NoHo Scene October 6, 2007

Saturday
in NoHo


Ton's of Events with
art, theater and music
headlining in the evening




∆∆∆ NoHo Scene VIDEO Below ∆∆∆
HERE ARE SOME PICS OF THE DAY

"Time Terrorists" Attempt To Drive Wedge Between NoHo Scene and Neighborhood Council

At its most recent meeting, the Midtown North Hollywood Neighborhood Council was unable to act on a last minute request for funding from organizers of the NoHo Scene festival to be held October 6th in the NoHo Arts District.

The Council's Board of Directors could not approve the requested funding due to the lack of a quorum at the meeting. Additionally members of the Board of Directors felt uncomfortable approving the funds without sufficient time to study the proposal.

In the last few days a crude hand produced flyer started appearing around town. The flyer seems to represent itself as a publication from the Council and claims that local artists and others intend to boycott the event. As well it infers that the Council and an unidentified Neighborhood Watch group do not support the event.

Mid Town North Hollywood Neighborhood Council President Cary Adams, in a letter to NoHo Scene organizers denied that the Council is not in support of the Festival. Other community leaders referred to the bogus publication as a shame and derided its anonymous author(s).

Leave LA?: My Decision

Originally published at Mayor Sam's Sister City.

Over at my main blog, for the last couple of weeks, I've considered whether or not I should leave Los Angeles. I was quite touched to see some other blogs picked up on the story here and here and here.

I recently visited where my family is historically from, Iowa and where my parents were born and raised. It had been some time since I had been to the Hawkeye state and my first time as an adult. The pace of life, the difference between a major city like Los Angeles and a small city such as Waterloo in Iowa and the attractiveness of being close to many family members was a magnet to me.

We've looked at a lot of reasons to leave including cost of living, arts and culture and even the blogosphere in Iowa.

And of course LA quite frankly sucks in many ways.

Indeed, there are reasons not to move to a small, Midwestern city like Waterloo, the lack of wonderful things like sushi and the frigid winters among them.

So I am staying.

But its not a dearth or raw fish or a fear of snow that has me keeping put. Its a lot more than that.

To uproot myself, even to an area where there is more family than here in Los Angeles would indeed be a bit traumatic. It would require a lot of work and upfront expense. And there is no guarantee life would be better in the new location.

More importantly I more or less like where I live. The rest of LA may suck but my hometown of NoHo and the spot I moved to a year ago is kind of cool.

Missing out on HOWS Market alone would be something I would have trouble adjusting to.

Ultimately, there is still a lot to do here and if I can contribute in some way, well, I have not generally been someone who's a quitter. I've felt that LA's best days may be behind it but its worth a shot.

My immediate family is all here in the Valley, I have some wonderful friends here, an excellent day gig and lots of opportunity for fun, expression and socializing. And of course this damn old blog which just keeps growing every day.

So much to the displeasure of many of you, you're stuck with me.

NoHo Stakeholders Claim MTA/City Kept Them Out Of Discussion on Major Development

Originally published at Mayor Sam's Sister City.

Last week MTA officials approved plans to negotiate with developer Lowe Enterprises to build a $1 billion real estate development at and around the North Hollywood Red Line and Orange Line Stations near Chandler Street and Lankershim Boulevard.

The proposed development - which Curbed LA calls "insanley huge"- would nearly two million square feet of commercial, retail and residential space. Most of the land involved is owned by the MTA.

However a number of local leaders are expressing concern that officials from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority - as well as local elected officials including area Councilman Tom LaBonge - discussed the project with little or no public input.

Community activist Ron Bitzer who lives northwest of the proposed project told the Los Angeles Times he would have preferred to see "a little more discussion" with the community about the project. Another activist privately told the Sister City that previous city administrations would have engaged in more "transparency" in a decision like this.

Wow! More Stuff Coming To NoHo!

The latest massive development to hit the NoHo Arts District was announced Thursday. In addition to a couple thousand apartments, a cool HOWS Market and a coming Laemmle movie theater (and even more apartments under construction), the MTA announced plans to begin negotiations with developer Lowe Enterprises for a 15.6 acre mixed use site near the North Hollywood Red Line and Orange Line stations. The 1.7 million square foot space will contain "a mix of uses including office, retail and residential with substantial community and public spaces."

