APRIL 24TH, 2024

WEDNESDAY

• 🌬️ WIND ADVISORIES: Wind advisories are in effect until Friday night at 11:00pm throughout portions of LA County.

WEDNESDAY’S VIBES

Eats | Events | Activities
Community | Development
Biz | Entertainment | Sports

🤙 ALMOST THE WEEKEND, CUTIE

TRENDING 

THE HOV LANE

EATS

LOCAL HEADLINES

• 🍕 WEEKEND PIZZA FESTIVAL: Pizza City Fest, the highly anticipated annual celebration of Southern California's vibrant pizza scene, returns to L.A. Live this weekend. The two-day festival will feature forty pizzerias from across the region, offering attendees the opportunity to sample a diverse array of pizza styles, including Neapolitan, Sicilian, Roman, and Detroit-style. Founder Steve Dolinsky, a thirteen-time James Beard Award-winning food reporter, promises a unique experience where visitors can witness the pizzas being baked live on commercial ovens, electric, and wood-fired. In addition to the unlimited pizza, the festival will also offer desserts from local vendors, as well as panel discussions and demonstrations led by culinary experts. Tickets start at $125 and are available on the Pizza Fest website.

OPENINGS

• 🥐 HIGHLAND PARK: Fondry, a new bakery specializing in croissants, has opened its doors in Highland Park. Founded by AJ Kim and Scott Sohn, the owners of the popular Kumquat Coffee and Loquat Coffee shops, Fondry has quickly become a hit with locals, selling out of pain au chocolat and kouign amann within ninety minutes of opening on its first days. The bakery's focus on perfecting a single item, the croissant, is part of Kim's strategy, who spent years traveling to find the perfect recipe. | 📸 @fondry_la 💁 📌 4703 York Blvd, 90042. Fondry is open every Friday thru Sunday from 9:00am - 3:00pm, or until sell out.

• 🇲🇽 DOWNTOWN: Bar Nuda will host a pop-up collaboration tomorrow night with Mexican eatery La Cha Cha Chá at the eatery’s location Downtown. The pop-up with Bar Nuda, LA’s first Mexican-inspired nonalcoholic bar experience, will feature zero-proof drinks with functional cocktails by Bryant J Orozco and music by Linda Nuves and flavors from CDMX by Cha Cha Chá. Seating tomorrow night is based on a first come, first serve basis. For reservations, please contact the restaurant directly, 323-407-8596.

  • 🧘 RELATED BONUS: Bar Nuda will host a collaboration on Saturday, May 18th, from 11:00am - 1:00pm with Now Here and 736 Studios for The Wellness Project (Yoga | Sound Bath | Social). Together, we can all breathe, move + connect with like-minded people who consciously prioritize self-care. Please bring your own mat for yoga.

• 🥪 HOLLYWOOD PARK: Ggiata Delicatessen, the growing chain of sandwich shops specializing in New Jersey-style Italian American creations, is opening its fourth LA location in Highland Park in May. Unlike its three other outlets, the incoming location at 5025 East York Boulevard will host indoor seating. Longtime friends and former Garden State denizens, Noah Holton-Raphael, Max Bahramipour, and Jack Biebel, opened the first Ggiata out of a ghost kitchen in 2021 before expanding to West Hollywood, Venice, and Melrose Hill. The shop's line of hot and cold submarine sandwiches includes classics like chicken Parm and an Italian cold cut number piled high with cotto ham, salami, hot capicola, and smoked muenster on a charred seeded baguette. | 📸 @ggiata | 💻️ View Ggiata’s Menu Online

EVENTS

Submit your event 

• 🐇 POLITICS: I would like to make a correction: CuratedLA does allow the submission of political events.

TRENDING

BIG LIST OF EVENTS

ACTIVITIES

• 🙈 FASHION DISTRICT: Pull up a chair tonight from 7:00pm - 9:00pm at Nudes & Caviar, an evening of figure drawing and enjoying a nourishing installation by Kara Vorabutr with refreshments. Nudes & Caviar is hosted by FIG & OAK and invites artists to explore the beauty in-form. Drawing supplies are included within the ticket purchase and limited seats are available.

