‘Titanic’ star, Frances sheds light on energy concervation efforts in Old Town Newhall

OLD TOWN NEWHALL TRANSFORMATION BRINGS PRAISE –

By Margie Anne Clark
Newhall Calif. – Frances Fisher, actress and Environmental Media Association (EMA) Board Member paid a visit today to Old Town Newhall, home of the Walk of Western Stars – in support of green energy changes that are being made as part of the historic downtown area’s revitalization.
Frances Fisher, Actress and EMA Board Member addresses local dignitaries in Old Town Newhall. Photo by Margie Anne ClarkThe City of Santa Clarita is transforming the once-neglected area into a neighborhood of mixed residential and commercial uses that are strategically close to public transit services and centered on streets that are safe and pedestrian friendly.Santa Clarita’s vision for the Old Town transformation brought praise today from the Environmental Media Association (EMA) and California Green Communities.

“Old Town Newhall – where Hollywood meets Heldorado – is being reshaped by the City of Santa Clarita into a real star,” said Debbie Levin, EMA President. “Old Town will become an inspiration for community design in other cities that want to become more sustainable.”

Speaking before an invited crowd of community and business leaders in front of the Canyon Theatre Guild, Santa Clarita Mayor Marsha McLean spoke about the City’s Downtown Newhall Specific Plan. The Plan was adopted in 2005 and is guiding Old Town improvements.

“This is part of Santa Clarita’s ongoing commitment to smart, environmentally friendly development,” said Mayor McLean. “Our Plan calls for transit-oriented development – which means that people who live, work and do business in downtown Newhall will be able to rely less on their cars.”

The city has just finished the second phase of “streetscaping” work in Old Town Newhall, which has been spruced up with new brick sidewalks and crosswalks, drought-friendly landscaping and bicycle parking.

Santa Clarita is one of 10 southern California cities currently participating in the California Green Communities challenge. Each city has designed a unique plan to address sustainable activities from energy efficiency and conservation to green building, recycling and waste reduction, efficient transportation, land use and community design and other areas. View Santa Clarita’s action plan.

ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION

The Environmental Media Association (EMA) is a Non-Profit 501(c)(3) Organization founded in 1989 by Cindy and Alan Horn and Lyn and Norman Lear. www.ema-online.org

EMA is dedicated to harnessing the power of celebrity and the media to promote sustainable lifestyles and believes through positive role modeling the entertainment community can inspire consumers to take action. The organization has grown into a diverse group of industry professionals from film, television and music dedicated to the mission of promoting environmental awareness through the entertainment business and the media.  EMA serves as a valuable link between the entertainment industry and the environmental community.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA GREEN COMMUNITIES
California Green Communities (CGC) is a project of USA Green Communities, Inc., a non-profit benefit corporation. www.cagreencom.org
CGC is an environmental recognition program that fosters innovative ways for cities in southern California to reduce carbon emissions and energy consumption, while building vibrant, sustainable communities. Cities currently participating in the program include Claremont, Culver City, Los Angeles, Monrovia, Redlands, Riverside, San Gabriel, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica and Simi Valley.

NATIONAL TOUR OF BROADWAY’S SMASH HIT WEST SIDE STORY CELEBRATED ITS LOS ANGELES PREMIERE WITH A STAR-STUDDED OPENING at the PANTAGES THEATRE, HOLLYWOOD.

By Margie Anne Clark

Hollywood, Calif.– The stars came out to shine as West Side Story celebrated its Los Angeles Premiere with Celebrities from the worlds of Broadway, film and television celebrated on on the red carpet at the Pantages Theatre on Wednesday.  The fun continued with an after party at Ivan Kane’s Cafe to celebrate the arrival of this classic treasure of American theatre.
Jennifer Love Hewitt talks to Entertainment Tonight on the red carpet at the opening night of Broadway LA’s revival of ‘West Side Story’ at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood on Dec. 1, 2010. Photo by Margie Anne Clark / Los Angeles Life and Style
Vanessa L. Williams walks the red carpet at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood during the opening night of ‘West Side Story, ‘ Dec. 1, 2010.  Photo by Margie Anne Clark / Los Angeles Life and Style

Attendees included such Hollywood favorites as original West Side Story film stars George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Vanessa Williams, Eric Stonestreet, James Denton, Christopher McDonald, Cloris Leachman, Melora Hardin, Lea Thompson, Melinda Clarke, Sofia Milos, John McCook, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Robert Morse, Kenny Ortega, Masiela Lusha, Kate Linder, Barry Williams, Nia Vardalos, Jo Anne Worley, Kym Johnson, Nolan Gould, Ken Davitian, Marcia Wallace, Lainie Kazan, Jenna Leigh Green, Mindy Sterling, Jai Rodriguez, Robin Antin, Romi Dames, Lauren Storm, Charlene Amoia, Jason Robert Brown & Georgia Stitt, John Lloyd Young, Katherine Tokarz, Josh Sussman, Rosanna Pansino, Anne Jeffreys, Kat Kramer and Tim Martin Gleason.

