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by Angela Rocco DeCarlo copyright 2017 Laguna Beach, California, resembles the Italian Amalfi Coast - at least to we Italian Americans. So naturally, we wanted to enjoy it with our four DeCarlo grandchildren, aged 12 to 19. Getting them together was a feat we relished. However, we had to be sure there was something for everyone to enjoy. So we concocted an afternoon itinerary which included diving into the frothy surf,  lunch as Las Brisas, with a quick detour next door to the Laguna Art Museum. Actually, I had read a review of the "Ben Messick: Memories of Los Angeles" exhibit and thought it would be wonderful to see and perfect for our little artist, Serritella. But how to entice the baseball and hockey players, Sam and Andrew,  as well as college girl, Michelle? The genius of our plan included the "Holy Grail" of any Laguna Beach visit - a parking space - with apologies to the illustrious legend. While Laguna is gorgeous, traffic and parking are ugly. So we zeroed in on lunch at an old favorite, Las Brisas restaurant, with its valet parking lot and were perfectly located to do everything easily without lost time or much walking. I really appreciated the front desk ...

by Angela Rocco DeCarlo Let's face it. A tea party is a fantasy experience. It is presented in a frou-frou environment and the food can best be described as "doll food." Often good, but diminutive. Nonetheless, it is my favorite meal, aside from Chicago deep dish pizza. As my granddaughter Serritella Danielle DeCarlo's "Golden Birthday" was upon me I felt a tea party was the perfect way to celebrate her. She became eleven on July eleventh. An artist, dancer and writer who looks like she stepped out of a fresco in ancient Pompeii, not far from where her great-grandmother, Vita Serritella, was born in 1903, before coming to America in 1911. I began my search for a proper tea room in the city of Orange...a local place fit the bill, alas, no openings and parking is quite dicey. Tried polling pals for suggestions, but then my husband searched online and found Pamela's Tea Room, Garden Grove, CA, which was the best location at the 405 and 22, for guests coming from Huntington Beach, Long Beach and LA. It turned out to be a marvelous find. Having taken tea at many swanky places I can say when done well lit is a lot of fun, especially if you favor a light repast with a variety of textures and flavors in ...

Never before in recorded history has there been a visionary as gifted... or hilarious, as Dr. Lars Dingman, the iTunes Psychic. Award-winning radio personality Dr. Lars Dingman, will offer every audience member the opportunity to come on stage for a free psychic peek at their future during his live broadcast. Using only the last 3 songs, randomly picked by the subject's digital music player, Earth's first Digital Age Psychic will predict the future and reveal past lives. FREE VACATION: Someone in the audience will win a FREE CANCUN VACATION Lars already knows who's going to win, but you have to show up to find out. Don't miss the oracle the HuffingtonPost calls "Earth's funniest psychic... Dingman's uncanny accuracy - and lunatic hilarity - deftly merge comedy and Psychic phenomena. A MUST SEE!" See and Hear his amazing predictions at www.itunespychic.com and follow him on Twitter @itunespsychic. Video: https://youtu.be/t8Ge-JdLEoc WATCH LIVE THIS MONDAY! Dr. Lars Dingman, iTunes Psychic Monday, May 23 2016 7:00pm   $5 UCB Sunset 5419 W Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

https://youtu.be/Y7AxRA8kCX8 The Travel Adventure Show 2016 will be at the Pennsylvania Convention Center all weekend long – from March 19 to March 20. Make sure you get your tickets now, because you won’t want to miss this exciting event. Click Here to get those tickets now: http://travelshows.com/philadelphia/. Our team is so pumped they’ve even come up with a list for visitors of the top three (3) things to do at the #PhillyTravelShow. As you walk around the exhibition floor, we hope this list helps direct you on exactly how to find the best ways to plan your ultimate dream vacation. Talk to the Experts At America’s Favorite Travel Show, you’ll be able to speak directly with the travel experts that represent hundreds of the top destinations from around the world. You can plan your next escape with renowned travel agents, customize your trip preferences and learn about the different experiences and excursions at each location, and collect the “inside knowledge” so you can travel like a “local” when you get to your destination. You’ll receive local knowledge and travel advice on where to go, what to do, where to stay and how to ensure that you have a personalized travel experience. At http://travelshows.com/shows/philadelphia/plan-your-experience/, you can ...

  Nearly everyone enjoys magic. When done well. As a journalist I’ve covered many such shows, for decades, including those at Los Angeles’ Magic Castle and the late, great, Harry Blackstone, Jr.’s stage shows, to name a few. The best word to encapsulate those experiences is: delightful. Magic shows have the power to lift one’s spirits in powerful ways to relax and allow the wonder of the unknown to transport the audience to another realm. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Centerfor the Arts, Costa Mesa, California, is featuring a magic show, The Illusionists –Live From Broadway. I couldn’t wait to see it. It spotlights seven key performers and a bevy of female and male attendants. There are plenty of stunning effects, but some of the performers reek of the dark side, which is apparently their schtick, but is a long way from tuxedo-clad practitioners of yore. From the onset there seemed to be a current that was uncomfortable to me. Too much grittiness, hint of violence and some things downright creepy. The show runs from Feb. 3, to 7th. Then moves on to the Pantages Theater, Los Angeles. In case anyone wonders – what is the difference between an illusion and a trick I’ll offer this: usually an illusion conjures a back-story, is complicated, with some surprise woven into it…Such as Andrew ...

