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  Thanks to energetic singer-pianist Michael Feinstein, audiences are enjoying Frank Sinatra's music, keeping him in memory alive and well, 17 years after his final curtain call and one hundred years after his birth.   We experienced Feinstein's Sinatra homage at the opening of the Orange County Pacific Symphony's pop season, November 6-7, at the Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California.   It was terrifically fun. Soprano Jessica Rivera opened the evening with a lovely mix of Broadway tunes. After intermission of 25 minutes, Feinstein showered the audience with an 80 minute show - after which many were wishing for more.   Recalling Sinatra's one hundred years is a good reason to celebrate a career that spanned the better part of the 20th century, though his contemporary, Perry Como, is said to have remarked about Sinatra - "We used to be the same age, but now he's younger than me." Como was born in 1912. Apparently,a Sinatra agent shaved some time from Sinatra in the early years, not an uncommon thing to do. And at this stage it hardly matters..   Michael Feinstein, resurrecting Sinatra's song selections, with the magnificent 88-piece Pacific Symphony Pops Orchestra, conducted by Richard Kaufman, conjured the aura of awe and appreciation for ...

ENTER TO WIN A TRIP!  An all-expense paid trip to the Fabulous Food show in Cleveland, OH! Got a funny travel video or photo on hand?  Submit it and you could win a trip to the Fabulous Food Show in Cleveland, Ohio, courtesy of Orbitz, A Fork On The Road and the Fabulous Food Show. Here’s how to enter: 1. Follow @MarkDeCarlo on Twitter and @MarkDeCarloTV on Instagram. 2. Tweet @MarkDeCarlo on Twitter and @MarkDeCarloTV on Instagram your funny travel photo or video (max 30 seconds in length)  both with #AFOTR to qualify to win. Photo or video with the most likes and retweets will win the trip! 3. Enter as many photos and videos as you like with #AFOTR.  All contest entries are due by 11:59pm on Friday, November 6, 2015. Winner will be notified on November 7, 2015, for travel to Cleveland the following weekend. Must be eighteen (18) or older to win. Restrictions apply. SHARE with THIS LINK! [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/users/41358123" params="auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&visual=true" width="100%" height="450" iframe="true" /] OFFICIAL RULES NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES (EXCLUDING PUERTO RICO THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS, AND OTHER COMMONWEALTHS, TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS), 13 YEARS OR OLDER. 1. By entering this CONTEST (the "Contest") and accepting the terms herein, ...

by Angela Rocco DeCarlo Flying low over the Chicago lakefront kindles pride and joy at once again returning home. I always think: Leonardo DaVinci would have given anything to be in my seat. Poor thing...he believed it was possible, but missed the chance by 400 years. First-time visitors to Chicago may be unprepared for the splendor seen from an airplane seat on the way to O'Hare. And that is nothing compared to the delights of Michigan Avenue and the sprawling museum campus along the lakefront with the Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, Adler Planetarium, Aquarium and the jewel in the tiara, the Art Institute of Chicago at Michigan and Monroe. The breathtaking expanse of blue Lake Michigan waters cheek to jowl with sandy beaches, Navy Pier, all crowned with beautiful evocative skyscrapers is nothing short of thrilling, even for a native, currently living in exile in the shadow of Disneyland. Having covered travel, with my column, The Business Traveler, and other articles, I've seen my share of cities in America and Europe...and in my view, none can compare to the visual beauty of Chicago's combination of open skies, majestic buildings and startling quality of summer light, akin to ...

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo When living in Chicago I covered California more frequently than other venues. Health spas. Theme Parks. Beaches. The entire state seemed to be a playland where the perfect entertainment could be located and devoured. Loved it. Now thatI’m living in exile in Southern California it is fun to display the land’s end treasures for Midwesteran pals who come to visit. When my friend, Dianne, and her family visited me recently, I wanted to give her a taste of Orange County, California, to take back against the next nasty Chicago winter. What could be better than lunch on the beach and a shopping spree on Balboa Island? As a Chicagoan I’m fascinated by the surfing culture of the Pacific Ocean beaches. I’ve been to the charming surfing museums in Huntington Beach and get a kick out of watching surfers calculating waves to catch the best ride back onto the sand. In fact, I’m still agog by my son’s next door neighbor’s garage which houses endless racks of wetsuits, ...

What: The hottest summer marketing topics that help brands and businesses build a better online presence. Why: In one full day each attendee will learn tactical formulas they can instantly implement at their company (and network with other professionals). Where: (Above Kitson Store) Santa Monica Place Mall “Expert Dojo” Workspace, 395 Santa Monica Pl, Santa Monica Place, Santa Monica, CA 90401 When: Thursday, July 23rd, 2015 – Checkin: 9:00am to 9:30am – Breakfast & Networking: 9:00am-10:00am – Panel #1 starts promptly at 10:00am (Please don’t be late) – Lunch at Noon – Cocktail hour starts at 5:00pm Who: This event is limited to 120 professionals from brands, businesses, startups and agencies that want to learn key tips and trends from panelists. Join 100+ digital marketers to learn online trends & tactics on July 23rd in Los Angeles. Special Bonus: Our friends at Expert Dojo are offering a free 30 day membership to their business club to anyone that buys a paid ticket to this event. Use their premium workspace for meetings or as a place to build your business. Register To Attend On July 23rd, 2015 professionals in Los Angeles will join us for our second Digital Growth Summit, designed to give them tools to build a powerful online presence for their business. Panel Topics & Agenda ...

