Category: news

entertainment, news

The Man Behind the Velvet Rope

Becca

My latest piece for Hollywood Patch:

The Man Behind the Velvet Rope: Michael Utsinger
Nightlife promoter Michael Utsinger on creating what he calls a “party salad” at some of Hollywood’s hottest clubs.

If you’ve been to any of Hollywood’s hottest clubs in the past few years, you’ve probably seen Michael Utsinger, 28, standing outside behind the velvet rope, or chatting with his celebrity clients at tables in a dark corner.

Utsinger is one of the biggest promoters in Hollywood, and is currently promoting  Mondays at Teddy’s at the Roosevelt Hotel, Tuesdays at Hemingway’s and Fridays at the newly opened Roxbury.

Utsinger, a Los Angeles native, not only promotes at night, but holds a day job as the president of BoxEight Studios, an arts organization in downtown Los Angeles that puts on art and fashion event year-round, including during Los Angeles fashion week.

Patch sat down with Utsinger at the pool at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel to chat about nightlife and fashion in Hollywood.

Hollywood Patch: How did you get into promoting?

Michael Utsinger: I had some friends that were in the biz, and I was going out a lot, and always just rolled with a big crew. And they were like, ‘Hey Michael, why don’t you roll with a big crew and promote for us?’ It’s been going well. That was about six years ago.

Hollywood Patch: Have you felt there have been changes to the nightlife scene in Hollywood?

Utsinger: Definitely. I think now is one of the craziest times in the club industry in terms of saturation. There’s so many people trying to promote and bring people out. I think the old school, the way I grew up, was with really tight doors, and a handful of promoters in the city only. It was a really tight group of people and other cats just weren’t let into the circle. But now that there are so many clubs opening up, owners have to expand and kind of outsource the promotions and that kind of hurts the quality of the people. So, I think there are only a few kind of niche promoters and scenes left.

Read more at Hollywood Patch.

entertainment, news

Swine flu celebrities

Becca

 

The athletes, actors and musicians who have contracted the H1N1 virus
Credit:Wireimage
By Rebecca Ford, Metromix
With nearly every state reporting swine flu activity, it’s clear that the H1N1 viral strain is not picky about who it infects. This means that even the actors, athletes and—gasp!—news anchors of the world are not immune. And if a nation can’t protect its celebs against catching the flu, haven’t the terrorists won?

By Rebecca Ford, Metromix

 

With nearly every state reporting swine flu activity, it’s clear that the H1N1 viral strain is not picky about who it infects. This means that even the actors, athletes and—gasp!—news anchors of the world are not immune. And if a nation can’t protect its celebs against catching the flu, haven’t the terrorists won?

While some celebrities have had serious cases of swine flu, others have used their celebrity knowledge to diagnose themselves (we’re looking at you, Lisa Rinna).

Click ahead to meet the famous-ish faces of the swine flu. Just make sure to wash your hands after clicking.

See the article at Metromix

news

A man on a mission

Becca

If YOU were a Brazilian politician who had his own Tv show, how would you go about getting new material for your show?

How about committing murders, and then coincidentally being the first person to show up at the scene and get it all on tape?

Wallace Souza, who is also an alleged drug trafficker, may be doing just that, killing competing drug traffickers off, and then using the graphic footage to boost his ratings.

Talk about an entrepreneur. 

Check it out here. 

entertainment, news

Give up the yacht AND the personal trainer?

Becca

Check out LA Times’ Steve Lopez column….so funny:

WALL STREET CEO: Hi, honey, I’m at the office and I’ve got horrible news.

CEO WIFE: Oh, my gosh. Is Obama cutting back on the bailout?

CEO: It’s worse than that. He’s ordering pay cuts for Wall Street bosses whose companies get handouts.

WIFE: Is that even legal?

CEO: I think so, and I’m afraid we’re going to have to tighten our belts.

WIFE: What kind of a pay cut are you talking about?

CEO: Brace yourself. It’s $500,000.

WIFE: Well, that’s harsh, and Obama must not have any idea how hard you work. But I think we can get by on $10.5 million a year.

CEO: No, you don’t get it. My pay would be $500,000. That’s it. Honey? Honey, are you there?

WIFE: Yes, I’m here. I’m breathing into a paper sack.

CEO: Should I call 911?

……….see the rest here

news

The death of the Times

Becca

I dread reading LA Observed in the morning. Not because it’s not a great blog. It is. So great that every morning I fear reading another blow to the LA Times. Sure enough, now the  TImes is losing it’s regional/California section, and 70 more jobs are going out the window.

It feels like it’s a never-ending stream of doom and disaster for that paper. I’m a naturally optimistic person, but even I know that this is a devastating strike to the paper.

entertainment, news

It’s been a while…

Becca

…since I wrote. I’ve been busy traveling, and spending some time with friends and family. I’ve also been working at Metromix as a contributing editor for TV and pop culture. Here is some recent stuff:

‘Real World: Brooklyn’: Meet the cast

2009: The Year of Yellow

I’m going to try to get back into writing on here, too. So keep a lookout!

news

No good deed goes unpunished

Becca

The CA Supreme Court ruled today that a civilian who rescues a injured or endangered person can be sued for nonmedical care.

The decision stems from a case in which a woman pulled a coworker from a crashed car, allegedly aggravating the victim’s vertebrae.

Lisa Torti of Northridge was accused of yanking Alexandra Van Horn like “a ragdoll” from her vehicle after it crashed on Topanga Canyon Blvd. Van Horn was rendered a paraplegic because of her injuries in 2004.

The three dissenting judges, however, argued that the decision would have dire consequences.

“Here, the result is that defendant Torti has no immunity for her bravery in pulling her injured friend from a crashed vehicle, even if she reasonably believed it might be about to explode,” said Justice Marvin R. Baxter for the dissent.

Living in a city where I have heard stories about a man being beat up on the street in broad daylight, while no one tried to help, or people are left in the dark to die, I am very disturbed by this decision.

While Torti may have messed up, this ruling could cause people to avoid helping others in need, regardless of the situation.