Live music, arts booths galore, food, beer, rides for the kids and more…all by the beach on a spectacular sunny day. This annual June event at Fletcher’s Cove in Solana Beach reminds us why living here is so great!

Their website: http://www.farenheit451books.com/

Google Place Page: http://www.farenheit451books.com/

Happy reading,

Ron Marcus

Oh. My. God. Just experienced one of the best productions I’ve seen in quite a long time: “Limelight” — a musical about the life of Charlie Chaplin, playing at the La Jolla Playhouse through October 17. (http://www.lajollaplayhouse.org/the-season/plays/limelight). This musical tracks Chaplin’s life from a poor childhood in the streets of London, to his rise to stardom, first in Vaudeville in London, then in silent pictures in Hollywood, and on to talking pictures with his comedic depiction of Hitler in “The Great Dictator” and finally, his fall from grace during the ugly years when there was widespread fear of communism and the “red threat” in the U.S. Everything was there, including his steady succession of marriages and divorces (this WAS Hollywood after all) and his return to the U.S. in 1972 to receive his honorary Oscar. The cast was amazing; all talented actors and fantastic singers, and none were more amazing than the man who played Chaplin himself, Robert McClure, mimicking all of Chaplin’s slapstick antics to perfection. The choreography was breathtaking and complex; the music was melodic and with great lyrics; the sets were extremely clever and elaborate, and the costumes and props were very authentic. I see Broadway in this musical’s future, without a doubt. Perhaps the best compliment I can give this production is that not only did it make me tap my toes, sing along, and even shed a tear once or twice, not to mention smile with glee, laugh and clap my hands…but it inspired me to want to know more about this man Charlie Chaplin and his amazing life. I’m not surprised a production of this caliber is at the La Jolla Playhouse; this IS after all where “Jersey Boys”, the story of Frankie Valli and Four Seasons debuted, which now has a permanent home in Las Vegas. And what an amazing production THAT was as well. All I can say is, GO SEE LIMELIGHT.

Elton John
In concert at Cricket Amphitheater,
Saturday, July 24, 2010

A few of us were fortunate to have box seats at Cricket for what I might call the concert of a lifetime — to witness in person a living legend of the singer/songwriter/piano man genre (my all time fave is Billy Joel, and my other all time fave, on the guitar, is James Taylor).

Elton is in his 60s. His vocal chords won’t let him hit the highs like they used to. He’s not as thin as he once was. And this particular night, he was suffering from a stomach virus that had him running off stage for a moment after gamely finishing one of his songs.

But, Elton was very much in top form.

His piano playing was top notch, soulful, beautiful. He played just about every hit you could want, right on up to his coup de grace, Song for You (Your Song). Tunes included “Candle in the Wind,” “Crocodile Rock,” “Daniel,” “Saturday Night’s Alright,” “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road,” “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word,” “Benny and the Jets,” and a lot more…too many to list here.

His band was as tight as can be, with an all-star group that included his original drummer (since 1969) and his guitarist since 1971. That’s a long time to be making hits together!

Here’s a clip from the show. If you get the chance to see Sir Elton the next time he comes around, we wholeheartedly recommend it.

“Within”
Airing Saturday, July 21, 9 PM Pacific Time on Lifetime Television

When representatives for Lifetime asked if we’d review their upcoming movie for you, our audience, we said, “Sure, why not!” In fact, you can count on more movie reviews, as well as reviews of arts and culture, to help you with the scene.

Today’s review is of a movie about a young girl named Rachel who tragically sees her mother murdered right in front of her — and also sees evil spirits in people. Not a happy place to be! After losing her mom, her dad takes her out of LA to live in a small town to get away from it all. Unfortunately, they don’t get away from it, they instead right back into it. Rachel is befriended by Michelle at school, who turns out to be inhabited by the evil spirit of her own dead sister. It’s a dark and a little scary of a movie, and if you’re a fan of this genre, you might enjoy this.

Honestly, our group of reviewers found the movie a little formulaic and forced in its approach. I personally thought the acting and cinematography were pretty good, and the little girl actors were very good for their age. At the same time, we couldn’t escape the feeling of a “made for TV movie.” It’s a respectable effort, and if you’re settling in for a Saturday evening on the couch, this just might be your thing. Just don’t expect “The 6th Sense.”

More information:

Lifetime ››

Official Movie Website, with trailer ››

Stay tuned for a full recap episode coming soon!

By Ron Marcus, Producer

I ate here on a Friday night with two friends. The basic rolls were 50% off, which was a treat. I asked the spritely server how many a guy of my size should order and she said she could eat three rolls, so I ordered three.

Only two rolls came out though. Which is a good thing, because at eight pieces each, I was just able to finish the two. I don’t know how this small-framed woman server could mac down three, but more power to her.

She came back and when we told her about the missing roll order, she apologized, but I asked her to cancel the order so I could avoid over stuffing myself. She did…but of course, the item was still on our bill when it arrived. No problem; she quickly and courteously reprinted the correct bill for us.

OK, so how was the food? Pretty tasty, I thought. I’m not a sushi expert, so I can’t tell you really good sushi versus not so good, but I thought it was fresh, tasty, and I liked the consistency of the rice.

The decor is modern, in several shades of gray with color accents, and quite pleasant to my eye. The crowd is young and the overall ambiance is hip and sophisticated…while remaining very reasonably priced.

I would come here again.

Bon apetit,

Ron
Producer,
Shindy.TV

Have you eaten there? What did you think? Let us know!