Consider this virtual print column, DotDotDash, caught in the Holy Holiday Christmas spirit looking for a room at the inn, or slinking in noirish footsteps from one Downtown residential hotel to another. Odds and ends will find shelter here as DDD is home for Christmas. It starts after the jump:
‘LOOKING FOR A ROOM AT THE INN’: Olvera Street’s reenactment of Joseph and Mary’s search for shelter is a tradition dating back to the 1930s, and inspired for long time Olvera Street artist Leo Politi’s 1946 book for children “Pedro the Angel of Olvera Street”. .–– Politi began sketching in El Pueblo that same decade, mostly from a small studio, and his sketches and paintings will exhibited for one day only, Jan. 26, 2008 . . –– It will mark the start of a year long Centennial celebration of Politi’s birth; and fittingly be the last exhibit to be held at the Pico House.
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ODD ONES: Future Studio Gallery, the roost of former downtown resident Chicken Boy, goes retro with a exhibit of Christmas Cards circa early 50s and 60s. They come from the collection of Deborah Thomas . .–– Christmas Past at Future runs December 8 through December 30, 2007.
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HIGH HOPES: The Arts District Healing Center had cash and crop taken by the DEA October 11. Now a lawsuit was filed Thursday by James Shaw claiming the DEA “extorted” the landlord by sending a letter threatening 20 years in the joint . . –– CBS.com reported that the Feds are hush-hush, but adds that DEA Special Agent Jose Martinez told the Los Angeles Daily Journal “that the letters weren't meant as a threat but as ‘an education process’ for the public”. . –– Not helping the herbal healers is LAPD's Hollenbeck Division taking up temporary residence across the street. YouTube of protestors during the bust here.
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PUNT: It’s 4th and long for the Coliseum Commission if State Senator Mark Ridley-Thomas introduces a bill shifting power to USC . .–– LAT SEZ: Coliseum Commission's Yvonne B. Burke believes a deal can be worked to keep USC at the Coliseum, while Ridley-Thomas says there's two options; Pass USC the master lease (hence ending the
Coliseum Commission) or "keep the commission but give USC a role on the panel."
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PAST LIFE COMES BACK: The notorious rep of the Hotel Cecil is cemented, by no fault of it’s own, thanks to former residents and guests. The coup de grâce to bypass skeletons may come from LAO linking serial killer Jack Unterwege, subject of "Entering Hades", to the hotel on Main St . .–– Cecil Hotel owner Roger Cordova hinted at a CCEA sponsored party last June, and confirmed recently in ink, that the hotel would carry a new name. Frankly, the rep could be a big draw. .–– Don Pardo Would Say: "Friends of Esotouric tours stay at the Hotel Cecil, in historic Downtown Los Angeles."
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LAST HOLIDAY SPIRIT: This past Monday morning, DotDotDash witnessed the potential clash of religious chariots at the south end of Pershing Square. A driver was on the fast track toward the Jewelry District and sitting on the roof of his delivery van was a large Menorah . . –– At 6th St, he was ready to pass Hill when he made a sudden stop for a small Chevy Malibu fitted with a plastic Jesus on the dash. . –– Both vehicles stopped in time, pointing to each other's respective spiritual insurance policies.
Pictured: "Las Posadas" by Leo Politi's from Pedro: The Angel of Olvera Street"
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