When I first learned the PBS-concert-supplier outfit Artists Den was putting on an immersive Soundgarden concert experience, a full film of the band’s 2013 Los Angeles stop on the King Animal tour, I brimmed with anticipation. Continue reading Did the Artists Den Succeed in Bringing Soundgarden Back ?
This weekend, Dr. Jill Biden was the target of “first-naming,” the behavior many women who hold professional and terminal academic degrees are subjected to. Read my opinion about this disrespectful phenomenon here. Continue reading You Can Dismiss ‘Jill’ — But Not Dr. Biden. That’s The Point
You’ve probably thought about it when on a weekend trip to Los Angeles (when leisure travel was still safe). As a Pacific Northwesterner, it’s nearly impossible to be in a city with almost constant sun and not think – “Could I live here?” And in LA’s case, also wondering “Why does no one here have gray hair except Lindsey Buckingham?” Rest assured, your counterparts in Los Angeles have those same fantasies, except their questions are maybe a little more like…”Maybe their wildfires aren’t as bad?” Yes, latitude longing is real. … Continue reading Seattle vs. Los Angeles: A look at their most potent, non-obvious differences
The Big Sick, the film comedian Kumail Nanjiani delivered with his wife, Emily V. Gordon, did not win Best Original Screenplay at the 90th Academy Awards. That honor went to the searing and timely Get Out, and rightfully so, given the … Continue reading The Big Sick: Best Film To Tell The Truth About Having a Sick Loved One
Valerie Seymour, had already notched one career pivot, from engineering for the defense industry to designing clean energy systems, when a chance encounter with a landscape designer led to another venture. Continue reading A Farm Story: From Missile Defense to Sorghum Cocktails
Recently, I ventured into a Mendocino Farms restaurant to pick up a takeout lunch. I had called in my order under my “restaurant name”—Monica. After a quarter-lifetime of spelling out my given name to people I might never see again, I … Continue reading Name Dropping
My piece on Indian immigrant culture featured in India west. Continue reading First-Generation Immigrants: Why It’s Okay to Pick and Choose Your Culture
What radio podcast has three words, one exclamation point, mines the game Trivial Pursuit for questions, and has been produced by three UC Berkeley alums and their pal for the past four years? It’s Good Job, Brain! But if you’re a trivia buff you probably already knew that. Continue reading Good Job, Brain! How to Create a Pub Trivia Podcast
Image via BalletBag.com The Kirov Ballet is back. Oct. 23, the revered company, based in St. Petersburg, did full justice to the term ‘world-class.’ In the first half of an impressive doubleheader at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, the Kirov demonstrated a level of artistry with choreography of the great Mikhail Fokine that reminded Southern California why it has been waiting for the company’s return for nearly a decade. The Kirov gave birth to George Balanchine, Anna Pavlova, Rudolf Nureyev and Mikhail Baryshnikov during its 200-year existence thus far. It has weathered defections, the collapse of the Soviet Empire, … Continue reading World-class Kirov Returns to SoCal
On Thursday April 13, 1980s mad scientist Thomas Dolby, who revolutionized not only electronic music but created cell phone ringtone technology, appeared for his second headlining live performance in the Los Angeles at the Key Club. Continue reading Thomas Dolby Comes Back From the Future
In the latest James Bond film, a blend of sport and art created by Frenchman Sébastien Foucan upstaged the MI6. The opening sequence of Casino Royale was its most gripping, featuring Daniel Craig’s death-defying pursuit of Foucan as he leapt like a jaguar between buildings, danced across scaffolding, and consistently eluded the buff-but-less-agile 007, hundreds of feet in the air. Continue reading He Lives to Run
Dancing With the Stars’ FaceOff episode featured the couples in battles — performing to different songs, but the same dance style — and the winner of each was declared safe for the next round. The episode could have been a little off-kilter with the absence of Erin Andrews (due to a death in the family of her boyfriend), and the show was shortened due to the presidential debate, but those DWTS pros rose to the occasion. Continue reading Dancing with the Stars Face off Episode – Who Got Voted Off?
