Thursday, May 17, 2012
He's a high school sophomore by day and a rock singer and guitarist by night.
Whiz Kid: Daniel "D.J." De Neve School/Grade: Trabuco Hills High School/sophomore Residence: Rancho Santa Margarita Whiz Kid Achievement: D.J. is the lead singer and guitarist for the band Cities Around Us and recently performed at Chain Reaction in Anaheim. Key to Awesomeness: By day, he's a high school teen who enjoys math, but when the homework is done, D.J. heads to practice with Cities Around Us, a Christian rock band named after a verse in the Bible. D.J. says he never set out to be a musician, but always had an interest in singing. He took violin and saxophone lessons in school and, when he was 8, picked up guitar. He challenged himself with new techniques and eventually played on his church’s worship team and in the school band. …
Friday, May 4, 2012
Healthy crowds turn out for the musical. Watch performances here.
Last weekend's production of Les Misérables: School Edition by Santa Margarita Catholic' Talon Theater was a success as healthy crowds turned out for the moving performances. Impressive sets and resounding voices were the hallmark of the performance of Victor Hugo's story of transformation and redemption. The performance showcased the school's 30-piece orchestra playing the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg score alongside professional musicians. The cast included more than 35 students. In the days before the performance they had an opportunity to meet Richard Kinsey, who was awarded Broadway Best Supporting Actor for his role as Javert in Les Misérables. The Les Misérables cast includes award-winning vocalist and senior Grant …
Friday, April 27, 2012
The conservative '70s-era rocker played to a sold out crowd at the Coach House Thursday. Yeah, he had plenty to say.
The Motor City Madman isn't about soft messages. Ted Nugent, the self-proclaimed “Great White Buffalo,” performed a flawless show Thursday night with his ear-piercing band the Nigerian Rebels to a sold out crowd at the Coach House. A mountain of stacked Bad Cat and Eddie Van Halen 5150 signature amplifiers were creatively decorated with two lifelike AR-15 assault rifles that reassured the audience of second amendment advocates that this was, indeed, a Ted Nugent show. “Hey Coach House, I just go to work everyday and [tick] off [people] without even trying,” screamed Nugent halfway into the song Doctor, the second of the set. Despite the recent controversy regarding Nugent’s comment at the National Rifle Association convention in St. …
Opening night features the world premiere of "Jewtopia." Showings of "Behind the Orange Curtain," a film about teen prescription drug abuse in Orange County, are nearly sold out.
If you noticed a few extra stars in the sky Thursday night, it could have been the sparkling reflection from the red carpet at the 13th annual Newport Beach Film Festival. The romantic comedy Jewtopia made its world premiere at the Big Newport Theater and its all-star cast walked the carpet for a crowd of enthusiastic reporters and flash-happy photographers. In the movie, Tom Arnold -- a self-proclaimed film festival junkie -- plays gynecologist Bruce Daniels. Having made his rounds at Tribeca and Sundance, he thinks the Newport Beach Film Festival stands up well against the festival heavyweights. "They've done an amazing job in their 13 years of building a festival," Arnold said. "For them to build this festival here so close to L.A., …
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Recent comments got him booted from a Kentucky lineup, but conservative rocker Ted Nugent will be in San Juan Capistrano Thursday night.
Rocker Ted Nugent may have been kicked off the bill in Kentucky, but he’s coming to San Juan Capistrano Thursday. Nugent of “Cat Scratch Fever” and other 70s tunes’ fame, is also known for his conservative viewpoints. Inflammatory remarks he made earlier this month – that he’d be “dead or in jail by this time next year” if President Obama wins re-election – apparently caught the attention of the Secret Service. Nugent made the comments during an interview at the National Rifle Association convention in St. Louis, comparing Obama and his administration to "coyotes" that needed to be shot and encouraging voters to "chop [Democrats'] heads off in November,” according to the Huffington Post. That was enough for promoters of a military concert …
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary holds its fourth annual Spring Fair and Art Festival on Earth Day weekend.
