The Academy of Country Music Awards will celebrate six decades of country hits with a high-energy night of superstar performances and once-in-a-lifetime collaborations. The milestone show will stream live exclusively on Prime Video and the Amazon Music channel on Twitch on Thursday, May 8, at 8 p.m. EDT / 7 p.m. CDT / 5 p.m. PDT from the Ford Center at The Star in Frisco, Texas.

Sixteen-time ACM Award winner Reba McEntire returns as host of the milestone celebration, which opens with a showstopping, 12-minute “Songs of the Decades” medley. The performance will feature ACM Song of the Year winners from the past 60 years, brought to life by a star-studded lineup including Clint Black, Dan + Shay, Wynonna Judd, LeAnn Rimes, Sugarland and McEntire herself.

The 60th ACM Awards will also feature can’t-miss collaborations from some of music’s most iconic voices, including:

• Backstreet Boys and Rascal Flatts
• Brooks & Dunn and Cody Johnson
• Jelly Roll and Shaboozey
• Megan Moroney, the 2024 ACM New Female Artist of the Year

Previously announced performers include Alan Jackson, Chris Stapleton, Blake Shelton, Kelsea Ballerini, Lainey Wilson, Miranda Lambert, and New Artist of the Year winners Ella Langley and Zach Top.

Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the Emmy-nominated awards show promises a nonstop celebration filled with exclusive performances, genre-crossing pairings and surprises from country’s past, present and future.

The ACM Awards made history in 2022 as the first major awards show to exclusively livestream. A limited number of tickets to the 60th anniversary event are available through SeatGeek.

Executive producers for the show include Raj Kapoor, Patrick Menton, Damon Whiteside, Jay Penske, Barry Adelman, and consulting producer John Saade for Amazon MGM Studios.

The 60th ACM Awards are presented by Carnival Cruise Line, with additional support from Realtor.com, Boot Barn, Mountain Valley Spring Water, and dozens of national sponsors.

Fans can follow along with the conversation using #ACMawards and sign up for updates via the ACM A-List at ACMcountry.com.

The post Reba McEntire to Host 60th ACM Awards Featuring Star-Studded Duets and Decades-Spanning Tribute appeared first on Backstage Socal.

With a voice as warm and rich as a crackling fire, Grammy-winning vocalist Joss Stone is set to light up the season as she joins the Pacific Symphony Pops for a festive celebration on Dec. 20 and 21.

The concerts, conducted by Principal Pops Conductor Enrico Lopez-Yáñez, will feature selections from Stone’s holiday album, Merry Christmas, Love, alongside seasonal classics and her signature hits.

The concerts will take place at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa, featuring the orchestra’s collaboration with Pacific Chorale. From timeless carols to reimagined holiday favorites, the evening promises to capture the magic of the season.

Stone, widely regarded as one of the finest voices of her generation, first gained fame at 16 with her debut album, The Soul Sessions, which showcased her deep connection to soul and R&B. 

Since then, she has released nine studio albums, sold more than 15 million copies worldwide, and collaborated with music legends like Stevie Wonder, Mick Jagger, and James Brown. 

Known for her dynamic live performances and powerful vocals, Stone’s music blends heartfelt emotion with an undeniable warmth—qualities that make her an ideal performer for the holidays.

Following her anticipated performances, Stone took time to discuss her career, her creative process, and the magic of holiday music. Here’s what she had to say in a candid Q&A:

The Soul Sessions introduced you as a 16-year-old powerhouse. When you revisit those songs now, do they feel different to you after two decades of life and music?

Joss Stone: They do, I think they have felt different throughout my life. When I first came across those songs I was really in a different space. I had so much life to live in front of me and I also feel like I was more emotional than I am now.

I’m more balanced now, and I remember people saying to me “how can you sing these songs? How can you feel these emotions when you’re only 16?” I remember being completely irritated by that question because I was so emotional and I was feeling it so deeply. I was a hormonal teenager and I was on the edge of tears pretty much all the time. Now I sing the song, and I have more life experience and have experienced love, a lack of love, angst, and so many different emotions.

But I’m way more balanced and more jaded now than I was at 16. Then, it was really fresh and really raw and everything felt so extreme to me, whereas now, it’s not. Now, I go into the moment where I’m singing the songs and then I come right back out and I’m fine. It’s a completely different relationship with those songs now, I have more control.

How do you make the holiday classics uniquely “Joss Stone” while keeping their essence intact?

JS: I think to sing the song, respect the song, respect the melody, respect the lyrics, respect where it came from and how traditional and beautiful it is, and do not mess with it. I have no interest in ad-libbing a Christmas song so much that it loses its melody.

A great song is a great song. I try my very best to get out of the way and just become part of it. I’m lucky to become a part of it so I shouldn’t ruin it at the same time. It’s a very important thing to me.

How does it feel to perform holiday classics with a full orchestra and the Pacific Chorale?

JS: I’m very excited about that because it’s not something that I get to do often. The feeling of having every single person up there playing together as a unit, it’s absolutely magic the way that music can do that.

Not only are they feeling something in one movement, but we are able to give that feeling to the audience. I honestly think that if we experience true magic in life, music is that, and an orchestra turns it up.

Recording Merry Christmas, Love must have been a special experience. What’s your all-time favorite Christmas song, and does it make it into the setlist for these performances?

JS: My all-time favorite Christmas song is hard to choose. It was amazing recording the Christmas record, especially since I was pregnant with my son, Shack. So that made it obviously hard to sing, but it was magical that I was having a boy and it was Christmas time.

I was sort of making jokes to the musicians that I was gonna call him Jesus. Of course I wasn’t, but it was very Christmasy and had very wholesome family vibes to have that moment with him and was very special. One of my favorite Christmas songs is not one I am going to sing at the show, but it’s called “Fairytale of New York” by The Pogues. I think that’s wonderful.

I also love the Stevie Wonder track that we covered, “What Christmas Means To Me.” That is a great tune and really fun. “In The Bleak Midwinter” is also one of my favorites. It’s very somber and beautiful.

I’ve known that song since I was very young and I tell a little story about it in the show. It’s just stunning, and there’s a lot of beautiful Christmas songs out there. “Silent Night” is also a classic. I sing “Silent Night” to my kids to help them go to sleep and it’s a beautiful song as well.

Looking back at The Soul Sessions and now at 20 Years of Soul, how would you describe your evolution as an artist over the years?

JS: I think I just got to know my craft and have explored a lot of different sounds from across the world. I’ve come to realize that there’s so much out there, and the connection that music provides for people is way bigger than just one certain style and one certain sound.

I have definitely really enjoyed the whole whole journey and I think it’s been interesting. When I began, I was very focused and one track minded. I liked soul music and only soul music when I was younger, and did not mess with anything else really.

I was just like soul music, soul music, soul music, do not give me anything else. Now, I feel like there’s so much more, and soul is in every style. If you mean it, it’s present. And I love that.

Have you ever connected with fans or communities during your charitable efforts with the Joss Stone Foundation in a way that profoundly impacted your music?

JS: Yes, absolutely. With the Joss Stone Foundation, we try to do lots of charity efforts throughout the year. When I did my world tour, we visited every country in the world and had three jobs.

Job number one was to play the gig, job number two was to visit a charity, and job number three was to make a musical collaboration. When I visited the charities, I felt very confident that I met the kindest people that walked this planet.

That definitely inspires not just music, but who you are, how you think, how you talk, your opinions, how open-minded you are, and how much grace you give people. It inspires you as a whole. When that happens, of course your music is gonna change, and of course your lyrics are going to change because that’s who you are. And when you’re writing the song, you’re going to put your opinion in it.

So it’s kind of obvious how that domino effect works. When you really start to think about it, it makes total sense that it would affect a lyric that you write and if it didn’t, you’d have to be walking around with a blindfold on.

You’ve seamlessly explored soul, reggae, pop, and now Christmas classics. What’s a genre you haven’t yet tackled but would love to dive into someday?

JS: I don’t know if there is one now. I’m sure there’s one, but if there is I’m unaware of it. With the amount of collaborations that I did around the world, I’m sure there is a genre that I’m unaware of. I have touched on every genre I know so far.

When I say I’ve touched on, it just means I’ve sang on one of those tunes. Even throat singing in Mongolia. It’s so interesting, now that I’m thinking about it, I haven’t done heavy metal. I think that’s probably the only genre I haven’t done.

As far as properly exploring genres, there’s loads that I haven’t really truly explored and have only touched upon. I’ll try anything.

Your recent anniversary tour celebrates your career and your fans. How do you hope your music has impacted their lives over the years?

JS: It was so nice doing that tour because I realized, as I was going through the songs and talking to the audience, just how much we have been through together. My fans are not just people that like my music who are separate from me. These fans are almost like family, even if I don’t know them.

Some of them I really do know and I’ve seen them and spoken to them since I was a little girl. That’s a small chunk of them, but then the people that I haven’t had a chance to talk to they’ve been at my shows and we have sort of collaborated together over the years. Especially now with social media, I actually get to truly collaborate with the fans.

The fans have made the artwork for the album, and there was a fan that made the artwork for my last single “Loving You.” There was a record that I did that was a remix album that was also made by the fans, so it’s a real true collaboration and we have been through so much. The fact that I started when I was 16 and now I’m 37, it has also been 20 years for them too.

My fans have been with me mostly since the beginning, or at least 10 years, so we’ve gone through so much in that time. When I talk about relationships that have worked out or haven’t worked out and having children, they’re all they were there.

It’s like having parallel lives and we have walked together. I didn’t actually know or foresee that, and I only really noticed it when I did the 20 year celebration. That’s when I noticed that we are not alone. I do not feel alone when I’m playing life and I feel like I’m with my people.

Joss Stone with Pacific Symphony Pops

When: Dec. 20-21, 2024
Where: Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, Costa Mesa, Calif.
Tickets: $50-$193
Website: www.PacificSymphony.org

The post A Conversation with Joss Stone: Holiday Spirit, Soulful Music, and Life in Harmony appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Ready to lace up your running shoes and hit the pavement with a rock legend? Travis Barker, the iconic drummer of Blink-182, is swapping drumsticks for running shoes in his latest venture, “Run Travis Run.” 

