The Bus Bench

ImaginAsian- Gypsy Cabs and Art House movies

ImaginAsian Theater- the website--- http://www.iacenterla.com/la

After (07 December 2007), round 6:45 pm:

 

Before (earlier in the week, round 03-04 Dec 2007):

My trip to look at the Imagination Theater, fuck ImaginAsian Theater took some weird turns.

The person who made up that name must be from the 80s. My older sister did a performance art piece once and she called it "Black to the Future." People around 40, ethnic and artsy tend to think that kind of word play is cute. Let me be fair, the non-ethnic 80s people are pretty cheesy about that too.

Luckily me being from the 90s I realized that’s not nearly as clever as it was 20 years ago.

Sometimes I get obsessed about things and forget the point of the reason behind the thing. Last night was one of those nights.

I put off dozens of things one of which was Mark Mothersbaugh at Secret Headquarters. I have one of his prints.  I missed these things, so I could stand outside a theater.

The ImaginAsian Theater opened last night, which I think was Friday. Don’t think I’m civic minded, but the whole idea of first run art house films from Asia (with some Asian-American thrown into the mix) showing up down the street from my house was appealing.

Initially I wasn’t too interested, because most people talking about it were the kind of people that I would never, ever hang out with. Not even for a million trillion dollars. They are the kind of people that say stuff like, “I’m glad the expensive ImaginAsian Theater opened up, because the Smell next door is ugly and gross. Possibly that theatre can revitalize the area,” downtown dork.

That area has a scene. You just weren’t invited.

Unfortunately I think way too much of the civic minded kind of publicity, but not so much of the “this is what we are” kind of publicity in regards to this being a kick ass idea might have impacted the first night of real audience members. Civic people are artless bastards who won’t support art house films. People who go to the Smell, chances are they will actually support an art house theater even if the architecture of the building would make a person with a stomach of steel vomit.

The faux industrial thing is not working in regards to the architecture of this theatre. All of the little cool things in regards to industrial buildings are there for a point. The rivets are not just for cosmetic purposes. When you’re looking at a building that has a support beam, for effect…well why the hell did you do that?

Anyways once I got to the theatre I didn’t go in owing to the fact that prior to going to the ImaginAsian Theater (which I couldn’t find the cost, the time, pretty much nothing that theatres have) I was drinking and eating at Pete’s. I ended up mainly drinking and dropping 200 dollars. Not that 200 dollars is insane, but it is when it’s only 6:39pm.

So my report in regard to the theatre should be looked at in a suspected way, because I think I possibly was pretty wasted.

When I finally stumbled over, it didn’t look so crowded. There was also a cash only sign, written in marker.

I don’t even know what cash looks like. This isn’t 1985.

Of course I wasn’t in the theater. It may have been packed, on the inside. The 9:30pm showing may have been packed, but I didn’t see many cars for the 6:30pm showing. Possibly later in the week it will be more crowded. I’m sure there will be more people after the theater changes it's outgoing message which says, “There are no show times.”

I am also sure there will be more people once people can find the website, which is very hard, because it has nothing to do with the name ImaginAsian.

Google ImaginAsian for fun, all kinds of things come up that have absolutely nothing to do with this theater.

I’ve got hope for the theater. Hopefully the films are good and that’s pretty much the point. Good films, so later in the week we’ll see if this is a corporate theater, welfare art or a truly artful endeavor worthy of your patronage.

On to drunken Browne.

After leaving the theater and continuing my journey up fourth street and through skidrow which was truly freaking me the fuck out. When you’re under the influence and it’s dark and you’re on skidrow the people who hang out on the sidewalk and rats really can fuck with your head. I was walking with a boy and at one point I just jumped on him, “Oh my god this is so gross…”  You know it wasn’t that gross, but I just couldn’t deal.

So though the place where I rule the world was less than half a mile away. I could no longer deal with the gigantic rats. I'm a pussy, but I'm a girl, so it's ok.

There are huge rats in downtown. I’ve seen those bastards everywhere, by Pershing Square, on Broadway, on Fourth and at night they just hang out like they are people and not rats.

So fucking gross!!!!!

“Get me a cab right fucking now,” Browne with issues.

