Baltimore21201.Com - The Blog

Patti LuPone's new CD: Grammy material

Patti LuPone at 54 Below, photo courtesy Karsten Moran, New York Times

The new live album "Patti LuPone Far Away Places," which was recorded during the two-time Tony winner's engagement at 54 Below last summer, was released Jan. 15 by Broadway Records. We received it yesterday.

My review is one word: PERFECTION!

Seven-time Grammy Award nominee Robert Sher (Gypsy, How to Succeed, Nice Work If You Can Get It) produced the album. LuPone earned acclaim for the concert evening that opened 54 Below in June. She returned for a second engagement in August and also played a special New Year's Eve performance there.

54 Below, Broadway's Nightclub, New York City

The live album also includes dialogue and stories that thread the evening together. The songs featured on the CD are:

"Gypsy In My Soul" (Clay A. Boland and Moe Jaffe)
"Nightlife" (Willie Nelson)
"Bilbao" (Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht)
"Far Away Places" (Alex Kramer and Joan Whitney)
"Black Market" (Frederick Hollander)
"Come to the Supermarket in Old Peking" (Cole Porter)
"I Wanna Be Around" (Johnny Mercer)
"Ah, the Sea is Blue" (Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht)
"I Cover the Waterfront" (Johnny Green and Edward Heyman)
"Pirate Jenny" (Kurt Weill and Bertolt Brecht)
"By the Sea" (Stephen Sondheim)
"I Regret Everything" (Bill Burnett and Marguerite Sarlin)
"Hymn to Love" (Edith Piaf and Marguerite Monnot)
"Travelin' Light" (Jimmy Mundy and Trummy Young)
"Nights on Broadway" (Bee Gees)
"September Song" (Kurt Weill and Maxwell Anderson)

The New York Times wrote, 

Ms. LuPone was born to sing the louche songs of Brecht and Weill, and the arrangements for a limber quintet — led by the pianist Joseph Thalken and featuring an accordion, banjo, violin, and guitar — lent the music a pungent Weimar flavor. Especially evocative were Mr. Thalken’s lilting 1930s hotel orchestra-style jazz arrangements of “I Cover the Waterfront” and “Travelin’ Light,” which Ms. LuPone invested with a wistful, torchy sensuality.

 

The show’s dramatic high point was a feral, scary interpretation of “Pirate Jenny,” the murderous revenge fantasy from “The Threepenny Opera,” delivered with a sneering glare that could turn you to stone. No one, save perhaps Maria Callas, has expressed more fury through a curled lip and an evil eye than Ms. LuPone, who can deploy the same features as easily for farce.

You can read The Times full review here. Know someone who loves Broadway or cabaret? Every song by Patti LuPone is a Valentine.

 

You love Big Bird? Show it at Gertrude's.

From John Shields and our friends at Gertrude's

MPT Appreciation Night — 2012 John Shields, Gertrude's, Baltimore Museum of Art Please join us at Gertrude's on Thursday, November 8, 2012 as John Shields hosts a Maryland Public Television Appreciation Evening. Bring your friends, enjoy dinner, and Gertrude's will donate 33% of the evening's sales to MPT! It's a deliciously easy way to help support the great programming from MPT. All you have to do is show up with friends, eat a terrific meal, and the donation is made. Maryland Public Television's programs, with their commitment to excellence, innovation, diversity, and the values of Marylanders are vitally important to our community. So come in and enjoy dinner with us this evening and show your support for our own Maryland Public Television Foundation, which never fails to bring us TV that is truly "worth watching!"  Reservations available online through OpenTable.  Donated funds from this event will assist the MPT Foundation in the work that it does for our community. Gertrude's 10 Art Museum Drive Baltimore, MD 21218 (410) 889-3399

Coming Soon to the Jewish Museum of Maryland — in Baltimore — GefilteFest!

GefilteFest, the poster

The news of this event made smile; I hope it does the same for you.

Something fishy is going on at the Jewish Museum of Maryland!

We’re expanding the Museum’s hours and adding new tours and programs!

Beginning October 21, the Museum will be open from 10am to 5pm, Sunday through Thursday. Tours of the historic Lloyd Street Synagogue, third oldest synagogue building in the US, will now be available five times daily.

To hook you on JMM’s new hours, the Museum is proud to present GefilteFest on October 21, 2012.

Join us for a day of cooking, eating and storytelling for the whole family. Don’t miss the gefilte fish “throw-down,” as teams vie for the honor of being crowned champion of this classic Jewish delicacy. Meet the owners of Gefilteria, a Brooklyn-based startup, making waves in the food world with their boutique gefilte and  other old world Jewish foods.

We’ll be sharing fish tales throughout the day, with recipe swaps, cookbook readings, music and more.

Get in the swim at the JMM (but please note: no crabs allowed).

The Jewish Museum of Maryland
at the Herbert Bearman Campus
15 Lloyd Street
Baltimore, MD 21202

410-732-6400
info@jewishmuseummd.org 

Station North: "First 10 Years! Celebrate!"

There's a party in the planning. Save the date!

Baltimore's Station North Arts and Entertainment District will be officially celebrating its 10th Anniversary on Friday, September 28, 5 - 9PM.