Inspired by his own journey of recovery and fitness, Travis is on a mission to encourage fans and fitness enthusiasts alike to embrace the thrill of running. Whether one is a seasoned marathoner or just starting their fitness journey, they can join Travis – before a show on the current Blink 182 tour, or virtually – as he combines his passion for music and running, 

Mascot Sports and Barker have teamed up with Live Nation to produce a world-class wellness experience in conjunction with select locations of Blink-182’s One More Time tour. Barker’s Run Travis Run will debut at Los Angeles’ Kia Forum on July 6 and at Queens’ Citi Field on July 21. 

This unique event invites attendees to join Barker for a morning run and wellness activities, offering a comprehensive health and wellness experience.

“Run Travis Run,” aims to motivate people to embrace a healthier lifestyle and build a supportive running community. Barker’s story highlights the transformative power of running and his vision to inspire others to take up the sport for both physical and mental well-being.

In a fun chat about running with marathoner Jackie Moe, Barker shares insights into his journey of recovery and his longtime passion for running. He also talks about how it has played a crucial role in his life – helping him overcome the aftermath of a life-changing accident and maintain his health and sobriety. 

I feel like I’m combining so many worlds right now because I’ve always been such a Blink fan, but I’m also an avid marathoner. When I saw your [Run Travis Run] commercial, I was like, oh, we need to talk. Can you tell me about the support you have received from the running community and how it has influenced you?

Yeah, I mean, I’ve run for years. After my accident, I had this urge to do everything I was told I couldn’t do, and continuing to run again was one of those things. I remember in 2003, when my son was born, I found out I was having a baby, and I just ran to the freeway and back, which was about four miles.

I didn’t know why, but I suddenly wanted to take care of myself and prove that I could do more than I was doing. That led to a life of constantly challenging myself to be healthier and in shape, always ready for tour, and running was the main thing. 

I was always running three miles a day, especially on tour. I could never connect the dots to doing something I love, like running, and finding a way to share it with everyone or give back. It just hit me one day: I run every day, so I should be running with people.

I did a half marathon last New Year’s Eve and a couple of 5Ks. It’s the best feeling ever, and running with people is even more fun and motivating. It’s inspiring for anyone who thinks they can’t run or complete a 5K or half marathon.

It’s a whole different story when you’re in the energy of so many people doing the same thing as you.

Absolutely. I’m an individual runner as well, but as soon as I’m in a race, you thrive off this tangible energy from the people. I love that feeling. What half marathon did you run?

It was in Santa Monica, right along the ocean on New Year’s Eve. I didn’t really know what I was doing outside of running three miles before every show, but I decided to figure it out and do it.

It was such a cool experience and a bucket list item. It’s one of those things you don’t think you can do until you do it. Now, a marathon is in my near future.

I saw on your Run Travis Run website that you said you’re ‘just getting started.’ What is your vision for this new initiative?

In a perfect world, I would run three miles before every show with everyone every day. If I could get everyone outside and moving, and they become addicted and obsessed with running or walking like I have, then I feel like I’ve done something.

Additionally, giving back to the Boys and Girls Clubs and having a big charitable part of this means a lot to me. In every city I’m in, I’d love to have a run every day of this tour.

How can people get involved and support you in this mission?

Just coming out and running. Even if someone just sees this and doesn’t run my 5K, but goes for a run by themselves, that’s awesome. I’ve met so many people doing it virtually. Running has been the key to me getting sober a long time ago.

It’s the best stress reliever and better than any therapy or therapist in my opinion. There are so many great benefits to it.

RUNNERS’ CHAT

Thank you so much for sharing this. I’ll be out there supporting you, and I hope to run with you. I actually grew up with you in Corona, and you’ve always been a big part of my life.

Wow, I love that. How many marathons have you run?

Twelve so far.

Twelve? I can’t wait. That’s on my bucket list before the end of the year.

Let me know. This year I’m doing Berlin and New York. If you can get in on New York, I could help you with training. It would be so fun.

So you’re traveling to Berlin just to do the marathon? I love that. What’s your training like leading up to it? For my half marathon, I didn’t really have anyone that runs besides Chito Vera, a UFC fighter.

He saw me online and encouraged me to run more. He actually ran my half marathon with me. I ended up running 10 miles before my half marathon, but I always wonder what I should do before a full marathon.

It’s a building process. It takes about 12 to 16 weeks with long runs on the weekends. A lot of people start out trying to run more mileage than they need to, but if you build speed and hill work in between, it strengthens your endurance. Get one 20-mile run in a few weeks before the marathon, and you’re solid. After 20 miles, runners call it ‘the wall,’ where your body starts to struggle physically, and you have to pull the energy from your heart. It’s all mental at that point.

Wow, that’s awesome. I love that. I’m going to do it. It’s like the cold plunge or anything else that I don’t look forward to every day, but after you accomplish it, it’s the best feeling in the world.

Exactly, I’m so excited for you.

Thank you. I hope to see you at one of the runs. So awesome. It was nice talking to you.

Nice talking to you too. I’ll keep in touch. Good luck!

_______________________________________________________________

Run Travis Run

Where: Kia Forum, Los Angeles, CA

When: July 6, 2024 at 9 a.m. PT

For more information on Run Travis Run: https://www.runtravisrun.com/

The post Run, Rock, Repeat: Join Travis Barker’s ‘Run Travis Run’ Revolution appeared first on Backstage Socal.

That season finale – only the second season of the American singing competition – remains the most-watched episode in “Idol” history, and the highest-rated regularly scheduled, live, non-sporting television episode of the 21st century.  

Studdard won the title, but both singers experienced great music and career success following the show, selling more than 8 million albums worldwide, scoring legions of Billboard Awards and American Music Awards. Combined, both have been nominated for two Grammys, recorded 12 albums, toured the country 14 times, and starred together on Broadway.

The two have also remained dear friends. Now, two decades later, Studdard and Aiken are reuniting on stage to relive that special year and beyond for their concert “Twenty Years/One Night.” The tour will stop at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, Nov. 17.

The post On-Screen Q&A: ‘Idol’ icons Ruben Studdard and Clay Aiken reunite on stage, 20 years since TV debut appeared first on Backstage Socal.

After performing over 15,000 live Vegas shows for millions of fans, and countless television appearances, Burton left the theater named after him at the Monte Carlo in Sept. 2010. He now resides in Columbia, Kent. in a home he had built on his grandparents’ farm where he was raised.  

His childhood Kentucky farm is a long way from the neon-washed lights of Las Vegas, but renowned magician Lance Burton — who headlined “Sin City” for three decades — says he is loving the retired life.  

Burton made his first TV appearance on “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” in 1981. Over the years he was featured on a variety of late night and TV shows, including “David Letterman,” “Jay Leno,” “The View,” “Craig Ferguson,” “The World’s Greatest Magic,” “Hollywood Squares,” and even acted in guest starring roles on “Knight Rider” and “Las Vegas.”

Burton’s first TV special, “Lance Burton Master Magician; The Legend Begins” aired in 1996 on NBC. This was followed by a series of annual TV specials for The History Channel, Discovery, Animal Planet, The Family Channel, and many more.

The magic continues even in retirement, however, as he performs shows throughout the country – basically whenever he feels like it. One of those special shows, “Lance Burton Master Magician and Friends,” is coming to Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on March 24.

A star amongst the stars, Burton has a lifetime of interesting stories and experiences. He chats about life on the farm, stories with Louie Anderson and Jerry Lewis, and his passion for helping animals and children.

How is the post-retirement farm life going?

Oh, I love it. I love it. I retired in 2010 and then I just didn’t do any shows for like seven years. I shot a movie, which I released on Amazon. You could get it as a digital download or DVD. It’s called “Billy Topit Master Magician.” It’s a family comedy, and it has a lot of magic in it.

And then a few years ago, I went out and did a show with some of my friends, we call it Lance Burton and Friends. The first year we did like one show, and then the next year we did like two or three. And then the next year we did, oh, I don’t know, five or six. And then so on, then in 2020 we were on track, probably doing about 20 or 30 shows, and then Covid hit and everything stopped. But now things are starting to open back up.

So, are you developing your show from your farm?

Yeah, I probably should try to work some cows into the show. And I have a trick with a chicken. I’m thinking of bringing the chicken trick back one of these days. (laughs), that would fit in.

I moved back to the farm a couple of years ago. This is a farm where my dad grew up. And my grandfather bought this farm in the 1930s, so it’s been in the family almost a hundred years.

I built a house here about 25 years ago for my mom and dad, but they’re gone now. So I’d always planned on moving back here in retirement. So I finally made the move. I built a big building, like a warehouse. So I’ve got all my illusions and costumes and stuff there. I’ve also bought a tour bus, so now every now and then when I feel like it, we get in the bus and we can take off and go wherever we want.

Wow, having your own tour bus must be nice!  

(Laughs) Oh yeah. See, I did my career backwards. Most entertainers will spend the first 20 years traveling around, and then they get the gig in Las Vegas, and they get the residency. Well, I only really had three jobs in my entire career. I went to Las Vegas when I was 22 years old, and I worked at the Tropicana Hotel in “Folies Bergere.” I was in that show for nine years. And then I opened my own show at the Hacienda Hotel, and I was there for five years. And then we moved over when they built the Monte Carlo. And I was there 14 years. So I didn’t really get to travel around that much, the country or all of these places. Cerritos is one of the few places I did travel to.

So, it was a little difficult to tour back then, because I had the full-time job there in Las Vegas. But now, in retirement, now I can just go, and I love going back. I love going back to places like Cerritos that I have played. But I also like going to new places where I’ve never heard been before. So it’s fun.

You’re so young to have such a long, iconic career. You’re still be able to live a whole second part of your life of touring and doing what you want.

(Laughs) Yeah. Well, you know, my favorite part of the show now is after the show, the meet-and-greets. We go out into the lobby, me and my friends who are also in the show, Fielding West, Keith West, and Michael Goudeau. So people come by and I get to meet people that had followed me since they were kids.

I remember a few months ago we were doing a show and a guy comes up and he says, “Lance, when I was eight years old, my mom brought me to see you in Las Vegas. And I went up on the stage and I put my hand on top of the cage when it disappeared.” Then he said, “Here’s my daughter. She’s eight years old. She came up tonight for that same trick.” And he goes, “And here’s my mom, who brought me to your show 30 years ago.” (laughs)

So, it’s amazing to meet people, you know, 20 years later, 30 years later. And they remember that moment of seeing the show back then, and it meant enough to them that they decided, “Hey, I’m coming. I’m bringing my kids, so they can experience the same thing.” So those are the best parts of it now; reconnecting with people and hearing those stories.

