The star-studded 3rd Annual TASTE AWARDS are taking place this year at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on January 12, and LA’s The Place Magazine is giving away two tickets to the Awards Show and Afterparty! To enter, “LIKE” our page on Facebook,  or Subscribe to LA’s The Place to be entered to win!

The stars and celebrities of food and fashion television and film are preparing to revel in Hollywood at their own one-of-a-kind awards show. The TASTE AWARDS (also known as the TASTY Awards) is the premier awards show honoring the year’s best in Food, Fashion, and Home Lifestyle programs on Television, in Film, Online, and on Radio. The goal is to recognize and acknowledge outstanding excellence in video and film content focused on food, drink, fashion, design, and home lifestyle.

Appearances by stars, celebrities, producers and executives from networks and platforms such as the Food Network, the Style Network, Bravo, the Cooking Channel, TLC, Discovery, Lifetime, E! Entertainment Television, PBS, NBC, ABC, the CW, HGTV, the Travel Channel, HD Net, Hulu, YouTube, Sony Pictures, and more.

Jamie Oliver, Average Betty, Anthony Bourdain, Top Chef: Just Desserts, Project Runway, What Not to Wear, and Rick Bayless lead the awards finalists with several nominations each.

Fans, networks, producers and sponsors could not be more excited. The Awards Show features a star-studded lineup, including presenters and attendees such as Joanne Weir (PBS), Robert Irvine (Food Network), Tanya Holland (Cooking Channel, Food Network), Nathan Lyon (Fit TV, Discovery Health, PBS, Food Network), Bobby Bognar (History Channel), Austin Lau (YouTube), Danielle Keene (Bravo), Amy Paffrath (MTV, G4, E!), Ludo Lefebvre (Sundance Channel), Ashley James (Public Television), Debi Mazar and Gabriele Corcos (Cooking Channel), and more.

The full list of nominees and categories for the 2012 TASTE AWARDS, including Best Food Program, Best Drink Program, Best Film, Best Fashion Program, and Best Organic Program can be seen on www.TheTasteAwards.com, or www.TastyAwards.com.

Note: Winner’s tickets can be picked up at Will Call, photo ID required (over 21)

Have you made your Christmas, Holiday and New Year’s Eve dining and party plans yet?

LA’s The Place suggests some of our favorite hotspots for great holiday dining and New Year’s Eve celebrations. 

 Los Angeles Christmas and New Year’s Dining and Party Options: Click on the Red Links to read all the details!

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From their Christmas Dine + Stay Package to exclusive New Year’s Eve Dine at Gordon Ramsey’s and overnight options, The London West Hollywood Hotel has it all. Check it out to see all their excellent options they are offering! The London West Hollywood and restaurants therein are gorgeous!

Celebrate the Holiday Season in Style at The London West Hollywood

You can’t go wrong if Kerry Simon is in the name. His cuisine is impeccable. In his true fashion, you’ll love LA Market’s spin on classic holiday dishes influenced by the restaurant’s signature contemporary comfort cuisine. Highly recommend!

LA Market Restaurant By Kerry Simon Presents Delectable Three-Course Menus For the Holiday Season

If you wanted to travel to London, Rio de Janeiro or New York to ring in 2012, here’s your chance, without ever leaving LA. Crustacean in Beverly Hills will take you to New Year’s Eve festivities at world-renoun locations such as Big Ben, Copacabana Beach, Times Square, and Rodeo Drive, beginning at “Noon with a Midnight Vibe” with an open brunch menu and endless champagne to ring in the new year. Read here and choose or stay all day and experience them all:  Crustacean in Beverly Hills Noon to Midnight “Around The World” New Year’s Eve Party

Where glitz and glamour reign supreme on the legendary Hollywood and Vine, W Hollywood presents 4 different New Year’s Eve festivities, all without having to drive anywhere! Choose from Delphine, The Living Room, The Great Room and Station.

Read about each one in our article: W Hotel Hollywood Celebrates New Year’s with Four NYE Parties

If fine dining is your forte this New Years Eve. then celebrate the evening with WP24 Restaurant and Lounge at the Ritz Carlton in downtown LA. Offering a fabulous and upscale Chinese six-course meal, you’re sure to start the New Year out right.

Read More:  Ring In the New Year at WP24 Restaurant and Lounge at the Ritz Carlton at LA Live

CHAYA Restaurants in Beverly Hills, downtown Los Angeles, and Venice will enjoy an array of festive New Year’s Eve dining celebrations and exclusively-themed evenings including a “Midnight in Paris,” “New York Nights” and “Mardi Gras

CHAYA Restaurants Offer “Midnight in Paris,” “New York Nights” and “Mardi Gras” inspired celebrations this New Year’s Eve

In the mood for a Mexican twist to your dining this Holiday season? Taberna Mexicana in Beverly Hills wants to give you a special gift card just for dining at their restaurant!

Read all about it here:  Spice Up Your New Years Eve At Taberna Mexicana

Commemorate Christmas Eve and ring in the New Year at Silver Lake’s newest Indian-inspired hot spot Naya Sunset & Naya Lounge. Sure to give you the best of both worlds with delectable cuisine and late night entertainment to countdown to the New Year, Naya Sunset & Lounge offers everything you could want in one night.

Read More:  Naya Sunset & Naya Lounge To Host Your New Years Festivities

Celebrate New Year’s Eve at Laguna Cliffs Marriott in Dana Point

Strictly Parties!

The Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach will host a festive James Bond-inspired Casino Royale-themed New Year’s Eve bash December 31, 2011. Hurry! Tickets sell out fast. Read all about in our article  Shade Hotel in Manhattan Beach Hosts Shade Royale New Year’s Eve Bash Dec. 31st.

Drai’s Hollywood New Years Eve 2011 — “A Black Tie Affair”
http://lastheplace.com/2011/12/08/drais-hollywood-new-years-eve-2011-a-black-tie-affair/

The biggest party of the year is here so join Drai’s Hollywood for their 1st Annual NYE Celebration, “A Black Tie Affair”, as they’ll be Puttin’ on the Ritz and bringing the Golden Age of Hollywood back to life for one night only with an evening of incredibly delicious food, flowing champagne, beautiful party people, and a special surprise to bring in the New Year.

Celebrate New Years Eve at Pourtal Wine Bar in Santa Monica at the ocean, with Bottomless Bubbly for 20.12! Drink champagne all night long to celebrate 2012 for only $20.12. So clever and such a deal! Read about the champagne extravaganza here…

Party with Mario Lopez at Hollywood’s Star-Studded “Big Bang New Year’s Eve Blow Out” at Hollywood & Highland Center

Legends of die-hard fans of multi-platinum rock `n roll band The Rolling Stones will be transported back to the magical summer of 1978 in “The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live In Texas”. This rare, never-before-seen concert footage will be presented as a one-night, in-theater concert event on Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30 p.m. (local time), at multiple locations (here at LA Live).

Unveiled for the first time in more than 30 years,  this phenomenal piece of music history was captured live in Fort Worth, Texas on July 18, 1978 and features an exclusive 20-minute interview with Mick Jagger, filmed in August 2011 as he reflects on the fabled 1978 U.S. tour.

“Fort Worth was an amazing night in a blistering hot July,” said Jagger. “Watching it now, the band was really intense and focused, but we were also having a blast with the fans who were really getting into the show and the new tracks from Some Girls. I think our fans will love the chance to see this concert movie for the first time on the big screen.”

Digitally re-mastered to HD with Cinema Surround Sound, this legendary footage includes a mixture of classic Stones hits such as “Brown Sugar,” “Honky Tonk Women,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” and “Tumbling Dice,” paired with blues numbers and Chuck Berry covers, as well as songs from the then newly released Some Girls LP including fan favorites “Beast of Burden” and “Miss You.”

This tour has never been released via broadcast, cable television or DVD before. The special event will also include an exclusive 20-minute interview with Mick Jagger filmed in August 2011 where he reflects on the fabled 1978 U.S. tour, which is widely believed among fans to be one of the band’s greatest tours and strongest musically.

This Fathom Event will be showing at the following theaters in your area:

Los Angeles and Orange County:

Orange Stadium Promenade 25
1701 W Katella Ave
Orange, CA   92867

Huntington Beach 20
7777 Edinger Ave
Huntington Beach, CA   92647

Irvine Spectrum 20 with IMAX
65 Fortune Dr
Irvine, CA   92618

Aliso Viejo 20 with IMAX
26701 Aliso Creek Rd
Aliso Viejo, CA   92656

Valencia Stadium 12 with IMAX
24435 Town Center Dr
Valencia, CA   91355

Long Beach 26 with IMAX
7501 Carson Blvd
Long Beach, CA   90808

Temecula 15 with IMAX
40750 Winchester Rd
Temecula, CA   92591

Alhambra Renaissance 14 with IMAX
E Main St
Alhambra CA   91801

LA Live
1000 W Olympic Blvd
Los Angeles, CA   90015

The Rolling Stones: Some Girls Live From Texas will be broadcast to more than 300 theaters nationwide through NCM’s exclusive Digital Broadcast Network. Fathom and Eagle Rock also teamed up for the highly successful cinema presentation of Ladies & Gentlemen… The Rolling Stones in September 2010, which featured classic Stones performances from their 1972 tour.

Formed in London in April 1962, The Rolling Stones consists of members Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ronnie Wood. Having released 22 studio albums in the United Kingdom (24 in the United States), nine live albums (10 in the U.S.) and numerous compilations, their worldwide sales are estimated at more than 200 million albums. Their most recent album of entirely new material, A Bigger Bang, was released in 2005. In 1989, the Rolling Stones were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and in 2004, ranked No. 4 in Rolling Stone magazine’s 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked the Rolling Stones at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 Top All-Time Artists, and as the second most successful group in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

“It simply doesn’t get any bigger than bringing The Rolling Stones to music fans across the country,” said Dan Diamond, senior vice president of NCM Fathom. “Well-preserved for more than 33 years, audiences will be spellbound by this incredibly rare concert footage as it flawlessly captures the band during one of its most musically riveting periods.”

About National CineMedia (NCM)
NCM operates NCM Media Networks, a leading integrated media company reaching U.S. consumers in movie theaters, online and through mobile technology.  The NCM Cinema Network and NCM Fathom present cinema advertising and events across the nation’s largest digital in-theater network, comprised of theaters owned by AMC Entertainment Inc., Cinemark Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CNK), Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE: RGC) and other leading regional theater circuits. NCM’s theater advertising network covers 175 Designated Market Areas® (49 of the top 50) and includes over 18,100 screens (16,800 digital). During 2010, over 690 million patrons attended movies shown in theaters in which NCM currently has exclusive, cinema advertising agreements in place.  The NCM Fathom Events broadcast network is comprised of nearly 700 locations in 165 Designated Market Areas® (all of the top 50). The NCM Interactive Network offers 360-degree integrated marketing opportunities in combination with cinema, encompassing 42 entertainment-related websites, online widgets and mobile applications.  National CineMedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: NCMI) owns a 48.7% interest in and is the managing member of National CineMedia LLC. For more information, visit www.nationalcinemedia.com or www.ncm.com.

About More2Screen
More2Screen is a leading London-based alternative content distributor with more than 5 years of experience acquiring and distributing world-class opera, ballet, music concerts, theatre and special event films to cinemas across the globe – including 19 live broadcasts, over 100 different recorded productions and 3D/live content. Recent projects include a series of ‘world-firsts’: Giselle in 3D, the world’s first 3D ballet; the first Japanese live cinema relay to territories outsideJapan with L’Arc~En~Ciel in May 2011; and the world’s first LIVE 3D opera, ENO’s Lucrezia Borgia in February 2011. For more information visit www.more2screen.com.

