The Heffington Post

Ryan Heffington exudes a huge presence when he’s dancing, so much so that it's almost a shock to sit next to him away from the studio or stage and realize that he's actually quite tiny. The contradiction is an almost perfect metaphor for the choreographer's work, which blends otherworldly concepts and visuals with a completely down-to-earth sensibility. 

The colorful, ponytailed little tornado that is Ryan Heffington has racked up enough creative credits during his more than two decades in L.A. to make one's head spin (not just from pirouettes). He has made his mark as co-artistic director of the dance company Hysterica, by creating mind-bending and site-specific works like Sex on a String, throwing dreamlike dance parties like the monthly Full Frontal Disco or the upcoming Fingered (*see end of this post), dancing in commercial projects; and by achieving cult leader status as a teacher with his Sweaty Sundays dance class. (And yes, I am drinking the Kool-Aid.) Oh, and he designs clothes. And performs in the band-slash-audio and visual extravaganza We Are the World. 

Heffington recently sat with Angel City to talk about his transformation from a tap dancing-obsessed kid in California's prune capital to a ruler of Los Angeles' underground dance scene. He also managed to compare his work to both poop and a pandemic -- in a good way. Now that's talent.

Kyle Kinane Makes Us Laugh

Kyle Kinane is the kind of comedian whose onstage banter is so natural, so rooted in the quirks and frustrations of his adopted hometown of Los Angeles and so bitingly funny, it's tempting to try and crib his material to impress your friends with your wit. But, take it from me, Kinane's apparent free associations and meandering, misanthropic anecdotes are exceedingly well-crafted. Without his carefully selected words, gruff delivery and pitch perfect timing, musings about the many faces of Trader Joe or the worthlessness of those gifted and talented classes in grade school fall flat. See? You're probably not laughing right now. (Remedy that with the link at the end of this interview.)


The Addison, IL, native moved to L.A. in 2003. Since then he has performed standup all over town, including several shows at Largo this year headlined by Patton Oswalt, and in comedy festivals in Portland, Aspen and Vancouver, among other places. His TV appearances include stints on "Last Call With Carson Daly," TBS' "The Very Funny Show" and the BBC's "The World Stands Up." He also had two lines in the recent Judd Apatow flick Funny People. Here, he talks with Angel City about Los Angeles and the business of being funny, and manages to be pretty funny doing it.

ANGEL CITY: What was your first impression of this city?

KYLE KINANE: I was a bit put off when I was robbed at gunpoint while standing in the very spot my car had just been towed from, but that was early in my tenure.  I like that it's sprawled out enough to still get lost in, to still find an area you've never seen before.

My Holiday Interview Wish List

In the absence of a new interview (one is in the works, I swear! I was derailed by Thanksgiving and illness) and in the gimme-gimme spirit of the holiday season, I present my Angel City Q&A wish list. Fingers crossed that some of these folks have set up Google Alerts for themselves, will see this and decide to play Santa.

1) Bret Michaels. OK, so I think he lives in Arizona, but there's no question Bret - he of the golden extensions, Ed Hardy shirts and harem of busted strippers - is a creature of Los Angeles. Specifically, Sunset Boulevard circa 1985. As an unabashed fan of Poisin's mediocre brand of party rock and VH1's "Rock of Love," I have so many burning questions for The Bandana'd One. Like, what were you thinking when you made that awful movie with Charlie Sheen in which you played a death row inmate falsely accused of killing his stripper girlfriend?  Come on, Bret. I even dressed as you for Halloween:

Prisoners, Hookers, Machetes … Revenge! The Cody Jarrett Interview

How do you live up to a tag line like that? Splendidly, if you're independent filmmaker Cody Jarrett.

Jarrett's latest feature, Sugar Boxx, is sort of like the cinematic love child of Russ Meyer, Roger Corman and Quentin Tarantino after a super freaky threesome. The sassy, sexy flick centers around Sugar State Women's Facility, where it's been said (by me) that the tits are real, the whippings merciless and the warden one hell of a demanding bitch. You can read my full review here. And once you're convinced, you can see it for yourself on demand for just one more month. 

Jarrett's personal story, however, is just as entertaining as his latest movie. The floppy-haired, surprisingly mild-mannered writer-director recently shared with Angel City some tales about his move from the East Coast to Los Angeles, the making of his first feature (the horror-comedy Frog-g-g!), his odd jobs over the years, trolling for hookers and Zach Braff's ass. Or something like that. You'll have to read on to find out …

Hello, World!

Welcome to Angel City!

This is a blog about LA people. Or, to put it more fancifully, Angelenos revealed, one question at a time. That's pretty much it. Angel City will consist entirely of Q&As with all kinds of Los Angeles denizens, from Hollywood types to barflies to artists (not that those descriptions are mutually exclusive, but you get the idea).

And who will be conducting said interviews? That would be me, Anna Scott, an L.A.-based journalist and dancing fool.

So thanks for reading …