I know it's crazy, but I'm running for hyper-local office again
Plus a buncha April shows and some great film, video game, music recs
Est. Read Time: 4 minutes. Read Time brought to you once again by the Ashburton Energy + Hair Logistics Group, in association with the Bradley Hills Bureau of Corrections + Housing.
New to the SternJourn? It’s a place where Julian (me) promotes shows; and talks about comedy, writing, productivity, and whatever the hell else he [I] want(s). Check out the best of 2024, 2022, 2021, or 2020 [I’ll get around to a best of 2023 at some point]!
Shows!
[Santa Monica, CA] Pizza Party at The Crow - Monday March 24
[San Diego, CA] **HEADLINING** Margaret Star’s Musical Comedy Show at MicDrop San Diego - Clairemont neighborhood - Thurs April 3
[Burbank, CA] Clean Comedy at Flappers - Sat April 5
[San Diego, CA] TBD - North Park - Weds April 16
[Hollywood, CA] The Hollywood Comedy - Friday April 18
[DC] Fri May 16th show incoming!
[Future Shows] Fill out this form to lemme know what city you’re in if you wanna see me perform there! Takes 5 seconds! Helps me make my grand plans!
Hello Sternal Journalists!
This week, I’ve got some great recommendations! But also, if you live/work/do stuff (this includes ALL WGA and SAG members since both are headquartered within our district) in the Mid City West neighborhood of Los Angeles (whose boundaries you can find here), I’m running once again for neighborhood council on the Progressive Slate. You can request a ballot here by April 7th.
I know it might be whiplash-y from some of the asinine jokes and content I like to make, but I’m also interested in making my neighborhood nice and trying to keep doing my part to curb and one day end the homelessness crisis in LA. If you even care (jk I know you do), here's a blurb from my really long candidate statement I wrote (before realizing it was capped at 1,000 characters, not 1,000 words) about some of my concrete goals for the next term:
Two concrete goals are to (a) advocate for the creation of shelter beds, and temporary and permanent supportive housing within our district (because rehousing people within their community is both compassionate and practical); and (b) create a regularly updated, public documentation of how, when, and why various local government entities or other service providers respond to our neighborhood’s homelessness crisis.
While this won’t immediately remedy the crisis, it will give both housed and unhoused neighbors a clearer understanding of what services their local organizations provide, and where we might be able to fill in gaps in the solution. Anyone who has ever filed a 211 report for what could be an emergency knows that the lack of follow-up and transparency can sometimes be more worrisome than not filing one at all.
If this sounds like stuff that you vibe with, please let people you know who qualify to vote. These hyperlocal elections can often be won or lost by single digit margins, so every vote really does count!
Recommendations!
Hotel Chevalier/The Darjeeling Limited. Film(s). If you’re in L.A., the Braindead theatre on Fairfax (which is in Mid City West, btw) is doing a Wes Anderson spotlight this month, so I was able to see my second favorite movie (after Rush Hour 2) on the big screen for the first time. For some reason, this is apparently one of Anderson’s less loved movies, but I think that’s CRAZY. It is funny and sad and very astute about adult relationships between siblings (or other people who were close as children). I recommend watching it with the accompanying short film (Chevalier) which is super sexy and awkward. Once you have watched both, I have two theories I’d like to talk to you about. Here’s the marquis:
Split Fiction. Video Game. If you’re a big game, you’ve already heard of this game. If you’re not a big game, but have a friend with a PS5 who has wanted you to play video games with them, this co-op could be your chance! It’s a fun (if at times cheesy) story about a sci-fi writer and a fantasy writer who are alternating between each other’s fictional worlds while trying to stop a vaguely sinister tech company from stealing all of their ideas. Lotta puzzles, fairly intuitive, very fun times.
Hotbox. Song. If I was 26, this Lil Nas X song about ass and poppers and clubbing would be blasting at the St. Patty’s Day pregame.
Relationships. Song. But because I am 36, this HAIM song about aimless driving and questioning, but ultimately appreciating high-consequence life choices is what will be blasting at the St. Paddy’s Day pregame.
Alrighty, that’s all! Much love! Best!
Julian!