Archive for the 'Arts & Culture' Category
National World War II Museum rallies the troops, plus Tom Hanks, for premiere
November 6, 2009 10:14am
Everyone from war veterans to movie luminaries are rallying today, Nov. 6, in New Orleans to inaugurate the expanded National World War II Museum, which has doubled in size and added a theater with a film experience that promises to plunge visitors into the wartime world, complete with (fake) falling snowflakes, seats that shudder as munitions explode and other special effects.
Among today’s attendees is Tom Hanks, executive producer and narrator of the 35-minute movie “Beyond All Boundaries” (photo above), which will screen at the museum’s new theater. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Patricia Clarkson, Neil Patrick Harris, Brad Pitt and many others.
Today’s events were sold out, museum spokeswoman Kacey Hill said. But there was still plenty of room on Saturday, dubbed “Family Fun Day,” when a range of free activities will be offered, she added. Here’s the 411:
Hotel deals for Ojai-Ventura film festival, Nov. 5-8
October 8, 2009 11:57am
What’s better than watching a few good independent films? Seeing them in conjunction with a relaxing weekender, perhaps. It may be no Sundance; in fact, you may not have ever even heard of it. But the Ojai-Ventura International Film Festival, with lauded documentary “The Most Dangerous Man in America” among its features, is coming up Nov. 5-8 and is the perfect excuse to give yourself a little getaway to the charming small town of Ojai, in Ventura County.
Most of the festival’s screening venues are in Ojai, though films are also being shown at the Brooks Institute of Photography in Ventura, 15 miles southwest of Ojai.
See indie and classic flicks by night and/or day, and, out of the theaters, take in the area’s other offerings, which include good food, great hikes, day spas, a mellow vibe and spectacular sunsets. Following are a few festival-related packages being offered by hotels in the region. Contact venues directly for more details, cancellation policies, etc.: Read the rest of this entry »
2010 Watch List of ‘at-risk’ sites announced by World Monuments Fund
October 7, 2009 2:32pm
Sharing a commonality as of late: Traditional houses called machiya in Kyoto, Antoni Gaudi’s Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família in Barcelona, the Suq al-Qaysariya in Bahrain, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin in Wisconsin, and the bridges of Merritt Parkway in Connecticut.
These and 87 other treasures, from the ancient to the modern, are included on the 2010 Watch List issued by World Monuments Fund. The nonprofit organization, working on cultural preservation issues, puts out the list to draw awareness to the dangers that threaten certain cultural heritage sites — “irreplaceable monuments to human culture” — around the world, according to the organization.
A Watch List is published every two years, with some sites, such as Machu Picchu in Peru, making repeat appearances. That world-famous archaeological site has survived time, warfare and natural disasters, but “steady and significant increases in visitation at the site have prompted development and urbanization in nearby areas to meet the growing tourism needs,” according to a WMF press release. Read the rest of this entry »
‘Julie & Julia’ foodie tour of France
October 6, 2009 5:56am
Have you seen the movie “Julie & Julia,” directed by Nora Ephron? Read the book?
Much of the film takes off from “My Life in France,” describing Julia Child’s post-World War II encounters with French cooking and eating. The renowned chef was working on the memoir when she died in 2004, leaving it to be finished by Alex Prud’homme.
Now true believers in the “French Chef” can follow her tracks through the land of tripe and escargot on a tour devised by New York-based Tour de Forks, which specializes in culinary excursions around the world, from New Orleans to Australia.
Venetian painters at the Louvre Museum in Paris
October 4, 2009 5:56am
Kill two birds with one stone: Visit the Louvre Museum in the City of Light to see a big new exhibition about La Serenissima.
“Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese: Rivals in Renaissance Venice” (open through Jan. 4 in the Hall of Napoleon) examines three great 16th-century Italian artists who made their homes in the Lagoon City:
Titian learned from Venetian masters such as Bellini and Giorgione. Tintoretto, a Venice homeboy, was always at odds with Titian, his senior by about 30 years. The divine Veronese crossed hairs with the Inquisition over his placement of dogs and dwarfs in religious pictures such as “Feast in the House of Levi.”
Masterpieces on display include Titian’s lackadaisical nude “Danae” from the Capodimonte Museum in Naples, a Tintoretto self-portrait from the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the striking “Temptation of St. Anthony” by Veronese from the Caen Museum of Beaux-Arts.
