La Vida Yaya

By the time you get to my age, you start losing people in your life that are near and dear to you. It's surreal to think that people you've shared wonderful times with are no longer with you. I don't know if I even comprehend it all or if I just refuse to think of their absence as permanent. Maybe my belief in life after death helps me to remember that I will see them again someday. I expect my older relatives and friends of  the family to pass on without much of a tear drop but when it happens to someone young or under 65 even, it hits hard. You feel  time stop, your skin tingle, and your pulse race when you get the news. I often think about what happens after you die or what will my family do with my body. Will I be buried or burned. Will my daughter carry around my ashes in a locket or will I be put up on a mantle for the cat the tip over. Maybe someone might find my bones 1,000 years from now to study and they'll name me Lucy. Or worse, I'll be flooded out of m

Hollywood Forever presents the 10th annual Dia De Los Muertos Celebration Saturday, October 24th, 2009  Admission $10.00 - 12 years & under are free. The celebration features: *The procession will begin with an Aztec Ritual Blessing and will continue with a traditional “Oaxacan Burial” that represents the suffering of death and it concludes on stage welcoming the spirits to celebrate. *The community honors their beloved that have passed away by creating altars as offerings throughout the cemetery. *Art exhibit in the Cathedral Mausoleum featuring work by the Linares Family and many more. *The world premier of the film “La Fiesta Eterna”, a film about the tradition of Dia De Los Muertos. *Children’s Area where kids can learn about this ancient celebration though art, including traditional face painting. Gates open at 4:00 PM Gates Close at 11:00 PM Lila Downs at 9:00 PM The public can call 323.447.0999 for more information. Location Address: Hollywood Forever Cemet

If there is any artist that I have admired since I moved to LA and discovered the bold and dynamic world of art, it's George Yepes. His works, whether murals or paintings, are larger than life and strikingly beautiful. His visible brush strokes create expressions in pale faces, sadness in glazed over eyes, passion in black and red backgrounds. It is all back up by a long career which began in his youth. One of the youngest of the Chicano muralist movement in LA in the 1970s, he is still a force in the art world today. Read his exhaustive biography on his website: http://www.georgeyepes.com/George_Yepes/Biography.html It is well-worth the read with very personal details of his family history. I had the great pleasure of meeting George for the first time in San Antonio where he has a studio. It was at First Fridays in the Blue Star Gallery space where a couple of his works were on display. My cousin met him that summer and introduced me to him. Little did I know that a few yea

It's been a few years since I've been to a LALIFF event but what I have seen has me wanting to see more. Spend the entire day watching these fascinating films you won't see anywhere else. You'll laugh, you'll cry and all that good stuff. I absolutely love foreign films and the films shown at this festival are some of the best I've ever seen by such talented and resourceful filmmakers. The festival is halfway through its run this week but there is still time to check out a good film. I suggest just showing up and watching whatever is on the bill next. You won't be disappointed .  This links to a pdf of the daily schedule : http://www.latinofilm.org/festival/ScheduleFINAL.pdf Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival October 11-16, 2009 Mann Chinese 6 Cinemas 6801 Hollywood Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90028 Emerging and established filmmakers from around the world showcase their features, documentaries and shorts depicting the diversity, creativity