Fine Arts

The band MGMT kicked off the first of a two-night stand in New York with a "one-of-a-kind, site-specific musical piece" on November 10, 2011, as part of the Guggenheim Museum’s launch of its stunning new exhibition of the art of Italian hyperrealist sculptor Maurizio Cattelan. Read More »

Madame Tussauds Wax Museum in Hollywood kicked off their 2010 holiday season on November 29 by unveiling a tableau of James Stewart as George Bailey in the film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” On hand to cut the ribbon at the attraction’s newest exhibit was actress Karolyn Grimes, who played Zuzu Bailey (George’s youngest daughter) in the film. Karolyn is the last surviving member of the cast and travels around the world to join celebrations of the classic Christmas movie. Read More »

Beautifully staged and performed, Charles Randolph-Wright’s play “The Night is A Child” is a heart-wrenching examination of loss and coping with grief that is currently being staged at the Pasadena Playhouse. Read More »

A joyous celebration of Southern women, presented as a series of intimate musical portraits at the Pasadena Playhouse, Regina Taylor’s “Crowns” is a lively evening of overlapping monologues, soulful song, and even some dancing. Winner of four Helen Hayes awards, including Best Regional Musical, “Crowns” is actually based on an acclaimed coffee-table book. Taylor’s musical explores the lives of the “hat queens,” six women in the South whose stories of love, loss, identity, and sisterhood are exemplified by the hats that adorn their heads and the songs that voice their experiences. Read More »

On July 17, the Bridging USA and Japan Concert, culminating with Beethoven’s magnificent 9th Symphony, was staged at the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles to a vociferous standing ovation. The entire audience leaped to their feet at the conclusion of a superb program of classical music, exquisitely and flawlessly performed by the acclaimed Asia America Symphony (www.asiaamericasymphony.org/), with David Benoit at the conductor’s podium. Read More »