About Eagle Rock
Eagle Rock Entertainment is an international media production and distribution company operating across audiovisual entertainment programming. Eagle Rock Entertainment works directly alongside talent to produce the highest quality programming output covering film, general entertainment and musical performance. Eagle Rock Entertainment has offices based in London, New York, Germany, France & Toronto. www.eagle-rock.com

Music & Muscle

Guests including Amy Smart, 90210′s Evan Ross, The Apprentice’s Mark McGrath, and NBC’s The Event star Taylor Cole, reveled in performances by Samantha Ronson, The Undertakers and Liquid Blond which featured the fitness guru himself, David Barton, on drums.

Playmate Jayde Nicole, Reality Star Brittny Gastineau, Life Happens’ Geoff Stults, Taker’s Johnathon Schaech, Disaster Movie’s Nick Steele, Virgin Mobile “celebrity couple” Spencer Falls and Sarah Carroll, among others, also attended the swanky event, sipping on custom specialty SVEDKA Cocktails – Hot_Bot and Celeb_U_Bot – and getting their groove on with dance music by DJ Devin Lucien.

Amy Smart & Taylor Cole at DavidBartonGym West Coast Launch Party

Look Better Naked with DavidBartonGym

With locations in New York, Miami, Chicago and Seattle, DavidBartonGym has hand-picked equipment, personally mentored trainers with a tradition of changing bodies and award winning design. Gym innovator David Barton promises to have members that “LookBetterNaked.”

Amy Smart & Mark McGrath at DavidBartonGym Launch, The Roxy

To find a DavidBartonGym near you, visit: www.davidbartongym.com

David Barton on Drums at the Roxy

Davie Barton participated in the ultrahip Carrera Sunglasses Escape at the Chateau Marmont and gifted many celebrities with a membership at DavidBartonGym.

Malin Ackerman and Maria Menunous at Carrera Sunglasses Escape

Photos by: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com

Actors Malin Akerman (L) and Danny DeVito (R)

Comic Con has gone from a comic book convention to a full-blown multi-media star-studded 4 day extravaganza, with celebrity events before, during and after! On Friday night Maxim, FX, and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment took over the rooftop of the Hotel Solamar for its annual star studded Comic-Con bash.

VIPs including casts of Archer (Aisha Tyler), It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (Danny DeVito), The League, Wilfred (Elijah Wood, Dorian Brown, Fiona Gubelmann), Alexander Skarsgard, Ryan Kwanten, Ginnifer Goodwin, Olivia Munn, Ian Somerhalder, Nina Dobrev, and Paul Wesley were able to enjoy a poolside activations from several FX shows.

Guests customized The League t-shirts while snacking on tailgate-themed food,  received Sons of Anarchy airbrush tattoos, posed for photos with Wilfred and grabbed drinks from Paddy’s Pub.

Actors Paul Wesley (L) and Torrey Devitto (R) and Actors Alexander Skarsgard (L) and Ryan Kwanten (R)

A “Flipadelphia” flip cup and beer pong area, Maxim models and other thematic elements rounded out this incredibly authentic Comic-Con experience.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge attended Variety magazine’s Venture Capital and New Media Summit in Beverly Hills on Friday afternoon. They are expected to stay at the British Consul General residence in Hancock Park.

On Saturday, the royal couple plans to head to Santa Barbara for a charity polo match. William will play in the tournament and Kate is set to present a Tiffany & Co. trophy to the winning team. The two will later return to Los Angeles for a BAFTA event.

Sunday, July 10, is the final date of their U.S. visit. That day, the two plan to meet with kids at the Inner-City Arts in the impoverished area of Skid Row and visit veterans and military families at a job fair in Culver City.

Prince William & Kate Middleton, Photo Credit: Prince of Wales Official Website

On June 16, the Festival will open with “Bernie,” the new movie starring Jack Black, Shirley MacClaine and Matthew McConaughey. Directed by Richard Linklater, “Bernie” revolves around the true story of assistant funeral home director Bernie Tiede, a very likable man who befriends an elderly lady. No one has a bad word tpo say about him, even when he commits a terrible crime.

June 16 also has a screening of “Green Lantern” starring Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively available. The film will be in nationwide release the next day, June 17, so the screening gives LAFF-goers a chance for a sneak peek. This special Gala screening will be hosted by Premier Sponsor Pechanga Resort & Casino with a unique exciting casino experience in the VIP hospitality area, with table games and opportunities to win resort getaways and free slot play at the largest casino in the Western USA. The Pechanga Resort & Casino is a Four-Diamond resort, located in the Southern California Wine Country of the Temecula Valley, and it offers: 517 newly-renovated guest rooms and suites; a world-class golf course; eight critically acclaimed restaurants; five bars and nightclubs; a relaxing spa, ful fitness center and pool; and more.

The official beer of the festival has been announced as Stella Artois with Jameson Irish Whiskey® the official spirit, and World Wine HeadQuarters as the official wine purveyor. The Los Angeles Athletic Club is the Official Host Hotel and Virgin America is the Official Airline Partner. WireImage is the Official Photography Agency and PR Newswire is the Official Breaking News Service of Film Independent.

This year’s Los Angeles Film Festival is the 17th annual event and will screen more than 200 feature length movies, short films, retro screenings and music videos, including “Attack the Block,” “Another Earth,” “A Better Life,” “Boyz n the Hood,” “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” and “Rudy.”

Another huge draw of LAFF are the special conversations and interviews with guest. This year the list has a wide variety of speakers, including Julie Taymor, Erykah Baduh, Jack Black, Shirely MacClaine, Jason Ritter, Diablo Cody and James Franco.

Taking over more than six city blocks, the LAFF is one of the region’s most active ‘live content and event campus with 15 restaurants and huge nationally recognized venues like Staples Center, Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, the Conga Room, Club Nokia, the Grammy Museum, Lucky Strike Lanes and Lounge and Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14.

On June 26, the LAFF will close with the world premiere red carpet screening of “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark,” starring Katie Holmes, Guy Pearce, Bailee Madison and Jack Thompson. The much-anticipated horror film from director Troy Nixey and writer Guillermo del Toro tells the terrifying story of a young girl sent to stay with her father and stepmother who discovers there are creatures ready to take her into their own way of living. It’s a remake of the 1973 TV movie of the same name with stars Kim Darby, Jim Hutton and Barbara Anderson.

Contact the Coca-Cola Festival Ticketing Center for passes, tickets and event information by calling 866.FILM.FEST (866.345.6337) or visit LAFilmFest.com. Festival Passes and tickets can also be purchased in person beginning today, at the Coca-Cola Ticket Center located at the Festival Village on the West Garage at L.A. LIVE (1005 Chick Hearn Court).

Special support is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs, UCLA Latin American Institute and the University of Guadalajara Foundation.

For more information or to become a member, visit FilmIndependent.org.

Read more about Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic; it was the first article LA’s The Place ever published!

Written by Jane Emery
On May 22, the unfathomable happened in Joplin, Missouri. A monster tornado that has been proclaimed as the deadliest in American history, devasated Joplin, claimed precious lives and created untold pain and loss upon families and the community. But, while images of the devastation are burned into our consciousness, people such as Los Angeles-based, Joplin-native Tyler Childs,  are doing their part to help. With the enlisted help of his friends in the music and entertainment business (Childs is a music manager) he has secured some exciting Hollyw00d prizes and big ticket items for a charity auction, with proceeds going to the United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Top Hollywood luminaries such as Coldplay, The Office, Chelsea Handler, Yoko Ono, Maroon 5, Wilco, Bon Iver, Robyn, Dave Matthews Band, Fox NFL Sunday, Friday Night Lights and more are donating one-of-a-kind items and experiences through the Joplin Tornado Relief eBay Charity Auction here:

WATCH THE AUCTION AND CHECK THE BIDS LIVE HERE!

This is your opportunity to help this devasated community, America’s community. This is a true Hollywood experience! Bid on exciting opportunities such as all-expenses-paid trip to Lollapalooza donated by Coldplay and a meet and greet with the band. Love The Office? You’re there: A visit to the set of NBC’s hit show The Office. Fantasy sports nut? How about 2 VIP tickets to the set of Fox NFL Sunday for an afternoon of football with Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and the gang!?

The list goes on… this is a once in a lifetime opportunity and a chance to help the victims of Joplin rebuild their future.

Proceeds benefit the United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas and auction items include donations from Coldplay, Maroon 5, Eminem, Chelsea Handler, The Office, Dave Matthews Band, Tim McGraw, and many, many more.

The first round of the auction is live now and will run through Monday, June 20th.

Look at the notable items on the digital auction block!

• An all-expenses-paid trip to Lollapalooza donated by Coldplay and a meet and greet with the band

• Meet and greet with Maroon 5 and four tickets to any show (except NY or LA) on their US tour

• A visit to the set of NBC’s hit show The Office

• 2 VIP tickets to the set of Fox NFL Sunday for an afternoon of football with Terry Bradshaw, Michael Strahan, Jimmy Johnson, Howie Long and the gang

• Friday Night Lights package including the Dillon Panthers letter jacket worn on the show by Matt Saracen (Zach Gilford)

• 2 Tickets to the season finale taping of NBC’s The Voice

• 64GB iPad 2 with 3G personally donated by Yoko Ono with a signed postcard

• 2 VIP tickets to any taping of Chelsea Lately and two guest gift bags

• Signed limited edition Wilco poster

• 3 day pass to Dave Matthews Band Caravan in Atlantic City

• 2 tickets to any Major Lazer show in North America, meet and greet and a one-a-kind drawing of you and the Major Lazer cast of characters (in round two)

• Signed DJ Hero turntable by Eminem

• And even more one-of-a-kind items and experiences from Tim McGraw, Bon Iver, Lonely Island, MLB, the Los Angeles Lakers, OneRepublic, EA Games, the NFL, Jack Johnson, Robyn, and many many more!

The auction is powered by premiere auction management company Giving Engine.

Childs continues, “Like so many people, I was stunned by the footage I saw”. “It broke my heart to see the familiar places of my childhood left in ruins, but I knew just sitting around being sad wasn’t going to help anyone. I’m incredibly thankful to have a support system in Los Angeles that can help me give back to a place that gave so much to me. Friends and colleagues like Kevin Weaver, Caitlin Youngs, Sarah Smith and Malia Hall played a major role in helping to secure incredible experiences and items for everyone to bid on.

Now go bid on something!”

For more information on the United Way of Southwest Missouri and Southeast Kansas, please visit their website at http://uwswmo.org.

Vision Statement of the United Way of Southwest Missouri

The United Way of Southwest Missouri will be the region’s recognized leader in human care fund raising and in identifying and seeking solutions to meet the human service needs of the area. We will be the most effective distributor of resources and a customer (contributor, agency, recipient and volunteer) driven United Way.

www.swmo.org.

Last week at the Avalon in Hollywood, some of the biggest names in publishing, finance, technology, media and the entertainment industry came together to sing their best karaoke, and raised almost $60,000 for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles at Larry Benet and SANG’s “I’m With The Band”™ event.

Elliott Yamin & Traffic Jam perform at SING

Larry Benet, CEO of SANG explains his vision for the event, “I’m excited to be bringing the SANG community which consists of the some of the world’s top business thought leaders, socially conscious entrepreneurs and philanthropists together for an evening of fun and connection.  We’re excited that the SANG community and entertainment industry can come together to raise money for the incredible work Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is doing in the community.”

Keith Mitchell, Amy Lynn Grover, Larry Benet, Krisily Kennedy & Valery Ortiz

The SANG community was extremely generous and opened up their hearts and wallets in a huge way to support Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by raising almost $60,000 via the live auction and live celebrity karaoke portion of the evening.  The money raised at the event will fund The Mark Taper – Johnny Mercer Artists Program and the “Literally Healing” program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  These programs will provide art and music therapy and bibliotherapy services to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles patients for an entire year.

