“When I Didn’t See What I Wanted I Made What I Wanted” Black Barbie on Netflix

Posted on June 19, 2024 by Elise Thompson

If you have ever taken a Psychology, Sociology, or even a Law class, you have probably seen a clip of the Clarks’ Doll Tests (The tests were used to win Brown vs. the Board of Education, proving that separate is never equal.) Over 14 years in the 40s and 50s, Black Psychologists Kenneth and Mamie Clark presented Black children, ages 3–7, to choose between Black dolls and white dolls. The children overwhelmingly preferred the white dolls, ascribing to them all of the positive attributes, while choosing a Black doll when asked which doll was “bad.”

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“The Outsider” Theater Review

Posted on June 17, 2024 by Bryan Moore

International City Theatre of Long Beach knocks it out of the park yet again with another home run!

Their current offering as part of their 2024 theatrical season is “The Outsider”, a hysterically funny take on a most unlikely candidate running for office.

As the Bard once intoned in “The Twelfth Night” “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them”, couldn’t be more true as “The Outsider runs the gamut from political commentary to slapstick comedy…..definitely two ends of the theatrical spectrum but under the expert talents of director Brian Schnipper, it absolutely works.

Paul Slade Smith’s keenly insightful play skewers the media push in “electable or not” and how sometimes the most unqualified people rise to the top.

This show is so good in its blocking, cast and scenario that it’s right out of classic television comedic skit shows like “The Carol Burnett Show”; razor sharp dialogue delivered by the cream of the crop in actors that truly understand comedy.

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Movies Till Dawn: Monsters Lead Such Interesting Lives

Posted on June 13, 2024 by Paul Gaita

* indicates that this title is also available to rent, stream, or purchase on various platforms. Please note that streaming options may differ from these home video presentations in terms of visuals, supplemental features, etc.

“Cemetery Man” * (1994, Severin Films) “I’d give my life to be dead,” says cemetery groundskeeper Rupert Everett, and who can blame him: the locals in his small Italian town are either idiots or bureaucrats and his attempts to find love go disastrously wrong. The dead would seem to offer less problems, but those buried at his cemetery have the unfortunate habit of returning to life, and require violent dispatching. Italian horror-comedy from Michele Soavi and based on the comic by Tizian Sclavi is largely satisfying on both sides of the genre equation, offering impressive makeup effects (by vet Sergio Stivaletti) and an off-kilter script that revels in upending audience expectations (especially the explanation-proof ending). That approach may not work for the hardcore zombie crowd (“Cemetery Man” did poorly during its U.S. theatrical release), but those seeking alternatives to the shoot-them-in-the-head approach (though there’s also enough of that here) may appreciate its lighter, weirder touch; Severin’s 4K/Blu-ray offers a Soavi-approved 4K scan from the original negative and features commentary by the director and writer Gianni Romoli, who detail the production challenges, criticism leveled at the film and that curious ending. New and archival interviews with Soavi, Everett, and co-star Anna Falchi, as well as English and Italian-language trailers, are also included.

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Lee Ving’s Range War at Alex’s May 18

Posted on June 11, 2024 by Elise Thompson

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Do Not Miss the Damned and Avengers at the Ice House Monday!

Posted on June 9, 2024 by Elise Thompson

Monday, June 10, The Damned and The Avengers will be playing their second bill together in the LA area, and it is not to be missed! The Glass House in Pomona will host the 1980 lineup of the Damned with the incomparable Rat Scabies on drums, the lineup that recorded two of their best albums, The Black Album and Strawberries. The Avengers, who are tighter and more intense than ever, will be opening.

I know it’s a school night, you probably have to download the DICE app, and Pomona is a bit of a slog for some of you, but this show is so worth it. Doors open at 7:00 PM.

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“Loot” theater review

Posted on June 8, 2024 by Bryan Moore

The phrase “rollicking farce” is often used to describe the works of English playwright Joe Orton and encapsulates “Loot” right along with Orton’s “What the Butler Saw”.

The current offering in the Studio Space upstairs at the Long Beach Playhouse should please all fans of Orton as well as aficionados of fast paced ensemble theater.