• 🎷 JAZZ APPRECIATION MONTH: In a vibrant celebration of Jazz Appreciation Month, the dynamic duo of Metro Art and KJazz are teaming up to bring the KJazz Tracks event to Union Station this Saturday from 7:30pm to 11:00pm. Hosted by the beloved KJazz DJ Rhonda Hamilton, the event will showcase the captivating sounds of Kassa Overall as the headliner, alongside the equally impressive Isaiah Collier & The Chosen Few + Darynn Dean. The first forty visitors who present their TAP cards at the Metro Art info table will receive a complimentary copy of the book in hardcover, Los Angeles Through the Eyes of Artists (PDF provided via Metro) and a Union Station swag bag. | 💁 More information can be found here.

• 🎨 ED RUSCHA: Ed Ruscha, the pioneering West Coast pop artist, is the subject of a major retrospective at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The exhibition, ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN, showcases 250 works spanning Ruscha's seven-decade career. Ruscha, now 86, is celebrated for creating art that captures the essence of Los Angeles - its deadpan, sardonic, yet poignant qualities, with its stark, distilled word play and elevation of banal Americana into high art. The exhibition traces Ruscha's journey from his Midwestern roots to his decision to head West to study at the Chouinard Art Institute, where he would go on to have his big break with a solo show at the influential Ferus Gallery in 1963. Ruscha's iconic works, including paintings of the Hollywood sign and the LACMA campus on fire, have cemented his status as a chronicler of both Los Angeles and American culture at large. | 💁 ED RUSCHA / NOW THEN runs through October 6th, BCAM, Level 2.

• 💪 LO MÁXIMO GALA: The 22nd Annual Lo Máximo Gala by Homeboy Industries takes place this Saturday at the JW Marriott LA Live. This event celebrates the transformative work of the nationally renowned reentry program, which has helped countless formerly gang-involved and previously incarcerated individuals reclaim their lives. Activist Kim Kardashian will be recognized as the Kinship Honoree for her unwavering dedication to criminal justice reform. This year’s event will be hosted by Jane Fonda and friends, including Lisa Ling, Camilla Bell, and Rainn Wilson, amongst others.

• 🎮️ IGN LIVE: Tickets are now available for IGN Live, an in-person three-day live show in LA that is scheduled for June 7th thru June 9th. IGN Live will feature first-looks and reveals of brand new games, movies and shows, interviews, celebrity panels, and more from leading publishers, studios, and developers across gaming and entertainment. Confirmed participants will include: Amazon Games, Atari, Bandai Namco Entertainment America Inc., Crunchyroll, Giant Skull, indie.io, Lenovo Legion, Netflix, Null Games, PM Studios, S-GAME, Squanch Games, Square Enix, Tripwire Interactive, and others to be announced soon.In addition, attendees can see their favorite IGN shows live, such as Podcast Beyond!, Game Scoop, Unlocked, NVC, and even get the chance to play video games with a variety of IGN hosts in the Arcade Hall or game lounges. | 💌 

• 🎞️ FILM MENTORSHIP: NewFilmmakers Los Angeles' Student Mentorship Program is offering two upcoming sessions on May 22nd + 23rd NBCUniversal, with about 24 spots still available. The program is open to current LA County high school students, who will be paired with production mentors to learn about various filmmaking disciplines, including directing, cinematography, lighting, producing, and sound mixing. The sessions will run from 2:45pm to 5:30pm, and snacks will be provided. Students interested in participating should submit their application through the provided link and have their parent/guardian sign the release forms. Spots will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis, and students are encouraged to regularly check their email for a confirmation once they have been admitted to the program.

