Los Angeles Kids Off The Couch: Happy Holidays to All!

Fill your Days from Now until 2012

Ticket Giveaway: Family 4-Pack for OVO on February 15

We've got plenty of "have-fun-with-your-family, counter-program the mall" ideas to get you through to New Year's. And just remember, if the gifting is making you crazy, there is always this time-tested solution to all gifting problems -- at least for the youngest on your list.

Ticket Giveaway: OVO from Cirque du Soleil opens under the big top at the Santa Monica Pier on January 20, 2012. This family show is set in the teeming, buzzing world of insects. We have one Family 4-Pack to OVO for Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 8:00 PM. If you are able to attend that show you can enter to win by writing to us atfamilysavvy@gmail.com. Can't go that day? Click here to purchase your own Family 4-pack.

Chilly Fun: Take a break from shopping to strap on some ice skates and twirl the year away. Outdoor rinks in Santa Monica and Pershing Square are open through mid-January. The 4th Annual Snow Days will be celebrated at Pasadena's Kidspace Children's Museum during the week after Christmas. Teach your kids how to make a snowman!

What to do with Out-of-Towners? Besides catching up on your Pacific Standard Time options, here are a few shows that are worth catching: Digital Darkroom, just opened at The Annenberg Space for Photography, and if you are any type of shutterbug, you'll be inspired to take your casual snapping to a new level. Sponsored by Adobe Photoshop, Digital Darkroom showcases the finest artists working in this "new medium", displayed in the most advanced digital facility in the world. The whole family will enjoy seeing the variety of the manipulated images - from dogs dressed as people, to incredible athletic portraits, to dream-like flights of the imagination by new artists, young and old. Best of all, it's pretty easy to dash over from the Century City Mall and take a gander. Click here for our detailed review of the show. If it turns out you love Jerry Uelsmann (whose work is featured at Digital Darkroom), you're in luck because he has a show up at Peter Fetterman Gallery in Bergamont Station. We also really enjoyed Modern Antiquity at the Getty Villa (it's free, but call for a parking reservation), that juxtaposes classical busts and sculptural remnants with spectacular modern paintings by Picasso, Leger and others. Open only through January 16, 2012 - so drop by on your way to or from Malibu, where browsing and people-watching at the Lumber Yardwill make anyone from out-of-state green with CA envy.

New Year's Plans: Still looking for a cool way to ring in the New Year? You can help build the Natural History Museum's first-ever Rose Bowl float (some shifts still open!). There's New Year's Eve with Pink Martini at Disney Hall, or The Golden Stag New Year's Eve Party at LACMA, with big band swing and Roaring 20s style. Or, for the kids - celebrate at noon at Kidspace in Pasadena, or at 6:00 PM and 9:30 PM try theSanta Monica Playhouse's Musical Review.

Year-End Giving: A few years ago we decided to start a family tradition of setting aside some money that everyone in the family gives away together to those who most need our help. Here are links to some of our favorite charities, as well as some first-hand knowledge of a program we participated in for the first time. Our son's soccer team adopted a family through the Children's Hospital Holidays from the Heart program, and our teens were touched to meet the patients and their siblings and hand deliver the gifts on their wish lists. If you like to get involved locally, consider helping a soup kitchen (they're all particularly needy this year), picking up a few extra gift cards at Target and sending them to foster kids through a charity we work with(United Friends of the Children), or sending money to support writing and tutoring in under-served neighborhoods through 826LA. If your family decides they want to donate to an environmental cause, look into building wells in Africa withCharity:Water. We are big fans of Heifer International (help a family sustain itself by giving animals - an idea that's easy for kids to grasp) and Operation Gratitude (care-packages for US soldiers overseas, started by our a mom in Encino).

Looking ahead to 2012: For all you super-duper advance planners -- you know who you are -- think about a family show from They Might Be Giants at UCLA Live on January 28, 2012 at 2:00 PM or one of two free World City concerts on January 14, 2012.

Kids Off The Couch

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

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Los Angeles Kids Off The Couch - ZAM FEST Ticket Giveaway!

Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Ticket Giveaway: Two Family 4-packs to ZAM FEST

Paul Kim, an avid fan of the Coachella Festival, set out to create a music and art festival that could inspire the same kind of passion in kids that rock music inspires in young adults. The result is ZAM FEST, a one-day festival that debuts in Long Beach in two weeks. "I would take my daughter to different events with the hopes of inspiring her to find something she's passionate about, but found that most were essentially clones of one another" says Kim. "So I thought, why not create something that has the potential to inspire lots of kids, and can give back to our communities at the same time?" At a time when the public school system isn't always able to expose kids to inspiring arts programming, we applaud Paul's efforts. Join him for the first annual ZAM FEST on October 15.

What: ZAM FEST stands for the Z Arts & Music Festival, where the Z refers to our current 'Z Generation' of kids. Festival entertainment will include the drummers of Taiko Project; the original music of teen rock band The Christopher Brothers; the Indian Bollywood- style dance troupe Beyondancing; the quirky dance music of AJ & The Flip Flops; the athletic hip hop dancing of the Beast Mode Crew and the turntable and beat-making sounds of Knockstudy DJ Scratch. Also making her performing debut singing her hit song "Do My Thang" is Cori B, who follows in the musical footsteps of her father Snoop Dogg. Families can also participate in a hands-on recycled material ReCreate Art project, a EuroZip line above festival grounds, Human Hamster Balls, food trucks and a surprise performance.

Subscriber Giveaway: KOTC subscribers can enter to win one of two Family 4 Packs to ZAM FEST. Write to us at familysavvy@gmail.com -- and please include a cell number.

Where and When: ZAM FEST is a one-day only event, scheduled rain or shine for Saturday, October 15 from 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM. The event takes place in the Marina Green Park in Long Beach. Click here for a map.

Ticketing: Tickets are currently available online and at the festival on the day of the event. Discount early bird tickets are available now with adult all day tickets priced at $12, kids all day tickets priced at $8. Children under three will be admitted for free. After the pre-sale period ends, adult all day tickets will be $15 and kids all day tickets will be $10.

ZAM FEST gives back: A portion of the proceeds from ZAMFEST will go to a local arts mentoring program called Create Now. 

Kids Off The Couch

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

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

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

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Ticket Giveaway to Hollywood Bowl Fireworks Finale: A Night at the Moulin Rouge!

We were lucky enough to be in Paris this summer (ooh, la la!) and spent an afternoon exploring the cobbled streets of Montmartre, where Picasso once lived and where modern day artists sketch portraits of tourists. Montmartre is home to the most famous cabaret in the world, the windmilled Moulin Rouge, where the can-can was created by the courtesans of the 19th century, forever memorialized in the paintings of Toulouse-Lautrec. Enjoy an intoxicating adventure through the City of Lights with high-kicking dancers direct from the legendary Moulin Rouge performing the can-can, and the jazzy French cabaret sounds of Paris Combo, accompanied by the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and ending with a dazzling fireworks display. Put a little Paris into your summer by spending an exciting evening at the Hollywood Bowl.

What: Fireworks Finale: A Night at the Moulin Rouge, Friday & Saturday, September 16-17, 8:30pm; Sunday, September 18, 7:30pm at the Hollywood Bowl. Plenty of seats are still available. Click here for tickets and more information about the show.


Enter to Win: Kids off the Couch subscribers can enter to win a Family Four Pack to Friday night's performance (9/16 at 8:30 PM) by writing to us at familysavvy@gmail.com. Please include your telephone number. Winner will be chosen by August 31.

Kids Off The Couch

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

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Ticket Giveaway for Classic Rock Night at the LA Zoo!

Music at the L.A. Zoo takes place THIS THURSDAY night

Ticket Giveaway for July 28 at 6:00 PM

When our kids were small, they loved Good Night, Gorillaand imagined the thrill of observing the animals at the zoo after the crowds had gone home. This Thursday, Angelenos have a chance to duck under the ropes at a party called Music at the L.A. Zoo. Local bands will play classic rock tunes (think Beatles, the Doors, Grateful Dead and Led Zeppelin) while guests wander along the shaded paths of the zoo, peeking in on the animals as they go through their after-hour routines. Kids Off the Couch has five pairs of tickets to give away to subscribers for the party, which is sponsored by GLAZA to support the mission of the L.A. Zoo.

