I explored in a feature article the lay of the land when it comes to low cost mental health services. The consensus was that although there are excellent community counseling centers hereabouts and County Mental Health, which receives very mixed reviews, is trying its best to bring services up to par for the more seriously impaired or financially restricted.
“We’re trying to keep it fresh, to deepen the experience,” said Barbara Greenleaf, prime mover and president of the Santa Barbara Jewish Film Festival. “In a way, you could say a film is not a film is not a film here.” In other words, for the makers of the third annual film fest, it’s not art for art’s sake.
It was one of those weird, mysterious moments when players accustomed to butting heads and locking horns stumbled accidentally into a state of agreement that could add decades to the life of the South Coast’s landfill, produce enough clean energy to power 3,000 households, keep methane out of the atmosphere, and increase recycling and diversion by about 75 percent.
I think of this as a workshop,” offered Lyle Lovett dryly as he looked along the line of seated performers. John Hiatt reeled back in laughter. Joe Ely smirked and rolled his eyes. The comment even jolted Guy Clarke from the meditative state he adopted for most of the night.
In decorous rows and wearing elaborate masks, fine men and ladies of Boston high society danced across the stage, singing, “Life is a seductive dream,” as Verdi’s A Masked Ball reached its bloody climax.
Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) head Roger Durling this week was named the program director for the American Pavilion (ampav.com) at the Cannes Film Festival. The Pavilion is the communication and hospitality area for Americans at Canneswhich Durling calls “the mothership of all festivals”where panels are held and press, celebrities, and fans hang out.
The air was charged with anticipation last Wednesday night at SOhO for the Corporate Nightmare CD release party, a long-awaited event one-and-one-half years in the making. Both The White Fires of Venus and Zach Madden were dropping their new albums, and the crowd was eager to see what the hype was all about.
OF BABIES AND BATHWATER: The folks at City Hall should know by now it’s not polite to gloat. But sometimes it’s impossible to resist, and such was clearly the case this Tuesday afternoon.
State Street Ballet is holding auditions for dancers to join the company, as well as providing the opportunity for dancers ages 12-21 to take part in its summer intensive program which starts June 25 and runs through July 22.
What do 32 massed Russian violinists sound like? The National Philharmonic of Russia (NPR) roared into town last week, courtesy of Community Arts Music Association, to answer that question, and much, much more.
