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If you’re an A-lister with a ghost at your new mansion in the Hollywood Hills, there’s one name on your to-consult list: Patti Negri.
Hollywood’s favorite psychic medium and “good witch,” Negri is the real deal when it comes to white magic. Think less beaded curtains and crystal balls (although there are a few of both), more lifting the veil between worlds to help people connect with loved ones no longer living, plus private séances for small groups around the dining table at her home in the hills above Franklin Avenue.
“Spirit is present everywhere — we have instinct and intuition, but in our modern world, so much of that has been taught out of us,” she says. “We are these powerful beings, but we’ve forgotten it along the way. More paranormal stuff is happening, but people don’t always understand it and they’re looking for answers — something outside themselves. My job is to help remind everyone that we are the magic!”
Over the years, Negri has worked with plenty of industry types and celebrities clearing mansions and apartments around Los Angeles, performing rituals to shoo away negative energies (which can “gather like dust bunnies,” she says), or sometimes simply to help nudge spirits stuck between worlds. Many ask her to sign NDAs, but Negri can talk about getting a post-life Aaron Spelling (pleasant but irascible) to move on from his beloved Spelling Manor, and the time a cameraman burst into flames at Marilyn Manson’s house (he made a full recovery). During one séance, Negri says the spirit of a recently deceased young man provided the passcode (via spirit box) to family members, enabling them to unlock his iPhone and to access hundreds of photos that would have otherwise been lost.
So how did a classic California girl and teen Kodak model-turned-EMT become a full-time working witch in Hollywood? Negri, whose mother and grandmother were clairvoyant, says she’s seen spirits and held séances since the age of seven. After running a successful production company for decades, Negri officially “came out of the broom closet” on CMT show Mobile Home Disaster in 2008.
“At the time, reality TV was on the up, and somebody who knew my ability with mediumship and ability to lift the veil said, ‘Patti, you need to do this TV show.’ I wasn’t open to sharing that part of myself initially, and thinking the show would get buried, agreed to do it, but the work hasn’t stopped since.”
Fans of the paranormal might recognize her from numerous episodes of Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures series or the paranormal investigations of YouTube’s TFIL — including their OVERNIGHT in HAUNTED BILTMORE HOTEL report, which includes a particularly active séance during a stay inside the iconic hotel’s Presidential Suite in Downtown Los Angeles. (It’s also where Elizabeth Short, aka the Black Dahlia, was last seen before her gruesome death in January 1947.)
Negri offers both group séances and private readings in Los Angeles and virtually
Patti Negri
Naturally capable of reading auras, connecting with spirits and channeling energy, Negri offers private sessions that are (for the moment) held over Zoom, although still infused with her insightful mix of life coaching-meets-magick and appearances by Belle, the Haunted Doll. With a forte for adjusting energy flow in people and places, she conducts in-person clearings and blessings for homes and businesses around Los Angeles, “shifting blockages and bringing in the good” (salt, sage and palo santo are your friends here). “I’m deeply connected to nature and have been practicing natural magic my entire life, so my style is very elemental, loving and upbeat,” she says. “It’s really about empowering people and providing perspective.”
Arranged around nature and rhythms of the universe, Negri says her blessing rituals and spells help people and places heal and create a sense of balance. “Everybody’s afraid of the unknown. Books, movies and TV always make magic, ghosts and the paranormal dark and scary, but things that people say are bad luck or negative — like black cats or walking under a ladder — are powerful and can be used for good. A piece of broken mirror is the best protective thing you can put in your witch’s bottle!”
Negri adds that Ouija boards get a bad rap, but the reality is more nuanced: You don’t just let anyone into your house, so the same is true of a spirit board. Demons, she says, also get way too much credit: “99 percent of the time, it’s just a cranky-ass ghost.”
