Author Archives: Joan Alperin

Joan Alperin

About Joan Alperin

Joan was born in Brooklyn and spent many years working as an actress in New York City. Even though she traveled extensively, Joan couldn't imagine living anywhere else.. Well one day, she met someone at a party who regaled her with stories about living in L. A. specifically Topanga Canyon. A few weeks later she found herself on an airplane bound for Los Angeles. Joan immediately fell in love with the town and has been living here for the last twenty years and yes, she even made it to Topanga Canyon, where she now resides, surrounded by nature, deer, owls and all kinds of extraordinary alien creatures.. Joan continued acting, but for the last several years (besides reviewing plays and film) she has been writing screenplays. Joan was married to a filmmaker who created the cult classic films, (way before she knew him) Faces of Death. As a result of his huge following, they created a funny movie review show entitled Two Jews on Film, where Joan and her husband, John would review movies and rate them with bagels You can see their reviews by going to youtube.com/twojewsonfilm. Although it's now only one Jew - Joan is occasionally joined by her beautiful Pekingnese and Japanese Chin.

Universal Studios Halloween Horror Nights: Get Ready To Scream — Loud

The other day my friend and I were talking about why we both love to be scared. Why do we walk around pitch black mazes where monsters jump out and scare us?  The answer we came up with is that … Continue reading

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‘We Are One’, A Benefit Concert Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of The Playing For Change Foundation

I remember when I first saw the Playing For Change video ‘Stand By Me’ in 2008. It was so inspiring to see musicians from all around the world including New Orleans, Barcelona, South Africa, India, Nepal, the Middle East and … Continue reading

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‘Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally’ There Hasn’t Been a Phone Invented Like This One

‘Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally’ is an extremely funny, sad and highly original coming of age story written by playwright Kevin Armento and directed by Peter Richards. The play features an unconventional narrator: the phone belonging to a troubled … Continue reading

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‘Dark Harbor’ at the Queen Mary: Prepare To Be Scared-Very Very Scared

I love to be scared.  That is why I go to horror films, not the gory ones, just the super scary ones. I like nothing more than to be so scared that I jump out of my seat. It does … Continue reading

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‘Grey Nomad’ Hop Aboard for a Really Fun Ride

Australian playwright Dan Lee came up with the idea for “Grey Nomad,”  a couple of years ago. He was living in the Australian town of Boome and noticed that every year during the dry season, 15,000-60,000 baby boomers would descend … Continue reading

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‘Viver Brasil’ Will Bring Its Magic to the Ford Theatre for the Company’s 20th Anniversary

This is an event you do not want to miss. I’ve seen this extraordinary company  several times during the years and they never ever disappoint. Viver Brasil is an Afro-Brazilian dance company based in Los Angeles, It was created 20 … Continue reading

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‘Mother’ Darren Aronofsky’s Brilliant, Disquieting, Explosive New Film

“Mother” — what can I say about it? Well for one thing, it’s not like any other film I’ve seen. It’s part thriller, part horror and completely thought-provoking. In fact, it took me an entire day to process what I … Continue reading

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‘Pterodactyls’ A Hilarious Touching Play About a Very Dysfunctional Family

Pterodactyls’ written by the award winning playwright Nicky Silver, is a play that you’ll be thinking about way after the curtain falls. When the play opens we meet the Duncans, an affluent but super dysfunctional  family living in the Main … Continue reading

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Kitten Rescue’s 9th Annual Fur Ball at the Skirball Center September 16th

I always refer to myself as a ‘crazy animal person.’ I have to pet every dog I see and attend every dog and cat show in Los Angeles and beyond. All my animals have been rescues and I firmly believe … Continue reading

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‘Silent Sky’ A Beautiful Tribute to the Women Who Led Us To The Stars

Decades before the ‘hidden figures’ were made famous by the Academy Award nominated film, there was a woman named Henrietta Swan Leavitt (the wonderful Jennifer Cannon) who was an astronomer born in 1868. She and her female colleagues, Williamina Fleming … Continue reading

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