Vampire Diaries panel coming to Paley Center for Media Arts

Los Angeles Life and Style Entertainment News

Beverly Hills, Calif. –  The Paley Center for Media will present The Vampire Diaries panel on March 10, at 7 p.m. “I shot a hybrid in the back and chopped his head off with a meat cleaver. Typical Sunday, huh?” So says one of the denizens of Mystic Falls, and his assessment of just one of the increasingly unsettling supernatural events wreaking havoc in this small Virginia town in which The Vampire Diaries takes place is spot on. Now in its third season, Diaries continues the story of the Salvatore Brothers, feuding bloodsuckers both in love with Elena Gilbert, as each of them tries to put a stop to the most feared of vampires, Klaus, in his quest for unprecedented power. A key contributor to the current craze for love and intrigue among the walking dead, Diaries remains the CW’s most highly rated series.

March 10, 2012

The Vampire Diaries

Saturday, March 10, 2012
7:00 pm PT
Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills

In Person

Julie Plec, Executive Producer
Nina Dobrev, “Elena Gilbert”
Paul Wesley, “Stefan Salvatore”
Ian Somerhalder, “Damon Salvatore”
Candice Accola, “Caroline Forbes”
Matthew Davis, “Alaric Saltzman”
Moderator: Debra Birnbaum, TV Guide Magazine

Individual tickets on sale to Members January 13 at 9:00 am PT, on sale to General Public January 15 at 9:00 am PT on Ticketweb.com.

Orchestra Front:
General Public $75 / Members $60
Orchestra: $45 / $35
Orchestra Rear: $35 / $25
Mezzanine: $35 / $25
Balcony: $25 / $15

Please note: Events and panelists are subject to change.

http://www.cwtv.com/cw-video/the-vampire-diaries

 

For more info visit:

http://www.paleycenter.org/paleyfest2012-thevampirediaries

Chinese VP Visits L.A.

Chinese VP Visits L.A.

(CNS) Posted Thursday February 16, 2012– 10:10am

Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is expected to be the next president of the world’s most populous nation, comes to Los Angeles today for a quick visit expected to include a visit to the Port of Los Angeles, the announcement of an entertainment deal involving a major studio, and an economic forum downtown.

Xi, whose visit is the first to Los Angeles by a high-level Chinese official in 13 years, also will watch Friday’s Los Angeles Lakers game with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa before flying home.

Analysts say the trip could offer an important Sino-American relationship-building opportunity in the shipping, tourism and entertainment industries. They also expect Villaraigosa and Gov. Jerry Brown to push hard for Chinese investment in a planned high-speed rail project from Los Angeles to San Francisco and regional L.A. County transit projects.

Xi is scheduled to arrive at Los Angeles International Airport from Iowa around 1:30 p.m. Brown and Villaraigosa will be at LAX to welcome Xi, who experts believe will become China’s president next year and hold the post for 10 years.

The officials will then travel to the Port of Los Angeles to visit the China Shipping terminal, which is undergoing a $121 million expansion that will more than double its space at the port to 142 acres.

Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Geraldine Knatz said she is honored to host Xi.

“For many years, China has been and continues to be the port’s leading trading partner in terms of both imports and exports,” Knatz said. In 2011, total trade between China and the Port of L.A. was valued at more than $133 billion.

Members of the Tibetan Association of Northern California, which supports Tibetan autonomy and accuses China of human rights violations, are expected to arrive by bus in Southern California today to protest Xi’s visit.

“This is a big opportunity for us to show the Chinese officials that all Tibetans stand in solidarity, and we will continue to fight for our country,” the group said on its website.

Xi has no public events tonight but a packed schedule on Friday, when he is expected to announce a deal with DreamWorks Animation to jointly build and operate a studio in Shanghai with two state-owned Chinese media companies, Shanghai Media Group and China Media Capital.

The deal, which would have the three companies produce original films and television programs for the Chinese audience, would give DreamWorks Animation the most significant access to China’s media market of any company, the Financial Times reported.

