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January 31, 2011

Streamline your lifestream with Flavors.me »

5:24 PM PT, January 31, 2011

Flavors.me from Jack Zerby on Vimeo.

If you're the kind of person who has more Internet profiles than pairs of underwear, Flavors.me is for you. The year-old site (which your grandpa blogger just discovered) allows you to pull your various feeds -- Facebook, Twitter, Wordpress, Flickr, Netflix, the list goes on -- into one easy, elegant homepage, so your significant other can stop asking why you need two different Tumblr blogs and a Twitter handle. (Because you're a nerd. It's O.K.!) Then again, if you need a homepage for your other homepages, it might be time to go take a walk. Without your step-counting iPhone app.

-- David Greenwald

National Croissant Day: Five spots to collect your carbs »

3:56 PM PT, January 31, 2011

Croissants

It's Monday, which means you deserve a break. And, because it's also National Croissant Day, we suggest taking it with some fluffy French baked goods. Here are five L.A. places to get your croissant on:

Amandine Cafe: The Wilshire eatery, which offers elusive sub-$10 prices on breakfast and lunch items, is a favorite of croissant-obsessed Chowhound users. [Amandine Cafe]

Breadbar: The 3rd St. and Century City locations will be offering a mini croissant flight for the occasion, or individual options ranging from chocolate to raisin. [Breadbar]

La Monarca Bakery: The bakery, which recently opened its Santa Monica location, will offer a Latin take on the French classic, including savory croissants and croissants with dulche de leche; guava and cream cheese; and cinnamon. [La Monarca]

Porto's: In case you need an excuse to head to the Glendale/Burbank bakery and cafe, let us suggest the baked ham and cheese croissant. You're welcome. [Porto's]

Proof: And another reason to head northeast: Atwater Village's new breakfast spot, Proof, which offers what we called "light-as-a-feather croissants" in addition to "flaky gruyere and chive biscuits and savory, cheesy gougeres" and daily vegan options.

-- David Greenwald

Photo: Almond-stuffed croissants at Payard Patisserie at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Credit: Brian Vander Brug for the Times

Your Los Angeles: Do you think Coachella will be worth the trip this year?  »

1:13 PM PT, January 31, 2011

Amber-borja I was thinking about it. Basically what's in is what's at Coachella. Like they look at what people like. Not everybody likes what's in, so sometimes it's all right. There's some artists that are cool like Erykah Badu that's gonna be there. I'm down to see her, but other than that, it might be worth it. I'm not sure yet...

-- Amber Borja, 23, San Diego, ambushed by Brand X's Cheryl A. Guerrero

Tell Brand X: Do you think Coachella is worth the trip?

X Questions: Dustin A. Beatty »

11:39 AM PT, January 31, 2011

Dustin-beatty-600

Photographer Dustin A. Beatty’s work has long been a study in contrasts: the rugged power of motorcycle culture and the open road stands in his portfolio next to sensitive portraits of Hollywood actors such as Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Rashida Jones. For the THIS Gallery’s one-year anniversary show, “These Friends 2,” opening on Feb. 4, he chose to present a subject “near and dear” to his heart: California’s sun-drenched hues, captured in the desert a decade ago. Much of the Echo Park resident’s work has come over the last 11 years in the service of Anthem magazine, for which he serves as editor-in-chief. With the publication heading for an online relaunch this spring after a print hiatus, we called up Beatty to discuss working in analog, his favorite portrait shoot and the troubled magazine industry.

-- David Greenwald

Brand X: Tell us about the desert photos you’ll be showing at THIS.

Dustin A. Beatty: I was scouting for a fashion shoot that I was going to do for Anthem. I opted to show those images because California’s so near and dear to me and having shot for the last 20 years or so, starting out doing music photography and getting into more portraiture for Anthem and a couple other magazines as well, just decided to do something that was a bit more personal to me for the show.

