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Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Weekly What To Do: Happy...Well, Thanksgiving

Starts Wed Nov 25 
Virtual Screening
$
 
The oral history of a team of geeks and misfits in the back of a Chicago factory creating the biggest video games (Mortal Kombat, NBA JAM, and others) of all time.
 

Fri, November 27, 2020 7:15 PM
Sat, November 28, 2020 7:00 PM
Sun, November 29, 2020 5:30 PM
Sun, November 29, 2020 8:20 PM
Glendale Sears Parking Lot
211 West California Avenue
Glendale, CA 91203 
$23 


Opens Fri, November 27, 2020
6310 W 3rd St, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Free to visit
$45 for photo package
 
"The Los Angeles Christmas Market, a free-to-enter, COVID-friendly pop-up experience featuring immersive winter wonderland decor, a photo op with Santa Claus and a themed holiday market. Celebrate the spirit of the season at this one-of-a-kind space, which will give Angelenos and tourists alike a much-needed opportunity to bask in the joys of the holidays in an environment that is both festive and safe."
 

Friday, November 27 through Sunday, January 3
Third Street Promenade
Free

Tens of thousands of lights will illuminate the Promenade’s festive outdoor retail and dining, storefronts will shine as reimagined art installations, and a new interactive holiday-themed augmented reality mobile app will allow guests to experience the open-air entertainment district in a whole new light.

Holiday-inspired art installations will come to life at eleven stops throughout Third Street Promenade featuring window displays in storefronts and murals created by local artists who were asked to interpret what the holiday season means to them during an unprecedented year that has been anything but normal.

Tens of thousands of colorful, festive lights and decor, the official City of Santa Monica 24-foot-tall holiday tree, and festive garland will deck the Third Street Promenade, 2nd and 4th Streets, illuminating convenient shopping and cozy outdoor dining experiences. Nightly menorah lightings will celebrate the Festival of Lights this Hanukkah season from Thursday, December 10 to Friday, December 18. The lightings will begin at Sundown and take place on the 1300 block of Third Street Promenade (located between Santa Monica Blvd and Arizona Ave).
 

Saturday,
10:00am–9:00pm 
Old Pasadena
 
Old Pasadena is home to more than 125 independent businesses that offer distinctive merchandise, dining, and services. These locally owned small businesses, found “Only in Old Pas,” line the quaint side streets and alleys of our historic district.
  
 

November 30th - December 23rd 
& December 26th - December 30th! 
Monday — Friday 5pm - 11pm
Saturday — Sunday 5pm - 11pm
6100 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
$70 and up

*same people who did the Halloween drive-thru at the same location
A frosted, all-ages welcome adventure emerges in Woodland Hills! Celebrate the holiday season with millions of lights and themed decor during a festive WonderLAnd drive-thru show. Experience the magic of our inclusive showcase during the most WONDERFUL time of the year from the safety & comfort of your car.
 

Opens on December 1st
1625 N. Las Palmas Ave. 
Hollywood CA 90028.  
$
 
"Marking its Grand Opening, the Arena Cinelounge Drive-In will screen a number of the latest films to welcome audiences back to the theatre experience, including: Mel Gibson’s stylized holiday thriller Fatman (f Mel Gibson, don't see it), the Aaron Eckhart-starrer Wander, the Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane sci-fi epic Breach, and Archenemy, a “gonzo sci-fi/superhero” film starring Joe Manganiello. The Drive-In is also set to screen the 2002 documentary, The Weather Underground. Finally, Arena Cinelounge will celebrate the holidays with "A Shane Black Christmas", a cultivated back-to-back screening series of Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Long Kiss Goodnight and The Last Boy Scout."
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Tuesday, November 24, 2020

Holiday News: Mondo Holiday Catalog, Knott's Taste Of Merry Farm, LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special & More

 

Knott's Taste Of Merry Farm
Date: Nov 20, 2020 - Jan 03, 2021
8039 Beach Blvd. Buena Park, CA 90620
 
"While the rides remain closed, Knott's introduces its newest outdoor experience - Taste of Merry Farm. Enjoy over 60 unique food and drink items and take care of your holiday shopping at Knott's one-of-a-kind stores filled with exclusive specialty and personalized gifts.

Scheduled dates are November 20-29, December 4-6, December 11-13, December 18-24, December 26-30, and January 1-3. Tasting cards are date specific and must be purchased online at knotts.com or through the Knott's Berry Farm mobile app prior to the date of visit."
 
LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special
“The LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special” reunites Rey, Finn, Poe, Chewie, Rose and the droids for a joyous feast on Life Day. Rey sets off on a new adventure with BB-8 to gain a deeper knowledge of the Force. At a mysterious Jedi Temple, she is hurled into a cross-timeline adventure through beloved moments in Star Wars cinematic history, coming into contact with Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Obi-Wan and other iconic heroes and villains from all nine Skywalker saga films. But will she make it back in time for the Life Day feast and learn the true meaning of holiday spirit?"
 

 Don't forget you can hear Christmas music anytime by tuning in to KOST 103.5 on the radio or online.


“Joe Bob Saves Christmas” premieres live on the ShudderTV feed Friday, December 11, and will then be made available on demand on Sunday, December 13. via Bloody Disgusting

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Monday, November 23, 2020

Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon Inuyasha Sequel Dubbed

 

You can finally start watching the sequel to Inuyasha, Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon through Funimation & Viz.

The first episode is essentially a new episode of Inuyasha with some of the returning cast. That new Kagome...ehhh. After that, we get the daughters of Inuyasha and Sesshomaru starring in their own anime. As of writing this only three episodes have been dubbed, but a new one drops every week.

Catch it via Funimation, Crunchyroll and Hulu* maybe only subbed on Hulu



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Local: Batman Burbank Statue, The Arena Cinelounge Drive-In Dec 1st, LACMA Outdoors+, Butterbeer & Go Little Tokyo for the Holidays!

 
Batman is in Burbank; and unlike the time the Batmobile was in front of the AMC, this time it's a statue by comic book legend Jim Lee. Unknown if it's a permanent placement of the dark night, but it does way 600 pounds, so good luck to whomever has to move it. Maybe just call him Fatman. Thought it looks perfect for selfies and hopefully puts a Santa hat on him near Christmas. Or oohh, maybe the Joker could tag it with some cheerful holiday graffiti.
 
Looks like the super small Arena theater has re-invited itself as a drive-in. Now dubbed The Arena Cinelounge Drive-In, it opens Dec 1st featuring a much more diverse movie collection than just The Croods: New Age.

"Marking its Grand Opening, the Arena Cinelounge Drive-In will screen a number of the latest films to welcome audiences back to the theatre experience, including: Mel Gibson’s stylized holiday thriller Fatman (f Mel Gibson, don't see it), the Aaron Eckhart-starrer Wander, the Bruce Willis and Thomas Jane sci-fi epic Breach, and Archenemy, a “gonzo sci-fi/superhero” film starring Joe Manganiello. The Drive-In is also set to screen the 2002 documentary, The Weather Underground. Finally, Arena Cinelounge will celebrate the holidays with "A Shane Black Christmas", a cultivated back-to-back screening series of Lethal Weapon, Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, The Long Kiss Goodnight and The Last Boy Scout."
 
The Arena Cinelounge Drive-In will open on December 1st at: 1625 N. Las Palmas Ave. Hollywood Ca 90028.  For more info, click HERE.
 
LACMA Outdoors+ sounds like an app, but really is just LACMA promoting stuff you can do outside still related to LACMA.

Art on View Outdoors
NEW audio installation Bird Calls by Louise Lawler
NEW sculptural installation Farewell, Work Holiday Parties by Alex Prager
NEW 25-foot bronze sculpture Miss Forest by Yoshitomo Nara
NEW three-channel video Screen Credit by Sabrina Gschwandtner
Sadly,
*Beginning Friday, November 20, Urban Light will be closed to the public 10 pm–6 am daily, in accordance with Los Angeles County guidelines for non-essential businesses.
 

 

"Beginning Friday, November 20, Butterbeer favorites and more will be served at Universal CityWalk’s newest seasonal walk-up location, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™—Sweets & Treats,” offering fans a chance to enjoy the beloved beverage and ice-cream from Universal Studios Hollywood’s immersive land.

Traditional cold, frozen and hot Butterbeer along with delectable Butterbeer-flavoured hard pack ice-cream and Chocolate Frog confections will delight the palates of fans who have long craved these popular temptations from the theme park’s “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.”

The Butterbeer beverages will be available for purchase in a cup or souvenir stein. Gilly Water and classic cinnamon Churros will also be on the menu.

“The Wizarding World of Harry Potter—Sweets & Treats” will be open on weekends from Friday through Sunday during CityWalk’s operating hours, noon to 8:00 p.m. Free self-parking is available to all guests during this initial re-opening phase."

 


Little Tokyo has a cute guide on what to get for the holidays. We do like some of the Little Tokyo Pins.