Kenny Ortega at the red carpet ceremonies during the opening night of ‘West Side Story‘ at The Pantages. Photo by Margie Anne Clark / Los Angeles Life and Style

WEST SIDE STORY is now playing in Los Angeles at the Pantages Theatre this holiday season through Sunday January 2nd, 2011.

For more information on WEST SIDE STORY, please visitwww.BroadwayWestSideStory.com.

The Pantages Theatre is located in Hollywood at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard at Vine Street.

The Pantages Theatre engagement of WEST SIDE STORY will feature two performance schedules. Performances now through December 19 will be Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm. The performance schedule for holiday weeks, December 21-January 2, will be Tuesday & Wednesday at 8pm, Thursday at 2pm & 8pm, Friday at 2pm, Saturday at 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm.

Regular tickets for WEST SIDE STORY range in price from $25 – $100. Prices are subject to change without notice.

WEST SIDE STORY is produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman / Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman / Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company and Broadway Across America.

WEST SIDE STORY is presented locally by Broadway/L.A. as the first show of its 2010-2011 Season.

For more information, please visit the Pantages Theatre’s official website:www.BroadwayLA.org.

ABOUT THE SHOW:
Los Angeles Premiere! More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it’s back on Broadway mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director of Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely. WEST SIDE STORY remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

See LA Times review byhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/12/theater-review-west-side-story-at-the-pantages-theatre.htmlhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/12/theater-review-west-side-story-at-the-pantages-theatre.html

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG
The Pantages Theatre
Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:30pm

Info | Buy
HAIR
The Pantages Theatre
January 5 – 23, 2011

Info | Buy
TRACES
The Ricardo Montalban Theatre
January 11 – February 13, 2011

Info | Buy
SPRING AWAKENING
The Pantages Theatre
February 8 – 13, 2011

Info
ROCK OF AGES
The Pantages Theatre
February 15 – 27, 2011

Info | Buy
AVENUE Q
The Pantages Theatre
March 1 – 6, 2011

Info
Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The Pantages Theatre
March 9 – 26, 2011

Info
RAIN
The Pantages Theatre
April 12 – 17, 2011

Info
BURN THE FLOOR
The Pantages Theatre
April 26 – May 8, 2011

Info
SHREK THE MUSICAL
The Pantages Theatre
July 12-31, 2011

© Copyright 2001-2005 Broadway/LA -Nederlander.Inc – All rights reserved

Regular tickets for WEST SIDE STORY range in price from $25 – $100. Prices are subject to change without notice.

WEST SIDE STORY is produced by Kevin McCollum, James L. Nederlander, Jeffrey Seller with Terry Allen Kramer, Sander Jacobs, Roy Furman / Jill Furman Willis, Freddy DeMann, Robyn Goodman / Walt Grossman, Hal Luftig, Roy Miller, The Weinstein Company and Broadway Across America.

WEST SIDE STORY is presented locally by Broadway/L.A. as the first show of its 2010-2011 Season.

For more information, please visit the Pantages Theatre’s official website:www.BroadwayLA.org.

ABOUT THE SHOW:
Los Angeles Premiere! More than fifty years ago one musical changed theater forever. Now it’s back on Broadway mesmerizing audiences once again. From the first note to the final breath, WEST SIDE STORY soars as the greatest love story of all time. Tony Award-winning librettist Arthur Laurents’ Broadway direction will be recreated for the tour by David Saint, the Associate Director of Broadway. The original Jerome Robbins choreography is reproduced by Tony Award-nominee Joey McKneely. WEST SIDE STORY remains as powerful, poignant and timely as ever. The new Broadway cast album of WEST SIDE STORY recently won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album. The Bernstein and Sondheim score is considered to be one of Broadway’s finest and features such classics of the American musical theatre as “Something’s Coming,” “Tonight,” “America,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Somewhere.”

See LA Times review byhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/12/theater-review-west-side-story-at-the-pantages-theatre.htmlhttp://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/12/theater-review-west-side-story-at-the-pantages-theatre.html

JOHN LLOYD YOUNG
The Pantages Theatre
Monday, December 13, 2010 at 7:30pm

Info | Buy
HAIR
The Pantages Theatre
January 5 – 23, 2011

Info | Buy
TRACES
The Ricardo Montalban Theatre
January 11 – February 13, 2011

Info | Buy
SPRING AWAKENING
The Pantages Theatre
February 8 – 13, 2011

Info
ROCK OF AGES
The Pantages Theatre
February 15 – 27, 2011

Info | Buy
AVENUE Q
The Pantages Theatre
March 1 – 6, 2011

Info
Disney’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
The Pantages Theatre
March 9 – 26, 2011

Info
RAIN
The Pantages Theatre
April 12 – 17, 2011

Info
BURN THE FLOOR
The Pantages Theatre
April 26 – May 8, 2011

Info
SHREK THE MUSICAL
The Pantages Theatre
July 12-31, 2011

© Copyright 2001-2005 Broadway/LA -Nederlander.Inc – All rights reserved