• 🎒 COLLEGE NIGHT, HAMMER TIME: College students here in LA have a wealth of opportunities to immerse themselves in the world of art, from formal art-focused studies to engaging with acclaimed artists' creations at local museums. To encourage this enriching experience, many renowned LA institutions, such as the Getty Center and the Hammer Museum, offer free student events, allowing young scholars to explore the museum's exhibitions, participate in hands-on workshops, and enjoy music and food. The Hammer Museum's upcoming Arts Party this Friday from 7:00pm to 9:00pm. Created by college students, Arts Party will feature music by Yves Tumor and DJ Pearce with art-making workshops facilitated by L.A. Zine Fest, Self Help Graphics & Art, and Hammer Student Educators. Food trucks from Taco Perro and LA Donut will also be on-site. These free student events at LA's art institutions provide a valuable complement to the layered lessons and creative explorations that are often part of a college student's art-focused curriculum, fostering a holistic and enriching educational experience.

COMMUNITY

• 🏳️‍🌈 WEST HOLLYWOOD: West Hollywood is honoring the contributions of Women within the Community of Pride during a week-long celebration of Lesbian and Queer Women's Visibility Week this week. The city will proudly display the Lesbian Pride flag and illuminate the lanterns along Santa Monica Boulevard in vibrant colors. A series of events are planned, including a panel discussion on queer activism, a screening of the documentary Ahead of the Curve about the founder of Curve magazine, and a Queer Art in the Park gathering.

• 🤖 AI CAMERAS NOW ON METRO BUSES: Metro is installing artificial intelligence-powered cameras on its buses to help ticket cars parked illegally in bus lanes. The eleven-million dollar program, designed by technology company Hayden AI, is expected to go live by the end of 2024 after a sixty-day warning period. The cameras will constantly scan for illegally parked vehicles and submit recordings of potential violations to the LA Department of Transportation for review. This initiative aims to improve bus times, increase ridership, and address mobility concerns, particularly for passengers with disabilities who rely on level boarding. Similar AI-powered systems are being used in other cities like Washington, D.C. and New York City to enhance transportation safety and efficiency.

• 💊 REACHING THOSE WITH ADDICTIONS: CRI-Help, a residential addiction treatment facility in North Hollywood, is embracing a new approach to addiction care called Reaching the 95% (R95) that aims to engage more people struggling with substance use disorders. Rather than automatically discharging clients for drug use lapses, CRI-Help is adopting more flexible policies that focus on minimizing harm and keeping people in treatment. This shift, supported by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, represents a move away from a strict abstinence-only model towards a more compassionate, harm reduction-oriented approach. CRI-Help's leadership and staff recognize the need to evolve their practices to better serve their clients and reduce overdose risks, even if it means challenging long-held beliefs in the addiction treatment field.

• 🤖 LA USING AI TO PREDICT + PREVENT HOMELESSNESS: Los Angeles County has launched a pioneering program that uses predictive AI to identify individuals and families at risk of becoming homeless, and provides them with timely financial assistance to help them remain housed. The program, which has helped nearly eight hundred people since 2021, offers participants between $4,000 and $8,000 to cover rent, utilities, and other basic needs, allowing them to stay in their homes while they get back on their feet. The program has been successful, with 86% of participants retaining permanent housing after receiving aid. While the use of AI by government agencies has raised some ethical concerns, experts say the program's focus on prevention and its positive impact on vulnerable individuals make it a valuable initiative in addressing the growing homelessness crisis in California.

• 🚎 SANTA MONICA: Big Blue Bus, the public transportation system in Santa Monica, is launching a new Brighter Blue initiative to enhance service quality and adapt to evolving travel needs in the post-pandemic era. The comprehensive operational analysis will gather community feedback, address concerns like safety and scheduling, and explore technological innovations to boost ridership and transform the transit experience. With flexibility and responsiveness, the Brighter Blue initiative aims to better serve the transportation needs of the Santa Monica community, including students at Santa Monica College.