Xi, Commerce Secretary John Bryson and Villaraigosa will speak at the China-U.S. Economic Trade Forum at the JW Marriott near L.A. Live Friday morning. Afterward, Xi, Bryson and Villaraigosa plan to rendezvous with Vice President Joe Biden at a Los Angeles school before a welcome luncheon hosted by Villaraigosa at the JW Marriott.

Chinese officials will also attend a private agreement-signing between city officials and the Chinese telecommunications company ZTE Corporation. The city will commit to helping the company find possible sites for expansion and network with possible clients in the city. ZTE will commit to expand the company’s scope in Los Angeles.

Also on Friday, Brown will host a U.S. and Chinese Governors’ Roundtable at Walt Disney Concert Hall starting at 3:30 p.m.

Xi’s visit comes on the heels of Villaraigosa’s trade mission to China and other Asian countries in December, when the two met to discuss trade and business opportunities in the city.

“I am honored that Vice President Xi Jinping accepted my invitation to visit Los Angeles as we continue to foster relationships that were renewed during my trade mission to China in December,” Villaraigosa said this week. “I am committed to strengthening our local economy by expanding Chinese trade, tourism and investment in Los Angeles and exploring ways that we can expand local business opportunities in China.”

Chinese-owned businesses in the city employ about 600 people and pay $32 million in wages, according to the mayor’s office.

Xi’s visit is largely intended to send symbolic messages to the Chinese public, said Clayton Dube, associate director of the U.S.-China Institute at the University of Southern California. It will communicate that succession is proceeding in orderly fashion and that the U.S.-China relationship is an important tie that both sides are trying to improve, he said.

An investment delegation from Chongqing, one of China’s fastest growing cities, will be looking at ways to invest in shipping infrastructure, tourism- related businesses, film and video partnerships and possibly transportation projects, Dube said.

Villaraigosa is also looking to Chinese companies for investment in regional transportation projects and a high-speed rail line connecting Los Angeles to San Francisco.

“Yes, that’s one of the things I’d like to talk to (Xi) about and look forward to working with him,” Villaraigosa told City News Service. “What it will be is an opportunity to participate in what should be one of the most significant projects of its kind in our state’s history.” Kenneth Lieberthal, director of the John L. Thornton China Center at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C., said that “the biggest issues out there in terms of economic relations, is whether China begins to invest seriously in real assets in the U.S., assuming partial ownership of businesses here, not just treasuries and agency debt.”

The prospect of transportation investments becoming the first high- profile test of how Americans react to Chinese co-ownership of public assets seems “perfectly feasible,” he said.

“Foreign ownership even of toll roads has been politically difficult elsewhere in the U.S.,” Lieberthal said.

Villaraigosa said co-ownership is not the focus of talks at this point.

“They’re not looking at that as much, certainly, as they are at a rate of return,” Villaraigosa said.

Xi’s delegation includes China’s ministers of foreign affairs, education and agriculture, the vice minister of commerce, a trade representative, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, other senior government officials and embassy and consular staff.

Xi will conclude his trip Friday night by joining Villaraigosa in attending the Lakers game against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center. He’s scheduled to leave Friday around 10 p.m. from LAX.

Copyright © 2012 CNS

‘Rock of Ages’ returns to the Pantages in Hollywood starring Dominique Scott in vintage 1980’s redux.

The cast of 'Rock of Ages' - coming to the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, March 20-25. Photo by Scott Suchman

Los Angeles Life and Style Entertainment News

Eighties themed ‘Rock of Ages’ returns to the Pantages for limited engagement, March 20-25, starring Dominique Scott as Drew in anticipation of New Line Cinema’s summer film release starring Tom Cruise in the movie version. 

