Gayle's Perks

  

  Tucked away in the corner of The Balboa and Nordoff Shopping center is the cutest little coffee shop called "Gayle's Perks!" Located on  9028 balboa boulevard in Northridge, Gayle's has the classic coffee shop vibe that I love. Comfy chairs and cool artwork fill the room with their own little library that operates on the "take a book, leave a book" system. It was not crowded at all and pretty quiet, the perfect place to study ! It was almost too quiet though, some nice quiet instrumental music would have been nice touch.d Outside seating is also available in the back with a fireplace.

    Coffee, teas, lattes, and all the essentials are available here! There was a disappointing lack of pastries, but delicious paninis and crepes make up for it! I sampled the carmel latte, carmel ice blended, brisket panini, and ham, cheese, and pesto panini (dont remember the specific names on the paninis sorry :( )! The carmel latte and carmel ice blended both had the perfect amount of syrup, so it was sweet but you could still really taste the coffee, unlike starbucks. The paninis both came with a side salad topped with a balsamic vinaigrette type dressing that for me, as a not that big of fan of most salads it was good! I would have liked choices for salad dressings or maybe a chip option. They were both very good though! I preferred the ham and cheese over the brisket :)

    Overall, I vote a good place for coffee and studying, but maybe grab a pastry from the Albertson's next door unless you want a full meal!

Bates Motel- Series Premire

 
     "Bates Motel" premiered on A&E tonight! Being a fan of "Psycho," I was very excited to watch the show. Freddie Highmore stars as Norman Bates with Vera Farmiga as Norma Louise Bates who I find to be the perfect actors to play the roles. The show explores the disturbing childhood of Norman prior to the events depicted in Alfred Hitchcock's film and Robert Bloch's book "Psycho." I loved the fact that the original Universal Studio set was used in the show. It has always been my favorite part of the back lot tour and it was great to see it come to life again on the screen. I expected the movie to be set in the late 1940's to early 1950's given the date of the film and Norman's age. Norman's clothes remind of the 60's or 70's in some the previews but i was disappointed and confused when Norman whipped out his iPhone and plugged in his headphones. I don't think the show should have been set in modern times.
                                                                *SPOILERS*
    There were many elements of the show and scenes that alluded to his later mental issues. It is very apparent how close he is with his mother. They move constantly and they are all each other has. Norma often makes Norman feel guilty if he ever doesn't spend time with him. I wish that Norman would have been more of a loner and would have enjoyed spending time with his mom, I feel like it would make more sense given his later attachment to her dead body (movie).
    The show is a lot more disturbing then I hoped. I realize that in its time "Psycho" was very scary but some points of the show push the limits. The worst scene was when Norman had sneaked out to attend a party and the former owner of the motel came again to confront Norma. He proceeded to attack and rape her (not showed directly, implied). I found the rape part of the scene unnecessary and uncomfortable, they should have stopped before the rape or during the attack. Norman comes and knocks the man out and when he leaves the room Norma stabs the man multiple times. The two easily brush off the murder and clean up the blood and dump the body. You can certainly see where Norman learned his murderous ways! Another disturbing aspect was the journal Norman found under the carpet that was filled with drawings of girls being chained up and injected. The end of the show leads me to think that this lead to his obsession with torturing the girls that came to the motel (movie). I am intrigued to see how the show will progress and will continue to watch as long as it doesn't get too disturbing!

STOUT

    I think I have found the best burger in Hollywood! Located on 1544 N. Cahuenga Blvd 
Los Angeles, CA 90028, STOUT is a small burger joint with a great atmosphere. Busy or empty there is always great service. It is not a very big place but i have never had to wait for a seat. Beer bottle chandeliers hang on the ceiling next to a grand bar with a great selection of beer. The menu even suggest what beer goes best with each burger!

    My personal favorite at STOUT is their "Six Weeker"which is a slab of beef with brie, fig jam, arugula, and caramelized onions (I prefer no onions on mine) on a perfectly toasted bun with a side of salt, pepper, and oregano seasoned fries. When you take your first bite, the juice perfectly oozes out of the burger and onto the plate. The fig and brie complement each other perfectly and i was left thinking about it for the rest of the week! There is one in studio city as well and ones coming to Santa Monica and Pasadena as well. If you are looking for a great burger for only $10 come to STOUT! 

Here is a link to their menu! 

http://www.stoutburgersandbeers.com/menu

Oz the Great and Powerful

The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite movies and Wicked is my favorite musical. So, of course I had to see Oz the Great and Powerful! The film was filled with an all star cast who acted beautifully. Some critics argued Franco didn't do a good job and the original actor casted, Robert Downing Jr; would have done better. It was not "award winning material,"  but overall he did a good job. The CGI work was beautiful and the world included main aspects of the original movie along with new details that had a hint of Alice in Wonderland inspiration. There were some scenes were there was an obvious barrier between the CGI and real world but it wasn't a very common occurance. Some of the reactions from the actors to CGI components were a little off and when actors would carry the china girl the lines didn't quite match up with the actor's hands and her body. What everyone will be talking about is the performance by former "Scrubs" star Zach Braff. Braff started as Frank, assistant to Oz and continued as Finely the monkey once Franco arrived in Oz. Finely was the funniest character in the movie and left the whole theater laughing. I wish that their would have been more of a connection between the two characters with looks or acknowledgement. I thoroughly enjoyed the movie and it answered a lot of questions i was left with from the original movie. I highly recommend it!