• 💯 SANTA MONICA-MALIBU SCHOOLS: The Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District (SMMUSD) has been ranked sixth in Los Angeles County and thirteenth in California out of 504 school districts, according to the 2024 Best School Districts in California rankings by Niche. The district's exceptional students, supportive parents, dedicated teachers, and staff have all contributed to this well-deserved recognition. SMMUSD's comprehensive high schools, Samohi and Malibu High School, received an A+ and A respectively for their educational outcomes, academics, facilities, safety, clubs, sports, and other factors. The district's middle and elementary schools also earned high grades, and SMMUSD was ranked fifteenth out of 755 for the best places to teach in California and tenth out of 680 for the best teachers in the state.

• 🏔️ CALTRANS PROVIDES TOPANGA CANYON UPDATE: The recent heavy rainfall in California has led to a massive landslide in Topanga Canyon, which is substantially larger than a previous one in the 1940s. The visible face of the current landslide extends approximately 300 feet above the roadway and continues about two-hundred feet beyond the surrounding brush, comprising around 80,000 cubic yards and weighing approximately 9.2 million pounds. Ongoing water seepage beneath the dirt, mud, and thousands of rocks suggests the potential for further movement of the mass, prompting Caltrans to project the clearance of the landslide by fall 2024, pending favorable conditions. The removal process must proceed from the top downward to prevent the destabilization of the earth and large boulders above as water continues to permeate beneath the surface.

DEVELOPMENT

• 🏫 COMPTON COLLEGE: Compton College is addressing student homelessness with a new eighty million dollar dormitory complex planned for its campus. The 151-unit, 251-bed project will provide housing for homeless and low-income students, with a focus on creating an inclusive and welcoming environment. The three-story complex, designed by HPI Architecture, will feature a central courtyard and is expected to be completed by August 2026. The struggles of students to find affordable housing in California have impacted universities across the state, with similar projects also in the works at UCLA.

• 🏡 PROHOUSING COMMUNITY HONORS: Los Angeles County has been officially recognized by the state and Governor Gavin Newsom as a prohousing community. Along with nine other cities and communities, Los Angeles County received this designation for making a concerted effort to build more homes and address the state's critical housing shortage. The prohousing designation provides these communities with exclusive access to certain grants, incentives, and resources for competitive housing, community development, and infrastructure funding programs administered by the state.

BUSINESS

• 🚕 TESLA’S UBER COMPETITOR: Tesla has provided a sneak peek of its upcoming ride-hailing mobile app, which the company is positioning as a competitor to Uber. The app features a summon button to call the vehicle, a 3D map showing the vehicle's route, and the ability to adjust the vehicle's climate settings while waiting. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has long teased the possibility of a Tesla robotaxi, and the company says the vehicle will be purpose built for autonomous driving, lacking traditional controls like steering wheels and pedals. I’ve reached out to some folks familiar with the matter and will provide further details if/upon hearing back. | Local HQ: Hawthorne

• 🎸 TEN YEARS FOR GUITAR NINJA: Guitar Ninjas, a music school in Burbank, blends music, mindset, and motivation to provide a unique learning experience for kids and adults. Founded ten years ago by Jason Land, the school has grown from a one-student home studio to one of the leading music schools in the city, offering lessons in guitar, drums, piano, bass, ukulele, and more. The Guitar Ninjas program features eight levels using iconic rock songs to teach students technique, theory, mechanics, and pro-level thinking tactics, with students earning colored picks to represent their progress, similar to the colored belt system in martial arts. The school also offers summer camps where students form bands, write songs, and perform for their families.

• 🍎 APPLE EVENT ANNOUNCED: Apple will hold a product launch event on May 7th, where it is expected to unveil new iPad Pro and iPad Air models. The company did not provide details, but reports suggest these will be the first major updates to Apple's tablet lineup since 2018. While iPad sales have declined recently, Apple aims to revive demand with these new products amid economic uncertainty. The event comes ahead of Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference in June, where the company typically announces software updates.

