APRIL 8TH, 2024

MONDAY

MONDAY’S VIBES

👋HAPPY MONDAY + SOLAR ECLIPSE DAY, GOOD LOOKIN.’

• 📰 TOP HEADLINES: Top headlines for LA + of LA-interest have been included right below today’s HOV Lane capturing content for today’s solar eclipse, which takes place in about five hours (11:00am) from this newsletter’s posting. Depending on feedback and viewership, Top Headlines could be something new moving forward. I love building in public. I love CuratedLA. I love LA. Ok, happy Monday + 2024 solar eclipse day, cuties. xx - Wyatt

🚀 TRENDING 

 ⚡️THE HOV LANE

📰 TOP HEADLINES

• 🥮 BEST PLACES IN LA TO WATCH SOLAR ECLIPSE: Our area will play witness to the solar eclipse today, which will start shortly at 10:06am. We will then experience 58% totality at 11:12am, with everything coming back to an LA-normal around 12:24pm. Though California is not one of the fifteen states to experience total totality, there are great events here at home in LA to where we can have a totes of an epic watch party. Reminder: please don’t look directly into the sun without eclipse glasses bc then you won’t be able to read CuratedLA.

  • 🔬THE CALIFORNIA SCIENCE CENTER: (Starting at 10:00am) the California Science Center will play host to an event from 10:00am to 12:00pm noon today. Patrons can watch the solar eclipse together and participate in educational activities. Free eclipse glasses will be available + the California Science Center is covering all general admission cost for this event.

  • 🔭THE LAWN AT GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY: The lawn area of Griffith Observatory, located directly in-front of the observatory, is always open to the public, with many taking advantage of this free and great spot. This might also be a great place to meet local space + star hobbyists as Griffith Observatory is a worldwide attraction to galaxy amateurs and professionals alike. The folks over at Griffith Observatory are also hosting a livestream from Texas which can be viewed on their YouTube Channel starting at 10:00am.

    • 💁 INFO: 💻️ Griffith Observatory Website | 📸 @griffithobservatory |📍Google Maps | 💭 Curated Thoughts: Expect for Griffith Park to be extremely busy today. But there is good news in this: the parking lot area has public restrooms, and nearby hiking trails are easily accessible for pre-or-post solar eclipse adventures. Today could just be an ideal picnic date.

  • 🎒CAL STATE LA: An ‘Eclipse Extravaganza: Solar Eclipse Viewing Party’ will take place on the campus of Cal State LA on the main walkway between the Biological Sciences Building and the Annenberg Science Complex. Those on campus can celebrate with other students and academics today’s special occasion. The school will be providing viewing glasses to all those on-location. The event will be ongoing from 10:00am - 12:30pm.

  • 🧘TAFT GARDENS AND NATURE PRESERVE: Join Katrina Espiritu, a restful retreat guide, to observe today’s solar eclipse atop a beautiful hill that is perfect for viewing. During a two-and-a-half hour gathering, the group will immerse themselves onto nature’s tranquility and quiet reflection with meditation, journaling and a tea ceremony. To be provided are safe solar viewing glasses for the eclipse + yoga mats and blankets. Tickets can be purchased online but are in limited quantity to provide a secluded feel.

  • ➕ MORE OPTIONS: Need even more options for today? Here is a complete rundown of other events that we didn’t feature, which can be found on Eventbrite.

