I am so psyched and ready for this concert. Especially to hear from Aretha and her thoughts on the faux pa that Beyonce did at the Grammys. Beyonce and Tina Turner did a duet and Beyonce referred to Tina Turner as “The Queen”. Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. It now has sounds of some kittens hissing and lionesses roaring in this little tit for tat.

Can I say wow and wow again. OK, ok. So there are many diva’s that are in their own right. But there are only a handfull that actually hold such honorable titles and never to be passed off to other divas. Can I say that Aretha is truely the “Queen of Soul”.

Now if you are wondering if I am dissing Tina. I am soooooooo not. Her sounds are original, classy, soothing and classic. But would see Tina’s music more on the lines of classic rock than soul. So two seperate music genre’s and two different diva’s that hold their own. And never ever can be compared. EVER. Tina the “Diva”(BTW – your still hot looking in your 60’s) and Aretha the true “Queen”.

But the only reason I can go is that I found a place where I am pretty much paying for 2 tickets for 1. The tickets are going for $55 – $85. I was able to get the 2 tickets for about $65 through a program that I am with called Gold Star Events. Which provides discounted tickets to local concerts, plays, events, operas, ballets, comedy shows, sporting events. Even Vegas shows. You can find tix for such events in major cities such as Seattle, New York City, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Fransico, Boston, D.C and Las Vegas. I have used them for a few things already and love it. Many of the tickets I get are anywhere between 10% to 50% off regular ticketed price.

So off I go to get ready. Cause I soooo R – E – S – P – E – C – T ‘ya Aretha. All praises to thee

Los Angeles MTA Metro System Service Alerts announced “On New Year’s Eve Monday, December 31 (into Tuesday, January 1), all Metro Rail lines will run all night, every 20 minutes.”

Metro will offer a special Holiday Free Fare Program for all Metro Bus and Metro Rail lines operating on New Yearâ€s Eve.

The free fare program, approved by Metroâ€s Board of Directors, will be in effect between the hours of 9 p.m. and 2 a.m. only on the nights and early morning hours of December 31-January 1.

Patrons boarding a Metro Bus, including the Metro Orange Line or the Metro Red, Purple, Blue, Green or Gold rail lines during the hours designated will receive a free ride to their destination.

The Metro Purple Line operates from Union Station in downtown Los Angeles to Wilshire/Western and the Metro Red Line from Union Station to North Hollywood in the San Fernando Valley. The Metro Blue Line operates from Long Beach to downtown Los Angeles, the Metro Green Line runs between Norwalk and El Segundo and the Metro Gold Line operates between Union Station and Pasadena.

For complete route and schedule information for MTA Los Angeles patrons can call 1-800-C-O-M-M-U-T-E or visit Metroâ€s web site and access the Metro Trip Planner at www.metro.net.

Contact
Luis Inzunza/Marc Littman
Metro Media Relations
213.922.2711/213.922.4609
mediarelations@metro.net
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

It is 2008 and the year of the rat. And the world is gearing up for this wonderful celebration of life and family. All the way from Los Angeles, to China, Vietnam, Korea, San Fransico. and to New York City.

Lately we have been going to the celebrations in Los Angeles due to travel and convience because of where we live. Chinatown businesses in Los Angeles pretty much closes down 1 – 3 days prior to the celebration to adhere to some of the New Years traditions. So roughly from Thursday and Friday of February 7th to the 8th many of the business will be closed. And the celebrations pick up on the morning of February 9th.

Chinatown in Los Angeles has a parade on February 9th, 2008. Get your seat early. There will be huge crowds. At times exceeding over 100,000 people plus. Be sure when the dragons pass you during the parade that they pass directly in front of you. You will be more blessed with luck during the year. And for the children, be mindful, and respect your parents and other adults and wish them a happy and prosperous New Year. There are many red envelopes to be had. The children will find money in the envelopes. Usually one will find anywhere between a nickel up to no more than $4.00. You are considered real lucky if you receive an envelope with $8.00(for its homophone for “wealth”). Sometimes they will find chocolate coins in the envelopes as well.

Prior to the parade you may want to enjoy some of the traditional Chinese and Vietnamese styled restaurants with more of the authentic foods. Not really much of the American-Asian fusion food one would eat outside such enclaved cities. All are wonderful in taste and variety. I always enjoy the traditional bowl of Vietnamese soup called Pho’. One of the many pho’ restaurants I frequent is on Broadway by the name of Pho’ 79. Order the simpliest soup called Pho’ Tai. It is pretty much a steak and noodle soup dish. One may top the soup with bean sprout, basil, hoisen sauce, nuc mum(fish sauce) and a green chile or two.

