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While my love and admiration for Joss Whedon and the World of Whedon (not to mention the "Avengers" and that irascible Tony Stark aka Robert Downey, Jr.) knows no bounds, when it comes to AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, I have to admit that from a story standpoint and the execution thereof, the Russo Brothers still reign as the current kings in the Marvel world thanks to their inspired direction of "Captain America: Winter Soldier". I know, I know. Shocker to hear from this lover of Whedon and I can't...
Casting is set for "Girlfriend," which will begin previews at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City on July 12 with the opening slated for July 19. Featuring a book by Todd Almond and music and lyrics by Matthew Sweet, the rock musical about first love will continue through August 9. Reprising their roles from the 2013 Actors Theatre of Louisville production of "Girlfriend" will be Ryder Bach (Randy Newman's "Harps and Angels" at the Mark Taper Forum) and Curt Hansen...
As a part of their new partnership PLAY LA, Center Theatre Group and Humanitas will be accepting submissions starting June 1 for the Humanitas/CTG Playwriting Prize, which supports Southern California playwrights. Submissions will be accepted until June 30. Three finalists will be notified in mid-December and the winner will be announced at the 41st Annual Humanitas Prize Awards Luncheon in February of 2016. This is the first year Humanitas and CTG are awarding this annual prize. The annual Humanitas/CTG Playwriting Prize will be awarded to...
Boulevard Music will present six free concerts on Thursday evenings at 7 pm from July 9 through August 13 in the palm-lined courtyard of Culver City City Hall. Curated by producer Gary Mandell of Culver City’s Boulevard Music, Culver City’s Boulevard Music Summer Festival offers something for everyone: Latin and Flamenco rhythms with pop/rock/funk and electronic elements from Calé plus salsa, cumbia, and Latin jazz from Conganas (July 9); Classic Jazz/Blues with a superb trio of vocalists fronting the George Kahn Jazz & Blues Revue plus the loo...
The Culver City Chamber Orchestra will present "Family Concert, on Sunday June 14 at 4 p.m. at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, 9820 Washington Blvd, Culver City The concert will be presenting PETER AND THE WOLF" with special guest Alan Chapman, KUSC host as well as The Collenette School of Dancing, and Young Artist, Noelle Cho (15) who will be performing Vivaldi cello concerto. Tickets are now available through www.ccchamberorchestra.org or for information by calling (310) 397-2490. We accept...
Rehearsals began May 26 for the world premiere production of "How to be a Rock Critic," based on the writing of Lester Bangs, the rock critic who reached iconic status in the 1970s with his passionate, intellectually honest writing. Performances at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre begin June 17 and continue through June 28 in the theatre's rehearsal space, Upstairs@KDT. Presented as part of DouglasPlus, "How to be a Rock Critic" is a co-production with South Coast Repertory....
The 4th "Affair of The Arts" will take place on May 30 from 11 am to 7 pm and May 315 from 11 am to 6 pm in downtown Culver City at the intersection of Culver Blvd. and Main Street. The free outdoor festival showcases 60 of Southern California's premiere painters, photographers, sculptors, and glass, ceramics and jewelry artists. Visitors can shop the artists or just view. The Affair also features two days of live music, interactive activities for children, snacks and sweets. Downtown Culver City restaurants will be welcoming festival...
AVPA will present two music concerts this spring, giving all the ensembles a chance to perform a variety of music that has been rehearsed throughout the spring semester. Friday, May 22 – AVPA Showcase – features our smaller ensembles. The Jazz Combo, Sax Ensemble, and some of our chamber music ensembles will be on the program. The Jazz Combo has been making the rounds throughout the community, performing at several events this year. In addition to their annual entertaining gigs for the Cul...
A work-in-progress presentation of Lucy Alibar's "Throw Me On the Burnpile and Light Me Up" begins a limited engagement at the Center Theatre Group/Kirk Douglas Theatre on Thursday, May 21 as part of CTG's DouglasPlus programming. It will continue through May 31 with only 11 public performances. Written and performed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter ("Beasts of the Southern Wild") Alibar, "Throw Me On the Burnpile and Light Me Up" blends a lecherous goat, Pentecostals on the radio, Daddy's .38...
With more than 20 films opening this weekend or expanding wider in release, there’s something for everyone. From George Miller’s post-apocalyptic MAD MAX: FURY ROAD, the next chapter in the “Mad Max” franchise which originally catapulted Mel Gibson into the limelight and now elevates Tom Hardy even higher in the cinematic spectrum, to those fabulous acapella Bellas of Barden in PITCH PERFECT 2 to the Dolph Lundgren produced and written (and starring Lundgren and Tony Jaa) SKIN TRADE with a...
This week brings a stunning array of new releases, most in limited release, but all definitely worth more than a look. A particular standout is THE AGE OF ADALINE. Boasting exquisite tonal beauty, THE AGE OF ADALINE is gorgeously lensed by David Lanzenberg and stars Blake Lively in the title role, along with Michael Huisman, Ellen Burstyn, Kathy Baker and a powerhouse emotionally laden performance by Harrison Ford. Directed by Lee Toland Krieger from script by J. Mills Goodloe and Salvador...
Center Theatre Group, in collaboration with the Center for the Art of Performance at UCLA, will present the West Coast premiere of Young Jean Lee's newest work, the acclaimed play "Straight White Men," November 20 to December 20 at CTG's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. In his "Best Theater of 2014" list in The New York Times, Charles Isherwood wrote, "Is there anything Young Jean Lee cannot do?," and described Lee as a "remarkably versatile and inquisitive playwright." In "Straight White...