Crystal Hunt, Julia Lescova

Cymphonique Miller, 14-year old singing sensation and daughter of entertainment mogul Master P., and little sister of rapper, actor and current contestant on the hit TV show “Dancing with the Stars”, Romeo, sang it up during the live celebrity karaoke at Tuesday night’s benefit for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.  Cymphonique is one of Nickelodeon’s newest teen sensation and she is also the spokesperson for Club Tuki, the Ultimate Kids’ Internet.

Greg Writer, Cymphonique Miller, Master P and Larry Benet

One of the highlights of the evening was when 11- year old heart patient Eileen Garrido represented all of the kids at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles by taking the stage to perform a few songs.  Eileen has recorded and released two CDs in which she sings her favorite Disney songs and Broadway music.  In July of 2009, Eileen was inspired to create her own non-profit organization known as “Beating Hearts,” which is dedicated to helping raise funds for hospitals that treat sick children, especially those with cardiovascular illnesses. Eileen donates a portion of all CD sales toward this cause. Her goal is “to make sure every child has a healthy beating heart”.

Dave Austin, Elliott Yamin & Eileen Garrido

Larry Benet hosted the live auction that featured incredible once in a lifetime experience packages such as tickets to the “Larry Crowne” premiere & After Party, a weekend experience at the sold out 2011 Comic-Con, a real life “Top Gun” jet fighter experience and more generously donated by Bluefish and Larry’s celebrity friends to benefit Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

Barbara Lazaroff attended and lent her support.

Proceeds raised from the live auction went to fund The Mark Taper – Johnny Mercer Artists Program and the “Literally Healing” program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Everyone that night came together, by giving generously, they helped to provide art and music therapy at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. It is the only children’s hospital in the nation to provide this therapeutic service.

Partygoers got to have their 5 minutes of rock star fame by jumping on stage and singing hits backed by Traffic Jamm presented by de Bois Entertainment in exchange for a donation. Guests chose from over 100 classic hits such as “Livin’ On A Prayer”, “Don’t Stop Believin’”, “Walk This Way”, “R.E.S.P.E.C.T.”, “Start Me Up” and “Fly Me To The Moon” along with current current chart-topping hits such as Cee-Lo’s “Forget You”, Katy Perry’s “California Girls” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.”

Dancing to the tunes of DJ Mark Kingsley and enjoying custom cocktails, gourmet snacks and delicious desserts, guests were having a wonderful time.  They also got to dress up with props and get in the “pop n pose” photo booth, which they shared instantly via Facebook and Twitter, provided by Popchips.

Erik Palladino

Celebrity Attendees

Master P. (recording artist, producer, actor & entrepreneur), Cymphonique Miller (recording artist and Nickelodeon teen star), Rob Morrow (“Northern Exposure”, “Numb3rs” and “The Whole Truth”), Matt Sorum (Guns N Roses, The Cult and Velvet Revolver), Jack Canfield (creator of “Chicken Soup for the Soul”), Elliott Yamin (“American Idol” finalist and recording artist), Gloria Garayua (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Nicholas Gonzalez (“Off the Map”), Martha Higareda (“Street Kings”), Josh Cooke (“Better With You”), CariDee English (winner of “America’s Next Top Model”), Eric Etabari (“The Lincoln Lawyer”), Peta Murgatroyd (“Dancing with the Stars” tour), Ken Kragen (Creator of “We Are The World”), William Mapother (“LOST”), Nestor Serrano (“Secretariat”), Benito Martinez (“The Shield” and “Saving Grace”), Erik Palladino (“ER”), Crystal Hunt (“Guiding Light” and “One Life To Live”), Eduardo Xol (ABC’s “Extreme Home Makeover”), Edwin Hodge (“Red Dawn”), Evan Lowenstein (multi-platinum recording artist Evan & Jaron), Krisily Kennedy (ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “Bachelor Pad”), Jeremiah Hu (“Easy A”), Natalie Dreyfuss (“Glory Daze” and “Rita Rocks”), Valery Ortiz (“South of Nowhere” and host of “ABC Family Lounge”), Keith Mitchell (former New Orleans Saints NFL Linebacker), Carlos Ramirez (“The Boys & Girls Guide to Getting Down”, Kari Whitman (celebrity interior designer),Julia Lescova (Supermodel), and Catalina Rodriguez (“Watch Over Me”).

Photos by Joe Scarnici of Wire Image

Who is Larry Benet?

Larry Benet has formed his career around the principle of helping others.  He believes the more you give, the more you get.  He teaches others how to be a VC (value creator).  He is known as the Connector, is considered America’s Connection Expert, and according to Google is the most connected person on the planet.  Google pioneered pay-per-click advertising, and Larry pioneered the pay-per-compliment business model.  One of his goals is to raise $1 billion for worthy causes through his connections, his outside-the-box ideas, and his own money.  Another goal is to eradicate homelessness and poverty in this country and around the world.

About SANG

SANG is a peer-to-peer symposium that fuses learning, inspiration, and years of once-in-a-lifetime, kismet-perfect connections in three days.  It is an invitation-only, A-list connection of big hitters in and out of your industry.  At SANG V you will be one table away from your next business opportunity, your bestselling book, the capital you are looking for.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’ History

Founded in 1901, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of the nation’s leading children’s hospitals and is acknowledged worldwide for its leadership in pediatric and adolescent health. Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is one of only eight children’s hospitals in the nation – and the only children’s hospital on the West Coast – ranked in all 10 pediatric specialties in the U.S. News & World Report rankings and named to the magazine’s “Honor Roll” of children’s hospitals.  The Saban Research Institute at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is among the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States, with 88 investigators at work on 171 laboratory studies, clinical trials and community-based research and health services. The Saban Research Institute is ranked eighth in National Institutes of Health funding among children’s hospitals in the United States.  Children’s Hospital Los Angeles is a premier teaching hospital and has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.

“I’m With The Band”™ Supporters: Avalon, de Bois Entertainment, Bluefish, Two Peas Inc.,popchips,Chadwick Bay Coconut Water, Aqua Hydrate, Truth in Hand and PRVCY Denim.

Beginning next week, Monday, May 16th, Good Morning America Reality series features anchors George Stephanopoulos, Josh Elliott, Lara Spenser, Robin Roberts and other anchors on Pawn Stars, Mob Wives, The Great Food Truck Race, Wipe Out, Billy the Exterminator and 19 Kids and Counting! You don’t want to miss…here is the schedule…Good Morning America” gets a starring role in reality television all next week as anchors Robin Roberts, George Stephanopoulos, Sam Champion, Lara Spencer and Josh Elliott, and Weekend Anchors Bianna Golodryga and Dan Harris go behind-the-scenes of some of America’s most famous and favorite reality television series.

* Monday: George Stephanopoulos wheels and deals with History Channel’s “Pawn Stars”
* Tuesday: Bianna Golodryga wrestles an alligator with A&E’s “Billy the Exterminator”
* Wednesday: Lara Spencer makes VH1’s “Mob Wives” a deal they can’t refuse
* Thursday: Josh Elliott tackles ABC’s Wipeout’s infamous obstacle course
* Friday: Dan Harris babysits the Duggar children of TLC’s “19 and Counting”
* Monday: Robin Roberts joins TV Food Network’s “The Great Food Truck Race”
* Tuesday: Sam Champion rides along with Travel Channel’s “Bert the Conqueror” on a can’t-miss thrill ride in Colorado

George Lopez held his 4th Annual Celebrity Golf Classic at the beautiful Riviera Country Club and provided no less than the best for his guests, who were there to swing some clubs and lend their support to a great cause. Celebs who took part included Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Kevin Nealon, Benjamin Bratt, Billy Bush, Kevin Sorbo, among others.

Chaka Khan was also in attendance and sang Happy Birthday to George Lopez and guests. Gavin Keilly‘s GBK (gbkproductions.com) – the luxury lifestyle gift lounge and events company, hosted the official gifting lounge.

The mission of The Lopez Foundation (www.thelopezfoundation.org). The foundation’s mission is to create positive, permanent change for underprivileged children and adults confronting challenges in education and health, as well as increasing community awareness about kidney disease and organ donation.

George Lopez, Andy Garcia

Celebrities that visited the lounge while participating in the golf challenge in the Pacific Palisades included George Lopez himself, Don Cheadle, Andy Garcia, Benjamin Bratt, Chaka Khan, Cheech Marin, Cedric the Entertainer, Matt Lanter, Brian McKnight, Billy Bush, Anthony Anderson, Dave Annable, Kevin Sorbo, William Devane, Jack Wagner, Joe Mantegna, Jimmy Jam, Kevin Nealon, Michael Clarke Duncan, Omarosa, Sugar Ray Leonard and Tony Dovolani.

Cedric the Entertainer, Comedian/Actor Kevin Nealon

There was a silent auction also benefiting The Lopez Foundation (www.thelopezfoundation.org). The foundation’s mission is to create positive, permanent change for underprivileged children and adults confronting challenges in education and health, as well as increasing community awareness about kidney disease and organ donation.

The presenting sponsor, Protica Research, keep the celebrities energized on the golf course at the George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic with Profect®, shots of pure protein.  They all loved it and have requested more! Profect® is the original protein shot, and makes getting your daily protein requirements easy. Profect provide 25 grams of protein in less than 3 ounces and only 100 calories. Profect is indicated for a broad range of special medical needs. It is also used to support a healthy lifestyle. Comes in many delicious flavors and daily fruit and vegetable requirements also!

Protica products was gifted; Bill Kazmaier (rt), 3 time World's Strongest Man has a formula created just for him and is a big supporter of the line.

One of Protica’s missions is to promote healthy eating habits for children across the United States. They created ProticaCares Sweet Treats Giveaway – a charitable program committed to increasing awareness of healthy eating habits for kids and young adults You can learn more about the program at proticacares.org. Many celebrity guests have also expressed interest in working with our charitable effort, called Protica Cares to educate children about healthy eating and fitness. www.protica.com

From left: Deanna Fero – DnA Golf Director of Business Development, George Lopez, Gary Cruz – Cruzwood Communications (former TV Sports Caster) – DnA Golf PR Firm Howard Lindsay – Owner/CEO DnA Golf

What a great pairing this was – DnA Golf partnered with the George Lopez Foundation for his celebrity golf tournament at LA’s Riviera Country Club in the GBK gift lounge – Celebrities, including George Lopez, Cheech Marin, Don Cheadle, Anthony Anderson, Sugar Ray Leonard, DWTS Tony Dovolani, Joe Mantegna, and many more loved the DnA Driver and couldn’t wait to take it out on the course. www.DnAGolf.com

Actors/Golfers Joe Regalbuto and Don Cheadle try DNA on for size at the George Lopez Celebrity Golf Classic.

Croton Watches, “the benchmark of quality, style precision and value”, gifted fine timepieces; At this sporty event, Chronograph watches were the order of the day. On the cutting edge of style, Croton provides Sporty, Executive, Vintage, Casual, Exotic or Black Tie; everything you need for any occasion, Croton is there for the lifestyle you live. Croton is the very essence of quality, precision and style, dating back to 1878, more than 130 years ago, when the company was established. To see their current portfolio, click the following link: www.crotonwatch.com

Croton Cronograph Watches were gifted to all the celebs at the George Lopez Celebrity Golf Tournament.