Here's the teaser:

On the rooftop at the Charles Street Parking Garage, 1714 N Charles Street, join Governor Martin O'Malley for a party with a MICA invited exhibition, music, drinks, and a whole lot more. The evening will include tours of the Station North District.

Check back often for complete details on what promises to be an entertaining — and artful — evening.

What Men Do When They Quit Their Day Job to Go Out in the World to Brew Beer

Here's what one man did as he moved from the task forecasting the Mid-Atlantic weather to the profession of brewing suds.

Aaron Justus was a weatherman at a Richmond, Virginia television station and apparently wanted to make 'clever-time' with his friends and co-workers before he left CBS-6 to work for a microbrewery in San Diego, California. Turns out that he made 'clever' in a viral video kind of way.

Justus (with the help of unnamed staff at WTVR TV) created this cute little gem. And, it is cute. And, he plays the gag so perfectly straight it makes me grin.

 

When Justus was asked about the video by TVSpy, he said, “I had built a few crazy graphics during my last two weeks at WTVR.”

He continued, “It was an ongoing joke with the production team. I then decided to put it all together as one last farewell forecast, which of course never hit air.”

I so wish it had.

According to MediaBistro.com, Aaron Justus now says, from San Diego, “Life is good!”

I'm guessing he reports that life is good because Godzilla saved the East Coast from that super hurricane, the lava flows didn't take down Charlottesville, and those 345-degree temperatures didn't cause Fredericksburg to burst into flame. That and Justus being surrounded by wall-to-wall beer.

And that, of course, brings the story home to Baltimore.

Last Monday was Jon Zerivitz's last day working as a graphic designer at T. Rowe Price in Owings Mills. He left the rarefied air of the suburban corporate studio for the hopps-filled air of his new 7,200 square foot creation, Union Craft Brewing in Baltimore City.

While I wish Jon and his business partner all great success in the suds business, I'm wondering if we should—you know, in the name of due diligence—look back at the last couple of weeks of Zervitiz's work as a T. Rowe Price designer.

Jon is a funny, talented guy—a good man—and one hell of a desk-top finger drummer. Yet, I can't seem to shake the idea that there just might be a Godzilla or a volcano hidden in one of his last infographics.

Just saying.

What's on My Party Radar for Tonight? A Big Cucumber and Some Premium Gin.

Yep, this is how I'll be playing it out tonight. Cucumber martinis. A warm weekend evening in the city and icy Hendrick's Gin... it can't get better—in the drinks department—than this. And, it will certainly make my still-sore-throat feel better.

Hendricks Gin on N Charles Street, Baltimore

With its touch of rose petals and hit of cucumber, I adore Hendrick's—and the actual cucumbers are fun, also, in a garnish sort of way.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the best Hendrick's martinis ever at Baltimore's landmark restaurant, The Prime Rib. I'm trying to duplicate their recipe and their method of making the drink. I'm fairly certain the drinks will come together.

The Prime Rib, Baltimore

If you don't hear back from me tonight, you can assume that my martini-perfecting process was fairly painless and totally successful.

Hendrick's Gin Website

I'm not affiliated with the company. I'm simply a huge fan of their product. And, their website is all kinds of fun. Visit them.

And remember to, as Nick and Nora Charles did, sip distinctly delicious drinks—but sip responsibly. Ok, not so much... have fun with a great cocktail.

June - Thanks to Downtown Partnership

Print out the calendar and let's party. By the way, take special note of the Happy Hour with food from Midtown BBQ and Brew.

The Baltimore Sun likes Midtown BBQ as much as I do. The Sun's reviewer, Eric Maza, wrote:

…Midtown might just be poised to become Mount Vernon’s happy hour nerve center again, thanks to a successful face-lift and a farm-to-table menu that is unapologetically traditional, rich and charmingly displayed on the plate…

Photo courtesy Baltimore Sun, Algerina Perna

…I’ll be coming back, not for the beer, not for the TV, but for an enormous rack of ribs that’ll last me for a couple of days…

…beef is organic, free-range, bought from a Pennsylvania farm and butchered and smoked in-house. This farm-to-table approach, rare among casual restaurants, is one of the restaurant’s assets…

June looks like it will rate high on the BrockelMeter.

Enjoy!

Baltimore's Charles Street - Always a Party

Let's Eat Charles Street 2012

From my good friend, Laura Rodini, at the Historic Charles Street Association —

Where will you be on Saturday afternoon?
That's the day of our Let's Eat Charles Street Festival, and everyone in Baltimore will be there!" Let's Eat Charles Street is the best thing to happen to Charles Street since Starbucks," says Haluk Kantar, owner of Cazbar Restaurant.

With restaurants like The Beef Brothers, Mick O'Sheas, Sascha's, Caribou Coffee, Midtown BBQ & Brew, Lumbini, Mina's Delights, Ban Thai, Cazbar and HomeSlyce Pizza Bar on hand, you can be sure you won't leave feeling hungry.