By Steven Lieberman Observer Reporter The Verdi Chorus pulled out all of their “Hidden Gems” for their Spring performances at the acoustically-sound First United Methodist Church in Santa Monica. In their 32nd year, the chorus continues to be one of the jewels of the Los Angeles opera scene and showed the audience why as they presented two flawless performances. Over the years the chorus has grown and developed to a level of professionalism led by Music Director Anne Marie Ketchum and her acc...
"Wiley & the Hairy Man," a play for children and the child in everyone, takes the stage in West Los Angeles College's Black Bok Theater on May 7 and 8 at 7 pm and May 9 at 2 pm. Tickets are $2 for children and $5 for adults. The play is part of "WestFest" which will spotlight the theater, dance, film writing and production, art and music programs throughout May at the college. There will also be a celebration and information on Latin American Culture as well as a unique display of academic...
Christina Noble is a name many may not know but after seeing NOBLE, thanks to not only the subject of the film, but the well crafted storytelling of writer/director Stephen Bradley and indelible life-affirming performances by Dierdre O'Kane, Sarah Greene and Gloria Cramer Curtis as Christina Noble at various points in time, you will not only want to know the name, but the woman. An amazing woman. An inspiring story. A powerful and moving film. Christina Noble was born in the slums of Dublin,...
As you stroll through Downtown Culver City you might notice a new face on the block - ArcLight Cinemas. While maybe not a completely new face, it’s definitely a 21st century upgrade. As related by Gretchen McCourt, Executive Vice President & Chief Content Officer of ArcLight Cinemas, “We’ve been operating here in Culver City as Pacific Theatres for a number of years and with the transformation that Culver City has made with the restaurants, with the nightlife, with the activities, it was time...
Lovelier than a dream, this Kenneth Branagh directed Disney's CINDERELLA sets the bar for Oscars 2016 with sumptuous visual splendor complete with Haris Zambarloukos breathtaking cinematography, the lavish grandeur of Dante Ferretti's production design, Sandy Powell's timeless costume designs that sparkle and shine (literally and figuratively), and a sweeping score by Patrick Doyle, all befitting the crown jewel in the Disney legacy. Oh, and did I mention a certain Swarovski-designed glass...
The Pacific Art Guild will meet Wednesday, May 6 at 7 pm in the Community Room, Westchester Civic Center, 7166 W. Manchester Avenue. Guests are welcome. The guest demonstrator for May will be Iris Carignan. Born in Georgia, Iris attended art school and took lessons primarily in California. The vibrant colors of her impressionistic style express both passion and tranquility. Many of her paintings have water as a subject, hence the name of her studio, Still Water. Iris will demonstrate a landscape in pastel....
A work-in-progress presentation of Lucy Alibar's "Throw Me on the Burnpile and Light Me Up" will commence at the CTG/Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City on Thursday, May 21 and will continue through May 31 as part of CTG's DouglasPlus programming. Written and performed by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alibar, "Throw Me On the Burnpile and Light Me Up" blends a lecherous goat, Pentecostals on the radio, Daddy's .38 special and a house full of dogs, cats and Febreze, and countless other rich...
Want to take a little time to get away from it all? You can go INTO THE WOODS with Culver City's foremost children's theater company on May 14, 15 and 16. Fulfill your appetite for fairy tales with a feast that offers Cinderella, Rapunzel, Jack and the Beanstalk and more in one setting. With unforgettable songs by Sondheim, the ever-popular musical will have you looking at your favorite tales from a whole new perspective. INTO THE WOODS, Jr. will be presented at the Vet's Auditorium 4117...
A very limited engagement of 24th STreet Theatre's award-winning production of "Walking the Tightrope" will be presented at the Kirk Douglas Theatre with four public performances only, May 2 and 3 at 3 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. (Student performances will take place April 28 through May 1.) Written by Mike Kenny and directed by Debbie Devine, "Walking the Tightrope" features a cast of Mark Bramhall, Tony Duran and Micaela Martinez as well as live music by Michael Redfield. This play is produced in...
Under the guiding eyes of boots-on-the-ground executive producers Todd Lieberman and Dave Hoberman, along with producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (among others), and with the energizing and fully sensory stimulating direction of Robert Schwentke (taking the reins from “Divergent” director Neil Burger) and with the blessings of author Veronica Roth, INSURGENT diverges from the printed pages of the second installment of the Roth books, resulting in a film that is pure HIGH OCTANE, EDGE OF YOU...
Seems that not just spring has sprung, but so has the movie box office which is jam-packed with a multiplicity of new releases in limited and wide release this month. This week I turn your attention to two films: TRUE STORY - based on the true story of a killer and a journalist and, UNFRIENDED - conceived by the innovative and cutting edge Russian filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, sheds a frightening light on the internet, Skyping, instant messaging with some horrifying results. UNFRIENDED As...
In observance of the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, Center Theatre Group, in partnership with the Armenian Dramatic Artists Alliance (ADAA), will present "Staging the Un-stageable: The Esthetics of Dramatizing Atrocity" at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Tuesday, April 28 at 8 p.m. "Staging the Un-stageable" features Emmy-winner and Oscar nominee Shohreh Aghdashloo ("House of Sand and Fog"), Sam Anderson ("different words for the same thing," KDT), Leslie Ayvazian ("Nine Armenians," Mark Taper...
Kentwood Players will present Amy Herzog's dramatic comedy "4000 Miles" from Friday, May 15 to Saturday, June 20 with performances on Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, Sundays at 2 pm at the Westchester Playhouse, 8301 Hindry Avenue in Los Angeles. Talkbacks with the cast and crew will follow each Saturday night performance. The production is directed by Gail Bernardi and produced by Susan Goldman Weisbarth by special arrangement with Samuel French. Featured in the cast are Dan Fagan, Alexandra Joh...