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.

_______________________

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

Summer is slowly slipping away, so take advantage of it while it’s still here!

• Boredello Bar is hosting a night of music, dance, and sexy thangs.
• Watch the Turkish version of Star Trek with the Cinefamily.
• You can still enjoy the sold out Sound of Music sing-a-long by either parking your car nearby, or doing it at home!
• There is no excuse for never having tried lobster, especially with such an awesome Lobster Festival in town!!!
• Who said there was no such thing as Septemberfest?
• The LA fair is still going strong, and the smell of fried artichoke hearts is looming in the air.
• Can you can your favorite fruits? Try it out with help from Craftiness!
• The Pains of Being Pure of Heart are sooo hot right now.
• Get out for brunch and try Square One Dining from this week’s Bored & Hungry.
• Saturday night is the perfect night to hit up the sweet Sixth St. in K-Town for Korean BBQ, karaoke, crazy desserts and fun photo booth pics!
• Adventure to a new bar this weekend and try out The Woods! Check out Bored & Thirsty for all the details!

I’m a day late. Sorrrrrry!

PICK OF THE WEEK

I had heard My Bloody Valentine’s Loveless, arguably one of the best shoegaze albums ever made, quite a while ago, but I was never really a huge fan of the genre till I saw the band live this past year at Coachella. They blew me away and sparked a fire in me that lasted for a bit. Unfortunately I have the tendency to start listening to new things way too often and never get to really grasp any one thing. This same thing happened to me then, which caused My Bloody Valentine and the whole shoegaze/dream pop/noise pop genre to just kinda fade away in my mind.

Then The Pains of Being Pure At Heart showed up. This four piece indie pop band from New York blew up after getting rave reviews from places such as…pitchfork. This may be a turn off to some of you as it did me at first. I’m not one of those people that hates pitchfork. I actually tend to trust their musical tastes. But of course once you make it on that site, you’re all over the place and everyone loves you. With these guys, I can honestly say they deserve the praise. Their music is indie at the core, but takes the whole NME C86 style to heart. In my opinion, they are the poster band/leaders of the noise pop/shoegaze revival (it’s coming people). They write catchy songs incorporating fuzzy guitars, muted male/female vocals, and an overall keen pop sense. At certain times they sound like a modern MBV, and at other times they seem to channel The Cure. Whatever band they can compare to on any given song, the same fact stands. They make good music that needs to be appreciated.

I was lucky enough to see them a few months ago at the echo, thanks to someone who just handed me a ticket as I was waiting in line to try and squirm my way into the sold out show (thank you stranger!). Because of this random act of kindness I was able to watch these guys in action, which started a domino effect that ultimately reignited the shoegaze flame that had been put out inside of me. See them this Saturday at the Troubadour and that fire can begin to burn inside of you as well.

OTHER SHOWS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
9/15: Throw Me the Statue w/The Brunettes/Devon Williams/Nurses at the echo. 8:00PM. $10. All. (Well crafted indie pop.)
9/16: Phoenix w/Metric/The Soft Pack at The Greek Theatre. 7:30PM. $35. All. (Phoenix is worth it on their own. And then you throw Metric and The Soft Pack into the mix? Wow. And tickets are still available!)
9/16: Chairlift w/Glasser/John Maus at Troubadour. 8:00PM. $15. All. (Chairlift seem to play here pretty often. But this time it’s with John Maus and that dude is weird. In a good way.)
9/16: Monotonix w/Signals /TPF!/PROTECT ME at The Smell. 9:00PM. $5. All. (Monotonix are from Israel and they put on a crazy show.)
9/17: VOICEs VOICEs w/Pistol Pistol/Make Moon at Mr. T’s Bowl. 8:30PM. $5. 21+. (Should be fun.)
9/17: The Drones w/Model Actress/Bridezilla at the echo. 8:30PM. $10. 18+. (Australians!)
9/18: Everest w/These United States/The Parson Redheads at Troubadour. 8:00PM. $12. All. (Everest is a great band.)
9/18: Little Boots w/Music Go Music/Yes Giantes at The Roxy. 8:30PM. $21.50. 18+? (Little Boots is an adorable British girl and Music Go Music are an awesome local band. And they make dance music.)
9/19: The Most Serene Republic w/The Grates at Spaceland. 8:30PM. $12. 21+. (Oh how I love the Arts + Crafts label.)
9/19: Big Whup w/So Many Wizards/American Gil & the Major Dudes/Voice on Tape at The Smell. 8:00PM. $5. All. (I saw Big Whup at a friend’s house a few weeks ago..who I think is in the band. It’s their compilation album release show. Go get yourself a copy.)
9/19: Mason Jennings w/Crash Kings at El Rey. 8:00PM. $22. All. (Pretty good bands.)
9/20: Frightened Rabbit w/The Twilight Sad/We Were Promised Jetpacks at Knitting Factory. 7:30PM. $15. All. (Two of my favorite Scottish bands playing together. Wow.)
9/19-20: Lobster Fest featuring bands like The Henry Clay People on Saturday and The Happy Hollows on Sunday

_____________________________________________________

WHAT: The Pains of Being Pure at Heart
WHEN: Saturday, September 19th @ 8:00PM
WHERE: Troubadour
$$$: $15
Ages: All.

Next weekend, Long Beach is going to be overrun with pirates and shellfish.  You heard me right: pirates and shellfish.  It’s the Lobster Festival at the Port of Los Angeles.  Everything about the festival sounds ridiculously amazing.  In addition to daily pirate raids and more lobster than you could ever hope to eat (over 15 tons, if we’re getting specific), there will also be a Kiss cover band made up entirely of midgets and a parade of dogs dressed like crustaceans.  Seriously, what’s not to love?

Oh, and for you veg-heads out there worried that LobFest will suck because you don’t eat animals, fear not.  If you go to the salad bar at Ports ‘O Call Restaurant, you get into Lobster Festival free with your receipt.  Sounds good to me!

_________________________________________

WHAT: Port of Los Angeles Lobster Festival
WHEN: September 18-20
WHERE: Port of Los Angeles
$$$: $7 admission with the coupon you print out on their website, $17 for a lobster meal

Back when I lived in the Midwest, county fairs were the thing to do.  Funnel cakes, livestock, and carnival rides?  No better way to pass the hot summer days.  LA’s county fair might not have the same old country charm, but it’ll still be a rootin’ tootin’ good time.

Oh God, I just said rootin’ tootin’.  Sorry.

Anyway, the LA County Fair starts this weekend and goes on for the next month.  For Labor Day weekend only, if you get there between 10 AM and 1 PM, admission is only a dollar.  You’ll still have to pay for parking and everything once you get in there, but it sounds like a pretty good way to spend a day to me.

__________________________________

WHAT: LA County Fair
WHEN: September 5-October 4
WHERE: LA County Fairplex
$$$: $10 for parking plus $1-$17 for admission