And I'm proud to say that our Let's Eat Charles Street festival will be the launching pad for Baltimore's first sushi truck, called Noodlerolla. Owner James Sin is the former Executive Chef at Sticky Rice, and his first food truck venture has been highly anticipated. "We will be serving sushi, bento boxes and even Korean fusion," James says.

Music To Your Ears: An Interview with The Carousel Rogues
Great food and shopping make up only part of what we have in store for you on May 12th. Six great musical acts will be taking the stage. Here's the lineup:

12-12:30pm - Jenee & Cornell
12:30-1pm - Charles Towers' apartments favorite R&B artist, Kevin Phillips
1-2pm: Andrew Grimm & June Star
2-3pm: Karter Jaymes, a 2-Time Grammy nominee
3-4pm: The McTell Brothers
4-5pm: Our headliners, The Carousel Rogues, sponsored by WTMD

I recently had the pleasure to sit down with The Carousel Rogues' lead singer, Caitlin Nethery Anselmo.  
"My husband, Zach Anselmo, and I were friends in high school. We started dating a year after we formed a band," Caitlin says. "We fell in love over music."Zach plays guitar and vocals and their friend, Daniel Wiley, rounds things out on keyboard. Their Indie-pop sound was quickly noticed by Baltimore area alternative radio."We played on WTMD's 'Baltimore Unsigned' a few years ago. After we put out our self-titled album, program director Scott Mullins liked one of our songs, 'Clementine,' and added it to their rotation."

"It became the number one song on their station for several weeks." Caitlin says their music is influenced by bands like Weezer, Phantom Planet and The Cardigans. "We definitely have late-90's sensibilities," she laughs, as well as other, indie sounds such as Teenage Fan Club.

"We also like a lot of music from the 1960s. I mean," she adds, "Who's not influenced by The Beatles"?

"Another source Caitlin credits for inspiration may seem unlikely: children's fantasy novels. 
"I wrote a song about this Andrew Peterson book for laughs. Dan (the keyboardist) encouraged me to send it to the author - we found his email address on his website. Andrew liked it so much he actually passed it on to his producer, Ben Shive. He reached out to me a couple months later about meeting up in Nashville to discuss working on some kind of project together. That's how our first record got started.

"The Carousel Rogues will begin recording their second album in Nashville this July. They'll be playing Clementine at our festival. So all you WTMD lovers, be sure to check them out! See you all on Saturday!

A Few Festival Nuts and Bolts
Of course, putting on a street festival requires lots of help from different sources, and I would like to thank Carrollton Bank for their generous sponsorship, and the City of Baltimore for all of their assistance in securing our permits. The entire 300 block of N. Charles Street between Saratoga and Mulberry Streets will be closed to traffic as of 4:30 am on Saturday. So if you normally park there on the weekends, make sure you have another spot by then. Here are two alternatives: Our friends at PMS Parking offer weekend specials at their St. Paul Garage (behind the Tremont, at the corner of Charles & Saratoga) and their Franklin Street Garage (next to the Pope Garden at the intersection of Charles & Franklin). You can park all day at either garage for just $5.

The following bus schedule is in effect on Saturday, May 12 between Saratoga and Mulberry Streets: The No.3, 11 and 64 Lines will operate their regular route on northbound Charles Street. They will be diverted left on Fayette Street, right on Park Avenue, right on Mulberry Street, then back to their regular route on Charles Street. Bus stops at Fayette, Lexington, and Saratoga Streets, will be inoperative on Saturday, May 12th until 6pm.Southbound routes are all on streets other than Charles Street and will not be affected.

How You Can Help Out! 
I've also been getting a lot of questions from folks who want to know what they can do to help out on May 12. This is what I'm telling them:If you like us: Come on out and support our 40 local businesses and great live music that afternoon. And while you're here, make sure you fill out one of our surveys provided by our friends at The Downtown Partnership. We'll have raffle tickets for $75 worth of Zipcar driving credit to give away for filling it out! And if you like us, you like us, you really, really like us: You will consider volunteering a few hours of your time on Saturday. Our beer & wine tent and donation tables are already well staffed, but I'd love to have a few more folks help us with our setup between 9am and noon on Saturday, or manning our 2 awesome bounce houses in our children's play area. Please email me if you're interested, and my sincerest thanks for your support!  — Laura Rodini

Casting Notice for Baltimore City Residents - Speaking Parts, Pays AFTRA Scale

Just received an email from my friends at Taylor-Royall casting. I have a feeling this casting notice for speaking parts will interest many of you. Details:

We are in need of actual Baltimore City residents to participate in an AFTRA demo video speaking against a proposed tax on sugary soft drinks in Baltimore.

The demo will record in Baltimore on Tuesday April 3rd and pays AFTRA on-camera demo scale rate. If the client uses any footage or audio of you from the demo for radio, web, or broadcast use, you would be paid for any additional usage.

If you are a Baltimore City resident and would like to be considered for this project, please email julie@taylorroyall.com with the following:

Name
Phone #
Address
SSN or Union #
Are you available Tuesday 4/3?
Are you AFTRA, SAG, or non-union?
Are you AGAINST a new tax on sugary soft drinks in Baltimore?
Please attach a current headshot/photo & resume.

