The Family Savvy - A Parent's Guide to What's Worth Seeing, Doing, Reading and Thinking Right Now (Los Angeles Edition)

Click on over and peruse the new site for things to do this weekend. You'll find our picks listed by age group under This Month. Feel free to poke around the site to check our reviews of interesting new art and culture around town. Then, if your coffee cup is still full, spend a few moments reading our blog.

Tickets are still available for Cirque du Soliel's IRIS, at the Kodak Theater - we loved it. And a new show from Cirque du Soleil, OVO, opens today at the Santa Monica Pier. Music fans will love the family show for They Might Be Giants, at UCLA Live on January 28.

Fast Breaking Idea: There is an unusually large pod of orcas off the coast, so a whale watch is not a crazy idea for the weekend.

My kids are as obsessed with taking pictures and editing them onto Instagram as I am with pinning pretty images on Pinterest. How'd we get so visual? And... when did everyone become a photographer!?

You'll pick up some clues when you take the family over to see The Annenberg Space for Photograpy's new show, Digital Darkroom. Everything - from gorgeous portraits of athletes, to dreamy shots that originated in the imagination of a romantic 20-something year-old, to sophisticated collages made of found objects. Each image is more intriguing than the next, and were all cooked up by contemporary artists with the help of the folks at Adobe Photoshop. You'll head back into the world wondering what's real and what's not.

Kalpa at the Getty -- Kicking off 11 days of Pacific Standard Time's Performance and Public Art Festival is a one-time installation called Kalpa. Dancers and musicians will take over your senses in a performance like no other. Click here for details.

Ticket Giveaway: LA Phil Presents MGM HD West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl

Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the iconic film with The LA Phil!


Certain films become classics by virtue of their perfect execution, and others pass the test of time because they capture an emotional veracity that rings true with generations of audiences. West Side Story has remained in our hearts by accomplishing both seamlessly, and with style that is truly timeless. Celebrate the movie's 50th anniversary at The Hollywood Bowl when The LA Phil plays Leonard Bernstein's electrifying orchestral score and memorable songs with lyrics by Stephen Sondheim live, while the newly re-mastered film is shown in glorious high definition on the Bowl's big screen with the original vocals and dialog intact. 

This classic romantic tragedy echoes Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, re-setting the story of the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets to 1950s New York, where the Sharks and the Jets fight over turf. Tune into Nathalie Wood's rendition of "Tonight" and show the kids that some stories just never get old.


What: LA Phil Presents MGM HD presents West Side Story at the Hollywood Bowl Friday, July 8th and Saturday, July 9th at 8:00pm. Plenty of seats are still available. Click here for tickets and more information about the show.

Enter to Win: Kids Off the Couch has a Family Four-Pack to give away to the Friday, July 8 show. Click here to be in the drawing - and please include your telephone number. Winner will be chosen by June 17.

West Side Story: The 1961 film, which garnered ten Oscars including Best Picture, ignited musical theater with innovations in its electric dance numbers and a cross-cultural love story that captured the imagination of a nation. Memorable songs include "Something's Coming", "Maria", "America", "Somewhere", "Tonight", "Jet Song", "I Feel Pretty", "A Boy Like That", "One Hand, One Heart", "Gee, Officer Krupke" and "Cool".

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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

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Kids Off The Couch: Memorial Day Weekend 2011!

Summer is Upon Us

Good news: it's going to be sunny by Monday, so get your BBQ prep done early (while the kids are studying for exams or finishing up their spring sports). We've had a chance to look at most of the new art shows around town, so you can have the summer's cultural outings planned before June even begins.

MOVIES in THEATERS: There's plenty of raunch in the theaters for adults, from Bridesmaids to Hangover Part II so if that's not your thing, drop in on a worthy kid option (Kung Fu Panda 2) or check out the films that were well received in Cannes last week: Midnight in Paris from Woody Allen (starring Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams) or Terrance Malick's much awaited The Tree of Life.

ART AROUND TOWN: We got a sneak peek at what will surely be this summer's must-see show, LACMA's Tim Burton, which is lots of fun. We will write up a comprehensive report next week, but mark your calendar to take advantage of a fabulous line-up of Burton films, screening at the museum throughout June. Show is expected to be a blockbuster, so get your advance entry tickets now. The Getty Center's Paris: Life and Luxury employs an engaging organizing theory, with objects from a Parisian household presented by the "Four Times of Day." We were particularly impressed with a spectacular golden bed where the women of the household performed their "toilette" while receiving (what a concept!). The Skirball Cultural Center's Houdini: Art and Magic is great for magic-loving tweens, and we also loved The Annenberg Space for Photography's Beauty Culture. Be sure to head downtown for MOCA's Art in the Streets, showcasing large-scale, colorful graffiti art that is a hit with everyone from 8-80. If your kids are into street culture, check out a related show at the Pasadena Museum of California Art featuring the work of the Clayton Brothers. And, while you're sipping lemonade by the pool, don't forget to peruse this season's Hollywood Bowl schedule which includes a Grease Sing-A-Long, Hall and Oats for the July 4th Fireworks Spectacular and Hairspray with the original Broadway cast of Harvey Fierstein and Marissa Jaret Winokur.

