This Monday night, GOOD Music Monday kicks off at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa, featuring performances by the best up-and-comers in local independent music, all hand-selected by LA’s indie music hub IsGoodMusic. This event starts at 8:00 pm in the hotel’s Lobby Bar, and continues every Monday night.

GOOD Music Mondays will run similar to the hotel’s popular Indie Thursdays showcases. The first Monday of each month boasts three short acoustic sets from featured bands performing in the hotel’s Lobby Bar. On the following Mondays of the month, each artist will have their own evening and perform two full, semi-acoustic sets. Performances are 8pm to 10pm each week.

This week’s performance will include acoustic sets from Carla Hassett (8:15 PM), Firebug (9 PM), and Atlantic Line (9:45 PM).

Attendance is free and all ages are welcome. Guests are encouraged to try delicious appetizers, delightful entrees, desserts, and handcrafted signature cocktails available from the Lobby Bar.

Going to the movies is a lot of work. Think about all the work that comes with a trip to the movies: For one thing, you have to wear pants the entire time. And I’m not particularly partial to pants, unless they’re made from yak’s fur, woven by Tibetan monks during a full moon. If you haven’t worn full moon yak pants, you haven’t worn pants at all.

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.

Kick back at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa’s Lobby Bar as we showcase exciting, independent musical talent every Thursday night from 7:30-9:30 PM. See July’s schedule here.

This week’s featured artist is The Quiet, a dynamic four-piece piano pop-rock band that draws comparisons to Ben Folds, Elton John and Van Morrison. The band is booking shows throughout the coast to support the release of their second full-length album, “Let It Fall.”

You can follow them on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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.

Kick back at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa’s Lobby Bar as we showcase exciting, independent musical talent every Thursday night from 7:30-9:30 PM. See July’s schedule here.

This week’s featured artist is Hypnogaja, an alt-rock band with a new, sci-fi concept. Their LP, Truth Decay, has been cited by Outburn Magazine as “an expertly crafted album.” Hypnogaja was named Best Alternative Artist at the 2009 Hollywood Music in Media Awards and was referred to by Hits Magazine as “one to watch”. Listen to them using this widget below.

Follow @hypnogaja on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook.

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.

Did you know July 4th is just around the corner? Independence Day, our country’s biggest holiday, is this Sunday and isn’t it right to celebrate a bit? I certainly always do.

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.