• ⚽️ APPLE TV+ X FIFA: Apple is reportedly close to finalizing a groundbreaking deal with FIFA, providing Apple with worldwide streaming rights for the World Cup, set to be held in the U.S. next summer. The move comes on the heels of Apple's similarly exclusive ten-year, $2.5 billion deal last year that secured the streaming rights for Major League Soccer. | Apple Studios: Culver City

• 🤙 RETAIL’S FAIR WORK WEEK: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has voted to require large retail and grocery stores in unincorporated areas to provide their workers with schedules two weeks in advance, compensate them for last-minute changes, and space out their shifts by at least ten hours. The fair work week ordinance goes into effect next July and aims to benefit both workers and businesses by creating a more predictable work environment. The policy closely mirrors a similar ordinance passed by the City of Los Angeles in 2022, and it is expected to affect around two-hundred businesses and 6,000 workers.

ENTERTAINMENT

HEADLINES

• 🎤 NETFLIX IS A JOKE: Los Angeles will host the massive Netflix Is a Joke Fest for twelve days starting next weekend. Featuring over three-hundred comedians (and some of our CuratedLA Curators!) performing at more than thirty-five venues across the city. The festival showcases both comedy legends and up-and-coming stand-up acts, with highlights including a Big Mouth cast reunion show, Bert Kreischer's emotional set, and a 5K run with fellow comedians. Organizers say the festival is a celebration of the growing cultural significance of stand-up comedy, as Netflix continues to be a leading platform for comedy specials. Tickets are available now for the event running from May 1st through 12th.

• 🗝️ SONY HAS A CLUE: Sony has won the rights to develop a new adaptation of the iconic Hasbro board game Clue with plans to bring the beloved murder mystery to both the big and small screens. This marks the latest attempt to revive the property, which previously saw a cult classic 1985 film adaptation. While no specific creative talent is attached yet, Sony is poised to put its own spin on the timeless tale of Colonel Mustard, Miss Scarlet, and the rest of the colorful cast of characters, capitalizing on the game's enduring popularity and the growing demand for classic IP adaptations across the entertainment landscape.

• 👻 THE EXORCISM: Vertical has acquired the North American rights to the horror film The Exorcism, starring Academy Award winner Russell Crowe. The film will have an exclusive theatrical release starting June 7th.

CURATEDLA EARLY SUMMER 24 PLAYLIST

SPORTS

• 🏆️ REGGIE’S HEISMAN: The Heisman Trust has announced the formal reinstatement of Reggie Bush's 2005 Heisman Trophy. Bush was forced to forfeit the prestigious award in 2010 due to NCAA sanctions, will once again be recognized as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner and will be invited to all future Heisman ceremonies. This decision comes after years of Bush advocating for the return of his trophy with support from other former Heisman winners. The Heisman Trust acknowledged that the fundamental changes in college athletics over the last several years, such as the Supreme Court's ruling against the NCAA's amateurism model, have led them to believe now is the appropriate time to restore the trophy to Bush.

• 🥅 PLAYOFFS: KINGS’ GAME TWO: The Edmonton Oilers will play host to our Kings tonight at 7pm (TV: TBS) for the second game of the West Playoffs. The Oilers are looking to take a 2-0 lead in the series after winning the series opener 7-4 on Monday night. Monday night’s win by the Oilers was led by a hat trick from Zach Hyman as the Oilers are one of the NHL’s top offensive teams this season, ranking fourth in goals scored. We will need to see a big game tonight from leading scorers like Adrian Kempe and Trevor Moore for our Kings to get a W.

• ⚡️DRAMATIC 2004 DRAFT: Twenty-years ago today, the Chargers drafted Eli Manning as the number one overall pick. The team then traded Manning to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers after Manning threatened to sit out the seas. Revisit what happened on that dramatic day in fourteen minutes via NFL Films.

CU FRIDAY, LA!