Other sponsors at the lounge included, Caribbean Living Magazine, providing guests with a 1-week stay in the Caribbean;

RevitaLash gifted celebs with eyelash conditioner, Hair by RevitaLash and mascara and  now has the new Perfect Primer by RevitaLash. It is a silky matte formula that enhances the look of your lashes in addition to your mascara. Get bolder looking lashes, people will think you are wearing faux eyelashes! www.Revitalash.com

Looxie is the first tiny, wearable video camera that captures everything the user sees and allows you to share video’s instantly.  You can use the instant clip button which captures the last 30 seconds of video and store it – when it’s logged, where you can upload to Twitvid and share with the world. It weighs only 1 ounce, has a battery life of 4 continuous hours, 6+ hours of continuous talk time if not using video, as it is a Bluetooth as well; It is available on Amazon for $199. www.Looxie.com

GlyMed Plus FOR MEN, developed specifically to help the unique charactoristics look and act younger. sold only through licensed skincare professionals, celebrities were gifted the kit for men: the Essential Face Cleanser,  Essential Face Scrub, Essential Shave Cream, Post-shave anti-aging Recovery Balm, Oil-Free Protective Moisturizer SPF 15. www.glymedplus.com

Celebrity Skin Care Advisor Christine Heathman, CEO and founder of GlyMed Plus

Laffy LaffalotTM is an innovative, interactive toy designed to bring laughter back into the lives of sick children, or anybody that needs some fun injected into their lives. Created by firefighter Steve Islava, he has everything set up to help support, so that $3 of every Laffy sold is donated to the National Children’s Cancer Society and The George Lopez Foundation;  At the touch of a button, children can hear 20 hilarious pre-programmed, MP3 high-quality LAUGHS that will instantly put a smile on kids’ faces. www.laffylaffalot.com

Advanced Aesthetics; Haan Therapeutics, the latest innovation in anti-aging skin care, introduced the SAI Science: “Steam Activated Ingredient Science”. Utilizing the technology with their proprietary SAI Complex, it is a revolutionary winning combination. You can get the same professional-quality facial results at home with Haan Therapeutics’ Signature 5 Minute Facial. www.HaanTheraputics.com

The Broccoli Wad, the real man’s money band. Just ask The Soprano’s Vinny Pastore! Vincent Pastore was recently seen on “Shark Tank” and made history by being the first celebrity to pitch a business idea to the Shark investors. The Sopranos actor and his business partner faced the sharks to pitch the Broccoli Wad, a modern version of the mafia’s old rubber band around the wad of cash; but, not just any rubber band – specifically the kind that goes around broccoli…ala: The Broccoli Wad! It’s a silicon band that securely holds your credit cards, ID cards, and money. www.broccoliwad.com

The Broccoli Wad!

Skullcandy gifted headphones, earbuds and audio accessories; the company also carries t-shirts, hoodies,  backpacks, beanies, baseball caps, watches, necklaces, bandanas, replacement parts and more! www.skullcandy.com

OnePiece gifted their OnePiece Jump In, a unique all-in-one hooded sweat suit. In 2007, 3 young Norwegians pondered the perfect chillin-wear and came up with the One-Piece Jump-in. The loose-fitting, all-in-one hooded sweatsuit came in soft, thick cotten fleece in a variety of colors and has caught fire in Scandinavia, England and other European countries. Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, David Beckham, Jude Law and others are fans too! And now they have come to America. www.onepiece.co.uk/#

Fore!! Axel & Hudson gifted fedora hats, driver caps, a set of fashion socks and a bamboo/spandex tee or polo shirt.

Exclusive organic soy candles with delicious scents were provided by Milena’s Boutique.

Newhall Labs, LLC provided the La Bella brand of hair and skin care products.

GroWorks hair products to grow and keep thick, healthy hair, and Monkey Brains hair products, created with ‘tweens in mind.

Egg Whites International provided pure liquid egg whites for many uses.

WineChateau.com provided their wide variety of wines as well as gift certificates.

Mama Mia’s Beef Jerky gifted their home-style beef jerky and Marquez de Valencia.

Private label Reposado, a limited production tequila was on hand for guests to enjoy!

GBK, formerly GBK Productions, produced the official gifting suite for the is a luxury lifestyle gifting and special events company, specializing in entertainment marketing integration. Formed in 2000 by Gavin Keilly, the company’s Founder and CEO, GBK consists of five divisions: GBK Celebrity Gifting, GBK Special Events, GBK Weddings, GBK Charitable Consulting and GBK Marketing/Public Relations.  Widely known in the entertainment industry for bringing that little extra something into the Gifting Lounge environment, GBK offers its clients a full range of marketing services.  For more information on Gavin B. Keilly (CEO), Carla Domen (VP) or GBK, please go to gbkproductions.com.

Valentine’s Day 2011 is almost upon us but not to fret as we have endless ideas for you.  LA’s the Place’s Valentine’s Day gift guide has something to sweeten a relationship in any stage, whether you’re trying to woo someone new or pronouncing your longtime love, we’ve got your complete Cupid List: from romantic restaurants, one-hour delivery bouquets, jewelry, beauty items, romantic getaways, massages and much more! Watch the video also for more Valentine’s Day gift ideas!

Restaurants

Simon LA – Offering a VIP Private Dining Experience and a divine Valentine’s Menu.

Drago Family Restaurants – Being Italian, they know romance like they know their fine Italian cuisine. Valentine’s Day menus featured at specific locations.

Tanino Restaurant – The first 75 reservations for the big night will receive a $100 gift card to spend at Sarah Leonard Jewelers. Sweet, sparkling deal.

First And Hope Supperclub - First & Hope Supper Club  is hosting an old-time, swank celebration for Valentine’s Day encompassing all things love called the “St. Valentine’s Ball.” Partnered or not, everyone is welcome to paint the town Valentine red with delicious culinary and beverage experiences at the First & Hope St. Valentine’s Ball.

Hell’s Kitchen’s Gordan Ramsey has his own restaurant in the London Hotel and is presenting a weekend of Valentine’s dinner packages as well as a couple’s cooking class.

Love Potions

Valentine’s Day Cocktail Recipes – Want to mix it up in the privacy of your own home? We’ve got “His & Hers” Cocktails to suit any Valentine’s situation.

Moet & Chandon Rose Imperial Gift Set – Pop one of these with a personalized message on the bottle and your Valentine is sure to say, “I do.”

Romantic Getaways

L’Auberge Hotel Del Mar – Nothing makes a maiden swoon like watching the sunset on the sea.  See their Valentine’s Day specials.

Estancia La Jolla – Rose petal turndowns, couples massages and a gourmet meal – you just hit a homerun in the romance department.

Flowers

Fabulous Florals – Do-it-yourself flowers. Order the flowers you want and arrange them according to your creative cupid desires.

Anzo Del Amo Florist - No excuses this Valentine’s Day as Anzo Del Amo Florist guarantees a 1 hour delivery time in Southbay or within 3 hour delivery time in Los Angeles of beautiful long stem roses to your beloved.

Win your Valentine’s heart and support South LA Dog Shelter! For only $65.00, you will receive a beautiful tropical bouquet and card, and buy a new dog bed to the South LA Dog Shelter! For your donation $65, the cost of each dog bed, you will receive a ‘free’ Valentine’s Day tropical bouquet and card. The beautiful bouquets and cards will be available for pick-up, with printed receipt of donation, from two LA Locations, Santa Monica and Culver City in the two days leading up to Valentine’s Day! Click here for more info…

Valentine’s Day Sales

Gilt City – Flowers, candies, pole dancing classes, and all things related to Valentine’s Day to sweeten your holiday without leaving your bank account sour.

Love Your Health

Dr. Diane Jordan – She specializes in non-invasive, radiation-free breast cancer screening called Thermography. A gift that brings peace of mind.

Valentine Beauty & Pampering

MsBellezza Jewelry is an exquisite line of high fashion jewelry that will make her feel special and loved for Valentine’s Day 2011.

Spongeables - Delicious, naturally-scented multi-use sponges for the  bath or shower, for children, adults and pets!

Stacy McBride Collections - Affordable, quality jewelry with many different designs to choose from.

Makeup&Go Look gorgeous on your night of Love and have your makeup done professionally while you relax and prepare for Love’s biggest night!

L’Bri Aloe-based skin care – Check out their Valentine’s Day specials ..

Aubrey Organics – Bring the spa home to you for  luxurious, relaxing dreamy baths using all natural scents and ingredients.

Kiss Premium Eyelashes – Now you get all the benefits of gorgeous lashes with none of the trying application frustrations. Apply, pull the string and voila.

Industry Massage Gift Certificate - It’s always a perfect gift to give to show you care on Valentine’s Day.

Sweets for your Sweetie - Madam Chocolate and Baked Goods by Pastry Chef Stephanie Jayne

The Duracell Mobile Smart Power Lab Pop-Up Event featured two Power Rovers being used to collect human-made energy to assist in the many lights needed in Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The special event took place over two days in Madison Square Park and the Times Square Visitor Center, respectively.

Both days included several VIP guests who helped in lighting the 2011 numerals with human-generated energy. This is the third year that the method has been used.

New Yorkers, tourists and the VIPs all helped in a unique way—boarding one of the Power Rovers and pedaling, creating usable power that is stored in Duracell Battery Centers until it is needed during the annual New Year’s Eve celebration, when the 2011 numbers light up at the stroke of midnight.

First Round

The reality star VIP guests included Padma Lakshmi (“Top Chef All-Stars”), Carla Hall (“Top Chef All Stars”), Kyle Richards (“The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills”), Reichen Lehmkuhl (Logo Network’s “The A-List: New York”), Rodiney Santiago (Logo Network’s “The A-List: New York”), Aasif Mandvi (“The Daily Show”), Erika Jayne (dancer/electronica singer), Dr. Elmo (music artist) and Jessica Cimato (VH1’s “You’re Cut Off”).

Bravo’s “Top Chef All Star” Carla Hall and host Padma Lakshmi help celebrate the holiday season in New York's Madison Square Park. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Pop-princess and #1 Billboard chart-queen Erika Jayne put the pedal to the metal. She has triumphantly jumped over Katy Perry and Cher to the #1 spot for the fifth consecutive time on Billboard’s “Hot Dance Club Play” chart this week, tying C&C Music Factory whose first five singles also went to #1. www.PrettyMessRecords.com

While Richards pedaled, she revealed information about the addicting drama that makes the newest edition of the “Real Housewives” series on Bravo a success. She said that the feud between her and Camille Grammar comes from Grammar’s “she’s jealous of my hot husband Mauricio.”

Kyle Richards strikes a pose on a Duracell Power Rover. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

“Top Chef” contestant Hall came equipped with some energy for the pedalers by way of Pumpkin Bisque soup and Parmesan short-bread. “Top Chef” host Lakshmi used the Duracell pedaling for her daily work out and expressed her excitement to be a part of lighting the numbers and watching with her new daughter Krishna.

Reality TV personality Jessica Cimato generates power at Duracell Power Rover. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

And being a festive time of year, Dr. Elmo donned reindeer antlers and sang his Christmas hit “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” while generating his share of energy. Everyone joined in on the familiar chorus as Elmo pedaled and simultaneously played guitar to the tune.

Music artist Dr. Elmo entertains the masses with his Christmas hit “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer.” (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

“New York City and Madison Square Park share such a rich culinary history,” said Bob Jacobs, Duracell Marketing Director, North America. “Duracell is excited to be here today with our Power Rovers and special guest Carla Hall gathering energy to power the New Year.”

Aasif Mandvi strikes a pose on the Duracell Power Rover. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Lehmkuhl and boyfriend Santiago competed against each other during the pedaling, looking to see who could create the most energy to store in the Duracell Battery Centers. Lehmkuhl won, and the two awarded themselves with a cup of Hall’s soup afterwards!

Reichen Lehmkhuhl and Rodiney Santiago pump their fists at Duracell Smart Power Lab. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Second Round

A second day of the Duracell Mobile Smart Power Lab Pop-Up Event occurred featuring television stars, all working to create energy to illuminate the seven-foot tall numerals creating next year’s 2011. The number one was brought in on a chauffeured limousine to the Times Square Visitors Center.