• 🚀 ROCKETS FOLLOWING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE: NASA will launch three sounding rockets during the total solar eclipse today to study how Earth's upper atmosphere is affected when sunlight momentarily dims over a portion of the planet. The Atmospheric Perturbations around Eclipse Path (APEP) sounding rockets will launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia to study the disturbances in the ionosphere created when the Moon eclipses the Sun. The sounding rockets had been previously launched + successfully recovered from White Sands Test Facility in New Mexico, during the October 2023 annular solar eclipse, and have been refurbished with new instrumentation for the 2024 launch. The mission is led by Aroh Barjatya, a professor of engineering physics at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, where he directs the Space and Atmospheric Instrumentation Lab. The sounding rockets will launch at three different times: forty-five minutes before, during, and forty-five minutes after the peak of the eclipse, in order to study the effects at all altitudes of the ionosphere. When the APEP sounding rockets launched during the 2023 annular solar eclipse, scientists saw a sharp reduction in the density of charged particles as the eclipse shadow passed over the atmosphere. The APEP launches will be live streamed via NASA's Wallops' official YouTube page and featured in NASA's official broadcast of the total solar eclipse.

EATS

 😋HEADLINES

• 🍺 A BEER FOR SELENA: The minority-owned Brewjeria Company in Pico Rivera, along with Chicano lifestyle boutique Mi Vida and eatery Quarantine Pizza, have launched a special beer to honor the late Tejano music icon Selena Quintanilla-Perez. The beer, ‘Tomo La Flor,’ named after one of Selena's hit songs, is a hibiscus pale ale with a hint of guava that is meant to celebrate the life and legacy of the late singer.

• 🧑‍🍳 FAVORITE SANDWICH ORDERS FROM CELEB CHEFS: Celebrity chefs have a wide range of favorite sandwich shops and orders, showcasing their diverse tastes of curations. Many chefs, despite their culinary expertise, enjoy the simple pleasures of classic sandwich shop fare, according to Mashed. Carla Hall, a former Top Chef contestant, prefers the bacon, egg, and cheese on a croissant from Dunkin' Donuts when she can't find an acceptable Popeyes nearby. Chef Marcus Samuelsson is a fan of the oyster and shrimp po-boy from Mahony's, a niche restaurant he highlighted on The Best Thing I Ever Ate. The late Anthony Bourdain was also a fan of Pastrami Queen and a sandwich from the Ace Hotel that featured Sardinian-style flatbread, butter, chili, and bottarga. Check out Mashed’s full breakdown of top-celebrity chef sandwich picks.

 🚀 LOCAL OPENINGS

• 🍣 HANCOCK PARK: Sushi Palace, a new German-owned sushi restaurant, finally opened in the Hancock Park/Hollywood area of Los Angeles on Melrose Avenue after two years of being in the works. Sushi Palace specializes in showy sushi dishes like caviar-topped wagyu nigiri, beetroot-stained cut rolls, and tuna tartare with quail egg. The restaurant also offers non-sushi items on the menu and sells a full line of alcoholic beverages. | 📸 @sushipalacehollywood

• 🇹🇭 THAI TOWN: Mae Malai Thai House of Noodles just opened in Thai Town. The restaurant was previously a street vendor in the area and has now expanded into a storefront location. Mae Malai specializes in authentic Thai noodle dishes like boat noodle soup and tom yum noodles, which are made using recipes passed down from the owner's former mother-in-law. The restaurant offers both noodle soups and dry noodle preparations, allowing customers to customize their orders. Mae Malai has been well-received by the local Thai community as well as Angelenos seeking a taste of traditional Thai cuisine.

• 🥘 SILVER LAKE REMINDER: A friendly reminder: Azizam, a celebrated Iranian pop-up, has found a permanent home in Echo Park, Los Angeles. The restaurant, which translates to 'my dear' in Farsi, offers a unique take on Persian cuisine beyond the typical kebabs. Chef Cody Ma and partner Misha Sesar aim to showcase the diverse cultures and ethnicities of Iran through their dishes. Their menu includes specialties like Tabriz-style kofteh and turmeric pilaf, reflecting the rich culinary heritage of Iran. Azizam's success as a pop-up led to its establishment as a full-fledged restaurant, emphasizing homestyle Persian food that may be less familiar but has garnered overwhelming support from customers. The restaurant operates from Thursday to Monday, with plans to extend to dinner service in the future. | 🖥️ View Website | 📸 @azizam_la