[caption id="attachment_3227" align="alignnone" width="400"] Photo Credit: Enrique Ahumada[/caption] Unless, you've been living under a rock watching only Fox news in a cave, you haven't felt the wrath of Latinos and Hispanics in social media, a raging "radio bemba," the term for Latino word of mouth. Once adored and imitated by many, today, Donald Trump, is hated and scolded by major media moguls and celebrities alike for his anti-Mexican comments. Former Miss USA co-host Roselyn Sánchez and Christian De La Fuente have publicly condemned Donald Trump for his behavior and have withdrawn their support from the competition. Natalie La Rose will no longer be performing at the Miss USA event, according to Billboard. According to CNN, Univision, NBC and Televisa have backed away from Trump, and on Wednesday, Macy's announced that it was removing Trump merchandising from its stores after 700,000 people signed a MoveOn.org petition. CNN also reports: "Latin artists Juanes, Shakira, Maná and Eugenio Derbez offered support in videos and in comments during their concerts. In solidarity, Ricky Martin moved his foundation's golf tournament from a Trump golf course in Puerto Rico to another venue. And Miss Universe sponsors such as Farouk Systems Inc. withdrew from the Miss USA pageant. Latinos took to ...

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo "Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as I Remember It" Music and Life Story performed by his son, Frank Sinatra, Jr. Segerstrom Hall, Costa Mesa Saturday, May 2, 2015   Frank Sinatra arrived 100 years ago and for the better part of the last century he was in the limelight in films, stage performances and recorded music...How fortunate for fans we live in an age when the best of Sinatra can be conjured electronically and presented onstage, as it will be Saturday night for the show's world premiere at the Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California. His son, Frank Jr, has created "Sinatra Sings Sinatra, as I remember It," to remind us what is now missing from the cultural arena. Back in Chicago when my father-in-law took our three school age sons to see Frank Sinatra, my husband and I couldn't be bothered. So the four DeCarlo men became a band of brothers seeing as many shows as possible while we continued to ignore him. That was until Frank Sinatra opened a new outdoor theater on the far South Side of Chicago and I had an assignment to cover it. Well, sitting in the sixth row, so close I marveled at his perfectly creased midnight blue tuxedo trousers, which ...

Stella Rosa®, America’s favorite semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wine, extended its line this week with the dazzling arrival of its newest luxury flavor, Stella Rosa Platinum. This astronomical wine bursts with natural flavors of crisp green apple, vanilla, and fragrant elderflower, all of which offer a touch of sweetness and a refreshing finish. Stella Rosa Platinum is best served chilled with fresh fruit, cheeses, spicy cuisines, and desserts. Stella Rosa Platinum is available at San Antonio Winery tasting rooms in Los Angeles, Ontario, and Paso Robles, and will soon be hitting its full launch in mid-March. San Antonio Winery’s Stella Rosa brand is the original semi-sweet, semi-sparkling wine, owned and imported by the Riboli family. Grapes for Stella Rosa Platinum are harvested in the northern region of Piedmont, Italy. In the past three years, Stella Rosa has seen incomparable growth and was deemed a “Hot Brand” by Impact Magazine in 2014. To earn “Hot Brand” acclaim, wines must achieve double-digit growth in the past three consecutive years. For more information visit http://stellarosawines.com/the-future-is-coming/ or http://sanantoniowinery.com/.   About San Antonio Winery: San Antonio Winery remains the longest and largest producing winery in Los Angeles with over 98 years of winemaking under its belt, making it an essential component ...

You have one last chance to see Maestro Carl St. Clair and Pacific Symphony's semi-staged live performance of Georges Bizet's (1838-1875) masterpiece opera, "Carmen" as it takes the stage Tuesday, February 24, 8 p.m., at the Costa Mesa, CA, Segerstrom Concert Hall. Having seen "Carmen" several times in full productions, I knew this was a show which could be effective in a concert format. And it was. The spectacularly beautiful voices carry the story of a hapless Spanish soldier, Don Jose, who falls under the enchantment of the gypsy cigarette factory girl, Carmen, who knows no loyalty or duty except to her romantic desires. This production is rich in talent: Milena Kitic, a Newport Beach resident, and world-acclaimed mezzo-soprano, plays Carmen as a beautiful woman supremely confident in her allure. Andrew Richards, tenor, seen as the duke in the late Opera Pacific's "Rigoletto," is mesmerized instantly by Carmen. Konstantin Smorigina, bass-baritone, is bullfighter Escamillo, who has been adored by everyone, so of course, Carmen must have him. Elizabeth Caballero, soprano, is Micaela, Don Jose's endlessly loyal hometown girl. The supporting cast of soldiers and smugglers are wittily engaging with beautiful voices. Andrew Gangestad, bass, another Opera Pacific singer, is Don Jose's superior ...

Pizzelle’s come from Italy. They are also known as Italian wafer cookies and there are various ways which to spell pizzelle such as “piazelle,” “piazella,” “pizzele” and “pizelle.” The name comes from the Italian word “pizze” for round and flat. Many different cultures have adapted this cookie and re-named it accordingly. In Scandinavia they are also known as “Lukken” and the Krumcake is baked using a similar iron as the pizzelle. In some parts of Italy, the irons would be made with family crests on them which would be passed down to each generation. Learn more about the interesting History of Pizzelles. Pizzelles are eaten flat or folded into cone shapes that are filled with ice cream and other sweets.   Italian Pizzelles  Italian Wafer Cookies Recipe: Recipe Type: Cookies, Christmas Cookie Cuisine: Italian Yields: 30 Pizzelles Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 1 min Ingredients: 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3 eggs, beaten 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup butter, melted 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract 1 teaspoon anise seeds Powdered (confectioners) sugar Preparation: In a bowl, sift together the flour and baking powder. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar, Add the melted butter, vanilla extract, and anise seeds. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth. Preheat your ...