Please note that if you do not submit all of the required information, your submission may be disregarded.

Good luck to my fellow union members. Remember Rule One.
Notice posted at request of Taylor Royall Casting. 

REVIEW: Kitchen Nightmares - Cafe Hon

On Kitchen Nightmares, airing tonight, Gordon Ramsey sits down to sample the food at his latest restaurant in distress, Baltimore's Cafe Hon.

Served a plate of the restaurant's signature meatloaf, Ramsey says, "Looks like a flamingo turd just landed on my plate." And that may just be the highlight, the pinnacle, of the episode 15, season 5.

Here's the meatloaf in question:

                                 Meatloaf, the money shot

The series, Kitchen Nightmares, is a formula show, yes. The formula, though, has become a sorry cliche much like the restaurateur in question.

The show is just the typical, electronic airing of dirty laundry on a national scale that for some reason continues to pass for entertainment—much like the side shows of carnivals long ago. Other than for Baltimore folks who know Denise Whiting and Cafe Hon and are looking for a bit of Schadenfreude, the show has little to offer.

There are the usual personal attacks on the employer by her staff with quotes like:

"You're a rude bitch..."

"She's like the anti-HON."

"Denise thinks she's a rock star."

And the employer sheds the requisite tear or two. She says she's sorry. And we question her sincerity. Next segment, please.

                                   Tear shedding time

Ramsey paints Cafe Hon's ugly green walls an ugly flamingo pink. The reveal follows, along with the requisite tears of joy and hug from the owner, Whiting. She looks as un-sincere as ever.

The time spent explaining how they fixed the menu is next to nil. 

The only interesting part of the episode takes place in a studio at Baltimore radio station, MIX 106.5 with JoJo and Reagan. The MIX folks are engaging, sincere, forthcoming, and fun. What a nice change from the vitrol in the cafe.

                            Resolution segment - all is well

The quandry segment. Lots of refelctive footage of Whiting deciding whether to do the right thing and give up the trademark to HON. Everyone takes a deep breath. Tension builds—sort of—to about the pitch of "do you think it might rain today?"

She gives up the trademark. Everyone is relieved. Fade from pink walls to black.

There's a certain curiosity factor here for Baltimoreans, but, I recommend that if you have anything else to do this evening, do it.

Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares airs tonight at 8 PM on FOX.

TV Tonight - Cafe Hon. Troubles and Tears. UPDATE: the entire episode, online

Last year when the brouha broke out over the trademark on word HON, I gave Denise Whiting a negative score on the Brockelmeter. And I heard from a number of people who thought I was being a little harsh.

Take a look at this teaser for tonight's episode of Kitchen Nightmares. Based on the comments made by her own employees, I was being downright charitable to the woman.

 

Kitchen Nightmares
The Cafe Hon episode airs tonight at 8 PM on Fox TV.

But wait, there's more vitrol in the mix:

 

UPDATE: This is odd. The Gordon Ramsey channel on YouTube.Com has posted the entire episode of tonight's show online without commercials. Here's the link. That doesn't help FOX's potential ratings.

I Asked for Carol Channing; I'm Getting Carol Channing. On Sunday!

On January 8th I wrote with gusto about the new Carol Channing documentary, Larger Than Life.

In that post I wrote, "This documentary seems like a wonderful fit for Baltimore's Charles Theatre (I'm thinking of John Waters as a speaker). Let's hope Baltimore books this gem."
                  Carol Channing Larger Than Life - Poster

Well, ask and you shall receive. Carol Channing, Larger Than Life is coming to our very own Charles Theatre on Sunday, February 5th.

Here are the details from Jonathan Palevsky:

Sunday February 5, 2012

Cinema Sundays At The Charles is pleased to present the Baltimore Premier of Carol Channing: Larger Than Life.  Directed by Dori Berinstein.  Written by Dori Berinstein and Adam Zucker.  Starring Carol Channing, Loni Anderson, Marge Champion, Harry Kullijian, Mary Jo Catlett, Tyne Daly.

2012 USA.  Running time 83 minutes. 

Synopsis

The story of legendary performer Carol Channing's life is as colorful as the lipstick on her big, bright smile. In Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, director Dori Berinstein, with co-writer Adam Zucker, captures the magic and vivacity of the 90-year-old icon - both onstage and off...past and present. The film is both an intimate love story and a rarefied journey inside Broadway's most glamorous era. It is, above all, a look at an inspiring, incomparable and always entertaining American legend.

Click on the following for official site.

http://www.carolchanningmovie.com/
 
OK, Superbowl Sunday didn’t quite go the way we wanted but at least we can laugh at something on Sunday.  Come and celebrate the career of one of America’s show business icons.

So far our speaker is TBA…I am having a pretty tough time finding someone on Superbowl Sunday!  All suggestions welcome!

Looking forward to seeing you on 2/5. 
All the best,
Jonathan Palevsky
Jpalevsky@aol.com

Doors open @ 9:45 am. Bagels and coffee until 10:30...
Presentation begins @ 10:30 and ends @ 1:00! 
For more Cinema Sundays information you can go
to WWW.TheCharles.com and click on the Cinema Sundays link.
                     