Here in L.A. — between spending time with her husband, her cat Larry and her dachshund Willow — Negri writes, studies, hosts a weekly podcast and dashes to meetings across town. Her renown often takes her further afield: as president of the American Federation of Certified Psychics and Mediums, Negri she’s in high demand at paranormal conventions (“paracons”) across the country; next year, she’ll be in Ireland for a Game of Thrones tour and in Romania for the 125th anniversary of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Of course, she doesn’t need to travel far for rich, ghostly sites. From historic homes to grand hotels, Tinseltown is filled with hangouts where A-list ghosts and spirits are still said to linger. Below, Negri shares some of her favorite haunted places around Los Angeles.
The Sowden House: “As far as scary, my favorite is the Lloyd Wright-designed ‘Black Dahlia’ house in Los Feliz, which was once owned by Dr. George Hodel, a prime suspect in the Black Dahlia murder case. There’s a spirit holding these girls in there. It’s just got some dark, dark, dark energy.”
5121 Franklin Ave.
The Hollywood Roosevelt
Jason Chang/Wikimedia Commons
The Hollywood Roosevelt: “There are tragedies here, too, but The Roosevelt is one of my favorite, mostly happy ghost places. I got to spend a night in the Montgomery Clift room (#928), where he lived for three months in 1953 and met his attaché, who was friendly but very protective of him.”
7000 Hollywood Blvd.
Hollywood Athletic Club: “Back in the day, this was a hangout for everybody, from Johnny Weismuller (who played Tarzan) to Errol Flynn. They used it as an athletic club, but it was also a place for people to drink and party during Prohibition in the ’20s and ’30s, so it was their happy place, too.”
6525 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood Forever Cemetery: “This is another place I really like because, again, all the ghosts and spirits are so happy there. It’s been beautifully renovated — they show movies on the lawn and have concerts in the Masonic Lodge — it’s totally a place of life versus death.”
6000 Santa Monica Blvd.
Patti Negri is available for blessings, rituals, séances and communicating with loved ones on the other side. She also hosts a weekly podcast, The Witching Hour, and runs occasional workshops on everything from mediumship classes and animal familiars to knot magic via houseofintuitionla.com.
With sports on this continent still at a standstill, the urge is to look back. Most channels have been running classic games as some portion of their schedule. Maybe your local RSN has run your favorite team’s greatest moments. “The Last Dance” was 10 hours of pure nostalgia and not much else, garnering huge ratings…
The morphing of Chinatown continues apace with the arrival of Spark Beer, which has taken up residence in that iconic red-tiled building beside Yangtze.
A passion project of husband-and-wife team John Sproull and Andrea Gormley, the brewery is being conceived as a neighbourhood hangout with great beers and a snack menu.
Sproull, who has been a dedicated home brewer for a decade, is a fan of sour beer, so will be highlighting the art of the tart while also brewing up the more accessible hoppy American styles.
“I love experimenting with mixed-fermentation beers, but won’t be brewing far-out beers just for the sake of it,” he laughs. They’ve also got an oak tank, so will soon be playing around with barrel aging.
City Bites Insider caught up with Gormley a day after Spark’s opening to find out more about what sour beer fans can look forward to.
The Space The 40-50 seat space has a modern-meets-inviting vibe. A combination of booths, tables for two, and a long bar meet the simple of goal of serving up Spark’s line-up of craft beers (as well, as a few wines and cocktails) in a welcoming space. It’s a gathering spot for beer fans, with lots of standing-room-only space for busy evenings. A chalkboard menu and notes on the taps tell visitors all they need to know (though a printed beer menu goes into even more detail for those who like to geek out on craft beer flavour profiles).
The Brews Though Sproull loves sour beers, he’s made sure to brew up a range of popular styles, from a stout to an American pale ale to an IPA. What’s on tap will rotate with the seasons.
What’s On Tap Spark has a total of 12 available taps, though they’re starting with a manageable four Spark-designed beers and two from fellow brewers (Whoop Ass IPA from Stray Dog out of Orleans and Vim and Vigor, a pilsner from Tooth and Nail). The first round of Spark beers on tap is:
Manhire Berliner A Berliner Weiss-style sour wheat ale, with notes of lemon and biscuit and a slight funky from mixed fermentation.
Add fruitiness with a touch of raspberry syrup.
Black as Midnight on a Moonless Night
A session stout with notes of coffee and caramel.
