(Mark Boster / Los Angeles Times)
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“Thu Duc, Viet Nam” (2008)
by Brian Doan
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Vietnamese American activists plan to protest an art exhibit at Cypress College on Wednesday that shows a photograph they said is disrespectful to their experiences as political refugees.
The offending photo, by Vietnamese American artist Brian Doan, shows a young woman wearing a red tank top with a yellow star -– the color of Vietnam's official flag -- sitting next to a small bust of former communist leader Ho Chi Minh.
Doan said the work is a commentary on the youth of Vietnam who grew up there after the Vietnam War.
But the communist symbols in the piece enraged many Vietnamese Americans. Hundreds protested when the photograph was shown in a Santa Ana exhibit in January.
Read on »
A Superior Court jury of eight women and four men resumes deliberations today in the retrial of a civil suit filed against the city of San Diego by four firefighters who allege they were sexually harassed while driving a fire truck in the 2007 gay pride parade.
The four say they were ordered to drive the truck by their superiors over their protests that other firefighters in the parade had been harassed in previous years. In October, a jury deliberated for four days without reaching a verdict. During the first trial, the firefighters' attorney asked the jury to award each of the four between $500,000 and $1 million in damages.
The city attorney's office, defending the city, has dismissed the firefighters' assertion that they have suffered lasting harm because of the 90-minute parade. Fire Chief Tracy Jarman, who is a lesbian, later changed the city policy to allow firefighters to opt out of the parade.
-- Tony Perry
The 24th annual Kingdom Day Parade held in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. is set to kick off today at 10:30 a.m. in South Los Angeles.
The two-mile-long procession will feature more than 180 floats, drill teams and dance groups. It starts on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard at Western Avenue and heads west to Crenshaw Boulevard, then south to Vernon Avenue, where festivities, including food and music, will be held in Leimert Park.
Other celebrations are planned at Jackie Robinson Park in Pasadena and the SGI-USA Auditorium in Santa Monica.
-- Corina Knoll
Last year 8-year-old- triplets Mariah, Carrie and Candace Rivers watched the Marine Corp Band play and march down the parade route east bound on MLK Blvd. in the Crenshaw district for the Kingdom Day Parade. Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times
 ... in case you were wondering what to do with yourself, our colleagues at The Guide compile a great roundup of things to do in and around L.A. Check out some of the options for this weekend:
The future of drumming (Saturday): Winning the Guitar Center Drum-Off finals can be a stepping stone to a professional career. A prime example: Thomas Pridgen of prog-metal band Mars Volta, who won the event 16 years ago when he was 9. Here's a YouTube clip of last year's winner, Donnie Marple.
A new crop of six finalists (who have outlasted 5,000 entrants) will compete Saturday at the Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theater, 6126 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Price: $15. More information: www.guitarcenter.com
Martin Luther King Jr. tribute (Sunday): Forest Lawn honors the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with a musical tribute by the Southeast Symphony Orchestra, accompanied by a 60-voice choir. Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills, Liberty Hall, 6300 Forest Lawn Drive, L.A. 5 p.m. Free. (800) 204-3131. www.forestlawn.com.
More events after the jump ...
Read on »
A float entered by the Cal Poly universities has won the Tournament of Roses’ first-ever Viewers’ Choice Award, the tournament announced today.
"Seaside Amusement," which depicts a seaside amusement park, received 3,219 of the 10,618 votes cast via KTLA's website on New Year’s Day.
The float was entered by California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Like all of the floats from the 120th Rose Parade, "Seaside Amusement" is still on display in Pasadena.
For more, check out the KTLA video below. More photos
-- Kate Linthicum
Photo: Damian Dovarganes/ Associated Press
As the clock creeped closer to midnight, the excitement level rose along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, scene of the annual Tournament of Roses. Spilled tortilla chips and silly string littered the sidewalks. Crowds of revelers gripping noisemakers and wearing metallic paper hats greeted strangers with shouts of "Happy New Year!" as the streets grew more crowded by the minute.
Traffic within a several-block radius ground to a near standstill. Amid the spectacle, restaurant workers stepped out momentarily to snap cellphone pictures of the parade floats as they rolled down Fair Oaks Avenue shortly after 10 p.m.
Mike VanZandt, 37, and his wife, Alice, 35, were all smiles as they waited for the countdown. The couple from Los Angeles has made the parade camp-out a 20-year tradition. They began setting up cots, a portable propane heater and coolers of food at 9 a.m. Wednesday.
"Every year we say we're not gonna come back, but we always do," Alice VanZandt said. "The boys love it."
The VanZandts will join a party of 60 this year, including their three sons, as well as nieces and nephews from Los Angeles, Azusa and San Gabriel.
The best part of the buildup to the parade are the friendly vibes from all the fellow spectators, she said. "Everyone's friendly and hugging everyone and saying happy new year," she said. "Hopefully, when the kids are older they can carry on the tradition."
-- Catherine Ho
Want to ring in the New Year with your kids or in an alcohol-free environment? Here are a few events planned:
-- For the 18th consecutive year, the city of Fullerton hosts “First Night Fullerton,” an alcohol-free event featuring R&B, surf rock, ’50s music, African dance and karaoke spread across six stages in various downtown locations. Food booths, art exhibits, children’s rides and an ice rink also will be available. City officials expect up to 15,000 people to attend the bash, which features fireworks at midnight. It kicks off at 7 p.m. at the Downtown Fullerton Plaza at 121 E. Wilshire Ave.