Hollywood, Calf. – Following a highly successfully L.A. premiere this past February 2011, ROCK OF AGES, the five-time Tony Award® nominated smash-hit musical, will return to Los Angeles for a strictly limited, face-melting one week engagement March 20 – 25, 2012 at the Pantages Theatre. L.A. audiences were so amped during the show‟s premiere engagement that it was clear those die-hard fans who continued singing “Don’t Stop Believin’” down Hollywood Boulevard as they left the Pantages Theatre hadn‟t been rocked hard enough!
Tickets for ROCK OF AGES may be purchased online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by phone at 1-800-982-2787. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Pantages Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, just east of Vine Street, and the box office opens daily at 10am.
Leading the cast of ROCK OF AGES are Dominique Scott as Drew, Shannon Mullen as Sherrie, Matt Ban as Dennis, Matt Nolan as Stacee Jaxx, Justin Colombo as Lonny, Stephen Michael Kane as Franz, Amma Osei as Justice, Phillip Peterson as Hertz, Katie Postotnik as Regina and Chris Sams as Mayor / Ja‟Keith.
Rounding out the company are Joey Elrose, Wesley Faucher, Lisa Finegold, Tymisha “tush” Harris, Alyssa Herrera, Patrick Joyce and Danny McHugh.
It’s 1987 on the Sunset Strip, a small-town girl met a big-city dreamer – and in L.A.‟s most legendary rock club, they fall in love to the greatest songs of the „80‟s. It‟s ROCK OF AGES, a hilarious, feel-good love story told through the hit songs of iconic rockers Journey, Styx, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, Pat Benatar, Whitesnake, and many more.
Los Angeles paints the backdrop for ROCK OF AGES both on stage and throughout its development. The King King club is the Hollywood Boulevard nightclub where the earliest incarnation of ROCK OF AGES opened in July of 2005. After playing four shows over two days at King King, the show played one show in August 2005 at the Warner Brothers soundstage in Los Angeles. In January 2006, the show premiered at the Hollywood nightclub, The Vanguard, where it played for six weeks.
ROCK OF AGES‟ New York story began off Broadway in the fall of 2008, and success lead to the Great White Way. ROCK OF AGES opened April 7, 2009 on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. The show received widespread critical acclaim and became the sleeper hit of the season, capturing five 2009 Tony Award nominations including Best Musical. In July 2009, New Line Records released the Original Broadway Cast Recording, featuring 28 songs from the show.
The Hollywood rags-to-riches story of ROCK OF AGES appears to have some staying power. A New Line Cinema/Warner Bros. film of the musical, directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray), is scheduled to be released this June. The film will star Tom Cruise, Russell Brand, Alec Baldwin Julianne Hough and newcomer Diego Boneta as “Drew”.
ROCK OF AGES is directed by Tony Award Nominee Kristin Hanggi (Bare, Pussycat Dolls on the Sunset Strip) and choreographed by Kelly Devine (Jersey Boys – Associate Choreographer). With a book by Chris D‟Arienzo (writer and director of the film Barry Munday), original arrangements by David Gibbs (Counting Crows, Film: That Thing You Do) and the Music Supervision, Arrangements & Orchestrations by Ethan Popp (Tarzan; Europe: We Will Rock You, Mamma Mia).
ROCK OF AGES features set design by Beowulf Boritt (Spelling Bee, LoveMusik), costume design by Tony Nominee Gregory Gale (Cyrano, The Wedding Singer), lighting design by Jason Lyons (The Threepenny Opera), sound design by Craig Cassidy (Phantom, Mamma Mia), and projection design is by Zachary Borovay (A Catered Affair).
ROCK OF AGES is produced by Phoenix Entertainment.
The performance schedule for ROCK OF AGES is Tuesday through Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 1pm & 6:30pm.
ROCK OF AGES has a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes including intermission and is recommended for ages 14 and up. (Please note that in consideration of audiences, no one under 5 will be admitted to the theatre.)
Orchestra level tickets for ROCK OF AGES start at just $25. Prices are subject to change without notice.
For more information on ROCK OF AGES, please visit www.RockOfAgesMusical.com.
For tickets or more information about ROCK OF AGES‟s Los Angeles engagement, please visit the Pantages Theatre‟s official website, www.BroadwayLA.org.

Music legend Paul McCartney to be honored with his star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame in celebration of new release, ‘Kisses on the Bottom’

PaulMcCartney.com is very pleased to announce that Paul will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Feb. 9, 2012.

Los Angeles Life and Style News

Hollywood, Calif. – Continuing with Hollywood’s 125th birthday celebration, the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce that music legend Paul McCartney will be honored with his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. McCartney’s star will be lined up on the famed walk alongside his fellow Beatles, Ringo Starr, George Harrison and John Lennon in front of the famed historic Capitol Records building located at 1750 N. Vine Street.