Amazing. So now that you are able to pick and choose where you want to go and when you want to go; how often do you do that?   

We’re just starting to kind of do this now. It seems like the country’s starting to just now starting to open up. The last time we went out has been last year. It was, oh shoot, I’m trying to remember. I’ve reached the age now where I can’t remember if something happened a week ago or 10 years ago. (laughs)

I feel like we’re all like that since the pandemic. (laughs)

(Laughs) Yeah, I know. Well, last year was different, because I spent a month in Las Vegas. I was one of the judges on the TV show “Chriss Angel’s Magic With the Stars,” so we spent basically three weeks there in Las Vegas shooting 10 episodes.  Then I’m trying to remember if we did anything, but maybe that’s the last time we went out.

Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies that have you taken on since retiring?

Well, let’s see. Hidden talents. I don’t really know if I have any other hidden talents. I’ve got a lot of animals. I’ve got my dog, Rocky, and I think he’s coming with us to Cerritos. I’ve got seven rescue cats here that I adopted years ago. And I’m fostering another cat right now. This is my third foster cat in the last few months.

So, the first two I fostered and then found homes for them, and now I’ve got another one. I was without a foster cat for about two days, and then a cat showed up at my sister’s house, and they couldn’t keep the cat because their dog was chasing the cat away. So I went down and got the cat. Now I’ve got him here and he’s been fixed and gotten all his shots. So as soon as he’s recuperated from the surgery, then I’ll find him a home. So that’s kind of my hobby; like a pet rescue adoption.

That’s wonderful. So as one of the top magicians in history, you have influenced so many. Do you follow any of the newer magicians?

Oh, yeah. I’m friends with most of the people now that are out there that I’ve have a chance to meet and hang out with them. Of course, Chriss Angel. We’ve been friends for 25-30 years. Mat Franco, who’s in Las Vegas. I think he just celebrated five years on his show in Las Vegas. I met him when he came to see me in Atlantic City years ago. He was like 12 years old and came to the show, and came up after to get an autographed. He always reminds me every time I see him (laughs), he’s really talented and a nice, nice kid, and I love his show. Let’s see. Of course, my buddy Mac King is still there in Las Vegas. If you haven’t seen him, go to see him, he’s at the Excalibur now. He’s been doing shows for over 20 years there in Las Vegas. Mac and I, we’ve been friends since we were 14 years old.

Oh wow! How did you guys meet?

We met at the Louisville Magic Club. We both grew up in Louisville, Kentucky, and they have a magic club that still meets once a month. And that’s where I met Mac. We were both kids at the Magic Club and became friends because of our love for magic. And we started doing shows together when we were little. Once I got my driver’s license. I think when I turned 16, we started hanging out more cause I could drive over; he lived on the other side of town.

That’s incredible. The magic world seems very small.

Yeah. It’s a small world. Everybody kind of knows each other. Of course, we’ve lost several people the last few years. You know, we lost course Siegfried and Roy and Ricky Jay. Oh man. Harry Anderson. Max Maven. We just lost my friend Max Maven last year. Max was a terrific mind reader mentalist and a good friend of mine.

I feel like every magician I’ve talked to, honestly, always names you as their influence.  

That just means I’m the old guy now. (laughs)

What advice would you give aspiring magicians?

Well, you know, for the last 20, 25 years, I’ve sponsored the youth program, called Lance Burton Teen Seminar. It takes place at the annual convention for the International Brotherhood of Magicians. We’re having our convention in July. It’ll be in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania this year. It goes to a different city each year. So I’m kind of the figurehead of the youth program. And we have a three day seminar just for the young magicians, like 13 to 19 years old. It’s me and Jeff McBride and a terrific magician named Larry Hosh. And we have a workshop and classes, and guest lectures.

And what I always tell the kids is this, I say, you study your magic, practice your magic, and that’s great. But in order to really get good and to learn what you’re doing, you have to get up in front of people and do your magic. You have to perform in front of strangers. And I encourage them always to go and perform as much as possible. Don’t worry about how much you’re getting paid for your gigs. Just go out and volunteer your time. Perform at nursing homes or hospitals or camps or daycare centers, wherever you can find an audience.

I say it takes approximately a thousand performances in order to create a professional act. I did the math. I added up all of my performances. The first show that launched my career was my first appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.’ And that was back, over 40 years ago. And people who followed my career, they always point to that night, which was October 28th, 1981. And they say, oh, that’s when Lance’s career started. And that’s true. That’s when it got launched. But what they don’t realize is leading up to that, I had performed that act a thousand times. Yes, in front of strangers, and even though I was young, I was only 21 years old at the time, I had a thousand shows under my belt.

And every time I meet a really great magician who’s really prolific, I always ask them that. I say, how did you learn to do your act? And they all tell the exact same story. You know, it’ll be a different place or a different circumstance, like oh I worked at this little club in New York doing $20 a show. And that’s how I broke my act in. But that’s what it takes. And that’s what I always tell the young people; try to go out and get a thousand shows under your belt, and that’s how you learn. You’ll go out and you’ll make mistakes. But each time you do a show, you’ll learn a little something.

Great advice. And I’ve seen you working with so many different charities which you seem to be very passionate about. How has charity become an important component to your career?

Well, I just think it’s important to give back. If you’ve lived a life where you’ve been blessed, I think it is important to give back. And I enjoyed doing that. I always liked doing things for charities and different organizations. Anything, especially anything to do with animals or children’s charities, I love doing.

You know something I really miss is the Jerry Lewis telethon. I used to love that. And for 25 years, I appeared on the telethon, not just the national telethon but the local telethon too in Las Vegas. And it was just such a great effort that everybody came together for.

I miss Jerry. The last time I saw Jerry Lewis was a couple years ago, just a few weeks before he passed away. Chriss Angel put on a big benefit show for children’s cancer. You know, his son had cancer, and had to go through chemo and cancer treatment. And, you know, knock on wood, he’s healthy now. But Chriss started a foundation for children’s cancer. So anyway, he held a big fundraiser over at, I think it was at the Luxor. And he asked me to come over and do a little thing on the show. I was backstage. And once I retired, I kind of grew a beard. Well, it’s not that I grew a beard, I just quit shaving, (laughs), cause after, you know, having to shave every day to do the show, it was nice. So anyway, we’re backstage and Jerry’s there and he’s in a wheelchair. And I think, oh, I gotta go over and say hi to Jerry. So I go over and I reach down and I shake his hand. I say, ‘Jerry, how are you? It’s me, Lance Burton.’ And he looks up at me and I said, ‘I have to introduce myself now. No one recognizes me with the beard.’ And he looks at me, he says, ‘Oh, you look better this way.’ (laughs) Oh, what a funny man he was.

Wow Lance. You have been around so many icons in your decades-long career. You must have so many stories!

Oh yeah. You know who else I miss? Louie Anderson. Louie and I met back in the ’80s.

We both got our start on the ‘Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.’ I was on in ’81, and Louie was on a couple years later. But I remember seeing his first ‘Tonight Show’ thinking oh man, this guy is funny. Then a few years later, Louie and I were on a show in Washington DC called ‘Salute to the Ford Theater.’

It was all at the Ford Theater where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. And in the front row is the President of the United States Ronald Reagan and his wife. It was a television special. And Louie and I were on that show, and that’s where we met. We had been friends all this time and performed on many shows together and fundraisers and things. Before I retired, I guess now 15 years or so ago, Louie and I had been talking about doing something together.

And it was actually Louie’s idea. He called me up one day and said, ‘Hey, what would you think about us doing something together? Like a co-headline?’ I said that’d be a great idea. Anyway, after I retired, we started talking again cause once I started coming out and doing some shows.

The last time I saw him, we got together and had lunch in Las Vegas and we were talking about going out to some venues and doing like a double bill; like the two of comedy and magic together. I was so excited about that. And I think Louie was excited too. I think it would’ve been a really fun show. But it would’ve been fun to go on the road with Louie and do that. And then, next thing you know, well, COVID hit and put everything on hold. And then just about the time, you know, things were opening, Louis passed away.

Wow, now all my stories are ending now with my friends dying (laughs). That’s a sign you’re getting old.

(Laughs) No. I’m sorry for your loss. And I’m sorry for the world’s loss. Because it sounded like it would’ve been a great show. You should write a book about all of your iconic stories and career moments. You’ve had quite the life, and quite the career so far, and it sounds like you’re just getting started.

Yeah, it’s like starting over, going out and doing these shows. I like getting in the bus and traveling. It’s a great way to see the country, because you can see the scenery. And then – and here’s the great part – every night is opening night.

____________________________________________________________

Lance Burton & Friends

Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Fri., March 24, 8 p.m.

18000 Park Plaza Dr, Cerritos, CA 90703

More info: cerritoscenter.com

Related: https://backstagesocal.com/pennandteller/

The post Keeping the magic alive: Q&A with legend Lance Burton appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Nothing stops the working man. Even in the midst of recovering from a severe facial burn he suffered a mere six weeks ago while working on one of his many cars, Leno continues to keep his audiences laughing. 

In early January 2023, he will kick off a stand-up tour, with a stop at Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts for two shows on Jan. 7. 

Beyond late night, Leno has proven to be a continued success with his hit Youtube-turned-TV show “Jay Leno’s Garage.” The best-selling author-speaker and a recipient of a People’s Choice Award, Leno was recently inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. 

Leno chatted with Backstage about his secret to success, the power of karma, playing the long game, and more. 

I’ve been going down this rabbit hole of your life and you truly have done it all, Jay. And you continue with a successful TV show, game show, stand-up shows, books, and so on. Where does this work ethic come from?

You know, I don’t know. I think when you have parents that were born during the Depression, or that grew up during the Depression. I’ve always thought my mother could never figure out where California was three hours ahead or three hours behind (laughs).

Sometimes she’d call me at eight o’clock in the morning, thinking it was 11 o’clock when it was five o’clock in the morning, you know? So she called me and she’d go, “Did I wake you?” And I’d always go, “No, no. I’m up. I’m up. I’m doing stuff. I’m working.” You know, I could never bring myself to tell my mother I was sleeping.

