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We’re Listening to Frah Quintale

Lisa Bianconi
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We’re Listening to Frah Quintale

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Corona is like the Grinch who stole summer.

All our summer plans are gone. Balmy Hollywood Bowl nights with your best pals, outdoor dinner parties, Sunday brunch, camping trips up the coast of California, and your planned vacation exploring the beaches of Calabria. As an American living in Italy, the summers were magic. We had a month off to explore the world – Elba Island, Ischia, The Algarve, Stromboli, Malaga, Marbella, Santorini, Marseille. New places to discover, new beaches to lounge on, warm, bath-like water to wade in, fresh fruit to nibble on, new wines to taste, your evening mission to find gorgeous sunset spots, new friends, magical movie moments and, of course, summer love.

So now that Rona robbed us of summer, we’ve watched every summer movie, albeit cheesy, to get our summer fix. Netflix’s “Summertime,” based on Federico Moccia’s “Three Meters Above the Sky” young adult series, has a soundtrack that was the best thing to come out of that show. But the standout was Italian rapper Frah Quintale’s track “Missili.” This music blog has been dedicated to some awesomely talented women singers but Frah fits the summer vibe.

Frah Quintale via his label Undamento

Frah Quintale’s “Missili” featuring Giorgio Poi, from his album “Lungolinea” is an easy Italian pop song with smooth bars that go with the breezy summer vibe. “Ti si riempiono gli occhi con le onde del mare” – “Your eyes are filled with the waves of the sea.” It’s also a bit of a couple’s battle, befitting for the “Summertime” love theme.

“Buio di Giorno” from Frah’s  “Banzai” album is the Italian version of a Maxwell song. The soft Italian over the drum machine beat is pure body roll.

“Si, Ah” from “Regardez Moi” has simple beat layered with a fun hook. It gives you the energy to get up and do something.

But every song from his newest “Banzai” to his first EP “2004” is amazing. You don’t need to speak Italian to feel his flow. But maybe it will give you the little push to learn Italian. After all, we’ve got time this summer.

Instagram | Facebook

Thanks, Frah, for making music that makes us move.

(Stay safe, stay creative, and wear your mask… so we can have our summers back!)

Paul Revere Williams | The Lost Architect of LA

Raleigh Barrett Gallina
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Paul Revere Williams | The Lost Architect of LA

One of the biggest contributors to iconic Los Angeles architecture is Paul R. Williams, and I’m guessing you’ve never heard of him.

At the turn of the 20th century, LA held a mere population of 102,000 people, and the California dream drew a mélange of ethnicities which blended together with allegedly little bigotry and sectarianism. Williams had lost both parents by the age of four and had been placed into a loving foster home. Los Angeles was vibrant and a young Paul R. Williams was navigating High School at Polytechnic High. He found resistance to following his dreams in school, however, and was told not to become an architect because the Black community could not and would not patronize an architect’s firm.

Unperturbed by his teacher’s opinions, Williams went on to become the first African American to be elected a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects. Williams designed thousands of buildings, is a Los Angeles native and the first to become a licensed architect, and was awarded the AI’s 2017 Gold Medal, which paid homage to his long-lasting influence on the theory and practice of architecture.

During the LA turmoil following the 1992 verdict of Rodney King’s trial, a bank at the crossroads of South Broadway and 45th was razed by fire. Thought lost to the ’92 blaze that ravaged the Broadway Federal Savings & Loan, the archival legacy of the powerhouse Williams was understood to be lost. Williams had placed his business records and documentation at the Broadway Federal Savings & Loan for safekeeping, and fortunately, thousands of original works lay safe at an alternative locale.

Williams’ archive contains 35,000 architectural plans and 10,000 original drawings, which are staged to be acquired by The Getty and USC. Getty Research Institute (GRI) and USC’s School of Architecture have announced the joint acquisition of Williams’ works and will perpetuate Williams’ legacy alongside Karen Elyse Hudson, the principal steward of Williams’ estate, and granddaughter to Williams.

LA Modernism in the 20th Century owes much to Williams, and the acquisition of Williams’ prolific works will help enlighten architectural thinking and process. Few Black architects have operated at the scale and capacity of Williams, and indeed Williams dwarfs many of his white contemporaries. The USC acquisition likewise brings Williams’ work home, as Williams studied architectural engineering at USC, and graduated in 1919.

Born in 1894 and returned to earth in 1980, Williams’ career spanned Spanish Revival architecture and Mid-Century Modern shapes and forms. We can reference the Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Building at West Adams Blvd. and South Western Ave for a taste of his work. We can more robustly understand Williams’ talent as we learn he collaborated on major projects such as LAX, which ushered in nascent stages of the jet age.

Prominent and prolific, Williams capped his career by designing private homes for numerous celebrities: Frank Sinatra, Barbara Stanwyck, Lucille Ball, and Desi Arnaz just to name several. Churches, hotels, commercial buildings, and the Beverly Hills Hotel logo were all crafted at the hand of Williams.

The perceived loss of Williams’ work is allegorically akin to the loss Los Angeles has felt due to erasures of Black contributions to both the art world and society at large. But, similar to the exhumed work of Williams, we too as a society can reverse erasures of Black contribution and acknowledge all who have contributed to our city, as well as felt the slings and arrows of it.

Hamilton – Break open the bank, shell out the $6.95, and see it for yourself.

Mike Peros
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Hamilton – Break open the bank, shell out the $6.95, and see it for yourself.

Once upon a time, a new musical that had sold out during its Off-Broadway engagement moved to the more luxurious and spacious confines of Broadway, and this intrepid reviewer thought that with the increased seating, he would have no problem scoring a ticket or two.

Alas, he waited too long, for this show soon became a sell-out on Broadway; other developments soon followed that dampened his resolve (including the inflated ticket prices—even by Broadway standards—for orchestra and mezzanine tickets). So, when the forces behind Hamilton (I figured you knew what musical I was referring to) made the decision to film the show for posterity (with the original cast) and release it at some point in the future, I was fairly pleased. And of course, when the “later became sooner” because of recent events, it only became a matter of forking over the $6.95 for my Disney Plus subscription to be able to stream Hamilton (not the only reason to get this channel, but certainly the most pressing one).

All I can say after this preamble is that I liked it—perhaps more than I thought I would. Like creator Lin-Manuel Miranda’s previous hit In the Heights, the show opens with a dazzling ensemble number where character introductions are made, exposition conveyed, and relationships displayed—all beautifully composed and staged to infectious music and intelligent, witty lyrics and wordplay. Miranda has written a show that can be appreciated for the sheer variety and embrace of many musical styles, its graceful storytelling, its willingness to paint Hamilton as a very flawed figure, and its attempt to sketch the political machinations of the period. (Yes at times, Miranda “gilds the lily” but he isn’t creating a treatise or a polemic—he’s creating an entertainment—and one that does not aim for the lowest common denominator).

One of the master strokes in the show is having the story of Alexander Hamilton (the first Secretary of the Treasury and a Caribbean immigrant, as it would happen) narrated by Aaron Burr (charismatically embodied by Leslie Odom Jr.), Hamilton’s eventual rival who would fatally wound him in that fateful duel in Weehawken, New Jersey. Once the major and minor players are introduced, the narrative (augmented by Odom/Burr’s prescient commentary) sweeps you through Hamilton’s rise to prominence at the side of George Washington (Christopher Wallace), his marriage to Eliza (Phillipa Soo), his rivalry with Thomas Jefferson (Daveed Diggs), his moral lapses and certain ill=advised attempts to rebound—and the consequences inherent when a man of words has to reckon with his own actions—and those of others.

Miranda, the author, has given himself a “fairly good” title role that he persuasively and energetically embodies (sometimes with some knowing humor) but he has also been generous with others, giving the talented cast ample opportunities to shine and even dominate the proceedings: Christopher Wallace’s Washington is a committed, patriarchal, and finally pragmatic figure who earns his graceful retreat from public life; Daveed Diggs is flamboyance and exuberance personified as a calculating, crafty and fun-loving Jefferson (not to mention his energetic turn as Lafayette); Phillipa Soo’s Eliza is heartbreaking and powerful in her scenes both in the courtship phase and confronting the consequences of Hamilton’s shortcomings. And lest we forget the British side of the Revolutionary dispute, Jonathan Groff makes for a gleeful, showstopping King George III.

One can make some quibbles about Hamilton: about what was (or was not) accurately presented, about what may have been left out. But again, this is not a historical document—rather it is an extremely well-conceived and vital filmed document of what has become an essential part of American theater. Hamilton may not be the best musical ever (as some have claimed), but it is a beautifully executed show that captures a top-flight cast in an exuberant, captivating, and even educational (I’m not just talkin’ history) theatrical experience. Break open the bank, shell out the $6.95, and see it for yourself.

Here’s the NoHo News for July 16

NoHo - North Hollywood
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NoHo News: Corona Diaries. SPF11. Sidewalk Singers. Arts Grants. Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Some Restaurant Picks. Best of the Fest!

Here’s your NoHo arts community update!  We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood.

Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

NoHo News: via www.nohoartsdistrict.com Corona Diaries. SPF11. Sidewalk Singers. Arts Grants. Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Some Restaurant Picks. Best of the Fest! 

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

SIMPLE AND AMAZING TUNA MELT | PLANT BASED

Bailey Manoogian
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SIMPLE AND AMAZING TUNA MELT | PLANT BASED

Missed tuna melts since going vegan?

Or you want to slowly reduce the amount of animal products you use? Or maybe you’re just a masochist and full-blown omnivore and want to see what witchcraft we get up to here?

No matter who or what you are, you’re gonna absolutely love these plant-based tuna melts we’re cooking today. A cacophony of flavor from the beginning to the last bite. And almost all of the ingredients needed are probably just sitting in your cupboard right now.

Geoff Gibbons “Keep on Driving” Single Release

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Geoff Gibbons “Keep on Driving” Single Release

Never has a song about the open road and how deep the human need for change is rung so true.  “Keep on Driving” is a sublimely simple melodious American rock song.

The Canadian singer songwriter Geoff Gibbons has a knack writing beautiful poignant lyrics. I reviewed his track “Fall Girl” a while back, another gorgeous cinematic classic.

