Happy Lunar New Year!

Today is the Lunar New Year, celebrated in many Asian cultures. Today also marks the beginning of the Year of the Ox in the Chinese zodiac. There are several New Year celebrations taking place in the Southland this weekend, the major ones being the Chinese New Year festival in downtown L.A. and the Têt Festival in Little Saigon.

Los Angeles' Chinatown marks the event with the annual Golden Dragon Parade, scheduled for 2:00 pm this Saturday, January 31 along North Broadway. The parade is part of a two-day Lunar New Year Festival taking place all weekend.

Also this weekend, Southern California's Vietnamese community celebrates Têt, the Vietnamese New Year, with the largest Têt Festival in the U.S. This three-day cultural festival in Little Saigon includes food, live entertainment and something called a "Culture Village."

There is another Têt Festival the following weekend, February 6-7, in South El Monte. The program includes a lion and dragon dance, a beauty pageant, martial arts demonstrations, traditional music and dance performances, orchid and bonsai exhibits and carnival rides.

Golden Dragon Parade and Lunar New Year Festival, Chinatown. Saturday, January 31, 10 am to 8 pm and Sunday, February 1, 10 am to 5 pm. Free. Click here for more information and directions.

Têt Festival, Garden Grove Park. Friday, Jan. 30, 2-10 pm, Saturday, Jan. 31, 10 am to 10 pm, and Sunday, Feb. 1, 10 am to 9 pm. Admission $5. Free for children under 4' tall. Click here for more info.

L.A. Têt Festival, Whittier Narrows Regional Park, South El Monte. Saturday, Feb. 6, 11 am to 11 pm and Sunday, Feb. 7, 11 am to 10 pm. Admission $5 for adults and $3 for children. Click here for more info.

Doo Dah Parade this Sunday

The 32nd “Occasional” Pasadena Doo Dah Parade celebrates the post-holiday season in its typically loud, irreverent style on Sunday, January 18th, stepping off at 11:30 am. The boisterous, twisted sister to Pasadena’s genteel Rose Parade is known for subversive spirit.

Over 1,500 revelers, many in outrageous costumes and carrying bizarre props, will be led by 2009 Grand Marshal Charles Phoenix, beloved by fans for his wacky Retro Slide Show performances, riding atop a vintage Fire Marshal's station wagon and trailed by dozens of roller skaters.

The parade is preceded by an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast at the Pasadena Senior Center at the corner of Holly and Raymond, the start of the parade route, from 8:30 to 11:30 am. The cost is $7.00 per person. The parade is free!

Pasadena Senior Center, 85 E. Holly Street, Pasadena. Parade route travels down Colorado Blvd. between Raymond and Pasadena Avenues in Old Town Pasadena. For more info, visit the official website.

Party like a Barack-star

Looking for somewhere to go on Tuesday to watch--and celebrate--the Presidential Inauguration? I just found out about this super-cool party happening downtown. Admission is only $10.



Tuesday, January 20. The West Coast "Art of Change" Inaugural Ball, featuring The Mutaytor with extra special guests The Crystal Method, at the Mayan Theater in downtown Los Angeles.

Doors open at 7:00 pm, with a reshowing of the Inauguration on a giant screen at 8:00 pm. At 9:30 The Mutaytor will take the stage, followed by DJs spinning until midnight.

The Mayan Theater is located at 1038 South Hill Street. For more information, click here.

World premiere at the Ford

Sorry for the long absence, folks. I was out of town for a week, without my laptop, and I'm currently preoccupied with trying to find a job! But I wanted to tell you about a new play opening this weekend at the Ford.

"Battle Hymn" is a fantastical epic that follows a young girl's 150-year pregnancy and kaleidoscopic journey through history. This world premiere production runs January 17 through February 21 at the 87-seat [Inside] the Ford at the Ford Amphitheater.

From the press release:

On the eve of the Civil War, sixteen-year-old Martha (Los Angeles newcomer Suzy Jane Hunt) finds herself pregnant and ostracized. As Martha travels through and fights in the Civil War, she settles on one incontrovertible fact: she will not raise her baby in a blood-soaked, violent country. Martha stays pregnant for over a century, until she arrives in San Francisco in 1967. For a moment Martha thinks she's landed in heaven, but before she knows it, half the world is at war once again. From the mud and the blood of Fort Sumter to singing cows and the summer of love, Martha's journey embodies the tragedy, humor and hope that have shaped the last 150 years of U.S. history.

Tickets are $20, but two previews on January 15 and 16 (that's tomorrow and Friday), as well as all Sunday 2:00 pm performances, are pay-what-you-can.

"Battle Hymn" runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 pm and 7 pm, January 17 through February 21. Two previews take place on January 15 and 16 at 8 pm.

[Inside] the Ford is located in the Ford Theatres complex at 2580 Cahuenga Blvd. East, just off the 101 Freeway across from the Hollywood Bowl and south of Universal Studios. On-site parking is free.

For reservations and information, call the Ford Theatres Box Office at (323) 461-3673 or click here.