The VIP guests on Dec. 21 included Penn Badgley (CW’s “Gossip Girl”), Tristan Wilds (CW’s “90210”), Alex McCord (“The Real Housewives of New York”), Simon van Kempen (“The Real Housewives of New York”) and Daniel Kass (snowboarder and Olympic medalist).

Bravo’s “Real Housewives of New York” personalities, Simon Van Kempen and Alex McCord welcome the arrival of the numeral '1' on Dec 21, which will join the iconic '2011' numerals to be illuminated on New Year’s Eve in Times Square. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

Husband and wife pair McCord and Van Kempen are planning to spend the holidays in Dallas and then finish them in Brooklyn, and McCord surprisingly said that she’s never actually been to the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration.

At the event, Badgley explained that he’s leaving New York for New Year’s for a tropical climate down south in Miami, and of all the TV shows available, he most watches “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart” and would love to be a guest. He said, “Jon Stewart, I’m coming for you!” Badgley is headed to the Sundance Film Festival in January to support his new film “Margin Call.”

Penn Badgley and Tristan Wilds strike a pose on the Duracell Power Rover. (Photo/Stuart Ramson)

While pedaling, Wilds sported an appropriate New York Yankees baseball cap and revealed his New Years resolution: “to be better than last year!” Here are Wilds’ top picks for 2010 in entertainment: Favorite TV Show: “Family Guy”—Favorite Movie: “Inception”—Music Artist: Kanye West—Gadget: iPad.

For more information, visit www.duracell.com or follow the brand at Twitter.com/Duracell_Power and Facebook.com/Duracell.

In private practice, he is on the teaching staff at the University of Southern California, (USC) Keck School of Medicine. He is involved in numerous charities, including providing pro-bono reconstructive surgery for battered women.

Dr. Vartanian has a beautiful aesthetic eye that is apparent in various aspect of his work. He is the real deal, starting from his solid training background,  to the fact that he is a double board certified facial plastic surgeon, an innovator, and  ending with the impressive flawless work he has performed on people ranging from domestic goddesses to high profile celebrities.

Dr. Vartanian has an emerging reputation as a master rhinoplasty surgeon on the national facial plastic surgery scene. Dr. Vartanian puts all he has in each case. “Each case has to be a home run and I put all my heart and mind to obtain the best results for each patient”. Dr. Vartanian’s rhinoplasty philosophy is based on three principles, which is delivering what is requested by the patient, preserving breathing function, and producing a beautiful and natural looking nose.

“Listening to the patient is very important, as some patients may want very little change, and yet other may request a transformative change”. An extensive use of computer imaging and time spent with the patient, helps Dr. Vartanian understand each patient’s individual esthetic goals prior to surgery according to which, Dr. Vartanian customizes his work.

In his state-of-art operating room, he displays the computer generated images to serve as a reminder and roadmap in creating individualized results that he and patient have decided upon during consultations well-before surgery.  Dr. Vartanian uses both time-tested techniques and unique techniques developed by himself to achieve what he call “predictive rhinoplasty”. Predictive rhinoplasty refers to delivering to the patient a result identical or very close to what was decided prior to surgery using computer imaging.

As a plastic surgery innovator, Dr. Vartanian has developed numerous custom instruments designed to improve nasal symmetry and in significantly cutting down on post-operative bruising.  In addition, he described to me using diagrams, a new method of improving nasal breathing and of achieving a smooth looking nasal bridge.  Maybe this why he has patients who have come to him from all over map, including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Israel, and beyond.

His motto of “as if you were born with it” is readily apparent in the fantastic results he has delivered for his satisfied patients and in the before-and-after photos found in his office.

Dr. Vartanian has been featured on E! Entertainment, KTLA-5, Entertainment Tonight, The Discovery Channel and other media outlets for his work in cosmetic and revision rhinoplasty work. He has achieved great results for both first-time patients and in repairing other poor nose surgeries.

Besides being a technical master, Dr.Vartanian is a warm, friendly, and compassionate doctor.  He has an amazing ability to explain complex medical information in a way that is clear and understandable.  Dr. Vartanian and his staff truly care about their patients and it is easily apparant when you spend time in his office.  If you need to get your nose done for beauty or for breathing purposes, then you owe it to yourself to give Dr. Vartanian a serious consideration.

For more information you can visit Dr. Vartanian’s website at : www.facial-plastic.com or call 818.662.0600 or 310.550.5959.

On Nov. 20, celebrities and heroes gathered at the Shrine Auditorium to celebrate the CNN Hero Awards hosted by Anderson Cooper and airing this Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25, 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. PST. Backstage at the ceremony, GBK Productions conducted the official “Thank You” Gift Lounge for everyone in attendance, honoring everyday people who are changing the world. Those featured in the special were nominated and voted on by CNN viewers for their recognition during the ceremony.GBK—the luxury lifestyle gift lounge and special events company—and CNN came together to find the perfect brands and gifts to honor the CNN Heroes in a unique and special way. GBK itself also donated $2,500 to each of the 10 Heroes’ foundations, totaling $25,000.

Demi Moore

Many luxury brands were on hand at the gifting suite this year, including Ascenta, offering omega-3 supplements and vegetarian supplements, NutraVega. Ascenta also provides children a kids supplement—NutraSea Kids.

John Legend receives a Zamani Retreat Kempinski – A seven-night retreat at Africa’s Prime Holistic Health Retreat.

Also in attendance:

• Cat ® Footwear – Men- and women-styled boots from the Legendary Raw casual collection
• Croton Watches – Both men and women time pieces available
• Powermat – Three position wireless charging mat, keeping three products charged at one time, including Powercube, which allows hundreds of devices to be charged
• Zamani Retreat Kempinski – A seven-night retreat at Africa’s Prime Holistic Health Retreat, including Health Package and airfare
• Marchon Eyewear – Glass designers include LaCoste, Jill Sander, Fendi, Coach and Sean John
• Astor & Black Custom Clothiers – A handmade silk scarf and a certificate for a custom-made shirt
• ISOTONER® SmarTouch™ – These gloves allow the wearer to continue to operate handheld electronic devices, including touchscreen pieces, like smartphones, mp3 players, ATMs, gas pumps and GPS devices
• Booda Brand – Gift collection including onesies and T-shirts, 100 percent organic, and featuring inspirational phrases like “I Will Make a Difference”
• RevitaLash- RevitaLash Mascara and the new Hair by RevitaLash conditioner that strengthens and creates fuller hair
• Lovelinks America – Bracelets inspired by the real life pieces that soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq—“From Soldier to Soldier”
• Umi Children’s Shoes – Children’s shoes inspired by European styles
• William Henry Studio – Pocketknife or pen made from sterling silver, titanium and burl wood, while also consisting of delicately-placed gemstones
• Caribbean Living Magazine – Providing a one-week stay in the Caribbean
• Bullets for Peace – In conjunction with program called “Every Bullet Has a Target,” an organization that fashions pendants out of real recycled bullets from war zones and troubled areas—each different style is associated with a different charity
• Essence Bracelets – Handmade pieces consisting of sterling silver and gemstones, each also containing the healing energy of Essence
• Physique 57 – A certificate for six months of unlimited classes at the Beverly Hills studio
• Wine to Water – A charity company that focuses on clean water projects worldwide—Zinfandel and Chardonnay varieties featured
• FIGS – Pieces handmade in Los Angeles—British woolen & Italian Silk Bow Ties & Scarves
• Tide ® – Signature shirts
• The Green Garmento ™ – Unique, reusable four-in-one garment and laundry bags that are already preventing 300 million pounds of plastic from the U.S. landfills and waterways

Gavin Keilly donated $2,500 to each of the 10 Heroes’ foundations, totaling $25,000.00

The heroes in attendance included: Guadalupe Arizpe De La Vega (FEMAP Foundation), Susan Burton (A New Way of Life Reentry Project), Linda Fondren (Shape Up Mississippi), Narayanan Krishnan (Akshaya USA), Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow (Mary’s Meals USA Inc.), Harmon Parker (Bridging the Gap, Inc.), Aki Ra (Landmine Relief Fund), Evans Wadongo (Sustainable Development for All-US) and Dan Wallrath (Bay Area Builders Association Support Our Troops). Also featured was the winner of the 2010 CNN Hero of the Year Award: Anuradha Koirala with Friends of Maiti Nepal.

Celebrities and performers who joined the festivities were the likes of Common, Demi Moore, Gerard Butler, Holly Robinson Peete, John Legend, Kid Rock, LL Cool J, Loretta Devine, Melanie Fiona, Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, Rodney Peete and Patty Austin.

Loretta Devine and Rodney Peete

For more information on the GBK gifting suites and services, visit www.gbkproductions.com.

On Sept. 26, the second season of MTV’s “The Buried Life” premiered to audiences nationwide, and the show’s four stars watched in fans’ houses after debuting the installment at the show’s premiere party the previous week at Drai’s Hollywood, sponsored by Three Olive’s Three-O “Naked” Vodka.

“Our idea is to just show up at a fan’s house,” Duncan Penn told LA’s The Place of the cast’s plans for the premiere episode. “[The fans are] who got us back for a second season.”

“The Buried Life” has a growing fanbase that began with the show’s inception nearly five years ago, though the original outlet to watch was not MTV but YouTube.

“We started out in an RV,” Duncan said. “We’ve come a long way in four years. It was supposed to be a two-week road trip.”

The two-week road trip followed four friends—Duncan, Ben Nemtin, Dave Lingwood and Jonnie Penn—across the country as the fulfilled items on their sort of Bucket List. Each item of the 100 on the list is something the friends wish to achieve before they die, and that original documentary was filmed in 2006 and 2007.

Ben and Jonnie of The Buried Life

The serial version of the show was announced for MTV in 2009, and now focuses on the guys’ list and shows the group helping a fan who has written in with a request. The first season ended in an all-time high for the comrades as they played basketball with President Obama.

“Every year it instrumentally just gets better and better,” Jonnie told LA’s The Place. “Like last year, we had the one with Oprah and Obama, and this year we’re trying to go even bigger.”

The second season opens with “The Buried Life” guys streaking at a major sporting event while also helping a young girl build a memorial skate park for her friends who had passed away.

“She had lost four of her close friends, all skateboarders, and wanted to make a memorial half pipe skate park there,” said Dave. “The way she wrote to us really touched us.”

Now, with the series’ second season, the guys think they are actually more accessible than ever to fans requests and remain very active online and social networking with their Facebook page.

Tyler Posey, Crystal Reed and Tyler Hoechlin of MTV's Teen Wolf

This year the guys promise that the list’s check marks are better than ever.

“We set the bar when we played ball with Obama [last season], it’s like, how do you top that,” Ben explained. “We just go bigger.”

This upcoming season has the guys dropped it the middle of the South Pacific to try and survive on an island, becoming real-life bounty hunters to catch a fugitive and struggling to obtain a lock of “Twilight” heartthrob Rob Pattinson’s hair.

“We went everywhere,” Duncan said of searching for the movie star based on a dare. “That was like our paparazzi episode. We just went with the paparazzi and followed him around. It was crazy.”

Individually, the guys also achieved some goals as Dave fought a real MMA fighter and Duncan asked country music star Taylor Swift on a date.

“We are so excited for the next season to air because it’s totally insane,” said Dave.

And with all of the success and recognition—the show was nominated for Best New Show at the VH1 Do Something Awards—the guys still can’t believe how far they have come from their humble beginnings.

“People connect with it,” Jonnie explained. “It isn’t like a regular show—people know that this is homemade. We started in a garage.”

And the stars of “The Buried Life” are also in the editing rooms making sure everything behind the scenes is to their liking as well.

