Remembering a Valley Icon...Bob Hope

It's Memorial Day weekend! While you're sitting poolside, cocktail in hand, with the grill cooking, we wanted to remind you to take a moment to remember & thank the men and women of the U.S. Military.

This weekend we're also remembering Bob Hope, born May 29, 1903, and a Valley resident for than 60 years until his death in 2003. From WWI to the Persian Gulf War, and everything in between, Mr. Hope headlined 60 USO tours.

In 1999, U.S. Congress declared him the first and only honorary veteran of the U.S. armed forces for his humanitarian work with the USO, to which he replied, "I've been given many awards in my lifetime — but to be numbered among the men and women I admire most — is the greatest honor I have ever received."

If you don't have friends, family, or relatives in the military, take a moment to reflect on the day and then fire up Netflix and stream The Road to Bali or The Road to Hong Kong.

Happy Hour with The Valley Film Festival at Firenze Osteria

The Valley Film Festival is celebrating the close of its "Early Bird" submission deadline by relaxing in our new, favorite neighborhood haunt... Firenze Osteria...owned by Top Chef, Fabio Viviani.

We'll be at the bar where they'll be serving up private label wine for $5/glass and $4 martini's du jour.

Swing by, say hi, and if you missed the post office the day before, you can always hand deliver your submission to us at the bar. Don't forget, our submissions are open through August 15th, 2011. For our deadlines, guidelines, and application, visit our website.

As always, there is no charge to attend the event, but food & beverages are at your own expense. 

 

RSVP on Facebook or via Eventbrite.

Canoodling in The Valley ~ Remembering Dame Liz Taylor (1932-2011)

We at The Valley Film Festival loved her in The Last Time I Saw Paris, A Place in the Sun, and BUtterfield 8, to name a few, and we really, really, wish we could brag to the world that Elizabeth Taylor attended school or lived in The Valley, but alas, we can not. Ms. Taylor was a West Side girl through and through.

Not one to give up, VFF dug deep into the Valley vaults and found the gem we were looking for: Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were regulars at El Chiquito Inn, across from Warner Bros. Wipe that smirk off of your face!  El Chiquito was not a pay-by-the-hour inn, it was a Mexican restaurant that served up fresh chili rellenos to Toluca Lake locals and studio workers. And since El Chiquito Inn opened in the 1950's and closed in the mid-1990's, we'd like to believe that Taylor & Burton's fondest moments were spent canoodling in the corner.

Now the Warner Bros. parking lot, El Chiquito Inn was located at 4211 Olive Avenue, near where Ciao! Christina stands today, and a few short blocks from local legend The Smoke House. Next time you're in the neighborhood, raise your glass and toast to Dame Liz. 

In the meantime, you can (re)discover her filmography on IMDB or Netflix and read all about her tireless efforts to educate & eradicate the world of AIDS via The Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.