THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 31 FEBRUA RY 12, 2020
From left: Incumbent David Ryu; Sarah Kate Levy.boutique hotel Dive (1586 E. Palm Canyon Drive,
rooms from $164), offering a taste of French
Riviera aesthetics in the heart of Palm Springs.WHERE TO EAT AND DRINK Ebersole and Hughes
found their favorite new sushi spot, Hamachi
Sushi (31855 Date Palm Drive), in a Cathedral City
mini-mall. “This family-owned joint has some of
the best classic salmon and tuna sushi,” Hughes
says. ... With its Scandi interiors and Japanese
menu, Sandfish (1556 Palm Canyon Drive) offers an
upscale sushi and whiskey experience that’s found
a fan in Fourward CEO Will Ward. ... Tequila lovers
can find a new spot to sip at Tac/Quila (415 N. Palm
Canyon Drive), which brings the cuisine of Jalisco
to the desert. ... Roly China Fusion (1107 N. Palm
Canyon Drive) serves a variety of dim sum on Palm
Springs’ main drag. ... For a taste of Italy, Ward
recommends the “really good” Il Corso (111 N. Palm
Canyon Drive) in Palm Springs, with a menu crafted
by Sicilian chef Mario Marfia. ... After dinner,
Ward suggests popping next door to The Rowan
Hotel’s High Bar (100 N. Tahquitz Canyon Way)
for a nightcap, surrounded by panoramic views of
the Coachella Valley’s starlit sky. ... For a low-key
vibe, Palm Desert’s Little Bar (73560 Highway 111),
owned by former Goldenvoice COO Skip Paige,
features red vinyl booths and black walls printed
with images of concert tickets.the Architecture Design Art Film Festival on
Feb. 21 — Modernism Week is their opportunity
to find some unique experiences, such as a Q&A
with Nancy Sinatra at the Plaza Theatre and a
lecture on the View-Master stereoscope. Says
Ebersole, “Where else would there be an in-
depth talk on those high-tech postcards of our
collective youth?”
Actress Kelly Lynch is looking forward to
discussing the renovation of architect John
Lautner’s 1950 Harvey House in L.A., which she
owns with her husband, writer-producer Mitch
Glazer. It’s part of a series of talks by Lautner
homeowners at the Lautner Compound. “As a
child of the ’60s, midcentury modernism really
influenced me,” says Lynch. “I see our role as
caretakers of this kind of architecture.”
NEW PLACES TO STAY Named after a 1967 Jacques
Dutronc song, Les Cactus (555 S. Warm Sands
Drive, rooms from $150 a night) is a newly
opened 27-room oasis of pale pink walls offset
by cacti with interiors filled with rattan chairs,
bamboo shelves and pops of neon wall art. ... Or
there’s the more intimate, adults-only, 11-room
Bela Lugosi in
1931’s Dracula
wearing his
cape, which
includes a
stand-up collar.1 The new Les
Cactus hotel in
Palm Springs.
2 Asian dishes
at Roly China
Fusion. 3 A room
at the new
boutique Dive
hotel. 4 Interior
at the former
Kirk and Anne
Douglas estate.been very interlinked
with the entertain-
ment industry,” says
Raman, who has
made homeless-
ness a priority issue.
Raman, who’s married
to writer-producer
I
n 2011, the voluminous black
cape that enveloped Bela
Lugosi in his most famous role
as Count Dracula was put up for
auction with a suggested starting
bid of $1.2 million. When it failed to
sell, the late actor’s family — his son
Bela G. Lugosi and granddaughter
Lynne Lugosi Sparks — was actu-
ally thankful. “The experience made
us realize we didn’t want it in some
collector’s closet,” says Lugosi.
Adds the late actor’s granddaughter,
“I think subconsciously the price
we put on it was high enough that
there wasn’t a bid.” So in 2019, they
decided to donate it to the Academy
Museum of Motion Pictures, open-
ing Dec. 14, where it will join such
artifacts as the ruby slippers from
The Wizard of Oz.
The Hungary-born Lugosi, who
died in 1956, first wore the cape in
Universal’s classic 1931 Dracula, but
held on to it for stage shows and
other appearances. Says Sparks,
“Though there has been discussion
of his being typecast and how it
affected his career, it obviously was
a special piece. He had a trunk that
he carried it in, and my grandmother
cared for it to make sure it was
always in top condition.”
A heavy, floor-length opera cape
made of black fulled wool, it is now
undergoing restoration, including
repair of the taupe silk crepe lining,
which is torn in places.
“It’s such an iconographic
costume,” says Academy Museum
exhibitions curator Jessica Niebel.
Adds Lugosi’s son, “He was
known as the definitive face of the
Dracula character, and he’s actually
achieved immortality.”Vali Chandrasekaran
(Modern Family), has
turned out dozens of
TV writers and show-
runners to canvass for
her, as well as picking
up endorsements from
Natalie Portman and
Jane Fonda. “[Ryu]
has a lot of money, but
... if we can just keep
getting people excited
about this race, we can
overwhelm his financial
advantage,” she says.Levy (No Way Jose)
entered the race
two years ago after
multiple conversations
in which she tried to
recruit other women
to get involved in local
politics, and which
all led to the same
conclusion: She should
jump in. “I’m in the race
because David has
failed on every level
that a council member
is supposed to deliver
on,” says Levy (who
counts Jack Black as
a supporter), noting
that the district she’slived in for 20 years
saw a 53 percent spike
in homelessness in
2019, the largest in any
of L.A.’s 15 districts.
A spokesman for
Ryu’s campaign called
Levy’s comments a
“misrepresentation of
his record.”Restoring Dracula’s
Famed Cape
Bela Lu gosi’s fa mily sh a res
why they donated his
signature costume to the
Academy Museum By Gregg Kilday24From left: Joel Kim Booster,
Nithya Raman, Kristen Schaal
and Adam Conover at the
El Rey on Jan. 29.