— Susan Spano, Los Angeles Times staff writer
Photo: “Venus with a Mirror” by Paolo Veronese. Credit: Courtesy of Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
Hawaii roundup: Hawaiian Airlines’ $50 credit offer; new Maui and Lanai sub-and-snorkel package; robotic dinosaurs arrive in Honolulu
September 27, 2009 12:07pm
– Hawaiian Airlines is giving away $50 “eCertificates” for use on future travels. Here’s the skinny: Book a flight between the mainland U.S. and Hawaii for travel between now and Dec. 11, and you’ll receive a $50 credit to your HawaiianMiles account, which can be applied to any transpacific flight that you book for travel between Jan. 11 and March 11. You must book your initial flight before Oct. 7 to take advantage of this offer.
– Visitors to Maui can now take advantage of a new marine package that features two unique touring experiences for one discounted price. With Atlantis Submarines, you get a submarine ride off Maui, descending to 150 feet. With Maui Adventure Cruises’ Lanai Dolphin Adventure, you cross the Maui channel to Lanai aboard a 49-foot boat, and then get to the serious business of snorkeling. Booked together, the sub-and-snorkel package costs $159 per adult and $80 per child, pretax. Read the rest of this entry »
‘National Parks’: Screenings, events and travel deals related to the Ken Burns documentary
September 25, 2009 2:26pm
On Sunday, the new Ken Burns documentary “National Parks: America’s Best Idea” will begin its 12-hour trek (in two-hour segments) through the wilds of American living rooms, coloring TV screens everywhere with the sights and ’scapes of our public lands.
The documentary may have — even before you’ve set eyes upon it — gotten you itching to visit a national park. And that’s likely just fine with Burns. As Times writer Mary McNamara put it in her review of the “gorgeous and exhaustive” film: “The main goal of Burns and his co-creator Dayton Duncan appears to be launching people off their backsides and into the wilderness.”
At the more popular parks, you may want to prepare for lots of company on the trail. But thankfully, since the U.S. is home to 391 national parks, there should be enough love to go around. Below are details to plan a viewing — or better yet, an inspired trip, so you can see for yourself what all the fuss is about.
Where & when to see it
The documentary will start airing on PBS on Sunday at 8 p.m.
And there are plenty of opportunities to see portions of it out and about. Read the rest of this entry »
Shop ’til you drop with National Geographic in London
September 25, 2009 8:55am
Strolled down Regent Street in London lately? If so, you’ll doubtless have noticed the amazing new National Geographic retail store, which opened last fall on three floors in the heart of shoppers’ London.
There’s everything for the traveler: books, maps, DVDs, photos and posters, cameras, watches and high-quality expedition gear that can be tried out in a testing chamber simulating high winds and abrupt temperature change.
Other departments feature locally sourced handicrafts and jewelry from Africa and Asia, home décor and toys.
Get your kicks with Route 66 itinerary from National Park Service
September 24, 2009 5:56am
Route 66 fans, rejoice. The National Park Service has put up a mother lode of info about the historic Mother Road that stretches across two-thirds of America, from Los Angeles to Chicago.
The nostalgic Route 66 microsite offers maps, essays, photos, histories of landmarks and an awesome resource list with hyperlinks to fan sites, museums, tourist bureaus, official documents and more.
It’s enough to make you pull off the road and open your laptop. You’ll learn about the quirky Aztec Hotel, one of the few Mayan-styled buildings left in the U.S., in Monrovia, Calif.; the Milk Bottle Grocery, a tiny shop improbably topped by a super-sized dairy bottle in Oklahoma City; the iconic Blue Swallow Motel, with its charming neon signs, in Tucumcari, N.M.; and other roadside nostalgia.
Museum Day: Visit a museum for free on Sept. 26
September 22, 2009 5:15pm
On Saturday, Sept. 26, you and a guest can take advantage of free admission to one of hundreds of museums and cultural centers in the U.S.
Deal: The annual Museum Day, organized by Smithsonian magazine, offers free general admission to the public. All you have to do is go to Smithsonian.com’s Museum Day microsite and enter basic information, such as your name, address and e-mail, on a short questionnaire. You’ll then be able to download an admission card to print out for use by you and a guest on Sept. 26.
In case you’ve started to dream up a museum-hopping venture, note that this is not an unlimited pass. Instead, the card is redeemable for a one-time admission to one museum of your choice. A full list of participating venues is displayed on the website. Read the rest of this entry »
