Santa Monica On Ice

It Was Like That When I Got Here!

Finding Santa Monica

Songs and Dances from Around the World

Singing Out Those Holiday Blues

Portraits by Warhol

Free Classical Music for The Family

Tribute to Messiaen

Sasha Cohen
Ice at Santa Monica
Noon – 2:00 pm
Today, Thursday December 6
1324 Fifth Street & Arizona

First off, let’s get one thing clear:  This is not Borat on Ice.  This Sasha Cohen is an Olympic Silver Medalist and 2006 National Figure Skating Champion currently headlining in the Stars on Ice tour.   There will also be a visit from Santa along an appearance by U.S. Champion skater Evan Lysacek.  The Starbucks sponsored ice rink is open to everyone through January 6, 2008.  And let me tell you, there’s nothing like watching skaters effortlessly glide across the ice while palms sway in the fresh sea breezes of Santa Monica Bay.

Now, I don’t want to put a down on your holiday spirits but this is a serious play about a serious topic.  Imagine, hundreds of years from now, the United States is a barely functioning fascist regime- a dark and dangerous place to live. This engaging performance examines the life of a young political rebel, exiled to a small town where he makes the townspeople want much more out of their desperate lives - desires that lead to tragic consequences.

Gifts from Peter Norton: Christian Marclay's music box. Photo Marilynn K. Yee/The New York Times

Every holiday season, the famed Norton Family Foundation commissions a limited edition of a new work by a hot internationally acclaimed artist and distributes them to some very lucky folks.  The Santa Monica Library has assembled the entire set and has them on display.  They’re really fun pieces and I love seeing the new one every year despite the fact that I’m not nearly important enough to be on the gift list!

Following the reception on Friday, the Aero Theatre will be screening The Simpsons Movie.  Call Every Picture Tells a Story now at 310/451.2700 to reserve your free ticket!

Photo by Fabian Lewkowicz

No matter how long you’ve lived in Santa Monica, be it a lifetime or just a month, you’ll have a great time on the Watson Adventures Santa Monica Scramble Scavenger Hunt.  You’ll discover movie locations, public art work and hidden histories as you clamber about giant cannons, examine monstrous store windows and study targets in our local shooting gallery.  I got to be a part of the hunt last year and it was a total blast!  Advanced reservations are required.  For more information or to purchase tickets visit their website or call.

Los Angeles Clarinet Choir in Concert
1:30 pm
Saturday, December 8
Santa Monica Main Library
601 Santa Monica Boulevard
310/458.8600 

Introducing classical musical to someone of any age can be a risky proposition, but the LA Clarinet Choir does the job beautifully.  The 14 member ensemble of clarinetists performs pieces by Bartok, Ponchielli and even John Phillip Sousa.   Halfway through the performance there will be a show-and-tell of all the diffent types of clarinets – soprano, sopranino, alto, bass, basset horn and contrabass.  Who knew there were so many?  I just hope the basset horn doesn’t sound anything like my neighbor’s basset hound!  It’s a free concert with seating on a first come, first served basis starting one hour prior to showtime.

 The Stage at Santa Monica continues its Under The Radar series with a Holiday Cabaret concert of this local, loved duo featuring some of the funniest and most treasured songs of the holiday season.  And if that’s not enough, it will  conclude with a group sing-a-long!  Yes, you can beat the blues by singing White Christmas at that top of your lungs without the neighbors (or their basset hound) pounding on the wall!  I am so there!

Andy Warhol, “Pete Rose”, 1985

Portraits
Andy Warhol
Opening Reception
5:00 – 7:00 pm
Saturday, December 8
Exhibition on display through January 12
Bobbie Greenfield Gallery
Bergamot Station – B6
2525 Michigan Avenue
310/264.0640  

In the 70’s Warhol began to combine the drawn line with his infamous application of commercial silk-screening.  The 10 drawings on view are portraits that he started with a Polaroid picture then, with an overhead projector, he traced the image onto paper, sometimes leaving the drawn line incomplete.  The resulting works are fascinating and fun with a definite tip of the hat to Warhol’s obsession with fame.

Our local symphony offers another of their delightful free concerts this Sunday with a program that includes excerpts from The Marriage of Figaro, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3 (Eroica) and Christopher Rouse’s Flute Concerto with soloist David Shostac.  Under the direction of Allen Robert Gross, these concerts are a true Santa Monica treasure!

Piano Soloist Steven Vanhauwaert

This weekend's Jacaranda performance is a part of a two-year celebration of the 20^th century's greatest lesser-known composer - Olivier Messiaen.  Some of his earliest and loveliest music is on the bill this evening in a lineup that includes compositions by Ravel, Dubussy and Liszt, with Steven Vanhauwaert on the piano and special guest Timothy Loo, founder of the critically acclaimed Denali Quartet, on cello.