“Got to find an open road, gotta keep on driving” oh how I would love to. The song is basically about getting out of the city and deep deep into the countryside to save yourself, your sanity.  It’s something we can all relate to right now.  But although the lyric is beating against the machine of life, it’s far from cynical or hopeless.  In fact with the lovely billowy mix, the comforting twang of the slide guitar and the rhythm of the heart and road the song pulls us up – up out of our seats and our funk and our current dark hidden defensive existence and shows us another way.

Geoff’s vocal is sweet and gentle and totally relatable. The song forms around him like a misty blanket.  Building gently as it unfolds.  Nothing forced, nothing contrived, nothing too predictable.  Just honesty and hope.  I absolutely love this song. All I need now is a pickup truck, a tank full of gas and no particular place to go…bliss!!

Watch the new music video, released July 13th on Youtube.

Websites:

Official Website: www.geoffgibbons.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/geoffgibbonsmusic/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GeoffGibbons

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/geoffgibbonsmusic/

Spotify

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/geoffgibbonsmusic

 Youtube Channel

Musician Names/Instruments: Geoff Gibbons and John Macarthur Ellis

Producer Name(s): John Macarthur Ellis/Geoff Gibbons

4 Reasons to Take a Cruise

NoHo - North Hollywood
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2020 has been a daunting year for everyone. Chances are, the virus pandemic that started this year has kept you isolated at home and waiting for a chance to escape it all.

This is why, once the world recovers by next year, you will likely want to take a vacation as soon as you can. Escaping the stress of your everyday life likely sounds ideal at this moment, and one of the more luxurious ways of doing so is by taking a cruise. By the time 2021 and 2022 roll around, a cruise vacation may be exactly what you need in your life. The following article contains a list of four reasons why travelling the sea on a cruise getaway will improve your life.

  1. A Cruise Allows You to Travel the World

Going on a cruise is an excellent way of seeing the world’s many beautiful locations. Since many cruises stop at one or more ports, you will have the opportunity to visit multiple locations in one trip and experience many activities both on land and sea. From going on shore excursions to travelling on foot and seeing historic landmarks in one of many destinations, going on a cruise is a great way to experience the sights and sounds of the world. While travelling by plane is a standard way of getting from one place to another, nothing compares to the wide array of experiences that a cruise can offer you. A cruise can allow you to experience beautiful locations in a way that appeals to all five senses unlike any other mode of travel.

  1. Cruises Are a Great Value

Needless to say, travelling the world can be expensive, as international flights tend to run quite steep. This is one reason why taking a cruise can instead save you much stress and worry, as you can pick the length of your trip, and by extension, the cost of the journey. Cruises can start as low as 50 dollars per person per day, which on its own should be a great reason to try it out. Even the pricier cruises, however, tend to pack an immense amount of value into the trip, as the experience of the cruise itself is worth the price of admission alone. Unlike in an excessively long plane trip where you cannot wait to land, the cruise itself is the selling point and fun in its own right. Additionally, the trips are all-inclusive, adding to the value.

  1. A Cruise Offers Many Activities

As stated before, cruises offer something different than other modes of travel, as the travelling part is the main selling point. A cruise ship, unlike a cramped plane or car, allows for free traversal and many fun on-board activities. Cruise ships come in a wide variety of types, but they all are designed to please every passenger. If you want to treat yourself to a spa, or go to a casino, cruise ships offer these and many more activities. A cruise ship is essentially a small city designed from the ground up to offer everybody regardless of age or personality something they will enjoy.

  1. Cruises Are a Great Social Experience

Are you an outgoing person who loves meeting new people? If so, you will find much to love about the cruise experience. Since cruises tend to travel the world, you will find people of all walks of life to meet. As previously stated, cruise ships offer a wide variety of activities, which includes scenarios great for social interactions. While you are free to keep to yourself if you prefer, you will also be treated to many different kinds of new people to meet, should you choose to be more social on your trip.

Once the quarantine situation that has caused so much stress in 2020 has lifted, consider taking a cruise. You might find it to be the perfect way to unwind next year. Not only do cruises offer a beautiful look at the world, they also give you a chance to have fun and relax in a new way.

If you want your dog to change, you must change

Bethany Wilson
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If you want your dog to change, you must change

There’s just no getting around this! If you want your dogs behavior to change then you must change-some of it has to be permanent, not temporary.

All of the training in the world will only get you a little bit of improvement. If you want behavioral changes then your behavior has to change. Even the idea of what your life looked like with a dog may need to change. Especially if you have a dog with high levels of anxiety or aggression. What you pictured your life with your dog like must change if you want the behavior to change. For instance, if you wanted your dog to be able to roam around the house most of the time, but you have a dog that is protective or has a history of being protective or territorial, that may be a freedom they never get back in order to change that behavior. If you have a dog that’s very needy, but you want to be able to love on your dog regularly by sleeping in the bed together and couch snuggling, you have to make the decision to do what’s best for your dog rather than what serves you. Otherwise you will always have an incredibly needy dog. You just may not be able to have it both ways, your way and have a well behaved dog. If you are struggling at home with behavioral issues, something isn’t right. So if you seek training, yet your behavior and habits don’t change, you will constantly feel you are struggling with your dog and it’s not the dogs fault.

Now I know I have talked about this before in “why can’t an old dog learn new tricks”…but things are different now.

Many of us are stressed, we have had some major changes in our lives and we are dealing with something our generation has never seen. Because of that, our habits and emotional state has dramatically changed. If we want to start to live our lives again, you need to look at how your dog is doing through all of this. I am getting numerous emails and calls for help with dogs developing separation anxiety, aggression due to guarding space in the house, more door reactivity and more. This is all due to our emotional state that has changed, added stress to schedule changes and being home more. If you aren’t having any different issues with your dog, then don’t worry about this, but if you are, you’ll have to make some serious changes to help your dog cope with things and seek out a trainer over zoom, phone or Skype right away. These issues are not going to just go away and you need to know what kind of changes you can make to help your dog through this period of time. It can even help you by focusing on something else and make you stronger in this process and difficult time.

Now don’t get me wrong, we come across plenty of dogs that are incredibly serious cases and it doesn’t matter if you were perfect, they would still be really difficult dogs to own and potentially have issues. But in order to get control over those issues, to even have a chance at having a more relaxed time with your dog, your expectations of what your daily interactions and lifestyle are like with the dog have to change. Think about it! It’s not really very fair to expect a huge change in behavior out of your dog, but not be willing to do that yourself as well.

Some tips on how to do that are below.

  • Work your dog for 15-20 minutes a day slowly and on leash. Choose 5 basic obedience commands and just find ways to repeat them. Your dog stays in each command for several seconds before moving on to the next one. This makes sure you are representing focused, calm behavior at least a portion of the time.
  • Don’t talk on the phone while walking your dog or listen to anything once a day. Just focus on the noises or lack of noise around you and what your dog is doing. Feel how it feels walking your dog, enjoying their company and mixing in some basic obedience on the walk. Dogs know when you aren’t paying attention and are distracted, emotional or otherwise and they know when they don’t feel like a unit, but instead two disconnected energies.
  • Take a walk without your dog. However you used to leave your dog in the house before, do it daily so they get real alone time every day and that habit is re-established.
  • Disagree with anxious or needy behavior and help work them through it by looking up different ways to teach impulse control. For instance, waiting at the front door while you get the mail, etc. Practice daily.
  • Spend a little more time balancing working with your dog, ignoring your dog when they are around and also have your dog pretend to be alone, even when you are home, a few hours every day. If your dog is usually in a crate, crate them a few hours a day in a different room. If they usually have the house, give them the main part of the house and work in your bedroom for a while, etc. Dogs are highly social creatures and can develop isolation distress easily. Just you being around all the time can spoil them to the point of severe anxiety.
  • Create a board or check list to do with your dog every day as well as reminders on some of the things I have mentioned here as well as other blogs and other trainers you like. Look at them every morning and/or evening. This will help motivate you and stay on track.

Bottom line, if you are struggling with your dog and you think you need to work on it asap with the current situation, before your dog gets worse, look at how you can change your habits right away. I hope this post inspires you to do some real reflecting on your relationship with your dog if you are having struggles, how you might accidentally be encouraging it and what you can do to improve it. When we feel down, stressed or lost, one of the most important things we can do for ourselves is focus on someone who needs us and potentially get ourselves together in order to help someone else. In this case, that could be your dog.

Stay safe everyone.

Bethany Wilson

Lara Taubman “Revelation” Album Release

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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Lara Taubman “Revelation” Album Release

Lara Taubman has returned to music after a lifetime of doing other things.

She, like all of us with a deep burn to create has found herself unable to do anything else in the end.  The result of all this is a sweetly simple album, full of songs about love, loss, getting older and somewhat wiser, all told with humor and an absolutely gorgeous voice and a seemingly effortless grace.  There’s a certainly quality to her voice that makes you totally sure she is singing her own story.  A clarity of tone, a strength of phrasing and a timelessness that feels altogether ageless, but also rather modern and real.

I can hear Cohen and Joni Mitchell, Patty Smith and KD Lang.  American poets with earnest soulful songs.  Songs that can save us, lead us to love and to hidden parts of ourselves.  Lara Taubman has this same innate ability.  Guided by the clear, gentle brilliance of Hugh Christopher Brown, Wolf Island Records.

Over the years I have been able to listen to artists at various stages of their art, their life and their musical development. It’s such a treat to find a women with something really interesting to say about the world who’s around the same age as myself, for at our moment in life we surely have an awful lot to say.  Lara Taubman says her peace with a sweetly mournful voice, a truly beautiful way of showing us her breaking, the kind of breaking where the clouds tear to let the sunlight through after a storm.

I love this album.  It’s folksy Americana, bluesy outlaw music, sometimes with a little twist of classic rock.  My absolute favorite track is Akureyri….because it reminds me of my misspent youth as a sailor and the many broken hearts that came of it.  But really every song is lovely and so clearly pulled from her heart… “Revelation” truly is a gift to us all.