LOOT is Joe Orton’s masterpiece of dark comedy where we follow the fortunes of two young thieves – Dennis, an undertaker at the funeral parlour, and Hal, his sometime lover, whose Mum just died. When Inspector Truscott turns up, they need a place to hide the loot.  But with the money in Mum’s coffin, there’s no place for Mum, whose body keeps reappearing at the most inopportune times. Aided and abetted by Mum’s former nurse, Fay, and trying to put one over on Hal’s gullible father, the duo prove that nothing is sacred in a farce that seethes with black, baleful mirth.

Leading the ensemble are Jack Loeprich as Hal and Ronan Walsh as Dennis who both tag-team every scene forward with high energy and broad, physical comedy. Two charming and very funny fellows who do an admirable job.

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Pause. Do: Beckett, Justice and “Happy Days” – A Conversation with Actress Monica Horan

Posted on June 4, 2024 by Paul Gaita

On Saturday, June 8, the Independent Shakespeare Company in Atwater Village will feature the final performance (to date) of a remarkable production of Samuel Beckett’s 1961 two-act play “Happy Days.” The production, which is part of the 2024 Samuel Beckett Society’s annual conference on the Irish author’s life and body of work, stars the award-winning actress Monica Horan as Winnie, a woman who, despite her unusual predicament – she is buried up to her waist in a sandy stretch of a unidentified landscape, yet remains optimistic and wistful, even though she will eventually sink into the ground, leaving only her head visible to the audience. Winnie’s husband, Willie (played by Tim Durkin), who remains largely hidden behind the mound, and who is as monosyllabic in conversation as Winnie is lively and garrulous.

For Horan – a veteran stage and television actress who is perhaps best known for playing Amy MacDougall Barone on “Everybody Loves Raymond” (created by her husband, writer/producer and “Somebody Feed Phil” star Phil Rosenthal) – playing Winnie was the culmination of a multi-year process that, as you’ll read in this interview/essay below, bridged not only time and geography but also her own need for creative expression and challenge in the face of personal and global roadblocks. What she discovered in the process of performing “Happy Days” is both a unique perspective in performing and a pathway into Beckett’s work, which proves far less enigmatic and impenetrable than the reputation that sometimes (unfairly) orbits his plays.

The Beckett Conference performance of “Happy Days” takes place on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. A Q&A with the cast, director Melissa Chalsma, and crew follows the performance. For tickets and more information, please visit iscla.org/happy-days.

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Experience Havana Nights, a Pop-Up Lounge at the Fairmont Century Plaza

Posted on June 3, 2024 by Karin E. Baker

Havana Nights at the Fairmont Century Plaza. Photo courtesy of Fairmont Hotels.

Warm summer nights are coming, making it a great time to experience Havana Nights. Inspired by the mystique of 1950’s Havana, this new Cuban-inspired outdoor cocktail lounge is located at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Century City.

This pop-up bar features fire pit seating and five beautifully decorated custom-built cabanas that evoke a classic Havana vibe with a modern twist. 

Havana Nights’ curated cocktail menu featuures hand-crated Mojitos, Cuba Libres, Rum Old Fashioneds, and more made with SelvaRey rum. One of the most sustainable rum distilleries in the world, this premium rum brand is co-owned by Bruno Mars. 

The dining menu, created by Executive Chef Ramon Bojorquez, features Cuban classics including Cubano sandwiches, croquettes, and plantain chips with guacamole and bean dip. 

Tropical-inspired greenery, beautiful decor, and Latin music contribute to the vintage Cuban feeling. A changing array of exclusive activations – Cuban band performances, DJ nights, mixology evenings, game nights, cigar rolling, and more – keep things lively.

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Sunday! Sunday! Sunday! Tequila’s Birthday at the Redwood

Posted on May 25, 2024 by Elise Thompson

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Mírate Takes Over the Lobby Bar at the West Hollywood Edition This Monday

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Karin E. Baker

Image credit: The West Hollywood EDITION.

Located in Los Feliz, Mírate was recently honored as one of the 50 Best Bars in North America, according to World’s Best. That acclaim was due in no small part to Beverage Director Max Reis, an expert in all things agave who previously manned the bar at Gracias Madre.  

This Monday evening, Reis will be at The West Hollywood EDITION for the chic hotel’s periodic Lobby Bar Takeover. There, Reis will create original cocktails using Don Fulano Tequila, a ground-to-bottle estate tequila that’s the product of five generations of superior tequila makers. 

The Mírate takeover is from 7 to 10 p.m. on Monday, May 27. The West Hollywood EDITION is located at 9040 Sunset Blvd.

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