News-Press – Page 29

Ready to explore: The SBIFF announces its 2014 slate and unveils its poster

January 8, 2014August 31, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Barbara Boros unveils the poster for the 29th annual Santa Barbara international Film Festival on Tuesday. "Exploration" is the theme — Barbara Boros unveils the poster for the 29th annual Santa Barbara
international Film Festival on Tuesday. “Exploration” is the theme

The Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Tuesday announced “Exploration” as the main theme for this year’s 11-day celebration of stars and films.

For stargazers, the 29th annual event runs Jan. 30 through Feb. 9 and promises many of Hollywood’s biggest actors.

Cate Blanchett will arrive Feb. 1 for her tribute evening. After that the Virtuosos (Feb. 4) features up-and-coming actors Daniel Brühl, Adele Exarchopoulos, Oscar Isaac, Michael B. Jordan, Brie Larson, Jared Leto, and June Squibb.

Stars get ready: Teen Star prepares to audition Santa Barbara County hopefuls for annual show

January 8, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Allie Nixon, left, 2013 Teen Star Santa Barbara, and Rachel LaCommare, the 2012 winner, pose together during the Fourth Annual Media Launch event on Tuesday night at Santa Barbara Sound Design Studios.

Five years in, Santa Barbara County’s Teen Star talent competition keeps rising. Joe Lambert’s nonprofit has gone from a small show at Santa Barbara High School to a major event at the Granada Theatre, and the winners have gone on to recording contracts and industry interest.

As thanks to the media and to announce this year’s competition, Teen Star threw a music-filled press conference Tuesday night at Santa Barbara Sound Design on Haley Street, the studio owned by Dom Camardella that has recorded Depeche Mode, Ottmar Liebert and Olivia-Newton John, among others.

A most generous man: Fellow stars honor Forest Whitaker at SBIFF’s fundraising gala

January 6, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Although it had been postponed several weeks, the Santa Barbara International Film Festival held its annual fundraiser Sunday night at the Bacara Resort & Spa, presenting the Kirk Douglas Award for Excellence in Film to actor, director and producer Forest Whitaker. The sit-down dinner and black-tie affair was planned for Dec. 15, but scheduling conflicts pushed the event to the first week of 2014, less than a month away from the Festival itself, which begins Jan. 30.

This event, in its eighth year, is a more subdued affair than the similar celebrity awards evenings that draw thousands to the Festival. In place of a sit-down interview in front of theater audiences, the evening gives the podium over to fellow actors and directors to speak about the honoree, with some words from the star himself. And the Bacara, with tables named after select Whitaker films – from “Good Morning, Vietnam” to “Ghost Dog,” was the place to do it, far away from downtown.

One Big Family – VAUD AND THE VILLIANS BRING AN OLD-FASHIONED, GOOD-TIME PARTY TO SOHO

January 3, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

It’s kind of hard to say what it is,” says one of Vaud and the Villains’ musicians who goes by the name One String, when asked to describe the group in a video interview a few years old. “It’s vaudeville. It’s just this side of theater; it’s Americana.”

The 19-piece group comes to SOhO this Sunday for their first proper, late-night, Santa Barbara gig after having spent the last five years building notoriety in their native Los Angeles. The creation of married couple Andy Carneau and Dawn Lewis, Vaud and the Villains is a dream of a band that might have existed in the 1920s or 1930s, a mix of races and styles, of Dustbowl and traveling medicine show, all acoustic, but loud and raucous as hell, playing the American version of Joe Strummer’s “Three Chords and the Truth.” But a Vaud and the Villains performance is also a show, with a narrator (Mr. Carneau) and characters with fictional backstories, as well as dance routines. (Mr. Carneau is fond of quoting Oscar Wilde to explain the fictional group: “Every saint has a past while every sinner has a future.”)