“We’re always thinking of what can’t we do, cause that’s what we try and do,” Ben said. The project has changed our lives. You say, ‘I’ve always wanted to make a show with my friends…’ and then Obama coming…it really reinforced that you can do anything. It’s cool.”

Celebs Chat with LA’s The Place

Actors and actresses also attended the premiere party for “The Buried Life” answering the question on everyone’s minds: “What do you want to do before you die?”

Natasha Alam (“True Blood”) answered, “I would go to Puerto Rico and jump in the water!”

The actress has been busy working on the set of HBO’s hit vampire show and just finished an upcoming independent film revolving around a modern-day Romeo and Juliet tale.

Natasha Alam (True Blood) and Peta Murgatroyd & Damian Whitewood (Dancing with the Stars)

Holland Roden (“MTV’s “Teen Wolf”) would like to travel to Antarctica before she dies. “I would love to go down there and live down there for two years,” the once-science major explained. “See what’s making [the glaciers] melt…would love to be a part of that and be able to see that.”

The up-and-coming actress recently met “The Buried Life” cast and sat with the group at the Video Music Awards. With the sci-fi-esque show coming up, she is also featured in an upcoming episode of NBC’s hit “The Event.”

Holland Roden (Teen Wolf) and Jareb Dauplaise (Hard Times with RJ Berger)

Star of another MTV show, “The Hard Times of RJ Berger,” Paul Iacono is really enjoying the turn MTV is taking with some of its new programming like “Hard Times” and “The Buried Life.”

“I think it’s so motivational and an engaging documentary series vs. the reality series that MTV has pigeonholed lately,” Iacono told LA’s The Place. “They’re fantastic guys.”

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/tbl.

At the 9th Annual Feast of San Gennaro opening night gala, it was the who’s who of Italian Hollywood! The annual event kept with the Italian-American theme from past years’ events and raised awareness for those in the U.S. military of Italian-American descent and funds for local charities through the San Gennaro Foundation. The Feast of San Gennaro was a full weekend event, kicking off October’s Italian Heritage Month. Last year, the San Gennaro Foundation raised more than $20,000 for local organizations benefiting Los Angeles children and families.

Honorees for “Prima Notte 2010

Sept. 23 featured the festival’s start with the Prima Notte 2010”, which occupied a large set up behind the El Capitan Theatre and next to the Roosevelt Hotel. This year’s Feast of San Gennaro’s first night was led by Master of Ceremonies Mark DeCarlo, who introduced the evening’s honorees Connie Stevens and Robert Davi and hosts Adam Carolla  and  Jimmy Kimmel. DeCarlo has had his voice featured on many animated shows like “Family Guy” and “The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron,” as well as hosting the Travel Channel TV series, “Taste of America.”

Mark DeCarlo, Joe Mantegna and Frankie Competelli awarding honorees (Photo credit: Jay Tilles, KROQ.com)

“The Feast of San Gennaro is now a beloved Hollywood tradition,” Kimmel said. “Bring your family, and I’ll bring mine. Then afterwards, we’ll all get our stomachs pumped.”

Fellow comedian and Italian-American, Adam Carolla joined Kimmel during the opening gala as the two auctioned off several prize vacation packages, all benefiting the Foundation and its charities. TV personality Carson Daly and actor Zach Galifinakis were also spotted at the Feast.

"Prima Notte 2010" -- Feast of San Gennaro (Photo credit: Jay Tilles, KROQ.com)

“We have been bringing Italian culture to the heart of Hollywood for nine years running,” said Frankie Competelli, president of The San Gennaro Foundation, Los Angeles. “We are thrilled to, once again, celebrate tradition, family, and great food with the community.”

Precious Cheese Serves as Presenting Sponsor

One of the booths set up at the “Prima Notte 2010” was one for Precious Cheese—a brand that’s part of Lactalis Retail Dairy Inc., a division of Groupe Lactalis, one of the largest dairy companies in the world. The brand produces a large array of cheese products, including mozzarella, ricotta, string and stick cheese. The Precious Cheese booth contained samples of the company’s cheese products, as well as a prize wheel where attendees could walk away with pizza cutters, bag clips and recipe booklets.

Precious Cheese prize wheel (Photo Credit: Jay Tilles, KROQ.com)

“Precious® Cheese is proud to be presenting sponsor again this year helping to bring authentic Italian culture, entertainment, food and fun to the Los Angeles area,” said Jessica Ruth, spokesperson for Precious Cheese. “The San Gennaro Foundation’s commitment to preserving Italian-American heritage resonates with the Precious Cheese brand and we look forward to continuing to raise funds for the organization and its programs.”

For more information on Precious Cheese, visit www.preciouscheese.com and for more details on the annual Feast of San Gennaro, visit www.feastofla.org.

For more photos from the opening gala, visit www.KROQ.radio.com.

Fabricio Werdum Victorious over Fedor. Photo by Dave Mandel www.sherdog.com

In the biggest upset in MMA history, Fabricio Werdum beat Fedor Emelianenko, who, up until this fight, had gone undefeated since 2000. MMA fans all around the world were in shock.

The fight began when Emelianenko came at Werdum early throwing punches, Werdum stumbled backward onto the ground, Fedor followed, throwing punches, while Werdum worked his Brazilian Jui Jitsu skill and trapped Fedor in an armbar and triangle choke. It was all over for Fedor at that point. He tapped out 69 seconds into the first round.

Says Emelianenko, “I was concentrating on strikes and that’s why I made the mistake.”

This is Emelianenko’s first loss, to end a winning streak that goes back to 2000, and the first time he has been submitted in an MMA bout.

The winner of the Strikeforce fight. which aired on Showtime, was promised a shot at the current Strikeforce champion, Alistair Overeem. Overeem has only had one loss, and that was in 2006 to Werdum. When LA’s The Place spoke to Werdum in a videotaped interview, he stated then that he would want a rematch with Fedor after he won, and, after his victory over Fedor tonight, he reiterated that in the ring…that he wants a rematch with Emelianenko. Read more here…

Fabricio

Fabricio vs Fedor is going to be a fight to remember. The Russian Fedor is said to be the best heavyweight fighter in the world by all the major media outlets, and has held onto that reputation for almost a decade, but Fabricio Werdum is a tough competitor with black belts in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo. The Mixed Martial Arts website Sherdog recently ranked the Brazilian Fabricio Werdum the ninth best heavyweight in the world, but he is ready to be the man media outlets report as the one to beat after this amazing fight. The Fabricio vs Fedor Stikeforce fight is set to be the biggest fight of 2010.

Fabricio vs Fedor is scheduled to take place on June 26, 2010 at Strikeforce: Fedor vs. Werdum. The winner of Fabricio vs Fedor will go on to fight Strikeforce Heavyweight Champion Alistair Overeem and will try to capture his title. Fabricio vs Fedor will be taking place in San Jose California at the HP Pavilion. While Fabricio Werdum is working to beat Fedor, female fighter Cristiane Santos will fight to defend the Women’s Featherweight Championship.

Fabricio vs Fedor is a huge fight for both heavyweight giants. Fabricio Werdum previously beat Fedor’s brother in a fight at the HP Pavilion in 2006 and Fedor wants televised revenge. Fabricio Werdum is the underdog, but can the Fedor fans be overconfident? Fabricio Werdum is a seasoned Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighter, and is ready for his chance to prove it live on Showtime. Will Fabricio Werdum prove himself the best heavyweight MMA fighter?

This highly anticipated fight has received a lot of buzz on the Internet. The Fabricio vs Fedor fight preview video and the video of the fight between Fedor’s brother Aleksander Emelianenko and Fabricio Werdum have both received many views and comments about the upcoming fight. Fedor fans claim it will be a boring match but many point to the record and skills of Fabricio Werdum to indicate how competitive Fabricio has shown he is. No one can predict the outcome of Fabricio vs Fedor and Mixed Martial Arts fans will be glued to their seats watching the action pour out of the HP Pavilion on June 26th. To go to Fabricio’s Werdum Combat School website, click here…

To visit Fabricio’s website Werdum Combat Team website click here…

Omid Djalili and Paul Reiser at Infidel Premier

On June 23rd, The Creative Coalition, Tribeca Film, and American Express were joined at the premiere of The Infidel at the LA Film School of Comedy by Hollywood’s stars. Among those who attended include Courtenay Ticket, Rachael Leigh Cook, Natasha Alam, Stephen Lunsford, Peter Ghallagher, Christine Lahti, Ken Baumann, Rishcard Schiff, Paul Reiser, and Omid Djalili.

Catt Sadler at Infidel Premier

The private screening of The Infidel left these guests laughing all the way through the viewing. The film offers a laid-back Muslim as its protaganist, who through a series of events discovers he was actually adopted and was originally born Jewish, possessing the name, Solly Shimshillewitz.

After the screening, the stars ventured over to La Vida, who provided specialty SVEDKA drinks and Corona beer. Guests enjoyed these treats while donning themed yamaka, playing with dradles and snacking on knishes.

The 16th Annual Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) officially kicked off on June 17 with a red carpet premiere of “The Kids Are All Right,” but the Fest has many other events and promotions happening as well. Netflix, ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars and MacroView Labs each have their own unique announcement for those attending and covering the Festival.Netflix helps filmmaker ‘find his voice’

Netflix Inc. announced its “Netflix FIND Your Voice” competition in January of 2009. The contest received more than 2,000 applications and enlisted the help of a judging panel consisting of accomplished industry individuals like Josh Brolin, John Sayles, Dustin Lance Black, Bruce Cohen, Dan Jinks and Stephanie Allain. Winner Philip G. Flores was chosen to make his film dream become a reality.

He wrote and directed his first film, “The Wheeler Boys” after the competition awarded him with a prize package worth more than $350,000, including donations from Panavision, Kodak and Deluxe Entertainment Group.

A USC film school graduate, Flores’ idea for “The Wheeler Boys” revolves around a high school freshman named Ted who discovers that his current crush is the object of an ill-advised school contest by his peers.

Netflix, in association with non-profit organization Film Independent (FIND), is giving the more than 13 million Netflix subscribers (and non-members) a chance to view the film starting at 8 p.m. PST on June 25 until 8 p.m. PST on June 27. Visit www.netflix.com/findyourvoice to watch the piece or attend the official Festival screening.

Festival Sponsors include ZonePerfect, Kodak and more

Film Independent announced its Premier Sponsor for the 2010 LAFF to be ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars, with Principal Sponsors in Kodak and Subaru. For the fifth year in a row, title sponsor is The Los Angeles Times, producing the official Festival Film Guide, available throughout the event.

As the premier sponsor, ZonePerfect Nutrition Bars is hosting the aptly named ZonePerfect live.create lounge, found at the Festival Village. Featuring the works of many Los Angeles-based singer/songwriters and artists, the lounge gives everyone a chance to meet and is open to the public from noon to 4 p.m. on June 18-26.

Kodak is bringing back its Festival programs, Kodak Speed Dating and Kodak Focus. Kodak Speed Dating is open to all and was formed to give industry individuals a chance to conduct one-on-one meetings, and Kodak Focus this year will feature cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto (“Brokeback Mountain,” “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps”) as he discusses his works.

Other sponsors include Stella Artois, Tchnicolor, American Airlines, Regal Cinemas, Coca-Cola, Canon USA, McDonald’s, Clear Channel, the JW Marriott, DLP Cinema and The Standard hotel.

Need to navigate the Festival? There’s an app for that!

The San Francisco-based mobile software company MacroView Labs has created an official LAFF application for cell phones and mobile devices free for users. The app gives Festival attendees updates, news items and information on events surrounding the Festival.

“The Los Angeles FilM Festival app is an entertaining and a simple way to engage our audiences, encourage an online dialogue, and enhance their festival-going experience,” said Festival Director Rebecca Yeldham. “It’s also the perfect method of helping attendees navigate our new Festival footprint downtown.”