NoHo Coach Jack Witt Offers A Pamper Package!

Pamper Package

Only $199
-(1) 60 Minute Professional Massage
-(1) Half-Hour Mini-Facial
-(1) Dental Office Teeth Whitening
-(2) Personal Fitness Training Sessions
-(2) Online Personal Fitness Sessions
-(1) Owners Manual for your Body

Jack Witt-Lifestyle Fitness Coach
818-760-3891
www.getfitwithWitt.com

" ART UNITES " in NoHo

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• NoHo Gallery L.A. September Opening

This month NoHo celebrates ART UNITES
sponsored by the ART DIRECTORS GUILD.



















Gallery curator DanCoronado DeBevoise and
Guild Director Denis Olsen put this exhibit of
various artists here in Southern California.






Jazz guitarist Tim Moran provided background
music acompanying Scottie Austin vocals.

Cinema Celebration in NoHo

..
.NoHo Art Shows

new
review



.
VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
...












I have some info on the
VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
which was in September ...

It's the seventh year of the film showings

the Valley Film Festival opens it's 2007 season.

Films from producers throughout the '818' as they say

bring their accomplishments to the 1929 El Portal Theater

in North Hollywood, Ca. The eighties teen classic

"Fast Times at Ridgemont High" opens the event

with this comedy that brought to age many of the

current film makers of today's genre.



WEDNESDAY Sept 12 at El Portal with

FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH 1982
















Thursday Sept 13 cocktails at 5 then

Dramatic Shorts and features at 7:30

Friday Sept 14 comedy shorts and features after 7:30

Saturday Matinee Sept 15 11am

family shorts and features until 7pm

horror fest and features

Sunday Sept 16 Noon +

feature programs

girl short films 2:30

4pm NEVER SAY MACBETH
(I'm reviewed this, see previous post)

Closing "MADE IN 818" shorts.


The VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
starts Wednesday September 12, 2007

at the El Portal Theater in NoHo.
Info- http://www.valleyfilmfest.com

Shakespeare in North Hollywood

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Would William Say 'NoHo'
by Louis Elovitz















NEVER SAY MACBETH

Consequences unfold when a man comes to see his actress

girlfriend and has contact with cast members of the said,

I mean 'never said', play by The Bard.

Freak-out occurs when the word is used and all the age

old superstitions come out that thespians have held

for hundreds of years. The film manifests itself with great

cinematographic skills and superior lighting, showing all

the ghosts and the fears that these young people endure

in order to serve their art and exhibit their production.

This is all done in parodistic style. After a quick 101 about

Never Saying that name, the man, a teacher, is drafted

into the play and finds himself at odds with this acting stuff

and the triangle between himself, his girlfriend, and another

actor. From street clothes to the dressing rooms, rehearsals,

to the play itself, with all the Shakespearean overtures to

the Ghosts in the Theater, this film contains all the authenticity

and embraces the essence of the original play itself.

Set to show on the final day of the Valley Film Festival

on Sunday September 16 at 4 p.m.



The VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL
starts Wednesday September 12, 2007

at the El Portal Theater in NoHo.
Info- http://www.valleyfilmfest.com

NEVER SAY MACBETH
Tammy Caplan Producer neversaymacbeth.com


Louis Elovitz
DownTown NoHo Times
downtownnoho.blogspot.com
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9. 11. 01: We Will Never Forget

NoHo Trolley?

Zach Behrens at LAist is suggesting a trolley to run throughout NoHo. His routing would have the trolley creating sort of an hourglass shaped route that would run from Chandler to Moorpark along Lankershim and Vineland.

The idea - based on a similar proposal for Long Beach - is to create a circulator system that would connect the Metro Red and Metro Orange Line termini to various points in NoHo.

A better routing would be to run from the Metro Red Line at Universal City and run down the middle of Lankershim to the old Lankershim Train Station next to the Orange Line station. Stations could be placed about every 1/4 mile which would work to feed subway users to the various points in NoHo and Universal City including theatres, restaurants, shops, etc.

