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Music’s most notable event of the year, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, is finally around the corner after two years off. As the first “Chella” since the pandemic, the weekend is sure to be full of head-banging hits, over-the-top outfits, sweltering desert temperatures, and too many frozen lemonades to count.

While the iconic festival takes place in California’s Coachella Valley each year, most out-of-state Coachella attendees fly in and out of Los Angeles. And if you’re flying from out of town to go to the festival, you might as well arrive early for some Angeleno adventures.

Korean-American DJ, producer, vocalist, and now soon-to-be Coachella performer SOHMI uses LA’s finest attractions to gear up for the festival each year. After all, three straight days of dancing, drinking, and partying in an overcrowded venue requires preparation. To help Coachella goers prepare for the wild weekends ahead, we asked SOHMI to give us her ultimate LA guide.

WHY SOHMI LOVES COACHELLA:

Coachella is always a huge experience, both at the fest and during the lead-up to the festival itself. I went to my first ‘Chella in 2016 and attended every year until 2020 when it got canceled due to the pandemic. If not for that, however, I most likely would have gone then too! It’s one of my favorite festivals for the diversity and caliber of its lineups, for the incredible selection of vendors and places within the grounds to chill out and enjoy a cold draft beer or frozen rosé (I think they call it frosé!), and for the people-watching — as everyone brings their best festival fashion game to Coachella.

With so much to do, see, and experience over the three-day festival — not to mention all the pre and after parties — I think it’s important to make sure you get plenty of exercise, food, and rest leading up to the big weekend so you can tackle it head-on, in tip-top shape. And of course, a little shopping and pampering beforehand never hurt anyone, either.

With that said, here’s my guide to getting ready (and pumped up!) for Coachella, LA edition.

Hike at Griffith

Start building up that festival stamina with a beautiful hike at Griffith Park. There are tons of easy to moderate trails to choose from, and you’ll get to enjoy some great views of the city of Los Angeles while getting your exercise in as well. Go with a buddy or group of friends, and you can even reward yourselves with a cold one and delicious eats at Spitz nearby after your hike.

Hot Yoga at Modo Yoga

If hiking isn’t your thing, there are lots of other ways to sweat it out and clear your mind before the festival — like hot yoga. I recommend Modo Yoga, which boasts 55 locations around the world and three in Los Angeles. I’ve taken classes at their La Brea studio, which offers mats and towels for rent if you don’t have your own, and a locker room with showers so you can freshen up after all that sweating!

I always leave feeling super refreshed, clear-headed, and grounded.

Take a Barre Class with Pure Barre

My third and final pre-festival fitness recommendation is to take a barre class with Pure Barre. If you’ve never done barre before, the best way to describe it is a 50-minute full-body workout focusing on small but concentrated movements that result in lean muscle tone. So if you want to pack on some extra toning in your abs, arms, and legs before you hit the festival — this is definitely the workout for you!

I’ve taken classes at the Beverly Hills studio since 2016 and can confidently say that barre has transformed my body and made me stronger.

Shopping & Eats at ROW DTLA

I can’t say enough good things about this incredible destination in DTLA. Imagine 32 acres of LA’s downtown cityscape transformed into a sprawling area that’s home to hip stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and on Sundays, a giant food fair called Smorgasburg LA. So make sure you check out ROW on a Sunday to hit Smorgasburg, where you’ll get a taste of some of the best food that LA has to offer (and preview some of the vendors who will be out at Coachella!), then get your festival shop on at cool spots like Bodega (you enter through an unmarked, bodega-esque storefront which suddenly opens up into a multi-story wonderland of streetwear, eclectic home goods, and coveted kicks for the sneakerheads).

Thrifting on Melrose and Melrose Trading Post

If you don’t find anything at Bodega or the shops at ROW or are looking for some better deals and unique vintage pieces, you’ll definitely want to check out the thrifting on Melrose and Melrose Trading Post (MTP). Another fabulous outdoor marketplace that takes place on Sundays, MTP is focused on artisan goods and vintage fashion.

I’ve found some of my favorite festival pieces and outfits at the Melrose Buffalo Exchange as well as vintage tees at MTP — there’s no way you won’t be able to find something you love at least one of these places!

Get a Massage at Larchmont Sanctuary Spa

After all your pre-festival working out and outfit shopping, I think you deserve a little pampering and R&R. The first stop is Larchmont Sanctuary Spa, which is located in the cute and bustling little neighborhood of Larchmont. There are tons of different services including various facials and massage treatments, and I certainly haven’t been able to try them all yet, but I highly recommend giving the 60-minute Holistic Wellness Massage a go. This one uses light to medium pressure, aromatherapy, hot steamed towels, and a combination of Swedish strokes and targeted acupressure techniques for a relaxing experience that also isn’t too painful.