What: Performances by an array of cover bands take place while guests may view many of the Zoo's animals (until 8:00 PM) and enjoy an eclectic array of food and beverages. Picnics are also permitted. Tickets to Music in the L.A. Zoo are still available to the general public. Admission for GLAZA members is $13 for adults and $8 for children ages 6 to 15. Admission for non-members is $17 for adults and $11 for children ages 6 to 15. Children 5 and under are free. Music in the L.A. Zoo is one of many programs presented by the private, non-profit Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association (GLAZA), founded in 1963.

Enter to Win: Kids Off the Couch has five pairs of tickets to THIS THURSDAY's 6:00 PM event (July 28). Please write to familysavvy@gmail.com. Winner will be chosen by Wednesday, July 27.

Where: The Los Angeles Zoo is located at 5333 Zoo Drive in Griffith Park at the junction of the Ventura (134) and Golden State (5) freeways. Tickets for Music in the L.A. Zoo may be purchased at the Zoo or in advance by phone at (323) 644-6042 or online.

Kids Off The Couch info@kidsoffthecouch.com

info@kidsoffthecouch.com

www.kidsoffthecouch.com

Kids OFF The Couch: Houdini at the Skirball Cultural Center

Magic and Mystery from an Icon

There are figures in history for whom fascination never fades. Houdini sits high atop that list -- albeit, with shackles around his wrists! The famed magician and escape artist is such an icon of popular culture that when we saw photographs of him at Houdini: Art and Magic, a fabulous new show at the Skirball Cultural Center, we were shocked into remembering that he was actually a real person. Somehow, he always seemed like a figment of our collective imagination.

The show, which is the first to explore Houdini's life and legacy, includes the most wondrous of Houdini's props: a straightjacket, the Metamorphosis Trunk, the Milk Can that was part of his "greatest trick," and a faithful reproduction of The Water Torture Cell, one of the tanks into which he was padlocked and submerged. We stood before each object and imagined how cramped his body must have been in each vessel, and wondered what would make a man risk his life to perform such a feat. The colorful show is full of artifacts, such as never-before-seen personal diaries and photographs and a slew of contemporary art inspired by his antics. Grown-ups can pore over these rarities but kids will be more interested in footage of Houdini escaping from a straightjacket above Times Square, clips from his numerous silent films and Penn and Teller's hilarious send-up of the Water Torture Cell trick.

Best Houdini Facts: Houdini died on Halloween Day, 1926. His collection of books on magic was so extensive that his widow donated it to the Library of Congress after his death.

Best Houdini Feat: We could debate this forever, but no one would argue that Houdini was a master at marketing and self-promotion. Even if that were his most finely tuned skill, it's still incredible that he captured the imagination of the world, and continues to do so to this day. His humble origins and seemingly super-human ability to escape from bondage are thought to have represented a freedom from tyranny, an idea that captured the hearts of a generation of immigrants.

Accompanying Show: A side-bar to the Houdini show is Masters of Illusion: Jewish Magicians of the Golden Age, which is chock-full of magical toys and colorful circus-like posters that helped us understand how Houdini fit into a long history of magic. In ancient times, folks thought that magicians were practicing witchcraft. Houdini's mastery of his tricks helped popularize the skill of illusion, which led to the more modern view of magic as entertainment.

Programming Through the Summer: Check the Skirball's website for a complete listing of worthy lectures and screenings that expand upon the topic of Houdini, including strolling magicians on summer Sundays, and extensive family programing, including a Sleepover in July, and Presto Change-O, a day full of magic on Sunday, May 15 that includes a wonderful documentary called Make Believe.

Related Movies and Books for Adults: Houdini starred in several silent films, clips of which are on view in the exhibit and also on the big screen at the Skirball in July. (You can purchase them on DVD at the gift shop, too). A few interesting movies have been made about him, but none seems to have been able to truly capture the mystery that was the man. Notably, Tony Curtis played Houdini in 1953, and the esteemed director Gillian Armstrong made a film called Death Defying Acts in 2008 starring Guy Pearce and Catherine Zeta-Jones. Fiction seems to have captured the magician's aura much better, at least for our taste. We loved all three of these books, and think the trio would make an excellent summer reading list: Ragtime: A Novel by E.L. Doctorow,Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold, and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.

Both shows will be at the Skirball Cultural Center through Labor Day weekend, so be sure to catch them before they... disappear!

Kids Off The Couch

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

www.kidsoffthecouch.com