I can hear the chorus of voices as to why this is not a practical idea. But many cities including San Francisco (where even some of the old Pacific Electric rail cars from LA still operate) and even San Pedro here in Los Angeles have found success with creating local transit systems with historic type trolleys.

How about we think differently for a change?

COOL OFF NOHO !

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.
.NoHo Art Shows

new review coming this week...





ANTARCTIC
WEATHER
IN NOHO
58 (fifty-eight)
YEARS AGO !

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

North Hollywood and all of L.A. fell under
a freak Winter storm in February of 1949.

COMPARE PICS 1949 versus 2006 in Noho.
My Dad once gave Dr. Fishbeck of Ch 7 News
weather copies of pics which were aired,
I think it was the 1970's. (Henry Elovitz)

.............. 1949 ............. .............. 2006 .............



















First the front
of the House
then the back
and that is the same
backyard FENCE.




This house I grew up in,
though I was only 9mths
old when this happened.
That's Vic Tanny in 2006




It WAS
FEBRUARY 1949,
just wanted
you all to
coooool off a little.
..

VALLEY PLAZA in the way back machine

.

MY MOM
LET US DO
helicopters
and Coca Cola
... IN NOHO !
By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

With all this talk
of the future for Valley Plaza
I am going way way back
to my childhood events
in the Victory Van Owen Park
area of North Hollywood































up up and away...

I PERSONALLY KNOW
OF ONE AIRPORT IN
NORTH HOLLYWOOD,
and I grew up hearing
of another, both near
each other,
at different times. 

When I grew up an older friend
David Kennedy, said his Dad had
flown his airplanes landing in the
WASH that is now the 170 where
his house was approximately in
the area of Laurel Cyn and Burbank
NE near the WASH.


Movie Theater former
Alexander's Market



My Mom would always take us to shop. One area was
VALLEY PLAZA, or as she would jokingly call it,
"Valley Pleasure" the part SW of Sears by the Theater
which was an ALEXANDER'S MARKET.
Oh, the COKE MACHINE in this market on those hot
Valley days would dispense a bottle of COKE, 8oz,
that was so cold the first drinks were COKE SLUSH.


Victory Van Owen park
In Valley Plaza



The large parking lot is the same today leading to that
part of Victory Van Owen Park which WAS/IS on both
sides of the WASH/170FWY. The WASH was great
all that sand, and on the other side there was a slanting
concrete wall that we would get a piece of corrugated box
throw some sand and sliiiide!


Basically Victory Blvd
and Laurel Cyn


In 1957 (I looked it up on the web) L.A. Airways
paved a landing circle and road from Victory Blvd
to have a helicopter mail stop, which a man in a
station wagon would come and pick up US Mail.
My best friend Richard and I once took a passenger
trip on the noisy Korean Era helicopter leaving
VALLEY PLAZA going to Van Nuys, LAX,
Down Town L.A. and Burbank Airport
(BOB HOPE AIRPORT
originally LOCKHEED AIRCRAFT)
a very noisy but exciting flight.

SO, there you are
frozen Coke before Slurpees
and 2 (TWO) airports in NOHO,
a 'private' landing field once in the wash,
and the scheduled helicopter runs to/from
a small landing in the wash.
TOLD YA!.
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.

Valley/Laurel Plaza Plans Slammed by Local NIMBYs

At the risk of sounding like the old, dead Republican Mayor (something I really try not to do here as I blog out of that character) I have to say though I understand some of the local concerns and fears about plans to remake Valley and Laurel Plazas north west of Downtown NoHo, I don't agree with them.

JH Snyder - who is revered as a near god here in the District for bringing us HOWS and NoHo Commons - wants to work his magic on the two legendary shopping centers I knew and loved as a child of North Hollywood (yes some of us are still here).

Who among us can forget the party store at Valley Plaza, the movie theatre on Bellingham (where I first saw Star Wars) and of course hanging at Laurel Plaza at the Ice Capades Chalet and seeing the new puppies, kittens or snakes at Safari Pets home of Safari Arnie from the Elementary News.

When I was a wee one my mom and grandmother would attend fashion shows at the tea room at May Co. My mother told me all the ladies at Laurel Plaza would say "What a beautiful baby."