You may want to do a walking tour of the many shops that have great deals on textiles, art, clothing, toys and food at reasonable prices. You may also be surprised of the many Asian and American galleries spotted throughout Chinatown. It is also rumored that a few Hollywood stars have bought lofts in the area as well. I hear that Quentin Tarantino may be one of them. You know the producer/director/writer of such films as Pulp Fiction, Kill Bill, and From Dusk to Dawn.

If you are unsure what Chinese Zodiac(Horoscope) you fall under, you may find out your animal sign here. Your sign will come every 12 years. If you would like to know more about the legend of the 12 signs, you may read more about it at Chinese Zodiac Page.

The Pershing Square Ice Rink is open every day from Nov. 15, 2007 to Jan. 21, 2008. Admission is $6 and skate rental is $2.

Pershing Square Ice Rink
532 S Olive St
Los Angeles, CA 90013
(213) 624-4289

Th red flag warning will be in effect in Los Angeles and Ventura counties from noon Monday until 6 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The warning goes into effect at 11 a.m. Monday and expire at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita and other wind-prone areas can expect 60 mph wind gusts and “fire weather” in Tuesday’s predawn hours, the Weather Service predicted. The Weather Service also predicts wins speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour for Inland valleys.

The winds are forecasted to also strike the mountains near Malibu and north and northeast of Los Angeles. The San Diego, California forecast office said most areas south of Los Angeles can expect wind gusts of 35 mph. San Diego and Riverside counties are predictated to see gusts of 70 mph in wind-prone areas on New Year’s Day.

Candidates dropping out like flys after some heavy losses in Florida. It is expected that Former New York City Mayor to drop out and not participate in tonights Republican debate. Former North Carolina Senator John Edwards has dropped out and will not particpate in Thursday nights Democratic debate. There are some political analysits are saying that quite possibly that Romney will win the Republican debate and I think it will be a toss up between Clinton and Obama for the Democratic debate.

From what I see, that the following candidates will participate in the Republican Debate will be:

Senator John McCain

Representative Ron Paul

Mitt Romney

Mike Huckabee

For the Democratic Debate:

Senator Hillary Clinton

Mike Gravel

Barack Obama

I know that many of the presidential candidates even have Myspace profiles. Anything to get their faces and agenda’s out to the younger votes. Something to the effect of what Rock The Vote did in the 1990’s which helped register over 2 million voters. Rock The Vote organization was organized in 1990 in Los Angeles. Another way to reach out to the public and the younger vote is to implent questions from voters who post them on Youtube. You may find the Rebulican Debate page as well as the page for the Democratic Debate page at YouTube.

The final outcome of who be the final two candidates to battle it out for the November 2008 Presidential elections will be decided at the Parties Conventions. The Democratic Convention will take place in Denver, Colorado from August 25- 28, 2008. The Republican Convention will take place in Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 1 -4, 2008.

The California Primaries will take place on Tuesday, February 5, 2008.

Barack Obama is holding a town meeting at Los Angeles Trade Tech meeting(LATT) on Thursday, January 31, 2008. Doors open at 8:00 AM in the morning and is by personal invite only. My first thought about the town meeting being at LATT was about an racial profilling incident that happened late last year(Fall – 2007) on campus. A LATT student caught the incident on his cell phone and taped it. LATT Racial Profiling. But I am sure that is not the main reason that Barack Obama is having a town meeting there other than to answer questions in a Los Angeles community area.

Michael Jackson spokesman Tohme Tohme told the media that the King of Pop is moving back to California with his three children to be closer to “where all the action (in the entertainment industry) is”. He added that “the second half (of Jackson’s career) will be better than the first.”

Improving a “Gummy Smile”

The most operative way of improving a gummy smile is to lower the lip line cover that covers the gums. The procedure reduces the gummy smile and produces a more attractive smile. The procedure was developed by Dr. Farnosh (http://www.thetotalsmile.com/photo-gallery/results.cfm?Category=4) Also, this procedure can be performed in conjunction with crown lengthening, to reshape the gumline around short teeth by removing excess gum. In some cases, the placement of veneers or crowns may also be needed.

Dr. Farnosh can help your smile in many ways. His office provides dental implants,
laser tooth whitening, aesthetic gum treatment & gum bleaching, gum grafting & bone grafting as needed. Another therapy offered is the treatment of periodontal disease by laser. Periodontal disease may cause bad breath, swollen and bleeding gums, receding gums, extremely sensitive teeth and, eventually, tooth loss. What is Laser light treatment? Laser light is directed through a small fiber to reduce bacteria and eradicate diseased, infected tissue around the teeth. What are the benefits of laser periodontal treatment? The treatment reduces discomfort, controls bleeding, and offers healing time sooner than more conventional procedures.

Dr. Alex A. Farnoosh, D.M.D., M.S.D., Ph.D. is a dentist in Beverly Hills specializing in dental implants, gum bleaching and gum grafting. He serves patients from all over Los Angeles & other countries.

Beverly Hills Office:
8920 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 517
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Phone: (310) 657-0503