DotDotDash: Different Drums

DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES — For some, the only way to march into 2008 was with the beat of a different drum. A wrap of the scene Downtown after the jump.

YEAR OF THE RODENT OF CHOICE: Before two large barrels of saki were hammered open at Oshogatsu in Little Tokyo (The Japanese New Year Celebration for 2008), Kazuo Kodama, the Consulate General of Japan in Los Angeles, wished the Weller Court crowd prosperity in the “Year of the Mouse.” . . –– The traditional rat is discouraged due to image problems, Kodama joked, before thanking the crowd for attending the Little Tokyo tradition, rather then “following the USC Trojans to the Rose Bowl."

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VICTORY: 9th District Councilperson Jan Perry, a USC Alum, was also in Little Tokyo New Year’s Day, and welcomed the crowd celebrating in one of the last J-Towns in the U.S. Perry then quickly returned to the microphone to say “Fight On.” ..— Perry Prediction on other New Year’s Day Tradition: While mingling in the crowd she claimed with confidence, “They (USC) will be done early.” They were.

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AROUND THE 3bn: Don Garza opens the 2008 with a new project Skid Row Broadcasting and plans to highlight artists like "Barbara Aduwa, who is not afraid to put up her easel on the sidewalk where these drug dealers try and conduct their business”..— Meanwhile, Edward Padgett was softballed by FishBowl LA, and is now getting “whipped” by his fellow bloggers at Los Angeles Times Pressmen's 20 Year Club.

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ART TALK: Curator/artist Lilli Muller has a tradition of hosting local artists and neighbors for a New Year’s Day brunch, and it made for conversation that will remain mostly off-the-record. One reason is the vivid recollections of what happened New Year’s Eve and at the reception for the recent wedding of Emmeric and Faye, both held at 410 Boyd St..— We Can Say: Muller will resume Autumn Lights in the plaza at Caltrans in fall of 2008, an event sorely missed last year, including at the Detour Festival.

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WED IN RED: Last week, the Guadalupe Chapel on Broadway saw an eclectic crowd waiting, waiting, then waiting, for the bride and groom to appear. That’s when Muller stormed down the aisle saying “Alright, that’s enough.” The “not retired but in deep retreat” curator is not kind to delays of any kind, so she walked out of the chapel to move things along. ..— It seems last minute negotiations were needed to move the overflowing crowd from Chapel 2 to a larger Chapel 3.

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'I DO' Finally the art herd witnessed Faye Ochsenreiter share vows with artist Emmeric James Konrad. Faye looked stunning in her red dress designed by Stella Dottir. Emmeric looked legit in gray and a touch of red peeking from his outer suit pocket. ..— The Bishop who presided over was so moved he took a tissue from the bride and groom to dab his own eyes, during the ceremony, and later said "That was the fun one of the day." The party marched out of the chapel into the lobby that has a waiting makeshift band before heading out on Broadway.