Photos from Drink.Eat.Play’s Cupcake Challenge 2010, held at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa on February 20, 2010.

Oh, and apparently, we have fans in Scotland. Cheers!

This is Bruce, signing off.

This week’s featured guests are the Susie Hansen Latin Jazz Band. Electric violinist Susie Hansen plays fiery Latin Jazz and Salsa, creating music that brings audiences to their feet, dancing in the aisles. Susie and her Los Angeles-based band have been acclaimed by many critics, such as Phil Elwood from the San Francisco Examiner who describes them this way: “It’s a sizzling, swinging Salsa band. Hansen can solo as if her bow was afire. The whole room was jumpin’ for joy.” Hear their music at their official website and check out this video of the band:

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 or online. More information on KJAZZ 88.1FM and the brunch series can be found here.

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!

Best Actor: James Cameron for Avatar. He made us believe in furry blue people called Na’vi in a far away land called Pandora, and then he revealed to our dismay that the movie was not a documentary like his last couple of pictures, and was instead entirely fictional. He duped us, and for that, he deserves an Oscar. Also, the whole symbolism of calling the planet Pandora – aka, the box full of bad stuff that we shouldn’t open; very nice, Cameron. I caught that. On my second viewing.

Best Actress: Meryl Streep for anything, because shouldn’t this award be named for her at this point? A more pressing issue, somewhat akin to women’s ski-jump, shouldn’t Streep just start competing against the men at this point? She could out-Jack Sparrow Johnny Depp any day of the week. Just wait. After that, she’s going to release a mixtape. Eat your heart out, Lil Wayne.

Best Original Screenplay: Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, simply because after the conclusion of Transformers 1, I saw absolutely no way for them to make a sequel. Everything was wrapped up so nicely. It was like a neat little bowtie, made of explosions. I’m sure you were just as surprised as I was.

Best Adapted Screenplay: District 9, but you know, I’m really tired of people adapting my life story to film. It’s getting old, guys. Next time, though, make sure to make my hair come down to my shoulders, even if you have to do it in post. That’s how it happened.

Best Animated Picture: UP, because I cried. And it didn’t even have unicorns.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow, because James Cameron should not be encouraged. Smurfs and Pocahontas do not mix, dude.

Best Picture: UP. This one is the hardest award to give out, simply because it’s the last and my fingers are getting tired from typing. (Editor’s note: This is a lie. Bruce doesn’t type. He dictates to a monkey.) Avatar made more money than any other movie ever, but technically – at least according to the rules I’ve never read – the Academy Awards is not actually a popularity contest. The Hurt Locker is another big contender, but as most of us learned in high school, and I learned in pre-school, popularity does matter, at least a little. So neither of those can win. Up In The Air was a good movie, full of empathy and flying, but if you have the chance to fire George Clooney in a movie, you just have to do it. I mean, come on, the man lives a dream life! While I assume there were other contenders, my monkey didn’t write very clearly on this napkin, so I’m not sure what else was nominated. Which leaves me with UP. Even though there were no unicorns. So congratulations, Pixar. Your first best picture win. All you had to do was make a movie about a crazy old man in a flying balloon house. How hard was that really?

This is Bruce, signing off.

Angel Taylor, whose debut album Love Travels was named iTunes Best Pop Album of 2009, performed live at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel & Spa in front of an enthusiastic crowd on February 20, 2010.

A current VH1 You Oughta Know Artist On The Rise, Taylor is an extraordinary singer-songwriter and has been hailed as one of the brightest new artists of 2009, poised for a breakout year in 2010. Taylor, a Los Angeles native, is touring the countrys Renaissance Hotels as a part of her Love Travels Tour, and coming to Hollywood makes this performance something of a homecoming.

7:30 Diana Anaid (Twitter)
8:00 Gene Loveland (Twitter)
8:30 Bobby Tinsley (Twitter)
9:00 Lindsay Rae Spurlock (Twitter)
9:30 Keaton Simons (Twitter)
10:00 Sink To See (Twitter)

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!

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!

This week’s featured group, the Frank Potenza Trio, includes Potenza on guitar and vocals, Steve Barnes on drums, and Joe Bagg on organ. Capri recording artist and educator Potenza is a protege of the late, great Joe Pass and an active composer and performer with eight solo albums to his credit, and he has performed in concert with Dizzy Gillespie, George Van Eps, Joe Pass, Bud Shank, Mose Allison, James Moody, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Brother Jack McDuff, and many others. Read about his latest album here and here.

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 or online. More information on KJAZZ 88.1FM and the brunch series can be found here.

While I will have plenty more to say about the nominations, what I want to concentrate on today is the wonderful indie movie business in this city. One of the greatest things about living (or visiting) Los Angeles is the ability to see classic movies, foreign hits, avant-garde cinema, and notable independent movies on the big screen. Nowhere, and I mean nowhere, anywhere else in the world, can you see Lawrence of Arabia in 70 mm. (Editor’s Note: Probably. Bruce hasn’t actually done any research to verify that fact.) Take that, Portland. And you too, New York. Yeah, I’m calling you out, San Francisco. In this area, you all got nothin’ on our fair city. Word. (Editor’s Note: Rad? Tubular?)

In honor of this, here are a few theatre venues and organizers who tweet their movie schedules:

Downtown Independent @DowntownIndie – Lots of old films, beer, wine, food, and a gorgeous building to boot.

The Cinefamily @cinefamily – Near Melrose and Fairfax, with interesting and unusual screenings in the restored Silente Movie Theatre.

New Beverly @newbeverly – One of the best places to see independent, foreign, and art-house cinema on the planet, at Fairfax and LaBrea. Now owned by director Quentin Tarantino.

Cinespia @cinespia – During the Summer, Cinespia puts on killer screenings of old classics on the lawn of the Hollywood Cemetery. Chilly, and chilling.

Arclight Hollywood @ALHollywood – Not independent by any means, but one of the best places to watch a movie on the planet, period. They respect movies and the audience as much as anyone.

Art Theatre Long Beach @ArtTheatre – Never been, but heard good things. A little out of the way, but looks like a very solid lineup with coffee and wine bars in a classic restored movie house.

Landmark Theatres @LTLosAngeles – Not really indie either, but this is all about the Nuart, one of the better small theatres in LA. At Santa Monica and the 405.

American Cinematheque @sidgrauman – Two theatres, the gorgeous Egyptian in Hollywood and the Aero in Santa Monica. Amazing lineups of films, great festivals, and frequently updated twitter feed.

El Capitan Theatre @ElCapitanThtre – This is the Disney-owned theatre in Hollywood, right across the street from the Hollywood & Highland Center. Big Disney movies, with fun bonus experiences as part of the ticket price. Definitely worth it, at least once.

UCLA Campus Event Commission @uclacec – New to us, but they twitter frequently about coming screenings on campus.

Laemmle Theatres @LaemmleTheatres – With a couple locations around Los Angeles, including the Sunset 5, these theatres are frequently the only place in the city to see a particular small foreign film.

That’s all for today. Make sure to follow these theatres and organizations (and us!), go see movies, and tip your moose when he brings you your mail.

This is Bruce, signing off.