Montana Avenue got a little hipper when artlab opened its doors in December. Artlab, Montana Avenue's newest hot spot, is luxelab's little sister. Judging from the chic urban scene and tune-rich atmosphere at the guest list-only opening, you might think artlab is the Westside's newest Zanzibar wannabe, but it's not.

Like luxelab, artlab is a hair salon, but artlab caters to a culture-rich-aka younger and more budget-bound-clientele. We can thank co-creative directors and salon co-owners David Abrams and Jason Lara for artlab's appearance on the heels of Wall Street's woes, but the two have been styling artlab for quite a while.

Abrams and Lara hope artlab will appeal to young style- and wallet-conscious professionals. Reasonably priced salon services are the big draw, and even while offering haircuts that cost just a third of the typical L.A. price, the salon's talent is superior. These stylists know what they're doing... More >> ..

Welcome to the neighborhood, Hugh! Jackman just bought a $21 million, 11,032-square foot triplex condo in the West Village. The 12-room condo had been listed on the market for $33 million; Jackman must know someone really special, though, because his $21 million closing price is less than 2/3 of that.
Located at 176 Perry Street, the condo occupies the eighth, ninth, and tenth floors of the building and includes all the amenities you would expect with such a price tag, including:
     - A master bedroom on the tenth floor
     - Three 51-foot-wide rooms
     - A recreation room
     - A double-height living room
     - A 54-foot-long gallery/dining room
     - A library
     - A music room
     - A wet bar and gourmet kitchen
     - A sauna and exercise room
     - A terrace off of each floor
     - A staircase connecting all three floors
The previous owner reportedly purchased the unit for $17... More >> ..

Just days after I witnessed darling Paris flaunting the new pink Bentley she'd bought herself for Christmas (to the tune of more than $200,000), I heard the late-breaking news report that the heiress's Sherman Oaks mansion had been broken into and burglarized.

The items looted include "jewelry, watches, and every ring I own," Hilton said, including "all my necklaces, jewelry that my grandmothers gave me that I'll never be able to replace." She continued her lament: "Obviously it's devastating and disturbing that someone was in my home."

The complaints didn't stop as she persisted in her plea to the thief to return the stolen goods. "We have three security guards there and a 24-hour guard who is always on my property. We have the alarm on, the dogs, the guards with the guns, so no one is going to be coming into my house."

Sorry, Paris. It sounds like you're SOL... More >> ..

Sometimes I wonder about the most basic aspects of the lives of people as socially endowed as the Queen of England. Is her toilet paper decorated with a da Vinci fresco, or is it just extra-thick double ply from Costco? When she sneezes, do doves soar upward and trumpets sound to excuse her, or does a lowly servant squeak a simple "bless you?" Even small things like paper clips and coffee mugs make me wonder whether everything she touches is gold-plated-or maybe she enjoys the simplicity of those things that we mortals consider mundane.

With international markets plummeting, a world divided by war is finally finding unity in a common lack of cash. Now even Queen Elizabeth is feeling the pinch, proving that the woman I thought sweated rubies is more proletarian than I had originally believed. According to French news agency FTP, the Queen's usual $60 million yearly budget has been curtailed, forcing Her Majesty to reduce spending... More >> ..

Hollywood's most famous bachelor pad, where ABC's The Bachelor and The Bachelorette were filmed, was recently put on the market for $13 million and then reduced to the bargain price of $8.75 million. It's a sign of the times when even romantic rich folk can't risk splashing out on prime real estate to wine and dine their prospective girlfriends or boyfriends. And that's a shame, because the Villa De La Vina fairly drips with romance.

This 200-year-old Spanish Revival-style house, set within the Santa Monica Mountains of Malibu, boasts a 4,000-square-foot accessory building with a solar-heated saltwater swimming pool surrounded by arched aqueduct spillways, two spas, and a swim-up barbeque and bar. These digs could even seduce yours truly, L.A.'s certified-terminal bachelorette writer.

You like parties? Well, with ten acres of interior and exterior event space, plus views of the canyon, mountain, and vineyard, what's to stop you? Nine bathrooms certainly don't hurt your party plans... More >> ..

If you ask me, memories are like dominatrix sessions with Betty White: they just never seem to last long enough. But my favorite memories, which I do still recall in vivid detail, involve my parents, our fireplace, and all the wonderful lessons I learned from Father as a boy. Many times the subject was gender relations, such as Father's light-hearted suggestion to Mother that she learn the art of the soapy massage from our Asian housekeeper, or possibly make her eyes more squinty in general, he thought it would make Mother more likely to be his first choice for his "daily dalliance."

