Let's play a game where you think up really stupid movie titles and then make up a plot. The winner of this game has to be the people who came up with Sharknado. Yes Sharknado is a real movie and it was on Syfy. To make it even better it stars Ian Ziering from Beverly Hills 90210! The shall we say plot is a storm in the pacific morphs into tornados and turns into water spouts that suck up and shoot great white sharks into the city of Los Angeles. The city of course floods and the sharks are able to terrorize the populous. Sounds plausible no? This was made by the same people that made Sharktopus. What will the come up with next perhaps Sharkquake?
What is the world coming to when you can't even trust your local psychic? Klarissa Castro from North Hollywood, California has sued psychic Jennifer Williams for fraud and negligent infliction of emotional distress. Castro claims she went to Westside Psychic Readings by Jana and was told during her initial reading that she was cursed and would need more sessions to lift the curse. Williams the psychic (aka Jana) told Castro she would need to buy some "special" candles. Castro spent over $4,000 on sessions with the psychic over two years. Castro also bought $1,400 worth of gift cards for Williams to buy items that would help lift the curse. The straw that broke the camel's back was when Castro paid $5,020 for a painting that would really help lift the curse. Well the curse lifting painting never was delivered and none of the promised changes in Castro's life happened. That's when Castro clued in that she'd been duped! Call in the lawyers because they are there to help you too.
The one time cute boy turned weasel Justin Bieber has given the world another reason to find him repulsive. It has been reported by TMZ, and you know they are never wrong, that Miss Bieber was at a New York restaurant with some of his equally horrid friends and when leaving they decided to exit through the kitchen. It was here in the kitchen that Justin decided he needed to pee. The next thing you know he is whipping out his little junk and starts urinating into a mop bucket used to wash the restaurant floors. So now some poor kitchen worker has to empty his urine from the bucket. Wild Boyz! as they call themselves have proven themselves to be boys in need of a spanking.
Arrogance gets you no where and this was proved once again by idiot and fugitive Wanda Lee Ann Podgurski. Wanda Lee Ann was convicted in absentia for the charge of insurance fraud. Good old Wanda Lee Ann was sentence to 20 years but was on the lam and tweeted on her twitter account. "Catch me if you can!" Well you guess it the new face of arrogance was caught! She was nabbed in Rosarita, Mexico and now faces yet an additional 30 years in prison. As she is already 60 she will be enjoying her golden years in the slammer. Wanda Lee Ann you are no Leonardo DiCaprio and even he was captured.
This weekend I was able to see a band I have been wanting to see for a while. The band I finally saw and became of fan of is Black Sabbitch. Yup they are an all woman Black Sabbath cover, or is it tribute, band. Frankly if Black Sabbath played as well as Black Sabbitch I may have liked Black Sabbath more. Yeah yeah yeah I just insulted Black Sabbath but they were never one of my favorite bands sorry. I don't hate Black Sabbath but normally after about 4 Black Sabbath songs I'm done. Not so with Black Sabbitch. I loved the whole set.
The band is made up of Blair N. Bitch on guitar, Melanie Makaiwi, bass, Angie Scarpa on drums and Bloody Mary Powers on vocals. These women all rock. As the band is an LA based band I really hope that someone has told Ozzie about these broads! Why isn't Sharon producing them? If Black Sabbath and Black Sabbitch were in a bar fight I think I put my money Black Sabbitch as winner.
Do yourself a favor if they are playing near you GO SEE THEM! There are a few videos on YouTube but so far they are better live. I can however recommend the "War Pigs" live at LA's El Cid available on their website.
Sunday July 7th was the first Off Sunset Festival in the Silverlake neighborhood Los Angeles. The festival took place on Santa Monica Blvd just off of Sunset Blvd. running for two blocks. The festival consisted of booths of local businesses and organizations running down both sides of Santa Monica with a DJ stage at one end and a music stage at the other. The attendees were an interesting mix of punk rockers and the gay S&M scene. These crowds co-exist as there are a lot of similarities. Black leather seems to be the great equalizer.