Plus, I think the fact that I’m dyslexic. When I was a kid, my mother would always say, you have to work twice as hard as the other kids to get the same thing. And I thought, all right. That seems like a fair trade off. I don’t mind doing that. And that’s kind of worked out okay for me, you know? 

I’m a huge believer in low self-esteem. I think it’s the key to success. I meet so many people in this business that just think they’re the greatest thing. I’m not doing this for that.

Like when I got “The Tonight Show,” I just hired the best people I could and let ’em do their job. I know nothing about lighting. I know nothing about direction. I mean, I can tell jokes. Okay, so I’ll do what I do and let the people do what they do, and it works out great. They tell you when you suck, they tell you when you’re good. And it works out okay.

It seems pretty simple to me. You know, the things that ruin people in show business often have nothing to do with their talent. It’s always greed or envy. There’s something that’s getting in the way. I mean, when you look at all the people that have fallen, it’s really not for lack of talent. It’s because they did some stupid thing. 

I have to say, low self-esteem being the key to success is an interesting concept.

It’s interesting because if you assume you don’t know things, you’re more likely to listen. I mean, the number of people who would come into NBC and be like, “Okay, here’s what we’re gonna do.” And then they would give us notes on the show that made no sense.

I remember once we had a president at NBC say it’s summer, let’s do a beach show with everybody in bathing suits,. I said first of all, no guests are gonna want to sit and talk in a bathing suit. Okay. It’s just not gonna happen. I’m used to having these ridiculous conversations. It’s late at night. It’s a talk show. People are in bed, they just want to hear a conversation.

We’d have to explain what the show was because people just assumed they knew everything, you know? Like I say, if you assume you don’t know more than everybody else, you’re more likely to listen. And when you listen, you’re probably more likely to learn something. I mean, it’s not always the case. And when I say low self-esteem, I’m being somewhat exaggerated, but I think there is something to it. 

I mean, the number of times I would have agents send me a comedian and they would audition, and I’d say it didn’t go that well. And they would say, “Well, your audience was really stupid that night.” No, they weren’t. They are just the regular audience. It just wasn’t that funny.

“Well, it worked in Denver last year.” Oh, okay. The fact that it worked once, I mean, just take it as face value. If they’re not laughing, it’s not funny. Don’t always look for the reasons, like some other reason why. It’s just not funny enough. It’s okay. It’s not terrible. It’s just not exemplary, you know? If somebody had a 10 minute act, and maybe four minutes of it were funny. I would say, just do the four minutes.

It seems to me like what drives you and probably what has made you so successful is you follow common sense. Would you say that’s true?

I think that’s true. You know, it’s basic Dale Carnegie stuff, you know. My dad was a salesman. You look people in the eye, you shake their hands and you try to tell the truth as much as possible. Yeah it does seem like common sense.

I mean, to me, I had people who would send me jokes and then I had people who would drive from across the country to hand me their jokes. And those are the people I usually hired, because they really worked hard, you know what I mean? They put effort into it. It is common sense.

The story I always tell about “The Tonight Show” is that there was a point when there were about seven or eight rotating guest hosts. And this manager called me and he represented most of them. And he said, you know, I’d like to represent you on this. I said, I’m okay. And he said, well, you know, I’m getting my guest hosts $25,000 a show. And I said well, I’m getting $512 a show, which is a scale. And he goes, well, that’s crazy. I go, well, not really. And he says, well, you know, if you join us, we have all the guest hosts and we can get you $25,000 a show.

I said, no, I’m fine. I’m gonna stay for $512 a show. Well, I knew Johnny Carson owned the show. So about a month or two goes by and suddenly I’m named permanent guest host because I was saving them 400 and something thousand dollars a month. It’s because you play the long game, you know? In show business, the sad truth is the worst act in show business makes more than the best teacher, as unfair as that is. So, if you’re any good at show business, the money will come at some point.

I mean, I always had pay-and-play contracts, which means if you’re gonna pay me, you have to put me on the air. I always meet people that go, you know, “I did it for two weeks, and they let me go but I (still) get paid for the whole year.” And I go, that’s really not that smart, because now they’re mad because they’re paying somebody for doing nothing, and they will never hire you again.

It’s just a way of saying, just get away from us. We never want to see you again. You know, my contracts are always okay. They gotta use you somewhere, and yeah, I think common sense is probably the best way to describe it.

You mentioned that you are always learning. What would you say you’ve recently learned about yourself?

Learned recently about myself (laughs) I don’t know. I’m not that really interested in myself like, “What have I learned?” I would say I’m a big believer in karma. You know? If something seems wrong, it probably is, don’t try to justify it. It’s like finding a wallet on the street with $10,000 in it. You know you gotta give it back.

I remember once I was in traffic, this was years ago, and this lady cut me off and she gave me the finger or something. And I know I said something nasty and yelled at her. The next day I have an interview at ICM and I walk in and she’s the assistant. And I just laughed; I just said, you know something, this is karma. You yelled at me, I yelled at you. It’s so stupid. I apologize.

I remember I was thinking, I wish I could apologize to that woman, but I didn’t know who it was. And then I went to this meeting and she was the assistant. I don’t know, the world doesn’t always work that way, but sometimes it does.

When I was in the hospital with this stupid burn injury, I heard from a lot of celebrities, but I would also hear from people who I helped; like I helped them change a tire eight years ago and people that I did something for that I don’t really remember, and that made me feel good, because you realize you made an impact on someone and it had an effect on them. You know?

So, if the good things have an effect, then obviously the bad things must have an effect too. It’s a small world. It just comes around, you know? Like you said, it just seems like common sense.

In addition to Backstage, I’m an editor at the Business Journal, and I came across a large picture of you and your charitable work with the Salvation Army in this week’s edition. You’re truly everywhere!

Well, you know, those things are easy to do. Like the Salvation Army, when you raise money, you go somewhere and you just tell the same jokes you told the night before.

(Laughs) Do you see what I mean? You say it’s easy. Most people would not consider it easy.

I mean, it goes to a good cause and it just seems like common sense, like you said (laughs). It doesn’t seem that difficult. You know, it’s funny you talk about the Business Journal. There was a hilarious thing in the Wall Street Journal, “Jay Leno’s Secret to Success and Savings” or something like that. I’m going, okay, what’s my secret?

As I said, I’m dyslexic. I’m terrible with numbers. So since I was a kid, I always held two jobs. One job was to put money in the bank and the other job was to pay the bills. When I was a kid, I worked at McDonald’s and I worked at a car dealership, and I would spend the McDonald’s money and save the car money. And then when I got in to show business, I would spend the show business money and save the car money.

And then the show business money got to be so much more than the other job. So I said, okay, I’ll make that the savings job. I’m not a credit card guy. I do have credit cards, but I don’t lease cars. I buy ’em. And somehow in this article, my amazing plan is not amazing. It’s just saving (laughs). I’m just not borrowing money. I even said to the guy in the article, there’s nothing amazing about this.  

People always think it’s funny that I’ve never spent a dime of “The Tonight Show” money, which I haven’t, I live on the money I make as a standup comedian. I’ve always been a standup comedian.

When “The Tonight Show” came along, it was a TV job and TV jobs lasted a certain amount of time. Sometimes they’re 13 weeks, sometimes if you’re lucky. I was there for 22 years. But I always kept my job as a standup comedian. Cause when the TV job ends and they throw you out, where do you go? You know? I have something to fall back on — you just go back on the road and you tell jokes again.

Early on in our conversation, you said you had initially played the long game, and looking at your current career, it seems like you’re still playing that long game.

I remember when I started out, I’d always see these comics go, “They only offered me $3,000” disappointed. And I would say, “What are you doing on a Tuesday that’s worth $3,000? Really?” (laughs).

I mean, why don’t you go out there and get better at your act? The more you do it, the better you are at it. I mean, it’s a repetitive business. I mean, why would you turn that down? You know? So to me, one night you’re in Vegas, where there’s like crazy money. And the next night you’re doing the Salvation Army, or wherever you’re doing a charity thing, for no money, and there’s no difference here. It’s the same. The value of it is whatever people deem it to be.

On top of everything you have going, “Jay’s Garage” has been such a success. I am not a car person, as much as I want to be, it just won’t stick. But, just like your large number of viewers, I’m drawn to your passion and engagement with your guests and cars.

Well, that’s the thing, a lot of times it’s not the car; it’s the story, you know? A lot of times I have celebrities on that are not car people, like Kelly Rowland or somebody like that. But I’ll say, did your dad have a car?

“Oh yeah. When I was five, we would go for ice cream every week in this old Buick.” So we find an old Buick, like the one she said, and we go for ice cream and we just do like a rolling “Tonight Show.” You just interview them and instead of sitting on a couch, you’re sitting in the seat of a car.

This is probably a weird question, but as the ultimate car guy, if you were a car, what car would you say you are?

Well, I actually don’t know what car I would be. Surely nothing sleek and fast. Something fairly dependable, I suppose. Probably something sensible as my mother would say.

I didn’t wanna put too much emphasis on your recent accident, except for that I’m glad that you’re on the mend. You look great, like a baby face.

Yeah, it’s all new skin, it’s amazing. The doctors did this whole thing in eight days. I mean, I had no faith at all. It was totally gone. And boom, they did a great job, you know? It’s amazing. I’m pretty lucky.

(The day it happened) I went to the hospital and I hadn’t told my wife what had happened yet. I said, listen, my wife doesn’t drive anymore. I can’t leave her now. So I drove home and I told the hospital I promise I’ll come back at seven o’clock in the morning. So I stayed at home that night and when I woke up, my face was stuck to the pillow and I had to peel my face off the pillow. Ow, ow, ah! I was like, maybe this wasn’t the best idea. (laughs)

I didn’t take any pain pills or anything because I think pain is there for a reason. It’s to remind you of what you did. There’s this commercial for some antiacid or something where a guy goes to the fair and he eats six hot dogs, and then they cut to their music and the wife’s going, oh no he’s sick.

So she gives them this pill or whatever. And next thing, the guy feels great and the commercial ends, and he’s back at the fair eating six more hot dogs. I go, what are you doing? The point is to stop eating six hotdogs!

That’s so American. Rather than fix the problem, you find a way to get around the problem. It just makes me laugh because you think okay his upset stomach is fine. I bet he won’t eat six hot dogs again. The medicine’s not designed to let you eat six more hot dogs. But he goes right back to it. (laughs)

You have essentially conquered the greatest of everything in the entertainment world — including “The Late Night Show,” what most would consider the mecca of show business.

