Daria Ibn-Tamas

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Winter in LA: Things to Do This Season

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Get involved in all that LA has to offer this January!

We spend all this time prepping and looking forward to the Holiday season, flying through Thanksgiving, followed shortly after by Christmas and then New Years just a week after that. With this flurry of activity, it can be a nice feeling to have some free time to yourself when all of it has passed. That being said, once the dust of the Holiday Season has settled, it’s easy to fall into a place of boredom, dreariness, and lack of motivation. After all, what is there to look forward to next? Summer is a ways away, and you have to keep active and engaged in the day-to-day somehow! Well, fear not, Los Angeles locals, the following are some great activities, sights and events to take advantage of this month to kick off 2015!

1. Dine like the stars at LA Restaurant Week: Take the opportunity to indulge in some of the most delicious food the city has to offer at some of its finest establishments during this two-week event  featuring prix-fixe menus at over 300 noted restaurants.  Some hotspots participating in this event include Gusto, Duke’s Malibu, Blue Plate Taco, and Mr. Chow.  For the full list of participating restaurants, check out this article

2. For the Comedy-Inclined, The Anna Wintour Bio Musical: Actor Ryan Raftery plays the most powerful woman in fashion, the editor-in-chief of Vogue Magazine, Anna Wintour, in this hilarious musical spoof, which has already garnered a great deal of recognition in New York City.  See what the buzz is all about at the new-to-LA show this January- lots of laughs are a guarantee!

3. Get Your Feng-Shui on at the BoConcept Sale: This posh home goods & furniture store is having a 25% off sale through January 31st, so now is the perfect time to launch that resolution of new year, new you!  Or rather, new apartment decor. Take advantage of the chic goods and give your pad a facelift!

Daria Ibn-Tamas
Check out LA’s Printed Matter’s Art Book fair

4. Reconnect with Your Inner Bookworm at the Printed Matter’s Art-Book Fair: From art books to periodicals, to vintages magazines to monographs, there is undoubtedly something for everyone here. Whether you’re looking for creative inspiration or a coffee-table piece, you’ll be astounded at the vast sea of books that they have to offer. Check out the event on January 29-Feb 1.

5. See Incredible Art from Talented Photographers at the Photo LA Exhibit: Returning for its 24th annual installment, Photo LA is sure to wow with the incredible works it has collected to showcase from artists across the globe.  This photo-art fair is an LA classic, so don’t miss out on its coolness this year.

6. Satisfy your sweet tooth at Cookie Con: You know Comic Con? That event every year where all those who are dedicated to classic comics and love them more than anything gather to celebrate the industry? Well, imagine that, but with cookies. Couldn’t really get any better, could it? Not to mention, free samples galore. You really don’t want to miss this one!

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Check out Detox workshops at The Springs this January for a healthy start to the New Year

7. Get Refreshed for the New Year with The Springs Detox Workshop: What better way to kickstart your resolution for a happier, healthier year than to get together with a bunch of like-minded individuals and plan out just how to properly execute said resolution. With this detox workshop, you’ll learn from experts how to be a smarter grocery shopper, how to form an exercise regimen (that you can actually stick to), and how to eat for optimal digestive health, just to name a few topics.

8. For the Movie Buff, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival: Check out the latest movie releases and mingle with the stars, (okay, maybe just sight the stars), at this annual film festival which notoriously attracts some of the biggest in the biz. Definitely worth the trip up the coast!

These are just a few of the awesome things happening in LA this January. For more events and activities, check out this article by Refinery 29 and keep the winter fun going!

Mel Brooks Gives Eleven Fingers to Hollywood

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Daria Ibn-Tamas
Mel Brooks Hollywood

Mel Brooks, the 88 year-old comedy legend got to cross another Hollywood honor off of his bucket list. As reported by the Associated Press, Brooks got to join such tinsel town luminaries such as Humphrey Bogart and Jimmy Stewart by leaving prints of his feet and hands in the cement in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.

But just like everything else Brooks does, he did things a little differently. Mel came to the ritual – one that is practically as old as Hollywood itself – wearing a prosthetic finger. As a justification, Brooks said that he pulled the stunt “just in case somebody from Des Moines, Iowa, says ‘Harry! Harry! Look, Mel Brooks has six fingers on his left hand!'”

Mel Brooks is the director, producer, writer, and actor responsible for films such as “Blazing Saddles” and “The Producers.”  The ceremony was held on September 8, as a way of commemorating the 40th anniversary of “Young Frankenstein,” Brooks’ classic send up of classic black-and-white horror films. The film’s anniversary is also being commemorated with a Blu-ray re-release on September 9.

Mel Brooks began his career in show business in the 1950s working on Your Show of Shows with Sid Caesar. The show would also help to launch the careers of playwright Neil Simon, and frequent Brooks collaborator, Carl Reiner. Brooks made his film debut as a writer/director with 1968’s “The Producers.” He would go on to make 11 other films occupying that dual role, and serving as a supporting actor in the majority of them. Brooks would also experience great success as a producer, filling that role in David Cronenburg’s very successful remake of “The Fly” and helping to launch David Lynch’s career when he allowed the director to helm “The Elephant Man.”