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

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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

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

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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

Los Angeles Kids Off The Couch: What's On Our August Radar!

Endless Days of Summer

Ticket Giveaway for Fantasia at the Hollywood Bowl

Did you notice that the city felt empty over the past weekend? While many Angelenos vacation elsewhere, we're enjoying quiet freeways and perfect weather. With blue whales cruising our coastline in record numbers and a bevy of outdoor screenings and concerts, what could be better than LA in August? Another month of summer, that's what.

Ticket Giveaway: August is our favorite time to spend an evening at the Hollywood Bowl, and we are excited about many of the varied concerts on the August calendar -- from Hairspray (this weekend) to the Buena Vista Social Club, classical concerts with Gustavo Dudamel and an evening celebrating the music of maestro John Williams. This month Kids Off the Couch has a Family Four-Pack to Walt Disney's Fantasia for Sunday, August 21. You'll see all your favorite scenes, plus a glimpse into the brilliant artwork and unfinished segments of this Disney masterpiece. The evening features the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra and ends with fireworks. Tickets are still available to the three performances, Friday & Saturday 8:30 PM and Sunday 7:30 PM (August 19-21). Send us a note at familysavvy@gmail.com to enter our giveaway contest. Tickets will be awarded by August 10.

Cruising the Coastline: It's Shark Week on the Discovery Channel and there is an unusually large congregation ofBlue Whales off Long Beach, reminding us who shares the waters off our beaches. Click here for our whale-watching Popcorn Adventure.

Elementary: Nothing says summer better than listening to music outdoors. Take the tram up the hill on weekend afternoons this month for the J. Paul Getty Museum'sGarden Concerts for Kids, and hear Frances England, Brady Rymer and the Little Band That Could, and Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band, Saturdays and Sundays, August 6 through 21, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM. The Skirball also has fun weekend programming for kids, so consider their Family Amphitheater Performances, Saturday and Sunday at 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM, or a fun water-themed family day on August 21. You can indulge a childhood fantasy of running away with the circus this Sunday morning at a free Family Flicks screening of Toby Tyler (August 7 at 11:00 AM) at the wonderful, pink Billy Wilder Theater at the Hammer. Don't forget the very gentle Winnie the Pooh, a surprise hit about our favorite friends from the Hundred Acre Woods, still in theaters.

Middle School: If you have Tim Burton fans in your house, you will want to spend a few Friday evenings outside at LACMA watching some of his more popular films, like James and the Giant Peach, Pee Wee's Big Adventure or Alice in Wonderland. Films start at sundown and are free. On Thursdays this month, check out the outdoor screening lineup at Movies in the Park @ The Grove, including The Blind Side and Toy Story 3. To keep idle fingers busy (and away from texting), pick up a new craft this month. Our girls love to knit and needlepoint; knitters should check out Wild Fiber in Santa Monica, and Aristeia is a good place to get started on needlepoint. Make your own books at Scribble Press, or, learn to cook at Piccolo Chef. We have tried and tried to find a good woodworking class for kids here in LA (as you can see, this idea is gaining steam elsewhere in the nation) but haven't yet found one. If you know of one, please tell us and we'll pass it along to subscribers.

Teens: Sad that the X Games are over? Check out the US Open of Surfing, taking place in Huntington Beach through this weekend...also can be viewed live, online. Without homework, teens might have time to knock off two books -- Kathryn Stockett's The Help and David Nicholl's One Day -- before their film adaptations hit the big screens. The Help opens on August 10 and stars Emma Stone. One Day, starring Anne Hathaway, opens on August 19.

Adults: MOCA's Art in the Streets closes this weekend, so get downtown and, while you're there, check out The Lazy Ox Canteen in Little Tokyo.

Concert Goers: Pop stars Katy Perry and Taylor Swift are both in town this month (Perry at Nokia Theater this weekend and Swift at Staples for four nights, August 24-24.)

One More Thing: We are impressed with this beautiful digital book called The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from noted children's book author and illustrator William Joyce and his colleagues at Moonbot Studios.

Kids Off The Couch

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