Lara Online:

Websites – http://larataubman.com, https://wolfeislandrecords.com/larataubman/

Official Website: http://larataubman.com

Facebook: larataubmansings

Twitter: LaraTaubmanSings

Instagram: larataubmansings

Spotify: LaraTaubmanSings

Bandcamp: https://continentalrecordservices.bandcamp.com/album/revelation

Soundcloud: Lara Taubman

Youtube Channel: Lara Taubman

Artist Name: Lara Taubman

Location: New York City & Wolfe Island, Canada

Release Title: Revelation

Release Date: July 10, 2020

Label: Wolfe Island Records/Continental Record Services (CRS)

Musician Names/Instruments: Lara Taubman + additional performance credits listed in album credits

Producer Name(s): Hugh Christopher Brown

Healthy and Useful Ideas on How to Spend Your Time at Home

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Time on your own, in your own space, was a luxury not many can afford or have the time for. Let’s talk about the quarantine period when at least 70% of the world’s population was confined to their own homes (and some still in quarantine today).

We couldn’t go anywhere or do the normal things we could do. Many things were halted. For many of us, commuting to and from work stopped, which cleared up hours of our daily life to do something else.

We spent fewer times in cars, trains, and public transport because there was nowhere to go. Shopping? Only the essentials. Classes? Go online. Meetings with friends? Zoom it up.

For many of us, we could spend quality time at home. But then, for many people, juggling work, teaching their children, and doing chores blurred the lines between their professional and personal lives.

Granted, it took a while for most of us to get into the new scheme of things, and apply some sort of balance and sanity to the time we had at home.

Whether you’re in or out of quarantine (depending on where in the world you’re in), if you’re thinking of some useful ways to spend your time while home, here are six productive and exciting ways to do just that:

  • Polishing your artistic side

There are so many ways to get artistic with the things you have at home. Many people forget this, but creating something crafty can be done using stuff you have lying at home. Take, for example, candle-making. If you have candleholders with half-lit candles in them or a box lying in a drawer somewhere, this is a good time to melt and reuse them to make something you’re happy with. Use old jars or glass bottles as containers, and create wicks using the ones you’ve taken out from the existing candles. When there’s a will, there’s always a way. Another crafty idea that’s easy would be to decoupage. If you have tons of magazines and newspapers lying around, waiting to be recycled, take them out and cut out pieces of design and motifs that appeal to you. You only need Mod-Podge to stick them onto the surface of your choice, and if you do have varnish, go one step further and finish off your artwork with one coat of varnish to seal it all in.

  • Enroll in a free course or join a free competition.

Did you notice that there were plenty of webinars, online courses, and apps that were being given for free or on a discount? There’s a wide range of online courses that are free on just about any subject, from finance to coding, law to politics, marketing to data analysis, and acting to playing the piano. Not into classes? Then, join competitions, now that you have the time.  

  • Setting up a workout routine

You can’t really say you don’t have time anymore. The key to a consistent and successful workout is a workout routine. Just because you’re at home is no reason not to work out. This is a great time to focus on bodyweight training and use your body to get you pumped up. Bodyweight training at home allows us to correct our form and posture so that we produce better quality reps. Burpees, pushups, triceps dips, and stomach crunches are all basic exercises that we sometimes neglect in favor of using machines and weights. Switching up your workout routine from gym-based workouts to bodyweight workouts will help your body adapt better, and be accustomed to various workouts and exercises, and not use muscle memory based on weights.

  • A puzzle a day

Puzzles, coloring books (for adults), jigsaw puzzles, sudoku, crosswords- these are all great ways to spend some time to sharpen your analytical and thinking skills. Did you know that doing puzzles helps to improve your memory, enhance your problem-solving skills, and increase your IQ? Spending 10 to 30 minutes a day on puzzles and activities either on an app or a computer can increase brain power, and it will give you something to do in the event you’re bored or suffering from Netflix fatigue.

  • Meditating

Speaking of Netflix fatigue, if you’ve been binge-watching TV shows and movies, spend at least 10 minutes every day in a quiet space with some candles (the handmade ones come in handy here). Turn on some therapeutic music, and shit your eyes, the quiet time can dramatically make you feel better emotionally, mentally, and physically. Give some rest for your eyes and your mind, spend some quiet time away from movies and people talking, and meditate. If you’ve never done this before, now is an excellent time to start.

  • Clear and declutter.

If not, now, then when? Clearing and decluttering isn’t just about throwing things away. It’s about organizing and making space. This means that if you’ve been keeping old newspaper cuttings of recipes, USB sticks with songs on them, and DVDs filled with movies, why not digitize them all and save it on to your various devices? Using software such as www.freemake.com/free_dvd_copy_software/ makes it easy and fast to just get all of these content digitized, organized, and into the folders and devices you want. If there’s just one thing you should do while spending time at home, it’s clearing out and organizing your junk, both the physical and the digital ones. This also helps clear out your mind, and help you be more open to the possibilities that will come after the quarantine is over.  

Bottom Line

At the end of the day, a lot of the things you do in quarantine is about rediscovering yourself, spending time with family, and doing the things you’ve been putting aside because of the lack of time. Spending time at home doing useful and healthy things in many ways teaches us that a healthy routine is a lifelong habit. It helps us discover different aspects and facets of ourselves and the people we live with that we never saw, never knew, and never experienced.

 

Adventures in Badlands and Black Hills

Jack Witt
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Adventures in Badlands and Black Hills

South Dakota offers dynamic scenery and iconic national landmarks and it should be high on your adventure list if you haven’t already been.

Fly into Rapid City and you’ll be situated a little over an hour drive from Badlands National Park on the east, and about a half hour from the Black Hills area on the west, featuring the Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

My travel buddy Chris and I headed out first towards

Badlands National Park. On the entire drive there from Rapid City you’ll see colorful road signs about every mile or so encouraging you to stop at Wall Drug Store, one of those all-American roadside attractions. And let me tell you, it’s more than just a drug store. It’s like some sort of Walmart type store from 100 years ago in the west. A real cool place to meander around for an hour or two. They have souvenirs, restaurants (where you can get their famous 25 cent coffee and free water), clothing stores, and just about everything and anything you can imagine with an old timey and wild west flare. Make time for a stop there for sure.

Located nearby and on the way to the park you can stop for about 30 minutes at The Minuteman Missile National Historic Site, where at the height of the cold war, America had an intercontinental ballistic missiles ready for blast off to hit the Soviet Union in a matter of minutes at speeds of 15,000 mph.

A short drive and you’ll find yourself entering Badlands National Park, with rugged and dramatic landscapes spanning layered rock formations, steep canyons and towering spires. I do want to point out that this park really turns into something completely different around sunrise/sunset. The otherwise grayish looking rock formations start to take on a reddish and purple color scheme and “pop” more for pictures. We hiked the Notch Trail, which is a 1.3 mile out and back that features a fun wooded swingy type of stair you have to ascend and then eventually descend on the side of a small cliff. The hike leads up to a lookout point. We also hiked the Door Trail, an easy 1 mile out and back with sweeping 360 degree views.

Almost magically, right around the final moments of sunset, as we were driving around on the well-maintained road in the park, we spotted a Bighorn Sheep majestically relaxing in the saddle of a cliff. It almost seemed unreal because it never once moved its head, even slightly. Stoic and proud, it seemed to be ritualistically ending the day for all of us in the park and ushering in nightfall to this amazing place.

For accommodations inside the park, The Cedar Pass Lodge is excellent and their pricing is much lower than most national park lodges that are located inside the park.

For an almost completely different type of landscape, the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is densely covered with trees, is great for hiking any time of day. We did the Black Elk Trail, which is a 6-mile loop that takes you up to the highest point east of the Rocky Mountains (7,200 ft.). At the top is a historic stone fire tower, and luckily, we made it to the top just as a storm went through. It was the perfect place to seek shelter and watch the storm pass by in front of us. After the hike, a nice dip in Sylvan Lake near the trailhead parking area will hit the spot for you and refresh.

No trip to South Dakota is complete though without stopping to see the mountain carving landmarks of Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse (the world’s largest mountain carving). Unfortunately, another storm was approaching as we were at Crazy Horse so we couldn’t take the shuttle from the parking/museum area to go up close to experience it. But that’s a good enough reason to need to go back in my book!

We stayed at the State Game Lodge in the Black Hills. It’s located in a pretty convenient location for exploring the Black Hills and is historically significant as President Calvin Coolidge (remember him? Lol) used this as his residency during his presidency in the summer of 1927. (And word is, the service there has gone down since the President left.) Bison frequently hang around the grounds, so be sure to keep at least 50 ft. away.

I’d recommend at least a day and a half for Badlands National Park and two full days for the Black Hills for a quality adventure. But like anything, the longer you can stay and explore, the richer the experience.

South Dakota impressed me with an almost “laissez-faire” charm. It’s there just waiting for you to explore, but it’s not going to beg you to visit with any bells or whistles. It’s a solid choice for a quality adventure…just as solid as the granite on Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse.

Cheers,

Jack Witt, MS, CPT
Fitness and Health Coach

Here’s the NoHo News for July 9

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NoHo News: Sidewalk Singers. Arts Grants. Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Teapop. Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest!

Here’s your NoHo arts community update!  We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood.

Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

NoHo News: Sidewalk Singers. Arts Grants. Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Teapop. Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest! 

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

Pretzel Buns – Plant Based Food

Bailey Manoogian
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Pretzel Buns – Plant Based Food

Want to have incredible fresh, homemade Pretzel Buns in a couple of hours?

If you’re hesitant to jump into the world of breadmaking then this recipe is perfect for you. Not only is it simple and quick (for bread making at least), but it’s borderline foolproof and some of the best bread I’ve had in years. It doesn’t require a starter, or the use of a lye solution, just a few ingredients you probably have sitting around in your pantry right now.

So if you want some gobsmackingly tasty pretzel buns sitting on your counter in less than 3 hours time. Check out my video on how to make them step by step. If you have any questions, feel free to reach me on social media!

YouTube Channel | Instagram

 

NoHo Needs Some SPF11

NoHo - North Hollywood
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The Road Theatre Company’s 11th annual Summer Playwrights Festival (SPF11) will do an encore stream of all 25 plays from this year’s festival!  SPF 11 extends to August 23! All play readings will stream live on The Road Theatre’s website, Facebook and YouTube!

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Each play reading will be followed by a moderated talkback with the playwright, director and cast. Closed captioning will be provided for both the readings and talkbacks.

ROAD THEATRE COMPANY and Taylor Gilbert, founder/artistic director together with Sam Anderson, artistic director, remain committed to their meaningful mission to produce and develop new work for the stage. They are thrilled to announce in this, their upcoming 29th season, the 11th annual Summer Playwright Festival (SPF11).

