Utilizing the successful franchises of AMC's The Walking Dead and Insidious 2, Universal Studios recent opening of Halloween Horror Nights is a solid choice for a night of exceptional terror

It's a hard call for Best Maze between Black Sabbath 13-3D and Insidious: Into the Further. Both have very different benefits going for them. It pretty much comes down to whether a visitor appreciates the visual or a detailed storyline.

As theme park Halloween one-stop scares go, Universal Studios overall delivers the bloody bits this year. It's a good bet to go with a sizable group of friends and there are plenty of places to meet up easily. The fog is not nearly as thick and impenetrable as earlier years like 2010 which was so bad you could lose your way down the thoroughfare and your party. The ambiance is just right now, especially if you go during a full moon. There are enough scares, thrills and multiple mazes to make it worth the wait and the admission.... 

The season opener at the Colony about the first African-American concert artist, Roland Hayes, epitomizes the pursuit of passion despite struggle and necessary determination when all that sustains it is little more than breath and imagination. Given the Colony's recent financial woes, this west coast premiere is a fitting choice, even if a slight departure from their typical trope.

Roland Hayes' story by Daniel Beaty concerns itself with one taking control of their destiny. A noble but somewhat predictable narrative is artfully handled by Saundra McClain as the play picks up steam so too does Roland's tenor abilities until the rise in both the plot and the vocal qualities are evenly matched up to an exciting and memorable crescendo. The audience earns the privilege to hear and witness the underdog triumph even through the intermittent flashbacks when the then famous singer discovers his wife and daughter have been arrested for shoe shopping in Georgia. The stark contrast to Roland Hayes' stardom and racial bias is powerful... 

Upping the ante of risk is Impro Theatre's troupe of improvisational performances ripping on a literary theme from the Bard himself to Jane Austen, Chekhov, Williams and now Rod Serling. This specialized group of actors thrives on risk as they perform without a script, without so much as an outline of what will happen when they come to the stage. It's a bit like walking tightrope without a net but I venture to say it's like walking a tightrope in a veil of fog. Risk? It's a risky business indeed as every performance is literally devised in the spur of the moment. And this risk is shared by its audience each and every performance as what Tom and Dick saw at The Falcon Theater on Saturday night is NOT the same show Jane and Suzy saw on Thursday.