🍟 BIG BRANDS

• 🌯 CHIPOTLE KICKS OFF PARTNERSHIP WITH TEKKEN 8: Starting today, Chipotle will offer TEKKEN 8 players the opportunity to earn premium in-game currency when ordering through the Chipotle app or Chipotle.com and using the promo code EWGF623 while supplies last. As a nod to the TEKKENcommunity, the code EWGF623 pays homage to the iconic "Electric Wind God Fist" move. With every qualifying order placed, players will receive a code for 500 TEKKEN COINS while supplies last, allowing them to purchase various costumes and items in the official TEKKEN 8 in-game shop. Chipotle Rewards members can also redeem 250 points in the Chipotle Rewards Exchange to receive an additional code for 500 TEKKEN COINS. Players can learn more about the TEKKEN 8 in-game currency offer by visiting: chipotle.com/TEKKEN8. 

EVENTS

 🔥TRENDING 

• ⏰ CALENDAR SCHEDULE: I will start to populate this week’s calendar (from today - Sunday) starting today at noon. If you would like to add your event to the calendar, and have not reached out already, please see below!

• 📥️ 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

• 🍹A REMINDER TO KEEP THE PARTY GOING: Keep the Party Going: A Tribute to Jimmy Buffett takes place this Thursday, April 11th, 7:00pm at the Hollywood Bowl. The event includes performances by: Paul McCartney, the Eagles, Jon Bon Jovi, Zac Brown, Jackson Browne, Brandi Carlile, Kenny Chesney, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Scotty Emerick, Jack Johnson, Caroline Jones, Mac McAnally, Jake Owen, Pitbull, Jake Shimabukuro, The Coral Reefer Band, and more special guests. Tickets are still available and can be purchased online.

• ⛰️ BOOK OF MOUNTAINS AND SEAS: Book of Mountains and Seas, a daring new music theatre work by composer Huang Ruo and puppeteer Basil Twist, comes to Broad Stage as LA Opera’s twelfth collaboration this week from Wednesday to Sunday. Inspired by ancient Chinese creation myths, the production features the acclaimed chorus of Ars Nova Copenhagen alongside massive puppets and striking lanterns. The work, sung in Mandarin with English supertitles, is a 21st-century adaptation that explores humanity's complex relationship with the natural world. Described as an exquisite masterpiece of suggestion and an immersive tapestry of sound and image, Book of Mountains and Seas promises to captivate audiences with its blend of visually stunning puppetry and meditative, innovative music.

• 🔮 THE HOPE THEORY: The Hope Theory, a new theatrical event by Portuguese immigrant, storyteller, and sleight-of-hand magician Helder Guimarães, is set to take the stage at the Geffen Playhouse from April 25th to June 9th. Described as a unique perspective on America through the eyes of an optimistic outsider, the production follows a wide-eyed protagonist who discovers a fascinating puzzle of cultural and professional challenges as he tries to build a home with Guimarães' signature blend of storytelling and magic.

• 🎸COACHELLA NEXT TWO WEEKENDS: The iconic Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is set to return to Indio this week, taking place over the next two weekends, this Friday through Sunday + next Friday through Sunday, April 12-14th, and April 19th to April 21st. Known for its diverse lineup of musical acts spanning rock, pop, hip hop, and electronic dance music, as well as stunning art installations, Coachella is one of the most anticipated events on the global festival circuit. This year's edition will feature headlining performances from a range of acclaimed artists, including Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, Doja Cat and No Doubt.

• 👩‍🌾 BEVERLY HILLS: The City of Beverly Hills Community Services is offering a new series of gardening workshops at the Greystone Demonstration Garden, Greystone Mansion and Gardens. The classes cover topics such as How to Deal with Pests on April 28th, and How to Make Your Own Vinegar on May 5th. Individuals can sign up for the series of four workshops for $45 or individual classes at $15 each. Residents can attend the classes for $36 for the series or $12 per class. The city is also inviting gardening enthusiasts to join the Greystone Demonstration Gardening Club, which meets on April 19th and May 1st for spring club meetups.