Tickets: $15 at the door.
Or buy a mini-membership.
1711 N. Charles St.
410-727-3464
info: karenskicsc@comcast.net

More videos and background in my original post. (Watch Carol Channing singing Jazz Baby. It's gold!)

Friday Fun - Name this Baltimore Eatery

                              Friday's Mystery Dining Room

Will you be the first to name this restaurant dining room, long gone from Baltimore?

Hint: They served oysters over 20 different ways.

Please post responses as a comment, it you post them on Facebook or Twitter you ruin it for everyone. And really, nobody likes a Suzie Spoiler.

AND THE WINNER IS... 

my Twitter friend, @platypotamus 

The photo was taken at the Eager House Restaurant at the Emerson Hotel.

          The Emerson Hotel, Corner of Baltimore & Chase Streets

The storied Emerson was built in 1911, closed in 1969, and demolished in 1971. Here is a must read memory about the hotel and the Eager House Restaurant.

Late in its life, the Emerson Hotel had a Tiki Bar called the Hawaiian Room. Here's the menu:

                     Hawaiian Room at the Emerson Hotel

The best backgrounder on the hotel appears in Baltimore Style Magazine (January-February 2011). Here is the link to Mary K Zajak's article.

The 2012 SAG Awards - A Backstage Look at the Massive Production by the Numbers

                    18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

When a production fact-sheet mentions the word "Deco" in the set description, it gets my attention. When a press release mentions nearly 500 Magnums of Taittinger Brut La Française Champagne I'm all over it.

The 2012 SAG Awards show is going to be bigger, brighter, and more beautiful than ever.

The event will take place at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. And, for each and every event the Shrine needs some serious attention. Here's the backgrounder:

To create a dramatic arrivals area, impressive set and intimate dinner setting for the world’s leading actors who are gathering on Sunday, Jan. 29, 2012 the SAG Awards staff must transform the Shrine Auditorium entrance and the adjoining Exposition Center. The Shrine complex is Los Angeles landmark built in 1920 in Spanish Colonial Revival style with Moorish detailing. It’s grandiose and beautiful on the outside, but the inner space of the Shrine’s Exposition Center, with its 34,000 square foot wooden floor, paint-trimmed overhangs and bare columns, has to be redefined for each event.

So then, what will the SAG Awards be bringing to the table for 2012?

FOR THE STAR STUDDED ARRIVALS AND TO TRANSFORM THE SHOWROOM

The SAG Awards will:

• Lay 15,872 square feet of red carpet in the arrivals area, edged by 585 lineal feet of hedges
• Accommodate 300 fans in three-row six-foot high bleachers placed along an 180’ section of the red carpet arrivals area
• In the event of rain, protect the red carpet from the elements by 23,530 square feet of tenting
• Post five 10’ Actor® statues along the red carpet and onstage.
• Lay 11,800 square feet of black carpet in the interior Shrine entrance and the showroom.
• Drape the interior Shrine entrance with 4,575 square feet of charcoal/silver shimmer fabric
• Post three 10’ Actor® statues along the red carpet.
• Cover the showroom walls with 15,000 square feet of black drape to create a neutral background and block sunlight.
• On the stage, install 700 feet of steel tubing to support 120 running feet of 22’ high set walls punctuated by eight gold and platinum fluted columns and a central radiating backlit golden sunburst. Two stepped deco arches will be accented by 30 feet of translucent etched fins. Crowning the stage will be 400 feet of gold-leafed and copper-leafed deco molding, illuminated by 400 feet of warm white neon tubing.
• Float a 20’ wide “silver screen” framed by a platinum and gold screen-surround illuminated by 80 feet of embedded LED lights at center stage in front of 200 running feet of 30’ high fiber-optic star cloth.
• Line the stage floor with 150 '4’x8’ sheets of black Formica.
• Above the stage hang a 5-foot square crystal beaded art deco chandelier that will be echoed by the four chandeliers hung from the Expo Hall’s ornate ceiling.

TO SET THE DINNER TABLES, the SAG Awards will:

• Place over 3,600 Opus champagne, wine and water glasses, 2,400 pieces Scalini silver flatware and 1,200 square glass dinner plates, on 86 rectangular dinner tables and over 2,400 glasses at two 16’ beverage bars and two wine tasting bar.
• Create custom table coverings from 1306 linear yards of gunmetal crinkled organza, complemented by 1,200 silver satin matte lined napkins
• Soften 1,200 Silver “Simply X” Chameleon chairs with 1,200 black suede seat cushions
• Create a stunning visual setting through the use of florals. This year's inspiration is a return to the roots. It is an organic approach using the various elements of foliage creating a textured landscape in shades of greens.  The compositions incorporate thousands of stems of various foliage, green dianthus, various grasses, calathea, equisetum highlighted with hundreds of succulents, complimented with over 3,000 blossoms of miniature green cymbidium orchids and 4,000 white miniature cala lilies. Each of the arrangements is made in a glass container lined with frosted glass adding a slightly contemporary look to the textured landscaped style.  It is the look of a newer Hollywood.

