Mommy Diva

by Angela Rocco DeCarlo 3D Theatricals Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts Aug. 27 Weekend     Monty Python's Flying Circus BBC TV show ran from 1969-1974 racking up 45 episodes which morphed into film and Broadway renditions.   Either you "get" Monty Python or you don't.  No convincing way to explain the great enjoyment of such nuttiness. There is an opportunity to revisit the genius of Eric Idle, book & Lyric, music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle, at the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts next weekend with the wonderful 3D Theatricals presentation.   As a fan of the original TV show I've kept up with the films as well as the stage shows. Like watching "Star Trek" viewers must engage in a certain amount of suspended belief.   Spamalot is set in the first millennium. But it's mocking comedy is drawn from modern cultural references. The French are lampooned, Jews are picked on for theatrical support and of course, the Brits are endlessly held up as a dim, though sincere, bunch.   The current show gives a flicker homage to various shows - "Phantom of the Opera," "West Side Story," and "Fiddler on the Roof." I last saw the show ten years ago in Las Vegas with John O'Hurley (Seinfeld's Mr. Peterman) commanding the King Arthur part. He should be seen more.   The Cerritos ...

Puccini's Turandot Soars: Pacific Symphony Feb. 18, 20 & 23 Renee and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall Costa Mesa, CA Giacomo Puccini's final opera, "Turandot,' debut 1926, librettists, Giuseppe Adami and Renato Simoni, at La Scala opera house, Milan, Italy, is admirably showcased with the wizardry of Pacific Symphony's imaginative concert production running February 18, 20 and 23, at the Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, California.   It is a show that surprises, entertains, delights and thrills to the combined talents of singers, orchestra, video designers and dancers. With the full orchestra on-stage, conducted by Carl St. Clair, the Pacific Chorale arrayed above, the Southern California Children's Chorus, adding unexpected luminary delights and video images of China reminiscent of Hollywood Cinemascope.   Directed by Eric Einhorn, "Turnadot" grabs the audience in an embrace of extraordinary Puccini music, Including the world-famous aria "Nessun dorma," sung by Prince Calaf, played by tenor, Marc Heller, as he promises himself victory in winning the princess. The aria has become known as the signature for the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti.   Based upon a 12th century Persian fairy tale, "Turandot" (the final t is pronounced) transported to ancient China, where the Princess Turandot lives imprisoned in self-imposed hatred of men seemingly to avenge the abduction and murder of her ancestor of a thousand years ago. Not really a love story in the ...

There's a new Chef in town... If you've been living under a rock these past few weeks, you may not have noticed a stylish new eatery below Universal City in the historic Cahuenga Pass where the old Oak-Crest Market used to be.  Where tchotchkes, old books, and overpriced wine-gone-terribly-bad once lined dusty shelves, has now been resurrected as slick new boulangerie GC Marketplace, where you can find everything from a wine bar to a French style boulangerie, house-made pizza, artisanal coffee,  and a cheese and charcuterie counter.   GC Marketplace is Gary Arabia's swanky new place, and in partnership with Executive Chef James Dame and Executive Pastry Chef Kelly Dame, they've created an amazing global menu that include some of my all-time favorites: GC's Thai Chicken Noodles with rice noodles and roasted thai spices is my latest obsession.  The Greek Turkey Burger is one of the juiciest I've ever had and you want to have it with any of the delicious side dishes, including fluffy mashed potatoes, butternut squash, or my new favorite; parsnips. Who knew those things were so yummy! Their gourmet coffees and mouth watering pastries are all the rage... They have a truly amazing almond croissant that melts slowly in ...

  Best Chai Tea Latte Recipe by ArtandLemons.com Yield 4 servings 2 1/4 cups water 2 1/4 cups organic milk (whole cow, almond, or soy) 1/4 cup organic dark brown sugar (or more to taste) 2 cinnamon sticks 16 cardamom pods (crushed; place them in a small bag and gently crush them with a rolling pin) 1 star anise clove 1 teaspoon whole cloves 2-inch piece fresh ginger (sliced thin) 1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 2 tablespoons black or green tea leaves (I like to use 2 parts Darjeeling to 1 part Assam; or try Japanese Sencha Tea) Combine the first 9 ingredients (everything except the tea) in a 6-quart pot and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, cover and let mixture steep for 30 minutes. Return to a simmer. Remove from heat and stir in the black or green tea leaves. Cover and let stand for 2 minutes. Place a sieve over a pitcher or jar. Pour hot tea into the sieve to strain. Serve tea immediately, or let cool and serve iced. (This recipe is inspired by“Chai” found in The Joy of Cooking )and borrowed with permission from http://www.artandlemons.com.  

Ingredients 4 (6-ounce) Yellowfin tuna steaks (about 3/4 inch thick) 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper, divided salt to taste olive oil 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 8 cups arugula leaves 2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 small bulb) Preparation Sprinkle tuna steaks with 1 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet with onions and spices over medium-high heat. Add tuna steaks; cook 2 minutes on each side or until desired. Combine 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon oil, and juice in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Add arugula and fennel; toss well. Place about 2 cups salad on each of 4 plates; top each serving with 1 tuna steak.

