Culture

A Taste of Dawn
California, Culture, Film, Limited Edition, OCMA Film, TV | FILM

Tom Cawley’s “Something” is Anything but “Nothing”

By

While higher-budgeted docs filled with even bigger names might elicit the awe of that Hollywood intangibility, Cawley’s down-to-earth subject matter, and even the subjects themselves, bring us into the story of our own lives. We don’t want to be the people on-screen, these celebrities of sight and sound and tactile surfaces, but rather we wish to paint the stars of our respective destinies with the footnotes of these men and women’s successes, failures, moments of elation, and of suffocating despair. They are, in a word, human.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
California, Culture, Los Angeles, Music | Theatre, Special Event

Ferrante brings back Groucho Marx

By

Just then, the lights begin to dim as a loud voice comes on over the loudspeakers, the once-deafening shouts of a crowd in conversation with itself dying down as a spotlight follows impresario and tonight’s host Stefan Haves down the right side of the theater to the main stage. Mr. Haves is known for “frequently drawing on LA talent to re-invent physical theater, circus, and clowning — stubbornly breaking every artistic wall in a town whose theatrical conventions and filmic traditions often tend toward maintaining that stubborn ‘fourth wall’ [pasadenaplayhouse.org].”

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
A Drink?, California, Cocktails, Culture, Eat | Drink, Limited Edition, Los Angeles, Wine & Beer

The Bruery Brew Dinner at The Crow Bar – Prying Flavors with Pairings

By

Our plates are cleared, and the second beer arrives, Or Xata, a horchata ale—something we’ve never had or heard of—and anticipation swells in our tongues; both of us spending many nights running to 24-hour Mexican restaurants to satisfy our cravings for the milky, cinnamon drink after 2am. Upon smelling the beer, it evokes images of a creamsicle on a hot summer day, and as it touches your lips, the cinnamon and creamy body takes over, weaving to a vanilla conclusion. We discuss how you often read about eccentric billionaires who have enough money to fly out their favorite chili cheese burger from a Ma and Pa restaurant in the Midwest. This beer would be our eccentric billionaire fly-out.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
California, COLUMNS, Culture, Dawn Garcia, DG's Passion, Events, Los Angeles, Special Event

PASADENA PLAYHO– — USE PRESENTS Justin Willman

By

As seen as the HOST o Food Network’s, “Cupcake Wars”, PASADENA PLAYHO– — USE PRESENTS Justin Willman – TRICKED OUT! A Magic Show like you’ve never seen – AND – ATOD Magazine Readers are getting a special offer and discount on the tickets thanks to those at Pasadena Playhouse. This is a show you do NOT want to miss!

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
COLUMNS, Culture, Film, Lifestyle, Limited Edition, Los Angeles, OCMA Film, TV | FILM

Smiling Through the Apocalypse

By

Smiling Through the Apocalypse, if you haven’t already Googled it yourself already, is a documentary that focuses on Esquire magazine during the sixties. Specifically, during the sixties under the helm of editor Harold T.P. Hayes. The story goes something like this: during one of the most turbulent decades unseen since the Civil War era, editor and provocateur Howard Hayes is remembered as having stepped up to take the falling star that was Esquire, and put it back in the sky. The film’s summary goes on to describe a man who not only led a team behind some of the most varied polemical writing styles and iconoclastic subtleties, but did so under the caveat that each and every day could easily lead to (and oftentimes did) disaster riddle in controversy.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
AM's Drive, COLUMNS, Comedy, Culture, Limited Edition, Los Angeles

The Comedy and Magic Club

By

Andrew Norelli followed, and made the smart move of using very locally weighted topics like health nuts and social media. Since he was the performer we were primarily going to see, I had done some research on him, watching a few video clips of previous performances (including his spots on The Late Show with David Letterman and Comedy Central’s Live at Gotham) and I was impressed that everything I heard was fresh material, even making me cry over a flaxseed oil joke.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
A Drink?, AM's Drive, Cocktails, COLUMNS, Culture, Events, Lifestyle, Limited Edition, Los Angeles, Special Event, Travelogue

