Monthly Archives: September 2010

Last night I ventured out to Culver City with my L.A. grandmother for dinner. It was for her birthday, so her pick was this nice little French place right on Washington. I had been there once and she had been many times before. We sat outside, drank good wine, and ate a delicious meal. Afterward, the owner of the restaurant came to our table so my L.A. grandma could commend the food, atmosphere, and service. This ended up turning into a 30-minute conversation with the owner (let’s call him Frank) who talked about some things that kind of got me thinking.

He is from France and came to L.A. 12 years ago with a group of French chefs to open a restaurant. He now owns his own restaurant, has his own catering company, and also vacuum seals his cooked meals and sells them on the weekends at different farmers markets. He has a wife who works “in the biz” in casting. Her father was a big time talent agent and started one of the big agencies (he didn’t mention which one) and died when he was 62 from a stroke. His wife and himself have a nice house in Silver Lake and he loves that it’s so far from Beverly Hills and “those” kind of people. It’s their little get away. He can’t wait to move back to France. If he could move back right now, he would. He and his wife went to France for 5 weeks this summer and he said that’s where they reconnected. When they are in L.A. they never see each other. He never even knows what’s going on with her because they work 24/7. This city has “sucked the life out of him.” He came to America with the dream. The American Dream and said he has been nothing but let down. Dealing with people in this city that are so materialistic and worried about money and not the sake of their families or well-being. Yes, you make lots of money out here but most people have no one to share it with because they have spent all their time working and not enjoying life. In a thick French accent “People think life in Los Angeles is so la la la, and blah blah blah.  But they have no idea but what they see on the television.”  (Yes, he really did say “la la la, and blah blah blah.”  It was awesome.)

All of this was true and also horrifying. If you work in film or television, you work AT LEAST 12 hours a day 5 days a week during principle photography. I have friends that are agent assistants and work from 7 in the morning till 9 at night. This business really does suck the life out of you. But if you think about it, any business where you will eventually make a lot of money does. You have to put in all the hours. Schmooze and hustle. Put work in front of everything else including yourself and loved ones. It’s tough. I’m luckily a person with very little means. I don’t spend much money on myself and do not have expensive taste. I would rather spend my money traveling and seeing the world then on a pair of designer shoes. That’s what is so hard to face living in this city. People are so in love with their THINGS. So in love with their APPEARANCE. I knew a person like this for quite awhile. And I can honestly say he was one of the saddest and most pathetic people I have ever met. Sure he had a closet full of high-end clothes, hung out with some D-list celebs, and went to some lame Hollywood clubs. But at the end of the day, he was the loneliest soul I had ever encountered. Devoting his entire life to such rubbish.

I believe everything in life is what you make of it and if you have your priorities straight, you will always be happy. If you surround yourself with good people you don’t ever have to worry about someone using you for the wrong reasons or stabbing in you the back. LA is full of the scum of the earth.

BEWARE OF CREATURES LIKE THIS!

Girls that dress like whores to get their way. Big fake boobs and basically an entire fake face from all their surgeries. Guys that only care about how they are seen with their expensive cars, big muscles, and gooped up hair. What’s funny is all the people like this are usually the ones that aren’t even making anything of themselves. “I went to the Playboy Mansion this weekend and partied with Tom Green!” Ummmmm, ok? Am I supposed to be impressed? Because I kind of just puked in my mouth… The big named people are the ones in the shadows. Hiding out hoping not to be seen and just trying to live their life like any normal person.

Like I said in one of my blogs yesterday, I love LA. It’s one of the most interesting places on the planet. But the advice I can give you if you are thinking of moving to LA or just did: Pick your friends wisely. Always watch your back. And follow your gut. If it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Oh, and all that shit you saw on The Hills. STAY AS FAR FROM IT AS YOU CAN!

LUV,
Britt