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!

Let out your inner demons at Villans

In a somewhat deserted area of downtown near the LA river, you'll walk down a seemingly deserted block with hardly any cars or passerby and all the buildings are old, brick, and appear empty. "I feel like we're on a set," my friend says. "That's just because we're in LA. Anywhere else and you'd just think these were old buildings." We turn the corner and out of nowhere is the bar we've been searching for! But not just any bar. With a big sign reading "Villans" in bold script, a skeleton greeting you as you walk in, and an interior that looks like a cross between a set from an old western and a noir film with a heavy hand of goth, this is unlike any other bar in Los Angeles. I didn't feel like I was on an old film lot walking to Villains, but I certainly felt as though I was on set once inside.

Crystal chandeliers with perched crows hang over the bar, an enormous black carved mirror covers the wall as you walk in, colorful glass vases line the windows up to the ceiling, and plenty of taxidermy constitute the decor. As much as I loved the quirky and bold interior, what really won me over was the food and drinks.

The menu is small but the items on it include gourmet twists on typical bar food, such as the pharaoh salad, consisting of farro, cucumber, heirloom tomato, beets, and feta cheese, and the grilled cheese, made with cave-aged cheddar and tamarind chili. The cocktail menu is inspired and allows the bartenders to show off the craftsmanship, and their $8 beer and shot combo is fun and unique. When you tire of the typical WeHo bar scene, head over to Villains for a sexy and fun rendezvous.

Closed Already?

After what has been months of delays and promises to open soon, Magnolia Bakery finally opened it's doors two weeks ago. Now a week later, I walked by and found that they're closed again due to health code violations, but will reopen again soon. What gives! I was already frustrated at having to wait for them to open for so long, but now they're already closed again? I'll be sticking to Joans on Third and Sprinkles, where their products are frankly better and I know what I'm eating is safe :)

Monday Yummy

Paul Rudd hot? Totes! We first crushed on him as the sweet but dorky older stepbrother in Clueless, and as he's gotten older (wiser, funnier, and sexier) we've come to love him for his hilarious comedic parts in Knocked Up, I Love You Man, and now Dinner With Schmucks. Sometime when a man can make you laugh, that's all you need! Of course, his baby blue eyes don't hurt either :)

Girl Crush

With a part in the summer's hottest movie people can't stop talking about, drop-dead gorgeous good looks, and the savvy fashion sense only a French woman can possess, we can help but crush on Marion Cotillard.

Magnolia Bakery - Worth The Wait?

At last, Magnolia Bakery has FINALLY opened after months and months of teasing their anxious neighbors and claiming they would be opening soon. I stopped by Friday night for the soft opening with a huge smile on my face and high expectations, and got three (yes, three) desserts to sample. I know I should be embarrassed, but they were free, I'd been waiting for Magnolia to open for what felt like an eternity, and, well, I like sweets. The desserts I picked up included a brownie, a chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting, and slice of the snickers icebox pie. After sampling each treat, I felt a bit nauseous and fairly disappointed. The brownie was good, but brownies are ALWAYS pretty good. It was moist and chocolatey, but didn't "wow" me. The icebox pie was a weird creation that had a chocolate, crumbly crust layered with peanut butter and cream cheese, a whipped cream filling, and snickers pieces on top. All I could taste was sickly sweet creaminess with some pieces of snickers on top. I didn't know what to expect with an icebox pie, but I thought it was taste better than that! The most important test was the cupcake, and they failed on this one as well. The cake was sticky and sweet (I prefer moist but crumbly) and the frosting reminded me of the icing on cakes at Ralphs. Their buttercream was grainy (I'm assuming from the overload of granulated sugar) as opposed to creamy and didn't do much to complement the cake. I didn't even finish it, which NEVER happens with cupcakes. So, it turns out, I will still prefer to walk across the street to Joans on Third to get my cupcakes and sweets when the urge strikes. Sorry Magnolia.