Activities! An IPA that mixes the west coast and east coast versions. Dark orange in colour, it has citrus and melon aromas.
Ovington Electric Named after Spark’s electrician — he went “above and beyond” in helping them get Spark ready to go, says Gormley —
this American style pale ale has a floral and citrus hoppiness and a malt backbone.
The Snacks The prep kitchen is a work in progress, so snacks are a few weeks away. When all the paperwork comes through, there will be beer-worthy hotdogs with all the fixings. A pizza oven has been delivered but will take a while to get up and running.
Find It: 702 Somerset St. W.
Hours: Daily, 4 p.m. til close.
Hot Tip: Spark has merch! Be the first kid on the block to have the t-shirt (the super-soft cotton T’s come in men’s and women’s versions).
Hot Tip #2: Tempt your friends. A beer fridge in the corner sells 500mL bottles to go so you can grab a couple for buddies who will then accompany you on your next Spark night.
Flora Hall Brewing launched last week, welcoming guests to a two-floor, 120-seat space with lofty ceilings and a second-floor mezzanine with sweeping views into the glass-walled brewing room. At 37 Flora, craft beers are on tap, there are great bar snacks, and an inviting atmosphere — all of which encourages visitors to kick back and stay awhile.
Owner, Dave Longbottom, describes himself as an entrepreneur, so when he got it into his head that he’d like to launch a brewery, he jumped right in, searching the city for the perfect spot. That ideal location was an empty industrial building in the heart of Centretown, a former garage and repair shop that dates back to the 1920s.
Built close to 100 years ago, the building was a garage for many years. The new owner kept many of the architectural details intact
“I was on the lookout for an old building with character and this fit the bill,” says Longbottom, who bought the rundown building in June 2016 and began construction last January. It would take almost a full year to get Flora Hall Brewing up and running, with Longbottom using old photos to help guide a renovation that honoured the building’s history. Many of the windows are original, as are some of the floors, while the industrial-looking stairs and accessories remind guests of the building’s origins.
City Bites sat down with Longbottom to find out what inspired him to open a beer hall in Centretown — and how it’s going one week in.
The Vibe
I have travelled all over the world on business and I always seek out local establishments like Flora Hall. I love immersing myself — talking to local people and eating and drinking what they do. My vision for Flora Hall was to create a real gathering spot — not just a bar or a brewery. The space and the menu are designed to be welcoming.
Brewer Rod Hughes comes to Ottawa by way of Vancouver, where he was head brewer at R&B Brewing
The Beer
Brewmaster Rod Hughes came from Vancouver, where he was with R&B Brewing. He was looking to move out of Vancouver because it’s just too expensive to create a lifestyle there. He and his family came out, as well as his head brewer from the brewery, too.
We have five beers on tap. One is an English ordinary bitter that was brewed by Rod at my request. I have an English background and the English-style ales, which are more malty, aren’t as well represented. I love this style of beer. There’s also a west coast IPA to reflect Rod’s roots, and a farmhouse saison with orange peel in the boil to give it a spiciness.
The beers on tap will switch around, although I’d like to keep the ordinary ale, and there will always be an IPA. Rod is a chemist and water scientist by training, so his beers are very balanced — his brewing is art and science and chemistry all melded together.
The view from the upstairs seating area takes in the entrance, the beer menu, and the glassed-in brewing room
The Food
The chef is Linette Edmonds and her team is creating food that reflects Ottawa — casual, international, with spice profiles from around the world. The plan is to always have a menu that’s quite short. Everything is snack-y — meant to be eaten while you’re enjoying a beer and hanging with friends. You can keep ordering over the course of the evening.
Menu Sneak Peek
Five snacks:
Asian spiced pork tenderloin slider singles
Black bean and jalapeno dip with grilled garlic flatbread and fresh coriander
Spicy, crunchy fish fritters with honeyed Harissa and green salad
Falafel with pickles, flatbread, tahini, and green salad
Ploughman’s platter with house-made porchetta, pickles, chutneys, cheese, and bread
The Shop
As you enter Flora Hall we’ve got a big beer fridge selling sets of four. We just finished a session so it’s filled with West Coast IPA, North East IPA, American Oat Pale Ale, and Farmhouse Saison. There are T-shirts and hats, as well.