The spa itself really does feel like a sanctuary — it’s beautiful and peaceful inside.

Mani by Nao

Stop two of pampering and R&R would be a visit to (or requesting a house call from) Nao, to get your nails fresh and festival-ready. I always get my nails done with Nao before my gigs to make sure they’re ready for their closeup, and she always kills it. Check out her work on her Instagram page, and you can also send her a message via DM to try and schedule an appointment with her. I recommend reaching out at least a few days in advance!

Check Out a Show at Sound Nightclub

By now, you should be worked out, relaxed, pampered, and ready to get your pregame on for the festival. If you’re a house or techno fan and plan on checking out any of the acts at Coachella inside the Yuma Tent, then a visit to Sound Nightclub is a must. Located on Las Palmas in Hollywood, Sound is LA’s premier underground club for house and techno and regularly books world-class acts like Dixon, Honey Dijon, Damian Lazarus, Michael Bibi, and Peggy Gou just to name a few. A night at Sound would be the perfect buildup for what’s to come once you hit the fest and walk into Yuma — one of the main stages at Coachella which transforms a massive tent-like structure into a full-on rave warehouse out in the middle of the desert. That’s where I’ll be playing!

Get a Sweet Treat at SomiSomi

Last but not least, I had to throw in one of my favorite spots for a sweet treat in all of Los Angeles. After a full night of dancing, I always crave some comfort food the next day and SomiSomi is one of those things that always hits the spot. It’s a Korean dessert spot known for serving up delicious combinations of cold, soft-serve ice cream atop a warm, fish-shaped pastry called “ah-boong” which you can also fill with different sweet fillings like custard, taro, and Nutella. Call me biased, but it doesn’t hurt that the store sounds like it was named after me, too.

Really though, SomiSomi is so, so good. Split one with a friend or treat yourself to your own, and get ready to dance it all off again at the festival.

When news broke of Gilbert Gottfried’s death on Tuesday, social media was flooded with tributes — as well as hilarious clips of his stand-up, movie, and TV appearances. Some remembered his stunningly filthy take on the “Aristocrats” joke. Others shared his gonzo trolling of contestants on Hollywood Squares. And some dug up one of the last jokes he told, which was aimed at his good friend Chris Rock.

Two weeks before his passing, Gottfried weighed in on what was then the biggest topic: Will Smith smacking Chris Rock at the Oscars because of a joke he made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith. The incident shocked the nation. It may have destroyed Smith’s career and public image. But Gottfried was always someone who found a joke in anything — even, infamously, unimaginable tragedy — and this was no exception.

“Which is the worst crime?” Gottfried wrote on Instagram. “Chris Rock being physically assaulted or Chris Rock telling a joke?” Beside it was a picture of the two comics side-by-side, big smiles on their faces, indicating that the joke was made out of love. Rock, who loved a good barb — like the one that got him slapped on live television — no doubt approved.

The cause of Gottfried’s death was not immediately revealed, though it was later confirmed that it was the result of a rare genetic muscle disease. Luckily he left behind an endless supply of jokes like this.

Nic Cage’s acting career has been as wild and crazy as his most notable roles. From action hero, to Oscar winner, to countless memes and now … pulling a full-blown John Malkovich by playing himself in a bizarre meta-comedy for Lionsgate called “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.” At this point he is simply a fixed point in pop culture.

But now he can add a new status: beloved Reddit star.

Cage had recently participated in a Reddit: Ask Me Anything, and his wholesome responses have struck a chord with both fans—he prefers to call them “loyal film enthusiasts”—and critics alike. Like most of the things he does, it’s become a bona fide moment.

One person wrote, “I didn’t really know much about Nic Cage before the AMA honestly, but I walked about from it thinking how insightful and genuine he seemed. I have a lot more respect for him now (not that I didn’t before, I just thought he came across as a really sincere person). He seems like a really good dude on top of everything else. It was a REALLY good AMA.”

Here are some of the best insights:

For one thing, the guy is truly an artist, with a genuine love for his craft. He’s studied Kabuki performance, for crying out loud—core curriculum for a theater nerd.

