Once Again, From the Top (Panel, That Is)

By Charly SHELTON “The Avengers” came out this summer and it became the most successful film of all time that was not directed by Jim Cameron. Then “The Amazing Spider-Man” had a nice, big opening this last weekend over July 4th. And later this month, Batman makes his last hurrah on the big screen in […]

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Spins A Golden Web

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ Spins A Golden Web

By Susan JAMES Director Marc Webb, with the help of an able cast, has spun pure gold from the overworked tale of a boy, a spider and the birth of a superhero. With “The Amazing Spider-Man,” Webb offers us a fully fleshed out origin story that is entertaining, at times comic and always involving. Framed […]

DCA – It’s a Wrap

By Charly SHELTON Big things have been happening at Disney California Adventure. We visited Buena Vista Street, the 1920s-era land recently added to DCA. Then we saw Cars Land located in the same park, the biggest land expansion since the opening of Disneyland. And this week, to wrap it up, we will take a look […]

Revving up for Fun in Cars Land

By Charly SHELTON Last week we looked at the reopening of Disney California Adventure park and the fantastic new opening statement of a land – Buena Vista Street, harking back to the ’20s and ’30s in Los Angeles when a young cartoonist named Walt Disney stepped off the train with a cardboard suitcase and a […]

Cal Phil Inaugurates New Concert Venue for Summer Season

By Ted AYALA The singing of Vanessa Carlton, the sounds of a superb symphony orchestra, the flash and brilliance of the USC Marching Band – and a few dashes of fireworks. It’s quite a way to kick-off a new concert season for any orchestra, but the California Philharmonic isn’t just any orchestra – nor is […]

Julia Child and “la belle France” Celebrated by SCM

By Ted AYALA In her autobiography, “My Life in France,” celebrity chef and television icon Julia Child wrote, “The sweetness and generosity and politeness and gentleness and humanity of the French had shown me how lovely life can be if one takes time to be friendly.” Those virtues permeated not only Julia Child’s Gallic sense […]

El Portal to Host ‘Stars of Beatlemania’

The story of Beatlemania as told through the music that changed the world. ‘The Stars of Beatlemania!’ which chronicles the musical history of the Beatles through live recreations of their electrifying stage shows, will be at the El Portal Theatre in No. Hollywood Friday, June 29 through Sunday, July 1. From their explosive debut on […]

He Said, She Said

Discovering Van Halen By Charly SHELTON I don’t like music. I have been listening to the same Disneyland album since 2005. Granted, I have added to it as new attractions arise, but it is largely the same. I have never really enjoyed music, so I don’t have new albums – or anything else – of […]