APRIL 11TH, 2024

THURSDAY

THURSDAY’S VIBES

👋 HAPPY THURSDAY AFTERNOON,
GOOD LOOKIN’

🤙 ON A THURSDAY: Hello CuratedLA Fam! Happy Thursday afternoon to you all. This is a special edition of CuratedLA: there was not only no publication yesterday, but with growth comes measurement and trying to identify best open rates and engagement. We are still going on a MWF schedule for now, but I have a couple of thoughts on weekend or ‘Thursday Shorts' in the near future.

Thank you again for letting me do my thing with you all.

And I would like to thank Laurel Therapy Collective for sponsoring a couple of upcoming newsletters. All of us are excited to share information about their free webinar this upcoming Wednesday (see below). They are local and extremely awesome people.

And now, onward with all the good vibes here in LA! Tomorrow is only a day away (and we will also see you then) - Wyatt

🚀 TRENDING 

 ⚡️THE HOV LANE

HEALTH OF MIND VIBES

EATS

🚀 OPENINGS

• 🥖 SANTA MONICA: Two local renowned bakers, Clémence de Lutz from Gourmadise School and Tony Hernandez of Bread Lounge, Friends & Family, and Dough Box, are joining forces to launch a new bakery called Petit Grain Boulangerie in Santa Monica. The bakery is set to open May 1st on Wilshire Boulevard, taking over the former Broadway Baker space which will close this Saturday. Petit Grain Boulangerie will offer a variety of French-inspired pastries, breads, and croissants to the local community.
  | 📸@petitgrainboulangerie

• 🍔 HOLLYWOOD: The WinDow, a popular smash burger restaurant in Venice, is expanding to a new location in Hollywood this summer. The new outpost will open in June inside the Ovation Hollywood shopping center and will be the fourth location for the WinDow, which also has restaurants in Long Beach and Silver Lake. The new Hollywood restaurant will serve a weekend-only breakfast menu in addition to the WinDow's signature four-dollar smash burgers, which come with onions, American cheese, pickles, and house sauce. The menu will also feature other items like a shaved kale salad, a grain bowl, and a fried chicken sandwich. | 📸 @thewindow.la

EVENTS

 🔥TRENDING 

• 📥️ ADD YOUR EVENTS: To add your event, simply send a calendar invitation to [email protected]. Upon approval, your event will show up within our Big List of Events Calendar and/or our Trending Calendar. Regular content can be submitted using this form, or by using the Catfish text/voicemail: 747-200-5740.

📆 BIG LIST OF EVENTS

ACTIVITIES

• 🎨 BEVERLY HILLS: The iconic Beverly Hills Art Show is set to return from May 18th - 19th, celebrating its 51st year with a vibrant display of local, regional, national, and international artistic talent. The free event will transform four blocks of Santa Monica Boulevard, from Rodeo Drive to Rexford Drive, into a bustling hub of creativity. Over 235 artists will showcase their works in a diverse array of mediums, including painting, sculpture, watercolor, photography, mixed media, ceramics, glass, jewelry, drawing, and printmaking. In addition to the impressive artist lineup, the Beverly Hills Art Show will feature engaging artist demonstrations, fun activities for kids, and a lively Beer & Wine Garden with live music and food trucks. Convenient parking is available in the city's public lots just south of Santa Monica Boulevard, adjacent to the show grounds.

• 🎹 NORTH HOLLYWOOD: The world-renowned Russian pianist Mikhail Korzhev will be performing a concert in North Hollywood at the Church of SCN of the Valley on May 19th. Korzhev is known for his exceptional technical skills and expressive interpretations, and has captivated audiences around the world. The concert, hosted by the Athena Foundation for the Arts, will feature a program showcasing works by Schubert, Schumann, Krenek, and Rachmaninoff. Tickets are available for purchase through Eventbrite or at the door, with discounted prices for both students and children.

• 🎤 JOHN MULANEY: Beloved comedian John Mulaney is set to host a special event in LA on Saturday, May 4th, celebrating our beloved city. The ‘Everybody’s in L.A.’ show will take place at the Hollywood Bowl, where Mulaney will perform his signature stand-up comedy alongside some exciting special guests. This a one-night-only show and gives us Angelenos the chance to join Mulaney in honoring the vibrant culture and spirit of the City of Angels. Netflix also announced that this show, which is broken up into six installments, will be live streamed on Netflix for their comedy festival, Netflix Is a Joke Fest.

