Showing posts with label dorothy chandler pavilion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dorothy chandler pavilion. Show all posts

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Los Angeles October Parenting Radar Screen PLUS Ticket Giveaway!


Return to Routine
Date Night Ticket Giveaway for Poor Behavior
Now that you've survived Back to School and the abrupt shift to homework-filled evenings, we think you should book a babysitter and take an evening off! We've got a ticket giveaway to a new play, an update on the marvelous, ongoing Pacific Standard Time exhibits (which are great for kids, too), and are excited about the fall movie line-up. Restored, you'll be ready to plunge into the many wonderful family events that take place in October including The Big Draw, a chance to track Juno's mission to Jupiter, and college football games around town. We'll be back in a few weeks with a Halloween round up, but don't wait too long to think about finding perfect costumes for the big day, which falls on a Monday night this year. 

Ticket Giveaway: This month's ticket giveaway is for adults: the World Premiere of the new play Poor Behavior. A weekend in the country turns into a high stakes game of marital mixed doubles and asks "Is it adultery if they already think you've done it?" Written by Theresa Rebeck (Mauritius), and directed by Doug Hughes (Doubt), Poor Behavior runs through October 16th at Center Theatre Group. Enter to win 4 tickets for Friday, October 7th at 8:00 PM by writing to us at familysavvy@gmail.com -- please remember to include a cell number. Contest entry deadline is 10am on Tuesday, October 4th.  Special offer for Kids Off the Couch subscribers: Discount tickets available for $35 (Reg. $45 - $55)! Call 213.628.2772 and mention the code WEEKEND or purchase online. 

This Weekend: The new LEED-certified West Hollywood Library opens this weekend. Come investigate during the12th Annual West Hollywood Book Fair on Sunday, October 2. Pacific Standard Time is in full effect, and the PST website is a fabulous resource that can help you figure out how to take advantage of a region-wide exhibition that explores the birth of the California art scene from 1945-1980. As part of the opening of its PST-related show, NOW DIG THIS!, the Hammer will be free to the public on Sunday, October 2; LACMA will be open for free on October 2, as well, so all your design-istas should check out their cool new show, California Design 1930-1965: "Living in a Modern Way".

Elementary: All through October, arts institutions will celebrate Big Draw LA, with pop-up programming with artists at various institutions, including the Getty, the Fowler and the Huntington. Participate this weekend on the lawn of The Huntington this Saturday, October 1, and at the Fowler on two Sundays, October 2 and 16. It's already that creepy crawly time of year at the Natural History Museum's wonderfulSpider Pavilion. Click here for our Popcorn Adventure that combines this magical spot with Charlotte's Web. And, did you know that it's Hispanic Heritage Month? Tromp to Pasadena now that the days are cooler for a delightful afternoon filled with music and dance at The Norton Simon Museum for The Art of Dance! Baile Folklorico of Mexico,Sunday, October 9, 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM. 

Middle School: Keep track of the latest JPL mission to Mars by taking part in a Day of Discovery with the Pasadena Museum of California Art and Jet Propulsion Laboratoryon Sunday, October 16, 12:00 - 5:00 PM -- a full day of programs featuring speakers from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and art activities for families inspired by the exhibition Beneath the Surface: NASA's Juno Mission to Jupiter. There's nothing better than a football game with one of our excellent local teams - the USC Trojans -- playing at the Coliseum on October 1 and 29, and the UCLA Bruins -- playing at the Rose Bowl on October 8 and 29. And playing each other on November 26. Catch a glimpse of the future Annenberg Cultural Center in Beverly Hills at Il Teatro Alla Moda Theater in Fashion, a special four-week engagement starting next week.

Teens: Movie buffs can take a week-long crash course in the films of a master by showing up at Mad as Hell: Sidney Lumet's Cinema of Fighting Back at the Aero Theater between October 5-12. Fans of Duff Goldman's Ace of Cakes and Sugar Highwill be thrilled to know that the Food Network star is soon to open an LA bakery,Charm City Cakes West. While this is a very pricey ticket, if you have a rabid sports fan in the house, consider this rare opportunity to visit the LA Sports Museum with museum founder, Gary Cypres.The Sports Museum of Los Angeles, open by invitation only, is the largest and broadest known collection of iconic sports memorabilia and collectibles in the world. And, there are still tickets for the live orchestra screening ofLord of the Rings on October 15 in Anaheim's Honda Center.

Adults: Moneyball, starring Brad Pitt, is in theaters now and next week brings Ryan Gosling and George Clooney in Ides of March. For those of you who will find it hard to resist the remake of Footloose, that opens on October 14. Now is the perfect time to grab a great meal at a great price: Dine LA returns for two weeks this month: October 2-7 and October 9-14.

Planning Ahead: Your #1 job right now is to scramble to find an age-appropriate (as in not too sexy) costume for each kid -- before they're sold out! Then, take a second to think about planning your winter holidays: book flights, figure out where grandparents are going to sleep, and get tickets for The Joffrey Ballet's acclaimed production of "The Nutcracker," December 1-4 for six performances only at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

One More Thing: Check out this mini-documentary, narrated by Tom Hanks, about ferry boat captains, Coast Guardsmen and civilian boaters who rescued citizens from lower Manhattan on 9/11. 