Well, it used to be, but it’s not so much anymore. The business has changed so much. There’s so many streaming services and the thing that really kills it are commercials. I’m so used to watching Netflix or Amazon or something, and then I switched to commercial TV and I watched for six or seven minutes. Then it’s a five minute commercial break. And then seven minutes, and then another commercial.

It’s almost unwatchable. When I was in the hospital, the TV was on in the hospital room, and it’s just regular TV and it’s just constant commercials. To the point where I was just sitting in the room in silence. I couldn’t take it anymore.

I mean, a half hour show is really 20 minutes, so in a half hour you have 10 minutes of advertisements. A third of the show is just the same commercials over and over again. And especially late at night when you can run more commercials legally in the hour.

I think that’s what’s hurt it. It’s not the fact that people are better or worse than they were at another time. It’s just the fact that you have so many alternatives that don’t have all these commercials every second.

Do you believe in the idea that people have reduced attention spans nowadays?

Oh, attention spans are reduced. You know, if you watch a comedian like Bob Newhart, one of the greats, from 25 years ago, he’ll take a minute to set up a joke. He’ll say, “Okay, here’s Mrs. So-and-so, she’s 62, she’s learning to drive for the first time.” And, people watching now go, “Oh, he’s bombing.”

He’s not bombing. He hasn’t gotten in a choke yet. I mean, give the set up. When I’ve watched shows like “Last Comic Standing,” the comedian comes out and he has two minutes to make the people laugh. Two minutes.

So you can’t establish a character or a point of view or an attitude. It’s just gotta be a pie in the face. So yeah. Attention spans have shrunk tremendously. I mean, I can see it. I see people watch TV and see a comedian come on and if he doesn’t get a laugh in the first 15 seconds, he’s bombing, he’s bombing really bad. No, no, he’s setting up the story. I mean, give it a second. Jesus.

Do you feel that has been a stressor for you as you’re building your own standup show?

It’s not really a stressor. It’s just a matter of learning to adapt. You know, what is inappropriate now was appropriate 20 years ago. You just have to change with the times.

You can’t keep doing the same thing. It’s relevancy. If something is relevant, it’s fine. You adapt or die. It’s like any other business. If you don’t adapt to your circumstances around you, you’re not gonna make it.

I’ve heard you say you’re only as good as your last joke. Can you elaborate on that?

Well, that’s true. I think that’s fair. I’ll give you an example. It’s like this accident I had. When you grew up in a little town like I did, rich people had no problems. You know, if you are a regular person, an extra 50 or 100 thousand a year would change your life and fix every problem you had. Or at least you think it would.

And that’s how most people think. And so consequently, as someone who’s successful and made some money, if I was sitting out there like a whiny celebrity and be like “Woe is me, I have all these cars and I’m rich, and oh, look, I burned myself.” People are going to be like “Good. I hope you burn up.” (laughs)

So for me, you have to go out and make fun of it, and you have a good time with it, and you laugh at yourself. Because in the real world, people get hurt on the job every day, they get burned, they get cut. They work in dangerous circumstances. So the idea that somehow you’re different is ridiculous.

So to me, I found just going on shows and joking about it is what I need to do. People know it’s a horrible accident, and I got burned pretty bad. But they know “he’ll make it funny.” And that’s how it works. People watch you for a reason.

I would hate it when I was a kid and a big time comedian would come on Johnny Carson and just sit down and talk and not have anything funny to say. Like, well that was a big disappointment, because I was waiting for them to do what it is they do.

In the last five years, what would you say you are most proud of?

This sounds ridiculous, but I think it’s the ability to choose a good woman and find the right person. It’s amazing how easy your life is when you’re able to make that sort of decision. I mean, I’ve been with my wife for 43 years and we have a lot of fun. When I was in the hospital, we got another bed and she stayed in the room with me, and we had a good time. 

I remember I had this discussion with Drew Barrymore one time. I remember saying to marry your conscience; marry the person you wish you could be. Marry someone who has qualities that are better than yours, and you’ll always do fine. And that seems to work out for me, you know? I mean, it’s amazing how awful your job is when your personal life is awful. You get that part straightened out and the other stuff just kind of falls into line.

______________________________________________

Jay Leno

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

When: Jan 7, 2023, 3 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

More info: https://www.cerritoscenter.com/

The post Conversation with unstoppable icon Jay Leno appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Arm hairs raise and hearts pound every time the dead-eyed, axe-bearing, murderous Marco Salamanca and his twin brother, Leonel, are on screen in the superhit AMC series’ Breaking Bad and its prequel hit series Better Call Saul.

Which is why it was nearly mind-blowing when chatting with Luis Moncada — the real man behind the fictional Mexican drug cartel character Marco — and experience his engaging, infectious laughter, and lively, loving nature.  

Although they play cousins on the show, the Honduras-born and California-raised Luis and his brother Daniel (“Leonel”) are actually brothers, and very different from their silent-yet-deadly characters. Moncada also says he is just as much of a fan of the Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul series as its millions of viewers are.

Moncada shares he indeed had a rough past — including being a former gang member and going to prison for driving a stolen vehicle at age 18 — but he says it was his past that led him to where he is today. Now, Moncada volunteers at youth prison camps, telling his story to inspire youths. 

On the brink of the premiere of the final season of Better Call Saul (airing April 18), Moncada shares his excitement for the series finale — fans, be prepared to have your mind blown, he says — as well as how to perfect the dead-eyed Salamanca twin look, his love for both casts, the challenges of filming the final BCS season during the Covid-19 pandemic, how he got his big break, and future projects and plans.

Follow Luis Moncada at: twitter.com/LuisMoncada77

Cameo link: https://www.cameo.com/luis_moncada_oid

The post Video interview: ‘Breaking Bad’ & ‘Better Call Saul’ star Luis Moncada appeared first on Backstage Socal.

For over three decades, the “queen of one-liners” comedian Rita Rudner has charmed stages throughout the world, including holding the title of the longest-running, one-person comedy show in Las Vegas.

In addition, Rudner is a best-selling author, “I Still Have It…I Just Can’t Remember Where I Put It: Confessions of a Fiftysomething,” “Naked Beneath My Clothes,” as well as the novels “Tickled Pink,” and “Turning The Tables.”

The Laguna Beach resident divides her time in her second home in Las Vegas during her residency. She often performs her one-woman stand-up throughout Orange County, including making a stop at Segerstrom Center for the Arts on April 7.

At what moment did you realize you belong in comedy?

The first time somebody paid me money. Previously I’d been paid in food. Being on TV for the first time was very validating; my first TV appearance was on HBO, alongside Robin Williams, Billy Crystal, Andy Kaufman, Richard Belzer & Pat Benatar.

What advice would you give female comedians today?

Be yourself, tell the truth, and try to avoid performing in front of Will Smith.

What was a pivotal moment in your comedy career? How did that change you?

Deciding to leave Hollywood and move to Las Vegas. It allowed me to stop traveling and start a family, plus performing regularly in my own theater made me a better and wealthier comedian!

What’s next for Rita?

Next, I’m going to sleep. Oh, you mean professionally. My autobiography comes out in August. I’m performing in a funny play at the Laguna Playhouse next January.

Rita Rudner

Segerstrom Center for the Arts — Samueli Theater

600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA 92626

7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 7

Tickets: $59

(714) 556-2787

Online –SCFTA.org

The post Comedy icon Rita Rudner chats return to OC with stand-up show appeared first on Backstage Socal.

No other duo in the world is more dynamic, talented, and hardworking than the magician legends Penn and Teller. 

In between working on their successful CW television show “Penn and Teller: Fool Us” (now in its eighth season) and performing their residency shows at the Rio in Las Vegas, the famed magicians will bring their touring production to Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts on Jan. 28 for a sold-out show. 

Teller, the notoriously “silent” half of the pair, is as vivacious and passionate as ever after over 45 years of professionally performing magic with his partner Penn. Aside from magic tricks, Teller has a load of talents in his bag of tricks, including being a painter, actor, film director, and co-director of magic-infused theater productions of “Macbeth” and “The Tempest.” 

Teller shared some of the greatest moments of his long career, what he and Penn have planned for their touring show, what it takes to produce magic trick after magic trick, and more. 

Without revealing any of your tricks, what is your audience going to experience in your current touring show?

Sure. Although, you know, revealing our tricks is kind of a trademark for us. (laughs) 

First of all, I would like to say that we are being very conscientious about COVID. It’s very important to us to allow the audience to participate in the show, but instead of doing it face to face, as we might have done in previous tours, we have some really clever ways around it. 

We have one trick that uses every single person in the audience, all doing it together. And it’s really fun. Actually, we have two tricks that involve the entire audience. We have three in which we’ve built a special little sort of space capsule for an audience member to come up on stage and be in. So they’ll be protected, and yet they can fully participate. I feel like there’s a lot of fun, while at the same time, our job is to create fun. Our job is not to hurt anybody. And so we’ve been very careful about that. 

The show’s about an hour and a half and it is suitable for all ages. It uses quite a lot of new material. There’s a few classic things in there from our repertoire. But if you’ve seen this before, you’re gonna see a ton of new stuff. You will see a chicken vanish with the assistance of a gorilla. We will teach you some of the secrets of how you navigate your way around stage with the secret markings that go on the stage. 

Penn will challenge himself to remember the exact order of a strip of nails in a nail gun so that he doesn’t puncture himself. He will also juggle broken balls. We will teach the audience to do a classic piece of magic. We test the idea that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven by dressing me as a camel.

We’ll try to deal with my terrible gambling problem. It’s a sad thing, but every time I go into a casino, I always win. And that’s something we’ve been fighting for years. And we think that with the assistance of the audience in Cerritos, we may finally be able to convince our casino executives that I can lose, but we’ll see. 

Is there a specific theme for this touring show?

One of our favorite themes is letting the audience decide whether they’re fooled or not. And we have one trick whose special function is to give the audience a choice between how they watch the trick. Do they want to be fooled or would they like to take away a mystery? Do they wanna take home an answer? Different people have different feelings about that. 

Something that I am just fascinated with is the production side of things. How do you remain fresh? How do you keep coming up with these tricks and these illusions? 

