By Charly SHELTON Thanksgiving is a national holiday, speaking to everyone in America as a founding piece of their national heritage, like the Fourth of July. This is a day that celebrates being together, sharing and being thankful. The story told in elementary school is that the Pilgrims had a good harvest and invited […]
By Charly SHELTON For tourists around the world, Disneyland is a major destination that draws in millions of visitors each year. Families come from everywhere to visit “the happiest place on Earth.” But for locals, the summer and spring break crowds are daunting. Many children in the LA area grew up with the annual family […]
By Charly SHELTON I’ve stayed in one and two-star motel rooms off the highway. I’ve stayed in three-star upscale motels and moderate hotels. I’ve stayed in four-star hotels most frequently, the lavish but not opulent hotels that make you feel like you’re really on vacation. I’ve stayed in five-star hotels that go above and beyond […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE Earlier this year, violinist Movses Pogossian released a magisterial reading of Johann Sebastian Bach’s complete solo sonatas and partitas for solo violin. On Tuesday night, he will usher in the next phase of his Bach project and the public is invited to listen. At UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall on Nov. 21 at 8 […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE For those who have driven down the streets of Pasadena, then chances are they have seen David Lockington smiling cheerfully from above. The conductor’s beaming visage has become ubiquitous along that city’s major streets, hanging from countless banners that line Colorado Boulevard and Fair Oaks Avenue. As he confided earlier this week, […]
By Charly SHELTON When traveling to see the sights, lodging location is a big factor. Something can be said for a beautiful country getaway – if you’re there for the country – but if you are in a big city for a couple of consecutive days, it can be a headache to finish the day […]
Los Angeles Youth Ballet presents the world premiere of a new production of “The Nutcracker” by award-winning choreographer Andrea Paris-Gutierrez starring Joffrey Ballet principal dancers Jeraldine Mendoza (Sugar Plum Fairy) and Dylan Gutierrez (Sugar Plum Fairy’s Cavalier) in three performances: Friday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. and 7 […]
By Nestor CASTIGLIONE The air is turning crisp and the sunsets are becoming more dramatic, with great billowing purple grey clouds worthy of a Caspar David Friedrich landscape. Autumn, in all its gold and brown spangled foliage, has arrived in Los Angeles, a reminder to music lovers that the music season in the region is […]
Here are the new shows burning up our theatres this month: “Yohen” James and Sumi Washington are an interracial couple struggling to maintain their 37-year marriage after James retires from the U.S. Army. The dramatic change in routine prompts questions about life, love and aging as the couple attempts to repair what’s broken and decide […]
By Charly SHELTON Ten years ago Halloween night, I stayed late after trick-or-treating to watch a movie with my friend from high school. This began a relationship that has led to marriage, sharing a life together and, now, to Salem, Massachusetts. Our honeymoon in Ireland this March featured way more lithic archaeological sites and cultural […]