UNDERRATED
THE BURRITO PROJECT
We admire these punked-out good Samaritans who deliver burritos once a week on their bikes to downtown’s homeless. They are anonymous: no leaders, no headquarters, no identities. In photographs, they wear bandannas over their faces and look tough as nails, but we know the truth. These softies feed at least 300 people a week with their beans and rice wrapped in love. ( www.myspace.com/burritoproject)
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SADDLE RANCH
It’s easy to mock the Texas-sized slice of reality-dating-show fromage (see KCAL’s “elimiDATE,” for one) as the embodiment of WeHo lameness. But at least the Ranch is honest about its intentions to separate Pi Phis from their Christianity, which is more than we can say for the Bolthouse and Ced Moses empires. The bull doesn’t judge.
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SLASH, MEMOIRIST
The guitarist insists there will never be a Guns N’ Roses reunion with the original lineup, but Slash’s eponymous Zen-junkie memoir (which he’ll sign at Book Soup on Nov. 7) promises to be a reasoned musing on the nature of the members’ appetites for destruction. Bonus fact: Axl Rose is an anagram.
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BEING ON THE GUEST LIST
FOR A BENEFIT CONCERT
“You’re right, peace in Darfur is a great cause. But what do you mean no plus-ones? Do we at least get drink tickets?”
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OVERRATED
THE “MEATINI”
The “lobstertini” at Delmonico’s is an insult to the vodka and Champagne the chunks of lobster meat are swimming in. The bacon martini at the Double Down in Vegas was simply repugnant (we said dry, not dry-aged). This is a trend that elicits only one sane response: Why?
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FILMING DOWNTOWN
The street closures, the disruption of traffic, the sense that local residents are working for the film industry -- without, we might add, the benefit of craft services. Enough already.
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THE POLYPHONIC SPREE
Some enjoy this circus -- sorry, chorus -- of symphonic rockers (playing tomorrow at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda). “They ooze positivity and love -- is it so bad to sing about sunshine?” asked one innocent fan. But they’re not writing this item. The gooey sincerity of these Up With People hipsters might be tolerable if they didn’t seem so completely manufactured. Actually, no, it would never be tolerable.
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RUNNING FOR THE BUS
If you catch it, you have to squeeze between 50 people who think you’re sweaty and perpetually tardy. If you miss it, you’re the goon who sprinted after a bus and now has to wait a half-hour for the next one. Really, the only reason an Angeleno should run is if being pursued by Kiefer Sutherland on surface streets.