Music and movies to brighten up a rainy day in LA

 

As the song goes, it never rains in California, but man it pours!!  And that's just what it did on my recent trip to Los Angeles, topping and tailing it around a glorious week in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico.  Almost every trip I've ever done to the city of angels at varying times of the year has always produced sunny days, even in the 'winter', so it was quite a change to see the rain lashing down at a 45 degree angle, flash flooding in the streets and literally torrents of water channeling down the gutters of the roads at a rate of knots.

A great place to visit on such a day is the GRAMMY Museum, located at 800 W. Olympic Blvd. in the LA LIVE district.  'It is an exciting and interactive celebration of the power of music occupying a vibrant new space in downtown Los Angeles. Four floors of cutting edge exhibits, interactive experiences and films provide a one-of-a-kind visitor experience — engaging, educational, celebratory and inspirational.'  Tickets are $12.95 for adults - other prices apply for students, seniors, military etc. and is open seven days a week till 7.30pm. It was a fascinating exhibition and a great way to spend a couple of hours or more if you interested in the music industry.  For more information visit the website http://www.grammymuseum.org/

Costumes from 'The Artist'

Not too far away is the FIDM (Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising) which has its own museum and galleries.  Admission is free and opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday 10am - 5pm.  The current exhibition and one which I highly recommend if you are interested in costume design for film, is the Twentieth anniversary Art of Motion Picture Costume Design exhibition.  It features over one hundred costumes from twenty films released in 2011 and includes a selection from all five Academy Award Nominees for Costume Design and runs till the end of April.  There are also costumes from past classics including those for Rudolph Valentino and Marlene Dietrich amongst others.  It was a special treat to see the costumes from 'The Artist' in full colour as you can only use your imagination as to what they might be in a black and white movie! 

The next exhibition which will run from July 24 through September 22 is 6th Annual Art of Television and Costume Design.

FIDM http://fidmmuseum.org/