This year’s festival features all new works by playwrights from across the U.S. executive director Tracey Silver says “The Road Theatre’s Summer Playwright Festival will embark on its very first online festival! SPF 11 has selected 26 playwrights whose unique voices will be heard over 12 days. I am thrilled to celebrate these new works with our audience as we embrace these new and innovative online readings.”

Taylor Gilbert, Founding Artistic Director, recalls the very moment the festival launched in 2010: “It’s just an idea” said Scott Alan Smith, Associate Artistic Director emeritus, “Let’s start a playwrights festival!” We said “Sure, why not?” Now, 11 years later we are reinventing it. From the up close and personal in our theatre, to now going online and intimately into your virtual devices, we are excited to bring you a festival like we have never presented before. So sit back, get comfortable and enjoy the ride at The Road’s 11th Annual Summer Playwrights Festival!”

Artistic Director Sam Anderson reflects on this year’s venture into the virtual: “Planning for the 11th annual Road Summer Playwrights Festival began seriously in January. The largest festival of its kind in the country took place in two theatrical venues over 8 magical days every summer over the past ten years, usually presenting 35-40 staged readings of new plays with live music every night, and talkbacks, food, drink and community. Then COVID-19 hit this year and the theatre was in shock like the rest of the world. Over some serious and thoughtful conversations, and with the newfound use of Zoom as a meeting place, the Road Artistic Board began to see past this challenging and frightening period and to do what artists are best at: reinvent, recreate, embrace change and do it in the safest way possible: online. So please join us beginning July 30 through August 16 as we celebrate the work of writers, directors, actors and technicians doing what theatre artists long to do the most: sharing stories. Join us on the Road.”

STREAMING SCHEDULE:

WEEK ONE – JULY 30 TO AUGUST 2

Thursday, July 30 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“AND HERE YOU ARE, LIVING, DESPITE IT ALL” by Harrison David Rivers
Directed by Amy Harmon
In a suburban kitchen somewhere in middle America five women gather to comfort a grieving mother.

Friday, July 31 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“REYKJAVÍK” by Steve Yockey
Directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky
Reykjavík is a collage of darkly comedic, intimate, and sometimes magical stories set against the backdrop of the Northern Lights.

Saturday August 1 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“BALLS” by Austin Cauldwell
Directed by Tim Van Patten
When 20 year old Paul is diagnosed with testicular cancer, he and his girlfriend are suddenly forced to look further into their future than any young couple should, and confront their own ideas about what it means to be to be in a relationship, to be a man, and even to be woman.

Saturday, August 1 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“PICTURES FROM HOME” by Sharr White
Directed by Judith Moreland
In 1981 Photographer Larry Sultan set out to create a portrait of his parents, Jean and Irv. A decade later… he was almost finished. Sharr White’s adaptation of Sultan’s extraordinary photo memoir depicts a volatile yet loving exploration of twentieth-century American optimism — deceptively banal, deeply personal, ultimately human.

Sunday, August 2 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“AGATHE” by Angela J. Davis
Directed by Saundra McClain
Inspired by the woman who served as Rwanda’s president for just fourteen hours, on the first night of the Rwandan genocide, AGATHE is a true story of heroism, hope, and human connection during a time of unspeakable tragedy. A recipient of a 2020 New American Voices Award and 2020 Eugene O’Neill semi-finalist.

Sunday, August 2 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
FIVE ONE ACT PLAYS

“AND ONE MORE THING…” by Lonnie McGuire
Directed by Cate Caplin
Outside a retirement community, two residents meet for a friendly chat. One thing leads to another, and another and “One More Thing…”.

“CATCHING UP” by Emily Jerez
Directed by Nancy Fassett
Set in present time, two siblings in LA catch up via Zoom with their mother in New York revealing a complex dynamic of passive aggression that runs as rampant as COVID-19.

“THE BORDER TROLL” by Steven San Luis
Directed by Jacob Smith
After a dragon destroys their village, Theo sails across a sea, treks through a jungle, climbs over mountains, and crosses a desert, but there’s one more obstacle to face before they can reach safety: Three riddles from the Border Troll.

“OFF THE INTERSTATE WITH MAIZIE AND WILLOW” by John Yarbrough
Directed by Carlyle King
Maizie and Willow, a promise, a pillow, one very bleak day.

“IT’S HOT IN THE KITCHEN” by Patti Veconi
Directed by Susan Diol
A short play about how we confront and handle change and choice in both ourselves and those we love.

WEEK TWO – AUGUST 6 TO AUGUST 9

Thursday, August 6 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“DINNER” by Lisa B. Thompson
Directed by Jayongela Wilder
Dinner is a dramatic comedy about the first meeting between the black American parents of Joanna, and her fiancé Jonathan’s Nigerian parents at the couple’s Oakland home. As Joanna struggles to prepare an elaborate Nigerian meal to impress her future in-laws, and educate her parents, she learns about more than intricate West African recipes. The cultural clash between the contemporary Nigerian upper class and the African American middle class threatens the new couple’s bond. This play asks not “guess who’s coming to dinner,” but what’s on the cultural and political menu when the African diaspora gathers to dine.

Friday, August 7 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“ALL THE GOOD IN THE WORLD” by Cory Hinkle
Directed by Cameron Watson
In Williston, North Dakota, a pastor opens his church to the many unemployed men who have come north looking for work during the fracking oil boom. But when he invites a convicted felon to live in his guest bedroom it threatens to destroy his family. A play about faith and how hard it is to know if you are doing the right thing.

Saturday, August 8 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“THE WIDE YAWNING INFINITY” by Cheri Magid
Directed by Emily Chase
When a dinner party amongst old friends suddenly self-destructs and seems to signal the end of those friendships, one woman sets out to discover why–and finds herself plunged into an alternate universe where household objects go missing and experts–who may not know anything at all–lead her on a journey that could either be a wild goose chase or the point of existential truth.

Saturday, August 8 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“EVEN FLOWERS BLOOM IN HELL, SOMETIMES” by Franky D. Gonzalez
Directed by Michael John Garcés
An exploration of one’s place in society, purpose, and love from the perspective of the incarcerated and their families.

Sunday, August 9 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“MARIANAS TRENCH” by Scott C. Sickles
Directed by Gregg T. Daniel
After the “red states” and “blue states” become separate nations, two lonely 11-year-old boys seek connection through a government-monitored pen pal correspondence across the new border. Part coming of age drama, part political thriller, Marianas Trench is a love story.

Sunday, August 9 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“TURBULENCE” a collection of short plays by William Mastrosimone
Directed by Christina Carlisi, Kari Hayter, Mary Lou Belli
Imagine sitting on a park bench watching the passers-by. Each character stops to speak with you. They unfold their hearts to you and move on. It’s not so much a play as it is an encounter with characters reeling from the turbulence in their lives.

WEEK THREE – AUGUST 13 TO 16

Thursday, August 13 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“CAM BABY” by Jessica Moss
Directed by Michelle Bossy
Touching on issues of privacy, consent, identity, lookism, and the value of women, Cam Baby is a fast-paced ensemble comedy about the selves we create and the stories we watch.

Friday, August 14 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“THE MACHINE” by Matthew Libby
Directed by Michael Michetti
An acclaimed-poet-turned-professor with a severe case of writer’s block has a crisis of conscience when she’s approached by a charismatic tech CEO with a strange offer.

Saturday, August 15 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“VISITING HOURS” by Jami Brandli
Directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky
A reclaiming of the Persephone myth, now set in a psychiatric hospital, Visiting Hours follows the arduous journey of Stephie Green, a middle-aged music teacher who must break free from her complicated past in order to be reunited with her family.

Saturday, August 15 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
“RINGXIETY” by Scooter Pietsch
Directed by Andre Barron
Now that technology allows us to communicate 24/7 with voice, text and video, could over-communication be just as bad as no communication?

Sunday, August 16 5:00PM ET, 2:00PM PT
“ATTACHMENT” by Jason Martin Karasev
Directed by Asaad Kelada
When a Father and Son trip into the woods reveals itself to be much more than a Birthday retreat, it soon becomes evident that things are not what they appear to be. Attachment is a provocative exploration of the ties that bind us, and what it means to be family.

Sunday, August 16 9:00PM ET, 6:00PM PT
FIVE ONE ACT PLAYS

“WARREN AND THE POLAR BEAR” by Jim Geoghan
Directed by Kate Huffman
Warren believes the Polar Bear at the Central Park Zoo is not happy and takes it upon himself to return it back to Alaska.

“WICKED CHILD” by Jonathan W. Stokes
Directed by Chuck McCollum
The fateful meeting of two hitmen, each assigned to kill the other. When they meet, sparks fly.

“DUSK AT NINE JOY STREET” by Ellen Davis Sullivan
Directed by Suzanne Hunt
Mattie and Herm blame their daughter Jenny’s drug death on her friend Curt, but when he shows up at their home each evening at dusk, the couple struggles to open themselves to a new way of dealing with their grief.

“INEVITABLE” by Bethany Dickens
Directed by Ruman Kazi
Inevitable maps out the twists and turns in a relationship as a statistician tries to figure out if a new relationship has even the slightest, statistically-significant chance of working out.

“GO!” by Brooks Berry-Armstrong
Transcribed and Directed by Stephen Tobolowsky
A short play about five actors and their stage manager at half hour preparing for a performance of a play titled “GO!” The fact that no one knows what “GO!” is about is only a minor problem.

STREAMING PLATFORMS:

www.roadtheatre.org
www.facebook.com/roadtheatre
www.youtube.com/roadtheatrecompany

PRICING:

Ticket prices are suggested donation of $15. No donation is too small, but if you can’t afford to donate at this time we understand.

Be entertained live (streamed) while supporting theater in NoHo! 

#KeepNoHoArtsy

THE ROAD THEATRE COMPANY:

Located in the heart of the NoHo Arts district-the fastest growing arts district in Los Angeles County-the company has called the Historic Lankershim Arts Center home for the past 26 seasons. Fiercely committed to that most dangerous of theater missions-the dedication to new works-The Road Theatre Company led by founding artistic director Taylor Gilbert and artistic director Sam Anderson, is a multi award-winning theater that has been named one of the top ten intimate theater companies in Los Angeles (LA Weekly). It is home to over 150 theater artists devoted to the creation of the highest level of work. The festival is also the primary fundraising event for the theater to help launch it’s 29th season. A suggested donation of $15 is requested of virtual festival attendees and they are invited to give as little or as much as they want during each streamed performance. This year’s festival is produced by special arrangement with SAG-AFTRA and supported by a grant from the Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs. 

