LA Weekly

Who knew Corey Hart would be as relevant today as he was back in the ’80s? Well (other than that Tiga cover), not so much musically, but he sure hit the hipster on the head when it came to celebrating that fashion faux pas of the famous, fucked up and too cool (both then and now): sunglasses at night. They quite literally blind you inside a club, but that hasn’t stopped a new generation of scenesters from rocking shades (mainly Wayfarers, just like back in the day) after dark everywhere lately. Hart’s fellow Coreys — Feldman and Haim — were also fond of the look, so it makes sense that the three has-beens would join forces for a musical experience that promises “more fun since you snorted coke and went to see The Lost Boys.” It’s called Coreyoke, and after visiting the guys a couple Mondays ago at the Happy Ending (in the space that used to house Acapulco Restaurant on Sunset near La Brea), we think we’ve found your new favorite band, and you can sing with them too! Okay, it ain’t the Hart, Feldman or Haim (the last two are too busy being painfully pathetic on A&E), but it is an incredible simulation featuring local rocker types in Corey drag doing the live karaoke thing. (“Hardt” is Sweet F.A.’s Nick Lane; “Feldstein” is Matt Fuller, also in No Thanks and the Mulhollands; and “Hamm” is actor Dean Cameron, best known for his roles in the “School” movies: Summer School and Ski School 1 and 2.) A posse of punkish partiers and vociferous jock types were getting nice and sauced, singing and dancing their guts out to Corey-fied tunes when we were there (song lyrics, on a TV screen near the stage, interject the three C’s as much as possible). We sang “I Love Corey Haim” to the tune of “I Love Rock & Roll” and had a Back to the Future moment remembering a margarita-marinated happy hour crooning the same number in the same room when it was the Mexican chain! As for the new space, we aren’t sure what to make of it. Seems to be going for a Barney’s Beanery vibe décorwise, serving comfort food and sexually suggestive drinks (the “Blow Jobs” are popular), but it feels unfinished somehow. Ironic considering the name, right?


About Last Night

Had more flashbacks the Tuesday before last when Giant and IHeartComix (strange but exciting new bedfellows) offered a special DJ set by Moby at the new downtown room with a view called, fittingly, Elevate. On the 21st floor of an office building on Wilshire and Flower, this new open-air penthouse party spot offers views akin to The Standard a few blocks away, minus the pain-in-the-ass parking (a valet on the side of the building was $7 and a snap to pull into). Mo spun up a pumpin’ mix of mostly old raves, peppered with newish dance classics, remixes from his classic Play album, and even a few fresh-from-the-oven goodies from his soon-to-be-released Last Night. From what we heard, the new record will have his familiar blend of soulful samples, dreamy grooves and crescendoing rhythms, particularly the single “The Stars,” which provided a perfect soundtrack for the intimate, high-in-the-sky soiree.

Stars of another kind were seen earlier at Les Deux, where Heroes’Hayden Panettiere hosted the launch party for Electronic Arts’ newest Need for Speed Pro-Street video game. Pussycat Doll Nicole Sherzinger, Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am andApl, andShar Jackson made the scene, but it was Heroes’ Masi Oka who was big pimpin’, flanked by gyrating groupies in the VIP section. The tunes were provided by another of our fave dance-music artists, Junkie XL, who spun stuff off the Speed soundtrack, and some cuts from his new one due in March, Booming Back at You, including an electro-riffic cut featuring Lauren White, singer for local girl rockers Rocket (just kicked off of Fox’s The Next Great American Band competition). Everything comes back to the boob tube these days, don’t it?


Baubles and Bashers

Looks like the other tube, as in YouTube, is creating its own heroes and villains. The buzz on MySpace message boards recently pointed us to a webcam rant posted on the site, where cyber-celeb Jeffree Starr makes racially offensive remarks about another (unknown to us) net nymph. We care as much about Starr as we do about Dog the Bounty Hunter, but the club-kid community is apparently up in arms. So it wasn’t too much of a surprise that the self-obsessed singer was a no-show at the launch party for fellow pinky pretty Tarina Tarantino and her new “Tokyo Hardcore” line last Friday night at her Melrose shop — despite the fact that his mug is very prominent in the gorgeous new catalog and store-window display. The other featured model, AFI’s Davey Havok, was there in all his eyelinered glory, though, along with Tiger Army’s Nick 13, drummer dame Samantha Maloney, awesome actors Andy Garcia and Illeana Douglas, Perez Hilton (wearing shades with price tag still attached) and his “cuz,” litterbugNicky Hilton. (We were behind her in the valet line and saw tissue paper get thrown outta her white Escalade. Shame!) As for TT’s jewels, they are supercute with a dangerous edge, a theme seen in both the catalog and the live installation featuring a “dead” gothic Lolita-type model lying in the middle of the room adorned with the mega-sparklers. We were blinded by the beauteous baubles — not to mention people — at this one. Guess we shoulda worn sunglasses too.