Diverse Similarities ~ Gregory Navarro Pickens ~ Long Beach

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One of the best parts about being from Los Angeles is that we often get to witness our city’s fictional destruction on screen. Volcanos, tsunamis, aliens, earthquakes, and more have ravaged our city in countless films. The latest destruction comes via mysterious aliens in Battle: Los Angeles (trailer above), but perhaps the best and most detailed was in 2009′s 2012, below.

Looking for more? The Big One, a 1990 TV movie featured about 1/100th the effects budget of 2012, but has some pretty decent shots of local landmarks being destroyed mixed in with random shots like a car plowing into a dress shop.

My friends Chris from DePalma and his boys and Chris from Depalma Europe. Check my blog roll for a link to their site.

My friends from Pachucos CC Nor Cal & Rocky Bomb Club founder

Tinga de Pollo

This is a game changing taco stand in Los Angeles.

For the past four years, right under our very noses, a brilliant Mexico City style tacos de guisado shop has been sitting right next door to Langer’s, hidden in plain sight. No, it’s not some entrepreneur that has family from Mexico, or traveled to Mexico City to research tacos de guisado, but a real cook from Mexico’s capitol.

Located at the Westlake Mall in MacArthur Park, Tacos Carmelita is the only food option next to lingerie, clothing,and electronics stalls. The neglected theater sign reminds that the Weslake neighborhood, now home to mostly Mexican and Central-American swap meet malls and stores,check cashing,and fake ID’s pushers,was once upscale. This area still has a bit of a rep, but has really mellowed in recent years.

Read the full review by Bill Esparza on StreetGourmetLA

Whittier Blvd. ~ East Los Angeles

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57 Freeway ~ San Dimas

Obama signs the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” into law this morning and LA gets a Double Rainbow, coincidence?..

Highland Park ~ CA

This has been all over the art world news, but in case you didn’t hear, Blu (an Italian street artist) had a commissioned mural on the wall of MOCA painted over before it was even complete. The reasons given by gallery director Jeffrey Deitch, that the mural might be offensive to the local community, were not convincing and we’ve yet to hear a good theory as to why the mural was destroyed. Above is the best picture we’ve seen yet of the unfinished mural before it was painted over. Credit: KORI. Click for a large version.

Blu commented on his blog:

some photos of the work in progress and a global view of the mural
the main idea is understandable but unfortunately the piece is not finished
I didn’t feel so motivated to spend more time on it once i learned that it was going disappear the day after.
I am stupid but not masochist.

meanwhile a very interesting debate is happening on internet
and, wonders of rhetoric, the word “censorship” magically disappears
now you can call it a “curatorial choice”
I almost totally agree with this interpretation
it is, in fact, a CURATORIAL CHOICE that involves the CENSORSHIP of a mural.

still unsure? check the word definition

…

this time news are going faster than my blog
i will make a short resume:

1. Moca asks me to paint a mural
2. I go to L.A. to paint the piece and I almost finish it
3. the Moca director decides to erase the wall
4. on the next day the mural is erased by Moca workers
5. journalists are still not sure if this can be called censorship so they start asking my opinion about that

more photos and updates soon…

Ijo Ija Academy of Martial Arts ~ N. Vermont Ave. & 4600 W. Vermont Pl. ~ East Hollywood

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