Just read his thoughtful response to a compliment on his performance in the movie “Pig,” which tells the story of a lonely truffle hunter who leaves his wilderness home in Oregon in search of his beloved foraging hog.

via GIPHY

“‘Pig’ was an absolutely incredible film, what drew you to that project, and why do you think that it struck a chord with so many people?” — speakerboxxed

“Thank you. I was interested in returning to a more quiet, naturalistic style of film performance, having done a series of more operatic performance styles. The movie feels rather like a folk song to me or a poem, and the character of Rob was contending with tremendous grief and self imposed isolation and I think we as a group of people experiencing a pandemic in 2020-21 we’re probably also having similar feelings of loss and isolation and it communicated to a nerve we were all experiencing. It’s one of my favorite movies, and it’s probably my best work.” — N.C.

“Pig” turned out to be one of the three films Nicolas Cage would choose to be preserved for posterity, along with “Bringing Out the Dead” and “Leaving Las Vegas.”

He also doesn’t take his success for granted.

When asked which of his movie quotes he hated the most when heard in public, the actor simply responded:

“I don’t have a problem with any of the quotes. I’m glad they remember the movie.” — N.C.

Though we’ve seen him play a face-swapping terrorist, a treasure-hunting historian and a charming arms dealer, Nic Cage really just wants to play a sea captain. And not just any sea caption, but Captain Nemo from Jules Verne’s classic novels.

Why? “Because of the character’s love of the ocean that I share with him,” Cage wrote.

There were a few really fun behind-the-scenes bits of trivia. For instance, ever wonder what happened to that iconic snakeskin jacket from “Wild At Heart?”

Well, according to Cage, his co-star Laura Dern has it.

“[Laura] was such an enormous part of Wild at Heart that I felt it belonged to her. But now I wish I had given it to my son instead. I would’ve liked him to have it. But it’s okay, Laura has it.” — N.C.

Of course, though many questions were craft and career related, a few mundane inquiries stuck out, such as:

“What’s your favorite pasta shape?” — JaggedOnomatomania

Answer: A rare “square tube pasta” only seen once at an Italian restaurant in San Francisco 25 years ago.

Not everyone can make pasta sound fascinating. But Cage did.

When asked what Cage’s favorite non-work-related hobbies were, he replied that, where everything ultimately informs his works (again, a true thespian!) he does enjoy reading, watching cinema and exercise.

The guy’s also a romantic. He shared a story about spending $2000 (a gift from grandma, no less) on his prom date. Chauffeur-driven limo, tux, four-course meal, the works. According to Cage it was “money well spent.”

Lastly, when it comes to his favorite movies, none of them are movies he’s worked on. That honor goes to “Apocalypse Now” and “Spirited Away.”

The AMA turned out to be a lovely event for everyone involved. Including Cage, who said in his follow up interview:

“That was the highlight of my day. We did it together, and I thought it was a terrific interview. With all the folks that asked me questions, they were really great questions, really thoughtful, and I was deeply touched.“

Perhaps massive talent isn’t so unbearable after all. Especially when handled with humor and grace.

If you haven’t seen the trailer for Cage’s new movie yet, you can do so below. Buckle up.

And by the way, in case anyone is wondering: yes, he would “gladly” do “Face Off 2.”

One thing that screams amazing is Gen Z kids and the empowerment they exude. Whether it’s organizing protests or demanding to be taken seriously as their true selves, they can be truly awe-inspiring. Teens in the ’90s perfected the eye roll and developed a “Clueless” croak, but teens and young adults of today seem to be activists from birth. Bucking the system that attempts to put them in a box or quiet their voices, today’s youth are in a league of their own, and it’s something to take in.

Will Larkins is one of those precocious Gen Zers that is breaking the mold on what society deems appropriate for teens to do. He’s a junior at Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida, and has been making his presence known through his LGBTQ+ activism. He is the president and co-founder of his school’s Queer Student Union. On March 7, he led a walkout of more than 500 students in protest of Florida’s proposed “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Larkins, who uses they/him pronouns, posted a video to his Twitter account showing him teaching a history lesson on the Stonewall riots, which occurred in 1969. His history class was covering history spanning the 1960s and ’70s, and he asked permission to include this bit of LGBTQ+ history that many people don’t learn about in school.

After his history teacher gave him the go-ahead, Larkins got to work. The teen created a PowerPoint presentation that centered around educating his fellow students about the history of LGBTQ+ and the fight for civil rights. When he arrived to class that day, he donned a red tea-length fitted dress, a fur cropped jacket and a beautiful double strand of pearls. The students in class appear to be engaged in his presentation on the historic events.

LGBTQ American history is not taught in Floridas public schools, so I took it upon myself to explain the events of the Stonewall Uprising to my 4th period US history class. #SayGayAnywaypic.twitter.com/A73TKPlWXF

— Will Larkins (@Will Larkins)
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The Stonewall riots were a series of uprisings in New York City following a raid on a local gay bar that resulted in a lesbian being knocked unconscious as she was being put into a police car. The onlookers were horrified and began to throw things at the officer who had injured the woman as he was putting her into the police car. When Larkins asked his teacher if the class would be covering Stonewall during their lesson, his teacher had not heard of the event, which prompted the presentation.