The event coincides with McCartney’s forthcoming release of Kisses on the Bottom. A concert will stream live on Thursday from Capitol Studios.

Paul McCartney was born in Liverpool on June 18, 1942. He was raised in the city and educated at the Liverpool Institute. Having changed the world of music forever with The Beatles, McCartney has continued to push boundaries for more than 40 years as a solo artist, member of Wings, Brit award-winning classical composer, half of the experimental project The Fireman, and composer for the New York City Ballet with last year’s classical work Ocean’s Kingdom. His newest adventure is Kisses On The Bottom (out February 7 on Hear Music/Concord),a collection of standards beloved to Paul since childhood as well as two new McCartney compositions ‘My Valentine’ and ‘Only Our Hearts.’ Created with the help of Grammy Award-winning producer Tommy LiPuma and Diana Krall and her band—as well as guest appearances from Eric Clapton and Stevie Wonder—Kisses On The Bottom is the first record in McCartney’s historic oeuvre to feature him almost exclusively on vocals.

Since writing his first song at the age of 14, McCartney has always followed his own unique muse while changing the course of musical history. It’s borderline ludicrous to attempt to describe the past, present and future impact of The Beatles and their legendary albums Please Please Me, With The Beatles, A Hard Day’s Night, Beatles For Sale, Help!, Rubber Soul, Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles (a/k/a The White Album), Yellow Submarine, Abbey Road and Let It Be—so suffice to say that The Beatles’ 1 compilation was the biggest selling album of the first new millennial decade of 2000-2010.

Paul’s output through the ‘70s to the present has been one of unflagging energy and influence, debuting as a solo artist with 1970’s timeless McCartney followed by 1971’s rustic classic RAM by Paul and Linda McCartney,then with Wings efforts including the currently Grammy-nominated Band On The Run, Venus and Mars, Wings at The Speed Of Sound and London Town, and following that as a solo artist again, with highlights including the ahead-of-its-time 1980 reinvention McCartney II, 1982’s Tug Of War, 1989’s Flowers In The Dirt, 1997’s Flaming Pie, 2005’s Chaos And Creation In The Backyard and 2007’s Memory Almost Full. In 2008, The Fireman, his collaborative project with revered producer Youth, released Electric Arguments, which generated rave reviews, yielded a live favorite of the current McCartney set list in ‘Sing The Changes,’ and topped the Billboard Independent Album Charts.

A 14-time Grammy winner and recipient of The Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement and Trustees Awards, McCartney’s list of accolades reads like no other: 2012 will see Paul adding MusiCares Person of the Year to this unrivalled list when this special award is presented to him on February 10. It will recognize both his incomparable creative achievements and his lifelong commitment to charitable work, which includes decades’ worth of philanthropic activities for PETA, LIPA, One Voice, The Vegetarian Society, Nordoff Robins and Adopt-A-Mine-Field—not to mention his participation in historic benefit concerts including Live Aid in 1985, The Concert for New York City in 2001, and Live 8 in 2005.

McCartney’s many other citations have included the 2008 Brit award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, an honorary doctorate of music from Yale University, his 1999 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and of course being knighted in in 1996 by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to music. He is the first-ever British recipient of the prestigious Gershwin Prize For Popular Song. He is also a Kennedy Center Honoree. 2012 and, as ever, brings an infinite set of new possibilities for Paul McCartney. If any new musical frontier awaits—be it an entirely new musical medium or genre, a city or song he’s never played before, or something the cleverest among us has yet to imagine–rest assured Paul is already on his way there… www.paulmccartney.com For more information and to view who shares a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, visit www.walkoffame.com

William Shatner’s One Man Show beaming into Los Angeles’s Pantages Theatre on March 10th

Los Angeles Life and Style Entertainment News

Hollywood, Calif. –   William Shatner will bring his one man show SHATNER’S WORLD: WE JUST LIVE IN IT (www.shatnersworld.com) to the Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles  for one performance only on March 10 at 8pm.  Tickets go on sale February 4th at 10:00 a.m. The show comes to L.A. direct from Broadway, where it will play a three week run at the Music Box Theatre from February 14 – March 4.