When I was five years old, I got really sick with a bad heart ailment, and I was watching TV and there was a kid’s TV show on called “Howdy Doody.” That was a cowboy marionette. And he had a magic clown on the show, and the magic clown fascinated me. 

And while I was recovering from my long illness, my parents agreed to send 50 cents and three Mars bars wrappers to the “Howdy Doody” show. And in return, I got this flat envelope. And in it were all sorts of little colored pieces that you punched out and made into little boxes and things. And I began to play with that. This was a “Howdy Doody” magic set, and I began to play with that. And for some reason it intrigued me like nothing else in my life.

So as a kid, I became crazy about magic. Then I became more crazy about magic in high school. I realized that very often magic is not the best way to make a friend because probably when you wanna make a friend, the first thing you don’t do is lie and magic is lying to somebody. 

So I got into theater more, and that was good because I learned a lot about how to handle myself on stage. Then for several years, I took a sidetrack and became a Latin teacher, but always kept the magic going because I can’t stop it. It must be like the feeling that people get when they shoot up drugs. It’s just always so exciting to me. 

I’m not sure exactly why it is so exciting. It has something to do with the fact that when you experience magic, you’re experiencing two things at the same time: you’re experiencing something that seems to be and something that is, and those two things are in conflict. There’s tension. It’s really hard to watch. 

People don’t sit around and watch magic tricks and let them flow over them. You might lie on the couch and listen to music, and the music would just flow over you. You might sit back and watch a movie some night and it would just flow over you. You can’t really do that with magic. Somehow it’s the nature of human beings to enjoy magic, where they simultaneously want it to be impossible and want to figure it out.

That tension is so fascinating to me that I just never get bored with it. I’m also very, very lucky in that I work with a person, with Penn, whose background and taste and talents are so different from mine that we are able to combine reality and make believe magic together. So anything we work on is an exciting adventure, because it’s never quite easy. It’s always a discussion. Sometimes it’s an argument, but that’s wonderful. That’s how we make progress. 

What is your creative process like together? 

We do every possible configuration. I think the most common thing we do is sit down and drink tea together and talk. We’ve nicknamed our work sessions Starbucks sessions because for a long while our talks were at Starbucks; now they’re anywhere. And now they’re very often on Zoom because it’s just what we have to deal with. So it’s a conversation, but it’s also independent stuff. 

The last Zoom session I had with Penn, I brought him two ideas, he brought me three; then we batted them around and said, well, yes, this is good about this and that’s good about that. Or what if we did this. We won’t be together until Thursday, so we’ve been just sort of working on the ideas separately during the week. It’s great. 

Every time, it’s like playing with your friends. When you’re a kid, you just get so excited and play, like I’ll be in the fort this time and you be the alien. So, there is that sense that is absolutely palpable, and that has not changed since I was 10.

Of course, nowadays I have luxuries that I didn’t have when I was 10. I have a crew of people who just work with magic for me. And these are people who are skilled at building things, and they understand the art form because they’ve been working with us. Most of them have been working with us for at least a decade, some sometimes longer. 

So when we have a work session, which we’re gonna have later this afternoon, I’ll go into the theater. And all of the things that we were working on last week will have made some progress. If there were props that needed to be adjusted, they’ve been adjusted. And our stage manager will lead us through a rehearsal that she’s planned out in which we deal with each of these things to see what kind of improvements can be made.

And then we take it step-by-step, and sometimes ideas fail. Sometimes ideas are just not good ideas. But magic has this awkward thing where you really never know whether a potentially good idea is good until you actually see it. 

You have to see it actually really done and it has to be pretty deceptive, or you don’t know whether that will be the right feeling for the audience. I mean, I’m pretty good at guessing what’s going on, after being in it since I was five, I’m pretty good at guessing what might be good, but I really never know what’s really good until we get out there.

What a life you lead! I don’t think there’s anything like it. 

I am the luckiest guy in the world. I did not ever expect to be able to earn my living doing what I love. Turns out that’s really thanks to Penn, and a mutual friend that we were with for the first six years we worked together. We were a trio and then our friend sort of dropped out. But, it’s thanks to Penn that I resigned from my position as a teacher in New Jersey and went into this line of work. So I owe that to him and to our old friend Weir.  

What would you say is the most memorable show you’ve put on?

I can tell you several things because there’s not one that’s most memorable. The most memorable television appearance we ever did, I think, was back in the 1980s. We did a piece on Saturday Night Live that was unbelievably difficult and really it’s perfectly conceived for television. 

I can’t really ever remember a piece of performance that had me more terrified and thrilled at the same time. And when I came down from what we were doing, every core puzzle in my body was pulsing with joy.

With that said, we’ve done three Broadway runs. And the Broadway runs are always of joy, because when you’re in New York, you have all of the best artistic people with you. We have a wonderful set designer that we use when we can have a set. It’s nice to have the best designers and things there. We also have a wonderful lighting designer who travels with us. 

Other times that are terribly memorable, was playing London. We did a television series going to Egypt, India, and China that were physically miserable to do, because that kind of travel is very stressful. And some of the countries are terribly, terribly impoverished, but it was a fascinating adventure. It will stick in my mind forever. 

And of course, for me doing both the Tempest and Macbeth as a director were a big deal. We’re doing a new production of the Tempest with the same script and music this spring and this next fall in Maryland. Assuming that there’s still theater by that time. Who knows?

I was actually going to ask if you were planning to pursue theater again in the near future. 

Right now, most of my artistic life is devoted to creating new material for the television show (Penn and Teller: Fool Us is on its eight season, with the second half starting last week). Which we are told is very likely to be renewed. And that requires us to come up with 14 brand new tricks to end each of these shows. 

So we work really hard at that. Sometimes we’ll start with the nugget of some preexisting trick and then completely transform it. Sometimes we just start with an idea that is exciting. I just bought a ventriloquist figure the other day, because we have an idea for a trick to do with one, which we’ve never done before. It’s just a constant adventure and I just don’t believe I could be happier.

That’s wonderful. You are truly a legend, yet you have continued to remain a hardworking professional. 

It’s the combination of working with a partner, which of course, is at times challenging, but it’s so helpful to me. If I had been a solo artist, I wouldn’t have gotten anywhere. It’s the combination of things. Penn and I have worked together for 46 years. So now it’s like an old marriage that really works. 

Our disagreements are no longer bitter; they’re present, but they’re not bitter. In the first six years, we did a lot of yelling at each other and saying, “Get off the stage, you idiot.” But it’s been 40 years since those first six years that have improved things a bit. So it’s just a pleasure to work really all the time. I’ve had all kinds of back problems and stuff like that. All of those things fade away in the big picture, because this part of my life is so important.  

Penn & Teller

Where: Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

When: 8 p.m. Jan. 28 

More info: cerritoscenter.com

The post Magician legend Teller: Love for magic remains ‘palpable’ 60 years later appeared first on Backstage Socal.

There is something about Marie. After several decades of success in all forms of entertainment — including, but not limited to, music, television, theater and film — the superstar Osmond sister continues to prove to the world she is the definition of unstoppable.  

This December, the entertainment icon will release her new 17-track album “Unexpected” (out Dec. 10), kick off a tour, perform a slew of special Christmas shows, and produce and star in the Lifetime holiday film “A Fiance for Christmas,” debuting on Dec. 9. 

Her Christmas show, “Marie Osmond: A Symphonic Christmas,” will feature a 30-piece orchestra performing a mix of her hits, Broadway songs, and holiday favorites. Joining her on stage will be special guest David Osmond (her nephew) and America’s Got Talent finalist Daniel Emmett. She will kick off the Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts season on Dec. 3. 

Marie shared how she developed her strikingly beautiful opera vocals, what it means to perform with her family and friends, how she embraces change and growth, and the art of remaining fierce and fearless.  

On developing her opera vocals

I did The Oprah Winfrey Show when my son passed away and I sang a song called “Pie Jesu,” which I put on this album. As you know, I’m kind of an eclectic person, as far as music. I love everything. I’m of course country; that’s the genre that I love to sing. But I never liked putting people in boxes, you know? I like trying new things. I’m not a one-note person. And when I did “Sound of Music” in Kimuni, I knew I couldn’t sing “The Hills Are Alive” with a country accent, so I wanted to have some vocal training. (The vocal coach) said, “Hey lady, you can sing soprano! You can sing opera if you want.” And I went, “Shut up!” (laughs) So I started to sing around the house and work on it, and I loved it so much. I did “Nessun Dorma“ as a trial run to see if people were even interested, because I got a lot of feedback from the Oprah show. And when I put that into the show, people really enjoyed it. So that’s how this album was created. It’s kind of a long way around it, but it’s funny how things happen. 

On returning to live Christmas concerts

To have the orchestra live, this show is going to be so much fun, I can’t stand it. One song I have pre-recorded background vocals; I just had to put them on there. It’s the Tabernacle choir from Temple Square and it’s on the last song that I do. Their vocals just give me chills, so I just knew I had to have them for Christmas. Everything else beyond that will be bona fide live. 

On performing with nephew David Osmond and America’s Got Talent finalist Daniel Emmett

I believe for the holidays, his story needs to be told. He’s an incredibly talented guy, but he’s a miracle. I think his story is unique and I want him to perform so people will see why I have invited him. Also Daniel Emmet who was on “America’s Got Talent,” will be performing. He is so gifted. Oh my gosh, just wait until you hear this kid’s voice. Placido Domingo singled him out as being brilliant. He recorded “The Prayer” with me on the new album, and we did it really simple with a piano, and then I go from simple to full on opera at the end and it’s really fun. 

But by saying that we’re doing that, that doesn’t mean that I’m never singing my hits or singing country. It’s just an extension. It’s like adding another instrument to your repertoire, you know?

On constantly evolving

I loved watching Streisand perform and I love watching Bernadette Peters, but they don’t tour anymore. You know, there’s a time and season for everything. And right now, while my voice is in shape, I want to enjoy this period. There will come a time where I probably won’t be able to hit the high notes, but I’m not going to let the fear of having a perfect vocal stop me from performing. And I think that happens a lot with people. Like everybody expects them to be perfect. Live is not perfect. That’s why Broadway is so fun. I think that energy that comes from doing everything in one shot for the audience is just incredibly fun. 