Time, economic forces and the 1994 Northridge Earthquake brought an end to all of that. Valley Plaza crept into oblivion and all that could be saved after the quake of Laurel Plaza was the then May Company later Robinsons-May now Macy's. The quake and the recession put an end to one plan to restore Laurel Plaza back in the 90s.

Snyder's plan in a nutshell is to basically bulldoze all of Valley Plaza and replace it with an upscale outdoor mall similar to The Grove or Snyder's BellaTerra (pictured) in Huntington Beach, anchored by a new Macy's. Once that's complete, Macy's would vacate the current location which we could converted to condos while the surrounding massive parking lot would be populated by more condos, apartments and townhomes - as well as a new city park.

Besides the usual nannypoo NIMBY nonsense tied to this project (such as big-box-a-phobia because God forbid an upscale version of Costco is interested in a spot) is concern that a sliver of Valley Plaza Park connected to the eastern berm of the 17o freeway would be vacated by the new Valley Plaza and replaced with a brand new, state of the art neighborhood park at Laurel Plaza. If you haven't seen the parkland to be replaced, don't bother. Its really nothing more than grass and some trees choked between parking lot and the freeway. Its not where junior goes to play ball but rather where meth addicts hang out to score their next fix.

Though some of the surrounding neighbors bring up an almost irrational, hateful opposition to the project overall there is no doubt it is something that would benefit all of us in the community and the region was well. I personally am tired of having to drive to places like West Hollywood or Santa Clarita or Pasadena or anywhere else I have visited in this state to see something like this. Its high time North Hollywood has the kind of upscale retail and entertainment options every other community has.

Snyder has a great track record already in North Hollywood. I trust him to create something wonderful on the other end of town.

more NUDIE ...( NOT pornographic )

.
.
• NUDIE armed his PONTIAC

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

NUDIE - WESTERN CLOTHIER OF THE STARS

...As Mike showed us the other day, NoHo has always
been privy to celebrities.  Annette Funicello was married
at the Church across from Ernie's Tacos.   Jimmy, the
head Mouseketeer ( circa 1950's no Britteny ) used
to shop with his Mom around town. USSR Khrushchev
drove down Laurel Cyn before being refused
admittance to Disneyland.   So, it is not unusual to
have the most famous Western Clothier in our town.

Nudie Western Clothier
road around NoHo,
then still called North Hollywood,
in one of his continually updated








PONTIAC convertibles always
decked out with SIX SHOOTERS
as door handles, SILVER DOLLARS
lining the dash and of course
a large set of COW HORNS as the
HOOD ORNAMENT.




( He probably always got PONTIACs
from the dealer that was across from
the Universal Star Market down on
Lankershim, which is the 99cent Store ).
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Elvis and NoHo

Last week was the 30th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley (yes we realize some of you out there think he is still alive) and it gave me a moment to reflect on Elvis' own NoHo connection.

You can read here about where I was when Elvis died, and other semi-related issues.

Nudie Cohn was a Ukrainian immigrant who emigrated to the US almost a 100 years ago. Cohn eventually settled in North Hollywood in 1947. With help from western bandleader Tex Williams, Nudie got his business going. Nudie and his wife Bobbie sewed costumes for a number of entertainers, including the famous gold lame suit Elvis bought for $10,000 in 1957.

The original Nudie shop was located on Victory and Vineland. In 1963 Nudie moved to the famous 5015 Lankershim Boulevard location (now a furniture store).

The list of Nudie's clients was legendary - as was Nudie himself. I had the opportunity to meet Nudie several times as a child when my father, then a country music songwriter, took me to the shop including during live remotes for country powerhouse KLAC radio.

Nudie created several suits for Elvis - right here in NoHo - and developed a friendship with Elvis' manager, Colonel Tom Parker who visited the store often.

Nudie died in 1984 and his wife Bobbie and grandaughter Jamie kept the store going for another ten years before Bobbie decided it was time to close down. The Nudie tradition is kept alive somewhat by Jamie's father and Nudie protege Manuel Cuevas who eventually moved his NoHo based operation to Nashville.