BX: Did you have to do a lot of sorting to find these particular images?

DB: It was a toss-up, I was considering doing some of the old music photography from the punk and hardcore scenes in the mid-90s, I looked at some of the portraiture that had run in Anthem. Just looking at all my work, one thing remains consistent, and that’s my affinity for warm tones and California. Continue reading >>

Read more »

Brand X Files: SAG Awards winners. New Fleet Foxes. Echo Curio returns.  »

11:00 AM PT, January 31, 2011

Kings-speech

SAG, DGA awards winners: The big winners at the Oscar warm-ups were "The King's Speech" and "The King's Speech," respectively. Maybe "The Social Network" needs to make a few more friend requests. [L.A. Times]

New Fleet Foxes song: The folk favorites return with another instant classic, the title track of their upcoming album "Helplessness Blues." [Soundcloud]

The 'I Love You, Man' guys meet Rush: Paul Rudd and Jason Segel fans surely remember the duo's awkward, amazing love of Rush in "I Love You, Man." Now imagine if those characters came back for another five minutes and got to meet their heroes. Thanks to the Internet, they did. [FunnyOrDie]

Echo Curio launches new night: With the Echo Curio for rent, the curators behind it are launching a new night, "Remain Curious," at the Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. It kicks off Feb. 18 with Smithfield Bargain, Moses Campbell and past X Questions subject Charlyne Yi's band the Old Lumps. [Echo Curio]

Dim Mak not leaving Cinespace: While Cinespace is closing this week, the Dim Mak DJs who've made it a second home aren't leaving just yet: a pop-up bar called "Dim Mak Studios" will take over the space for now. [Eater L.A.]

-- David Greenwald

Photo: "The King's Speech" stars Colin Firth, Anthony Andrews, Helena Bonham Carter and Geoffrey Rush admire their prizes backstage at the SAG Awards. Credit: Brian Vander Brug for the Times

Verizon's iPhone: They're working the case »

9:00 AM PT, January 31, 2011

Iphone-case

When the Verizon Wireless Network releases its iPhone plan on Feb. 10, a flood of new users will be looking to express their individuality while protecting their new investment. Countless companies are already in the process of alleviating fears that the Verizon version may not fit into cases that were designed for AT&T by hitting the drawing board, working to create sylish, sensible protectors that suit the new design. And considering the 16.5 million iPhones sold last year alone, it's easy to see why they want to create shells that compensate for Verizon's shifting buttons. Here's a look at a few of our favorite cases, after the jump >>

Read more »

Tonight's music pick: Glow Marrow, Gentle Hands @ Silverlake Lounge »

8:00 AM PT, January 31, 2011

Glow-marrow-img-2

Two local acts come together for a night of interesting and creative takes on indie tropes. Gentle Hands lets front women Julia Bembenek and Maud Deitch’s smoothyl saccharine vocals carry on above the fray of jangly guitars and a loose and springy rhythm section for a sound that packs a suprising punch. Glow Marrow, on the other hand, take Postal Service-esque laptop pop and smash it together with an Animal Collective-esque analog electro folk weirdness, for a sound that’s familiar without being derivative. Oh yeah, and it’s catchy as hell.

Silverlake Lounge, 2906 Sunset Blvd.; 10 p.m.; free

-- Daniel Siegal

Also Monday:

Canonners of the New Command, the Hundred Days, Bixby Knolls @ the Echo, 8:30 p.m.
Steel Panther @ House of Blues Sunset, 9:30 p.m.
Foster the People, Pacific Hurt @ Detroit Bar, 9 p.m.
Family of the Year, Hands @ Bootleg Theater, 10 p.m.
The Fling, Belle Brigade, Obi Best @ Spaceland, 8:30 p.m.

Photo: Glow Marrow.  Credit: Courtesy of the band.