THE DINNER MENU

Guests will dine on antipasto plates conceived by James Beard Award-winning chef Suzanne Goin, deliciously prepared and artfully arranged by Lucques Catering, consisting of:

MAIN PLATE:

• Slow-roasted salmon with yellow beets, spicy carrot salad and raita
• Roasted root vegetables with quinoa and persimmon salsa
• Grilled chicken breast with black rice, pea shoots and tangerine vinaigre

VEGETARIAN PLATE:

• Spicy carrot salad with yellow beets, cucumber and black mustard seeds
• Roasted root vegetables with quinoa and persimmon salsa
• Black rice salad with english peas, pea shoots and tangerine vinaigrette

To prepare this menu, Lucques' order for the SAG Awards from their select group of purveyors. Their order includes:

• Baby Carrots, 625 bunches, McGrath Farms
• Beets, 468 bunches, McGrath Farms
• Black Rice, 14 gallons, Provvista
• Black pepper, 12 cups, Michael Phung
• Bread, 95 loaves, Tavern
• Butter, 8 cups, Provvista
• Chicken, 156 chickens, Premier
• Cous Cous, 10 gallons, Provvista
• Cumin, 2 cups, Provvista
• Fleur de sel, 5 cups, Forever Cheese
• Garlic, 7 heads,Schaner Farms
• Jalapenos, 75, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Lemon, 175, Schaner Farms
• Mustard Seed, 8 cups, Provvista
• Olive oil, 12 gallons, Provvista
• Parmesan, 150 lbs, Forever Cheese
• Parsley, 175 bunches, Rutiz Farms
• Persimmons, 630, J.J.’s Lone Daughter Ranch
• Rutabagas, 600 bunches, Flora Bella Farm
• Salmon, 120, Ocean Jewels
• Salt, kosher, 4 cups, Sysco
• Shallots, 400, Schaner Farms
• Sherry vinegar, 1.2 gallons, Provvista
• Tangerines, 435, Schaner Farms
• Tarragon, 3 cups, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Thyme, 5 cups, Rutiz Farms
• Turnips, 690 bunches, Flora Bella Farms
• Yogurt, 2 gallons, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms
• Yogurt, greek, 2 gallons, Pacific Exotic Mushrooms

But wait, that's just the food. Are you thirsty?

THE BEVERAGES

Champagne Taittinger and Dry Creek Vineyard are providing champagne and wine for the SAG Awards for the 12th consecutive year. Both are multi-generational family-owned companies. Taittinger and Dry Creek are generous supporters of the SAG Foundation, as is the SAG Awards newest beverage sponsor, FIJI® Water.

Champagne Taittinger is serving:

• 1 magnum of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française for the Champagne Taittinger toast that opens the SAG Awards Red Carpet. Each magnum contains 500 million bubbles!
• 234 magnums of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française in the showroom
• 144 magnums of Champagne Taittinger Brut La Française at the post-Awards gala

Dry Creek Vineyard is serving:

• For the tables: 126 magnums of Dry Creek Vineyard’s 2006 Endeavour, a Dry Creek Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, rated 91 points by Wine Enthusiast Magazine and 252 bottles of the 2010 Sonoma County Fumé Blanc, rated 90 points by Winereviewonline.com.
• Dry Creek Vineyard’s wine-tasting bars will offer a selection that includes the newly released 2009 Russian River Valley Foggy Oaks Chardonnay and the 2007 The Mariner from the Dry Creek Valley, rated 93 points from Winereviewonline.com. A total of 132 bottles will be available for tasting.

FIJI Water is serving:

• 2760 liters of FIJI’s natural artesian water served in the showroom and at the post-Awards Gala
• Another 15,120 third-liters served to staff, crew and the more than 800 media and 300 fans in the bleachers as well as placed in the Gala gift bags.

The above is just the tip-of-the-iceburg of what it takes to put together the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards for 2012.

More details to come. Stay tuned.

Chinese New Year in Baltimore - Zhongshan's Menu, the Year of the Dragon

We really like Zhongshan. We like the food, we like the atmosphere, and we like the service.

They've posted their Lunar New Year menu for 2012 and it's a dandy. Make reservations, round up 8 or 10 of your nearest and dearest friends (or grab some people off the street) and ring in the Year of the Dragon. You really don't want to miss this.

                     USPS stamp for Lunar New Year 2012

Chinese New Year Banquet Menu

An authentic 12-course Chinese New Year seafood-banquet dinner to welcome the Year of the Dragon

• Assorted cold dishes of sliced beef, roast duck, barbecue pork and jellyfish
• Seafood soup with tofu
• Fried snow crab claw wrapped in shrimp paste
• Sauteed seafood with snow peas
• Chinese fried chicken
• Twin lobsters with onion and scallion
• Baby bok choy with shiitake mushroom
• Walnut shrimp
• Fish fillet with corn
• House special fried rice
• Chinese cookie
• Season fresh fruit

Cost per table is $350, tax is included
18% gratitude* will be added to the check
The above banquet serves 8 to 10 persons per table
Must call to reserve 24 hours in advance

Zhongshan Restaurant
323 Park Avenue
Baltimore Maryland
410-223-1881
zhongshanrestaurantbaltimore.com 

*From now on I'll always think of my tip as leaving my "gratitude."