 

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

 

Department of Cultural Affairs Grants

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Arts Emergency Relief Fund, Round Three for Artists and Small Ensembles

DEADLINE: July 31

APPLY>>

Due to restrictions resulting from the onset of COVID-19, a number of planned arts projects were abruptly cancelled. The City of Los Angeles Department of Cultural Affairs (DCA), The Durfee Foundation and Community Partners aim to provide relief to LA-based performing artists who were financially affected by this disruption. The Department is making available an emergency relief grant to performing artists and small ensembles in dance, music, and theater who planned performances, shows, or concerts within the City of Los Angeles and open to the general public that had to be later canceled due to COVID-19. For more information, please visit https://culturela.org/grants-and-calls/aer-fund/.

Through an expansion of the eligibility requirements, and through a generous $20,000 donation from the Durfee Foundation, Round Three of this emergency grant relief opportunity enables artists who are residents of Los Angeles to recoup lost funds from canceled events that were to take place not only within the City of Los Angeles, but also within the County of Los Angeles.

“We are pleased to partner with the Department of Cultural Affairs to provide relief to artists who have lost income during this period of crisis. We believe that art and artists are essential to our collective ability to process grief, loss, joy, and hope — the cornerstones of our humanity,” said Claire Peeps, Executive Director of the Durfee Foundation.

“We are grateful for the support from the Durfee Foundation and for our continued collaboration with Community Partners, and we remain steadfast in our efforts to provide economic relief to these Los Angeles entrepreneurs to minimize the impact of COVID-19,” said Danielle Brazell, DCA General Manager.

Funding in Round Three expands eligibility to artists who reside in the City of Los Angeles and have canceled events that were to have taken place anywhere throughout the County of Los Angeles.

Categories:

This third round of emergency relief grant support is open for artists and small ensembles with scheduled programming that were:

a) To take place between March 16 and August 2 within the City of Los Angeles or County of Los Angeles;
b) Open to the general public;
c) Canceled due to COVID-19;
and
d) May be described as falling within any of the following categories:
Category 1: Solo artists or 2 to 4-member ensemble groups in dance, music, or theater with canceled public presentations.
Category 2: Independent small-budget (under $300,000) filmmakers and videographers with canceled public screenings.
Category 3: Creative writers or spoken-word artists with canceled public readings or book-signings.
Category 4: Solo craft artists or 2 to 4-member ensemble folk groups with canceled public presentations.
Category 5: Teaching artists in any art form with canceled group classes or workshop series. In this category, workshops must have been open to the general public (and workshops inside a school setting for tuition-paying-students are not eligible). Applications in this category may be ranked according to the price and capacity of the canceled enrollment.
Category 6: Design or visual artists with a canceled public exhibition in any type of museum, gallery, showroom, coffee house, or public business location.
Given the modest amount of funds, artists who were scheduled to teach private solo or group lessons, or perform at private functions for invite-only audiences are not eligible. In addition, artists who were to perform pieces within a festival may be eligible if marketing materials display their names. AER funds are prioritized for solo acts and 2- to 4-member groups who were to headline an entire event.

CONTACT:

Please contact the DCA Grants Staff via email at dca.grants@lacity.org with questions.

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

So, What Is a Filmmaker, a Storyteller, to Do During the Age of Covid-19?

Javier Ronceros
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So, What Is a Filmmaker, a Storyteller, to Do During the Age of Covid-19?

It seems to be that it is hard enough to get a script just right for a producer to sign on and raise capital in order to hire the crew and employ the actors in the best of time.

So, what is a filmmaker, a storyteller, to do during the age of Covid-19? Do we wait for better news? Shops, restaurants, and shops are reopening, but not theatres and cinemas in some parts of this country and other parts of the world. Do we change or write our stories to accommodate these trying times, or do we soldier on with the stories of family gatherings, sporting events, and large crowds? At this moment, the movie studios along with all the creative unions are sorting out a way to get back into production that will mean safety for all and at the same time, stay true to a creative vision. Daunting at best is the challenge of the artist endeavor to be expressed in a format that traditionally, employs a large group of people working together in close proximity. The experts say no. Social distancing ad the wearing of masks are now the rules of today. So, what is a storyteller to do?

My project, “Ten Films/Ten Countries: A Cinematic Journey” was sidelined in mid-March because of the pandemic. As of late, both my Ireland and Czech Republic trips have been canceled indefinitely. So, I decided to focus on the movie that I was going to shoot in October of this year, to the forefront. This piece of the big puzzle is the first of the series of the ten films to be shot here, in L.A. After reviewing the latest draft, it occurred to me that not only can I shoot here at home, but that I may be able to adjust the parameters of the script so as not to disturb the integrity of the story and still maintain safety protocols.

The first phase was to consider what was internal to the story and what could be changed. This story has four lead actors and three locations (check). I decided to use my house as the primary location where our hero and his girlfriend live. The other location is the apartment where the ‘baddie’ lives.  The final location is exteriors around my house and the neighborhood (check). No crowd scenes, wait. I do have scenes where the hero and his girlfriend are shown as a loving, closely connected, and affectionate couple. What to do? I telephoned the actress who was playing the girlfriend of our hero and we spent a long time discussing and asking and answering each other’s question, which among them was, “How do we show that a couple is wildly in love with each other without physical contact?

This is where the creative mind of a filmmaker along with his very small army of collaborators helps come up with solutions for our new scary times. With the use of creative blocking, long angle lenses and a lot of trust from the actors, the film that is about to begin shooting in August, has come up with a way to work around these limitations and still (hopefully) deliver a story that stays true to the intention of the relationships between all of the characters, without being foolhardy. If you take the time, the answers appear to you.

So, even though principal photography begins in August, we are using a very small crew wearing masks and using principals of filmmaking with adjustments that will reduce the possibility and fear of any contact with the virus. We are also using what is known in the business as, “French Hours” that allow us to reduce the working hours by extending the shooting days. As far as catering and craft services are concerned, all crew and actors will have their own, ‘food boxes’ prepared by a single person using all standards of safety, that belong exclusively to each member of the team. I’m sure red vines will find their way into some of those boxes.

So, time will tell where we all are in the near future. Who do we listen to that will give us the go-ahead to return to ‘normal’ (whatever that means)? I don’t know. For me, the safety of the crew and the actors is paramount and there is a way to continue to work as long as we are willing to change the system a bit to accommodate each other’s safety. Isn’t that the way it should always be?

Kritzerland New Online Free Concert 7/12

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Kritzerland New Online Free Concert 7/12 With Norm Lewis, Emily Skinner and More

For the 107th Kritzerland show,  Kritzerland stays home once again with another talent-packed, song-filled show – “Kritzerland Influencers.” The free benefit show will feature classic theater and film songs, some rarities, and a few songs that might be completely unfamiliar. It’s an eclectic mix performed by an amazing cast. As with the past two online shows, this one will benefit Save Our NoHo Theaters. North Hollywood, CA has one of the most thriving theater/art scenes anywhere, and the theaters and companies have been hit very hard and this is a chance to help them. All donations are tax deductible.

Join Kritzerland on Facebook  on July 12 at 5:00 PST/8:00 EST for some laughter, some romance, maybe even a tear or two, with some of the best talent around. Kritzerland is produced and hosted by Bruce Kimmel and co-produced by Doug Haverty, with musical direction by Richard Allen and technical expertise of Hartley Powers.

The cast includes DANIEL THOMAS BELLUSCI (First place winner of LA’s Next Great Stage Star 2017: Regional: “The Fantasticks “(Matt) Sierra Madre Playhouse); JASON GRAAE (Broadway: “Grand Night For Singing,” “Falsettos,” “Stardust,” “Snoopy!” Drama Desk Nominee; Nat’l Tour: “Wicked”; movies, TV, opera); NORM LEWIS Tony nominated actor/singer and can be seen in Spike Lee’s most recent film “Da Five Boys.” B’way: “Once on this Island” (Agwe), “Porgy & Bess” (Porgy), “Little Mermaid” (Triton), “Les Miz” (Javert), “Hair,” “Chess” (Molokov), “Dreamgirls” (Curtis), “The Wild Party” (Eddie), “Chicago” (Billy); KERRY O’MALLEY (B’way: “Into the Woods” (Baker’s Wife), “White Christmas” (Betty), “Billy Elliot” (Mum), “Annie Get Your Gun” (Dolly), “On a Clear Day” (Sharone); TV: “Shameless,” “Boardwalk Empire,” etc.); HARTLEY POWERS (Regional: “A Carol Christmas” (Carol), “Avenue Q” (Kate Monster/Lucy-the-Slut), “The Man Who Came to Dinner” (Maggie), “Tongue of a Bird” (Charlotte/US); Film: “Mr. Saturday Night”); EMILY SKINNER B’way: “The Cher Show” (Georgia), “Prince of Broadway,” “Billy Elliot” (Mrs. Wilkinson), “Best Little Whorehouse in Texas” (Mona), “Dreamgirls,” “The Dead” (Mary Jane), “Sideshow” (Daisy); SAMI STAITMAN (Off B’way: “The Green Room-A Musical” (Anna Kearns); Regional: “Welcome to My World” (Molly) TGC-Burbank, “Singing in the Rain,” Cabrillo; “L’il Abner” LACC; TV: “House of Lies”); ADRIENNE STIEFEL WestEnd: “1916: The Musical” (Bridie), “Ol’ Blue Eyes” and “Friends” (Judy Garland); Off B’way/Regional: “An American Victory,” “My Way,” “Tom Sawyer;” Film: “Pocahontas” (Pocahontas); and ROBERT YACKO “Do I Hear a Waltz?” (Renato) MTG; “Addams Family” (Mal) 3-D; “Parade”(Dorsey) Mark Taper, “Company w/ Carol Burnett” (Paul), “Sunday in the Park with George” (George) LA Premiere.

Also featuring MICHAEL GABIANO, ALI GUTIERREZ, CHLOE HAVEN, JOHN MASSEY, ELLIE OLIVER, SCOTT SENIOR, MACKENZIE WRAP and GEORGE XAVIER.