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to be part of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! Along with my husband, Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo, each week we will embark on a great quest for food, travel and fun! We'll interview interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians. Our past guests included Brad Sherwood from Who's Line Is It Anyway?, Rick Browne, author of  A Century of Restaurants, comedian Jimmy Palumbo and Hell's Kitchen Chef Barbie Marshall. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 STAY TUNED !!!  We'll see you at A Fork On The Road! CLICK HERE TO GO DIRECTLY TO OUR ITUNES PAGE: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2

Hello all Travelers!  Traveling Diva is proud to announce the launch of the very first and ONLY Travel & Food show on iTunes! I will be joining Emmy winning comedian Mark DeCarlo each week as he embarks on a great quest for food, travel and fun! Mark will be having interviews each week with interesting and unique folks across the world who travel for a living, including musicians, chefs, and comedians.   This month, we will be giving away Cancun discount coupons and a chance to win a HD Underwater VIVITAR 850W CAMERA to all subscribers! Here's what you have to do: 1. Subscribe to A FORK ON THE ROAD show on iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/a-fork-on-the-road/id637933581?mt=2 2. Let us know you subscribed and give us your email address.  You can do this by following and tweeting @MarkDeCarlo #AForkOnTheRoad, or sending us an email to: markdecarlotv@gmail.com, or leave us amessage at 424-250-FORK. 3. We will send you the code and enter you in the contest.  Winners announced on the podcast JULY 4th, 2013. Also, Mark is here to help YOU the listener with your travel-related questions. All you have to do is call 424 - 250 - FORK, leave your name and contact information and we'll have you on the show ...

"Sometimes if something scares me, I lean right into it. I’m not a brave person—I’m more of a fearless idiot." ~Nia Vardalos   A phone call and 14 hours notice turned Nia Vardalos’ world into a whirlwind.  Becoming a mother of a preschooler in less than a day is not something many of us have experienced. What did she do, you ask?  She smiled, took it all in and wrote it all down.   “INSTANT MOM is the story of how, with just 14 hours notice, I became the mom of a pre-schooler. There's even a How-To-Adopt section (that part was harrrrrd to write) but the book is not just about adoption. It's about my family and friends, movies and food," writes  Nia.   “Ian and I are so giddy we got matched with our delightful daughter, we'll donate from the proceeds to adoption groups.”   For the USA, order Nia Vardalos' book INSTANT MOM here: http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Instant-Mom-Nia-Vardalos?isbn=9780062231833&HCHP=TB_Instant+Mom   Early praise for INSTANT MOM:   "Readers can feel the tension between desire to share her joy and good fortune and wish to maintain her child’s privacy. Vardalos offers candor,humor, and poignancy in her account of adoption and parenthood as she pokes fun at parenting memoirs but delivers on emotional impact." ~BOOKLIST   "...laugh-out-loud and painful-in-the-shins moments ...

By Anjanette Delgado There's something about Miami. It welcomes you by not making too much of a fuss about you. "Oh, so there you are," it seems to say. Great. Dale, Chico. Te veo despues y nos tomamos un cafe." And you know, it's happy to see you. My favorite spot to welcome the day in all of Miami is not anywhere near the infamous SoBe of the tanned and gorgeous. It's not on a boat gliding past tall downtown buildings on bayside waters. It's sitting on the sidewalk facing the huge, colorful, exhuberant sculpture at the entryway of the otherwise unremarkable Dadeland Metrorail Station in South Miami. It's fittingly called "Welcome" and stands amid the light gray concrete on mornings when my own bed wants nothing to do with me and, as my mother would say, "el que me fume, pierde el vicio." And here's the trick: you sit on the sidewalk in front of it with your newspaper and your strong, sugary, Cuban coffee, you look at it for awhile, and pretty soon you start to feel happy and, god forbid, optimistic. By then you'll look a little crazy to couples walking by with their strollers or their dogs, so taking a ...

Had fun storming a castle lately? On the way to Temecula’s wine country, many roads lead to wine, but only one leads to The Castle Estate. Every detail there is designed to keep you in a past reality of castles, kings and, of course, Queens.  From the gigantic medieval iron locks that guard your room and the mural on the stairs depicting part of it’s own family history, to the most minute detail of a delightful butterfly garden right outside your bedroom door, this castle has proven to be a diva’s favorite. If you happen to endure LA traffic, a night arrival is breathtaking, as the castle lights glow to guide the way.  Past the helicopter pad out front, you’ll be greeted by the sounds of a huge front door knocker, and welcomed by dimly lit candelabra and a smile from the castle’s proprietors, Joanne and Dee. How does waking up at The Castle sound? “Ding, ding, ding!” A soft “Good morning!”   a bell ring in the morning light shining through the hand-painted stained glass windows onto the luxurious medieval bed linens, and the chain link armor guard standing by. Thankfully, you’ll still have time to enjoy the feeling of waking up in a ...