By Ted AYALA Amid the din of the ecstatically raucous coda of Revueltas’ La Noche de los Mayas (The Night of the Mayas) – reverberating thunderously through Occidental College’s Thorne Hall after the last blazing chord cut forth – and with the audience at the Santa Cecilia Orchestra’s (SCO) end of season concert erupting into […]
By Charly SHELTON For those of you who eagerly awaited the release of “Pirates” 2 and 3 only to be disappointed: Rejoice! For a “Pirates” movie worth watching has been found again. Captain Jack is back in full glory without any whiny sidekicks in love or be-tentacled digital villains trying to find a jar of […]
By Susan JAMES Comedy walks a fine line between hilarity and hysteria, guffaws and gross-outs and in director Todd Phillips’ eagerly awaited sequel to the 2009 megahit “The Hangover,” hysteria and gross-outs win. What was fresh, outrageous and unexpected in the original, and side-splittingly funny as well, here is forced, predictable and increasingly desperate. Two […]
Photo by Ted AYALA By Ted AYALA When thinking about attending a performance of youth orchestras, one can’t help but groan inwardly. How to put up with it? Yes, you want to mean well and you understand that kids are kids, not fully professional musicians. But unless you’re the parent or family member of one […]
By Michael WORKMAN Rockstar Games titles are some of the most anticipated game releases and “L.A. Noire” is no exception. Though Rockstar Games are famous for the controversial “Grand Theft Auto” franchise, L.A. Noire takes a departure from the mindless mayhem and creates a game that is more story-driven and emphasizes puzzle solving. Set in […]
By Susan JAMES The Paley Center in Beverly Hills is offering a series of all-star panels focusing on popular television shows. Several, like “Bones” and “Fringe” (Fox) are just completing their seasons and are scheduled to return in the fall. Others like “Southland” (TNT) are currently on hiatus. The panels are open to the public […]
By Ted AYALA A veritable cornucopia of musical delights – spanning everything from classical and jazz to rock and bossa-nova – were served to the hungry audience attending the Glendale Pops Orchestra’s (GPO) “The Premiere” concert last Friday night, May 13. Matt Catingub, the GPO’s new artistic director, emceed the concert with a sly charm […]
By Ted AYALA The Santa Cecilia Orchestra (SCO), which finds its home in Occidental College’s Thorne Hall, closes out its 2010-2011 in a spectacular fashion on Sunday, May 22 at Occidental College’s Thorne Hall at 4 p.m. with a concert honoring two of Mexico’s – and the American continent’s – very greatest composers: Silvestre Revueltas […]
By Susan JAMES Actor/director Kenneth Branagh is generally known for his take on Shakespearian epics, “Henry V,” “Hamlet,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” so it is no wonder that when faced with directing the thunderous saga of comic book hero/god Thor he frames his epic as a quasi-Henry V. Like the rebel prince who defeated the […]
By Ted AYALA The fire and sparkle of Franz Liszt and the mellow sheen of Sergei Rachmaninoff swept over audiences last Saturday at Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium. The Pasadena Symphony Orchestra (PSO), under the baton of guest conductor Maximiano Valdes, was joined by pianist Chu-Fang Huang in a concert that programmed Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 2 […]