• 🩰 BEVERLY HILLS: The Los Angeles Ballet (LAB) is set to hold its annual Season 18 Gala on April 18th at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. This year's honorees are Academy Award-winning filmmaker, Emmy and Grammy-nominated composer and pianist Kris Bowers, as well as accomplished attorney and LAB Board Chair Jennifer Bellah Maguire. The two will receive Angel Awards for their extraordinary contributions to the arts, LAB, and the city of Los Angeles. The event will be hosted by Emmy Award-winning actress Donna Mills and overseen by Andrew Firestone of The Bachelor fame. The evening will feature ballet excerpts from works by LAB's Artistic Director Melissa Barak and choreographer Hans van Manen, with Bowers' original score featured in Barak's Cylindrical Forces.

COMMUNITY

• ⛈️ WET WEEKEND: A cold front is expected to move in tomorrow, bringing a significant drop in temperatures across the region. Highs are forecast to drop from the 80s down to the 65-75 degree range, with even lower temperatures in the mountains. The cold front will also bring rain and mountain snow, with the bulk of the precipitation expected to fall between late Friday night and Saturday.

• 👮 GLENDALE: The Glendale Police Department will be conducting enforcement operations today and tomorrow to target drivers who are violating the state's hands-free law. This law prohibits drivers from holding a hand-held device while driving, including talking, texting, navigating, or using the device in any way. Drivers who are caught violating the law for a second time within three years of their first offense will receive a point added to their driver's record. The crackdown is part of the department's efforts to address the issue of distracted driving and improve road safety in the local community. ℹ️

• 🌸 DESCANSO GARDENS: The Descanso Gardens in La Cañada Flintridge has announced that the Beni Hoshi and Akebono cherry blossoms have reached their peak bloom this week. This is an exciting time for cherry blossom fans in Southern California, as the gardens' Japanese Garden is now filled with the ethereal beauty of these delicate flowers. Visitors are encouraged to visit the gardens this week or this weekend to enjoy the short-lived but stunning display, as the peak bloom will not last long. Admission to the gardens is required, but no additional fee is charged to see the cherry blossoms. This annual spring event is a beloved tradition for many of us in our area.

• 🦅 A RARE BIRTH: The LA Zoo is celebrating a major conservation milestone, with five endangered California condors recently hatching at the facility. This marks a significant achievement for the zoo's ongoing efforts to protect and breed this critically endangered species, as part of the collaborative California Condor Recovery Program with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The zoo has seen excellent fertility in the eggs produced so far and expects more hatchlings before the 2024 breeding season concludes. While the condors are not currently on public display, the zoo offers opportunities for visitors to participate in condor spotting events and see a non-releasable bird, as the facility remains committed to safeguarding this majestic species from extinction.

• 🐻 DA BURBANK BEARS: A Burbank homeowner got an unexpected visitor in their backyard this week: a large bear taking a refreshing dip in the family pool. Security footage captured the moment the bear, estimated to be a hefty 400 pounds, strolled into the yard and waded into the cool water to beat the spring heat. The Burbank bear was first spotted roaming the neighborhood in the early hours of Sunday morning, rummaging through trash cans in search of food. After taking a relaxing soak, the bear was seen scratching its back on a nearby palm tree before casually wandering off, as if it was an everyday occurrence.

• 🤓 FREE IRS HELP: In partnership with the IRS, the City of Los Angeles is offering free tax preparation services to help Angelenos file their taxes online for free. To be eligible, the household's income must be $64,000 or less. Additionally, persons with disabilities, those aged sixty and older, and those with limited English proficiency also qualify for the program. Those who meet the requirements can schedule an appointment at a local library to receive assistance in preparing their tax returns.

• 🏎️ PAID VROOMS: After offering free driverless taxi rides in Los Angeles and San Francisco since January, Waymo has announced that it will begin charging for its services starting this upcoming Wednesday. The robo-taxi company had built up a waiting list of around 50,000 names during the free trial period, as it continued to seek full regulatory approval for its expansion in the two cities. Curator Garrett says that Waymo is amazing and is certainly worth the free venture this weekend throughout the city before payment starts Wednesday.

DEVELOPMENT

• 🏫 DOWNTOWN: The Colburn School's long-planned expansion project has officially broken ground in Downtown Los Angeles. The $335 million Colburn Center, designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, will replace a surface parking lot along 2nd Street between Olive and Hill Streets, just northeast of the school's main campus. The new facility will include a one-thousand-seat concert hall, named after primary donors Terri and Jerry Kohl, as well as additional instruction and rehearsal studios and a smaller one-hundred-seat theater. The project will also feature a rooftop garden and a publicly-accessible ground-level garden, both of which will have space for performances and events. The Colburn Center is part of the school's $400 million ‘Building Our Future’ fundraising campaign, with $335 million allocated for construction and $65 million for the endowment. This expansion complements other recent and upcoming developments in the surrounding cultural corridor along Grand Avenue, including The Broad museum's own $100 million expansion. The center is expected to reach substantial completion in early 2027.