Awards Season 2012: So Many Movies. So Little Time. So Many Great Cocktails!

I love January.

I'm in the thick of the 2012 entertainment awards season and the screening copies of DVDs have been arriving from Screen Actors Guild in big, padded envelopes. And, I love it.

Here's my blog post on the awards season from last year, 2011.

This year's motion picture award line-up is wonderfully diverse in terms of story-line, era, location, costume...

Because there is such an interesting mix of movies to view, I'm thinking that making a different cocktail for each movie screening would enhance the experience just a tad. Here's what I'm planning.

My Week with Marilyn - I can't find—nor could I ever afford—Monroe's favorite libation: Dom Pérignon 1953. So, a French 75 seems appropriate.

• 2 ounces London dry gin
• 1 teaspoon superfine sugar
• 1/2 ounce lemon juice
• 5 ounces Brut champagne

J Edgar - What could be better than a Pink Lady? Not only delicious, but outrageous, pink, smooth, and creamy.

• 1 1/2 oz gin
• 3/4 oz applejack
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 1-2 dashes grenadine
• 1 egg white
• maraschino cherry for garnish
• Pour the ingredients into a cocktail shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with the cherry.

The Artist - Perfect for this film would be one of my favorites. The classic Sidecar.

• Shake well with cracked ice:
• 1 1/4 oz cognac
• 1/2 oz Cointreau
• 3/4 oz fresh-squeezed lemon juice
• Strain into chilled, sugar-rimmed cocktail glass  

The Descendants - No question, Piña Coladas.

• 4 oz. fresh pineapple juice
• 3 oz. rum
• 2 oz. coconut cream
• 2 cups crushed ice
• Pour all of the ingredients into a blender. Blend briefly at high speed. Strain into a glass and serve. Garnish with a slice of fresh pineapple and a cherry.

Iron Lady - Pimms Cup No. 1

• with soda and a big squeeze of lime in a tall glass filled with ice. I learned about Pimms Cup at Joe Allen restaurant in Los Angeles in the 1970s. (Gary was one hell of a bartender.)

Midnight in Paris - Absinthe.

• I have it, I have the slotted spoons, I have the sugar cubes. Enough said.

The Help - A Highball.

• Any highball made with bourbon or corn whisky.

Moneyball - Beer.

• Any cheap beer.

A Better Life - Tequila.

• Una botella grande de Tequila por favor.

You can take it from there, film fans. Let me know what you'd mix-up for the movie, Bridesmaids. I just cannot go there. (Ok, ok, I can. Fuzzy Navels all around.)

Here's cheers to the nominees and the future winners. Clink, clink. I'm having a Manhattan.

It's Been a Warm Winter in Baltimore, but The Iceman Cometh

Opens Friday at Fells Point Corner Theatre!

The Iceman Cometh is Eugene O'Neill’s iconic look at our potential to really possess our dreams and relations in life. Set in the back room of a Skid Row saloon in 1912 - a political year of social questions relevant to us even today – the strength of hope and change is on trial.

Within this room, peopled with colorful characters, the play charms and reveals the best of intentions with perhaps the worst of deeds. Dreams and lies struggle to transcend this shabby life…  If only Hickey arrives then good times can be expected as surely as the next round of drinks will be served. 

The Iceman Cometh stars Ian Bonds, Rodney Bonds, Tony Colavito, Daniel Collins, Tim Evans, John Hurley, Deirdre McCallister, David Morey, Mike Papa, Michael Robinson, Mark Scharf, Anne Shoemaker, David Shoemaker, Whitney St. Ours, Rick Stover, Frank Vince, and William Walker.

Come and celebrate the first production of The Iceman Cometh in Baltimore in over 20 years, staged in the 100th anniversary of its original setting, 1912!

Opening Reception

Join us for our bar-themed, 1912-style opening reception.  Along with favorite pub grub, we will be serving foods which were introduced in 1912.  Come and find out what these little tidbits might be! And as always, the opening night champagne will be flowing.

$12 all shows opening weekend!
$17 Friday and Saturday Nights;
$15 Sunday Matinees
Thursday Night, Feb. 9, Only $10!

Fells Point Corner Theatre
251 South Ann Street
Baltimore, Maryland 21231-2501 

Disney On Ice, 100 Years of Magic Coming to 1st Mariner Arena in 2012

Tickets on sale now for the Baltimore performances at 1st Mariner Arena!

Disney On Ice
100 Years of Magic

February 8-12, 2012
1st Mariner Arena 

Join the celebration as 65 of Disney's unforgettable characters from 18 beloved stories come to life in Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic! You'll be captivated by the one and only Mickey Mouse, the irresistible Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Donald Duck, Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio and many Disney Princesses.  Be thrilled by exciting moments from The Lion King; Mulan; and Disney/Pixar's Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, and Toy Story films; in a skating spectacular filled with magical Disney moments you'll remember forever as Disney On Ice celebrates 100 Years of Magic!