Drink of the Week: Sly’s Old Man

January 2, 2014August 29, 2014 tedmills Leave a comment

Photo by Nik Blaskovich

We feel bad when we miss Sly’s annual celebration of Repeal Day. (It happens that we’re celebrating it our own way. ‘Nuff said.) So we rectified that before the end of the year by swinging by the venerable Carpinteria joint and pleading with Mandy Huffaker Chinn for a copy of their coveted secret cocktail list. This is the list that only true Repealers get to see, and we’re fortunate to be on it. Some of the drinks come from the history books, some are nicked from fellow mixologists around the country, and some are created behind the bar here. We like to keep it local, so that’s what we tried.

First up was a spin on the classic agua fresca, the Horchata. Instead, the H(orgeat)a uses Sobieski cinnamon vodka, Sly’s homemade orgeat syrup (they make a lot of it for mai tais), half ‘n half, and nutmeg on top. It matches the creamy and sweet goodness of the original, but the almond orgeat really stands out. The “Thursday” was named after two regulars who were looking for a “gluten free” cocktail, which restricts them to rum, really. But Ms. Chinn includes Aperol, Tuaca, and pineapple juice. The Aperol is there to stop things from becoming too sweet, and the juice creates a nice frothy head. But our favorite was the Old Man, which is perfect for “shouting at the kids on your lawn,” according to the list. It is a very mature and subtle mix of rye, applejack and green chartreuse, and the cocktail – from Mandy and her brother-in-law Jack – is supposed to elicits memories of Old Spice and wood. We didn’t feel too crotchety, but we loved it and think it’s the best way to start the New Year.

OLD MAN
1 1/2 oz. Old Overholt Rye
3/4 oz. Laird’s Applejack
3/4 oz. Green Chartreuse
Shake over ice and strain into coupe glass. Garnish with lemon twist.

SLY’S
686 Linden Ave., Carpinteria 684-6666
slysonline.com

A Wealth of Stage Riches – THEATER IN 2013 WAS ALL ABOUT TRANSITIONS

December 27, 2013September 15, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

In 2013 the Circle Bar B Dinner Theatre presented Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." Circle Bar B Theatre photo — In 2013 the Circle Bar B Dinner Theatre presented Oscar Wilde’s “The Importance of Being Earnest.”
Circle Bar B Theatre photo

This year’s big story was the end of Ensemble Theater’s run in the cozy Alhecama Theater and its move to the renovated and brand-spankin’-new New Vic, an $11.5 million-dollar adventure that took many years to finally happen and has brought Jonathan Fox’s company to a space on par with the Garvin and Hatlen theaters. With state-of-the-art toys to play with, it’ll be interesting to see what Director Jonathan Fox does with the space. So far, Santa Barbarans have seen the Stephen Sondheim musical, “A Little Night Music” with Stephanie Zimbalist and Piper Laurie, and it was quite lovely.

Their farewell performances at Alhecama were also worth noting: David Ives’ “The Liar” was one of their funniest productions in a long time, witty and silly in measure. “The Year of Magical Thinking,” with Linda Purl stepping in for the recently deceased Bonnie Franklin in the role of Joan Didion, was the kind of one-woman show for which the Alhecama space was perfect. “Frankie and Johnnie in the Claire de Lune” was a good revival, although maybe not a necessary one.

The best movies you may not have seen – These alternative film gems from 2013 are worth tracking down

December 27, 2013September 15, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

"Frances Ha" IFC Films photo — “Frances Ha”
IFC Films photo

End-of-Year Lists in Film get a bit redundant after the 10th or so. The consensus is formed — and rightly so: “Gravity” was awe-inspiring amazing. Woody Allen finally made a good film again with “Blue Jasmine.” “Before Midnight” completed the excellent trilogy. “12 Years a Slave” is probably going to win everything, deservedly so. “Dallas Buyers Club” will also pick up awards for its two strong leads. And then there are the ones that have just opened (“Inside Llewlyn Davis”) or are about to open (“American Hustle”), but most of us aren’t film-festival hoppers who saw these in Toronto or Cannes.