The S&M crowd tended to stay nearer the DJ stage that was set up outside of the Eagle a local leather bar. The music stage was attended by mainly the punk rock crowd. I spent the majority of my time at the music stage as I was friends with members of a couple of the bands. The line up for this Los Angeles event had a distinct San Francisco flavor. Four of the six bands are based in San Francisco or formed there.
The line up started with LA based Black Sabbitch an woman Black Sabbath cover band. They were so rocking that if Black Sabbath played as well as Black Sabbitch I may have liked them more. Next up was San Francisco's Hunx and his Punx. They have a sort goofy surf-y, campy sound. My favorite song of the set was the super short "Don't Call me Fabulous".
The next band was the legendary San Francisco all punk rock woman band Frightwig. Frightwig has been on a hiatus but are back at work playing shows and recording new music. The next up was Prima Donna an LA based band. Prima Donna had the most stag antics of all of the bands and are a lot of fun to watch. Next was queercore sweethearts Pansy Division. Fast and funny Pansy Division are always fun to see and never disappoint. The Headliners of the show was Imperial Teen. Imperial Teen reformed after a shorty hiatus and are releasing new material. The show consisted of new songs and their past hits.
Being a show that was sponsored by among others The Eagle and Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence Frightwig in a nod to the sponsors had to jock strap and harness wearing Go Go boys shaking it during their set. The crowd all enjoyed the show and this was a tough crowd. There were a lot of very well known punk names in the audience.
This was the fist Off Sunset Festival and it hopefully won't be the last. If they are able to produce it again next year it would be smart to hire another great line up of bands like they did this festival.
Carl Switzer was the actor best known for playing Alfalfa in the Our Gang series in the 1930's. Switzer was born in Illinois and when on a family vacation in Los Angeles Carl and his brother Harold were discovered by Hal Roach while they were performing at the Our Gang Café across the street from the Hal Roach studios. Both brothers were signed to contracts and went to work immediately in the Our Gang shorts. Harold eventually was used a mainly an extra but Carl was cast as Alfalfa the kid with the cowlick and off key singing voice.
During the run of the series Carl Switzer was his families main source of income. He was also the most troublesome of the Our Gang kids. Switzer was often the cause of trouble on the set and was considered a mean kid by many of the other cast members and despised by the crew. In 1938 MGM bought the series from Hal Roach and production was moved to the MGM lot. The series focus became much more centered on the Alfalfa character for the next two years. Switzer left the series in 1940 when he was 12 years old. His career never really took hold after this time he played mainly bit parts in B movies. He did have some small roles in bigger films but he never achieved the status he once had as a child.
In the early 1950's Switzer appeared on television in guest star roles and supplemented his income with raising and training hunting dogs as well as bartending. In 1954 he was set up on a blind date with a woman named Dian Collingwood the heiress from Kansas. They were married three months later in Las Vegas. They were running low on money as Switzer's family had used up most of his earnings from Our Gang. He and his wife had a child (Justin) and little to no income so they accepted the gift of a farm in Kansas. Switzer tried to be a farmer but wasn't cut out for it and the marriage suffered. He and his wife were divorced in 1957. Switzer then moved back to Los Angeles and was more actively involved in the breeding of hunting dogs.
In the late 50's Switzer had a couple of problems with the law. He was arrested in the Sequoia National Forrest in December of 1958 for cutting down pine trees. One of his hunting dog clients Bud Stilz, lost his dog on a hunting trip and Switzer set about finding the dog offering a $50 reward for the return of the dog. Several days later a man contacted Switzer and agreed to come to the bar in Studio City where Switzer was working at the time. Several days later on January 12,1959 Switzer and a friend were drinking and decided that Stilz "owed" Switzer the $50. They drove to the house where Stilz was living in Mission Hills and pounded on the door demanding the money. A fight ensued and Stilz pulled out a revolver. Switzer then pulled out a switchblade and lunged at Stilz who shot him. Carl Switzer was shot in the groin and bled to death on the way to the hospital. He was 31 years old.