• 🛠️ PASADENA: The South Pasadena Public Library, in partnership with the South Pasadena Community Garden, is hosting a Repair Café next Saturday, April 20th from 12:00pm to 3:00pm in the Library Community Room. The Repair Café is a free community event that brings together those with broken items and volunteers who can fix them. Services offered at the event include bike tune-ups and diagnosis, small appliance repair, jewelry repair, clothes mending, and plant diagnosis. While the services are free, participants are required to provide their own replacement parts as needed. For those without anything to repair, the event will also feature a free book swap and prizes.

• 🧺 SAN GABRIEL: The San Gabriel Farmers Market is set to debut on Saturday, April 27th, offering a wide variety of farm-fresh produce, hot foods, and artisanal goods. The grand opening celebration aims to draw San Gabriel residents and visitors to shop from more than twenty vendors at the market, which will run every Saturday from 8:30am to 1:30pm at the San Gabriel Park and Ride Lot. As a special promotion, the first fifty shoppers each Saturday until May 25th will receive a free San Gabriel Farmers Market tote bag. The market will accept EBT and WIC payment methods to support income-qualified and senior visitors, though pets are not permitted, aside from service animals. The city is encouraging the public to visit the new farmers market and support local vendors.

COMMUNITY

• 💪 AUTISM AWARENESS: Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach celebrated Autism Acceptance Day this past Tuesday with a display of unity and support from the community. Patients, staff, families, and firefighters gathered to raise awareness and understanding for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The event highlighted the importance of acceptance, compassion while celebrating the unique gifts that neurodivergent individuals bring to the world.

• 📚️NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK: This week we celebrate National Library Week. And the Los Angeles County Library system is offering a variety of in-person and virtual events to celebrate. The theme for this year's celebration is ‘Ready, Set, Library!’, highlighting the role libraries play as community hubs where people can learn new skills, grow, and be inspired. Events include solar eclipse viewing parties at select branches, a virtual chat with popular TikTok librarian Mychal Threets, special performances, workshops, + demonstrations across the library system’s eight-six branches. The library is also hosting book sales and promoting its digital resources and services during this week-long celebration. Here is a full-list of events as we celebrate our Los Angeles libraries and their teams this week. 💜 

DEVELOPMENT

• 🎡 SANTA MONICA: The City of Santa Monica has unveiled a comprehensive plan to improve first and last mile connectivity to the Bergamot Station and Arts District area. The Bergamot Area First/Last Mile Improvements project includes a series of bicycle and pedestrian safety enhancements along 1.6 miles of streets surrounding the station. Key elements of the plan include new sidewalks, trees, and street lights on Olympic Boulevard, concrete barriers on 26th Street to connect to future protected bike lanes, leading pedestrian intervals at intersections, and the removal of parking on Pennsylvania Avenue to accommodate wider sidewalks. The project is fully funded, with the majority of the funding coming from LA Metro. Construction is set to begin this year and be completed by 2026.

• 🔭 GRIFFITH OBSERVATORY: Griffith Park is set to receive four million dollars in pedestrian safety upgrades, according to an announcement made by Damian Kevitt, the Founder and Executive Director of Streets are for Everyone. The upgrades will include improvements to roads, the addition of more bike lanes, and measures to make the park safer for both pedestrians and cyclists. These changes are the largest influx of funding for Griffith Park in decades and will be implemented within the coming weeks. The announcement was made during a weekend-long event organized by Kevitt's organization, which included running and cycling events to raise awareness and promote safer roads.

• 🚇️ LOS FELIZ: Metro is considering a 12.4-mile Vermont Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project that could run from 120th Street to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Feliz. The project would create a dedicated bus lane, potentially turning the right lanes currently used for parking and rush-hour traffic into busways, particularly in the narrower East Hollywood area. This is the second busiest bus corridor in the county, and the project is expected to go before Metro's board for approval in 2025, with potential implementation between 2028 and 2030 if approved. The $425 million project is one of several bus line proposals or developments in the Los Angeles area in recent years, including projects on Eastern Avenue in El Sereno and Valley Boulevard.

