California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Chinatown (洛杉磯唐人街)

FORGET ABOUT IT, JAKE Rooftops of Chinatown Cathay Manor (where I've wanted to party since moving to Los Angeles A quiet street in Chinatown Chinatown (洛杉磯唐人街) is Los Angeles neighborhood located in Downtown's northern end. To vote for other Southern California communities to be the focus of future explorations, let me know which in the … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Chinatown (洛杉磯唐人街)

The freaks come out at night – Bounce Queen Big Freedia visits L.A. and the sissies’ strange path to the spotlight

Tashi Condelee takes the stage whilst Big Freedia does her thang Wednesday night I was mulling my options about what exciting way to spend my evening. Since my brother won't let me come to his house to play Battlefield 2 - Bad Company, I was weighing whether or not to go to the Support Your … Continue reading The freaks come out at night – Bounce Queen Big Freedia visits L.A. and the sissies’ strange path to the spotlight

Korean film festival of Los Angeles – KOFFLA 2010

I’m kind of embarrassed to admit it, but up until three months ago, the only Korean films and dramas I’d seen were 녹색 의자 (Green Chair), 미녀는 괴로워 (200 Pound Beauty) and 소울메이트 (Soulmate). I’d been given a grip of dramas by the good folks at MBC but I’d dutifully passed them along to my own … Continue reading Korean film festival of Los Angeles – KOFFLA 2010

Photoplays We Fancy — Uzak (Distant)

Dir: Nuri Bilge Ceylan, 2002. Starring: Muzaffer Özdemir, Emin Toprak. Foreign/Asian Cinema. Everyone’s paying homage to Tarkovsky nowadays, it seems, albeit often losing something in the translation. Turkish filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan is among the few directors (along with Mauritanian Abderrahmane Sissako, Malian Souleymane Ciss,e and Iranian Abbas Kiarostami) who thankfully picks up not only on … Continue reading Photoplays We Fancy — Uzak (Distant)

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Echo Park

This blog entry is about the Los Angeles neighborhood of Echo Park.  INTRO TO EP Echo Park is a Mideast Side neighborhood located north of Downtown Los Angeles in the Elysian hills west of the LA River. Echo Park has long associations with several arts, most notably literature and film. It's one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and is … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Echo Park

New Orleans Block Party – Bounce Music goes to SXSW 2010

This looks incredible. South By Southwest is hosting a bounce music showcase. This is your chance to experience some of the biggest talents to come out of the New Orleans Rap scene. Although they made their pledge goals, you can still donate and get various merchandise. Now I may have to go to SXSW for the … Continue reading New Orleans Block Party – Bounce Music goes to SXSW 2010

Los Angeles’ Pan-African Film Festival …a year heavy on Nollywood and South African films

Los Angeles’s Pan-African Film Festival is currently in effect (February 10-17). I have a long-lasting love-hate relationship with it. On the one hand, their website (despite improvements this year) remains hard to navigate, is rife with typos, incomplete information and omissions. In other words, it’s inexcusably bad. How about a calendar, folks? In addition, every … Continue reading Los Angeles’ Pan-African Film Festival …a year heavy on Nollywood and South African films

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Little Tokyo (小東京)

This blog entry is about the Los Angeles neighborhood of Little Tokyo. To vote for other Southern California communities to be the subject of further explorations, let me know which in the comments. Little Tokyo Village Plaza INTRODUCTION TO LITTLE TOKYO Pendersleigh & Sons Cartography's official map of Little Tokyo, available in art prints of … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Little Tokyo (小東京)

A History of Black Cinema: 1915-1969

The Lincoln Motion Picture Company In most American silent films, minorities were generally played by white actors in make-up. When actual minorities were cast, roles were generally limited. Latinos in silent films usually played greasers and bandits; Asian-Americans played waiters, tongs and laundrymen; and blacks usually played bellboys, stable hands, maids or simple buffoons. Early … Continue reading A History of Black Cinema: 1915-1969

California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Boyle Heights

This neighborhood blog is about Boyle Heights. To vote for other neighborhoods to be explored on California Fool's Gold, please let me know which in the comment section. Boyle Height in 1877 The area now known as Boyle Heights was historically inhabited by the Tongva, who arrived there from the Sonoran Desert to the east … Continue reading California Fool’s Gold — Exploring Boyle Heights