BERRY ELEGANCE: THE PERFECT SWEET TOUCH FOR YOUR FOURTH OF JULY

Food Review by Don Rose

One of our favorite stores in all of Southern California is Berry Elegance, which offers chocolate dipped strawberries, cookies, pretzel, rice crispy treats and just about anything else you could think of. In order to have the sweetest July 4th, The LA Report recommends their choco-riffic products; they’re worth every calorie filled bite!

The BE offerings come in milk, dark, and white chocolate, and of course all three can be mixed. The Studio City store, which opened in 2006, recently underwent a makeover thanks to the new A&E show "WE MEAN BUSINESS." The founders of the company, Amy Stipa and Todd Jones, worked side by side with the original apprentice, Bill Rancic, as well as design expert Peter Gursky and technology expert Katie Linendoll. The product hasn't changed (it still is the creme de la creme -- pun intended), but now the store looks as good as their berries and other treats taste.

Berry Elegance shared the sweetness of their grand reopening with a celebration on July 1, 2008. Guests enjoyed free samples, discounts and other surprises. But you can enjoy the same delicious products anytime, anywhere, by placing an internet order on their website, http://www.berryelegance.com/.

Berry Elegance is the leading provider of chocolate covered strawberries and other chocolate dipped goodies serving the greater Los Angeles area and the rest of the country via their website BerryElegance.com. The BE brand has quickly become one of the most sought after gifts for some of the biggest names in Hollywood including Justin Timberlake, Megan Fox, Ryan Seacrest, Chelsea Handler, Steven Speilberg and many more. Their LA shop is located at 12265 Ventura Blvd #105, Studio City, CA, 91604. Telephone: 818.762.4797. Not only do they deliver in Los Angeles (they have a special webpage just for LA orders), but they deliver nationwide as well. (To get a delectable collection like the one shown in the photo above, the 12 berry box is $49.95, and the 9 berry box is $37.95.) Visit their sweet website to see all their offerings: www.berryelegance.com. Tell them The LA Report sent you.

JUL 4: TWILIGHT ZONE MARATHON CONTINUES ON SCI FI CHANNEL; MUST SEE TZ TV INCLUDES CLASSIC EPISODES "TO SERVE MAN", "THE HOWLING MAN" AND MANY MORE

What do Robert Redford, William Shatner, Burt Reynolds, Dennis Hopper, Burgess Meredith, Jack Klugman, Peter Falk, Billy Mumy, Mickey Rooney, Lee Marvin, Robert Duvall and Dean Stockwell have in common? No, they are not all attending an LA autograph show this weekend -- they are all classic actors who starred in episodes of the greatest TV anthology series in the history of the medium: Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone". And the Sci Fi Channel puts on a marathon of these amazing shows every now and then, usually on or near holidays. And guess what: there is a marathon going on for the holiday weekend, which continues all day and night July 4th, 2008!

Below is a schedule for you -- all times shown are Pacific time. (If you have never seen "To Serve Man," don't miss this classic episode, which has one of the best twist endings ever in a series known for its many surprising summarizing scenes.)

SCI FI CHANNEL Jul. 4, 2008

NOW PLAYING TWILIGHT ZONE, THE
TIME	PROGRAM	TITLE	STEREO	CC
3:00 AM	PAID PROGRAMMING
5:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	STOPOVER IN A QUIET TOWN
5:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE SHELTER
6:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE CHASER
6:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	NERVOUS MAN IN A FOUR DOLLAR ROOM
7:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	TO SERVE MAN
7:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE WHOLE TRUTH
8:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A MAN IN THE BOTTLE
8:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	WILL THE REAL MARTIAN PLEASE STAND UP?
9:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	LONG DISTANCE CALL
9:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33
10:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	KING NINE WILL NOT RETURN
10:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	TWENTY-TWO
11:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A NICE PLACE TO VISIT
11:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A MOST UNUSUAL CAMERA
12:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	MR. BEVIS
12:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE HOWLING MAN
1:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	MIRROR IMAGE
1:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE HITCH-HIKER
2:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	FIVE CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF AN EXIT
2:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE MIDNIGHT SUN
3:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	SHOWDOWN WITH RANCE MCGREW
3:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE LAST NIGHT OF A JOCKEY
4:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	IT'S A GOOD LIFE
4:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	ONCE UPON A TIME
5:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS
5:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	TWO
6:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE PURPLE TESTAMENT
6:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE MIRROR
7:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	CAVENDER IS COMING
7:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE PRIME MOVERS
8:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A PASSAGE FOR TRUMPET
8:30 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE LONELY
9:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	A HUNDRED YARDS OVER THE RIM
9:30 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	THE RIP VAN WINKLE CAPER
10:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	DEATH SHIP
11:00 PM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	OF LATE I THINK OF CLIFFORDVILLE
12:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	PRINTER'S DEVIL
1:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	MUTE
2:00 AM	TWILIGHT ZONE, THE	ON THURSDAY WE LEAVE FOR HOME

THE ONION MOVIE DVD: A NEWS SATIRE WONDER, A FUNNER SUMMER STUNNER, LIKE AN SNL-DAILYSHOW LOVE CHILD ON STEROIDS (IF YOU DON'T LAUGH, YOU MAY BE DEAD)

http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/305252/The-Onion-Movie/trailers

The Onion Movie (it's about time!) stars veteran actor Len Cariou as the news anchor (remember Len in "Executive Decision" when he made all those super serious executive decisions?), and Steven Seagal (yes, I said Steven Seagal -- who ALSO happens to be in "Executive Decision"). Watch the trailer above, and you will understand (and laugh your ass off). I can't wait to get my hands on this DVD. It should make for a funner summer, and help me forget how much gas is a bummer. ---D.R.