Oh and Shogun Santa is back...as a cardboard cutout...

Are you on the Nice List? Plan your annual holiday photo and share your Little Tokyo holiday wish list with the one and only–(cardboard cutout) Shogun Santa! Brought to you by the Little Tokyo Business Association (LTBA).

Dec. 12-13 and 19-20, 2020, from 11 am-3 pm at the Japanese Village Plaza. Free admission, donation encouraged.


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Sunday, November 22, 2020

Animaniacs Has A Galco's Soda Pop Stop Tribute

If you make it to the last episode of the season of Animaniac's new run on Hulu you might spot an obvious tribute to our beloved Galco's Soda Pop Stop, that we write of fondly often. In fact, it's great for holiday gifts, so grab some super rare soda from there!


 


Galco's Soda Pop Stop
5702 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042
Mon-Sat
9am-6:30pm
Sun 9am-4pm

The Season 1, 13th episode "Hindenburg Cola" has the Warner brothers...and their sister dot, on a quest to find some hard-to-find-soda. They head to a totally fun rip on the "Soda Pop Stop" called Mom & Pop's One-Stop Top Pop Shop (try saying that three times fast), an obvious joke making fun of @Galco's.

 






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Friday, November 20, 2020

Jonathan's Holiday Gift Guide 2020

Whose Jonathan? That's-a-me. The humble editor of this site. So humble I named this year's gift guide after myself. I'm going to give you different section for my selections of gifts. So like, Gamer or Otaku or Normie. Different types of people that make this crazy world go round. And hey, you want to get them something this Holiday season.



For The Foreigner
 
$68-$72
Order by Dec 11th
 
Yes, what Japanese denizen doesn't what fresh fruit from North America? Why, even though apples, kiwis & blueberries are in no way a citrus fruit they'll still love this strange box. Wait, you noticed that can of clam chowder? Oh, so did I. Why is it in this assortment of fruit, many of which are not related with citrus? We don't know. They've been e-mailed by our staff, but we have yet to get word back as to why.

For The Gamer 

 
The irreverent party game you can play online has 7 packs to play and the go on sale all the time. We've written or review of the latest one here, but all of the packs hold something special. All of them are perfect to play over Zoom or Zoom like apps like Discord, so you can enjoy the holidays with friends and family playing fun party games and not be near each other if you so choose.
 
They have some solid goods this year.
 



Check out the full collection here and enjoy free shipping till Nov 30
 
I love they took the time to make a trailer! Give it some like love.


$40
*This is a pre-order, so sadly not out until Jan 2021
 
From Cartidge Thunder, we're just blown away by this Comix Zone love. If you've ever played the game, battling bad guys from panel to panel, this is a must get. 

 

"Get into the zone with the Comix Zone original soundtrack. Released in 1995, Sega's Comix Zone is one of the last great Genesis titles. Composed by Howard Drossin, the soundtrack is up to its inkwell in crunchy, gritty, evocatively 90s Genesis power. The soundtrack is complete with the addition of 1995's Sega Tunes release, featuring studio recordings from Roadkill. 

  • 20+ tracks from the Sega Genesis Game
  • Special "D-side" with 6 studio recordings (Sega Tunes)
  • Includes 6-page booklet featuring interviews with the game's creators
  • Gatefold with level design boards
  • Genesis / Mega Drive OBI strip
  • 2XLP: Sketch Turner Ink'd Splatter & Night of the Mutants Orange"
$30
*Technically a Kickstarter with delivery in Dec 2020  
+ shipping
 
What more can I say then you can listen to the serene sounds of Firewatch on Vinyl. Oh and beautiful cover art by Olly Moss.
 


180 Gram Transparent Color Vinyl Only Remaning choice
$45

The best choice of word here to describe it is haunting. That's will be what any person writing about this soundtrack will say, in fact it might be in some clause somewhere. Kojima might come by and hit me if I didn't add it to this post. So, this very haunting soundtrack can be yours, it stays with you, like a ghost...a ghost.... stranding....ooooohhhh.

Mondo is proud to present Ludvig Forssell's original score to Hideo Kojima's 2019 masterpiece DEATH STRANDING.

The enigmatic, haunting and beautifully rendered tale of a man tasked with re-connecting a fragmented America in the fallout of an extinction level event is as massive in scope, as it is in tone. But composer Ludvig Forssell has taken Kojima's complex vision and crafted a score worthy of the game's intricate design.

$10+
 

Pikachu can be a real d*$k. Get this F U Pikachu keychain to prove it and show off to friends and strangers and the elderly.
 