On new projects

On Dec. 9, my new movie will debut on Lifetime. It’s called “A Fiance for Christmas” and I’m also producing it. And it’s the third year that I did this with Lifetime. I just finished their commercials for the holidays. They’re going to be cute fun. You know, acting’s something that’s new to me too. I don’t know what it is. Maybe you get over 50 and you want to just start over. At first, my acting was okay, but I feel like in this one, the acting is better. I think a lot of times, women especially, put a lot of pressure on ourselves as we get older, saying, “I can’t do that.” That is so far from the truth. I feel like when the kids are gone, you’ve raised them, and now you’re at the time to experiment and find life. So I have a film coming on the 9th, the “Unexpected” album coming on the 10th, and then I’ll be on tour. 

On being fearless 

Never settle for fear. I can’t stand fear. As a young girl, I hated change. I just wanted consistency. And I realized that the only thing consistent in life is change. And so I embraced it. Now I’m the kind of person that’s not afraid to try things. I’m the kind of person that’s not afraid to close doors, because new ones will open and new things will be found. 

Marie Osmond: A Symphonic Christmas, With Special Guests David Osmond and Daniel Emmet

Theater:     Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts, 18000 Park Plaza Drive, Cerritos

Date:             8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 3

Ticket Prices:     $110/$100/$90/$70

For more info: https://www.cerritoscenter.com/

The post New holiday shows, album, tour, film: Marie Osmond is unstoppable appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Here are 8 notable highlights of the evening:

1. In true SoCal style, the Oklahoma-bred Chenoweth drank from a large In-N-Out cup throughout the show, stating the fast food joint is a “must” when she is in town.
2. She shared in excitement that her former professor was in attendance, and is a current professor at Chapman University. At one point she asked, “Where are my Chapman students at?” which received cheers throughout the venue. In true mentor style, she gave advice, pointed out vocal ranges, and even pointed out mistakes on her part to the students throughout the performance.
3. Her guitarist Josh Bryant took center stage with her to perform the Eagles’ rock ballad “Desperado.” At the end of the song, she leaned over and planted a smooch on the 38-year-old, snickering and saying, “I didn’t tell you how well I knew him.”
4. Before she sang a beautiful rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” she dedicated it to her dear friend, OC arts philanthropist Julia Argyros, who was also in the audience. Then she thanked her for buying her lunch at The Capital Grille earlier that day.
5. She paid homage to Julie Andrews, Judy Garland, Betty Buckley, and several Broadway stars that have influenced her throughout her flourishing career.
6. She made it Christmas in October, singing “(Everybody’s Waitin’ For) The Man With The Bag/Jingle Bell Rock” from her new holiday album, Happiness is…Christmas! released on Oct. 22.
7. She shared her love for binge-watching crime documentaries, Bravo’s Real Housewives series, and the Britney Spears documentary throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. After she saw the Spears’ doc, she jokingly said she called Britney up to offer her some advice, before belting out her iconic Wicked tune “Popular,” with anecdotes for Britney in between.
8. Not a dry eye was left in the house when she concluded the concert with a breathtaking rendition of “Smile,” sung entirely without her microphone.

After the past year-and-a-half void of live concerts and performances, Chenoweth was a pro at carrying her audience from beginning to end with a lighthearted yet sentimental performance that allowed everyone to reflect on how much the arts are truly needed.

For more information on upcoming performances at Segerstrom Center for the Arts, visit scfta.org

The post 8 memorable moments with Kristin Chenoweth: Segerstrom Center appeared first on Backstage Socal.

In their latest album, “Crash of the Crown,” the legendary rock outfit presents 15 revolutionary tracks with themes of perseverance, protesting, fighting for what’s right, love and family — most of which, ironically, were written prior to the COVID-19 pandemic world. The band’s 17th album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Rock Albums chart and No. 5 on the Top Current Albums chart.

The Chicago-bred group hit the road in June after over a year for a full U.S. tour, including a return stop at Agua Caliente Casino Resort and Spa in Rancho Mirage on Sept. 18. The band, which includes guitarists Tommy Shaw and James “J.Y.” Young, keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, drummer Todd Sucherman, and bassist Ricky Phillips, will perform their latest album, along with a heavy selection from their vast album collection.

Gowan shares how the iconic rock band continues to prove to the world time and time again, even in the midst of a global pandemic, that they are unstoppable.

It’s just amazing how long you’ve been with Styx and yet, you seem to still be referred to as the “new guy.” And even more amazing, is how every time I see you guys live, you are a powerhouse on stage as if you haven’t been doing this with this band for over 20 years.

GOWAN: (Laughs) I enjoy it. It’s funny what you’re saying though. I mean I’ve been in the band 22 years, but it feels more like 22 months maybe. You know, as you get older, the years seem to fly by quicker, but it is still remarkable because I think to myself, wow, when I was 22 years old, I thought I’ve probably got five or six years left on the planet. If I’m going to be a respectable rock star, I should be out of here when I’m 30. So when I compare it in that manner, it’s quite a chunk of my life. It means a third of my life I’ve been in the band. I don’t take it for granted. And I love the fact that we’re still ending our days with large crows. Last night, we ended with a multitude of people as far as the eye could see, their arms in the air and big smiles on their faces. So it tells me that this is worth doing for another day or another year or another 10 years if possible.

And your concerts remain so fresh like you’ve been playing for five years — and not just you, the whole band. How do you maintain that fresh energy?

GOWAN: It should feel fresh, you know? It should feel fresh onstage. When I meet musicians who say, ‘Don’t you get sick of playing the same songs?’ And it’s like, no. They’re the same chords and the same lyrics, but it’s a different song every day, because it’s different opportunities to convey that song and to kind of personalize it and integrate it into your experience in the last 24 hours. So it’s more akin to looking at your favorite painting. You never really get bored of looking at it. It’s something new every time you take it in. And that’s a big part of what keeps it fresh and being on stage with guys who are like-minded, that doesn’t hurt as well.

So what does it feel like to be back out there on stage in front of large crowds again after taking a break?

GOWAN: It was amazing last night. All the shows that we’ve done since coming back six weeks ago have been at capacity. A couple of indoor venues have taken the measures of having distancing. Two venues sold out every other row, so the place looked full but there was still space between people. And there was an outdoor venue that we played up in Nebraska where they did the same thing. But other than that, fortunately almost all the shows have been outdoors, so people are able to kind of keep their air supply replenished and hopefully not catch this thing that’s still around.

When I first heard the new album “Crash of the Crown”, I was just blown away by the lyrics being so relevant, being that it was written prior to the pandemic. Can you tell me more about that?

GOWAN: That is the oddest thing. It’s like a prescient thing. We were about two thirds of the way into the record, basically in the writing and early recording stages. And we were really looking forward to finishing up the record when the pandemic hit. And we thought, oh, you know, like the rest of the world, we’ll deal with this for the next six weeks and then we’ll get back to it. Well, then six weeks turned into three months and we began to see the likelihood of it stretching on for a year. And we started listening to where we were on the record, just so we could remind ourselves.

We basically were on a zoom call and were like, isn’t it remarkable how the lyrics of the songs, the whole tone of the album, seems to relate to what we’re going through right now? You know, even though we might’ve been referring to other things, it’s almost like you feel there was something in the ether that was telling you what we’re about to face. Some sort of crisis that we’re going to have to navigate our way through. And because the Zoom calls became more and more commonplace and relaxed and, sometimes too relaxed (laughs), they became so common that we began to think.

A couple of engineer friends of ours said, hey you guys gotta get this software Audiomovers. It’s an app that you can put on your phone or on your computer that hooks your studio into a studio anywhere on the planet. Unlike having to send emails back and forth with tracks you’ve recorded, the guys could be in a studio in Nashville, I’m in a studio in Toronto, Todd’s (Sucherman) in the studio in Austin, Texas, and we’re all hooked up on a Zoom call and we’re all listening to each other play in real time through the speakers. So we’re able to give real proper, in the moment feedback on what we’re doing. And it became so second nature that we said we’ve got to finish the album. You know? Let’s try this. And if we don’t like it, we can always stop and go back to the way we’re doing it. But we were getting such great results. And it opened up opportunities like any crisis does.

I mean, I have a vintage keyboard collection and the things are so old now they’ll fall apart. But on this record, I got to use my 1926 Steinway piano and an old organ. And then I’ve got my Mellotron from the 70s that, you know, if you look at it the wrong way, it just says goodnight, but it sounds amazing on the record, and all my old synths. And because of that, those things made it onto the album, whereas they wouldn’t have otherwise. And I think we really made the best apple pie from the squashed apples that we could. I know that there’s probably a better metaphor (laughs).

That’s a phenomenal story on how you guys utilized technology, because artists really seemed to be at a standstill and put their works on pause during the pandemic. You just gave a testament on how you guys persevered, and your album includes exciting elements like your piano and Mellotron that makes it that much more special. Now, in terms of singing, did you feel like there was more emotion there because the lyrics are relatable to the current situation?

GOWAN: That’s really a good a question because yes, there are some songs that I sung and I was happy with the vocals on them, but as you began readdressing them or redressing it, you know, some of the parts I noticed I wanted to sing differently. I wanted it to have a little more of the gravity of the moment. Like I think I can capture that a little better. And I should also add two of the songs were written after the pandemic started. And I wasn’t involved in the writing of them because I wasn’t in Nashville, but Tommy (Shaw) and Will (Evankovich) came up with two songs; one was ‘Our Wonderful Lives’ and the other is ‘To Those.’ Consciously knowing that they were written after the pandemic started, it makes a lot of sense, but that starts a bit of a domino effect. There were certain lines in some of the other songs that I thought, no, I can hit this with a little more of what I feel is the emotional intent of the moment. So, for example, the last line in the ‘Crash of the Crown,’ — “there’s no denying, the truth will be the light, through the darkness tonight.” That sort of hinting at the light at the end of the tunnel was far more realistic, that I had to readdress it. Same with ‘Fight Of Our Lives,’ ‘To Those’ and ‘Common Ground.’ So, yeah, there’s some instances of that raw emotion, for sure.

It’s interesting because ‘The Mission’ is this spacey futuristic album and then “Crash of the Crown” has this revolutionary realistic feel with lyrics that relate heavily to a world feeling a crisis.

GOWAN: That’s a good observation. Yeah ‘The Mission’ is fantasy based on a likely reality and ‘Crash of the Crown” is based on reality and the likelihood that the best intentions may come through, perhaps even despite ourselves.