No Room For the Ordinary

By

As the band fades out, the man in the bowler derby starts to climb a ladder to where the tightrope begins. He stops to sweep out his arm over the audience, clutching a bouquet of flowers, and begins his trek across the tightrope above faces draped in cherry lipstick and blue eye shadow, everyone frantically trying to capture the moment with their camera phones, and me scribbling details in an orange notebook. The crowd and I reward the tightrope walker with a much deserved crackle of applause and it is after this moment that the co-owner of the bar, Mark Houston, arrives, blazing through the crowd in a grey suit and whirlwind of smiles, hugs, and handshakes from the many friends who have come to support him. And although I have never met him before, Mark sets aside time to speak with me, giving me a tour of the location and tells me of his vision for No Vacancy, explaining how he wants the bar to rise above the cheesiness of Hollywood Boulevard as well as restore a treasured landmark and era of Los Angeles history.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
AM's Drive, COLUMNS, Culture, ENTERTAINMENT, Events, Lifestyle, Los Angeles

Magic and Mixed Drinks

By

After a long week of event planning and coordinating, Dawn and I decided we needed a fun “ladies night out” as a reward for our hard work. Two of our favorite magic men, Chris Korn and Ben Seidman, were scheduled to perform at The Magic Castle, and since Dawn and I had only seen their magic briefly in the studio during their ATOD Radio appearances, and on the Travel Channel’s “Magic Outlaws”, we decided this would be the perfect opportunity to pay them a visit.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
COLUMNS, Culture, MD + the UK, Music

Goat and Gnod

By

This month is all about collectives. Bands are for squares. I mean why bother putting an ad for a bass player in your local rehearsal studio when you can recruit the entire town into your band and preside over it like a cult leader? – And – before you dismiss the whole idea and mutter something about the Polyphonic Spree, rest assured that the current trend of sprawling tribes of musicians are decidedly darker than before. Gone is the saccharine pop and gaggle of grinning misfits in robes…

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
COLUMNS, Culture, DG's Passion, Interviews, Limited Edition, Music, Special Event, TV | FILM

Looking Back on Love – LENNY KRAVITZ

By

Directed by Artist, Photographer, Producer, and Music Man, Mathieu Bitton, every shot is honest and gritty – no concealed perfections. Told in a fragmented voice that embraces the moments caught through the lens, the poetic narrative strung together by raw moments not only tell a story in a way that I find refreshing, Matthieu – an artist in his own right – propels us into a world both dynamic and real. He shows us the many sides of a man. A musical icon. A dreamer that captivates the gentle hum buzzing within us all – that need to find love in everything.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
Arts | Culture, Culture, Eat | Drink, ENTERTAINMENT, Lifestyle, Los Angeles, Southern CA, Wine & Beer

A Night of Magic and Wine with David Minkin

By

David enters the room and situates himself no more than 2 feet away from the audience. He is up close and personal and without a beat, greets us all in his relaxed and warm way and voila! The magic begins. Literally. It muse be said – again – that I’m a cynic and an over-thinker. I pride myself on wanting to know how everything works.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
California, Culture, Los Angeles, Music | Theatre, Theatre

Lovesick

By

The play moves with a transcendence of space and time, with this out-of-the-world reproach, dialogue that leaves your soul craving more – like words dripping off of a juicy apple smothered in honey, and a story that makes you feel things you weren’t expecting to feel – your heart, your soul, your mind is running right along with every scene.

Read More
A Taste of Dawn
ATOD Radio, Chef, Culture, Eat | Drink, Los Angeles

A Taste of Dawn RADIO Episode 4

By

We are at a pivotal point in time where there are so many potential positives amidst the insanity. Equality, the evolution of foods, wines, the openness to a world waiting for us to explore it … Today I invited a Chef I utterly admire for his creativity and willingness to utilize all of the senses, Chef Andrés Dangond. The premise of the show is sugar and creativity.

Read More