So here’s a list of the unsung, the little seen, the ones that passed us by, the streaming-only, and the ones you need to seek out, in no particular order … plus a few guilty pleasures. (Caveat: not everything has a copyright stamp of 2013 on it, but this year is when they became available)

Lips, Atoms, and other Musical Matters – LOCAL POP AND JAZZ HIGHLIGHTS OF THE YEAR

December 27, 2013September 15, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Atoms for Peace performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl. Thomas Kelsey/News-Press file photos — Atoms for Peace performs at the Santa Barbara Bowl.
Thomas Kelsey/News-Press file photos

My humble vote for pop concert of the year in Santa Barbara goes to the great and insistently hard-to-pigeonhole band outta’ Oklahoma, Flaming Lips. The band, led by charismatic Wayne Coyne in a bloody, witch-ly costume and throne-like perch, brought its grisly funny, rocking and trippy presence to the Santa Barbara Bowl the night after Halloween, ending with its mortality-minded pop anthem “Do You Realize.”

And my vote for the most senses-tickling five minutes in the 2013 pop year goes to the Lips’ opening song, which perversely reversed expectations by being a grand finale-style bombast with their customary epic red balloon release into the audience — but on the first song. Leave it to these Okies to turn rock ‘n’ roll convention on its ear.

Fresh off solo disaster movie, Robert Redford is coming to the Film Fest

December 17, 2013September 15, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

Robert Redford, shown here in "All Is Lost," will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival's American Riviera Award in February. ASSOCIATED PRESS — Robert Redford, shown here in “All Is Lost,” will receive the Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s American Riviera Award in February.
ASSOCIATED PRESS

One more piece of the puzzle has been placed in Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s award schedule. After the announcements of Oprah Winfrey, Cate Blanchett, Emma Thompson and the seven recipients of the Virtuosos Award, the Festival revealed that actor Robert Redford will receive this year’s American Riviera Award.

The 77-year-old actor scored among critics this year with his bravura, one-man survivalist movie “All Is Lost,” about a man trying to save his boat and himself at sea when the hull is ripped open. The sometimes wordless, visceral performance has earned him a Golden Globe nomination, and a Best Actor Oscar nomination may be in the cards, as the SBIFF often serves as a bellwether for award season.

Drink of the Week: Break Time’s BT-Rita

December 12, 2013September 15, 2015 tedmills Leave a comment

THE BT-RITA 2 ounces habanero infused Espolon Blanco (see recipe) Splash margarita mix (see recipe) 1 ounce Aperol Splash agave nectar (preferably Milagro) Dash orange juice To make the tequila: add 3 sliced habaneros to 1 bottle Espolon. Let sit for 1 to 3 days. To make the margarita mix: Combine equal parts lime and orange juices. Refrigerate. To assemble, add all ingredients over ice in pint glass, shake and serve. Yield: 1 drink NIK BLASKOVICH / NEWS-PRESS — THE BT-RITA 2 ounces habanero infused Espolon Blanco (see recipe) Splash margarita mix (see recipe) 1 ounce Aperol Splash agave nectar (preferably Milagro) Dash orange juice To make the tequila: add 3 sliced habaneros to 1 bottle Espolon. Let sit for 1 to 3 days. To make the margarita mix: Combine equal parts lime and orange juices. Refrigerate. To assemble, add all ingredients over ice in pint glass, shake and serve. Yield: 1 drink
NIK BLASKOVICH / NEWS-PRESS

Though Break Time is a quintessential dive bar in all the best senses of the word – strong drinks, jovial atmosphere, free popcorn, pool tables, carousing customers – owners Liz and Carl Quinn like to mess around with the cocktail menu, whipping things up to please the college crowd, and dare them. This is what we discovered one recent night when we stopped by.

The BT-Rita was our challenge, a margarita designed to be as spicy as possible but without becoming undrinkable. Carl Quinn knew habanero was the way to go. But the first habanero-infused tequila they produced was so hot it made them ill, Mr. Quinn laughed. Several experiments later, the right amount of peppers was determined, and resulted in an interesting mix of Espolon tequila, Aperol, their margarita mix, a bit of agave and orange juice for color (and just to cool that thing down). In a pint glass, this was a lot of cocktail to take in, but as with spicy drinks, one sip leads to another. It was not too sweet or heavy on the tequila, but we were glad we weren’t driving.