For more Styx info and tour dates, visit: styxworld.com

The post Styx rocker Lawrence Gowan talks post-pandemic tour — and new prophetic album appeared first on Backstage Socal.

The virtual show premiered Friday, May 21 at The Frida Cinema’s pop-up theater and can also be viewed online. Rodriguez teamed up with a group of Broadway pros to reimagine the yearly production with arts students all over the country, including OCSA and California School of the Arts, San Gabriel Valley. 

Students and professionals worked together via Zoom for several months before eventually having the opportunity to work in person. Rodriguez said the new format had its challenges, but it was also more special than past years because they had the opportunity to spend more time together. 

Recently, Rodriguez can be seen in the Netflix miniseries “Halston,” playing the role of Liza Minnelli. Her Broadway credits include “A Chorus Line,” “Spring Awakening,” “In the Heights” and Julie Andrews’ regional production “The Boy Friend.” 

Rodriguez shared her experience working with the eight talented females she was grouped with for “Performing With the Pros.”

You’re phenomenal as Liza Minnelli in ‘Halston.’ What was it like playing such an icon?  

Nerve-wracking for sure. But in a good way. It was a really fulfilling experience and it took a lot of work, so it felt like I had done something hard and made it to the other nice, which was nice. 

I know that you’ve worked with your alum OCSA (Orange County School of the Arts) for several productions. What did it mean to you to be working on this virtual show with the next Krysta Rodriguez’s?

Oh, they’re like they’re better than the next Krysta Rodriguez. These kids are so talented. They’re so driven. They’re so focused. What I loved about being at OCSA was being around so many like-minded people and being around the students that had goals and dreams and were willing to do whatever it took to achieve them. And those are my people. So I’m always very, very happy to go back, and I learn a lot from them. They’re incredible. And it’s always been really exciting to me to keep re-articulating what I believe so that I can share it with them. It’s always helped me just as much as I hope that it helps them. 

Gosh it’s been 10 years ago, or so that I had done ‘Performing with the Pros’ myself and I got to do this new experimental version with so many people. And as a pro in general, it’s a big challenge. It’s a huge undertaking for both the pro and for the students. And this was an even bigger undertaking. We just did not know how it was going to work and it ended up being great. So I’m thrilled. 

Do you feel the virtual format created a different kind of bond between you and the students? 

Yeah, you definitely get to spend more time with them, which is great because the normal process is only three weeks and this was about four months. And there’s less of them. Last time we had 35 students, and in this one, because we all got to be separate with our own groups, I only had eight students. So you get to be a little more focused with them. Unfortunately, because of the social distance zoom aspect of it, you get less, one-on-one real life connection time because everyone is on mute and it’s a little harder to get to know everybody. Plus some of the students didn’t know each other either because they were from the two different campuses. So just all trying to get to know each other from all different parts of the world. It was really great when I was able to come out there and spend a couple of days with them in person. And that really changed the game. Like it catapulted us forward into a tighter bond really quickly. 

What is the theme of this year’s ‘Performing With the Pros’? 

There actually was not an overall theme of the show. So each pro got to take a small group of people and do whatever they wanted. David Burnham did the whole opening number of ‘Into the Woods’ with the students, which was spectacular. And some people did songs from ‘Hamilton’ and ‘Godspell.’ So they got to develop it all from the beginning. 

So in the casting process, I was being really drawn to people who played their own instruments. And it so happened they were all women that I ended up passing. And so I really wanted to explore their ability to play instruments and their ability to write and arrange songs themselves because so many of them used original songs for their audition. I teach a lot and I go visit schools and programs and stuff a lot, and people always want to know what I wish I would’ve known when I was their age. And so what I wish I would have known was that there’s like beauty in the mess and there’s strength in being imperfect, and don’t wait for the right time to speak up; start speaking up sooner and louder. And especially now, I feel that passionately about women in the industry. And so I decided I have this rare opportunity to spend four months with eight women who I get to maybe try to form and set on a great path to go out into the world, and the business and in their professional life. So I really took that to heart. 

So the sort of arc of the piece is what you would call women power songs. Like ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun, and ‘I’m Just a Girl’ by No Doubt and ‘Girl on Fire’ from Alicia Keys. And we did these sort of acoustic versions where the girls kind of tried to rearrange them themselves. I conceived the medley and then gave them sort of parameters, and they conceive the covers themselves and towards the end of the piece I come in and join. I wanted to sort of change the narrative from girl to woman. And so we finished the medley with ‘Grown Woman,’ the Beyonce version, and sort of pulled them into their power. 

What do you want people to take from this show?

I was excited about the idea of kind of showing the people around these ladies – their families, their friends, the people who are closest to them in their lives – to start framing them as women and allowing them to step into their power. So as much as I was trying to encourage the girls themselves, I was also hoping that their parents might watch it and say, ‘Oh my gosh, you’re such a capable woman and I’m ready to let you take the lead into the next phase of your life.’ And that the people around them that maybe didn’t know how powerful they were would see that. So that was a huge thing for me that I would sort of think about when I was making the piece; like how special will this be to the people around them who are watching it.

For more information, visit www.ocsarts.net

The post Q&A: Actress Krysta Rodriguez on empowering female arts students in virtual show appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Herb Alpert, Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and fierce philanthropist for the arts, will present the 27th annual Herb Alpert Award In the Arts on May 20. The annual awards, founded by Alpert and his Grammy Award-winning vocalist wife Lani Hall, awards 10 artists a $75,000 unrestricted prize and residency at California Institute of the Arts.

Last year, Backstage SoCal caught up with Alpert to discuss the 2020 winning artists and his passion for supporting the artists from all mediums through the Herb Alpert Foundation. The 27th HAAIA awards celebration will be held virtually on Thursday, May 20, 2021 at 2 p.m. PST.

When discussing this year’s winners, Alpert stated: “I’ve always loved the artists that travel the road less travelled… those are the artists that touch me.”

Here are the 2021 Herb Alpert Award In the Arts winners

DANCE: Will Rawls, Beth Gill

FILM/VIDEO: Kahlil Joseph, Adam Khalil

MUSIC: Toshi Reagon, David Virelles

THEATRE: Kaneza Shaal, Kimber Lee

For more information, visit herbalpert.com

The post 27th annual Herb Alpert Award In the Arts winners announced appeared first on Backstage Socal.

Herb Alpert is a fearless creator.

During times in which the arts have been stunted by a worldwide pandemic, the renowned Grammy Award-winning artist and philanthropist has continued to sculpt, paint and record original music and share it with the world.

When his organic conscious daughter was moving into her new home, Alpert created a housewarming painting made with real organic coffee. This inspired a series of paintings by Alpert that feature beautiful swirls of coffee swept across the canvas — now on display at Heather James Fine Art as an exclusive online exhibition through June 30.

In addition, Alpert and his wife, singer Lani Hall, have continued to give back to the arts and to those in need through the Herb Alpert Foundation. The couple have spent the Covid-19 lockdown relaxing, cooking, and recording music together in their Malibu home.

What is the process of creating your unique coffee paintings?

HA: Well, it’s like everything else. It’s like making music, sculpting, or painting with acrylics. I don’t know exactly what I’m going to be doing until I do it. And then it kind of starts giving me answers as I’m going along, then it kind of paints itself.

And your daughter inspired these creations?

HA: Well, she didn’t know it at the time, but yeah, she was moving into a new facility and she’s an organic person and I thought I’d do something that would be kind of off the wall and different. I first started painting with organic coffee and I realized I was having fun doing it. And I came up with a nice conclusion for the first painting. Then little by little, I started just doing other paintings and finally got off of the organic coffee, ’cause there’s no difference in the way the regular coffee seeps into a canvas. So, the coffee paintings are not organic anymore

They’re beautiful. You’ve obviously always been a creator, but it seems throughout this pandemic, you’ve really made a lot of new art and creations.

HA: Yeah, I have over a thousand paintings. I just paint and sculpt and make music just to stay healthy. Cause it’s my way of feeling like I’m a part of something. I’m an introvert, so it’s easy for me to be at home and do those things.

Does anything intimidate you when it comes to art?

HA: Hmm I don’t know if intimidation would be the word. I think people that are not kind to others intimidates me. That’s about it.

Will you be releasing new music any time soon?

HA: I have over 20 things that I’ve recorded since the pandemic actually. So I’m going to weed those out and, you know, do whatever I can to make the music that makes me feel good because when I do that, I feel I’m alive.

I heard that you and Lani have been making dinners together throughout the lockdown.

HA: Oh she’s been cooking. She’s really turned in to a really good chef. She also sings, so we did a couple of songs together. One song I actually arranged to help her to record. It’s one of the songs from ‘Rent’ that she always likes. So I surprised her with a track and then she put her voice on. She had a great time and that’s what I was hoping for.

Wow. Will you be releasing that?

HA: It’ll probably be released. Yeah.

So, what’s on the horizon besides your current virtual coffee painting exhibit?

HA: Well, we had to cancel all our concerts. We were scheduled to do 50 concerts in 2020. We had to cancel everything. We were going through Canada and the UK. We were playing at a famous jazz club in London and places around the United States. So we had to cancel all that and postpone it to the year 2021. And even with that, I’m a little reluctant, because we’re not going anyplace, unless the virus is totally under control.

I know that you and I have talked about the ups and downs of the arts since the pandemic started. The last time we talked was in the summer, and you had doubled your foundation’s awards for artists. What are your plans this year?

HA: Next awards is going to be a little different because we’re not going to double it. We’re going to take the monies that would have been doubled and share it around organizations that are helping people that are less fortunate.

Any specific organizations?

HA: Well, the food banks for sure. LA Food Bank here is really helping a lot of people. And then there’s this other organization called Chrysalis and they help wayward people find new jobs and dress them up and give them an opportunity to fend for themselves.

That’s so wonderful. You seem to always be on this continuous mission to contribute good things to our world.

HA: I think we all should do that. I think that’s part of the deal of being a human being. I don’t know. It doesn’t sound unusual to me. It just sounds like something we all should be doing.

What would you like to tell the world right now?

HA: Let’s all be kind to each other. Kindness is contagious.

For more info on the Herb Alpert Coffee Paintings online exhibition, visit: https://www.heatherjames.com/exhibitions/herb-alpert-the-coffee-paintings/

Or visit: herbalpertart.com

The post Herb Alpert brews unique coffee paintings for online exhibit appeared first on Backstage Socal.