Photo: FLLewis/Media City G -- Garden Guru Emilio "Elmo" Telles

 ”What is a black rose like the ones they have in the florists that I can grow”?

Well those “black” and also the “blue” roses are only found in those 1960 Hercules movies and the “NCIS” TV series! Those rose colours(and other florist colours) are dyed by fresh cutting the stems and putting them immediately in the colored water to slowly absorb the color to the “tight” budding blooms.

There are two popular roses that the gardener can grow in their garden that can give them a reasonable facsimile.

Black Baccara rose

Black Baccara and Ink Spots are two extremely dark red roses that bud out to almost black and last in color until they open up to a nice velvety red.

There are also the blue roses, Blue Girl and Blue Nile, which are “lavernder-ish” roses with a blue-cast colour in bud form. Another one that I’ve found that customers really want is a “real” yellow rose as opposed to a rose with a  “golden” colour. What I have discovered is that yellow roses tend to fade to a bland yellow in the summer heat. Although, all roses will be more colorful during the spring to early summer months, which is fine because that is when you want to do your “summer haircut” (pruning) to your roses anyway. We’ll talk about that in about three months.

Any questions, feel free to post here. Now that I’m not working two jobs, I’ll have time to post answers and more articles!

###

Emilio “Elmo” Telles is a garden expert at Armstrong Garden Center  5816 San Fernando Road, Glendale  91202.

Photo:Greg Harbaugh /©A.M.P.A.S. -- Academy Award nominees at the traditional Oscar luncheon, (center) Glenn Close, Jean Dujardin, George Clooney, February 6, 2011 Beverly Hills

A lot of smiles at the Oscar luncheon in Beverly Hills on Monday, February 6.  The traditional get together for Academy Award nominees includes a photo shoot. A series of pictures from that event  as well as video highlights  are on the official Oscar website.

The 84th Academy Awards ceremony will be broadcast live around the world later this month on Sunday, February 26, from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood.

I got a busy to do list, which seems to be getting longer and not shorter! Working on changes, upgrades, and new features  for Media City Groove among other things. New postings soon.

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

Today I would like to introduce to you the Korean word bo-ja-gee.

These days there is an assortment of expensive, quality name brand bags in the market and also many different designs of scarves. There are also different kinds of book bags for school children. There are even many different kinds of wrapping paper to wrap gifts in.

Today, Korea is not very different from the United States, however, 40-50 years ago there was a time when the functions of bags, scarves, and wrapping paper were all done with a cloth called bo-ja-gee.

A square shaped cloth was used to wrap up just about anything that needed to be carried somewhere and it was even used to wrap up gifts. It could also be used as a scarf.

Today, people can buy bags, scarves and just about anything they want, and there are also people who can’t afford quite as many things. Such is the human condition. This does not mean that the people who can buy anything they want are happy and that the people who can’t buy those things are miserable.

That very fact is what we can learn from the bo-ja-gee. Even though it was just a piece of cloth, it served many functions. Where there was a will, there was a way.

At our cleaners, we make sure that your scarves maintain their original color.

I hope that every day of this week will suit you like your preferred way of wearing a scarf.

###

Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

This morning I got a reminder from Burbank Water and Power executive, Joanne Fletcher, about the dedication of their EcoCampus and community fair tomorrow in the Media City. The BWP is inviting the public to come celebrate the opening of what it’s touting as the state’s first sustainable utility campus.

The program will be hosted by green media maven, Sarah Backhouse, who is also Discovery Channel’s “Planet 100″ host.  Special guests include Senator Carol Liu and representatives of the US Department of Energy. The event will have a festival flavor with exhibits, tours, music, children’s activities, and some of those popular food trucks. Oh, those who can show a driver’s license with a Burbank address will receive a free highest-efficiency LED bulb.

The Saturday event runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the BWP site, 164 West Magnolia Boulevard. There will be free parking at the Metrolink station and shuttles will provide transportation. For more information call the BWP at  818-238-3730.

The nominees for the 84th Academy Awards are getting a lot of attention — the day after the big announcement. Yesterday, “Hugo” picked up 11 nominations — the most of any film — including best picture and best director. The movie is a 3D drama adventure about a 12-year-old boy who lives in a Paris train station tending to the clocks and his quest to fix a mysterious machine left by his father.  The film is based on the book, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret,” by American author and children’s book illustrator, Brian Selznick.

