August 1, 2014
Pack Your Popcorn and Head to a Park

August is free movie month at a park near you.  Head to Grand Park in downtown L.A. for free sci-fi double features each Saturday this month.  This Saturday they'll be screening Monsters vs. Aliens and Wall-E.  Warner Center Park in the West San Fernando Valley will be showing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Saturday.  Chances are there is a park near you showing movies too.  You'll find these and more cool places for hot nights on Eye Spy LA's Annual Outdoor Summer Entertainment Guide. 

 

MORE HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEKEND:

 

SEA BREEZY: This is opening weekend for the Ventura County Fair which runs through August 10th.

FRESH: Crawfish at the 21st Annual Crawfish Festival at Rainbow Lagoon in Long Beach all weekend.

SHADY: the Topanga Vintage Festival spreads out under the trees at Warner Center Park this Sunday in conjunction with the Sunday Concert on the Green series (Hollywood U2 takes the stage at 6pm).  All day live music, vintage collectibles and food vendors.

GRASSY: Jazz on the Lawn at Stewart Park in Santa Monica.  Free each Sunday in August.

 

...and this is just the tip of the very cool ice berg - get more at www.eyespyla.com

 

PLAN AHEAD: August

 

  HorzLine

 Find more? Check out our Editor's Picks selected at the start of every week.  

  

DiscountsDISCOUNTS - there are some really good ones right now. From whale watching to kids shows to festivals... entertain yourself at a discount. All at very reasonable prices. Even better, most of the discounts offered are direct from the event/activity producers and do not involve additional fees to receive the discount.

  

TIP OF THE ICEBERG: you'll find lots more events and other things to do near you - on our neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.


Have a Happy Weekend!

 
"Visionary Man" is a Soulful Tribute at the Hudson
by M.R. Hunter

Visionary Man The name J.B. Murray probably doesn't ring any bells of recognition. Born in 1908, Murray was a tenant farmer raising eleven children in a small town in Georgia and like most people of color in the area, could not read or write. At age 70, however, he experienced a vision from God which instructed him to paint, and create what was called "spirit-script," a wild scribbling he deciphered through a glass of well water, in effect making it holy. This otherwise simple man with no formal training, connections or money would become a respected American folk hero with his art work shown across the country. He died in 1988 having become a significant artist.

It's an impressive biography for a man who preferred to live without electricity in a shack. The world premiere musical at the Hudson adds color and life to J.B. Murray with a soulful libretto supported by a somewhat uneven but passionate cast. The story itself is worth seeing and themes of faith, persistence, hope and serendipity unfold quite lovingly and believably...


HorzLine

Eyestrology: Happy Birthday Leo by Cici Psy-Chic

Psychic Zoltar For the month of 7/22/14-8/22/14

Happy birthday to these celebrity August Leos: Coolio (8/1), Mary-Louise Parker (8/2), Martha Stewart (8/3), President Barack Obama (8/4), Maureen McCormick (8/5), Soleil Moon Frye (8/6), Charlize Theron (8/7), Dustin Hoffman (8/8), Sam Elliott (8/9), Antonio Banderas (8/10), Chris Hemsworth (8/11), George Hamilton (8/12), Danny Bonaduce (8/13), Mila Kunis (8/14), Jennifer Lawrence (8/15), Steve Carell (8/16), Robert De Niro (8/17), Edward Norton (8/18), John Stamos (8/19), Demi Lovato (8/20), Kenny Rogers (8/21), Tori Amos (8/22)

Most signs will be meeting new people and starting off romantic relationships through the rest of summer. Just when we least expect it, someone interesting will cross our paths if we pursue it. This is a good time to reconnect with old friends or take family vacations. Don't be surprised if someone from the past contacts out of the blue. We would do well to be open-minded and as flexible as possible. Be willing to hear another point of view even if it challenges our beliefs. For those who cannot travel to far, try to leave room enough for fun and play and lots of surprises.


HorzLine

"The Way You Look Tonight" is a Ménage of Laughs
by M.R. Hunter

TWYLT

Emmy Award-winning writer Peter Lefcourt's world premiere stirs up romantic relations between a pair of divorcees rekindling their passions, much to the surprise of themselves and their oblivious partners. Light-hearted, sometimes saucy and farcical, the humor doesn't always manage to override the unbelievable plot twists, but most of the pleasure is in the ride itself.

Imaginatively directed by Terri Hanauer, this quatuor or unlikely foursome accompanied by a narrator, "call him Ishmael," are a contrast of opposites, which of course lends to the comedy. The characters come with enough baggage to illicit a few good chuckles based solely on their caricature qualities one finds in successful sitcoms. Lefcourt takes great pains to setup the wild romp when the exes agree to a dinner while showing off their newly minted arm candy trophies...


HorzLine

Summer Outdoor Entertainment 2014

Levitt Pavilion  

Summer in L.A. is all about the experience and not so much about the money. Grab your friends and a cooler, a blanket, and a picnic. You'll find plenty of summer events and low cost al fresco entertainment all over town.
 
FREE CONCERTS: Some of the best things in summer are free. Look around you're own neighborhood. You'll find free concerts, film screenings and theatre in parks, shopping centers, museums, and other nooks and crannies that have a patch of grass or some asphalt to setup a stage and some seating in...


HorzLine

ABOUT EYE SPY LA
 

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

 

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

 

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily. 

 

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

 

Eye Spy L.A. EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

 

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Leena Deneroff - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week