.
Out
& About
Dana
Miller
This
is the tale of an iconic local impresario, the further dumbing down of the
idiots, new life in an old dog, perhaps my last restaurant review and how
Pride sadly may become Proud.
The
other day I was the recipient of a sweet and complimentary e-mail from an
address I recognized. For 17 years the
New York
born Kenny Morse has been the master of
karaoke in
West Hollywood
. This actor, producer, director and writer has
seen it all. He is like the
permanent host of Saturday Night Live and the cast changes every year. He
started in 1990 at Revolver. Full circle, he now is doing Tuesdays in the same
location now called East/West Lounge. He also emcees and produces Wednesday
night’s at Fiesta Cantina. Years
ago I dated a kid who performed at Kenny’s show at Revolver every week, so I
knew of Kenny’s talent and work. The kid by the way became a stalker once
riding his bike to Malibu from WeHo, talking his way past the colony guard gate
then crawling through an open window only to hover over my bed with a knife. But
I don’t hold that against Kenny. Last week I asked Kenny to lunch to talk
about the changes he has seen on the Boulevard.
He has missed just 5 shows in 17 years. We both agree the crowds have
changed dramatically. Among many, there is in our hamlet today a sense of
entitlement and a total lack of cohesion. We joked of getting older and maybe
wiser but still agreed we could feel the pulse. Today to way too many, HIV/AIDS
means nothing. It’s an inconvenience. But not so long ago it was responsible
for a gay and lesbian melting pot. We cared for one another. Perhaps
like many before, my generation is irrelevant to the next. Mine died of AIDS, I
just don’t want to see the next die of ignorance. I don’t know how to unite
our tribe. Seems unachievable to me at the moment. What
I do know is there is an iconic, thinking, long-term-warrior who is still
entertaining yet gently lecturing and educating in our town after 17 years.
I’m proud of Karaoke Kenny. He offers some stability in what to both of us
feels very unstable.
The
entertainment world has perched us on a slippery slope and we idiots are buying
into it. In the past five years
Paramount
has turned Entertainment Tonight and The
Insider into 10 second sound bites. Is our collective A-D-D so severe that we
can only handle a moment? And why
do we care so of Lindsey, Britney and Paris?
Bad news. Next month Harvey Levin and TelePictures are launching a daily
TV show based on
Harvey
’s TMZ Zone web site. He grabs 30 million
hits a month to follow the follies and foibles of flakes in show biz. The idea
of the Thirty Mile Zone around tinseltown is we all have video phones so let’s
capture celebs in calamity and become pathetic producers. Celebrities will not
be able to walk out their front door without someone recording their every move.
We have reached rock bottom and sadly instead of a thud it is a hit. TMZ has a
giant launch coming up. Last week, mid-week I had breakfast with Diana Ross at
the café by the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel.
We caught the creep next to us recording our meal on his phone. Why? Have
we lost all civility? We certainly
can’t as an entire society agree to get completely base and not honor any
privacy at all. Or have we? This is a sad and slippery slope.
I
hesitate to write this based on history. Last year I raved in this column
about a new Japanese restaurant across from Marix called Kiichi. Two weeks later
it closed. Today there are new owners, same name and you must fall into it. Food
and service is exceptional and quite honestly the prices are phenomenally low.
For years it's been a tough location. Remember Deitrich's Coffee? Or that 50's
style diner that was trying to push healthy fare? I would like to see
Kiichi make it. If it doesn't, this will most certainly out of compassion for
the food industry be my last review.
That
grand time-honored tradition called APLA's Summer Party was tossed a couple
of Saturday's ago at the old United Artists Studio on
Santa Monica Boulevard
. Historical joint with the Pickford and
Sinatra building's still standing. I once served on APLA's board and
produced a few Summer Parties. This year the day began for me at the Zoo.
Thanks to my Ryan, we are inexplicably members of the LA Zoo. I hadn't
a clue. Quite honestly it's easier to find an animal at Micky's then it is at
the LA Zoo. I spent all my time looking for a raccoon, a mugwamp or a speckled
batty in a concrete pit with a chain link fence while likely they are in
my kitchen nibbling on my grapes. We have two 150 pound dogs but in our
living room at any given hour mice, rats and a giant possum seem to rule the
roost. Ving Rhames and I have clearly different breeding techniques. I did
watch a grey seal fart for quite awhile and some type of marsupial threw his
junk at me like that gent in Silence of the Lambs but in honor of dignity,
I quite intentionally digress. This summer the Zoo has a highly publicized
exhibit titled, "
Spider
City
" that is just simply silly. As we
strolled the collection searching for spiders in glass tanks, Ryan said;
"What's next,
Goldfish
Town
?” The LA Zoo was once the location
of APLA's Summer Party. We were never invited back because our guests in the
glow of the twilight took to the brush to screw like monkeys. We then moved to
Universal's Back-lot. We had clout then as we were doing both Dance-A-Thon and
Summer Party at Universal and our expenses were 50K total for both. I
remember having a meeting with a lanky lad who looked to provide fancy
outhouses. Flowers, candles and multi-urinal locations were the sell. Very
Un-Andy Gump-Like. Our guests took to the floral and scented port-a-potties
with furry....and well, screwed like monkeys. It was a different time. It was
fun filled, crazy and safe....Condoms were as available as Absolut and back
then, both were used.
So
a few Saturday's ago on The Lot it was grand to see fellow vets and
lot's of friends. The event was spectacular and warm. Congrats to all
involved. It was all very sweet with lots of pals rallied round. Instead of the
old tedious, weak-kneed humanitarianism of dignified fake strength, there
was a palpable beat of life, youth and enormous energy at Summer Party 2007.
Summer Party began as The Texas Party oh so many years ago in the driveway of
Bob Sertner's old house on Outpost. What a long, strange journey. I will walk with
Tom Whitman's AIDS Walk team this year and wonderfully and truthfully Saturday
night he was busting me big-time on how much I'll raise. It's something I would
have done to folks at the Summer Party 10 years ago. We are blessed to be
in good hands with this organization. Thank you to all involved. It means
the world to me and our conurbation.
I
was asked to dinner by an old friend who insisted it was to be quite secret and
under the radar. He is a talented entertainment mogul with connections who
always makes me laugh. I arrived to surprisingly be met by "his
committee". My pal has organized a talented group to create Proud
to counter our Pride.
He is deep in discussions with a certain city to take-on CSW and their events. I
left wishing them well knowing he'll pull it off and it honestly made me sad.
I have tried for years now to serve as a seeing-eye dog for a myopic
group and perhaps unknowingly it has sparked creative competition. Just bad for
our city, bad for our merchants. But hell, perhaps maybe bloody good for
you and me. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed this burger...perhaps
this new gaggle will cook theirs differently.
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You Out & About