By Mark DeCarlo There's a place, just north of DTLA, where Angelenos - or visitors - can have an immersive experience of a fantastic meal, a tasting tour of a winery, and get a history lesson on LA's early wine making pioneers. And its been there over 98 years. Hidden along the industrial streets of the warehouse district, Los Angeles' San Antonio Winery has been making wine since 1917, surviving prohibition only by becoming a sanctioned wine maker for the Catholic Church... amen! Today, the renovated, working winery and restaurant embraces its heritage and boasts some of California's least known, yet finest wines. Yes way, dude. Winemaking in LA. Totally awesome. Anthony Riboli is the first member of the fourth generation to join the family business. He is also the first family member to have received a formal degree in winemaking and grape growing from the University of California, Davis. Winemaker Arnaud Debons worked in the Bordeaux and Cahors regions of France after graduating from the prestigious winemaking program at the University of Toulouse in France. He brings his expert tastebuds to San Antonio Winery and we get spoiled as we taste triumph with every sip and bite. Daily wine tours and tastings offer an authentic ...

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 ...

Did you ride the subway today?  Did you notice anything out of the ordinary? Show off those New Year's Resolution-ready legs at Improv Everywhere's annual No Pants Subway Ride. Strip down to your skivvies and embark on a discreet mission with other half-naked Angelenos at Metro's North Hollywood (Red), Wilshire/Western (Purple), Culver City (Expo) and Atlantic and Sierra Madre Villa (Gold) stations. If all goes according to plan, No Pants participants should all pull into the Hollywood/Highland stop around 2:30pm—spot any in-the-buff commuters before that and they're likely your typical Hollywood lunatics. Stick around afterward for a debriefing at Loaded Hollywoood (6377 Hollywood Blvd). Unlike the parka-wearing East Coast participants, you probably won't have too many layers on (thank you, LA winters) so make sure to hold on to your TAP card—a day pass costs $5 ($6 if you don't have a TAP card already). PHOTOS: http://www.laweekly.com/slideshow/la-no-pants-subway-ride-2724740 Content borrowed from TimeOut Magazine and Los Angeles Times.

Traveling entices me… and being made to travel with my imagination by simply closing my eyes and listening, thrills me to the point of submission. Such was my experience this past week at Gabriele Ciampi’s minimalist style concert featuring CentOrchestra in Los Angeles. The highly anticipated event took place at the Italian Cultural Institute of Los Angeles with its 100-seat theater filled to capacity. Some audience members were so close to the stage they could have themselves been considered part of the act. Maestro Gabriele Ciampi has a way with the baton. Musical notes danced in my head and lulled me into their melody. He masterfully moved the audience at his whim, toying with their emotions as he guided us into his realm of melodic masterpiece. It’s always gratifying when an event lives up to expectations. Words on this page can’t describe the beauty of the night’s music, so I beseech you to bring the Maestro into your homes, via his CD, and immerse yourself in his music. You will not regret it. Personally, I am looking forward to a night in with Gabriele’s Untouched Melody, In Memory of Neil Armstrong. For more info please visit http://www.gabrieleciampi.com/  

Voxy Ladies and BookPals kick off back to school the right way at 3pm on Sunday August 19th at Griffith Park, CA with a charity potluck mixer celebration of fun, food, VO fellowship, and an opportunity to GIVE BACK! Event will take place at the Crystal Springs Picnic area of Griffith Park, 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California 90027. For free entrance to the event, bring a donation of school supplies or children's books to be donated to BookPals and distributed to under-resourced students in the LA Public Schools. Please RSVP to the Facebook event page at https://www.facebook.com/events/247398065363540/     EVENT DETAILS: WHAT: BACK TO SCHOOL CHARITY EVENT with the VOXY LADIES and BOOKPALS WHERE: 4730 Crystal Springs Drive, Los Angeles, California 90027 WHEN:  Sunday August 19th, 3pm-6pm ENTRANCE: FREE!  Bring a donation of unused school supplies or books to be distributed to under-resourced kids in the Los Angeles area though BookPALS. RSVP: https://www.facebook.com/events/247398065363540/ ABOUT VOXY LADIES The Voxy Ladies are the original hand picked, selective collective of professional female voice artists representing every genre, sound & niche in the industry.  www.VoxyLadies.com ABOUT BOOK PALS BookPALS (Performing Artists for Literacy in Schools) is a national program administered by the nonprofit Screen Actors Guild Foundation. BookPALS help children learn to LOVE books by bringing the talents of ...