Saturday, May 19, 2012
Funnyman Sacha Baron Cohen is at it again, this time as a flashy, offensive North African dictator who comes to the U.S.
From the guy who brought us Ali G and Borat comes a new character named General Aladeen — a ruthless dictator from a fictional country in North Africa who is part buffoon, part horn dog and part bloodthirsty ruler in "The Dictator." Through a ridiculous set of circumstances, that I will spare you the details of because they are so contrived, Aladeen ends up in New York while his even sillier double is in charge of his country. There are plenty of cameo appearances from big stars to keep things interesting. As for the element of political satire we get a pretty heavy-handed lecture that borders on being a bit corny. The dictator himself, like so many other characters by Cohen, is offensive but somehow there is a certain likeability to him…
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Watch the video to see Garibaldi get a standing ovation from the judges for his graffiti-inspired portrait of the famous composer.
Elk Grove artist and local celebrity David Garibaldi breezed through the San Francisco auditions for NBC's America's Got Talent that aired this week, wowing judges and audience alike with his speed painting. Click on the video above to see how Garibaldi and his CMYK crew (named for primary colors) melded dance and painting to create a portrait of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. The crew will go on to compete on an upcoming show in Las Vegas. We bumped into Garibaldi recently at the Arden Fair Apple store and he was quite humble about his talent and growing following, so it was fun to see him get standing ovations from the judges. Even Howard Stern liked it! What did you think of the performance? Tell us in the comments.
Local artists will showcase their work, from pastels to pottery and jewelry, at this upcoming show that helps raise money for arts scholarships.
Looking for another venue to share your creative talent with the world? Elk Grove Artists' June Fine Art Show and Sale will offer locally-made paintings, ceramics, photographs, jewelry and more. Artists who'd like to participate can fill out the attached PDF application and submit it by May 26 with a fee of $25 to $45 depending on booth size. Spectators can check out the show June 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Elk Village Shopping Center, 9669 East Stockton Blvd. Artists will donate 10 percent of their proceeds to help fund a $1,000 annual arts scholarship, plus a framing workshop for young people that takes place before the Western Festival each year. "Every student doing piece of 2D art, they bring their art in and we teach them …
Monday, May 14, 2012
Where do you go to hear some tunes, and what other choices would you like to have?
We've heard it said more than a few times: Elk Grove needs more nightlife. We agree. But that's not to say there's nowhere to get your groove on in town. On a typical Friday night, the boots are scootin' at The Wrangler, and old-school R&B singers are crooning away at Pins N Strikes. You can hear homespun guitar and vocals at the Brick House, metal at Elk Grove Sports Bar and mariachis at El Potro Taqueria. Where's your favorite place to hear live music in the Grove? Click on the business's name to leave a review, and vote in the poll below. Here are the nominees: The Brick House Restaurant and Lounge El Potro Taqueria Elk Grove Sports Bar & Grill Pins N Strikes The Wrangler For the bonus question, we want to know what you'd add to Elk …
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Kay Albritton of Highland High School took first place, followed by two teens from Elk Grove schools.
Teen Center USA crowned a new Teen Idol Friday night. Kay Albritton of Sacramento's Highland High School took first place in the popular Elk Grove singing competition, which draws young amateurs ages 11 to 18 from around the Sacramento region and the Bay Area. Click on the Youtube video above to hear Albritton sing at a previous talent show at her high school. Danielle Baldwin, a student at St. Peter's Lutheran School, won second place and Alicia Paulson of Joseph Kerr Middle School placed third. Congratulations to all the winners!
Friday, April 27, 2012
It may be Claymation, but it's the best pirate movie in years.
A below-average pirate captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) seeks to win the elusive Pirate of the Year award but faces some strong competition in The Pirates! Band of Misfits. From the folks who brought us Wallace and Gromit, the story is feather-light but strong enough to introduce the characters and establish their conflicts, which are pretty predictable. It's more of a comedy than an adventure, appealing to both children and adults. Such a film should be a crowd pleaser at the box office. Audiences love pirate movies. Toss in some quirky characters, like a twisted Queen Victoria and Charles Darwin, and you have an evolutionary success. The film is an enjoyable 90 minutes. The voice casting was mostly on merit and not stunt casting, making …
Monday, April 23, 2012
McConnell Estates kicks off its al fresco concert series in June.
Did you know Elk Grove has its own winery? Each year, McConnell Estates Winery puts on a summer concert series on its lawn. BYO picnic, pick up a bottle at the winery's tasting room, and settle in for an evening of blues, soul or rock. “It’s a great way to spend time with family and friends on a warm Saturday evening," winery owner Mike Wackman said in a press release. Below is the schedule for this year's concerts. Visit http://www.mcconnellestates.com for more information. JUNE The Spotted Dogs Blues Revue Marshall Wilkerson & His Smoked Sugar Blues Band Saturday, June 16, 6:30PM Advance: $12.50 At-the-Door: $15.00 www.spotteddogmusic.com Read more: http…
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Teen heartthrob Zac Efron breaks out in his first real adult role as a war veteran who has come home looking for love in a romantic melodrama that is worth the price of admission.
Zac Efron plays Logan, an Afghanistan war veteran on his third tour, who comes across a picture of a woman who inspires him to search for her, stateside, in The Lucky One. His search lands him at a kennel in Louisiana owned by Beth (Taylor Schilling) and her grandmother, Ellie (Blythe Danner). He gets a job there and over a period of time settles in, still not telling anyone his real reason for being there. As you might imagine, sparks start to fly. The Lucky One is a Nicholas Sparks movie. He's good at this kind of thing, writing books turned into movies like Message in a Bottle, Nights in Rodanthe and The Notebook. This film, in my opinion, is one of his better stories. And with an attractive young cast, it should be very appealing to …
Monday, April 16, 2012
Fearless and preppy? This Elk Grove fashion student pulls it off.
Name: Jasmine Browning Age: 20 Occupation: Student, International Academy of Design and Technology When we spotted Jasmine Browning at the Starbucks on Calvine and Elk Grove Florin, we thought, There's someone who knows how to pull off an outfit. Her brown-on-brown mix of cheetah-print leggings, feather earrings, tunic and boots might sound over the top in theory, but in person it was a pleasing combination of futuristic and natural—like something you might see on an extra from The Hunger Games. Turns out Browning wants to be a fashion writer, and has a knack for finding cute pieces at discount retailers. Tell me about your outfit. With style you always have to be fearless. I like these leggings and boots and thought I'd give them one last…
Friday, April 13, 2012
The trio get a new look with some fresh new faces, and no one is laughing.
From the people who brought you "There's Something About Mary" and "Dumb & Dumber" comes the much anticipated movie about three morons in "The Three Stooges." It's Larry, Moe, and Curly 2.0. This time around Larry is played by Sean Hayes, Moe is Chris Diamantopoulos, and Curly is Will Sasso. Three shorter episodes combine for one 90-minute movie, in which the Stooges try to save the orphanage they grew up in. This movie has been talked about for more than 10 years now and, sad to say, it's pretty anticlimactic. I was never a real big fan of the original Stooges, and it's pretty safe to say that these three were doing impressions rather than a performance. The eye-poking and slapping is so repetitive it's almost sad. This film does not …
Shawn D.
9:36 am on Monday, May 14, 2012
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