BUSINES

• 🛴 WEST HOLLYWOOD: Bird Rides, a prominent scooter company, has announced its emergence from Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings under a newly organized private parent company called Third Lane Mobility Inc. The transaction saw the sale of Bird's assets to Third Lane Mobility, incorporating both the Bird and Spin brands. The successful emergence from bankruptcy signals a fresh start for Bird, and for those of us in West Hollywood, the possibility of seeing Bird scooters back on our streets.

• 🎬️ $16K RAISED AT SCREENLAND 5K: The Screenland 5K, the community running event we featured last month in Culver City, raised over $16,000 for local nonprofits this year. The race featured a Celebrity Trike Race between Culver City Council PTA Executive Vice President Megan Oddsen and Culver City Rotary Foundation President Keith Jones, with Jones ultimately winning the race. The event attracted over 2,600 participants from seventeen states and four countries, and was supported by 160 volunteers. The primary beneficiary, the Culver City Council PTA, received $5,600 from the race proceeds to support their Backpacks for Kids and other activities.

• 🛍️ PROFITSIN: Shein, the fast fashion retailer founded in China with United States headquarters in the City of Industry, has more than doubled its profits to over two billion as it awaits approval for a stock market listing in New York or London. The company, which is growing rapidly around the world by using social media to promote its goods, recorded sales of about $45 billion last year, more than doubling earnings YTD.

• 💼LINKEDIN: LinkedIn is expanding its advertising offerings to include connected TV (CTV) placements with publishers like NBCUniversal, Samsung, and Roku, allowing B2B marketers to reach their target LinkedIn audiences while they are streaming content off the platform. This move is not a customer acquisition play, but rather an effort to help B2B advertisers reach existing LinkedIn members in different parts of the day, such as when they are at home on the couch.

ENTERTAINMENT

 🎬️ HEADLINES

• 🖼️ HOLLYWOOD HERITAGE MUSEUM: The Hollywood Heritage Museum is hosting a new exhibit titled, ‘Meet the Stars: 100 Years of MGM Studios and the Golden Age of Hollywood.’ The preview opening on Thursday night was a crowded and lively event, with memorabilia collectors dressed in period attire discussing their latest finds. The exhibit showcases a dazzling array of costumes, personal items, and other artifacts from iconic MGM stars of the Golden Age, including Cary Grant, Clark Gable, Judy Garland, and more. The highlight of the evening was when the crowd sang Happy Birthday to former MGM child star Cora Sue Collins, the last surviving MGM contract player from the 1930s. The exhibit, which opened to the public Saturday, runs through June, and offers visitors a chance to step back in time and experience the glamour and excitement of Hollywood's golden era.

•  🎤 A SURPRISE WIIG: Kristen Wiig joined the Five-Timers Club on Saturday Night Live with celeb pals making surprise appearances. The cold open parodied March Madness featuring James Austin Johnson, Devon Walker, and Kenan Thompson. Wiig was surprised by the devaluation of the Five-Timers jacket as other hosts like Matt Damon and Jon Hamm appeared in their own jackets. Ryan Gosling also made a surprise cameo and presented Wiig with her official Five-Timers jacket. SNL’s musical guest Saturday night was RAYE who absolutely crushed it with Escapism.

• 🐉 GAME OF THRONES PREQUEL CASTED: HBO has officially announced the lead actors for its Game of Thrones prequel, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight. The series is based on George R.R. Martin's Dunk and Egg novels, and takes place a century prior to the events of Game of Thrones. The show will follow an odd couple pairing of a young, naive-yet-courageous knight named Ser Duncan The Tall and his tiny squire Egg as they travel across Westeros. Actor Peter Claffey, known for his role in Apple TV's Bad Sisters, will play Duncan. Dexter Sol Ansell, who played the young Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, will play Egg.

