got swatted, so when we dropped paint on Ben’s head, it was really a highlight for everybody. BEN AFFLECK: Everybody sort of inhabited their characters, and mine was just this incredibly douchey, fratty, redneck bully. People will send me replicas of the paddles we use in the movie and tell me they really loved my character. And I always think, “That’s the way I know you and I are not going to get along.”
“Just Keep Livin’”
On the final night of shooting, Linklater still wasn’t sure how to end the movie. He knew he had to wrap up the film’s central problem—whether or not Pink would sign a clean-living pledge given
to him by his coach—but beyond that he wasn’t exactly sure what Pink and his friends would say to one another. The problem was solved by Matthew McConaughey, who delivered a star-making, improvised monologue about life inspired by the death of his father just a few weeks earlier. RICHARD LINKLATER: I wanted to have a
scene where they hang out on the football field. There’s a certain rebellion in that. It seems conformist to go back to that location—we hate school, why would we go back there? Well, because it’s different now. We own that football field. No one’s telling us what to do. JOHN CAMERON: I remember that scene as a bittersweet thing in the film. Filming it felt bittersweet as well. JASON LONDON: Sasha and I were supposed to pretend to be the coaches. My real high school football coach was a cool Vietnam vet who would tell us stories that always ended with “OTSS! Only The Strong Survive!” I asked Rick, “Can I say that here?” And he was like, “You just gave me gold. Yes, please.” RICHARD LINKL ATER: We were working on the final scene, just trying to get what Wooderson would say to Pink at that point. And I’ll never forget Matthew looking over at me and saying, “It’s about livin’, ain’t it?” It was just obvious that it was about his dad. MATTHEW MCCONAUGHEY: I remember when I first got back after the funeral, I took a good long walk with Rick, who’s a wonderful listener. We were talking about what’s the best way to get through it. That was the night that “Just keep livin’” came out of my mouth. A light went off for me about how to navigate losing my father, just keeping his spirit alive. JASO N LO N DO N : You know when McConaughey goes into these inspirational speeches? He’s always been that way. Even before he was famous. JASON DAVIDS SCOTT: He had “J.K. Livin’” on his answering machine message after that. RICHARD LINKLATER: The last week of production on Dazed, we were sitting at dinner, and Matthew was like, “You know, I think I’m going to move to L.A. From the book ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT by Melissa Maerz. Copyright © 2020 by Melissa Maerz. Reprinted courtesy of Harper, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
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Q
When the Century Plaza Hotel reopens later this year, will anything from the original remain? Century Plaza shortly before opening in 1966.
A:
The 16-story, 54-year-old landmark in Century City is set to return with fewer (but larger) super-luxury rooms and 331 condos. Inside the hotel, the heavy draperies and British Beefeater costumes of the ’60s have given way to a more modern, streamlined look. The only major interior element remaining will be the white plaster ceiling recesses. But developers painstakingly returned the midcentury sparkle to the exterior bronzed aluminum, marble, and porte cochere. “If you brought [original architect] Minoru Yamasaki back, would he recognize it?” says an architect who visited the site. “Yes, he would.” Q: If actors say more than five words in a movie, are they entitled to a higher wage? A: Whenever background actors on a major movie are directed to utter even a single word, they are immediately upgraded to principal and see their pay 108 L A M AG . C O M
jump from $178 to $1,030 a day. “It’s the Hollywood dream,” says Fatna SallakWilliams, director of background actors at SAG-AFTRA, who notes that even Brad Pitt started out as an extra. Once, an ambitious extra tried to inject dialogue into a silent part on
an operating table, but he simply got a mask over his face. Q: Back in the ’90s, a man in a tutu and turban was a constant presence at Caltech. Who was he? A: Edward Simmons was an eccentric scientist who
Edward Simmons
devised a way to measure the impact of stress on metals. His “strain gauge” speeded up airplane assembly lines during World War II, and it’s still used today. He spent decades tinkering in his lab and attending lectures at Caltech in his Renaissance garb, which he found more comfortable than a suit and tie. He died in 2004, at the age of 93, after a stint at a state mental hospital. Q: I loved Twohey’s diner in Alhambra. Is it ever coming back? A: It’s back. The classic restaurant, famous for its Stinko burgers and bittersweet chocolate sundaes, just reopened in South Pasadena. They’ve traded the Formica and booths for swankier digs, but most of the staff and menu items have returned. The Big Boy-size statue of the restaurant’s mascot, Lil’ Stinko, is joined by a new mascot with a “more youthful look,” says owner Tanya Christos. “We’re calling him the grandson of the original Twohey’s.”
C H R I S ’S P I C K
Dumpo
WALT DISNEY’S WARES ARE ON THE BLOCK O Animation cels
C E N T U RY P L A Z A : B I S O N A R C H I V E S . S I M M O N S : © M I K E M U L L E N / PASA D E N A STA R - N E WS /Z U M A P R E SS . D E M O N : CO U RT E SY VA N E ATO N G A L L E R I E S .
T H E SW E E P
from Pinocchio, signage from Disneyland, and a mechanical sea serpent from the Submarine Voyage ride have sold for record prices at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks. One collector’s stash fetched $8.3 million. This month, the gallery turns its attention to the big man himself, with Walt Disney: The Man, The Studio, and the Parks. The online sale will feature more than 800 artifacts, ranging from private photos of young Walt, letters to a teenage girlfriend, and an entire suite of Streamline office furniture from the studio, including an original animator’s desk used in every film from Fantasia on. Items from the park include attraction posters, a model of the tentacled alien from Captain Eo, and an impish demon from Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. The bidding starts on December 5, Walt’s birthday.
VOLUME 65, NUMBER 12. LOS ANGELES (ISSN 1522-9149) is published monthly by Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. Principal office: 5900 Wilshire Blvd., 10th Floor, Los Angeles, CA 90036. Periodicals postage paid at Los Angeles, CA, and additional mailing offices. The one-year domestic subscription price is $14.95. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to LOS ANGELES, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other materials, which must be accompanied by return postage. SUBSCRIBERS: If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year. Copyright © 2020 Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. All rights reserved. Best of L.A.® is a registered trademark of Los Angeles Magazine, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part of any text, photograph, or illustration without written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited. SUBSCRIBER SERVICE 866-660-6247. GST #R133004424. PRINTED IN THE USA.
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