LAaLALand List:::: Happy Lunar New Year!

Dear LAaLALanders,
This week I celebrated my 2 year anniversary in LA. The adjustment process has been what you'd expect for any true New Yawker but I think the year-round sunshine's growing on me... Only time will tell.
Wishing you all a prosperous Chinese New Year/Year of the Rat & Mardi Gras!
LAaLA


ALL WEEKEND:::: SATURDAY & SUNDAY

CULTURE:::

2008 Golden Dragon Parade and Lunar New Year Festival
Chinatown ushers in the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Rat 4706, with a two-day celebration featuring the 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade and a free weekend-long festival with entertainment for the whole family. The 109th Annual Golden Dragon Parade, one of the oldest parades in the country with over 110,000 people line the parade. It is also a time when ancestors are fondly remembered and families give thanks for their blessings. Red packets of money (“Lai See” or “Hung Bao”) and firecrackers add fun and excitement to the Chinese New Year celebration. Pan-Asian entertainers will headline the festival, including sensational Chinese acrobatic acts of pole climbing and hoop diving, as well as Thai dancers and Taiko drummers.
Free
Saturday, February 9th
2-5pm - Parade
10am-8pm
Sunday, February 10th
10am-6pm
Corner of Cesar Chavez & Broadway
Los Angeles, 90012
213.617.0396
www.chinatownla.com
http://www.lagoldendragonparade.com/


SATURDAY, February 9th, 2008

MOVE, MOVE, MOVE:::

Free Yoga in the Park
There are free yoga lessons in Runyon Canyon Park every week! Instructors are subject to change and don't expect your fellow yoga practitioners to always adhere to the rules. Maybe a bit different, but so is the concept of free yoga! Other classes are Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4:30 p.m.
FREE
9:30am
Runyon Canyon Park
2000 Fuller Dr.
Los Angeles, CA 90046
323.666.5046
Located near the Fuller entrance
323.666.5046


EVENTS:::

Old Timer's Day
Do you remember the old red-car lines? How about Sen-Sen? Do you have information others might not? Visitors to the museum may record their thoughts of Southern California from 60, 70 or even 80 years ago for an oral history project, capturing their memories in time. If you remember the Los Angeles of the 1930s, 1940s, or 1950s we want to hear from you. A tour of Heritage Square’s historic structures and shopping in the Museum Store is included with admission. The first 200 visitors will receive a free gift.
12-4pm
$10 for Adults under 65, $5 for children 6-12 years, & free for kids under 6 and Museum members
Heritage Square Museum
3800 Homer Street
Los Angeles, 90031
323.225.2700
http://www.heritagesquare.org/


EXHIBIT::: OPENING RECEPTION::

Dissent! 1968 & Now
In honor of the 40th anniversary of the global student uprisings of 1968, the Laband Art Gallery is invites all of us to confront mainstream media, political practices, and other current issues that affect our world. This exhibition will examine the oppositional power of art and its ability to bring about social change. Historical works from 1968 will also be included.
Opening reception Saturday, February 9th from 4:30-7:30pm
From February 10–March 20, 2007
Laband Art Gallery
Loyola Marymount University
1 LMU Drive
Los Angeles 90045
cfa.lmu.edu/laband
310.338.2880


PARTIES:::

Plei Los Angeles Mardi Gras Nite
Here we go again! Were hosting our 2nd annual Plei Mardi Gras event. Limbo contest and prizes!! How low can YOU go? Beads included! Get ready to get your party on with games like Guitar Hero, billiards, dancing, Texas Hold ‘Em and Blackjack casino tables with professional dealers, full bar, kitchen open until midnight... and that is just the beginning! DJ Kaleem will be spinning on the tables. Arrive early to guarantee entrance/seating. Plei is your alternative to the everyday club scene. There will be Dominoes, card games (Spades, Bid Whist, Poker), Scrabble, Tribond, Uno, chess, Perfection, Trouble, Pictionary, Upwords, Boggle, Yahtzee, Backgammon, Taboo, Operation, Chutes and Ladders, Scattergories, Phase 10, Simon, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Connect Four, Battleship, Risk, Twister, old school video games (Galaga, Pong, Ms. PacMan, Pole Position, etc.), Rummikub, Rockem Sockem Robots, Jenga, Mancala, Monopoly, SORRY!, and more :) The games are set, the bar is stocked, the dance floor is waiting... ready to plei??
9pm-2am
$10
Age: 25+
Trifecta Lounge
200 S. Hill Street
Downtown Los Angeles, CA
www.mingleandplei.com