• 🎰 PAT SAJAK’S FINAL EPISODE: After over four decades as the host of Wheel of Fortune, Pat Sajak's final episode will air on Friday, June 7th. Sajak's farewell episode, which was taped this past Friday at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, will serve as the season 41 finale of the iconic game show. Sajak announced in June last year that season 41 would be his last as host, though he agreed to stay on as a consultant for three years following his final year. Sajak has hosted Wheel of Fortune since 1981 and has won three Daytime Emmy Awards for his work, in addition to receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the TV Academy in 2011. He originally took over hosting duties from Chuck Woolery, and in 2018 became the longest-running host of any game show, surpassing Bob Barker's tenure on The Price is Right. A week after Sajak announced his retirement, it was revealed that Ryan Seacrest will be taking over as the new host of Wheel of Fortune starting in season 42.

• 🏰 DISNEY’S PASSWORD CRACKDOWN: Disney plans to launch its first real foray into password sharing with a June password crackdown. The anti password-sharing enforcement is part of Disney's efforts to achieve double-digit margins in its streaming business over the long term. Disney will initially prompt password-borrowers to start their own subscriptions, and later in 2024 will allow account holders to add individuals outside their household for an additional fee. This is similar to the approach taken by Netflix, which began cracking down on password sharing in 2023. Disney's streaming business posted an operating loss of $138 million in the year-end 2023 quarter, and the password-sharing measures are intended to help push the unit towards profitability.

SPORTS

• 🪽 CLIPPERS OVER CALVS: The Clippers won yesterday in LA after the Cavaliers blew a 26-point lead in the third quarter, ultimately losing 120-118. Paul George scored 23 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter to lead the Clippers' comeback, while James Harden added 22 points. The Clippers overcame the largest deficit for the third-largest comeback victory in franchise history. Terance Mann hit a tying 3-pointer and Amir Coffey followed with another 3 to give the Clippers their first lead since late in the first quarter. Jarrett Allen completed a three-point play to tie the game at 118, but George hit the game-winning jumper with seven seconds left. The Cavaliers had six players in double figures, led by Darius Garland's 28 points. Evan Mobley and Max Strus each scored 20 points for Cleveland, while Caris LeVert had 18 points starting in place of the injured Donovan Mitchell. The Clippers reached the fifty-win mark for the first time since 2016-17 despite playing without Kawhi Leonard, who missed his fourth straight game due to knee inflammation.

• 👟 BRONNY’S NEXT MOVE: Bronny James, the 19-year-old son of LeBron James, has announced he will enter the 2024 NBA Draft after just one season with USC. In a statement posted to his Instagram account, the young James said he's had ‘a year with some ups and downs but all added to growth’ for him as a student-athlete. Despite being sidelined for part of the season due to a cardiac episode last July, Bronny averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in twenty-five games for the Trojans, starting six of them. He shot 37% from the field and 27% from 3-point range. Bronny also revealed he will enter the NCAA transfer portal, leaving the door open for a potential move to another college program before turning pro. His decision came just hours before USC introduced their new head coach Eric Musselman, who replaced Andy Enfield after Enfield left for SMU.

• ⚾️ ANGELS: The Los Angeles Angels snapped the Boston Red Sox's five-game winning streak with a 2-1 victory on Saturday night. Rafael Devers' error at third base in the sixth inning allowed the Angels to score two runs and take the lead. Angels starter Reid Detmers matched his career high with twelve strikeouts over six strong innings, while the Red Sox managed just three hits on the night. Jarren Duran drove in Boston's lone run with an RBI single, but the Red Sox offense was held in check after the fourth inning. And in not-so-good vibe news, the Angels fell to the Red Sox yesterday, 12-2, but I am going to link us to Saturday’s article.

START STRONG, LA!