I gave him the number of my favorite gypsy cab service. This cab service will pick your drunk, stoned ass up anywhere and they’ll pick up anyone. I was crazy nonsober big haired black chick on skidrow and they picked me up in less than five minutes and I wasn’t even where I said I was.

Dude was even social, “So where are you from,” social cab driver. I get the where are you from question all of the time. I say Canada and I think it makes people sad. Should I say something more exciting?

Sometimes people without paperwork know how to get stuff done when unusual situations arise.

Hopefully the people at ImaginAsian realize that and remember that the old crusty scene in downtown are probably a better resource than the 9-5fivers that do things like have parties because Ralphs opened up.

Of course many of those people moved, but they’ll come in for a good art house film.

Los Feliz never showed first run blockbusters and now…oh man these civic people killed Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and they tried to kill Echo Park, but luckily the economy dropped and people started getting shot again in Echo Park.

By Browne

90 to tHE FUUUture. . .

I noticed the aural aberration some months ago, but always forgot about it until after it occurred.

I finally anticipated it and, with video camera in hand, captured what sounds like "... followed by San Fernando, and thE FUUUture" being announced as the 90/91 line is nearing Eagle Rock Blvd in Highland Park.

It happens on every 90/91 as it passes the spot (providing the audio is working), owing to the recording being relayed from a transponder along the route (TransitTV is broadcast similarly).

If anyone can offer some insight, please do.

90ToTheFuture
Video sent by shametrainla

-BusTard

Funeral Stop Sign on 4th

Many years ago, I usta take photos of odd funerary signs. Two memorable ones (which I no longer possess; they may be in storage in another state or simply lost) were of a hand-painted "No Parking" announcement on the back of a STOP sign in Brooklyn on 4th Ave and a "Funeral Special - $700" banner that once hung on a fence on Wilshire near Witmer back in the mid-1990s.

Walking along 4th Street to check out the Angels Flight cars' progress, I spotted this peculiar advert:

-BusTard

Angels Flight Cars Under Cover

It may be the rain in the forecast, but the Angels Flight cars are now under huge blue tarpaulins. Nevertheless, there have been a number of people working on, under and round the red cars every day now. I imagine something is getting ready to happen after six years of no real news.

   

-BusTard

Project Homeless Connect Day

I went wandering round Skid Row today (not uncommon, but I had in mind seeing the fire damage done to the Union Rescue Mission on San Pedro; there was none visible on the exterior) and came across the annual Project Homeless Connect Day taking place on 6th Street between San Pedro and Wall Streets. I did not stay long, as they were setting up. I had hoped to return, but the day's activities prevented me from doing so.

 

-BusTard

A Well-trained Bench at Pershing Square

There is a high volume of buses that passes 5th going north on Olive (primarily MTA, but also Foothills and Montebello), and it is rare that less than a small crowd is standing at the corner.

Today, however, there was also a bus bench standing on its two legs.

 

One hopes that it does not wander into the windshield of a passing motorist.

-BusTard

A New Hole.

Mayor Tony, having used up and cast off an olde hole, did what the Dick before him did so well: fuck Los Angeles.

From our perspective from the bus bench, via x-ray spex, we captured this image of what really keeps city hall standing erect (as opposed to the hole in Hollywood they helped fill not so many years ago):

Ms. Chick, we suggest you look into deep into the "auteur" of this surreal picture, as a damn good audit is long overdue. Or should we expect a west coast Tammany Hall?

-BusTard

The Envelope? Please. . .

Spring Street Incline Now A Slippery Slope?

Over the past fortnight, the L.A. Times has offered its remaining, dwindling cache of readers to join the ranks of the former—as in former readers. And I am not about to start whingeing about that lousy magazine that is barely a step above Parade magazine.