The warm weekend weather brought both the spring birds and people from all over Orange County out to enjoy the fun and activities at Tucker Wildlife Sanctuary’s fourth annual Spring Fair and Art Festival. Featuring a number of artists, musical groups and arts and craft vendors, and the event this year fell appropriately enough on Earth Day weekend. Student Derrick Samuelsen, from La Mirada, took a day visit to Tucker as part of his biological studies. “Visiting a sanctuary or other wildlife-related installation is a really good opportunity to get into nature, rather than going to an aquarium or museum,” Samuelsen said. The 19-year-old said he appreciates Earth Day and its ability to encourage people to observe, remember, appreciate and …
Monday, April 23, 2012
The acclaimed musical production is the subject of performances this week by the Santa Margarita Catholic Talon Theater.
Santa Margarita Catholic students will raise their voices in celebration of one of the greatest works in theatrical history as they present Les Misérables: School Edition this week. Based on Victor Hugo's powerful novel of transformation and redemption, SMCHS students will bring the story to life on stage in the school's Eagle Dome Theater. Filled with beautiful ballads and rousing anthems, the performance will also showcase the school's 30-piece orchestra playing the Alain Boublil and Claude-Michel Schonberg score alongside professional musicians. The theatre cast of more than 35 students includes seasoned senior thespians. Richard Kinsey, who was awarded Broadway Best Supporting Actor for his role in Les Misérables, met with cast and …
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Laguna Beach's Village Gallery, where he made personal appearances, had record sales over the weekend.
Whatever you thought about Thomas Kinkade's homespun "paintings of light"—loved, hated, or somewhere in between—you have to admit that he sure was popular. And ever since his death this past Friday at the age of 54, Kinkade's work has been selling like crazy. Laguna Beach's Village Gallery, where Kinkade often made personal appearances, had $70,000 worth of Kinkade sales on Saturday, a new record for them. "People pretty much cleaned our walls off," said Pam Brown, who owns the gallery with her husband, Martin. One customer alone spent $10,000 on Kinkade pieces, Martin tells Laguna Beach Patch. The Browns had a close business relationship with Kinkade that stretched back 25 years—the gallery's phone number, 888-546-5233, even spells out …
Monday, March 26, 2012
This local dancer shines on and off the stage.
Whiz Kid: Louisa Suyanto School/Grade: Serra Catholic, eighth grade Whiz Kid Achievement: A top dancer on the Rancho Santa Margarita-based OC All-Stars dance team, Louisa also won best performer at the U.S. Spiritleaders Competition in January and recently helped her team take first place at the National All-Star Competition for Dance last weekend in Anaheim. Key to Awesomeness: Louisa Suyanto was in the second grade when she first began dancing with OC Allstars, and seven years later, she’s a shining star on both junior and senior teams. This past weekend, she performed two jazz routines and two pom routines at the National All-Star Competition for Dance at the Anaheim Convention Center, and her team took home several first-place trophies…
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Patch is putting out the call for poets real and imagined to celebrate World Poetry Day. That poem written on a napkin in the shoebox? Give it immortality by posting it here.
It's World Poetry Day today, March 21. So now's a chance for all you Robert Frost wannabes to give your neighbors at Patch a glimpse into your poetic insight. Face it, who among us wasn't once a lovelorn teenager—so we know everyone has written a poem. Feel free to print your poem in the comments, or upload a PDF file if you'd like. Give the world a chance to enjoy the imagery, the passion, the emotion that you've created. And if you've got a limerick, that's fine too—but it A) has to be clean, and B) has to be original; in other words, if you didn't write it, don't post it. The first World Poetry Day took place in 2000, created by the Paris-based United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in the effort to …
Marcia
7:54 am on Sunday, May 6, 2012
I saw Le Miz at Santa Margarita Catholic last week and was blown away by the talent at that school! My husband and I love theater so we decided to see this local performance. It was the best high school musical we've seen and we've seen a lot. more ›