Here are some of the major nominations for the 2012 Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:

Best Picture

The Artist
Thomas Langmann, Producer
The Descendants
Jim Burke, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor,
Producers
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Scott Rudin, Producer
The Help
Brunson Green, Chris Columbus and
Michael Barnathan, Producers
Hugo
Graham King and Martin Scorsese, Producers
Midnight in Paris
Letty Aronson and Stephen Tenenbaum, Producers
Moneyball
Michael De Luca, Rachael Horovitz and Brad Pitt,
Producers
The Tree of Life
Nominees to be determined
War Horse
Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, producers

Actor in a Leading Role

Demián Bichir
A Better Life
George Clooney
The Descendants
Jean Dujardin
The Artist
Gary Oldman
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Brad Pitt
Moneyball

Actress in a Leading Role

Glenn Close
Albert Nobbs
Viola Davis
The Help
Rooney Mara
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Meryl Streep
The Iron Lady
Michelle Williams
My Week with Marilyn

Best Director

The Artist
Michel Hazanavicius
The Descendants
Alexander Payne
Hugo
Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris
Woody Allen
The Tree of Life
Terrence Malick

For a complete list of the nominees as well as a chance to pick your favorites go  to the official Oscars website . The winners will be announced at the lavished Academy Awards ceremony set to be broadcast live, around the world,  on Sunday, February 26 beginning at 4 p.m. Pacific Time.

The silent French film, “The Artist,” begins the week with some extra Oscar heat. Last Saturday the feature, about an aging silent male film star and and a rising young actress, picked up the top trophy at the 23rd Producers Guild Awards ceremony at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles. In the past two years, the winner of the PGA honor for the best produced motion picture has gone on to win the Best Picture Academy Award. Last year, “The King’s Speech” — in 2010 “The Hurt Locker.”

Here are some of the big winners:

The Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures:

 ”THE ARTIST”
Producer: Thomas Langmann

The Award for Outstanding Producer of Animated Theatrical Motion Pictures:

“THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN”
Producers: Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Spielberg

The David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television:

“Downton Abbey” (Masterpiece) (PBS)

The Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Comedy:

“Modern Family” (ABC)
Producers: Paul Corrigan, Abraham Higginbotham, Steven Levitan, Christopher Lloyd, Jeff Morton, Jeffrey Richman, Dan O’Shannon, Brad Walsh, Bill Wrubel, Danny Zuker

The Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television, Drama:

“Boardwalk Empire” (HBO)
Producers: Eugene Kelly, Howard Korder, Stephen Levinson, Martin Scorsese, Rudd Simmons, Tim Van Patten, Terence Winter

A complete list of the winners on the Producers Guild of America website.

A rainstorm is moving through Burbank and the Southland this morning. We’re getting steady rain, strong winds, and cool temperatures. The high today in B-town upper 50s — lows tonight in the 40s. In a weird weather twist, another blast of spring in the forecast for the middle of the week. By Wednesday, the high is expected to reach 80 in the Media City!

Photo courtesy Guest Blogger Jean Youn

 Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year on the Lunar Calendar. It’s the day that many Americans know as Chinese New Year.

In China, it is called Chun Jie, which means the beginning of spring. It is also the day of the biggest festival of the entire year.

Other countries like Korea, Vietnam, Mongolia etc. that surround China also celebrate this day as the beginning of the year.

In Korea this day is called Suhl Nahl.

Unlike in China, it is not a day of a big festival. Suhl Nahl translates to “refrain me to be careful.” Considering the day as a fresh start to a new year, it is a day to be careful of what you say and do.

Traditionally, Koreans bow and offer blessings to their ancestors who have passed on and also bow and offer blessings to living parents and grandparents.

Another tradition is for husband and wife to bow and offer blessings to each other also. (This traditions is no longer observed.)

Every culture has its own unique traditions.
Also, traditions change as generations go by, similarly to the way fashion trends in clothing size, color, and styles change.

However, I hope that no matter what country you are from or what traditions and customs you hold, people will continue to respect one another, similar to the expression of respect that is shown in the traditional bow and blessings that Korean husbands and wives gave to one another.

In the same way, I guarantee that I will offer the same respect to every item of clothing that I clean and do my best with each of them.

This is the traditional blessing that is offered along with the traditional bow, and I would like to offer it to you, saehae bok mani badeuseyo, which means that I hope you receive many blessings this new year.

###

Jean Youn is the owner of Value Village Cleaners at 912 West Glenoaks Boulevard in Glendale 91202. For details on services, coupons and more, check out the Value Village Cleaners website  here.

Ah, winter is back — wet and cold. The high may reach 60 today.  Raindrops are falling in Burbank this morning. They might taper off this afternoon, but there is still a chance of showers throughout much of the day. So keep the umbrella handy and be careful out there on those rain-slicked streets in the Media City.