After Larkins posted a short clip of him presenting on the riots, some commenters were confused at why he decided to wear a dress, but the answer was simple. Because he wanted to. Larkins often dresses in clothes that would be deemed feminine by societal standards, but he doesn’t let that stop him. The presentation went viral, and has been viewed more than 457, 000 times.

Day 2: 73 new registered voters!n124 in total. nThis midterm, the youth will make our voice heard!!pic.twitter.com/SsUQmkBaOl

— Will Larkins (@Will Larkins)
1649187087

While Larkins may still be in high school, his activism and courage to stand up for what he believes in will take him far. He’s already looking toward the future by helping eligible Gen Zers register to vote in time for the primaries. This kid is going places, and he’ll look fabulous doing it.

When Amazon forked over money to revive The Kids in the Hall, they must have known what they were buying. The iconic Canadian sketch comedy show were not above going meta; one sketch pointed out how much the nation’s taxpayers were unwittingly helping fund the program. So when the revival’s first trailer dropped, it was no surprise that there was a fair amount of ribbing of their new corporate overlords.

The ad finds the old gang literally exhumed from the earth, 27 years older than when their titular show last aired (it ran from 1988 to 1995), with Bruce McCullouch wishing they had “cryogenically frozen our bodies.” We then see Dave Foley and Mark McKinney as execs, the former asking who’s funding the reboot. “The Devil again?” he asks, to which McKinney’s character responds, “Well, sort of: Amazon.” Foley’s character later speculates that the super-corporation founded by a guy who keeps going to space wants “a funny show but one that is free of targets, topical topics, alarming edginess or unsettling settings.”

A number of beloved Kids in the Hall characters show their faces: McCullouch’s pestering, backpack-loving Gavin and masked tennis maven the Eradicator; McKinney’s “Headcrusher”; the secretaries; and, of course, Scott Thompson’s monologuist Buddy Cole. (Yes, Kevin McDonald is in there too, who hopefully dusts off his enabling boss character from the great “Girl Drink Drunk” sketch.) There’s even the restaurant staff from the semi-deep cut “dipping areas” sketch, which, if you’ve never seen, you can watch below.

The new The Kids in the Hall drops on Amazon Prime on May 13. You can watch the trailer above.

By now, we know that Pamela Anderson was not down with participating in (or even watching) Hulu’s Pam & Tommy limited series, blast that it was to watch. The project and continued resurrection of she and Tommy Lee’s “home movie” couldn’t have been fun to deal with, and Pam has pledged (while teaming up with Netflix) to bring viewers “the real story” of how she’s “[n]ot a victim, but a survivor.”

Before that happens, though, Pamela decided to make a pit stop on Broadway, where she’s playing Roxie Hart in Chicago through early June. Above, you can see the leading lady with her sons, Dylan Jagger Lee and Brandon Thomas Lee, both of whom are somehow now in their mid-20s. They posed with mom backstage at the Ambassador Theater, and from the looks of things, the performance went well.

The audience is loving her, and she’s loving them, and they’re loving her for… well, you catch the drift. Here’s Pam and the rest of the cast coming forward for a standing ovation (a photo of that, via NBC’s Wilson Wong, is below, too).

And of course Pam got swamped with fans when she left the building after the show.

You can read more about how much people loved Pam’s performance over at TODAY, which details how Pam’s followers specifically traveled to New York City for the occasion. And good for Pam for being “the name on everyone’s lips.” Yup, as Roxy, but also as Pamela Freaking Anderson.

(Via TODAY)

Back in the good old days known as 2012, the news was filled with quirky stories like the first Lego Man in Space and the Gay Oreo debacle. One story which you may or may not remember is the Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist, which is actually a lot more dramatic than it sounds.

The heist sparked in-depth news articles and documentaries about the world’s stickiest crime, and now, there is going to be an Amazon series chronicling the events.

