Marvelous Marvin Hamlisch picks up Pasadena Pops baton 2
Mar
16
2011
“I love Pasadena,” proclaimed the new conductor of the Pasadena Pops, Marvin Hamlisch. The award-winning film and Broadway composer is perfectly suited for the family-oriented position because, for one thing, he’s no shrinking violet. With a portfolio studded with mega-hits for Broadway (“A Chorus Line”) and Hollywood movies (“The Way We Were,” “Sophie’s Choice,” “The ...
Happy 100th Birthday, Jean Harlow 1
Mar
11
2011
Film historian Robert S. Birchard contributes this story to arts·meme: If you asked the average Joe on the street he probably wouldn’t know the name. The better-than-average fellow with a yen for trivia might conjure that she had platinum blonde hair; that there was a scandal related to one of her husbands; and that she ...
Cassavetes didn’t make his films for us, but we like them anyway 2
Saluting the ambitious retrospective of the films — and some of the television work — of John Cassavetes, the patron saint of American independent cinema. The events take place at Cinefamily, located in the old Silent Movie house on Fairfax Avenue, kicking off Thursday night. Cinefamily christens the series, a bit nebulously, with this blistering ...
Catherine la Grande: Deneuve in person at LACMA 1
Mar
6
2011
Preparing to see Catherine Deneuve appear in person in conjunction with a screening of “Potiche,” her new film directed by François Ozon, we swung by the museum late Friday night to see Roman Polanski’s “Repulsion” . . . a perfect movie. Ian Birnie, film curator responsible for the museum’s Deneuve retrospective, shares his view on ...
A martini with Jane Fonda 2
Feb
26
2011
“If you’d had the day I’ve had, you’d be drinking a martini,” said Jane Fonda, as she entered LACMA’s Bing Theater, speaking directly to the audience before taking her seat on stage. She was slated for a conversation prior to the screening of Alan Pakula’s marvelous thriller “Klute,” the actress’s breakthrough dramatic role from 1971. Still ...
James Dean would follow Eartha Kitt anywhere! 1
Even to Katherine Dunham‘s dance class circa 1955 … but who wouldn’t? Eartha Kitt danced with the Dunham troupe from age 16 to 20, approximately, touring Europe, and becoming a cabaret sensation in Paris. James Dean, on the other hand … this great photo care of koolcatshipchicksblog. fabulous dunham historic photos here.
James Dean, moody, on location in Griffith Park 2
“Location Filming in Los Angeles,” a wonderful new book written by arts·meme pal, Marc Wanamaker in collaboration with Karie Bible and Harry Medved, provides a delicious historic tour of location shooting all ’round our fair city. In the rare promotional photo above, James [“You’re tearin’ me apart!“] Dean broods while filming “Rebel Without a Cause” ...
But enough about me, what do you think about me? Celebrity Autobiography! at the Broad Stage 1
An all-star cast of Florence Henderson, Laraine Newman, Ileana Douglas, Eugene Pack, Julian Sands, Jonathan Silverman, Jennifer Tilly, and more, read snippets of real celebrity autobiographies to the great pleasure of a café-style audience in the Eyde performance space behind the Broad mainstage. It’s a wicked funny review with a rarin’-to-go pick-up cast: Celebrity Autobiography. ...
Tidbits from Robert Redford at the AARP Awards 2
It was interesting to see Robert Redford honored for “Life Achievement” at the AARP “Movies for Grownups Awards” Monday night. Redford is an ambiguous player in this town. A star among stars, one of the last of the old-school movie actors, he stepped into the breach, launching the Sundance Institute and its independent film festival. ...
Alter kockers we love
Feb
9
2011
Life was sweet Monday night when I got to meet and interview two lovely actors at the AARP “Movies for Grownups” awards. Both gave marvelous quotes. Read it in the Los Angeles Times. Yiddish dictionary here.