Each floor has its own bar. The upstairs seating area (shown) seats 50 guests
The First Week
Our first week open has been really heart-warming. People are responding to what we’re trying to do… They’re saying ‘We had such a great time’ and that’s exactly what I want.
Hours
Flora Hall Brewing is open Monday to Thursday, 3 pm to midnight; Friday and Saturday, noon to 2 am.; and Sunday, noon to midnight.
The ultimate beer fridge includes 4-packs of Flora Hall’s West Coast IPA, North East IPA, American Oat Pale Ale, and Farmhouse Saison
Is the word marijuana racist?
It's a long-standing debate in the cannabis world, but the question is now slipping into the mainstream as the drug is on the edge of becomingly legal for recreational use. Many people aren't aware of the history of the term marijuana, which is linked to campaigns in the U.S. in the 1930s to demonize the plant by associating it with Mexican immigrants.
Halifax Coun. Shawn Cleary recently created controversy when he declared he would no longer use the word. "Let's do what we can to not perpetuate racism," he said on Twitter.
The response from some was a big eye roll.
"Next year it will be legal to smoke it. But not say it. Only in Canada!" replied fellow Coun. Matt Whitman on Twitter. Whitman ended up apologizing for the language he employed when he tried to explain his stance on CTV. Whitman said the term marijuana can't be racist because "Mexican" is not a race.
The intensity of the debate is an indication of a growing controversy over the word. Some users, activists and businesspeople deliberately choose "cannabis," the term for the plant, instead. It doesn't have negative connotations.
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Health Canada, which has regulated medical marijuana since 2001, stopped using the word marijuana in its most recent set of rules, the Cannabis for Medical Purposes Regulations, adopted in 2016.
Some argue that the word marijuana will fade, a relic of a soon-to-be-forgotten "reefer madness" world that demonized pot. But others defend its use, saying the term no longer has pejorative associations.
The word marijuana has Mexican-Spanish roots. It wasn't commonly used in the U.S. until the 1920s and 1930s, when states began to pass laws against the cannabis plant. At the time, there was a growing wave of sentiment against Mexican immigrants entering the country. The immigrants brought pot smoking with them.
The term "marijuana," sometimes spelled "marihuana", sounded foreign. It was used by "racist politicians who first criminalized cannabis because they wanted to underscore that it was a Latino, particularly Mexican, vice," according to the National Hispanic Caucus of State Legislators, a non-partisan group that represents the interests of Hispanic state lawmakers in the U.S.
During the depression in the 1930s, Americans were searching for someone to blame, says an article about the origin of the term in Leafly, a cannabis news and review website. "Due to the influx of immigrants (particularly in the South) and the rise of suggestive jazz music, many white Americans began to treat cannabis (and, arguably, the Blacks and Mexican immigrants who consumed it) as a foreign substance used to corrupt the minds and bodies of low-class individuals."
The use of the term increased dramatically in the 1930s, when it was systematically employed by Harry Anslinger, the director of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, who waged a three-decade long campaign against cannabis.
Anslinger used the term “marijuana” to reinforce the plant's “foreign” identity. He "racialized the plant for white audiences," according to Leafly.
"Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind," Anslinger said in testimony before congress. "Most marijuana smokers are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos and entertainers. Their satanic music, jazz and swing, result from marijuana usage.”
The word marijuana has become a slur, writes Erik McLaren in an article in Herb, an online magazine covering cannabis news and culture. It's time the word is dropped, he argues. "It’s not as though people today who call weed ‘marijuana’ are racist. But, that word is a celebration of prohibition, and a gross reminder of racial prejudice. Plus, it’s victory for Harry Anslinger."
jmiller@postmedia.comtwitter.com/JacquieAMiller
Longtime Twisted Sister drummer A.J. Pero has passed away, the heavy-metal act announced in a statement today. The Associated Press reports that Pero was found unresponsive on a tour bus in Poughkeepsie, New York and subsequently died of an apparent heart attack. He was 55.
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