• 🏨 BURBANK: Burbank's newest hotel, the Cambria Hotel Burbank Airport, officially opened its doors on April 4th with a vibrant celebration that marked its entry into the local community. The grand opening event featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by notable city dignitaries, including Vice Mayor Nikki Perez and Councilmember Tamala Takahashi. Around sixty guests joined in the festivities, with more streaming in for a reception that lasted until 9:00pm.

BUSINESS

• 🚈 SFO TO LA: A Newport Beach-based startup is working to bring a new luxury overnight train service between Los Angeles and San Francisco. Dreamstar Lines has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Union Pacific Railroad, a major step towards formalizing an agreement to allow Dreamstar's trains to use Union Pacific's existing tracks along the Coast Line railroad. The proposed Dreamstar trains would offer private rooms with beds, in-room showers, high-speed internet, and food + drink service, providing a more comfortable and convenient alternative to the current train and bus options between the two cities. While a final agreement has not yet been reached, Dreamstar hopes to be granted overnight rail access that would allow passengers to board in one city, sleep through the journey, and wake up in the other. If all goes according to plan, the service could debut as early as the summer of 2025, reviving a direct overnight rail connection between LA and the Bay Area that has been absent since 1983.

• 💥 STAN LEE: Fans of the legendary comic book creator Stan Lee can now shop a new storefront dedicated to the Marvel icon on Amazon. Kartoon Studios, the controlling partner of Stan Lee Universe, has launched the official Stan Lee store, offering a wide range of branded apparel and collectibles. The storefront features the Stan Lee Signature apparel collection, including sweatshirts, long-sleeve shirts, hoodies, and t-shirts emblazoned with Lee's iconic signature. Shoppers can also find other t-shirt designs celebrating Lee's legacy, as well as new collectibles like die-cast cars, statues, and Funko Pop! figures. Lee, who co-created beloved characters like Spider-Man, Iron Man, and Black Panther, passed away in 2018, but his impact on the comics world lives on.

• 📸 TIKTOK NOTES: TikTok is going after Instagram’s original user base by preparing to launch a new app called TikTok Notes. This new app will allow users to post and share photos in what appears to be the platform's answer to Instagram's emphasis on photo content. The new app is still in development, but TikTok has confirmed that it is exploring ways to empower their community with content from photos. This move comes as Instagram has been shifting its focus more towards video content, which has left some IG users dissatisfied with the Instagram’s reduced emphasis on photos. | USA HQ: Culver City

ENTERTAINMENT

 🎬️ HEADLINES

• 🤡 JOKER 2: The trailer dropped…awesome. Just awesome.

•  📆 97TH ACADEMY AWARDS: The 97th Academy Awards next year will be held on March 2nd, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced yesterday. This puts the Oscars up from a week of this year’s Oscars which took place on March 10th. The Academy also announced an earlier start time for next year, at 7:00pm eastern, up an hour-earlier.

• 🥚 EASTER SUNDAY HEIST: The Hollywood entertainment industry is abuzz with discussions about adapting the recent thirty million dollar Easter Sunday heist that recently took place in Sylmar. This high-profile crime has captured the attention of filmmakers and producers who see potential in dramatizing the events for the big screen. Details remain scarce as the suspects are still at-large according to the LAPD and FBI.

SPORTS

• 🐏 RAMS DT KOBIE TURNER SINGS: Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Kobie Turner showcased his musical talents at Tuesday's Lakers game against the Golden State Warriors. Turner sang the national anthem prior to the game at Crypto.com Arena. Turner, who earned the nickname ‘The Conductor’ in college, has had a passion for music from a young age, with his mother exposing him to a variety of genres during his childhood. In high school, Turner was involved in multiple a-capella groups and choir.

• 🗽 ERRORS FIXED: The Kobe Bryant statue outside Crypto.com Arena has been corrected after several spelling and formatting errors were discovered. The nineteen-foot bronze statue, commissioned by Bryant's widow Vanessa, was placed outside the arena on February 8th and featured a replica box score from Bryant's 81-point game against the Toronto Raptors in 2006. However, the names of players Jose Calderon and Von Wafer were misspelled, and the word ‘decision’ was misspelled twice as ‘decicion’ on the statue's base. The Lakers confirmed the mistakes and said they were corrected in time for the team's final regular-season home game series against the Golden State Warriors on April 9th.

• 🏀 ISAIAH COLLIER: Freshman point guard Isaiah Collier, long expected to be a potential lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, has officially declared for the draft after just one season with the Trojans. Collier's decision comes as a bit of a surprise, as he was seen on campus just last week meeting with new USC head coach Eric Musselman, leading some to speculate he may return to school. However, USC confirmed Collier's draft declaration on Wednesday, ending his brief but impactful collegiate career.

CU 2MRW, LA!