Sorted by date Results 767 - 791 of 1155
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter “Raindrops ‘were’ fallin’ on my head” at the Grammy Museum when B.J. Thomas took the stage to speak about his singing career in a special Q & A and performance For six decades, Thomas, a five-time Grammy-winning artist, has been entertaining his fans with one of the most distinctive voices in American popular music. Along the way, he has made over 30 albums, He caught the singing bug at a very early age. His dad would play a Hank Williams album and Hank...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter Neil Sedaka - singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, and author – will be performing at Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills as part of the KABC Legends Series on February 7. And living legend he is. There are just a few of the titles that can be used to describe Sedaka. His impressive 50-year career ranges from being one of the first teen pop sensations of the ‘50’s, a relevant songwriter who wrote songs for himself and other artists in the ‘60’s, to being a s...
It’s a wild weekend on the big and small screens this weekend with the Super Bowl on tv and some powerhouse films opening in the theatres. On the heels of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act come two films focused on racial divide. The one, BLACK OR WHITE, written and directed by Mike Binder and starring Kevin Costner and Octavia Spencer with an Oscar-worthy turn by Anthony Mackie, approaches the issue from the perspective of child custody and two loving grandparents - one White and o...
Anyone who knows me or who has read any of my reviews or interviews over the past few decades knows of my admiration and affection for action films, stunt work, Jason Statham and director Simon West. Put all of those ingredients together, and toss in a screenplay by William Goldman, and I'm in. Needless to say, you can imagine my excitement for WILD CARD as it not only blends all of these elements in this slick, as-to-be-expected reflective and brooding crime drama, but minimizes the action...
STRANGE MUSIC is music to my heart! Think an animated "Moulin Rouge!" that embraces the George Lucas ideals of dark & light, finding beauty and love in the darkest places, experiencing incredible new worlds, and all set in another kind of galaxy far, far away, this one comprised of The Fairy Kingdom and The Dark Forest. Yes. George Lucas. The man behind the mythical worlds of The Fairy Kingdom and The Dark Forest (also the man behind The Empire and The Force) has a soft side, an animated side,...
Based on a true story, with a script by Eric J. Adams, director Deon Taylor explores the dividing lines of race, family and the hate that fuels those lines with an intensity that at times is almost overwhelming with explosive emotion with SUPREMACY. Garrett Tully, a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, had just been released from the maximum security Pelican Bay State Prison not 15 hours earlier when he kills a state trooper. Now a fugitive and on the run, with the help of Doreen, a friend to the...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter On January 23, Styx and their front-man, Tommy Shaw, along with James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips (along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo) will be making a stop on their current concert tour at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Styx has performed more live shows since ’99 than all of the previous years of its career combined. Two Super Bowl appearances, Pollstar Box Office chart...
A Winter's Concert Saturday, January 31, 8 PM Earlier this month a full moon alighted over the Tower of Veterans Memorial Auditorium, where the orchestra will perform for the next concert. While there is howling at the moon, applause at the concert will suffice. Frank Fetta-Conductor and Director Musical Matthew Ennis- Saxophone An unique concert of music for string orchestra paired with a saxophone. Veterans Memorial Auditorium 4117 Overland Ave. at Culver Blvd. Culver City, CA 90231 Free parking, entrances from Culver Blvd....
I was one of the lucky few press who, several months ago, was treated to some early clips of NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB. My appetite for more was quickly whetted on seeing just brief glimpses of Sir Ben Kingsley and Rami Malek in all their royal glory, Ben Stiller as history's best friend Larry Daley, and that pee-happy capuchin Dexter (aka Crystal the Monkey). Now having seen the film in its entirety, I can honestly say that my enthusiasm and delight for NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM:...
Although in limited release, an indie gem that requires mention, and your attention, is LITTLE ACCIDENTS. Written and directed by Sara Colangelo, LITTLE ACCIDENTS is a very profound and thought-provoking character study, as well as study of the human condition, focused within the microcosm of reality in a West Virginia coal mining town. If LITTLE ACCIDENTS doesn't show the true chain of life and how everything intersects with everything else, how one ripple in a pond can change the entire flow...
Rehearsals have begun for powerhouse Latino theatre group Culture Clash's "Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival," which opens February 4 at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Previews will begin January 27 and performances run through March 1. This revisited and reimagined "Chavez Ravine" is directed by Lisa Peterson (who was at the helm of the world premiere in 2003 at the Mark Taper Forum) and features Culture Clash's Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter Get ready for an afternoon of fun when Rockin’ at the Beach hits the shores of the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts (CCPA) on Sunday, January 18, 3 pm. Tickets, starting from $45, are available at the CCPA Ticket Office, by calling (562) 467-8818, or at cerritoscenter.com. You’ll be ROCKIN’ AT THE BEACH when Dean Torrence and his band the Surf City All Stars get the party started with Jan & Dean hits (such as The Little Old Lady From Pasadena and t...
The first three-day holiday weekend of 2015 brings a jam-packed slate of films filled with Oscar nominees, Golden Globe winners and new releases. Let’s take a look at three diverse films opening this weekend which covers the gamut of something for everyone. PADDINGTON I have never known the world without Paddington Bear. Born into the literary world around the same time as myself in 1958, Michael Bond’s “A Bear Called Paddington” has been a mainstay of not only my life, but for generat...