Available for download at the Apple iTunes Store, as well as for Android phones, some Blackberry phones and other smartphones at: http://app.lafilmfest.com.

For more information regarding the Festival, visit www.LAFilmFest.com.

Laker’s win! Congratulations Coach Phil Jackson, Dr. Jerry Buss and MVP Kobe Bryant and the rest of our amazing Lakers!

ABC News “Nightline” illuminates how the young chef, René Redzepi, elevated Noma in Copenhagen to its standing as best restaurant in the world in the S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants rankings. Also during the interview, he also discusses his new cuisine he calls, “New Nordic.” The chef spoke with “Nightline” recently about his cooking philosophy, his evolution as a chef and the advantage he sees at being an outsider.

 Here are a few highlights of Rene Redzepi’s interview:

What makes the New Nordic cuisine different?

Rene Redzepi: “I think that in our part of the world, Scandinavia, we are one of the pioneers of showing that gastronomy can be something — high gastronomy can be something very present and doesn’t have to involve, you know, what is perceived as the normal luxury items that belong in a restaurant,” said Redzepi. “You can actually, I mean a carrot has the same value as caviar if you know how to cook it and if you deal with it properly.”

What is the advantage of being an outsider to the Norwegian culture?

RR: “Our restaurant is known for doing a Nordic cuisine, a cuisine where we involve our natural products, our culinary heritage,” he said. “And we’ve stopped looking at our own products as something that doesn’t belong in the culinary top. But I think in order to do that, it’s been such a big advantage for me that I have a little outside upbringing, because if you are 100 percent native, I think sometimes you, things you grow up with, they’re just things you grow up with, you can never put them in another context.

Redzepi credits his Macedonian roots for giving him a fresh perspective on what was possible with Nordic cuisine.

RR: “I think it’s been to a big advantage that I grew up outside. Flat bread to a Scandinavian is a flat bread; something you have in your home and that’s it. You never do anything gastronomical with it and serve it as a restaurant.

Where did you grow up?

RR: “I’ve grown up partially in Macedonia. My father’s Muslim, my mother’s Danish,” said Redzepi. “So I’ve had a very different upbringing from most people in Denmark, because where we used to be in Macedonia, life was very different from Denmark. For instance, there were no refrigerators; there was only two cars in the city. And the whole family lived together in a house and everything was revolving around the meal.?

What did you learn from your family about food?

RR: “The whole day was planned around the meal. People were farmers, and if you had to have a chicken, you slaughtered the chicken. If you wanted to have a glass of milk you had to milk the cow. I never tasted Coca-Cola until I was 10 years old. If we wanted the drinks, my auntie, she took the old rose leaves and put sugar water over them to infuse, and so on and so on.”

What is one of your first food memories?

RR: “One of my first food memories is watermelon, for sure,” he said. “Because my family — they don’t do that now, they have cafes in Macedonia, but … back then they were farmers, and they lived on red peppers and watermelon. And still today, watermelon is something I love eating.

He continues, “And if it’s not that, there’s also, the [food memory] that’s very close is roasted chestnuts. In the season, freshly roasted chestnuts in the fire with cold milk on [it] as breakfast — that’s also a very, very big childhood memory. And then berries of all sorts, but that’s a Scandinavian meal.”

Do you consider yourself Danish or Macedonian?

RR: “I consider myself a Dane,” he said. “I have a Danish wife, my child is Danish and I am the Dane … with the not-so-Danish name, and some other ways of looking at things [that] perhaps a normal Dane wouldn’t.”

Do you eat pork?

RR: “I’m not a Muslim,” he said. “… I’ve always been told by my father, even though he’s a practicing Muslim, that we had to do what came naturally to us. And it’s impossible to escape pork in Denmark. I mean there’s 5 million people in Denmark and there’s 46 million pigs.”

So interning in France, you discovered El Bulli?

RR: “And I wanted to go to France and I did. It was [at] a three-star back then in Montpelier in ’97. I spent some time there and experienced how a three-star French cuisine is. And while I was there, I read some French paper about a restaurant in Spain, just across the border and it sounded very interesting. I went there and I booked a table two weeks in advance and I did — that was to be world-famous El Bulli restaurant. I ate there and there was also a big, clear mark in what has defined me. Because I was completely blown away back then, I remember. Here was something I hadn’t seen before. A chef that did his own thing. I was expecting to go to Spain to get French food. Not something so personal and something Spanish. It was a big inspiration. I applied for a job immediately, got a contract and I worked there the season after.”

How do you handle the pressure of cooking for guests who have such expectations now?

RR: “We have two types of guest in a restaurant. That’s at least how I see it. You have guests that believe that their opinion is the absolute truth, and then there’s guests that don’t believe that. I think that when you understand that and when you try–and when you know that there are people that believe that their opinion is the absolute truth, even when you have these 28 guys you have in the kitchen, who work and struggle to serve them, then if you accept that and realize that there’s nothing to do and focus on the others, then pressure is a relative thing, you know.”

So where is the next great cuisine coming from?

RR: “I don’t want to preach anything. But you can say that by doing it in Denmark, this cold spot in the north where people think nothing can grow, we’re also saying that it can be done anywhere. Perhaps the next big cuisine will be in Poland or wherever, you know, and most people there laugh a little bit when you say Poland.”

“But 10 years ago, people would laugh if somebody said Denmark.”

Excerpts of this article are from ABC News Sarah Rosenberg and Tom McCarthy’s online article “René Redzepi, Chef at Noma, on Being No. 1”. To read the entire story, click here.

ABC News “Nightline” is anchored by Cynthia McFadden, Terry Moran, and Martin Bashir. James Goldston is the executive producer. “Nightline” airs at 11:35 p.m. (ET/PT) weeknights on the ABC Television Network.

Copyright © 2010 ABC News Internet Ventures

By Susie Salva
Intelligent, articulate and endearing the American Idol runner up Adam Lambert takes time from his busy schedule to answer some questions that he participated in on a conference call prior to his first night of his Glam Nation tour.

Q: Can you tell us more about the show itself? The look and how you’re going to approach it that way? And also the repertoire, what else are we going to hear besides the songs from the album?

Adam Lambert: There is a surprise cover in there, one or two. But I’m kind of leaving them as wonderful surprises (as a way to place) the show. And then the show itself was actually – it’s being visually inspired by kind of like a blend of turn of the century New Orleans meets like psychedelic classic rock.

I had a lot of fun with the projectionist and my costume designer and we’re working with a fashion line called Skin Graft Designs, which I have worn a lot of their pieces in the past on Idol and since then. And yeah, it kind of has its own little world.

Q. Are people who were up in arms about your AMA performance going to be comfortable at this show? Or should they stay home?

Adam Lambert: I definitely think they will be comfortable. That was kind of an artistic experiment, the AMAs, and I learned a lot from it. I learned kind of what my limitations are. I learned what my audience wants to see. And there is definitely – the concert definitely is sexy. But I feel like if anybody felt that that was not tasteful, this is tasteful.

Q. About your inspiration or your vision for the Glam Nation tour but what in your mind, like what shows did you see growing up, what tours did you see that you wanted to do this for your first headlining tour that maybe inspired you or influenced you or in your mind, this is kind of carrying on the tradition of? Anything come to mind?

Adam Lambert: Yeah. I definitely have always loved like the big pop tours, people like Michael Jackson and Madonna and even my first tour that I ever saw was Paula Abdul.

People that put on a show, you know what I mean? They take their music and they create a visual and a story and a theme and they kind of reinterpret maybe a song both musically and visually to kind of give it a context and that is something that is really important to me.

And also I think that my background in musical theater really came into play a lot with this production. I definitely wanted it to be first and foremost about the music but a close second is giving the audience something to look at and giving them a reason why okay, this is the next song in the set, this is the next song. There is definitely like a thematic through line throughout the show.

Q. Talk a little bit more about the thematic elements that you say are woven into the show. Can you elaborate on that a little bit?

Adam Lambert: Yeah. That’s actually been one of the most exciting parts of this is trying to give the show a world to exist in and kind of a reason why each song comes next.

And what I decided, I had a song that came out on my remix EP a couple months back that was a track that was written for the album and it’s called Voodoo and I wrote that with Sam Sparrow. And it’s a real fun kind of sexy, modern disco type song with a lot of visual references to New Orleans and kind of mysticism and it’s kind of kitschy, not to be taken too seriously and very sexy.

And that kind of – I kind of fell in love again with the song and was like I want to do this for my concert, and then realized slowly but surely that the more I listened to all my music, I was like they could all live in that world, that kind of turn of the century New Orleans meets modern New Orleans, voodoo, crystal balls, magic kind of look.

And it’s also there is a lot of psychedelic kind of classic rock visual references. People like Jimmy Hendrix and Jim Morrison and Keith Richards – these are all people that have kind of inspired the look and the feel of the show.

Q. How would you classify your image right now both from a musical and fashion perspective.

Adam Lambert: I always have been fond of like the glam rocker title. I think glam is a broader term than maybe people realize because I think that there is definitely the ‘70s glam, there was the ‘80s glam movement.
And then right now with the tour, I think I’m exploring a look that is really inspired by psychedelic rock stars, Jimmy Hendrix, Keith Richards, Jim Morrison and then blended with this whole thing called scheme punk is what they call it. And what it is, is it’s like Victorian era fashion mixed with modern elements like punk rock mixed with retro kind of historical clothing. It’s hard to explain but it’s a really, really cool angle.

And there is a fashion company named Skin Grafts that I have worked with for the last couple years and they are designing a lot of custom pieces for the tour so I’m really excited to show everybody.

Q. What would be the best thing an aspiring artist can do for their career in light of your experience?

Adam Lambert: I think it’s really about making your own opportunities. Nothing is going to come to you. You have to go to it. I think that that was one of the reasons why I decided to audition for Idol, is I thought that’s going to be a great platform, a great launching pad for me if I can get through it.

And so I’m going to take the risk and go audition and really put myself out there. You have to put your eggs in lots of different baskets.

Q.   Just after Idol I wanted to know what your band that you formed and
also the new tour, what is the most amazing thing that has happened to you on this journey?

Adam Lambert:  What’s the most amazing thing? I mean it’s all pretty darn amazing. I think that this right now, getting to conceptualize my first headlining tour is like a dream come true.

I definitely think my album is really strong and I love all the music on it and getting to put it on stage is really kind of what I’m best at, coming from the theater originally and doing a lot of live performances in Los Angeles. Translating this material and making it come alive on stage and giving it an emotional through line and a visual through line is really exciting.

Q. I’m wondering if there is anything you learned about yourself from the first go round with Idol pre-Idol to now, to all that you have now. Anything on a personal level, reflection – any of that, that was a revelation to you about you?

Adam Lambert: That’s a good question, deep and good. I don’t know. I think that ultimately I think that just trusting my instincts has been kind of the biggest challenge and test since coming off of Idol.

It’s a business this music industry and it’s a lot of amazing, talented, very experienced people working in it. And they have their opinions and I have mind and coming to compromises and figuring out what the best plan of action is is definitely something that I’m learning a lot about.

Q. Tell me about how your style or sound has evolved since your time on Idol. We have talked about the infamous AMA thing and that caused some people to be concerned about the type of performer you will be. Would you say you have toned down your style? I mean you called that an experiment so what have you…?

Adam Lambert: Yeah. I think that for me it’s like every week on Idol I was doing something different. I was singing a different song, dressed differently, expressing a different emotion or vibe.

And I thought it was funny that people got so nervous about what kind of performer I’d be based on the AMAs. I’m like this is one performance. If you didn’t know anything about me at this point it’s that I change it up all the time. And then coming out with Whattaya Want From Me and all my subsequent performances of that with a great way to show that I’m more than one type artist.

