The Grove. From Worship Worthy.

This Saturday, March 13, MOD: Matters on Design, a program that emphasizes style and technology, will be hosting a car and fashion event at The Grove. There will be a test drive event from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with the new Kia Sorento CUV — the crossover utility vehicle that’s featured in that Hangover-esque commercial with life-size stuffed toys. The best part is you’ll get a $20 gift card to The Grove for doing the test drive, which shouldn’t be very extensive considering it’s confined to the valet roundabout. Then, if you’re so inclined, there will be a bebe fashion show at 7:00 p.m. featuring the Kardashians capsule collection and Spring 2010 looks.

Marni (left), Jewell Rae Jeffers (center), me (right).

Last Friday, Marni of Happy Go Marni, my boyfriend, Rory, and I went see a comedy/live cooking/Johnny Cash tribute show at The Actors’ Gang theater in the Ivy Substation in Culver City. Now, you may be wondering, what the heck is a comedy/live cooking/Johnny Cash tribute show? Well, until we saw the show ourselves, we didn’t really know, either!

Marni saw the show listed on Goldstar, and she wrote me an email: “Please say yes. I want to go to this event. I think we should go together. What do you think???? It’s crazy and bizarre sounding and that’s why I’m so drawn to it! What the heck is it!” Well, how could I say no to that?

What it turned out to be was a performance by Actors’ Gang member Donna Jo Throndale, who mixed together a cake on stage as “celebrity chef” Jewell Rae Jeffers, a politically outspoken recovering cocaine addict who lost her TV cooking show because of her big mouth, and a concert by Johnny Cash tribute band With a Bible and a Gun. When Jewell Rae took a break to “bake” the cake, which the audience ate after the show on the theater’s back patio, that’s when the band launched into a much-to-short set of Cash songs, including “Folsom Prison Blues” and “I Got Stripes.” They were really good, which was a pleasant surprise as I’m normally pretty skeptical of cover/tribute bands. Check ‘em out (this song was great live):

The show raises money for the actors and band to travel to and perform in prisons, a la Johnny Cash’s Folsom prison performance. And at this particular show, Wayne Kramer of MC5 was the special guest, playing a solo acoustic set that included such a version of MC5′s “High School.” Kramer also does his part to reduce recidivism, the show’s intended purpose, by performing at L.A.’s drug court graduation.

My boyfriend, Rory, and Wayne Kramer of MC5 fame. Kramer really wanted to eat his cake...

“All Cake, No File” is part of the Actors’ Gang WTF?! Festival, which runs through Dec. 19. There are all kinds of shows, including a performance by Tom Morello (the space is tiny, so a concert here is a guaranteed good show). There’s one more performance of “All Cake, No File” this Friday. Tickets are $15. Get your cake and Cash on!

Spa Luce

Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has teamed up with Goldstar to come up with a locals-only stimulus plan dubbed “Locals Only Hollywood Offer,” or LOHO, which is catchier anyway. The LOHO promotions range from 15 percent off at the Pig ‘n Whistle to 50 percent off spa treatments at Spa Luce in the Renaissance Hotel. And just in time for Halloween, Dearly Departed Tours are 50 percent off, too. There’s even a 25 percent off deal for all Farmers Market merchandise (yeah, it’s not really in Hollywood, but don’t look a gift horse in the mouth, OK?). These offers are good through Oct. 31, so get on it!

[UPDATE: To book activities/events, click on the Goldstar link above, then on the "Hollywood: LOHO" link in the left-hand navigation bar to see what's still available.]

[UPDATE #2: According to a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce representative, to redeem discounts at restaurants, spas or anything else not listed on Goldstar, you'll have to inquire with the individual retailer and show proof of residency within the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, San Bernardino and/or Riverside.]

Gia Marakas doing the Pilates hundred on the reformer

I love Pilates, especially the kind that uses machines. So when I was offered a personal session with Gia Marakas, a private Pilates instructor based in Larchmont Village, I jumped at the chance.

I used to take lessons at Pilates Plus in downtown Los Angeles, and I loved using their proformer machines for added resistance to many classic Pilates moves. I did it three times a week and was getting in pretty good shape. Then I got a new job and never signed up for classes closer to my new office. A year goes by. And then I get this offer from Gia. Perfect!

But what if I’m too out of shape for this? The first time I took a Pilates Plus class, I nearly threw up on the studio floor. Pilates looks easy, but it’s not: you use muscles that you’ve long forgotten even existed. This is a good thing, really. But it’s definitely NOT easy.