With BIG HERO 6, Walt Disney Animation Studios once again proves why they are heroes to generations and legions of fans the world over. Tapping into the recesses of the Marvel vaults, directors Don Hall and Chris Williams bring this somewhat obscure gem of heroes to life in what is destined to be the newest franchise in the Disney-Marvel universe.....not to mention my pick for Oscar gold. But setting BIG HERO 6 apart from the super heroes and fantasy we have come to know from Marvel is that the...
The game is afoot with THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1, but it's no longer being played as a game within the confines of an electronically controlled and domed "arena". With the release of Katniss Everdeen's arrow as her final move in the "Catching Fire" Quarter Quell, all bets are off. The games are no longer "games" with a single victor (or victors, as in the case of Katniss and Peeta). The game is now very real and must be played by every single citizen in Panem if the now obviously evil...
On January 23, Styx and their front-man, Tommy Shaw, along with James “JY” Young, Lawrence Gowan, Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips (along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo) will be making a stop on their current concert tour at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills. Styx has performed more live shows since ’99 than all of the previous years of its career combined. Two Super Bowl appearances, Pollstar Box Office chart-topping tours with Def Leppard, Journey,...
A thoughtful film that places the past and its lingering effects on the present as told through feuding Appalachian families who can't or don't want to move forward in a 1970's backwoods North Carolina, THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT is a microcosmic microscopic examination of introspection. Adapted from Ron Rash's 2006 novel by writer Shane Danielson and directed by David Burris, THE WORLD MADE STRAIGHT is a slow, methodical, atmospheric burn that celebrates the gravitas of performances from the likes...
The finger of God seems to have descended on Hollywood the past few years with a resurgence in the spectacle of the Old Testament and teaching of the New, on both the big and small screens. Perhaps a commentary on the world itself, perhaps as tool to give hope in desperate times, perhaps divine intervention, but we are none the worse for wear for the experiences given us by Roma Downey's "The Bible" and 'Son of God" or Darren Aronofsky's "Noah" and now, in perhaps the grandest spectacle yet, Rid...
Delving into somewhat rare territory with bringing a true life story and real life individuals to the big screen (the last time being "Ed Wood"), one of whom is very much alive and very much a part of the making of BIG EYES, Tim Burton returns to the bemused wonder and charm that he demonstrated with "Edward Scissorhands". While in many respects a departure from what we have grown accustomed to in recent years from Tim Burton, in others, BIG EYES feels like the smooth fit of a kidskin glove....
Casting is set for powerhouse Latino theatre group Culture Clash's "Chavez Ravine: An L.A. Revival," which opens February 4, 2015 at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Previews will begin January 27 and performances will run through March 1. This revisited and reimagined "Chavez Ravine" is directed by Lisa Peterson (who was at the helm of the world premiere in 2003 at the Mark Taper Forum) and features Culture Clash's Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas and Herbert Siguenza...
Kentwood Players kicks off its 65th Anniversary Year by presenting "An Ideal Husband" by Oscar Wilde. It will be presented from Friday, January 9 to Saturday, February 14, 2015 for a six-week run on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm with Sunday matinees at 2 pm at the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Avenue, Westchester. The production is directed by T. Samantha Barrios and produced by Melodie S. Rivers and Terry Delegeane. Scandal! Blackmail! Corruption! Full of Wilde's well-known wit, rapid...
Fans of the stage musical, and those who have heard of but never seen the wonder that is Stephen Sondheim, are in for a special holiday treat come Christmas Day as all tied up with a big red bow, er, cape, is Sondheim's acclaimed and long-running INTO THE WOODS which finally arrives on the big screen in this stunning adaptation written by stage scribe James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim and directed by Rob Marshall. What big eyes you'll have as you watch the magic of this fairytale mash-up unfold...
The Culver City Chamber Orchestra presents "CELLO MANIA" on January 25, 2015 at 4 p.m. at Culver Palms United Methodist Church, 4464 Sepulveda Boulevard. Tickets are now available through www.ccchamberorchestra.com or for information by calling (310) 397-2490. MasterCard and Visa are accepted. Music Director Arlette Cárdenes heads a unique and fun concert of cello music by classical and pop composers such as Bach, Vivaldi, Lady Gaga, U2, Metallica and more. Call now for your tickets –Adults $1...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra (LACO) opened its “Baroque Conversations” series on Thursday at Zipper Concert Hall at The Colburn School in downtown Los Angeles. It was a special affair honoring James Arkatov, artistic founder of LACO and original member of the cello section. There was a champagne toast for him at the pre-concert reception attended by musical director/conductor Jeffrey Kahane and then Arkatov kicked things off by saying a few words of...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter Grant Gershon, esteemed Artistic Director/Conductor of the Los Angeles Master Chorale (LAMC), filled the Walt Disney Concert Hall with his passion and joy as they presented their annual holiday concerts. He channeled his un-rivaled enthusiasm during the LAMC’s presentation of “Festival of Carols” on December 13 and Handel’s Messiah on December 21. The LAMC rung in the holiday season with a concert of favorite carols sung by one of the greatest chorale...