The Sticky (yup, that’s the official name) will be produced by Jamie Lee Curtis (who loves stories about trauma) and follow the story of the real-life heist which involved the theft of 18 million Canadian dollars, which equals over 70% of the world’s maple syrup supply. The official synopsis:

The Sticky is a half-hour series revolving around Ruth Clarke, a tough, supremely competent middle-aged Canadian maple syrup farmer who’s had it with being hemmed in by the polite, bureaucratic conventions native to her country’s identity. Especially now that that very bureaucracy is threatening to take away everything she loves: Her farm, her comatose husband, and her right to manifest destiny. With the help of Remy Bouchard, a pint-sized local blockhead and an aging and Mike Byrne, a low-level mobster, Ruth changes her fate—and transforms the future of her community with the theft of millions of dollars’ worth of maple syrup

The pilot was written by Brian Donovan and Ed Herro, who will executive produce and co-showrun with Kathryn Borel. Jason Blum, of Blumhouse Television, will also executive produce. “This story, about an unassuming band of renegades who managed to pull off perhaps the largest heist in Canadian history, caught our attention immediately,” the show-runners said in a statement.

“The characters, stakes—all were ripe for tapping (pun intended) for our fictional story. We’re thrilled that we have world-class partners on board to bring our vision for The Sticky to life.” Filming is expected to begin this fall.

Donald Trump Jr. is going to bat for Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill that was recently signed into law by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis. In predictable fashion, Don Jr. has latched onto the recent, and gross, conservative trend of calling the bill’s detractors “groomers” along with hurling some very QAnon-esque accusations at teachers.

In his latest vertically shot video, Don Jr. accuses teachers of being in “camouflage” so parents can’t tell that they’re “trying to indoctrinate and groom these children.” The former president’s AMPED-up son then urged parents to pull their kids out of public schools.

Via Raw Story:

“I guess, at least they’re easy to pick out and spot for the most part. But you never know, some may go under camouflage not have blue, green, purple hair. But this stuff is insane,” he argued. “At least you can find them and see for yourself, but we need to do whatever we can to give parents the ability to pull their kids away from this nonsense.”

“Just my opinion, right? I’ll probably get canceled for it,” he said.

Ever since The Walt Disney Company came out in opposition of the bill after it was signed into law, Republicans have been lashing out at the media company, which is one if not the largest employer in the state of Florida. In retaliation for Disney’s opposition, state GOP members have been looking into repealing a decades-old statute, which could curtail Disney’s ability to invest in its theme parks. However, doing so could have severe economic impact on the state, so it will be interesting to see just how committed Republicans are to that plan or if they’ll content themselves with making unhinged videos demonizing teachers.

(Via Raw Story)

Frank James, the New York Police Department‘s primary suspect in the Brooklyn subway shooting on Tuesday that left 29 people injured, was taken into custody on Wednesday. The 62-year-old was arrested in Manhattan‘s East Village and has been charged with having committed a terrorist act on a mass transit system.

The New York Times reports:

Keechant Sewell, New York’s police commissioner, said that Mr. James had been stopped in response to a Crime Stoppers tip and that he was taken into custody without incident. She said Mr. James would be charged with having committed the shooting on Tuesday. “We were able to shrink his world quickly,” Commissioner Sewell said. “There was nowhere left for him to run.”

Much of the credit for finding James, who was on the lam for over 24 hours, belongs to Zack. Just… Zack. “Thank you, Zack! You’re a hero with those fast reflexes,” Twitter user Samantha Zirkin tweeted, along with a video interview with the hero.

The “21-year old security camera installer” held an “impromptu press conference” shortly after James was taken into custody.

The NYPD offered a $50,000 reward for information leading to the capture of the gunman. Zack deserves it, and so much more. But for now, he’s being praised for his heroics on social media,

New York’s finest: Zack. May he never be milkshake duck‘d.

(Via the New York Times)

Cardi B once said that she won’t let her daughter sing one of her biggest hits, but now, thanks to Nickelodeon, at least one of her songs will be acceptable for Kulture’s little ears. This Friday at noon, Cardi will be guest-starring on the kids’ series Baby Shark’s Big Show! as a toothy, finned, bright-pink version of herself named Sharki B. She’ll be joined by fishy animated versions of her husband Offset and her daughter Kulture to perform a new song called “The Seaweed Sway.” Today, Billboard premiered a clip of the song, in which Sharki B shows off its accompanying “viral” dance alongside the show’s title character.

To be honest, the song ain’t half bad, and considering the origins and ubiquity of the Baby Shark theme song, I’m sure there will be plenty of parents breathing a sigh of relief at getting a break from the hypnotic tune that kids can’t seem to get enough of. On the other hand, I’m equally sure there’ll be a ton of pearl-clutching from the sorts of people who act like Cardi b’s music will be the end of Western civilization, despite the song being about as kid-friendly as it gets. But the video’s cute (look at Offshark!), the song’s catchy, and kids kind of already love Cardi B — at least this is one song of hers parents won’t mind them singing along to.

Watch Cardi’s — ahem, Sharki B’s — new video for “The Seaweed Sway” above.