To view the event please visit https://www.facebook.com/KritzerlandUpstairsatVitellos or https://www.youtube.com/user/haineshisway/featured?view_as=subscriber

 

The event is FREE. Donations welcome to Save NoHo Theatres: https://www.gofundme.com/f/savenohotheatres

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict. 

 

John Carter Cash Continues Family’s Legendary Legacy.

Caroline McElroy
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John Carter Cash Continues Family’s Legendary Legacy.

During the past few years Rock N’ Roll lovers have been saying that Rock N’ Roll has found a lofty compadre in Country Music and what’s emerging is a blend of the two genres that is labeled as Country Rock. And let’s not forget Gram Parsons’ blend of Country and Rock which Parsons labeled as Cosmic American Music.

From out of the blue John Carter Cash has released a definitive work that takes elements from the above mentioned genres and created an album titled “Hey Crow!” that skillfully blends the above mentioned elements into an amazing work that his parents, Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, would be proud of.

Much of Cash’s prior work has been replica’s of his parents’ work and not much shifting away from the traditional realm of Country Music where his own interests lay. This work is an excellent departure from the Country norm. “Hey Crow!” is packed with tunes that stir the heart and calls to mind memories of days gone by.

Backing Cash is the very talented Cash Collective whose combined talents bring forth a bold and striking sound that gives one goose bumps. “Rise Up” was released on 6/12/20 as a sampling taste of what was to come later. The album features original songs whose hard rock influences can be heard. Cash said “ Of course, I grew up around Country, listening to my father’s music, and the Carter family. But when I was 12 or 13- years-old I listened to AC/DC, Black Sabbath, Aerosmith, Iron Maiden, Rush, the Alan Parsons Project and Pink Floyd. This album pays homage to the classic rock bands that are still just as renowned and respected today as when I was young. And that was the case with both Chuck Turner and Justin Johnson (Cash Collective). We all grew up on Rock.”

In addition to dipping into the bag of Rock Chops the “Cash Collective” have incorporated vintage recording equipment to bring forth a sound that compliments the lyrics and conjures up memories of fun times from back in the day.  In addition to the compelling song “Rise Up”, the “Cash Collective” have crafted “Sunshine” which with closed eyes one can “see” them in the Mojave Desert in a forest of Joshua Trees with relics of Johnny Cash’s past gigs like The Palomino club formerly in North Hollywood.

“Kick The Man down” dances a bit with the dark side and carries a strong message that will give rise to goosebumps. In the “Packaging Committee” parts reminded me of my days on Laurel Canyon and some of the jams that would occur spontaneously. It gets silly and a bit loose.

“The Seven” was a bit melancholy, but good overall and “Red Earth Red Sky” featured Indigenous sounds that resonated with the Native American in me and is a heavy message. Also equally impressive is “Through The Fires & The Flames which brought back goosebumps as Cash sounds so much like his dad and his take on “Hurt.”

“Secret Project” has nuances of “They Only Come Out At Night” by “The Edgar Winter Group.” Feels like they are saying that once you’ve reached a certain point in your life there can be no turning back. The song mentions “The Alan Parsons Project” in its lyrics. “The Black Crow’s Eyes” is a jaunty tune with a prism of licks and beats that capture the mood of a “murder” of crows and it’s possibilities.

This album in the totality of it’s messages which are skillfully told, is proof positive that this “collective” of talent working together as like minded souls has what it takes to be noted as a master storyteller. “Hey Crow!” is out now and needs to be listened to when you have the time to relax and really listen…especially with earbuds.

In other “Country Music” news, while spending time in the Mojave Desert recently another Country crooner by the name of Orville Peck came onto the jukebox at my favorite treasure hunt “Black Luck Vintage” in Yucca. This Gothic Country artist puts forth a flawless album in “Pony” which features a dark brooding twang that reaches into one’s heart strings and strikes a chord with relatable tunes such as “Queen Of The Rodeo”, “Buffalo Run”, “Kansas” and “Roses Are Falling.” There’s not a bad tune in the bunch and has an easy listening value that really made shopping at “Black Luck Vintage” really enjoyable. Peck’s voice reminds the LA Music Scene a tad bit of Chris Issak whose 1989 song “Wicked Game” sparked a Country Chord within us.

This little shop of treasures is run by Rachael Buttell whose taste in music runs close to the LA Music Scenes. Heck we even bought a cool “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” poster with space ships on it there.

It was Buttell that coined the phrase “Gothic Country” while discussing this easy listening piece of art whose J-sleeve features a red background with Peck wearing a red cowboy hat and a black leather fringed face mask. The New New Yorker magazine calls Peck “The Masked Man, Our Yee – Haw Moment” in August, 2019.

While grooving in the desert LA Music Scene did stop by the Joshua Tree Inn for a few nights and stayed in Room 8. Gram Parsons wishes everyone well.

LA Music Scene would like to thank John Carter Cash and the “Cash Collective” and Orville Peck for keeping the flame of Rock alive in another form so that it doesn’t fall victim to voice modulation and techno tunes as seems to be the way things are going nowadays. It has morphed into and melded with Country Music. Music with well written lyrics that can be understood and tell a cohesive story. Hats off to y’all!!!

What DNA Tests Are Best for Those Interested in Their Ancestry?

NoHo - North Hollywood
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One of the most fascinating developments in recent years is scientific technology which allows us to trace our ancestry.

For centuries, people have wanted to do so, and now in 2020, we can do exactly that with great ease. As such, many companies have emerged offering DNA tests for curious families. The only problem with this is, how do you know you’re not being tricked by fraudsters? It’s difficult to tell whether your DNA results are legitimate or inaccurate. We’ve written this article exploring the different DNA tests available, so readers can have a better understanding of what’s best for them.

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23andMe Genetic Testing

23andMe is one of the biggest companies for genetic ancestry testing, but that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best. Based in California, this company requires you to send a sample of your saliva in the post. They have 10 million people in their database, and from this, they’ll calculate your results. This is a larger sample size than most other DNA testing companies, making them more accurate. 23andMe specializes in genetic health testing. In light of the coronavirus pandemic, understanding your family’s genetic health history is more important than ever before. However, for those purely interested in ancestry, their DNA testing kit isn’t the most specific.

MyHeritage DNA Testing Kit

MyHeritage is a burgeoning company in DNA testing and for a good reason. The experts at BestDNATestingKits reviewed MyHeritage services and found their tests were more affordable than other companies, plus they compare their customers’ samples with possible relatives from across the world. This makes them the best company for international matches. What’s more, they have a mobile app integrated into their services, which provides an interactive view of your family tree. Unfortunately, because MyHeritage is still a growing company, its database isn’t as large as its competitors like 23andMe genetic testing.

AncestryDNA Genealogy Company

AncestryDNA is the largest genealogy company in the world that runs for profit. This means their database is the biggest of them all, with over 15 million people included within. Once again, you are required to send a sample of your saliva in the post. From this, they will calculate your results by analyzing it against genetic markers, historical records, related genealogy websites. Overall, they’re the best company for DNA testing, but they don’t specialize in anything or provide additional health information.

Family Tree DNA Genetic Testing

Family Tree DNA is another commercial company. Their analysis of genetics is less detailed when it comes to ethnicity, but they do provide male-specific and female-specific tests that other genealogists don’t. They also allow you to upload the information you may have supplied to other DNA testing companies into their database. Their database is much smaller than larger competitors, though. This means they might not find the DNA matches for you that other testing providers could.

These are the most popular companies for DNA testing because they’re genuine and accurate. You can spend your money safely with them and learn your true ancestral history.

Here’s the NoHo News for July 2

NoHo - North Hollywood
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NoHo News: Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Teapop. Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest!

Here’s your NoHo arts community update!  We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood.

Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

 NoHo News: Online Acting Classes. Headshots. Teapop. Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest!

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

Headshots by The Light Committee

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”The way to get great headshots is with a great photographer.”

NoHo is a neighborhood filled with actors, after all we have 20+ theaters in one square mile! What do most actors need? Headshots. But finding a good headshot photographer can be a daunting task. Meet Rafael Larin from Headshots by The Light Committee – a photography studio that provides corporate, model and actor headshots. He’s given us some tips to help make the process a bit easier and manageable.

What made you want to be a photographer?

I took photography in high school and had a teacher that was very encouraging. He constantly worked with me one on one to help me improve. We entered some of my photography into statewide contests and I placed well in many of them.

Because I also like technical things, this passion grew as photography became more technical over time. I continue to love the opportunity to blend creativity with technical knowledge for what is required to create good images.

What type of photography do you like to do best? And why?

I truly love pretty much any kind of photography. So, it is difficult to select a type of photography that I like to do best. I regularly continue to do landscape photography, portrait photography, product photography, lifestyle photography, modeling photography, and of course headshot photography. I am probably forgetting something too.

If I had to absolutely pick one, I would go with headshots. With just about all other type of photography it is often one-way in terms of collaboration. With headshots, particularly acting, there is a collaborative effort. Generally, actors are going after a couple of different looks. One is commercial and the other is the theatrical look. Sometimes there is the comedic look too.

While acting headshots commonly fall within these categories, the specificity of a shot for any one individual can be very different. Put another way, though the shot categories are common from actor to actor, the look of each person is unique. So, it requires a collaboration between me as the photographer and the actor in terms of what essence they want to portray in their headshots.

That collaboration leads to distinct creativity with each session. It is very rewarding, particularly upon achieving success in creating images that help them in their careers.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs_YArdhMf2/

What successes have your headshots helped actors achieve?

Well, a good headshot is one component of many that can help with an actor’s success, albeit a very important one. With that said, I can say some of the actors that have come in for headshots have gone on to be cast in TV or streaming series or movies with production companies such as A&E, BET, El Dorado Pictures, HBO, Lifetime, Netflix, and more. This is in addition to theatre roles and many television commercials.

What makes you a good headshot photographer?

There are four components to what makes a good headshot photographer. Imagine each of these components is worth a letter grade. So, if you have all four you get an A photographer. If one is missing, you get a B, and if two are missing you have a C, and so on. So, what are these four elements?

First, you need a photographer that is technically and creatively sound. By technical, this means they have a solid understanding of how cameras and lenses work, and they understand the laws of light. Second, you need a good camera and lens. This typically means at least a camera with a full-frame sensor and prime lenses. Third you need high quality lighting. All light is not equal. There are different qualities of light, whether for a given studio strobe brand or with natural light. Finally, you need someone good at post-production or retouching work.

