Who Do You Know? Friends You Need In LA

The Coworker: I call this my day-home friend. The one we actually spend most of our lives with and who gets to hear about every detail of what you were doing the night before. The one who covers your ass when the boss wonders why you reek of Vodka on Friday morning.

The Doorman/Promoter: Ok technically they're not your 'real friend' but in LA who is, haha, just kidding... kind of. This person helps you glide through every velvet rope in town and just might save you on the way out.

The Publicist: This person is the social butterfly of your group, the one who knows about everything and everyone that's important. And mostly importantly, drags you along with them for the ride.

The anti-LA: As much as we love this city and all the craziness that comes with it, sometimes it's nice to have to that person in your life to help you take a step back to reality and remind you of who you really are.

The Yogi: This person will not only give you a more toned and sexified bod, they will also bring you a little enlightenment. When you're having a bad they, they'll pat you on the back, say you're doing what you can, and as long as you're doing your part to promote peace, harmony, and goodness, you're doing your part.

The Actor/Writer/Musician - This dramatic individual will keep you entertained and are appreciated for their outlandish stories, sense of humor, and crazy experiences. Bonus points if your creative friend is successful, then the stories and experiences will only get crazier and hopefully, you'll become part of their entourage and thus, part of the stories.

The Lawyer - If you've got Gloria Allred's number in your iPhone, you're already one step ahead. Hopefully we don't have any Lindsay-esque problems with the law, but it's always good to be friends with a lawyer in case we (or someone we know) does.

The Manager at the Beverly Hills Hotel - This friend is most important to have during the hot summer months (well, really anytime when the weather is above 75 degrees) so that we can work on our tans and frolic in the water at the city's most resort-like pool.

420 Prescription friend - for obvious reasons.

The Stylist - To keep you stylish, share her fashion secrets and favorite stores, and, of course, swap clothes!

Photo courtesy of point-spreads

Congrats on no more H8!

Thank you to U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker in his ruling to overturn Prop 8, deeming California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional. Time to put on your party pants and celebrate, no matter if you're gay or straight!

Reason #1 to call in sick to work...Malibu!

The heat was overwhelming, my AC was busted, and every part of me was sweating. It was time to go to the beach, cool off, and escape from my WeHo bubble for the day. First I went to Carbon Beach to work on getting a bit of a glow (if only cancer didn't look SO good) and take a dip in the water. I highly recommend going to this beach, as it is mostly mostly the residents with homes along this strip of PCH that come here, so you don't have to deal with overcrowded beaches full of noisy kids and the general riff-raff of the city and instead are sharing the sand with entertainment executives reading through scripts.

After an afternoon of laying on the beach doing absolutely nothing other than flip sides (and magazine pages), I'd worked up an appetite and was ready for some food. I headed to the Malibu Country Mart and was happily surprised to find a cute new restaurant, La Habana Cafe, with an adorable outdoor patio perfect for a late lunch and a drink. The place was fantastic, and I will definitely be going back! We split the queso fundido, a pulled pork burrito, and each had a cold beer. The queso fundido was a delicious concoction of melted cheese with chorizo perfect for scooping into tortillas, and the burrito was generous in size, flavorful, and full of fresh ingredients. After our meal, we were ready to go to the stores and do some damage to our credit cards.

The shopping area at Cross Creek has drastically improved with some trendy boutiques. Not only do they still have Madison, Planet Blue (my favorite), Jamres Perse, and Ron Herman, but now they also have Kitson, Intermix, and Alice and Olivia. All stores carry pretty similar merchandise, but you can never have too much of a good thing, right? Cross Creek may just be the new Robertson in terms of shopping destinations....

All in all, a fabulous day! Now call in sick, head to the beach, get a drink, and do some shopping! It is summer, after all!

Summer Party Playlist

It's the middle of summer, that magical time of year when there are barbecues and pool parties galore. For the next party you host (or want to deejay), turn to our playlist for some great tunes sure to be a hit at your party from some of the summer's hottest artists.

La Roux - In for the Kill

Matt & Kim - Daylight

Flight Facilities - Crave You

Passion Pit - Moth's Wings

Junior Boys - In the Morning

Yeasayer - Ambling Alp

Temper Trap - Sweet Disposition

Miike Snow - Black and Blue

Ladyhawke - Magic

Empire of the Sun - Walking on a Dream

MGMT - Flash Delerium

Vampire Weekend - Holiday

Phoenix - Lisztomania

Yves Larock - Rise Up

LA Mini Breaks

If you're like us and don't have the time time or the funds to jet off to the South of France this summer don't cry into your 4th glass of Sangria just yet. Summer is one of the best times to be in Los Angeles and having a staycation in (or just outside) the city can often be more fun than if you'd travelled anywhere!

- Here's a novel idea, try the beach! But before you skip on down to Santa Monica and come back with malaria, try something different. There's always Malibu or if you've got the time, go a little north and try Zuma,Paradise Cove, or el Matador, all of which are much more scenic and a better getaway. Plus, you won't feel the urgent need to sanitize your body as soon as you get out of the water. Another option is to head south and hang out with the cool kids in Huntington Beach, Newport or the Laguna Beach. If you're learning to surf, check out San Onofre, known for it's slow-moving, Hawaii-like waves that make it a great place to sharpen your skills.

