Miscellaneous

By Angela Rocco DeCarlo Warning: This is not an unbiased review. I love Las Brisas Restaurant for its incomparable location. The place is quaint, just comfortable enough to satisfy, with flashy rose gardens in seasonal bloom,  but make no mistake, it is the ocean which holds pride of place. It sits on a promontory overlooking the sun-dappled Pacific Ocean, with curving Laguna Beach to the south replicating vistas of  Italy’s Sorrento and the Amalfi Coast, our families’ ancestral home. For us former Chicagoans, the place, especially in January, represents a fantasy of beauty and breezes (hence the name – The Breezes) to which we’ve brought our most beloved family and friends. Our Chicago-born fathers, Mike DeCarlo and Pete Rocco, taking their first plane ride in their 80s, relished the experience of eating in sunshine on a winter day. My sister, Christine, and others have shared our delight in merely being in this sublimely spectacular spot. Native Californians cannot fathom the depth of pleasure experienced by we cold-clime folk, who find ourselves squinting into the winter sun as we munch delicious Las Brisas nachos on the terrace. We can almost feel we’re again visiting fabled Positano, Italy, seated on the terrace of the ...

Featuring a night of singers, songwriters and music by Jon McLaughlin, honeyhoney, The Daylights, and Sixpence None The Richer Koffeehouse is proud to present its 4th Annual “Evening of Independence” benefitting MusiCares® on August 7, 2010 at the Ford Amphitheatre in Hollywood. The evening will feature the most talented emerging artists and special guests with featured performances by Verve/Universal recording artist, actress KATHARINE MCPHEE, Island Def Jam recording artist JON MCLAUGHLIN, national recording artists HONEYHONEY, Los Angeles Indie-rockers THE DAYLIGHTS, GRAMMY-nominated SIXPENCE NONE THE RICHER, who will be reuniting at The Ford after a six- year hiatus as well as a special performance by award-winning cellist, TINA GUO accompanied by Marcelo. The event will be hosted by award-winning correspondent and host, ANGELA SUN of Yahoo! Sports' Minute, Tennis Channel and NBC First Look. Koffeehouse’s 4th Annual “Evening of Independence” is in official partnership with Los Angeles County Arts Commission and is sponsored by ABC7, KPFK 90.7fm, Univision, LA Weekly, LA18, and Fusicology. One hundred percent of the evening’s net proceeds benefit MusiCares, whose mission is to provide a safety net of critical assistance for musicians in times of need (www.grammy.org/musicares.com). “When we started these intimate showcases in my backyard nearly seven years ...

Hosted by Iconic WGN Radio Personality Steve Cochran, WGN-TV’s Mike Toomey, Patti Vasquez and Travel Channel’s Mark DeCarlo The all-ages charity event features FREE BBQ, Live Blues Bands, Comedy Acts, Golf, Cooking Demonstrations and More! Johnsonville Sausage invites you to celebrate this Father’s Day, Sunday June 20th, 2010 at Poppa-Palooza, a one-of-a-kind, all ages music and comedy festival featuring Chicago’s greatest personalities, musicians and comedians at America’s Historic Roundhouse in Aurora, IL. The phenomenal line-up includes legendary WGN radio personality Steve Cochran, WGN-TV’s Mike Toomey, with popular Chicago  comedian Patty Vasquez, and Travel Channel’s Mark DeCarlo alongside the band Old Blues Eyes. Doors open at 5pm and festival continues until 11pm. America’s Historic Roundhouse is located at 205 N. Broadway, Aurora, IL 60505. Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for children under 12. All tickets include two (2) FREE Johnsonville Brats and all Dads will receive a FREE raffle ticket. Tickets can be purchased by calling 630-264-2739 or visiting www.rh34.com . Poppa-Palooza will include a fun-filled afternoon of golf contests, incredible raffle prices, live music & comedy, cooking demonstrations, competitions, a live auction and surprise guests. This event is geared to gives Dad's a day off while helping to raise money for what ...

Being on the set is a passion for Klisans, who’s worked with many of the greats, including well-known music video director, Pablo Croce, Rosalyn Sanchez, Alejandro Fernández, Franco de Vita and famous latin band Maná. In “HABANA EVA,” Klisans is the Producer for the Venezuelan release, slated for July 2010.  Being an active member of the organization “Venezolanos en Hollywood,” Klisans was recommended earlier this year to launch the release of the film, directed by fellow Venezuelan, Fina Torres, who in 1985 won the Cote d’Or prize at the Festival de Cannes for her first feature, “Oriana.” This Cuban-Venezuelan co-production was shot in Havana and features brilliant performances from Prakriti Maduro y Juan Carlos Garcia. Klisans also worked on film projects directly related to incomparable Orchestra Conductor, Gustavo Dudamel. Through that experience, she has been fortunate enough to surround herself with the likes of Helen Hunt, Andy García and Edgar Ramírez. All of Klisans’ experiences throughout her years in Los Angeles are focused on film and television projects intended for Venezuelan audiences. Klisans proves once again that although far from home, Venezuela is always in her heart.

Montréal’s 28th edition of the Just For Laughs Festival presented by Videotron in association with Loto-Québec kicks off on July 6 and runs through July 17, 2010, followed by an Urban Arts street fair from July 17 to July 25 complete with parades of twins (some 1,000 pairs), triplets and multiple birth children from around the world! The laughs will be on tap 24/7 with a program where the spectacular meets the emotional. The largest humor festival in the world, the Just For Laughs Festival features scores of stand-up comedy events, concerts, plays, skits, street theatre, parades and more fun than a barrel of monkeys. Headliners include John Leguizamo, Latin King of comedy and Emmy-award winning actor, who’ll present his new, uncensored one-man show, “Klass Klown”. Not to be missed are Cheech & Chong, the world’s favorite stoners who are back for a night of smokin’ hot comedy, hosting their own Videotron Just For Laughs Gala, Then there’s Pamela Anderson, the most downloaded woman in the world, who’ll host an hilariously high-concept evening with her Dancing with the Stars partner Damian Whitewood.  For tickets, call 514-845-4069. The free Urban Arts program that follows the Festival is quirkiness at its best – chockablock ...