An article by Andrew Gumbel in the 29 Nov-05 Dec edition of L.A. CityBeat, titled “No Home For You Here,” pointed out a serious ethical breach in an L.A. Times piece. Dated 18 Nov., “Skid row in rehab” had an engaging title but a mysterious byline. Moreover, the piece illuminated an ignorance of the Skid Row situation on the street that even the fashionably ignorant west-siders and valley ex-pats moving into the nearby Old Bank District perceived as far too much, well, ignorance. Mr. Gumbel took the time to dig beneath the mystery writer’s veneer to discover more about why this Heather Mac Donald would write such obvious one-sided commentary as well as previous opinion pieces in the L.A. Times that were obvious puff pieces for the benefit of the LAPD. And what Mr. Gumbel discovered, as one might easily comprehend by the provided links, is that Ms. Mac Donald has a vested interest in writing the articles. Most disturbing is the lack of disclosure on behalf of the L.A. Times when it ran Ms. Mac Donald’s latest piece; the LAT has previously offered full disclosure on this Manhattan Institute Senior Fellow whose think tank presently provides policy advice to the LAPD; why such a statement was not run this time is highly irresponsible. MI was also responsible for the Broken Windows policy that then-mayor of New York Rudy Giuliani adopted in order to do to Times Square what is now a squeaky clean and wholesomely sterilized version of family fun and shopping.

I will stop short of stating “conflict of inter—“

On a far lesser note, it appears that the L.A. Times is not content with merely being insincere; the following week they added incompetence. In a desperate bid to offer a laid-back (which in non-southern California vernacular means “lazy”) attempt to keep up with the Gray Lady when in July of this year it hired from without a blogger named Brian Stelter. Mr. Stelter, however, is 21 years of age and has done more than merely manage someone else’s blog; he had a niche market that he pushed like gangbusters. Here on the left coast, six months after the NYT hired someone who knew how to manage business as well as create content while maintaining the entire ship, the LAT tapped as its blog editor a person who is perhaps best known for not only barely editing but barely restraining his own blog-rage in the form of juvenile insults.

How can this be? One may well ask. I advise not waiting for an answer. As for who it is, it is a person named Tony Pierce, who appears to be much older than 21. Soon to end a stint as the “editor” of LAist, Mr. Pierce is black—a fact that everyone should know, and if one fails to know that as well as just about every other mundane detail about his existence, then in Mr. Pierce’s blinkered perspective, one is a racist.

It is bad enough that Spring Street has failed to grasp the fundamental facility of the Internet: expediency, of which a primary part is speed. This flaw is obvious in the fact that an average of four days expires before comments on the LAT’s blogs pop up. Four days in the World Wide Web is a few eternities.  What boggles the mind is that Mr. Pierce’s demeanour with respect to editing is readily available on-line via LAist, and one need not dig far to find that he is quick to pounce on people who are ignorant of his personal aspects even as he allows his “writers” to denounce female critics as bitches and whores—when they are not failing to uphold basic tenets of journalism, such as citing references (which amounts to plagiarism).

Moreover, it appears that Mr. Pierce has, as editor, erased all such remarks from LAist in anticipation of slaving away on Spring Street—but failed to eliminate some of them from the Internet. To wit:

Google search on LAist.com for jane, bitch:
LAist: The Neighborhood Project: Watts
"dear jane, he gave you the links. way to go from ignorant slut to dumb bitch!" guest. I bet that's you Anti or one of your friends. ...
laist.com/2007/08/07/the_neighborhood_project_watts.php - Similar pages

Clicking on the link to the page under review reveals that this and other comments have quietly disappeared. Amid the comments are people named for their own commentary, but strangely, those comments are suddenly gone. Perhaps the noticeable gaps in the comment numbers belie the unscrupulous elimination of comments that Mr. Pierce did not want his future masters at LAT to see? Is this the fashion by which Mr. Pierce will also edit the LAT blogs?

Granted, business is business, and Mr. Pierce has proved that he can crunch numbers and manipulate algorithms to show that people are clicking on his poorly written, dreadfully edited and shoddily managed blog entries. However, it is not a business with which I wish to be associated. I will not be adding the L.A. Times—in print nor on-line—to my morning slush pile of FT, NYT, Washington Post, WSJ, NY Observer, Economist and true newspapers. (I would read the Daily Mail before I waste time among the LAT.) The travesty that is the L.A. Times might be defended by those within its crumbling walls, but we in the newsworld know that the two highly convoluted examples above are hideous to behold, and an embarrassment for all involved.

-BusTard