- Pull a Julia Roberts and stay at one of the city's fancy hotels (minus the hooker part). The SLS, The Beverly Hills Hotel, The W Hollywood, The London, The Sunset Tower Hotel, or if you're lucky/important, try Chateau Marmont. If you aren't able to book a room, at least go and have a poolside drink or meal.

- Try a little day trip to Santa Barbara or Ojai. Both towns are about 2 hours from LA and are perfect for a long weekend or just a day trip. Go to the spa, enjoy the local food, but don't bring your LA attitude.

- Wine tasting!! When not downing gin and tonics and pitcher after pitcher of sangria, sometimes it's nice to enjoy a glass (or two, or three...) of wine. Temecula and Santa Ynez have been on California's hidden wine list for years, and it's time for you to discover them too. But again leave the LA 'tude at home, yes you, I've seen you there.

- Giddy-up! You usually think of horseback rides as being reserved for resorts and ranches in the mountains or the country, but there are actually stables with horseback riding right below the Hollywood sign at Sunset Ranch. Leave your heels at home and rough it with Buster for a couple hours for a fun escape!

- Sail away to Catalina for the day. Okay, so it's not Capri, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy southern California's very own convenient island getaway! Take a boat there, check out the town, and go for a snorkel or a scuba. You'll feel worlds away from Los Angeles, when it's really only about 30 miles from the city.

Robert Pattinson's Father Knows Best

Yesterday I had the fantastic opportunity to go to the taping for The Tonight Show With Jay Leno, thanks to my friend that works on the show (muchas gracis Ali!). And who was the guest? My favorite vampire, the tantalizing Robert Pattinson. One of the reasons I love him as much as I do is because despite his status, he still seems shy and pretty down to earth. Case in point: during the interview, he was reading emails his dad sends him, one of which described old-fashioned gestures he believes his son should use to impress ladies, instead of adopting the vulgar habits of Americans. This made me like him even more, and got me to thinking that everyone should take a hint from Robert's dad and adopt habits that are much more elegant and refined than the ones we currently use. Here are a few:

1. Men, upon meeting a lovely lady, could kiss their hand instead of shaking it. This is what Robert's father said impressed his mother, and if a cute guy did this, it would impress me too!

2. Open the door. This includes not just doors to buildings, but also car doors. So simple, but such an appreciated gesture.

3. If a woman is carrying a heavy bag, offer to help her with it.

4. Offer your jacket to a woman if she's cold.

5. Pulling out a chair for the woman when you're sitting down to dinner.

6. Bring the girl flowers. It doesn't have to be anything extravagant, but it's a sweet, romantic gesture to "woo" a girl with a little bouquet when you first start dating that doesn't happen as often as it used to back in the day.

These are some tips for the guys, but ladies need to be a bit more refined too! Britney, Paris, are you listening? If we're acting sloppy and crude, what do we expect from guys? Perhaps watching some Audrey Hepburn movies will inspire us women to behave more like ladies and the men will follow suit.

Hot Child in the City - Gimme Free

1. Cinespia - Hollywood Forever Cemetery movie screens starting May 15th, 2010.

2. Yogaworks is $20 a class. Earth's Power Yoga is $17. Golden Bridge: $16. Yoga at Runyon Canyon: Free. Namaste.

3. Have a cheap laugh at the Largo and Upright Citizens Brigade. Shows at the Largo are usually $20-25, and only $5 at UCB.

4. Thirsty but don't have spend $15 on a cocktail? DrinksLA to the rescue. This company has weekly events at different locations throughout the city where they promote a high end boutique liquor - for only $4 a cocktail. I'll drink to that!

5. Get your friends to a gallery opening. The art is the excuse, but what you'll really enjoy is the hipster fashion show and taking advantage of the free vino. M + B, Blum and Poe, and Regen Projects have some of the most eclectic (and therefore best) people for watching.

6. Free museum Thursdays at LACMA after 5 pm.

7. Downtown Art Walk

8. Free Chanel Fridays (haha, yeah right)

9. Next time you're at the local farmers market, don't rush past the guy handing out information for free moving screenings and instead take advantage! It'll save you the $13 you'd spend seeing the movie at the Arclight.

10. Soup Kitchens, yeah, sometimes you're hungry.

How to Crash a Hollywood Party

How the night should start...

1. Dress the part – if you’re going to be socializing with the crème de la crème, you need to look Beverly Hills – not Valley.
2. Skim the news that day to brush up on your current events. This means reading Variety, not the Wall Street Journal. Or if you’re running late, scan Perez Hilton for some quick up to date news.
3. Be confident. If you’re feeling insecure, it’ll show and security will sense you weren’t invited. Never walk in confused – walk with a purpose as if you’re the star they’ve been waiting for!
4. When in doubt, have an alias. Stick to something simple but that’s fitting with the entertainment industry, like Elise Goldstein or Stacey Roth.
5. Network, network, network. Even if you’re not trying to push anything, pretend that you are!

How the night may end...if you're lucky!

Only in LA...Crystal readings, hiring friends, and getting high in bars

1. Do you meet someone that gets their energy read by crystals. And really believes what they say.

2. Do you hire a friend to make you breakfast on a daily basis.

3. Do you see someone smoking weed out of a volcano vaporizer, in a bar, on a saturday night, with no one flinching an eye.