NOKIA 6263 CELLPHONE HITS SWEETSPOT OF FEATURES: 3G, 1.3MP CAMERA, VIDEO, MUSIC PLAYER, XHTML WEB, STEREO BLUETOOTH & MORE; T-MOBILE'S 2ND 3G PHONE

Tech Review by Don Rose

I just renewed my T-Mobile contract for another 2 years, since I have been extremely happy with their combination of customer service, call quality and overall coverage in the LA area (very few dead spots or dropped calls, especially in the past year). And thanks to an extremely friendly/helpful Joel in T-mobile's Customer Loyalty department, I got a lot of perks for reupping my contract, including: a free NOKIA 6263 cell phone (more on that baby below), free shipping and handling, waived $18 upgrade fee, and even a free month credit on service (worth $39.99 on my plan, which continues to be 1000 anytime minutes per month plus unlimited nights and weekends, an unbeatable deal if you shop around).

The Nokia 6263 lists at $199 and is normally $49 or so when you upgrade, but since I told Joel that many companies offer similar or better phones gratis, he was able to get me the 6263 for free. (One example of the plethora of free deals out there: you can currently get money back - yes, beyond free - when you order a T-mobile Shadow smartphone via Amazon.com -- once you sign up for T-mobile service through Amazon, of course; I didn't do this since I would have had to end one contract and start another (a hassle), which also means an activation fee, and a plan that cannot match the one I have now.)

I'm telling you all this to help you in your decision process, should you be near the end of your contract. Let me know your experiences. Now on to the phone...

How is the Nokia 6263? Excellent. It packs a lot into a reasonably small size that passes The LA Report's Pocket Test (fits easily, and jacks are located on top to avoid cord hassles). I like the fact that, for a clamshell phone, it has just about every feature you would want in a phone. Not always the best at each feature, but decent-to-excellent on most dimensions, especially when it comes to what cell phones are really about, after all: call quality. (One feature where the 6263 IS the best is its display: over 16 million colors, TFT, a big bright and sharp 2.2 inches of visual va-va-voom; no other phone in this price range came close.)

Another sexy selling point: the 6263 is one of only two T-mobile phones (as of this writing) that is 3G capable. With higher speed 3G cell service rolling out across the country, this phone's 3G capability makes it future-focused (T-mobile already has 3G in New York, and I was told Los Angeles should have it by the end of 2008). What does 3G mean? Better call reception/coverage (because the frequency used is higher, hence the signal penetrates more areas, even if dense with buildings)... faster web downloading... and, according to phone specs on cnet.com , "3G Services / Included Services: Video Call". Wait -- did I actually see the words "Video Call"? Can it finally be here? Wow. We can't wait to try it. (I assume other callers must have 3G too to do Video Calls, but since 3G is coming fast, expect most folks to have it by year's end or sooner.)

Even without 3G, the Nokia 6263 has a winning combination of features. We especially like the dedicated music controls on the front of the closed clamshell (play/pause, back, frwd), which lets you play tunes when the phone is closed (e.g., in your pocket) and is suitable for airplane playing (they even call it Airplane Mode). These outer controls are located just under the large color external display, which is also pleasing and good for self-shots using the 1.3 megapixel (MP) camera, which takes good photos (despite the so-so MP rating). There is also an FM radio built-in (the included wired headset acts as the antenna), with many presets possible. The phone box also includes a 512MB microSD card, for storing and transporting tons of data (songs, video clips, photos, and other digifiles), and the phone's microSD slot (smartly located on the left rather than inside under the battery, like some phones) can accommodate SD cards up to 4GB. You can also sync with your PC (and Microsoft Outlook), by using the included mini-USB cable to hook the 6263 up to your PC and running the free PC Suite software that Nokia makes available on their website.

Final note: since July 1st officially launched California's Hands Free Only While Driving cellphone law, and since stats show less accidents overall when drivers keep both hands on the wheel during cell calls, the 6263's Stereo Bluetooth capability can literally be a lifesaver.

Nokia really covered all the bases with their 6263 cell phone. It simply has the best sweetspot of features I have seen in any phone of this size and price. For more info on the Nokia 6263, including an informative video overview of the phone and its features, click on this PhoneScoop.com link: http://www.phonescoop.com/articles/article.php?a=172.

JUL 5: FREE ROOFTOP PARTY AT STANDARD HOTEL DOWNTOWN; FREE JELL-O SHOTS, DJs, LIVE HIP-HOP (FROM THRILLIST)

The following listing is from a Thrillist.com email:

Party: Creme De La Creme

Saturday at the Standard: 550 S Flower St, Downtown

Continue your long-weekend revelry at this free rooftop pool party, with $40 champagne bottles, free Jell-o shots, 4 DJs, and a live performance from hip-hop crew Pacific Division, who use the slogan "Fashionable.Artistic.Trendsetters.= F.A.T." because nobody's buying "big boned".

The flier is here; rsvp to standard@dubfrequency.com