This summer. Food, film and the great outdoors.

In case the Hollywood Forever cemetary screenings have gotten too crowded for you, you're tired of chasing down food trucks on the street, and/or you just need an excuse to gorge yourself on popcorn, there is a new outdoor screening/eating/lounging around fest in town.

The Outdoor Cinema Food Fest will launch this summer, with free weekly screenings at Exposition Park. That's that park near USC that you may have passed on your way to a nearby rave or the butterflies at the Natural History Museum at some point. But anyway, it's big, it's grassy, and it's about to be home to what the Fest's website is currently calling 'LA's Top Food Trucks.' Hmm.

Despite the shroud of vagueness concerning the food, the schedule of films is listed and it's a doozy. The fest opens with Avatar, includes other recent hits like The Hangover and Twilight and gets a little old school on us with classics like The Breakfast Club and Fight Club.

Sold. I will pack my extra salt for the popcorn now.

The Pictures: exploration, altitudes and outdoor adventure in 180° South.

I understand that my recent interest in things active, outdoorsy and West of La Brea may be confusing some of you. Surely, you thought, my interests did not extend beyond swanky Eastside restaurants, oversize glasses, and occasionally missing New York. Well, my dear friends, my interests do indeed have a greater scope. And working amongst such an eclectic and different group of folks as I do now has opened me up to an even greater broadband of culture and experiences. Case in point: this Wednesday I will be joining my colleagues in a trip up North, back to Santa Barbara (which you'll remember I visited recently for the first time), for the premiere of 180° South at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Some reasons why this should interest you too...

1. 180° South is an amazing adveture story. I'll borrow from the film's synopsis here so I don't butcher it...

180° SOUTH is the story of one of the most unique and prolific environmentalists of our time -Yvon Chouinard. Rather than re-living Yvon's story through old photos and his life's work with pie charts, 180° SOUTH weaves Chouinard's tale through a modern day expedition. This expedition was inspired by the rumor of a legendary trip in 1968 and the proof that came with it when the lost cans of film that documented the trip were recently discovered. The old footage captures Chouinard and best friend Doug Tompkins in 1968 as they explore untouched mountain ranges and un-surfed coastline on a 5000 mile expedition from California to deep Patagonia. For the two men, the original '68 adventure still stands as "the trip of our lives."

2. The film was produced by our rad office mates, Woodshed Films, the film sister arm (I just made this term up, yeah) to Jack Johnson's Brushfire Records (I like slow, happy, hippy music too--what of it).

3. The key art was designed by the talented and controversial Shepard Fairey who, yes, is facing some legal troubles at the moment, but who isn't.

4. The film is sponsored by Patagonia and Kashi, two pretty cool brands. And I can't tell you how much it turns out I like Kashi snack bars.

Check out the trailer here and see y'all in Santa Barbara!