Kids Off The Couch
If you like what we do, please tell a friend to sign up! info@kidsoffthecouch.com


Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Los Angeles September Parenting Radar Screen PLUS Ticket Giveaway!

School Daze
Ticket Giveaway: IRIS for Tuesday, September 13th at 8:00 PM
So... the endless summer comes to an end. Labor Day caught us off guard this year, so much so that we had to scramble to get a lunchbox packed this morning. Never mind, though. The stone fruit at the farmers' market is still incredible, our summer tan hasn't faded and we know those teachers won't pile on the homework ... just yet! We're firing up the BBQ tonight and plan to play cards in the fading September light. Spit, anyone? 

Ticket Giveaway:
 Cirque du Soleil has a new show, IRIS, A Journey Through the World of Cinema. This large-scale production - created exclusively for its permanent home at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles - offers a new take on the art of cinema as only Cirque du Soleil could imagine it. IRIS is an inventive spectacle that combines acrobatics, dance, projections and live music. The show takes the audience on a fantastic voyage directed by acclaimed choreographer Philippe Decouflé with music by Oscar-nominated composer Danny Elfman. Kids Off the Couch subscribers can enter to win a Family 4-Pack to the 8:00 PM show on Tuesday, September 13 by writing to us at familysavvy@gmail.com. Winner to be notified by this Friday morning, so please remember to leave us your cell number. 

Hollywood Bowl:
 It is still summer at the Bowl, so line up another relaxing evening under the stars; click here for the Bowl's September calendar, which includes performances from Dudamel, Alex Trabek with the American Film Institute's Movie Quiz, and Moulin Rouge.

Elementary: Noted Chinese artist Ai WeiWei's sculptures of animal heads, Circle of Animals/Zodiac Heads, have recently been installed at LACMA and is gathering happy crowds of all ages. The twelve massive animal heads are impressive to behold (not to mention, run around!). Click here for a great review of the work from the Los Angeles Times. All Join In: A Fairy Tale Sing-A-Long Afternoon is the most popular Santa Monica Playhouse production ever, so bring your budding music lovers on Saturdays and Sundays, 12:30 and 3:00pm, September 10 through October 16. The excellent companion exhibit to this summer's blockbuster Houdini show features an excellent family program each Sunday afternoon until January. If it's time for your kids to start learning proper manners, consider signing them up for Cotillion this fall at Beverly Hills Manners. Finally, get back to the beach one more time on the Coastal Clean Up Day with Heal the Bay on September 17. 

Middle School:
 If it's still brutally hot by the weekend, you'll want to head to Malibu and watch the 2011 MSA Classic from September 9-11, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Malibu Surfing Association (FREE, and open to all). Or get into a cool movie theater and watch the screwball comedy Bringing up Baby at Free Family Flicks at the Hammer. KCRW's third annual Good Food Pie Contest takes place on Sunday, September 18 at LACMA, with plenty of family programming (whether you bake or not!). And, if pie's not your thing, have you tried fonuts yet?

Teens:
 A visit to the Annenberg's blockbuster show, Beauty Culture, is a true conversation starter, especially with a teen-age girl. Combine that with Jennifer Siebel Newsom's provocative documentary at the Hammer this month, which pairs interviews with teens and iconic female figures in culture, and is called Miss Representation. 

Adults:
 Southern Californians take note! We've got your date night covered for the next six months. After much planning, and an unprecedented collaboration among over sixty museums in the region, Pacific Standard Time is here: for six months these institutions, at the initiative of the Getty, will tell the story of the birth of the L.A. art scene. The first ones to check out: a retrospective of the work of acclaimed (and beloved) potter, Beatrice Wood: Career Woman-Drawings, Paintings, Vessels, and Objects opens on September 10 at the Santa Monica Museum of Art. Click here for more on the Mama of Dada, who was 105 when she died in 1993. And, the Pomona College Museum of Art has opened It Happened at Pomona; Part 1: Hal Glicksman,which was reviewed in today's Los Angeles Times.

Planning Ahead: An extraordinary screening of Lord of the Rings, accompanied by a live orchestra, takes place on October 15 at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Grab your seats now for the holiday must-see, The Joffrey Ballet - Nutcracker, for six performances at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in early December.

And of course... the 10th anniversary of 9/11:
 We think that how you commemorate 9/11 with your family is an extremely personal matter but we did hear about Big Sunday Remembers 9/11, a food drive and breakfast in conjunction with letter writing to our servicemen with Operation Gratitude. Click here for other service opportunities to remember 9/11 through LAWorks. For tips on talking with your kids about 9/11, click here.
Kids Off The Couch
If you like what we do, please tell a friend to sign up! info@kidsoffthecouch.com

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Kids Off The Couch: What's On Our June Radar Screen!

Welcome, Summer!