The Agenda: Wax On, Wax Off @ the Dime »

7:00 AM PT, January 31, 2011

The-dime Kick back and start your week off right at the dark and relaxed the Dime, where Monday nights mean DJs spinning an all-vinyl assortment of grooves covering decades of hip-hop, soul, funk and more. There's no cover, a fun crowd, and after you've worked up an appetite on the dance floor, you can walk right across the street and grab a pastrami sandwich at Canter's.

The Dime, 442 N. Fairfax Ave., Los Angeles; 10 p.m. - 2 a.m.; free; http://thedimela.com

-- Daniel Siegal

Photo: The Dime in the daylight.

January 28, 2011

Brand X Files: Tracy Morgan, Sarah Palin fan. Challenger disaster anniversary. Cinespace closing down. »

12:14 PM PT, January 28, 2011

Tracy-morgan Tracy Morgan calls Sarah Palin "good masturbation material": This is the kind of thing that probably comes up all the time in conversations with Charles Barkley, but the editor-free "30 Rock" star was nevertheless reprimanded by TNT for his remarks on "Inside the NBA." [Wall Street Journal]

Challenger disaster anniversary: It's the 25th anniversary of the tragedy that claimed the lives of seven crew members, including schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. [Huffington Post]

Egypt shuts down the Internet: We'd make a joke about not knowing what Justin Bieber's tweeting about, but the protestors storming the streets sans Facebook and Twitter probably have other things on their minds today. [L.A. Times]

T-Pain gets a Facebook Like tattoo: The Auto-Tune-loving singer is going to feel really, really silly if his Internet ever gets shut down. [Vulture]

Cinespace closing down: After eight years, the club that's played host to electro icons from Daft Punk to Justice and served as Dim Mak Records' de facto home base is closing down on Feb. 1. We'll keep you posted on what's up next for the venue. [Cinespace]

-- David Greenwald

Photo: Tracy Morgan wears Romer "Topper" by The Hat Shop NYC. Credit: Carolyn Cole for the Times

Bakeries: Proof and Black Cat make room for breakfast »

11:00 AM PT, January 28, 2011

Proof Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and there can never be enough local spots to find it. Here's a look at two of our favorite new bakeries in town.

The Proof is in the pastry

If the grins on patrons' faces are any indication, the neighborhood seems pleased with Na Young Ma's addition to Atwater Village. The executive pastry chef and owner opened a modest coffee shop and bakery on Glendale Boulevard last month, offering locals a humble place to purchase freshly baked pastries and sustainably produced coffee.

At Proof, Ma is whipping up traditional French pastries with a California market twist. Highlights include her light-as-a-feather croissants, flaky gruyere and chive biscuits and savory, cheesy gougeres (you can't eat just one!). Each day, Ma makes a vegan offering for the health-conscious crowd, too. For those of us not abstaining, she offers a variety of tarts, coffee cakes and cookies.

Ma is a graduate of the CIA Greystone, and has spent time crafting pastries in kitchens around the country, including Amy's Bread in New York and Napa's Auberge du Soleil. She's also done stints at L.A.-based institutions such as Craft and Rustic Canyon.

Though the weekdays are still fairly sleepy, Proof buzzes on the weekend. Perhaps that's because they're serving excellent espressos and lattes pulled by Yeekai Lim. Lim is the brains behind the wildly popular — and highly caffeinated — Cognoscenti pop-up coffee shop. Here, he's sourcing various varietals of Four Barrel coffee, and sometimes dabbling with Intelligentsia beans as well. His lattes come adorned with adorable foam hearts, one of the many romantic touches threaded through the small space.

Placards for each of the baked goods are written by hand in impeccable cursive, and business cards are held in place by mini gold curios shaped like egrets and owls. What's most special about Proof, though, is being able to soak up the gentle January sunshine on the patio, reminiscing with a friend over a properly crafted cup of coffee.

-- Krista Simmons

Cross paths with Black Cat Bakery and Cafe after the jump >>

Read more »
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