6th annual DOUBLE STANDARD Lunar New Year Festival
This is the official party of the Lunar New Year - 4706 with 25+ Performances, 5+ DJ, 6 Live Areas, 2 DanceFloors, MC & Freestyle Battles and Open Mics featuring API and Asian-inspired musicians, poets and turntablists in hip hop, rock, soul, spoken word, jazz and a dash of other flavors in between HIP HOP AREA ONE [outside Grand Star]: performing live: Dumbfoundead Rising Asterisk (San Francisco) Rhythm Natives Chee Malabar from Himalayan Project (New York) JNatural Surprise Surprise. In ACOUSTIC AREA TWO [outside Grand Star]: performing live: Sue Jin Applesauce Tran D'Lo Geun-Jin Kang Lady L Nam Ninja November ROCK AREA THREE [in Mountain Bar]: performing live: Far Out Seriously The Studiofix Sweetness 3 Out Mod. Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches (A3M;www.asianmarrow.org) will also be on hand toregister bone marrow donors.
9 PM to 2 AM
21 & Over
$12 Early RSVP - Email list@doublestandardlive.com to RSVP, $15 @ Door Before 11 PM & $20 After 11 PM first 500 people will receive a red envelope (hongbao) with a chance to prosper!
Grand Star + Mountain Bar + Outdoors
930 N. Broadway
LA 90012


SUNDAY, February 10th, 2008

EXHIBITION::: OPENING RECEPTIONS & DISCUSSIONS::::

An Afternoon of Art with Synthia Saint James at the African American Firefighter Museum
This event includes live entertainment, food and a Black History presentation. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Saint James’ art will benefit the museum, a nonprofit operated by volunteers.
2-7pm
Free
African American Firefighter Museum
1401 Central Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90021
213.744.1730
www.aaffmuseum.org
www.synthiasaintjames.com


Reflecting on a Life in Art
California African American Museum's Executive Director, Charmaine Jefferson, dialogues with the respected and renowned Artis Lane. They reflect upon Ms. Lane's life, technical, stylistic and cosmological evolution and ways in which she seeks to have her work inspire others.
2pm
600 State Drive, Exposition Park
Los Angeles, CA 90037
213.744.7432
www.caam.ca.gov


Two Roads Gallery
Rumination: Toni Scott Exhibit
Phenomenal artist Toni Scott's work focuses on the exploration of her cultural history journey, which includes a background of African American and Native American. Her paintings reflect the passion, the intensity, and love of what flows through her blood. Her work is collected by many noted citizens and is phenomenal!
Opening Artist's Reception: Sunday, February 10th from 6-9pm
Exhibit Dates: February 1 - March 7
Two Roads Gallery
4348 Tujunga Avenue
Studio City, CA 91604


ONGOING

FILM FESTIVAL:::

From February 7-18th
The Pan-African Film & Arts Festival
For 12 days, this festival features films and documentaries from and about the African Diaspora. NAACP Image Award-winner Isaiah Washington will host the Opening Night Gala, and a tribute to actress/singer Della Reese will be MC’d by Heroes' star, Jimmy Jean-Louis.
Varied prices
323.290.5900
http://paff.org
The Pan-African Film & Arts Festival
Magic Johnson Theatres
4020 Marlton Ave
Los Angeles, CA


EXHIBITS:::

Until March 30th, 2008
The Purse and The Person: A Century of Women’s Purses
Developed from a private collection of over 3,000 purses and accessories, this exhibition looks at purses from the inside out, examining day-to-day life reflected in a very personal, very female artifact cache -- a woman’s handbag. Eight exhibition vignettes examine iconic women of the 20th century, from the Edwardian matron to the Superwoman of recent decades. Every woman loves a handbag!
12pm-5pm
$5 general; $4 students, seniors; children (under 12) free
Pasadena Museum of History
470 W. Walnut St.
Pasadena, CA 91103
626.577.1660
www.pasadenahistory.org


Until June 1st, 2008
The African Presence in Mexico: From Yanga to the Present
Explore the historical and contemporary artworks in celebration of the 500 years of African descendants in Mexico.
California African American Museum
Address:
600 State Drive
Los Angeles, CA90037
213 744 7432
http://www.caam.ca.gov/


Until June 8th, 2008
Bob Dylan's American Journey, 1956-1966
This acclaimed exhibition follows Bob Dylan from his beginnings in Hibbing, Minnesota to his debut on the Greenwich Village folk scene and his rise to fame as one of the first true rock stars and the artist who “electrified” contemporary songwriting. There’s an unprecedented collection of films, artifacts, and listening stations, following Dylan’s story intersecting with folk music, rock ‘n’ roll, and a nation in the throes of social change.
The Skirball Cultural Center Getty Gallery
2701 North Sepulveda Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90049
310.827.0889
www.skirball.org