Ballet Nacional De Cuba Ticket Giveaway

If school isn't out yet for your kids, at least the end is in sight. Get ready to celebrate the End of Homework by enjoying some of the many family festivals and art events around town this month. We've unearthed so many neat film festivals that we are secretly hoping for some June Gloom so we won't feel too bad ducking inside!


Ballet Nacional de Cuba Giveaway: Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center is bringing the wonderful Ballet Nacional De Cuba to town for five shows of Don Quixote from June 23-26 (including two matinees). First formed in 1948 by Alicia Alonso, Ballet Nacional de Cuba has created more than 600 works and performed in more than 60 countries. Kids Off the Couch subscribers are eligible to win a Family Four-Pack of tickets to the 2:00 PM performance on Saturday, June 25 at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Click here to enter your name to win - please include a phone number!

Movies Galore this Month: Besides the many summer films already in theaters (we love Kung Fu Panda 2), there is a plethora of film festivals for lucky Angelenos this month. From the Los Angeles Times Hero Complex Film Festival at the Chinese 6 Theaters (June 6-9), that includes a free matinee of The Incredibles, to the Los Angeles Film Festival(June 16-26), that takes place downtown again this year, to a fabulous line-up of Tim Burton films at LACMA. Your family's film savvy quotient is about to go way way up!

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: Tree People is holding it's annual Green City Fair this weekend (June 4) in Coldwater Canyon, with live music, face painting and plenty of environmental workshops and hikes. You can also enjoy the outdoors the following weekend (June 11) at the Children's Nature Institute's Kids Rock Concert and Festival in Hancock Park. If you have grandparents in town, there's nothing more relaxing than an afternoon spent at the Getty -- either the Villa or the Getty Center -- following some of their creative art programming for kids. And, consider paintapic, a cool at-home art project, which turns a photo into a paint-by-numbers project.

MIDDLE SCHOOL: MOCA is holding a Big Family Day celebration (June 5), downtown. The Hammer continues its Family Flicks programming with a free screening of Hyper Sapien (June 12). The Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum has two Shakespeare plays in its summer line-up, The Merry Lives of Windsor and A Midsummer Night's Dream. Plan ahead for this treat, because seeing a play in Topanga Canyon is a must-have LA experience. Click here to read a Popcorn Adventure about this fabled outdoor theater.

TEENS: Consider letting your art-loving teens wander around the Culver City Artwalk this Saturday (June 4). Or if they're into dance, check out the Dance Camera West Dance Media Film Festival (June 16) at The Getty Center. We're always fretting over our kids' obsession with their cellphones, so take a quick listen to Warren Olney's radio show from yesterday; it's the start of what is sure to be a lengthy national conversation about cell phones as potential carcinogens.

PARENTS: Satisfy your travel itch at the Getty by checking out a new photo show, A Revolutionary Project: Cuba from Walker Evans until Now, that explores the Cuban cultural and political landscape during three distinct historical periods - before, during, and after the 1959 revolution.

Too Good to Be True: Two cool new food ideas emerged this month -- check outWaffle Chix, serving fried chicken and waffles in Westwood, and a souffle bar at Rockenwagner's at the Market at Santa Monica Place. As for eating at home, check out the USDA's brand new food plate, released this morning that replaces the 19 year-old food pyramid, and aims to be easier for families to use in planning healthy meals.

Kids Off The Couch

If you like what we do, please tell a friend to sign up! info@kidsoffthecouch.com

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater + Family 4 Pack Ticket Giveaway = Kids Off The Couch


April 8-17 at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion
Family 4-Pack Ticket Giveaway

You won't know if your kids love modern dance unless you take them to see a performance, and the very best way to start them off is with the Alvin Ailey® American Dance Theater. Mesmerizing from the curtain's first parting, the renowned company helped to move modern dance to the forefront of American culture, promoting the uniqueness of the African-American cultural experience and the preservation and enrichment of the American modern dance heritage. Long time dance lovers and curious newcomers are in for a special treat when the company comes to town for 10 performances in April.

Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center has a multi-cultural parade of shows throughout the rest of the spring, including Mark Morris Dance Group, Ballet Nacional de Cuba and American Ballet Theatre. Whether you catch Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (and your kids are clamoring for more) or you are looking for an elegant date night downtown, you'll find something in the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center's varied line-up between now and June.

Where and When: Tickets are still available for all the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater shows, which will take place at the Music Center's Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, between April 8 and 17 (including four matinees). The company will present three different programs: "21st Century Ailey" features compelling and exciting works from recent years; "All Ailey" features Ailey's timeless masterpieces; and "20 Years of Jamison" celebrates the phenomenal influence of Judith Jamison in her final season. All programs include the beloved Revelations, which is celebrating 50 years as an enduring classic. Approximate running time is two hours, including intermissions. Appropriate for children age eight and up. Click here for ticketing information.

Enter to Win: Kids Off the Couch subscribers are eligible to win a Family 4-Pack for the Wednesday, April 13 show. Please send us a note if you're able to attend the 7:30 PM show. Winners will be chosen by Tuesday, April 5. Don't forget to include your phone number so we can reach you if you are chosen!

info@kidsoffthecouch.com

info@kidsoffthecouch.com