Although Mother tended to get upset about these talks, Father said the point was that "a woman should always repress her silly emotions and strive to please her man, which sometimes means allowing her man to dabble in extra-marital, lathered pleasure." I never understood the last part, but Father said it was like getting two birthday cakes, or celebrating Christmas twice a year, neither of which I can find any fault with.

This fall was privy to Hollywood firsts and backstabbing at its finest. Director Catherine Hardwicke's teen phenomenon Twilight grossed $70 million at the box office in its first weekend and made Hardwicke the first woman director ever to dominate Hollywood with such a high return. Stephanie Meyer's adapted first novel has already grossed $160 million in its first few weeks, and Hardwicke had been duly touted as the industry insider who finally shifted Hollywood from a male-dominated arena for the production of testosterone theater (this is, remember, the same Hollywood that recently declared Nicole Kidman "box office poison" because she's a woman) to a more even playing field. Hardwicke also proved that teenage girls, all but forgotten since Leo and Kate's Titantic days, are still and always will be a viable and lucrative audience. But Twilight's producer, Summit Entertainment, fired Hardwicke mid-promo junket after demanding that the second installment of the franchise begin principle filming in the new year-it seems Hardwicke wasn't ready... More >> ..

There really is no better way to go out. Mr. Vick, we applaud you for your exit.

Though the Atlanta Falcon's former star quarterback Michael Vick has just begun what could be a two-year sentence, he didn't let that stop him from living the life we all dream of. Maybe he realized during his final three months as a free man (for a while, at least) that life is full of ups and downs.

And what better remedy is there for life's low points than a shopping spree? The illegal dogfight ringleader reportedly spent $3.6 million in the three months leading up to November 19, 2008-the day he checked into his new, most likely 8'x12' home.

The $3.6 million included a brand new $99,000 Mercedes (you can never look too classy when rolling up to, well, jail), the cashing of $24,900 in checks, and the disbursement of further cash to friends and family. Yes, he may be a soulless jerk for killing pit bulls and organizing dog fights... More >> ..

I've waited for this day for ages: Men finally have equal rights in divorce settlements as compared to women. Take that Gloria Steinem!

 

Then a few days later, my hopes and dreams are squashed when Madge and Guy denied Liz Rosenberg's statement.

 

 Seriously, what man wouldn't lease Madonna's body for eight years for free, let alone for the sickest divorce settlement ever? Even if Rosenberg's statement is false, Guy will receive the Ashcombe House in western England and their west London pub the Punchbowl, as Madonna is ditching England for Manhattan. I wonder if she'll keep her accent, or did guy snag that too?

 

 Guy Ritchie continues to make less than mediocre movies that all have the same plot and characters as his only decent film, 1998's "Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels... More >> ..

Want your hipster friends to be jealous of your weekend? Pack your bags and hit the road. Next stop: The Parker Palm Springs, the oasis in the desert.

The Parker is the ultimate cool kid. It uses acronyms: PSYC, the name of the resort's spa, stands for Palm Springs Yacht Club. Its parents are never home (Mr. and Mrs. Parker are so elusive that they are, in fact, fictitious characters). And it has a sweet pool-multiple pools, in fact.

The rooms here aren't half bad, either. Decorated by Jonathon Adler under the guise of Mrs. Parker, the rooms are impeccably clean, completely comfy, fabulously quirky, and visually enchanting. If your wallet can take the hit, reserve a Junior Suite (about $575 per night). The perks: oversized balconies that extend over the impeccably kept green lawn below, cube beds that provoke deliciously dirty thoughts of tying your getaway partner to its posts, comfy red chairs to read Twilight in, and a mosaic-tiled room that is actually an overgrown shower separate from the main bathroom... More >> ..

Pull up a stool at the Blue Palms Brewhouse in Hollywood, and you'll know you aren't at your average bar. There are over ten different beers on tap-from local brews to foreign exports-and you'll be in the hands of highly knowledgeable beer sommeliers who know their ales from their stouts. The Blue Palms collection includes the extremely sought-after 1996 Merry Christmas Beer by Anchor Brewing, a beer so rare that only a few bottles remain in the world.

Connoisseurs and sommeliers of the beer-drinking world have chased down this special Christmas beer, which is no longer in production, making the bottle's cap a pricy one to pop. With overpowering spices and a long, malty aftertaste, it's well worth the price. Of course, knowing that the San Francisco-based Anchor Brewing produces quality microbrews rather than mass-produced pedestrian beer makes this beer worth the hunt and the price.

*Blue Palms is offering 15% off to all Pocket Change readers... More >> ..

What: 1996 Merry Christmas Beer by Anchor Brewing Company
Where:Blue Palms Brewhouse
Price:$800
Justification:It makes every situation a little more likely to slide toward sexual mischief

12/16/2008 / Posted by Richard
Tags: Bar / etc
Views: 5435 Comments: 7

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