Tickets for SHATNER’S WORLD: WE JUST LIVE IN IT start at just $39.00.  A limited number of VIP tickets will be available that include prime seating, a limited edition numbered tour poster and access to a post-show Meet & Greet with a opportunity for signing and photo with William Shatner. Prices are subject to change without notice.  Tickets for SHATNER’S WORLD: WE JUST LIVE IN IT may be purchased online at www.BroadwayLA.org or by phone at 1-800-982-2787.  Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Pantages Box Office and all Ticketmaster outlets. The Pantages Theatre is located at 6233 Hollywood Boulevard, just east of Vine Street, and the box office is open Tue-Fri 10am-6pm and Sat-Sun 10am-2pm.

The two-hour show will take audiences on a voyage through Shatner’s life and career, from Shakespearean stage actor to internationally known icon and raconteur, known as much for his unique persona as for his expansive body of work on television and film.

“I’m looking forward to taking this show on the road and playing for audiences across the country, says William Shatner. “It’s taken me 80 years to get this show right! “

SHATNER’S WORLD: WE JUST LIVE IN IT is produced by Innovation Arts & Entertainment; Larry A Thompson Organization; Adam Troy Epstein; Larry A Thompson; Seth Keyes; and Josh Sherman.  The show is directed by Scott Faris.  Other creative team members include:  Edward Pierce, Scenic Design; Ken Billington, Lighting Design; and Peter Fitzgerald, Sound Design.

For tour updates follow @WilliamShatner or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ShatnersWorld

William Shatner is an award-winning actor, director, producer, writer, recording artist, philanthropist and horseman.   In 1966, he originated the role of Captain James T. Kirk in the TV series Star Trek, which spawned a film franchise where he returned as Kirk in seven of the movies, one of which he directed.   He played the title role in the hit series T.J. Hooker before hosting TV’s first reality-based series, Rescue 911.   He won Emmys and his first Golden Globe for his portrayal of Denny Crane on The Practice and Boston Legal and received four more Emmy nominations as well as Golden Globe and SAG Award nods. His interview series, Shatner’s Raw Nerve, aired on Bio, and he recorded the critically acclaimed album Has Been. The Milwaukee Ballet performed “Common People,” which was set to songs from the record; the event is featured in the documentary Gonzo Ballet.  Seeking Major Tom, featuring a number of heavy metal covers and songs by U2, Frank Sinatra, Queen and Pink Floyd, was released last year. Shatner has authored nearly 30 best-sellers.

His autobiography, Up Till Now, was a New York Times best-seller, and Shatner Rules was released in 2011.  His comic book series,William Shatner Presents is based on his novels Tek War, Man O’ War, and Quest for Tomorrow, along with a new title: Chimera.  He has also been successful in another area – horse breeding.  A dedicated breeder of American Quarter horses, he has had enormous success with the American Saddlebred, developing and riding world champions and has won numerous world championships in several events.  He united his passions for horses and philanthropy with the Hollywood Charity Horse Show, benefitting L.A.-based children’s charities. He appeared on Broadway in A Shot in the Dark, The World of Suzie Wong, and Tamburlaine the Great. And no, there is nothing this man does not do.

2012 U.S. Tour Dates

March 10                 Los Angeles, CA                 Pantages Theatre

March 11                 San Francisco, CA               Orpheum Theatre

March 13                 Philadelphia, PA                  Merriam Theater

March 15                 Minneapolis, MN                Orpheum Theatre

March 16                 Chicago, IL                       Auditorium Theatre

March 18                 Milwaukee, WI                   Riverside Theatre

March 20                 Denver, CO                       Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre

March 22                 Dallas, TX                         Majestic Theatre

March 23                 Houston, TX                      Jones Hall

April 12                   St. Louis, MO                    Peabody Opera House

April 13                   Cincinnati, OH                    Proctor and Gamble Hall

April 14                   Cleveland, OH                    State Theatre

April 15                   Columbus, OH                   Ohio Theatre

April 17                   Charlotte, NC                     Blumenthal Center

April 19                   Detroit, MI                        Opera House