$23.99 each 

If you love the Yakuza series these cute pins will mark you as a fan to others or at least make a Zoom call more fun with someone asking "What are those?"
 

$25 for shirts
 


You'll love their art, just in no way their story telling. Enjoy their Street Fighter and Capcom art and lack of any ability to tell a story through comics.

For The Foodie





What friend, Hawaiian or otherwise doesn't love SPAM? I don't, but that doesn't stop others for enjoying the taste. And the museum shop knows others loves the taste. They love it so much, there's so many products with SPAM on them it's crazy if they don't have something for your friends or loved ones that'll put up with you giving them a gift from this online store.



The SPAM Museum is real and in Minnesota.
 

 
$75 a wedge
Seasonal, so it's only around for a limited time
 
Declared Best Cheese in the World at the 2019/2020 World Cheese Awards in Bergamo, Italy! Yes, it beat all the European countries, take that foreigners in our other section of this guide! Seriosuly though, this is considered the best dang cheese in the world right now, why not get some for the holiday season?

For The Coffee Table



As of writing this $28.49
currently a 1 to 2 month wait
 

You can read my full review here, but essentially this lovely book has pages filled with places that look like they're out of a Wes Anderson movie. Crazy enough they're real or use to be real and they'll make you want to visit them in real life or at the very least Google them.


$40
 


Haven't had a chance to give this book an official review, but already like looking through every page seeing the worlds that have to be built for some select animes to shine. You really discover how much goes into building those worlds and that the artist/animator needs to know how the real world works before he can create his Metropolis or Mega City.

'Unprecedented access to vast studio archives of original background paintings, storyboards, drafts, and film excerpts offers readers a privileged view into the earliest stages of conception, development, and  finished versions of iconic scenes from critically acclaimed movies such as Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Metropolis, and more. Revealing the secret creative processes of these major anime studios, Anime Architecture is perfect for anyone touched by the beauty and imagination of classic anime, offering inspiration for artists, illustrators, architects, designers, video game makers, and dreamers.'

Kinokuniya Books
 

The Japanese bookstore with a few locations around the LA area with the most well-known being in Little Tokyo. Who doesn't love their collection of Japanese books, magazines and pens. Check out their holiday gift guide and the real locations around LA. 
 
   
 

$19.79 +shipping



"Spanning decades of digital history, this is the ultimate travel guide and atlas of the gamer imagination. Dimopoulos invites readers to share his vision of dozens of different gaming franchises like never before: discover Dimopoulos’s Half-Life 2’s City 17, Yakuza 0’s Kamurocho, Fallout’s New Vegas, Super Mario Odyssey’s New Donk City, and many more. Each chapter of this virtual travel guide consists of deep dives into the history and lore of these cities from an in-universe perspective. Illustrated with original color ink drawings and―of course―gorgeous and detailed maps, readers can explore the nostalgic games of their youth as well as modern hits. Sidebars based on the author’s research tell behind-the-scenes anecdotes and reveal the real-world stories that inspired these iconic virtual settings. With a combination of stylish original maps, illustrations, and insightful commentary and analysis, this is a must-have for video game devotees, world-building fans, and game design experts."

For The Movie Liker or "Cinephile"
 


$17.97
 
How were the movies chosen for this poster? By the artist, of course. After he possibly looked on the internet or his assistant did. It's quite the collection and there are quite a lot of good ones on there. It sounds like fun to scratch off a movie after seeing it and then framing it after you've watch all 100.

 
For The Horror Fan




There's no better way to mark yourself as the black sheep then wearing these around Christmas. You're wearing something Chrsitmasy, but also, y'know messed up.


For That Someone...
That you are going to annoy
 
 
The following need no explanation, they're just perfect stocking suffers.


$2.00+ 
 
 
$7.99
For Wrapping
 

$7
 
Now that you've gotten someone a gift you've got to wrap it. Why not try Mondo's original weird looking wrapping paper that they made from printing blocks. Printing block were the old way of copying print ads and posters, but we use computers now to do all of that. So, you get a real werid collection here of old movies ads and one wrap devoted to The Sound of Music.


Gamestop Wrapping Paper Kits
$6.99 each, in-store only
Styles:
Animal Crossing
Mario
Zelda
 
These Nintendo wrapping paper kits look great for their fans and are perfect to give to the gamer in your life, they may not even want to unwrap their gifts. You might want to just the the wrapping paper for them. This isn't rolls of wrapping paper so, be ready to use what you have wisely.
 


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