louise on the left (coast)

I, and apparently everyone else, posted that cool aquarium video on my blog this week. Now I find I can't get enough of the song used in that video, "Please Don't Go" which came from the new indie band, "Barcelona." And how cool is it that the reason they were cast into the spotlight was because some random, creative blogger posted a video clip that featured their music? You gotta respect the internet. Here's what Barcelona has to say about "the aquarium" experience: So, hey, I say support the dudes. Go to iTunes and buy their great music so they can make more of it.

This really is billed as "Hippie Weirdo Yoga Farmers." Need I say more? Hippie Weirdo Yoga Farmers - Watch more Funny Videos I suppose I should ask "are you breathing?????"

I was asked to do a guest blog post on the very cool LGBTQ website The Bilerico Experiment , about Kathy Griffin, in her endless quest to become an A-lister ending up becoming an activist – which is clearly an entirely different A-list – fighting alongside her many gay fans against California Proposition 8. And, so I'm hoping you visit me on Bilerico to read all about how much I love Kathy Griffin and how amazing I think it is that she's gotten behind (so to speak) our battle to repeal Prop 8 along side so many others who know Prop 8 is both antiquated and unconstitutional which should be repealed, "like, yesterday ." -- As my twelve-year-old would put it. Check out my post, "Kathy Griffin: Comedian and Activist" here. Given that you’re reading this on a site billed as "Louise on the Left," I’m guessing you’re well-versed in the history of California as a gay battleground state, but gays and lesbians aren’t the only Californians pissed off abou

As anyone knows who's read some of my past posts, I cannot wait for Spike Jonze's release of Where The Wild Things Are , but luckily for me, Mr. Jonze has posted a cool site with all sorts of exciting, interesting other links to work which has caught his attention. We Love You So : Spike Jonze website link with links to great films soon to open Kuroshio Sea - 2nd largest aquarium tank in the world - (song is Please don't go by Barcelona) from Jon Rawlinson on Vimeo . "We Love You" suggests that one download the above first so it plays smooth and watch it full screen.

Or, as Melissa Etheridge dubs her, "Norma Gay!" That's right, comedian Kathy Griffin, in her endless quest to become an A-lister ended up becoming an activist – an entirely different A-list – fighting alongside her many gay fans against California Proposition 8. Having been a longtime Kathy Griffin fan , learning about her new leaf as a political activist really made me sit up and take notice. Given that you’re reading this on Bilerico, I’m guessing you’re well-versed in the history of California as a gay battleground state, but gays and lesbians aren’t the only Californians pissed off about this. Many of us straight people are – I’ve been writing about this for months – and now Kathy Griffin is in the fight too. In this episode (Episode 8, Season 5) of her show “My Life On The D-List” which airs this Monday, July 27th, on Bravo , Griffin takes on a more serious tone than usual, starting off with a declaration of war, more or less, on the eve of the California Supreme Cou

During "Yellow" hundreds of huge yellow orbs began bouncing over us. Light, fluffy glowing orbs all over the audience. Yes. I did mean to use that word, "Convert." Prior to last night I'd been a fan of the band, just not a super freak for Coldplay . But, that was prior to about 9:05 pm last night. Because, I am now. Mind you, I'd been very excited to learn we had tickets for an A-list event like this. But, I have to admit, I really had no idea what I was in for going to a Coldplay concert. The Coldplay concert last Sunday was massive in the true meaning of the word. It was multi-sensory experience, and larger than life and an event that clearly a great deal of thought and planning and expense had gone into. I should have known things would be massive given just the size of the tickets. This event was so huge even the tickets were airplane-ticket sized. The visual effects were extraordinary . These glowing orbs were always moving and changing color

Driving home tonight. It's around 6 pm Saturday night, and the sun is in my eyes, cars bumper to bumper. I wondering if I applied enough sunblock to make it through this traffic jam, tonight , our dinner groceries melting in the trunk. So, I flip on KCRW (89.9) to hear THE WEIRDEST SONG, EVER. Then, another. Then, another. ( Clearly, I did not inherit the "rock music critic" gene.) And that was all part of the intro of what was, apparently, an entire show devoted to Sun Ra. Get home. Tell Pete, "Hey, I heard the strangest thing on KCRW, tonight. It really surprised me, because it wasn't like the other stuff you usually hear this early in the day. It wasn't even midnight, or anything. It was more like bizarre college radio." I'm unloading groceries and trying to explain who the announcer was and how trippy the sounds were -- and Pete interrupts me. "Wait, this is Henry Rollins? He's doing a whole show

So, it's summer. You know what that means, don't you? It means long, lazy days spent outdoors, hanging out by the pool, or at the beach. Long days during which you occasionally have to remind the kids to reapply sunscreen before turning the page of something you don't mind getting bumped about and warped from the moisture of wet bathing suits, after being carted around for days at the bottom of a sandy beach bag. Truly, I have a righteous stack of things I not only want to read, but need to read. Manuscripts by people I know. Critical novels I once rushed to buy. And, yet, this summer these stacks of books just seem to look at me from my bedside like sad puppies in "Precious Moments" illustrations. They have sad eyes which seem to plead, "Don't you really want to read me ? We've waited for you for so long..." Some of the neglected books still sitting unread by Louise's bed. Book #1 "Read me, first! A friend of yours wrote me. She

Never saw this before, but wish I had.