Subscriber Tip: A loyal KOTC-er gave us the heads up about a new show at the Santa Monica Museum of Art -- a video installation by filmmaker Marco Brambilla, called The Dark Lining, that uses film clips in pastiche to create a new narrative. Our subscriber's kids, who are 11 and 13, thought it was the "coolest art show ever".

MEMORIAL DAY ACTIVITIES: In lieu of parades, LA has wonderful regional celebrations starting today, such as Topanga Days, the Valley Greek Festival and a Jazz Reggae Festival at UCLA.

Ideas: Stumped by what to get a graduate in your life? Check out Flavorpill's grad gift guide. While you're thinking about college and careers, consider that PayPal's Peter Thiel is plucking kids out of college and supporting their entrepreneurial ideas with $100,000. Not a bad idea considering this sobering report on the highest (and lowest) paying careers.

And, Finally: We were moved by this YouTube video about the dangers of melanoma. Titled "Dear 16 year-old Me," it's a powerful reminder to young people that their "skin never forgets". Good-bye tanning beds, hello sunscreen.

We'll be back next week with the June Radar Screen.

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Watch "Glory" + Civil War Reenactments = Kids Off The Couch

Bringing History to Life

Heritage Days This Weekend at Pierce College May 14-15

On the edge of the Boston Common, facing the gold-domed State House, is a bronze frieze that commemorates the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry. Tourists gazing at the State House inevitably find themselves drawn to Augustus Saint-Gaudens's handsome bronze relief. The 54th Massachusetts was the first African American contingent of the US Army, led by Bostonian Robert Gould Shaw. We recently stood before the gorgeous memorial which, in fact, inspired screenwriter Kevin Jarre to research and write Glory, an enduring film that immortalizes this brave regiment.

The first shots of the civil war were fired at Fort Sumter 150 years ago last month, and the South's grand battle sites, such as Gettysburg, Fredericksburg and Manassas, are experiencing record tourist traffic this spring. The need to review our history is, perhaps, even more powerful at a time when war continues to dominate the headlines. Californians can explore the Civil War's legacy as well. This weekend, Pierce College hosts its annual Civil War Heritage Days(Saturday and Sunday, May 14-15), where hundreds of volunteers stage cavalry charges, artillery barrages, infantry assaults, Victorian dancing and military drills, and demonstrate skills and crafts from the era -- all designed to bring history to life for a new generation. An afternoon of watching a battle reenactment will enable elementary school-aged kids to think about the basics of a soldier's life, and compare them to changes in weaponry, battle planning and medical assistance over the past 150 years.

The Movie: Glory (rated R) is a graphic tale of war and, therefore, not necessarily a match for your fifth grader studying the Civil War. That being said, it's a powerful tale about how a band of black soldiers came together under a white commanding officer in the days immediately preceding Lincoln's decision to sign the Emancipation Proclamation. The 54th Massachusetts' final march to Fort Wagner is nearly a suicide mission, and the film portrays difficult battle scenes. Powerfully told and made with meticulous attention to historical detail, Glory is recommended viewing for tweens and teens, if you think they can handle the violence. Watching the film as a family can stimulate valuable discussions about racism and war. Starring Matthew Broderick, Denzel Washington and Morgan Freeman, directed by Edward Zwick and featuring the music of James Horner,Glory garnered five Oscar nominations and took home three gold statues; Washington took home the Best Supporting Actor award. (1989, Rated R, 122 minutes).

Visit Fort Tejon: Fort Tejon (70 miles north of LA in the Grapevine) has a robust Civil War history program. This link, to Calfornia's Civil War Alliance, provides more information on Civil War reenactment in CA.

On screenwriter Kevin Jarre: Glory's screenwriter, Kevin Jarre, died this past spring.Click here for his obituary, which details how a love of history led him to research this story and bring it to the world.

Your Reading List: Click here for a blog about good Civil War literature for kids, including Soldier's Heart by Gary Paulson for fifth graders and up.

More from the New York Times: Here is a great article detailing trips to lesser known historical sites throughout the South and a slide show of stunning images from contemporary reenactments.

Kids Off The Couch

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