Oodles of good clean New Year’s fun going on ‘round town, so I’ve taken the liberty of compiling a short, yet varied, list for you all to review. It’s a pretty slow week otherwise, giving us all a chance to relax, reflect, and reassess for the year ahead…
10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1…Happy New Year!
For the sake of time, I’ve decided to just include all the links here – in no particular order – for your convenience: Fanny’s NYE Dinner & Party (The Academy Museum’s Restaurant); Prohibition NYE at Union Station (A Roaring Twenties Throwback); A Honky Tonk New Year’s Eve at Desert 5 Spot (cowboy bar on the rooftop of the Tommie Hollywood Hotel – who knew?); New Year’s Evil at The New Beverly Cinema (Quentin Tarantino’s theater); The Groundlings Theatre & School’s New Year’s Eve Spectacular (comedy shows are always a good time); Angel City No Cover New Years (no cover, ‘nuff said); Grand Park New Years Eve Celebration (Nice big open green space in DTLA); New Year’s Eve at the Hollywood Roosevelt (Historic Hollywood Hotel); and NYE with The Roots at the Walt Disney Concert Hall (Self explanatory).
Also, a bit closer to home, you could also celebrate at Tom Bergin’s Public House (open 4 p.m. until “the wee hours,” with no cover, cocktail and food specials, and a complimentary champagne toast at midnight), or toast the British New Year at The Cat & Fiddle (starting at 4 p.m., with DJ Randy, Happy Hour, and a celebratory toast).
Pop Culture, Art, and The Way of the Vegetable
For other kinds of holiday fun, get ready for 7 hours and 14 minutes of Disney classics, people, because the El Capitan Theatre is running a Disney 100 Movie Marathon New Year’s Day, January 1, 2023! Whoop whoop! Start the new year with a new tradition at El Capitan, with a few of my personal favorites and some of the best of Disney Animation, including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Frozen, all on the big screen! So, go ahead and give the kids one last treat before they begrudgingly return to school, finally giving you the peace you’ve been longing for. And that 100 years of Disney magic will only cost you $40 a ticket for admission to all four films, event credential with lanyard, 20 oz bottled beverage, Disney 100 popcorn container with popcorn (lol, but what if I just want the container?) and collectible print. The family pack is $120 and includes all of the above x 4. The day will commence at 12 noon.
New venue discovery and exhibit alert: I happened upon this deelie by accident, and so happy I did! The Beastie Boys contributed generously to the soundtrack of my youth, so this is a really cool one for my generation, especially, but for all the others, too…BEYOND THE STREETS and Goldenvoice present, EXHIBIT, “the world’s most comprehensive survey” of iconic NYC hip-hop threesome, The Beastie Boys. From the beginning to the end, and through seven multi-platinum albums, EXHIBIT offers a “storied dive” into Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch and Michael Diamond’s four decades of greatness, all told through a collection of rarely seen personal items, artifacts and ephemera. “Not only are we honored to be a part of Beyond The Streets, we’re happy that someone besides us appreciates all the weird shit we’ve collected, and made music on for the past forty years that will be on display.” – Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz. Exclusive merch and printed items will be available in the gift shop for the duration of the exhibit only, so get it while it’s hot, people! Get your FREE tickets HERE. Open now through January 23, 2023, EXHIBIT will be on display at BEYOND THE STREETS and CONTROL Gallery at 434 N. La Brea Ave. Hours are Wed-Sat from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
On the off chance that one of your New Year’s resolutions is to do more crafting, then you’re in luck! Craft Workshops at the Craft Contemporary are the stepping stones to the goal, and Maker Night: Fiber and Fabric Banners (with artist Dellis Frank) on Thursday, January 5 is a great place to start. Spend the evening in a state of creativity, while using fabric collaging, sewing, and painting to make their very own fabric banner or wall hanging! Participants will be asked to draw inspiration from one of Craft’s current exhibitions, Diorama Drama by artist Lezley Saar. The program will take place in-person from 6-8 p.m., outdoors. The cost is $12 for outsiders and free for members. Tickets include materials and drinks (feel free to bring your own materials, as well). Advanced RSVP is required. Don’t forget to arrive early to secure a spot in the workshop. Payment is due upon arrival. And be sure to check out the museum’s latest exhibits before the program, too.
Finally, learn how to stick to those “I’m gonna eat healthier”/”I’m gonna go vegan” resolutions this new year at SAIDO’s Vegan Way – a Japanese Vegan Cuisine Popup – with celebrated Tokyo Chef, Katsumi Kusumoto, whose vegan restaurant SAIDO (aka “The Way of the Vegetable”) was voted the World’s Best in 2019 by www.happycow.net (no.1 online vegan and vege restaurant guide). Japan is probably most famous for sushi and ramen, but did you know that it also has a long history of meatless cuisine that evolved in the country’s rural regions and the kitchens of Buddhist temples? Well, now you do! The three-course lunch and six-course prix-fixe dinner will feature some of the restaurant’s most popular dishes, like Vegan Yakitori and Monaka Salad. Open Thurs–Sun, lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the cost of $30, and dinner from 5:30-7:30 p.m. for $70 (tax and tip not included). Dinner slots have already sold out, but lunch tickets are still available – so don’t wait!! Lunch and dinner experiences will take place in the JAPAN HOUSE Restaurant from Friday, January 6 – Sunday, January 15.
Local Government
Your local NC, the Greater Wilshire Neighborhood Council is back in business this week with a virtual Resilience Committee meeting on Monday, January 2 at 6:30 p.m., so be there or be square! Click here to view the calendar for deets.
And the MCWNC (that’s the Mid City West Neighborhood Council to you) has another week of do-gooding ahead, starting on Tuesday, January 3 with the Homelessness, Refugees, and Renters’ Rights (HRRRTs) Committee meeting at 6:30 p.m., followed by weekly in-person Wednesday Walks on Wednesday, January 4, and the Executive Council meeting on Thursday, January 5 at 7p.m. Click here to check MCW’s calendar for details.
