On December 3rd at 11:55 PM, I will be partaking in the 3rd Annual Funny Women Festival at iOWest in Hollywood, California in the stand up competition. Some of the other hilarious women performing in this festival include Mary Lynn Rajskub, Mo Collins, Kate Flannery, and Angela Kinsey!!!
Full details of the event can be found by clicking here.
Sunset on Santa Monica beach
The city I live in now, if one can call it that, is a complete dump compared to Los Angeles. I went to LA for my birthday and to explore the city in preparation for my move. I was completely and pleasantly surprised by my experience. Here’s some of the great things LA has to offer:
1. Gorgeous Scenery
The stereotype is that LA is a smog-filled wasteland consisting of nothing but cement buildings and gang members. This is so far from the truth. There are trees and mountains, a blue sky, and fabulous sunsets that overflow with orange goodness. Sure, there are less pretty areas of LA, but overall it gets a thumbs up for looking good.
The view of Hollywood Hills from the LACMA.
2. Thriving Arts Scene
Young people flock to Los Angeles with hopes of making it in music, film, comedy, and more. Really, only two cities are important when you’re trying to do artsy fartsy things (No, the other one is not Austin. Shut up about Austin, hipster people.) As someone who hopes to write for television and film and pursue a stand up career, it is the perfect place to be. LA is also home to some amazing art museums. I recommend the Stanley Kubrick and Caravaggio exhibits at the LACMA.
3. Hot Men for Days
Colorado Springs leaves something to be desired in the men department. First off, the guys in Colorado are not men. They are boys. Second, Colorado boys seem to have no real ambition – at least the ones I know. LA offers hot single men on every street corner and in every bar. Not only are they hot, but they are super-confident and will talk to you. Then you will get asked out three times in three days. Amazing.
4. Friendly, Interesting People
I bet you’re surprised by this one. I was too, at first. I expected everyone in LA to be a shallow bag of dicks. People were so overly friendly that it really sealed the deal for me. It’s amazing how people will strike up a conversation with you on a whim in LA. I am so down for some positive energy and vibes, and the people seem to have this down very well.
Venice Beach – photo by me!
5. Actual Things to Do
I have spent the last three years of my life wondering what the hell I should do all day long. Why is this? Because there is nothing to do in Colorado Springs. LA has museums, clubs, parks, restaurants, bars, theater, comedy clubs, and way more to offer. If you need something to do, go to LA. That’s where I’m going to be.
Here’s me at Red O on my birthday with a phallic-shaped bottle of tequila.
Greta Gerwig, Rhys Ifans, and Ben Stiller waste time in Greenberg.
A piece written by Irin Carmon on Jezebel asks whether the gender gap in film will be defeated by a new crop of twentysomething women. In Noah Baumbach’s latest film, Greenberg, a 26-year-old actress named Greta Gerwig steps up to plate for my fellow female actresses and trumps Ben Stiller. Gerwig plays Florence Marr (which is a name that sounds kind of blah on its own) a lost soul of sorts, a young woman with a liberal arts education working a thankless job as a personal assistant. Florence, with her awkward gait and medical-looking bra, is the face of a befuddled young woman just trying to make it through the day.
As A.O. Scott put it, Gerwig’s Florence embodies “the particular confusions – emotional, professional, expressive – facing young, rootless women in 21st century America.”
Hmmm….young rootless women. I suppose I’m a rootless young woman. I am living in a bit of a limbo, between major cities, hoping to get any thankless job and labor my way toward future happiness. Are twentysomething women truly confused? I’ve certainly been confused before, about relationships, the point of a liberal arts education, how to properly file taxes. I think the question one must ask is whether it’s a bad thing to be confused. Confusion should be a part of youth, and your twenties are a decade of self-discovery, worry, and general discontent. People in their twenties are still hopeful that they’ll be millionaires and movie stars.
Will the women of my generation overcome their suspected neuroses and make a move on Hollywood? I suspect that the death of the A-List could leave a gap for young, talented actors and writers. Why can’t a good portion of them be women? Take a look at the trailer for Tiny Furniture, the latest film by 23-year-old Lena Dunham. Dunham is well on her way to major indie film fandom, and I’m a little bit jealous. With the growing success of Gerwig and Dunham, I feel it may be time for me to make that transition to Hollywood as soon as possible. The only good thing about where I am now is the daily dose of disappointment that keeps me somewhat motivated. Well, that and the near-gurantee that I won’t get lung cancer from the air here.
Twentysomething female actresses, writers, and filmmakers – get on your grind.
Fixed Air 