A word on post-production. There is often advice out there that actors should not have their photos retouched. This is inaccurate. Every photo can be improved with retouching without outright manipulation. Sure, an actor should not change how they look but there are small things that can be corrected, or that can be retouched. These are usually impermanent things like acne, a stray hair, red eye, lint on a shirt, and so on. It is these things that can help a polished headshot stand out. So, post production is important to being a good headshot photographer too.

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What should a person ask a photographer before they hire them for headshots?

There are a few things an actor might want to ask a photographer before setting out to work with them. First, ask to see their portfolio. You will want to evaluate how good their photos are. Do a comparison with other photographer headshots. Pay attention to sharpness and proper exposure. Also, pay attention to whether the backgrounds they offer distract from you or complement your face. When you review their portfolio, do not do it on a smartphone. Use a large screen. It is easy to hide imperfections on a small screen and casting directors will look at larger versions of headshots too.

Ask them if they have a commercial studio or a home studio. It can be fine if they only have a home studio. However, this should be mentioned up front, so you are not surprised or uncomfortable when you arrive for your headshot session and it is a house or apartment. Though a home studio can be okay, it can also be limiting in size and thus capability. A photographer with a commercial studio usually means they have a fully dedicated space that is often larger and affords more capabilities.

Be sure to also get clarity on what is included in a session and how much it costs. It is best to get this in writing. Some photographers post their rates online and some do not. So, if they do not have rates online, get them to message or email them to you so they are verified. This avoids surprises after your shoot is finished and it is time to pay or receive images.

Also, ask if photographers can pull off different looks for you. This does not just mean you in different outfits or different backgrounds. For example, if you are going to want a commercial and theatrical look, this is not just best done by smiling for the commercial shot and then not smiling for the theatrical shot. At a professional level, these looks require different lighting setups. A photographer’s portfolio should demonstrate competency in shaping light to suit the shot. Be sure to verify they can light for different looks.

What should actors wear to a headshot session?

Actors commonly ask what they should wear, and the simplest advice is to keep it simple. After all, the photo is about placing all interest on your face rather than what you are wearing. Getting more specific, stick with solid colors. Vibrant colors are often good too. Avoid plaids, busy stripes, or other such patterns. Try and stay away from large logos or brand names.

You will also usually want to avoid accessories like jewelry. This does not mean do not wear any. Just be sure any accessories do not steal the show.

As for your hair and makeup, some actors get their hair and makeup professionally done and some do it themselves. Generally, you will want to practice what you would do to go to a casting. This is because, as much as possible, you want your headshot to match how you will look in front of a casting director.

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The Whitefire Theatre Solofest Presents “Island Girl”

Samantha Simmonds-Ronceros
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The Whitefire Theatre Solofest Presents “Island Girl”

Written and performed by Luka Lyman, directed by Jessica Lynn Johnson.

Luka Lyman’s “Island Girl: A Rescue Mission” was chosen as “Best of the Fest” from Solofest 2020 to present as a live-stream encore performance at the Whitefire Theatre, Sherman Oaks.

The best solo shows are always the most personal.  Luke Lyman has written a deeply personal account of her life, her loss and finding herself again.  Using the magical and the mythical, she fills her story with what she filled her days with as a child.  Growing up in Hawaii, in a nursery owned by her family and miles away from other children, she created her own friends.  Trees and flowers and plants were her companions and this is the basis of her extraordinary imagination.  In this play she guides us through her life with the help of a magical sprite who the goddess sends to help Luka find her faith again when she feels that all is lost.  The sprite joyfully takes on the task and we are led by her through Luka’s sadness and her journey of self discovery.  Six generations of Lyman women in Hawaii, all demanding to be heard.

Luka is something special.  She weaves her tale with such gentle power and grace, flitting from character to character with effortless ease. A master storyteller she brings us into her world and the beauty of Hawaii is fully present on the dark blank stage.  Perhaps she is magical indeed.

During the play we travel with her as she reencounters those moments that shaped her.  An actress in L.A., her mother’s illness brings her home and, as she cares for her, watching her fade away, Luka fades too.  I have suffered loss in such a way and I can fully understand that the long losing of ones greatest love is like a tiny daily death.  Luka beautifully and tenderly shows this, both the love and the pain and the end.  She says, “The living room becomes the dying room.”  Strange and perfectly true.  Where once was life and the center of her world, there is nothing to hold her to the place she loves, nothing to anchor her. 

Her life through this loss is one part of the play, discovering her half white, half native roots is another. The missionary who “saved” the Inlanders, who hardly needed saving, was her ancestor and that tremendous guilt clung to her. Never feeling quite one thing or the other as a child, perhaps then that was the impetus to act.  As an adult she found control through eating disorders, her spiraling self esteem too hard to restore.

It’s a story we can all relate to, in one way or another.  Feeling apart, feeling alone, losing our center and then ourselves.  How to find purpose when we feel so numb.  Lukas is sharing her soul with us and her darkest and lightest parts of herself. She wanted to write a story about her ancestors and, as she did, it evolved into a story about finding her ancestors in her own reflection and belonging to them as much as she belongs to anyone.  Gorgeously written, beautifully performed, warm and enriching, and truthful.  If you ever get the chance to see this play, don’t hesitate.  It’s actually still available to see online – the one good thing about this damn pandemic closing the theatres I suppose!!!!

Island Girl: A Rescue Mission from Whitefire Theatre on Vimeo.

The Front Yard Is Open!

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The Front Yard, located at The Garland in North Hollywood, is open to the public via reservations only. The restaurant will offer a neighborhood dining experience under the sycamores, boasting a comfortable environment, and guests can expect an updated layout to allow social distancing, as well as an expanded patio area for additional outdoor seating.

The Front Yard at The Garland is open! via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

These are some of the safety/cleanliness procedures that have been implemented:

• Air purifiers have been added to the dining rooms
• Mandatory health screening and a temperature check on arrival (guests and staff)
• Guests are to call upon arrival. The guest must stay in their vehicle until notified the table is ready. The entire party must be present.
• All service and support staff will be required to wear face masks and shields
• Custom dividers are being added to shield between booths
• Plexiglass screens have been added to the hostess stand and bar area
• Single-use menus
• Sanitizer wipes to be presented with the check at the end of the meal, along with a new pen for the guest to keep
• Face masks must be worn at all times except when seated

Here is their menu. But here is one of our favorites….

The Front Yard at The Garland is open! via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Below are the hours of operation for The Front Yard as they adjust for reopening 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CBl7mUMD8Ds/

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

Teapop’s Business & Diversity Mentorship Program

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Teapop’s Business & Diversity Mentorship Program

The purpose of Teapop’s Business & Diversity Mentorship program is to provide guidance, resources, and tools to minority and female business owners in order to create diversity in leadership communities and experiences. Selection of applications will be limited for this summer round. If not selected for this round, please look out for future opportunities.

There will be four weekly virtual sessions starting July 13th, one of which will be a group session, led by Arlene. Each session will include discussion, questions, or actions to complete.

Teapop's Business & Diversity Mentorship Program via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

Requirements:

-You are 18+ years old
-You are a minority (i.e. Hispanic or Latino, African American, Asian American, American Indian) or female
-You have access to online video platform Google Chat or Facetime on a computer or phone with no interruption.
-You can commit to 4 weekly 30-minute sessions that will be scheduled ahead of time. A missed session without notice will result in cancellation of future sessions. There are no make-up sessions.
-You have a business idea ready to pitch or have launched your business with the desire to scale or build revenue.

SIGN UP>> 

Tune in to Instagram (@teapop) on Friday, July 3 at 10AM PST for Teapop’s “Intro to Business” class. This is free and open to everyone.

Teapop's Business & Diversity Mentorship Program via www.nohoartsdistrict.com

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back with The Trip to Greece

Mike Peros
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Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back with The Trip to Greece

It’s been three years since The Trip to Spain, where we were left wondering about the fate of Steve Coogan (though if you saw the excellent Stan and Ollie, you know the man’s been working).

Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon are back with The Trip to Greece, playing versions of themselves (exaggerated, generally amusing, occasionally unflattering) on an ostensible culinary tour with some nods to history, and historical sites along the way. As with the other films (this is the fourth, beginning with 2010’s The Trip, followed in 2014 by The Trip to Italy and the aforementioned 2017 Trip to Spain), the journey gives them the opportunity to rhapsodize over the various sumptuous dishes, trade impressions and insults and general one-upmanship, and share obscure historical nuggets. And as with the previous Trips, besides the witty repartee, there are the serious undertones which shadow but don’t necessarily dampen the proceedings. Here though, while the byplay is just as clever and entertaining (including riffs on Marathon Man , Tootsie, and Werner Herzog, and Coogan’s vanity), the subplot (connected with Coogan’s anxious calls back home) do take more precedence than in previous installments. The net result is that there doesn’t seem to be as much joy on display (as a Greek, I was hoping for a little more pleasure aimed at the Hellenic treats—or at the wonders of the country), and too much time is devoted to the “gratuitous weightiness.” The boys have been down that road before, and some of the concerns here have been explored in earlier versions. So…while I enjoyed The Trip to Greece, it feels af if the series has just stopped, rather than “ended.” Maybe there will be another…

Here’s the NoHo News for June 25

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NoHo News: Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest! Dance and Acting Class Guide.

Here’s your NoHo arts community update!  We look forward to sharing lots of fun and unique news, events, profiles and updates on what’s happening in the NoHo Arts District.

Every Thursday we send out our NoHo e-News. Do you get it? It takes 30 seconds. Make sure you sign up, it’s FREE. Sign up HERE>>

This issue of NoHo e-News is about what’s going on in North Hollywood and a selection of some theatre shows. But we have a ton of them. Did you know that the NoHo Arts District has the highest concentration of theatres outside of New York City? Just check out the NoHo Arts District Theatre Guide>>

Here’s a glimpse at what’s going on in North Hollywood.

Click on the image and to see the online version of our NoHo News…ENJOY NOHO!

NoHo News: Some Restaurant Picks. Camp Create. Best of the Fest! Dance and Acting Class Guide. 

Follow NoHo News with Bloglovin

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Hollywood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

 

Waide Riddle “The Power of Summer” Book of Poetry

Waide Aaron Riddle
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Waide Riddle “The Power of Summer” Book of Poetry

Waide Riddle, screenwriter, editorial columnist and rather lovely chappie has written a book of poems…”The Power of Summer.”