 

Here's the deal. Share it with your friends and family:

BUY THE BEST SEATS NOW
with code MARINER

(Valid at 1st Mariner Arena Box Office, at 800-551-SEAT or at www.ticketmaster.com. Valid ALL performances. Valid on ALL price levels. Limit 6 tickets per order. No double discounts.)

But wait, there's more:

OPENING NIGHT DISCOUNT 
Buy One Ticket, Get One FREE!

Valid Wednesday, February 8 and Thursday, February, 9.

(Excludes Front Row and VIP Seats. No double discounts. Cannot be used for prior purchases or group sales orders. Service charges, handling and facility fees may apply.)

Invitation to Watch the 2012 SAG Awards at the Croatian Embassy in Washington DC

Sounds fun, doesn't it? Not so fast, my friends. I'm not going to save the date for this one.

                     The Embassy of Croatia, Washington DC

I've always been drawn to events that cause me to pull my tuxedo out of the closet, dust off my formal shoes, put a silk in my breast pocket, and walk out the front door—with a song in my heart—feeling like I'm in a Busby Berkley movie. Black tie events are fun. Walking down the street, I hum songs like Puttin' on the Ritz or Breezin' Along with the Breeze. Sadly, I can't carry a tune; Jacob can. After a a minute or two of my torturing his sense of song, he gives me the look that says, "How about we just talk?"

                                       Gold Diggers of 1933

I received an invitation via Screen Actors Guild email and I'm passing it along. It's an invitation to watch the 2012 SAG Awards Broadcast on Washington DC's Embassy Row. You don't have to be a SAG member to attend and you may bring a friend, or many friends. And, the event tickets are offered at a price that everyone can afford.

That all seemed more than a little odd to me, but still...

This year I won't be in the actual broadcast audience at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles on January 29, 2012, but this viewing location looked like, at first blush, a sure bet for a mini-gala and a reason to spend a couple of days in Baltimore's southern suburb. Here's the actual invitation text:

You Are Invited to a Viewing Party and Art Reception

Join host Bruce Olvin McBarnette and other local actors as they watch the live broadcast of the SAG Awards, view artwork, win prizes and meet diplomats.

Enjoy wine, refreshments and the art of physiognomy (face reading) performed by Gail Romiti.

When:
    6-10:30 p.m., Sunday January 29, 2012
Where:
    The Embassy of Croatia
    2343 Massachusetts Ave, NW
    Washington, DC 20008

Suggested Attire:
    Dress for this event is black tie for men and gowns for women.

Cost:
    Tickets are $29 in advance or $39 at the door if space is available.A portion of all art sales will be donated to Sukyo Mahikari, a Japanese spiritual organization funding disaster relief. Voluntary donations are welcome.

Noted in the email from SAG: Please be advised that this is not a SAG-sponsored event. Questions should be directed to event liaison Anne Rosenblatt at arosenblatt@AFTRA.com.

Seeing the $29 per ticket price was the first thing that brought up a red flag. Especially for a Black tie event in DC. The open availability of tickets seemed really strange, I went to the website link in the email and was able to order 10 tickets, 20 tickets, it seemed that any quantity of tickets were available. Hey, just bring a bus-load of folks.

So my friends, if you are tempted to experience this awards show at the Croatian Embassy, I just remind you of the phrase 'due diligence'. Take a look around the internet. Do some online research.

And then you can make an informed decision and even think about hosting your own SAG Awards Party. 

A Cinema Sunday Alert from Baltimore's Historic Charles Theatre

Cinema Sundays 12/4

“The Artist” Possible Sellout

Here's the notice from The Charles:

Dear Cinema Sundays Patrons,

Owing to the incredible popularity and amazing reviews of this weeks’ film it is advisable to come early to ensure that you will have a seat and a bagel (not TWO!).  Cinema Sundays members are guaranteed seats as always but coming early would be a great idea nonetheless.

If you missed our previous letter regarding tomorrow’s screening of 'The Artist'…read on MacDuff….

Cinema Sundays Fall 2011 Series 52!
Sunday December 4, 2011

Cinema Sundays At The Charles is pleased to present the Baltimore Premier of 'The Artist.' Written and Directed by Michel Hazanavicius. Starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle.

2011 USA.  Running time 100 minutes.  In Silence(!) with English Titles!

Synopsis:

Hollywood 1927.

George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. 'The Artist' tells the story of their interlinked destinies.

Cinema Sundays completes the stellar series 52 with the Baltimore premiere of 'The Artist.'

Who would have thought a silent film could succeed on a grand scale in 2011! The reviews are raves, the awards are pouring in!  Everyone is looking forward to this screening and you just gotta be there! We were lucky to snag this film and it is a fitting end to our Fall series which has been better than any we have previously had. Our speaker is Max Weiss from Baltimore Magazine and WBAL TV. It’s a pleasure to welcome her back to Cinema Sundays.

Looking forward to seeing you on 12/4. Doors open @ 9:45 am. Bagels and coffee until 10:30. Presentation begins @ 10:30 and ends @ 1:00.

Tickets: $15 at the door. Or buy a mini-membership.

The Charles Theatre

1711 N. Charles St
Baltimore 21201
410-727-3464
info: karenskicsc@comcast.net