-- The city of West Hollywood hosts the 11th annual “Club Freedom” New Year’s Eve party for members of the LGBT community and its supporters. A $10 donation is suggested for the alcohol-, tobacco- and drug-free event, but organizers say no one will be turned away at the door if they don't have the money. It starts at 8 p.m. at The Village at Ed Gould Plaza, 1125 N. McCadden Place.
-- Six Flags Magic Mountain will host its first “Six Flags Rock N’ Ride New Year’s Eve Party,” billed as a safe and sober alternative for youths and families. The party starts at 10:30 a.m. and will include dance competitions, karaoke and a midnight countdown on the Sky Tower. 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia.
-- Nathan Olivarez-Giles and Monte Morin
The city of Los Angeles wants to encourage people to get rid of toys containing lead. So officials are offering $25 gift cards in exchange for such toys.
Toys can be dropped off -- and gift cards picked up -- at four locations throughout the city on Saturday, said Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for the city attorney's office.
Read on »
Tired of those frenzied door-buster sales? Christmas parades and holiday festivities -- free events for all -- are among the events unfolding today throughout Los Angeles County.
The 41st annual Christmas Festival & Parade in Pacoima, themed "Peace on Earth," began this morning with the parade and continues at Pacoima Recreation Center today and Sunday. Firefighters who battled the recent Valley fires are being honored.
The 43rd annual Watts/Willowbrook Christmas Parade started off with a gospel extravaganza this morning, followed by a noon parade that starts at El Segundo Boulevard and Clovis Avenue and ends at 108th Street and Grandee Avenue. Kiki Shepard, longtime co-host of "It's Showtime at the Apollo," is the celebrity grand marshal.
In Wilmington, the Banning Residence Museum will begin its annual "Victorian Christmas" celebration. The theme this year is "The Spirit of Giving." The weekend event, at the museum at 401 E. M St., features trees decorated with handmade ornaments, period crafts in the Stage Coach Barn and strolling entertainers. A horse-drawn trolley will take guests to the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum and its annual "A Civil War Christmas" celebration. The museum there will present authentic re-creations of holiday activities, handmade toys, ornaments and decorations, and entertainment from that era.
-- Ruben Vives
Want to walk in the steps of a famous, dirty old man? Well, now you can do just that.
Esotouric -- L.A.'s funky, off-beat tour service -- is offering Haunts of a Dirty Old Man: Charles Bukowski's Los Angeles.
The tour, which began today at 12:00 p.m. and runs until 4 p.m., meets promptly at 11:30 a.m. at Philippe the Original in downtown Los Angeles. Call (310) 995-4591 for last-minute bookings.
For $58, you can see how the famous poet lived and died -- tracing his steps at all his famous haunts, including his apartment on DeLongpre Avenue, the Pink Elephant liquor store in East Hollywood, Skid Row and many other bars and neighborhoods that the writer loved.
This has got to be the easiest way to be Bukowski for a day. Don’t forget to pack your flask.
-- Lori Kozlowski
Photo: Los Angeles Times
"Home Preservation Day" in Van Nuys today has nothing to do with new plumbing and a paint job. Instead, financially troubled homeowners are gathering for a mass counseling session to find out how to save their houses.
As many as 4,000 homeowners behind in their mortgage payments have been invited by IndyMac Federal Bank to attend the session, where they will learn about options, including loan modifications, that could keep a roof over their head.
Bank counselors will be at the San Fernando Valley municipal center in Van Nuys at the Marvin Braude Constituent Services Center from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. It's at 6262 Van Nuys Blvd.
IndyBank executives said more home preservation days were planned in other areas experiencing high numbers of home foreclosures. The bank, in trouble itself and under the conservatorship of the Federal Insurance Deposit Corp., is sponsoring today's event in conjunction with the city of Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services.
-- Bob Pool
General Motors has made the L.A. Auto Show shine a little less brightly.
The cash-starved automaker said today that it would cancel its only news conference at the annual event, originally planned as the North American debut of the Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Convertible. The executive who was to conduct the reveal of the concept car, Vice Chairman Bob Lutz, also will not be attending the show, which opens to the public Nov. 21.
The company described the cutback as a cost-saving measure. In the third quarter, GM burned through cash so quickly -- about $2.3 billion per month -- that executives predicted that, without outside help, it would run out of cash sometime in the first two quarters of next year.
Read the rest of this article at the Up to Speed blog.
-- Ken Bensinger
Photo: Saab 9-X Air BioHybrid Convertible. Credit: General Motors
On Saturday, if you are looking for a way to take in the cosmos without buying a telescope, here's some good news: The Griffith Observatory is holding its monthly Public Star Party. Starting at 2 p.m. and running until 9:45 p.m., the observatory will open its lawns and surrounding sections of Griffith Park for star-gazers to seek out the cosmos.
Best of all, the star parties are free.
With the help of the Los Angeles Astronomical Society, you'll get to peer into serious telescopic equipment and seek out your favorite planet. How pretty are Saturn's rings? You'll be able to judge for yourself.
This is the second to last star party of the year. For the full schedule, try the observatory's site.
-- Lori Kozlowski
Photo: Reggie Flores
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