It’s a selection of nine poems, all summer themed and blissfully, cheerfully rhythmic.  Anthemic chants brimming with musicality and the fever of summer potential.  Oh how these lyrical grooves make me long for the beach.  They reek of rum cocktails, sun tan lotion and the scent of tanning skin.  Sticky ice cream hands, sandy toes and wafts of beery breath and sea salt drying on red tinged shoulders.

The poems are packed with hopefulness, something we dearly need right now.  They remind us of a time when our only worry was finding somewhere to rinse off before we left the beach for the pub. Or where we left the car, or whether our friends would make it in time for high tide.  In the UK, where I am from, summer was always a glittering horizon during the many many gloomy months of rain and bitter cold.  I grew up near the coast and spent many days on beaches both sandy and pebbled, the salty Atlantic air is like the breath of god to me.  So ready these poems of Waide’s, with his own deeply personal and love packed memories, although quite different to my own, brought back so many similar love packed days of old.  Full of laughter, games, sun burn and even a few tears.  But truly wonderful.

They sing off the page, these melodic chants.  Where’s the booming bass? The spiraling guitars? The swaying bodies?  Poetry doesn’t have to be stuffy you know.  Poetry can move us in so many ways, uplift, invigorate, empower.  These poems, “Groove,” “Summer in Santa Monica,” “The Tom Hardy Party,” “Kiss Me Chris Pine” and many more are achingly LA.  Like a Hockney swimming pool, all glamorous and sultry and bold.  If we ever get back to the beach again, with our lilos and magazines and flip-flops flapping we should chant our favorite of these collected poems like a prayer into the pacific ocean air, in gratitude for our lives…more please!!!

You can find Waide poems and much more of his work on his Amazon page

www.amazon.com/author/waideriddle

Customizing Your Shoes with Accessories

NoHo - North Hollywood
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Shoes represent more than just fashion and style, and in some cases, it can be the difference between a great first impression or even a second date.

Whilst we all want the height of fashion on our feet, sometimes budgets don’t stretch to a brand new pair of boots or sandals. But there is a solution. Why not take a pair of your lesser shoes and customize with just a few accessories? You can try including ribbons, shoe clips, bows, or even glitter if you are looking for a touch of sparkle. Before you customize your shoes, do a little research to find the best accessories and tools to get creative with your footwear.

Customizing Your Shoes with Ribbons

Ribbons have become one of the must-have accessories for women around the world. They can transform a regular shoe into an elegant piece for all types of occasions. They come in a choice of materials, colors, and designs to suit all personalities. To customize your shoes with ribbons, you will need a strap of ribbon in the color of your choice, a pair of scissors, a pencil, and shoe glue. Take the ribbon, apply dots of shoe glue some distance apart over the whole length of the ribbon. Next, mark the shoe where you want to put the ribbon and carefully place the ribbon. Apply gentle pressure to ensure maximum adhesion and allow the glue to dry, preferably overnight. The process of accessorizing shoes with ribbons is quite simple, and anyone can do it. You can even use bow-tied ribbons. Just ensure you choose the right size to complement the shoe you intend to customize. Ribbons are ideal for

  • Bridesmaid shoes, especially if you can’t find a pair that complements their dresses
  • Flip flops, if you want to transform them into fancy footwear
  • Canvas shoes
  • Crocs
  • Children’s shoes – apply a bow to the toe guard and your little one can feel like a princess

Dyeing your Shoes

Dying your shoes is another affordable way of transforming your footwear. Instead of adding a single decoration like a shoe ribbon, opt for shoe dye. Dying can completely change your footwear as well as combat faded fabric. Dyeing can be done at home after purchasing a good quality shoe dye, but be aware the change is permanent, so make sure that you love the color you choose before going ahead with the procedure. When buying the dye, bring color swatches of your preferred shade so that you buy the exact match. Popular shoe dye shades include silver, gold, purple, cobalt blue, pink, black, and red.

Other Ways to Change Up Your Footwear

Adorning your shoes with shoe clips can also do the trick. Simply clip them on the sides, front, back, or on the heels of the shoe in question. They can be positioned in different areas on the shoe and can be taken off after wear without damaging the shoe. Another on-trend option to customize your footwear is to cover it with glitter. This is an inexpensive method and perfect for festivals or a night out where you want to stand out. Simply layer the shoe with glue and glitter, allow to dry, and reapply until you have shoes that will rival Dorothy’s. Popular glitter color choices are mainly silver and gold, but don’t let that limit you. You should note that shoe accessories come in various colors, shapes, and materials. When choosing the right accessory make sure that the accessories’ quality and sizes are clearly indicated so as not to get disappointed. With so many ways to give your shoes a new lease of life, grab some glue, and get creative. You may create your new favorite pair.

City of Beverly Hills Community Services Launches Camp Create

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City of Beverly Hills Community Services Launches Camp Create – Classes Exploring the Arts, Nature and Specialized Experiences

The City of Beverly Hills Community Services Department will launch a unique new series of virtual camps from their Arts & Culture Division called Camp Create – Arts and Specialty Experiences beginning July 7 to August 14, with free trial classes between June 29 through July 3. These camps will explore the arts, nature and other specially designed experiences. Camp Create is a unique, one-of-a-kind camp that lets you customize your summer fun. Participants can pick one or more arts or specialty experiences that they would like to participate in to create their own 6-week camp to fit their schedule.

Camp Create has 21 arts and specialty experiences to choose from for babies and tots, youth, teens, adults, seniors and families. Learn, create and explore with experienced instructors from all over California. Virtual camp experiences range from visual arts, media, theatre, music, dance, language arts, culinary arts, fitness, gardening and more!

City of Beverly Hills Community Services Launches Camp Create

• Youth & Teen activities include: Intro to Kids Painting, Zooz Fitness , Music Theory, In-vert/Ed Dance it Out, Intro to Baby Sign Language and so much more!

• Teen/Adult activities include: Cooking with Arch, Language Arts – Italian, Teen Improv Jam, and more!

• Adult and Senior activities include: Water Color Painting for Beginners, Play in Place and much more!

• Specialty experiences include: Oksana’s Financial Education for Youth & Teens, Virtual Gardening and Nature Camp, Time Capsule Project for LGBT Elders and more!

Beginning June 29 to July 3, Camp Create will offer free trial classes to any of the incredible new virtual programs offered.

Camp isn’t just for kids anymore; there is something for everyone!

For more information on Camp Create, and to register for trial classes and camps, visit us at www.beverlyhills.org/campcreate or call 310-285-6830.

**** For information on Los Angeles theatre, tickets to theatre in North Holly-wood’s NoHo Arts District, theatre reviews, the NoHo Event Calendar, restaurants, news and local businesses in NoHo, or anything and everything about the NoHo Arts Community, bookmark nohoartsdistrict.com. Follow us on Twitter @OfficialNoHo. On Instagram @NoHoArtsDistrict and Facebook @NoHoArtsDistrict.

Top Five Roulette Movie Moments

NoHo - North Hollywood
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If roulette is your go-to casino game, you’ll definitely want to check out our list of the top 5 roulette scenes that have appeared on film. Read on!

For most people, the first game that comes to mind when thinking of a casino floor is roulette. The roulette wheel is an iconic gambling game that has been around for at least the last 3 centuries, and some would argue that the origins of the game date back even further than that. It’s not hard to see why the popularity of this game has survived the test of time. Roulette has everything you could want from a gambling game – think excitement, tension, and glamour. The outcome is based purely on luck, and to win big at this game, you need nerves of steel.

Movie makers have used the atmosphere that surrounds a roulette table to create many an iconic movie scene, and in this article, we’re going to look at some of the absolute best roulette movie moments. Haven’t played roulette in a while? Before you get settled in to watch one of these top five movies, check out a list of new casinos – mrcasinova.com where you’ll plenty of online roulette options that will remind you of how good this game really is.

Run Lola Run

Run Lola Run is one of Germany’s cult classics. Lola has 20 minutes to raise 100,000 Deutschmarks in order to save her boyfriend. The film follows Lola through three alternative narratives, with each one having a different outcome based on the various choices that Lola makes. In one of the narratives, Lola runs straight to a casino where she risks it all on a game of roulette. The scene at the roulette table is one of the all-time best roulette movie scenes ever made. The intensity of the scene will have you on the edge of your seat as you watch the wheel spin with bated breath. The outcome? We won’t spoil it for you. If you haven’t seen this film yet, don’t wait any longer.

Diamonds Are Forever

It’s almost impossible to think of James Bond and not immediately picture him sitting in an ultra-glamorous casino playing a high stakes game of poker. But one of Bond’s most iconic casino moments was actually at a roulette table. Everything we love about Sean Connery’s Bond comes to the fore in this scene. He takes his seat at the table and proceeds to charm his love interest, beat down on his enemy and then go on to win handsomely.

Indecent Proposal

The roulette scene in Indecent proposal is pivotal to the film’s storyline. A married couple head to Las Vegas with the hope of winning enough money to start their own business. The roulette table is where we find the couple ready to go all in on a final bet. An atmosphere of palpable excitement and tension oozes from the screen. But in this movie, that fickle Lady of Luck is not on their side and they lose it all. This leads them to accept a proposal by a rich businessman, a proposal that could see them get the money that they so desperately need.

Casablanca

Casablanca is a film that surely needs no introduction. If you haven’t seen this film, you’ve missed out on something beautiful; put it on your watch list now. The film is set against the backdrop of World War II. The location is Morocco, the main protagonist a night club owner who goes by the name of Rick. Rick is a hard man with a soft heart. We learn how soft his heart is when he helps a young couple get hold of the money that they need to buy a travel visa, a visa that will get them to a place of safety. How does he do it? He fixes a game of roulette, of course.

Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

This comedy gem follows the story of two conmen that set out to part a wealthy woman from all of her money. The two actually bet against each other as to who will manage to win over the woman first, and from this bet hilarity ensues. The stunning French Riviera provides a glorious backdrop to the pair’s antics, and the terrific comedic performances by Steve Martin and Michael Caine make the film a joy to watch. At one pivotal point in the story, the film takes us to a glamorous casino where the two play a memorable, and hilarious, game of roulette. This is definitely a classic film that’s worth revisiting if you haven’t seen it in a while.

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