Ruslan Biryukov, Elayne Boozler, and friends ring in the return of the Positive Motions concert series in Glendale. By Ted AYALA If you’ve been paying attention to the news, it wasn’t such a great week recently for American classical music fans. New York City Opera, the Big Apple’s “people’s” alternative to the posh Metropolitan Opera, […]
By Ted AYALA The Pasadena Symphony has been navigating some choppy waters since its management and long-time music director Jorge Mester parted ways less than amicably in 2010. Choppy waters not because the orchestra has faltered technically in the three seasons. (Its excellence and polish remained, thankfully, intact.) Nor has it exactly been hurting for […]
By Ted AYALA Even 130 years after his death, Richard Wagner is a person that for many music-lovers—and especially for those who have never heard a single note of his music and know him only by his (bad) reputation—remains difficult to love. His vanity, his shrill self-promoting, and the ease with which he stooped to […]
By Susan JAMES Thor and his mighty hammer return in this sequel to the successful 2011 Marvel comic book based movie. It’s richer, darker and even more breathtakingly CGI’ed than the original. And once again Chris Hemsworth as Thor looks hunky, with or without armor, and as rigid as his hammer while Tom Hiddleston’s Loki […]
By Sabrina WALENTYNOWICZ There are some people who run errands on Saturdays. There are some who take it easy around the house. And then there are those who go on cemetery tours. On Saturday, the Historical Society of the Crescenta Valley joined storyteller Nick Smith in offering a free walking tour of the Mountain View […]
By Michael YEGHIAYAN A sold out crowd filled the Glendale Centre Theatre on Sunday for a night of comedy in support of the Glendale/La Crescenta chapter of the American Red Cross. The 21st annual event brought world-class comedic talent to Glendale that traded laughs for financial support of the local disaster relief organization. Fritz Coleman, […]
By Susan JAMES It’s always tricky bringing real events to the screen. Even good movies like Ben Affleck’s 2012 “Argo” can veer toward making one side into the good guys and everyone else into the screaming hoards of evil. Director Paul Greengrass’ new film “Captain Phillips” doesn’t make that mistake. Based on the true story […]
By Michael YEGHIAYAN The mystique of Hollywood’s fabled “Golden Age” can be traced to its celebrities – the elegant and alluring stars who ruled the screen and came to epitomize 20th century Los Angeles. Standing among these giants of the era was Loretta Young, whose grace and presence left a legacy that set the standard […]
By Charly SHELTON Fifty years ago, the world was introduced to two icons, both of which would quickly become household names: the film, “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World” and the Cinerama Dome. The first film ever shown in the Dome as well as the first premiere, “It’s A Mad Mad Mad Mad World” […]