So, last night I could stand the suspense no more and went to "Bruno." Why, some may ask, would a married mother of two want to see a movie about a crazy gay guy? Well, because actually I just wanted to see a funny movie, that's why. And I did. And it was. True, there were some stunned silences, and one or two couples, like the one to my left, who up and left after the first penis-spinning and talking bit. Let it be said, this movie is not for the faint of heart. Or for those who lack, well, I can't call it maturity, because that's not what I mean. I guess what I mean is it's not for those who lack "perspective," for lack of a better word. When purchasing a ticket to this film one needs to realize two important things: One: "Bruno" no more speaks for all gay men, than Tyler Perry's "Medea" speaks for all African-American women. And, Two: It ain't for the kids. Seriously, there were kids there, last night.

It's official. I beat my traffic ticket! Perhaps some of you may remember my former post ( rant ) from earlier this year titled Speeding Virgin No More . Well, it took a while, but today in the mail was a tidy letter from the county and a check for the ticket I paid way back when. Now, the news of my having successfully resorted to using my wit and righteous zeal in order to clear my name should be cause for celebration at La Casa de Larsen, but apparently it isn't for the four of us. Truthfully, husband's been rather cool to this development. I'm not entirely convinced that he feels this act of mercy toward me is entirely...justified. I would pop the cork, but I'm thinking that celebration of this order would be in poor taste for a variety of reasons. First and foremost, I would never want any harm to come to anyone from reckless drivers and do not advocate dodging the system as such. Besides, it would be very dicey karma, too. Also, the other reason is that I

I suppose this has been out there for a while, but I just stumbled across it & think it's hilarious.

September 25th? As in fall September 25th??? So, wait -- hold on. It's summer. Right now. And there's a Ricki Gervais movie available, but just, not yet ? Oh, come on! Yeah, okay, so here's another one of my favorite funny people doing a movie which looks quite entertaining, but is APPARENTLY ON VACATION TILL SEPTEMBER 25TH. -- It looks good, doesn't it? *Sigh* ------------------------------------------------------ Here's what it said on the website about it. " The Invention of Lying " is set in a contemporary world where no one has ever lied. Gervais will play a performer who tells the first lie and harnesses its power for personal gain. Release Date: September 25, 2009 For more visit : http://www.The-Invention-of-Lying.com

I'm not proud. I'll admit it. One of the worst things about summer is that there is nothing on TV, anymore. I mean, it was bad enough when we started all that "Staycation!" B.S., but now, apparently we're still on that same tired "Staycation" and it's obvious that it's gonna be a long one. So, where the hell is the good stuff on TV? Oh, wait a minute, the shows are on "hiatus," too? No way. You gotta be kidding. Great. Thank you. So, this means, that even though there's no homework right now, or any of the usual distractions (including employment, for many.) to stand in the way of our love affair with the tube, suddenly there's also no more "quality" TV to watch? No Breaking Bad ? No Survivor ? Wife Swap ? No more Mad Men ? Californication ?! - No more...(gulp.) I can't believe I'm going to say this, but...no more of that that "other" show? You know, the one I said was wretched? (" I

The best thing about a summer garden is that sometimes it's left alone, untended for awhile, and things just expand and fill space without human intervention. Before you know it, it's become wilder, woolier and far larger than I ever anticipated. Here's some images from our long, oddly shaped backyard. Some from my bedroom, some from behind our home. My favorite photos is the one with Juliet's back to the camera in front of the ten foot sunflowers. It's sort-of the essence of how it all seems to me, today. This is how our garden grows: Lush and wild in some spots, perhaps a bit parched in others, but all the direct result of what we could accomplish right here, right now.

In a summer shaping up to bear more than it's expected share of celebrity deaths, when someone Karl Malden's age passes on it shouldn't come as much of a surprise. Still, his caught me off guard, just the same. Malden was a member of that small handful of actors that helped shape American cinema as we know it today. True, most of them are gone, but their brand of passionate realism really changed what it meant to be a film actor, leaving behind a legacy of work still as strong and memorable today as it was years ago. He infused his characters with integrity, strength and a unique "every man's" vulnerability which drew the audience in whenever he was on screen. It's impossible not to think of Malden's trademark voice and intensity in the legendary American films, A Streetcar Named Desire , or On The Waterfront . Below is a scene with Malden as "Mitch" and Vivian Leigh as "Blanche" from A Streetcar Named Desire . It's really