So it was with trepidation and excitement that I approached this lesson with Gia. I told her what (almost) happened the first time I used a Pilates machine. She told me not to worry, and she was right. Gia led me on an hour-long workout that left me feeling refreshed, not sick.

Gia, a native Angeleno who originally hails from Sherman Oaks, works out of the Kara Wily Pilates Studio on Larchmont Boulevard just up the street from the oh-so-cute Larchmont Village area. The studio itself is housed in a nondescript building set back from the street, and is kind of hard to find since there’s no sign out front and the addresses jump from 508 to 512, skipping the studio’s 510 address number. But no worries; if it’s your first time, just call and someone will come out to fetch you.

Gia is a certified and classically trained Pilates instructor, which means she uses the original Pilates machines, including the reformer (Pilates Plus’ proformer is basically a double-ended reformer with another bar and a platform), the pedi-pole and the ladder barrel. She is encouraging and pushes you to do your best without acting like a boot camp instructor (ahem, some Pilates Plus instructors whom I will not name). She is also observant: she could tell that I had injured something on the left side of my body (knee) in the past because my right hip was higher than my left!

Working the pedi-pole

I struggled through some parts of the workout, including the classic Pilates hundred move –  man, I need to work on my core! — but it was nowhere nearly as bad as my first Pilates experience. Even at the end of an hour, I felt like I could keep going! Then within an hour of leaving the studio, my hip abductors (muscles on the outside of the thigh) began to hurt since Gia had me do some work with a magic circle, holding it between my legs. Great, I thought to myself, I did get a good workout.

Then I woke up the next morning.

At first I thought I had thrown my back out because it hurt so much to move. But I soon realized it wasn’t my back that was in excruciating pain, my lats (the muscles that run along your sides) were the ones screaming at me. I knew this was from the exercises I had done using the ladder barrel: holding a magic circle over your head, you stand next to the barrel with your feet one in front of the other, and you slowly bend your body sideways over the barrel, working your lats. This resulted in pain — all day long! But it was totally worth it and meant that the Pilates were paying off.

Gia teaches one-on-one private lessons for $90 per 55 minutes ($100 for a house call), though she’ll go longer at no extra charge if she feels a student needs it. If you buy a package of 10 private sessions, the price comes down to $75 per session. She also teaches duets (two students, one Gia) for $35 per person; private group sessions for $25 per person; and a mat class at the studio every Thursday at noon for $20 per person. Though with the economy being what it is, Gia says she’s “flexible” when it comes to rates. Email her at info@giamarakas.com for more information.

She also does parties: Gia was recently hired to do a group session for a bachelorette party. You’d probably want to do that before all the drinking, though. Just sayin’.

Farmers Market. From Rosebud_03 (flickr).

Ever wondered about the inner workings of some of your favorite restaurants in the Farmers Market at Third and Fairfax or along West Third Street? If you take a walking food tour with Melting Pot Food Tours, owners and guides Lisa and Diane Scalia will give you the low down. And now the ladies have expanded their walking tour business into Old Pasadena.

I took the Farmers Market/West Third Street tour back in October, and I had a great time. I had been to the Farmers Market many times before (and since), but I never knew the stories behind some of the decades-old food stands. Some of the places we visited and sampled from included Bob’s Coffee & Doughnuts, Pampas Grill, Littlejohn’s English Toffee House and Mr. Marcel Gourmet Market. With the Farmers Market celebrating its 75th anniversary this year (Taste of Farmers Market is tonight, folks!), this tour would be a great way to get to know this L.A. institution better. From there, we walked over to the boutiques on West Third Street and visited all kinds of places, including Little Next Door (where we had some fantastic macaroons), Joan’s on Third and Chado Tea Room. Cook’s Library used to be on the tour, but since its closing, Kiss My Bundt has taken its place. Infinitely yummier in terms of instant gratification!

And now the Scalia sisters (super nice, by the way!) have taken their unique tour to the streets of Old Pasadena, with stops at Tortas Mexico, Bar Celona, Aux Delices Bakery and Cafe, Bird Pick Tea & Herb, Tibet Nepal House, Tutti Gelati and Mignon Chocolate. If this one is anything like the original version, you’ll leave full of food and new-found knowledge. And through the end of July, the Old Pasadena tour is $39 instead of the usual $49, which includes tastings at 9 eateries (11 on the Farmers Market/West Third tour) and a bottle of water to wash it all down. Lisa and Diane will even give you bus tokens to get you back to you car.

Farmers Market/West Third Street tour runs every Friday and Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Old Pasadena tour runs every Saturday and Sunday from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Both tours cost $49, except for Pasadena’s, which is $39 through the end of July (use discount code “Rose709″ when ordering on zerve.com).