Non-Fireworks Laden Musical Happenings This Weekend

By Ted AYALA 4th of July weekend is coming up, and with it is no shortage of outdoor concerts with booming music accompanied by the even bigger booms of the obligatory fireworks show. Locals looking for a subtler musical experience that can still blow them out of their seats without leaving them in a smoky […]

Optimus Prime is Back – And on a T. rex

By Charly SHELTON The Autobots and Decepticons have been waging war for centuries on their home world of Cybertron. That war spilled off their planet and into the stars. Since 2007, the Transformers have waged war on Earth. The Autobots have fought alongside the humans to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons, and benefitted […]

Lopez to Appear at Fourth Annual Idyllwild Authors Series

Award-winning author Josefina López, best known as the creator of the play “Real Women Have Curves,” which spawned the popular Sundance Film Festival award-winning film of the same title starring America Ferrera, Lupe Ontiveros and George Lopez, will appear in The Fourth Annual Idyllwild Authors Series presented by Eduardo Santiago & Pen Center USA on […]

A String of ‘Closers’ Opens Cal Phil Season

By Ted AYALA It may be less of a certainty at your typical symphony concert these days, but at a summer concert, where the mood is often casual, a big, loud, flashy close to a program is a must. Summon the brass, percussion and hordes of strings, toss in a chorus, bells, maybe a cannon […]

Cal Phil and Victor Vener Launch 2014 Season

By Ted AYALA Independence Day may still be over a week away, but that won’t stop the panoply of fireworks and music from lighting up and resounding throughout the San Gabriel Valley this Saturday. That is because the California Philharmonic Orchestra will be opening its 2014 season at Santa Anita Park on July 28 beginning […]

Transformers Invade Universal and Pasadena for Bot Con Weekend

Transformers Invade Universal and Pasadena for Bot Con Weekend

By Charly SHELTON What’s cooler than a huge semi-truck barreling down on its enemies? A huge semi-truck barreling down on its enemies that turns into a giant robot to kick some enemy butt. What could be cooler than that? How about the giant robot truck riding a fire-breathing robot dinosaur while wielding a massive broadsword? […]

An Interview with ‘Lake Los Angeles’ Filmmakers

An Interview with ‘Lake Los Angeles’ Filmmakers

By Susan JAMES Writer-director Mike Ott, his co-writer Atsuko Okatsuka, and leading man Roberto Sanchez sat down to talk about their new film, “Lake Los Angeles,” which premiered this month at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The story is of Cecilia, a young illegal immigrant abandoned at a drop house just over the California-Mexico border. […]

Three Films from the LA Film Festival

By Susan JAMES One of the city’s major international events, the Los Angeles Film Festival, is celebrating its 20th anniversary this month with screenings in theaters around town of nearly 200 features, movie shorts, and music videos from 40 countries. In a number of the films California appears as a major character, so below is […]

Escape to Morro Bay

By Greg ARAGON It’s hard to call Morro Bay a hidden gem while there is a 576-foot tall rock mountain sitting in its harbor. But that’s just what this small seaside town along California’s Central Coast is; it’s a charming hideaway halfway between L.A. and San Francisco, with tons of laid back charm and beautiful […]