Have you always wanted to be famous, but know you don’t have what it takes to become a star (i.e. a sex tape where Ray-J pees on you?) Fear not — because on April 24th, we’re all getting famous. No, this does not involve guns, put those down. STOP THAT.

Full disclosure: I’m one of the guys throwing this event. Now here’s how it works: we meet at noon in front of the WME building, where we run a winding, three-mile obstacle course through Beverly Hills. Hidden throughout the course will be packs of photographers. Your goal is to make it to the finish line without them getting a picture of your full face.

Scattered along the way will be hidden caches of “identity concealers”, i.e. low-brimmed hats and those sunglasses that put a black bar over your eyes. (We were going to offer ski masks, and then remembered ski masks + sprinting through Beverly Hills in broad daylight = “Officer, these cuffs are too tight.”)

Got a camera and the ability to be sneaky? We want you. Got a pair of running shoes and a well-developed flight sensibility? We want you. (Costumes are also encouraged.) The race starts at noon, but paparazzi are required to show up at 11 AM so we can get you vultures in your respective hiding places.

Afterward, in a stirring tribute to something that would totally happen in real life, the celebrities and the paparazzi will meet up for a beer at the Writer’s Bar in the L’Ermitage Hotel.

Be sure to RSVP for the event on Facebook.

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WHAT: Celebrities Vs. Paparazzi footrace
WHEN: April 24th, noon-1 PM (Paparazzi to meet at 11 AM)
WHERE: Starting at the WME building
$$$: Free

Are people going to any of these shows I’ve been talking about? I was at that Bowerbirds show from last week and wow. The Bowerbirds were awesome, but Megafaun really blew people away. After their first song, which was 10+ minutes long and included the three red bearded members walking/playing through the crowd, they had everyone at attention, no one talking or conversing, everyone eager and excited to hear the rest of the band’s set. Good stuff.

PICK OF THE WEEK
I grew up in the Inland Empire. It was a very different place than here in LA. It seems like almost every day now I have a conversation with someone on how I essentially escaped the place and was able to immerse myself with the, I guess progressive? culture of LA. In terms of music, we had the Glass House in Pomona, which was pretty awesome. A ton of bands passed and continue to pass through the small venue, creating a small scene, but a scene nonetheless. It’s this emerging indie/hipster scene in Orange County, however, that is really confusing me.

We would go to the OC all the time for whatever reason, whether it was to go to the beach, a mall, or hang out at friend’s houses. I was younger, so I wasn’t fully aware of the nightlife/culture in the area, but I knew it wasn’t ‘indie’. I mean, you’ve all seen the show…

Now, you go to Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, or Laguna and you’ll see groups of people that look like Silver Lake locals with a surfer edge. Weird I know. To get a glimpse of what these Orange County hipsters are like, and to just hear some good music, you should check out The Growlers residency at the echo tonight. They play what you think a hipster/indie kid from Orange County would sound like..a kind of garage/surf rock fusion with a lo-fi kick. Every once in a while you hear a tinge of blues, soul, and folk as well. It’s good stuff that, in my opinion, pretty much validates the emerging Orange County indie scene.

Tonight, they’ll be playing with a few other local to OC acts. Tijuana Panthers, who play a similar style of surf rock and who I’ve had the pleasure of seeing and meeting a few times (great guys and awesome music), and Some Days, the more punk/rock band on the bill.

So whether you used to live in the OC, you’re curious about what an up-and-coming band from the area sounds like, or you just want to a couple good bands play, go to the echo tonight. I’m pretty sure you won’t regret it.

Ahem. wembley [at] boredla [dot] com. I know you can’t just click on it and send me something, which could make things difficult, but I believe you guys.

OTHER SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
8/10: Local Natives w/Red Cortez, Swim Party, Rademacher at Spaceland. 8:30PM. Free. 21+. (Local Natives residency continues.)
8/10:  Lower Heaven w/Moon Upstairs, Hi Hos, Shine Brothers at Silverlake Lounge. 8:30PM. Free. 21+ (More of the Lower Heaven residency.)
8/10: Restavrant w/Spirit Vine, Hocus Pocus, Dirt Dress at the echoplex. 8:30PM. Free. 21+ (I’ve talked about Restavrant before. Great time to see em for free.)
8/11: There really is nothing I can find for Tueday, unless you want to see Coheed and Cambria at the Greek.
8/12: Dawes w/Papa, Paige Stark at the echo. 8:30PM. Free for 21+, $7 for other. All. (I realized a few days later last week that this is actually a Dawes residency. So if you missed em last week, go this week.)
8/12: Olin and the Moon w/Horse Thieves at Pershing Square. 7:00PM. Free. All. (I still haven’t been to one of these Spaceland Under the Stars things, but I really want to check it out.)
8/12: N.A.S.A. w/special guests at the El Rey. 8:00PM. $18. All. (With so many collaborations on the album, who knows who the special guests could be…)
8/12: DJ Mom Jeans w/Steve Aoki at Detroit Bar. 8:00PM. $20. 21+. (Who wants to see Danny Masterson?)
8/13: Again, can’t really find anything worthy for Thursday, unless you want to see Lil’ Wayne at Gibson Amphitheater.
8/14: The Henry Clay People w/Fol Chen, Flying Tourbillon Orchestra, Marvelous Toy at the echoplex. 8:00PM. $10. 18+. (Rock N Roll Summer Circus! Free cotton candy and sno cones! Skeeball! Balloon hats! Mimes! Moreeeee!)
8/15: Quantic and His Combo Barbaro w/J.Rocc, Nu-Mark, Sake One, Ganas at the echoplex. 9:00PM. $20. 21+. (Latin/Carribean/African music. Go expand on your musical tastes.)
8/16: The Monolators w/Alaskan Summer, Scarlet Symphony, Tandemoro at Spaceland. 8:30PM. Free. 21+. (HellYa! Night.)
8/16: Dead Rock West w/Ruby Friedman Orchestra, The Lonesome Heroes at echo. 5:00PM. Free. All. (Grand Ole Echo.)
8/16: Part Time Punks w/Nite Jewel, Silk Flowers at the echo. 10:00PM. $5. 18+. (This should get crowded.)
Not the strongest week for shows in terms of volume or amount, but there are some fun things out there.

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WHAT: The Growlers w/Tijuana Panthers, Some Days
WHEN: Monday, August 10th @ 8:30PM
$$$: Free for 21+. $7 for under 21
Ages: 18+