Where was I? Oh, yes: Wouldn’t you prefer to relax by the pool while watching a great movie with the kids? If it gets a little hot, you can take a dip in the pool or maybe find yourself a cocktail at the nearby bar. Maybe order some tasty morsels from a menu designed by Wolfgang Puck? Does that sound a little appealing?

Well, if it does, make your way to our weekly series of Dive-In Movies, playing every Saturday this summer on our celebrated Pool Deck, starting at 8 pm. And you don’t even have to wear pants, so hurrah! (Editor’s Note: But swimming suits of some kind are obviously required.)

This week’s flick is Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. Exciting and funny, this is the perfect summer night movie for the whole family. It stars Ben Stiller as he returns to the role of the museum security guard who simply is way over his head when all the exhibits in a museum come to life… again.

This is Bruce, signing off.

When I was in London in the 1960s, I spent a few weeks on the tail of two English intelligence officers, David Cornwell and Ian Fleming, and they were very demure folks, never having a good time, not even once. And one evening, it was July 4th, and I had gotten tired of watching, waiting, for these fellows to make their pickup, so I walked up to their table in this little French estaminet, Le Petit Espion, plopped down a bottle of champagne and proceeded to regale them about the wonders of America, the Constitution, and the Revolutionary War. Needless to say, they were nonplussed. But neither refused a glass, and soon, we were friends, and so began our “special relationship.”

What was I trying to say with that? Ah yes, we were announcing something very exciting: our July 4th “Holidays in Hollywood” Giveaway! You could win a two-night stay at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa! Does that sound fun? So starting at 12 pm PST on Tuesday to noon the next day, we will be taking entries for our giveaway. How do you enter? Just tell us why you deserve to win! Either reply to the giveaway thread on our Facebook page, write on our Facebook wall, or RT and reply to us on Twitter. Super simple, right? Remember, you’ll have to be following us for us to be able to communicate with you, so don’t forget!

The contest starts in 20 minutes, so get ready to go!

This is Bruce, signing off.

We’ll make sure to post the companion article once it goes live on Pasadena Now’s website. Until then, enjoy moving pictures!

While enjoying the music, guests are encouraged to try the delicious appetizers, delightful entrees, and handcrafted signature cocktails available from the Lobby Bar.

All ages are welcome to these family-friendly events and, unlike a lot of venues in Hollywood, there’s no cover. That means free for everyone!

• Thursdays, 1pm-4pm – California Dreamin’ – Listen to Live Acoustic Performances of Classic and Contemporary Hits
• Fridays, 1pm-4pm – Pizza Party – Relax and unwind with a poolside DJ spinning everyone’s favorite play lists
• Fridays, 7:30pm-9:30pm – Indie “Best Of Series” – Kick back to live, unplugged performances from some of the best 2009/2010 Indie Thursdays artists.
• Saturdays, 1pm-4pm – Grillin’ & Chillin’ – Enjoy the soothing sounds and cool rhythms of a live steel drum band playing all the island favorites
• Saturdays, 8:30pm-10:30pm – Dive-In Movies – Spend an evening under the stars watching a Hollywood blockbuster poolside – Avatar kicks things off on June 19th!!

With all this summer fun, you may want to pack your bags and move in for the summer!

This Sunday, our featured artist is the Deacon Jones Blues Revue. An accomplished blues artist, composer and arranger, as well as a widely acknowledged master of the Hammond B3 organ, Deacon Jones served for over 18 years as band leader for blues legend John Lee Hooker, having earlier performed in a similar capacity for Freddie King and Curtis Mayfield. His original composition, We’ll Meet Again, was the featured single on John Lee Hooker’s 1996 Grammy Award-winning platinum CD, Chill Out.

The brunch, which includes all you can eat and drink from a wide variety of stations throughout the restaurant including omelets, eggs Benedict, waffles, carved prime rib, hot entrees, salads, desserts, champagne, mimosas and much, much, more.

Reservations can be made by contacting Twist Restaurant at (323) 491-1000. Parking is just $2 with validation. More information on KJAZZ 88.1FM and the brunch series can be found at http://www.jazzandblues.com/

While enjoying the music, guests are encouraged to try the delicious appetizers, delightful entrees, and handcrafted signature cocktails available from the Lobby Bar.

All ages are welcome to these family-friendly events and, unlike a lot of venues in Hollywood, there’s no cover. That means free for everyone!

Kiernan McMullan (7:30) is a singer/songwriter. His debut record “Perfect People Are Boring” (111 records) reaches out towards electro and spoken word as well as funk, rock, pop, jazz and roots music. Look for Kiernan to be on tour this year and for his new acoustic EP. Watch the video for his song “Will You Be Gone” below:

Silhouette (8:30) is the perfect enigmatic alias of a passionate Northern Irish 22-year-old girl whose main focus creatively is to inspire, touch and mend the hearts of anyone who is drawn in to listen. Since late 2007, Silhouette has sessioned and shared the stage with a number of bands and artists to local acclaim including Joe Echo (co-writer for Madonna), and is currently a member of “RAMS” Pocket Radio live band. Check out a review of her first single at Fame Magazine, and watch the video below:

This year, Aaron Shanley (9:30) has played main support to a number of international artists as part of the Belfast/Nashville Singer Songwriter Festival, and to Tom Baxter & Holly Williams where he was presented with The Katherine Brick Young Songwriter of the Year Award. Aaron was chosen to play in Nashville at the famous Belcourt Theatre to a capacity crowd. Since his return, Aaron has been Artist in Residence at the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in May. Check out his video for the song “Coming Down” below:

Hope you can join us!

While I might look back fondly to those times with rose-colored glasses, today’s modern Bloody Mary can be a marvelous thing: gloriously fresh tomato juice, a subtle blend of spices, and a real vodka-fueled kick in the pants after a long night of merrymaking.

One such night of merrymaking is what inspired New York City-based design legend Andy Spade – husband to Kate and half of the creative force behind a little company known and loved by women everywhere called Kate Spade New York – to create a unique Bloody Mary experience and bring it to Renaissance Hotels around the country. Rolling out this June, the Partners & Spade ABSOLUT BLOODY bottle service experience offers Renaissance guests a unique table service replete with all the essentials for making the perfect Bloody Mary. If you really like what you see – and as I’ve sampled the wares, I can say you will – you can purchase a beautifully-designed bar kit created by Andy Spade at select Renaissance Hotels gift shops.

The Partners & Spade ABSOLUT BLOODY experience includes a carafe of ABSOLUT BLOODY MARYS, rocks glasses, spice shakers, swing top bottles, and a bottle of The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters. The ABSOLUT BLOODY kit, designed as a classic, monogrammed, leather bound carrying case, includes two rocks glasses, a bottle of The Bitter Truth Celery Bitters, a bottle of Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce, two Spade Stirrers, one recipe/story card, four mini bottles of Tabasco Sauce, a jar of Dean and Deluca Celery Salt, two bottles of ABSOLUT® VODKA, a bottle of ABSOLUT® PEPPAR, and a bottle ABSOLUT® CITRON. Both should be available at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in the coming days.

Now that you’re jonesing for a cocktail, did I ever tell you that one about how Ernest Hemingway threw me and my pet lion out of a bar in Paris? You wouldn’t believe a word of it, but I swear it might be true…

This is Bruce, signing off.