Incidentally though Nudie charged Elvis ten grand for that suit that The King apparently didn't care for and only wore twice, the cost to make it was about $50.

(Nudie related photos from www.nudiesrodeotailor.com)

When I Was A Kid Old People Didn't Get It

I remember that day that Elvis died, Tuesday, August 16th, 1977. I was 12, almost 13 and dreaming of a career in radio when I grew up. I had become a fan of a talkradio program that aired then on the Cal State Northridge radio station, KCSN. The current format of the public radio station owned by the University is "arts and roots radio," but back in 77 it was more of an eclectic mix of talk and music more akin to KCRW.

I was more than thrilled on that Tuesday afternoon that a then talk host on the station had invited me to visit the studio after I had called his about a half dozen times. I was sitting in the control room when the engineer received a phone call. He hung up the phone and announced to us, "Elvis Presley just died."

A call was placed to the station manager as to whether or not the current broadcast should be interrupted to announce the King's death. The response back was "Our listeners would not be interested in a rock and roll singer. We can wait until the news at the top of the hour."

Every other television and radio station in Los Angeles broke into programming to carry the news of the passing of Elvis.

Another example of the difference in the older generation when I was a kid compared to now is a similar but different experience I had at the assassination of John Lennon in 1980. At that point I was a junior at San Fernando High School. I had asked the school principal if the school would fly the flag at half staff in honor of Lennon. The principal declined, telling me "Michael, Jack (sic) Lennon was not a very savory individual. I don't think it would be appropriate to lower our flag in his honor."

This is the same San Fernando High School that refused to place a photo of alum, rocker Ritchie Valens on their wall of fame in the school office. Why? I was told because he had never actually graduated (of course he died at 17). It took almost another generation and a hit movie about the singer (some of which was filmed at the school) to get Ritchie's picture up on the wall as well as his name on a park in his hometown of Pacoima.

Jaycees Help Kids Get Back to School Clothes

Smiles and cheer on July 28th at the 7th Annual UCNH Jaycees "Childpsree" at Mervyn's Sun Valley. Jaycees (Junior Chamber) and friends from the North Hollywood Rotary, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce, and North Hollywood High School Key Club raised money this summer to take local low-income kids back to school shopping for clothes and supplies.

Fundraisers inlcuded a Body Image Gym Fitness Challenge and McDonald's Night at the Lankershim and Victory Store. After the "Childspree" event, a Pizza Party was hosted by Chuck-E-Cheese Sun Valley for the kids and volunteers. The UCNH Jaycees are the premiere leadership and development organization for young adults ages 18-41 in the San Fernando Valley. For more information contact President Jack Witt at jack@getfitwithWitt.com.

(Photo by Rony Armas of Lunaset.com)

Two of Them? NoHo and Highland Park Old Bank Clones

Upon a visit to Highland Park today I had to do a double take - could it be that overnight someone lifted the former Security Bank Building from Weddington and Lankershim and moved it to Figueroa Street in north east Los Angeles?

Highland Park Security Bank - Available
(Photo by Michael Higby)

Not quite.

Apparently back in the 20s the Security Trust and Savings Bank built at least a few banks with more or less the same design. The branch in NoHo (soon to become The Bank Heist Restaurant and Club), the aformentioned and currently empty Highland Park location and another branch in Eagle Rock that was razed in the 60s for a more "modern" structure.

The Hotspot Formerly Known as Security Bank
(Photo by Lindsay William-Ross for LAist)

Besides its tenure as a bank, the NoHo location has served as a bookstore (anyone remember The Paperback Shack?) and later was the temporary home of the Actors Renegade Theatre while it's Magnolia Boulevard theatre was under construction (now the NoHo Theatre Center). It's also been used for various events such as art exhibitions during the NoHo Arts Festival. Some of the upstairs offices have been used as loft living pre-NoHo Commons.

Maybe Bank Heist wants to open up a branch in the rapidly becoming hip Highland Park?

NoHo ARTS Gallery L.A. • FEMININE MYSTIQUE

• NoHo Art
Gallery L.A.
opening

By Louis Elovitz
Digital Journalist

FEMININE MYSTIQUE

Saturday
August 11
opening run


North Hollywood
California
clic∆link

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