November 22, 2013

Be Thankful: Family Friendly Activities & Out of Towner Events

UH-OH! Somehow Thanksgiving is on top of us as it falls on the same day as the first day of Hanukkah. Matzo balls and stuffing are on the table this year. The holidays are an extra special time for reconnecting with loved ones but let's be honest...what to do with them once they are here? Don't sweat it! There's loads of fun (easy & affordable) things to do this week.

Charles Phoenix: Architecture in LA (Sunday) -- Okay. We're biased. We love this man!! But frankly he is the bees knees when it comes to entertaining LA history. A day with the Phoenix is a day well spent and is totally urban, unique and extraordinary!!
Hanukkah Family Festival (Sunday)

INSIDER STUFF: Rain and cooler temps are seeing us indoors. No problem! Curl up with some fantastic things to do that isn't weather permitting.

Beyond La Dolce Vita (Friday)
LA Roller Derby Playoff Game (Saturday)
80s Teen Night @ Downtown Drive In (Sunday)
Techweek LA 2013 (through Sunday)

KID FRIENDLY: The holidays also mean school's off too but Moms and Dads are left scratching their heads. There's so much kid-friendly events all over town on our Kids Stuff page.

TICKET GIVEAWAY: We are unabashed supporters of one of the longest running shows in LA: "Smoke and Mirrors." You got magic, theater, humor and audience participation all rolled up into one cool show in NoHo. Word is they are running through the rest of the year with a special New Year's Eve performance on Dec. 31. How incredible is that? Score some tickets just in time for the holidays here by giving us a shout. email us at eyespylareviews@gmail.com and tell us what you like about our site or don't. Leave your name and contact info for the drawing of five pairs of tickets for next week's Nov. 29 show.

TOPICAL TO-DO: Find the best event by topic, we got it all HERE

ENTERTAINMENT - There's something for everyone here.
MUSIC & CONCERTS - Enjoy rock n roll, blues, and noteworthy bands.
KIDS STUFF - Entertain the tykes with activities.
SHOPPING - Start making your holiday gift lists sooner than later.
RECREATION - Walks, nature retreats and star gazing are perfect now.

Find more? Check out our Editor's Picks selected at the start of every week.

DISCOUNTS - there are some really good ones right now. From whale watching to kids shows to festivals... entertain yourself at a discount. All at very reasonable prices. Even better, most of the discounts offered are direct from the event/activity producers and do not involve additional fees to receive the discount.

TIP: you can find events and other things to do near you - you'll find neighborhood and regional calendar links at the bottom of all Eye Spy LA web pages.

Have a Happy Weekend!

Die Laughing in "Play Dead" resurrected at the Geffen by Mark Share

The show is performed by illusionist and classically-trained actor, Todd Robbins, who created the show in collaboration with Teller (the silent, small half of the magic act Penn and Teller). The tone is very Penn and Teller, with gore, laughs, magic, and some iconoclasm -- the show debunks the emotionally-predatory aspects of the s�ance.

This is a 4D production as they say at the amusement parks, meaning that the sense of touch gets used as well. Total darkness for some parts adds to the dark merriment. The small theatre makes the magic more intense; illusions like a rising table are fresh again when you are sitting so close up and can't figure out how it's happening. Horrible things appear to happen to audience volunteers....

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Playwriting Pointers: "Live! From the Last Day of My Life" by M.R. Hunter

As a theater critic, I see a lot of promising productions crash and burn primarily from the hubris of the script. It all starts and ends with the play. There are variables in this truism but I've rarely seen a lousy script shine due to an outstanding cast and/or director. Hopefully, it can be made better than what is writ on the page but even so, one ends up feeling sorry for talents wasted. Conversely, a strong script can suffer from a weak cast and/or director but as in the case of Pacific Resident Theatre's "A View From the Bridge" the late Arthur Miller held up, unfortunately the production did not. Miller's words, his play still resonates and I believe it is this reason alone why PRT enjoyed an extended run. This is rare but not unheard of, but worse than either of the aforementioned polarities is a weak script + weak acting = weak results. Period. End of.

More astonishing is the same reasons for why a play fails each and every time I see it happen. Rarely is it truly a matter of taste but rather a neglect of common sense. Is it arrogance? Are playwrights intent on "breaking the rules" to prove they are so talented they don't need to abide with good rules of thumb? If this is the case, I'd like to break some thumbs. Instead, I'm going to offer Ten Playwriting Pointers using Wayne Rawley's play as an example of what NOT to do...

READ THE FULL REVIEW

Eyestrology - This Month's Event Forecast - Happy Birthday Sagittarius!

By Cici Psy-Chic

Happy birthday to these celebrity November Sagittarians: Scarlett Johansson (11/22), Robin Rene Roberts (11/23), Katherine Heigl (11/24), Christina Applegate (11/25), Tina Turner (11/26), Jaleel White (11/27), Karen Gillan (11/28), Howie Mandel (11/29), Ben Stiller (11/30)

Celebrity December Sagittarians: Bette Midler (12/1), Lucy Liu (12/2), Amanda Seyfried (12/3), Marisa Tomei (12/4), Little Richard (12/5), JoBeth Williams (12/6), Larry Bird (12/7), Nicki Minaj (12/8), Simon Helberg (12/9), Raven Symone (12/10), Nikki Sixx (12/11), Bob Barker (12/12), Jamie Foxx (12/13), Vanessa Hudgens (12/14), Adam Brody (12/15), Benjamin Bratt (12/16), Milla Jovovich (12/17), Steven Spielberg (12/18), Alyssa Milano (12/19), Jonah Hill (12/20), Samuel L. Jackson (12/21), Jordin Sparks (12/22), Eddie Vedder (12/23)

SAGITTARIUS - Essentials

CAPRICORN - Stop the Insanity!

AQUARIUS - On Task

PISCES - Time

ARIES - Get Ready & Go
TAURUS - Holiday Nostalgia

GEMINI - Love
CANCER - Social Outings

LEO - Creative Think Tank

VIRGO - Plans & Reorganizing

LIBRA - Help

SCORPIO - Relinquish Control

With the holidays right around the corner, most signs will be feeling very sociable and animated. This is a good time to reconnect with old friends or distant family. We may experience the usual stress that comes with gatherings and get-togethers but we should try to roll with the season. Instead of doing the same ole routine, shake up the traditional by doing something new or going somewhere different. We'll be rushing around but leave enough time to reach your destination. Let's keep a cool head and be patient in the midst of the holiday rush and not act like turkeys...

Read your full EYESTROLOGICAL Forecast

ABOUT EYE SPY LA

Eye Spy LA has been the online Local's Guide to L.A. since 2003. Content is written, edited and maintained by locals and focuses on local and nearby events and the local creative community.

Editorial policy: Eye Spy LA editorials are stories written about places, entertainment and events that we go to. The opinions are those of our editorial staff and the writer of the piece. Calendar listings are ads posted by the people producing events and activities in the local area. Each week we pick and recommend events and other things to do based on our experience or sometimes because they look particularly unusual, unique or in some other way interesting. We do not recommend them based on any fees they may or may not have paid us for advertising.

You'll always find the latest events & activities plus commentary about where we've been at eyespyLA.com - updated daily.

Andrea Kirk, publisher (editor@eyespyLA.com)

EYE SPY LA CONTRIBUTORS:

M.R. Hunter - editorial and reviews

Mark Share - reviews

Kelly Hargraves - dance and reviews

Leena Deneroff - food adventures

Charles Phoenix - retro slide of the week