I think I have a lot of different sides and I like to show all of them. So that AMA performance was me expressing my sexuality and that scares a lot of people. But I think that it’s healthy. And the Whattaya Want From Me song and performances were me expressing vulnerability and honesty.

And this new single If I Had You is about joy and connection. And so every song on the album has a different emotion and my performances will reflect that emotion.

Q. In an interview where you said that you felt like your career had been a series of proving yourself in weird moments. Is it kind of a different challenge now that it’s your tour and you’re sort of creating it yourself?

Adam Lambert: Yeah. I mean there is definitely a different kind of freedom with this. This is my show and people are buying tickets because they are usually fans and they most of them I would say already are aware of my music and my career.

So there are not as many first impressions that I’m making but that’s just as much of a challenge is trying to kind of reinvent songs and give them an emotional and visual through line. I think yeah, I feel less pressure to prove anything and more of an opportunity to create something. So there is a lot of freedom.

Q. if you had to pick one song on the album that best represents you as an artist, what would it be or can you even pick one song?

Adam Lambert: It’s really hard to pick one song because I really feel like the whole thing about the album was that every song on there I wanted to reflect me as an artist.

I wanted there to be different elements of my personality. I think it’s really easy in today’s music market because there is so much to choose from and generally things kind of come and go so quickly. I think it’s hard to find artists that are trying to show you all different dimensions. A lot of albums kind of sound all alike for the commercial benefit of that.

But for me it was really important for me to have an album that was super diverse showing different sides of who I am. My current single If I Had You I think is a really great reflection of where I’m at currently. I have been fortunate that my singles have kind of been released in the manner that reflect where I’m at in my life at that moment.

For Your Entertainment, the first single, was definitely about sexuality and I was kind of in the hot spot on that kind of having recently come out and done a lot of press about that. That felt like an appropriate first single because that’s what it was about. And then it subsequently ended up kind of scaring some people as sexuality often does.

And then with Whattaya Want From Me it’s like it was a response to that. It was the hey I’m human and I’m doing the best I can and thank you for believing in me and this is me being honest and scared. And then the current single is If I Had You. And like I said, it’s about joy and connection and realizing that happiness comes from that and not from success.

And I find that one of the best things about being in the position that I’m in is that you get the chance to make people feel something and inspire people. And so I really believe in that current message as a way to connect with the audience.

Q. Have you talked to Elton John or other artists to sort of have a really big image about what it’s like to sort of build a career when you’re sort of this out there kind of personality. But yet you still want to produce quality music.

Adam Lambert: I think that my interaction with Madonna was a great example of that because she basically said you can’t pay attention to all the extraneous crap. You can’t listen to the critics, you can’t be affected too much by what people want.

You have to kind of keep your eye on the prize, and even though your intention and your goal is to entertain people, you have to kind of follow your own instincts. And that is what I have been really working at, and I think that I’ve come to a really great space of late of how to achieve that and what my goals are and just coming from a positive productive place. I feel like that’s the best I can do.

Dr. Blake LaBounty is a dentist who not only has the expertise  but also puts patient care and innovation ahead of profits. Smileworks  is one of Redondo Beach’s best-kept secrets, and our #1 Top Pick for Best Dentist in Los Angeles.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Smileworks of Redondo Beach Is Reinventing Dentistry As You Know It

Seeing your dentist regularly is a must for good health, and recent studies have shown that oral health is directly related to your overall constitution. Dental problems can lead to life-threatening health conditions if left untreated. The challenge, however, is in finding a great dentist and the right dentistry environment that has everything you need for complete dental health care.

This is exactly what Dr. LaBounty and the team at Smileworks aim to provide. Smileworks specializes in comfort-conscious dentistry with a focus on you, the patient. From the airy, naturally lit modern office to Smileworks’ warm and friendly staff and Dr. LaBounty’s confident, caring manner – it all adds up to a dentist visit that puts you at ease.

Your well-being is number one at Smileworks in Redondo Beach. Dr. LaBounty and Smileworks take very special care of each and every dental patient that comes through their doors and continue to monitor their dental changes throughout the years.

Dr. LaBounty and the Smileworks team have relieved the fears of numerous patients, even those who’ve gone years without a satisfactory dental appointment. Our Editor-in-Chief Jane Emery agrees: “What a relief to finally have found a competent, caring dentist who is a genius in his field. This truly is the next level of dentistry. I no longer have anxiety related to dental visits!”

Profits vs. Patients in the Dentist’s Office

An unfortunate truth is that most dentists rely on maximizing patient volume and streamlining care, prioritizing speed and profit margins rather than patient comfort. Rather than adopting newer, patient-friendly techniques, other dentists utilize older techniques to maximize earnings.

Cutting-Edge, Top-of-the-Line Dental Equipment

Smileworks in Redondo Beach uses the GALILEOS 3D diagnostic system, a cutting-edge dental technology that delivers superior quality images of your teeth with one of the lowest dosages of radiation. Dentists love GALILEOS because it helps them make a diagnosis quickly, easily, and accurately. Simply put, 3D scans capture much more data than traditional X-rays, resulting in a finely detailed picture of your jaw, mouth, and teeth. Dr.LaBounty can use this information to determine whether cavities, abnormal growths, or other dental conditions — especially conditions not evident from a traditional 2D image – are present.

CEREC Technology: Paving the Way for Same-Day Dental Restorations

You may not have heard of CEREC dental technology before, but you wish you had discovered it earlier. CEREC is the abbreviation for Chairside Economical Restorations of Esthetic Ceramics, and as practiced by Smileworks, it allows one-day treatment for decayed teeth, crowns, fillings, and veneers.

The CEREC camera and computer take 3D pictures of your teeth and allow Smileworks and Dr. LaBounty to instantly design your dental restorations. The technology has been in use for 20 years and is backed by more than 100 studies. More important, though, it lets you get in and out of the dentist office without hassle in just one visit.

Smile Transformations Delivered Daily

Although his emphasis is in general dentistry, Dr. LaBounty has also received specialized training in cosmetic smile makeovers, as well as placement and restoration of dental implants. Examples of Dr. LaBounty’s smile makeovers have been featured on national TV shows, including The Tyra Banks Show ,The Tony Danza Show and more.  To see for yourself his transformative work, check out the Smile Gallery

Dental Expertise and Credibility

Earning his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 2001 from the prestigious University of Southern California School of Dentistry (USC) gives Dr. LaBounty an edge above the rest in the dental industry. Throughout his career, Dr. LaBounty has completed countless hours of continuing education, has even taught Dental Anesthesiology to other dentists, and consistently seeks out new opportunities to enhance his abilities, knowledge, and techniques.

Dr. LaBounty’s treatment philosophy combines expert technical abilities with a genuine passion for his patients’ well-being. He accomplishes this by utilizing cutting-edge technology and techniques that are backed by sound scientific clinical trials and research and endorsed by the American Dental Association. This allows him to provide procedures that are less invasive, more effective, often less painful and more cost-effective.

Dr. Blake LaBounty

No Pain? Really?

Speaking of less painful, you may have heard of conscious sedation. If you are dental phobic and have put off dental care for years or want to have all your dental care completed in one or two visits, conscious sedation may be just the thing for you, and it’s available at Dr. LaBounty’s office. When you’re finished with the dental treatments under conscious sedation, you will feel relaxed with little or no memory of the procedure.

Another revolutionary way Dr. LaBounty eases the impact of a dental visit is by using the latest technology in controlled anesthetic delivery: the WAND. The WAND administers injections with little or no discomfort, since the flow and volume of anesthetic are delivered slowly, below the pain threshold. The system even places a drop of anesthetic at the site of injection, prior to needle insertion, preparing an anesthetic pathway. Now that’s the way to make a patient smile about a dentist visit with Dr. LaBounty at Smileworks!

Making a Clear Case for Invisalign Braces

Smileworks is proud to offer Invisalign, one of the most popular orthodontic procedures available. Invisalign can be your little secret–as its name implies, Invisalign is nearly invisible, but the clear molds are just as effective as traditional braces for moving your teeth into place. Even better, you can remove the Invisalign molds when you eat or brush your teeth without worrying about wires getting in the way. A typical Invisalign treatment takes a year, with adjustments every six to eight weeks, all adding up to a beautiful smile.

Teeth Whitening in as Little as an Hour

Patients often ask about teeth whitening treatments, and Smileworks is happy to provide guidance. In keeping with Smileworks’ emphasis on patients rather than profits, the staff will even tell you if teeth whitening is not for you—if you have fillings, crowns, veneers, and dentures, for example. But if teeth whitening is the appropriate treatment, Dr. LaBounty and his team can find the right option for you, from in-office whitening to external whitening to internal whitening to at-home whitening. In the case of external whitening, the procedure can take as little as one hour for dazzling results.

Smile Makeovers: Minimal Pain, Maximum Beauty

Smileworks played a major role in the My Smile Bites contest sponsored by 1-800-DENTIST. Contest winner Erica Baumgarner of Atlanta, Georgia, was selected based on her orthodontic history: She’d worn her braces for 20 years, despite missing brackets, and the neglect resulted in tooth decay and discoloration. On top of that, her file was lost when her orthodontist passed away and her treatment was suspended when she lost her insurance coverage. Dr. LaBounty and Dr. Mohindra turned the situation around; by the end, they had removed the remaining brackets, deep cleaned all over her mouth, performed a root canal, and put in fillings, implants, crowns, and veneers—painlessly. In just two visits, Erica emerged a whole new woman, and it wasn’t just her smile. As she herself states, the transformation spread to the rest of her life. She took a greater interest in her overall health, lost 10 pounds, and is enjoying a whole new lease in life. And to think–it all started in the Smileworks office, where she was welcomed with care and compassion.

Gum/Bone Procedures Add Up to Your Overall Health

Dental health extends beyond teeth; it also extends to gums and bones, and reports have shown that gum disease can lead to further health complications. Smileworks covers this dental specialty—also known as periodontics—as well. Treatments start from such routine measures as dental cleanings to counteract the buildup of plaque and tartar on your teeth to more aggressive measures against gingivitis and periodontal disease. Smileworks also offers expertise in other gum and bone procedures, such as bone or gum tissue grafts, perio plastic surgery, and sinus lifts. As with all treatments at Smileworks, the patient’s comfort is the top priority when gum/bone procedures are under way.

Specialized Pedodontistry Treatments Tailored for Children

At Smileworks, every patient is treated with care and consideration, and this applies to children as well. Smileworks offers the full range of treatments for children, from infants to adolescents, as well as those with special needs. This includes checkups, cleanings, and sealants. In addition, Smileworks can offer advice and knowledge to parents in the care of their children’s teeth.

Oral Surgery Without Worries or Fear

Oral surgery is often a daunting proposition, but Smileworks can take the fear out of this treatment. Oral and maxillofacial surgery may be recommended for relatively simple measures as tooth fractures, bone loss, or wisdom teeth. It can also apply to more complicated issues of jaw alignment, TMJ, biopsies, or facial traumas. Smileworks’ expertise, in combination with its focus on your comfort, can help ease your concerns about oral surgery.

Dr. LaBounty and his staff, including Dr. Mohindra, who specializes in cosmetic dentistry, strictly adhere to their mission: minimally invasive dental procedures with the patient’s maximum comfort in mind. And who wouldn’t be grinning ear to ear at that notion?

Visit their website to schedule your free initial consultation for the very best in dental care at Smileworks Advanced Dentistry Center in Redondo Beach.

Smileworks is very convenient if you live in any of the South Bay cities such as  Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Palos Verdes, Torrance, Carson, Lomita, and all of Los Angeles and is open Monday through  Saturday for your convenience.

Smileworks of Redondo Beach – www.SmileworksRB.com

1951 Artesia Boulevard, #102, Redondo Beach, CA 90278

Phone: 310 303-7930