“Fall in February” with Eat|See|Hear Every Throwback Thursday this Month at the NoHo 7!

January 31, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle Leave a Comment

Join Laemmle and Eat|See|Hear for Fall in February at the NoHo 7 in North Hollywood! Every Thursday in February our Throwback Thursday (#TBT) series presents one of our favorite quirky love stories! Doors open at 7PM, trivia starts at 7:30PM, and films begin at 7:40PM! It all starts Thursday, February 2nd with HAROLD AND MAUDE. Check out the full schedule below. For tickets and our full #TBT schedule, visit laemmle.com/tbt!

February 2: HAROLD AND MAUDE (1971)
Young, rich, and obsessed with death, Harold finds himself changed forever when he meets lively septuagenarian Maude at a funeral. Get tickets.

February 9: WHEN HARRY MET SALLY (1989)
Harry and Sally have known each other for years, and are very good friends, but they fear sex would ruin the friendship. Get tickets.

February 16: AMELIE (2001)
One woman decides to change the world by changing the lives of the people she knows in this charming and romantic comic fantasy from director Jean-Pierre Jeune. Get tickets.

February 23: ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND (2004)
When their relationship turns sour, a couple undergoes a procedure to have each other erased from their memories. But it is only through the process of loss that they discover what they had to begin with. Get tickets.

Laemmle’s Umpteenth Annual Oscar Contest, 2017 Edition!

January 26, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle 2 Comments

It’s time for our annual Predict the Oscars Contest! The person who most accurately predicts the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s choices in all 24 categories, from the shorts to Best Motion Picture, will win fabulous prizes (free movies and concessions at Laemmle)!

First place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $150. Second place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $100. Third place wins a Laemmle Premiere Card worth $50. Entries are due by 10AM the morning of the awards ceremony on February 26th.

Not sure what a Laemmle Premiere Card is? Think of it like a prepaid gift card for yourself! Use it to pay for movie tickets and concessions. Plus, Premiere Card holders receive $2 off movie tickets and 20% off concessions. To find out more, visit www.laemmle.com/premiere-cards.

We’ve got some smart cookies for customers so we have a tie-breaker question: you also have to guess the show’s running time. Take the tie-breaker seriously! Last year, the running time question broke a tie between five entrants who correctly predicted 19 out of 24 categories!

We’ll announce the winners right here on our blog by March 1st. Good luck!

Enter Here

LAEMMLE LIVE: Presents Sol-La Music Academy – Sunday February 5, 2017

January 24, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle Leave a Comment

Join us at the Monica Film Center on Sunday, February 5, 2017 for Sol-LA Variations, LAEMMLE LIVE’s second concert featuring the scholarship winning George Magub String Quartet from Santa Monica-based Sol-La Music Academy, Margaret Lysy, Director. The program will include Debussy and improv with guest violinist Connor Vance from acclaimed roots band, Dustbowl Revival. Also included will be a special performance by Sol-La student, Isolde Fair, who has gained national attention for All the Little Girls, an original song she wrote using words from Hillary Clinton’s concession speech. Join us for our unique interactive musical adventure.

Sol-La Music Academy is a non-profit music school in Santa Monica, providing high quality performing arts education to students from all backgrounds and economic circumstances. Their program reflects the belief that vibrant cultural education nurtures all areas of learning, connects diverse societies and enhances enjoyment of life.

RSVP using Eventbrite
This is a Free Event!

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, February 5, 2017
11:00 AM
Monica Film Center

IN PERSON: Alan Alda, Carol Burnett, and Bess Armstrong Following our 35th Anniversary Screening of THE FOUR SEASONS on 1/24 at the Royal.

January 16, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle 4 Comments

Alan Alda, actress Carol Burnett, and actress Bess Armstrong will participate in a Q&A following our 35th Anniversary screening of THE FOUR SEASONS on Tuesday, January 24, at 7:00 PM at the Royal Theatre. ~~Click here to buy tickets now~~ SOLD OUT.

JUST ADDED: 6:30PM screening with an introduction by Mr. Alda (No Q&A)! You can get tickets here: http://bit.ly/2k5sp68

THE FOUR SEASONS was one of the biggest box office hits of 1981. This wise dramatic comedy written and directed by Alan Alda centers on three long-married couples who have vacationed together for many years. But their friendship is threatened when one of the men leaves his wife for a much younger woman, which causes the others to examine their own relationships.

Alda also stars in the film, along with Carol Burnett, Len Cariou, Sandy Dennis, Jack Weston, Rita Moreno, and Bess Armstrong. The New York Times’ Janet Maslin wrote that Alda “succeeds in presenting a gentle, likable, frequently funny glimpse of everyday types doing their everyday best to get by.”

Alan Alda is best known for his starring role in the smash hit TV series, MASH, which ran from 1972 to 1983. But he has also appeared in many feature films, including Paper Lion, Same Time Next Year, California Suite, The Seduction of Joe Tynan (which he also wrote), Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, Flirting with Disaster, The Aviator (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), and Bridge of Spies. He wrote and directed several other films, including Sweet Liberty and Betsy’s Wedding. He returned to television with a recurring role in the award-winning series, The West Wing.

Carol Burnett starred in one of the most popular and beloved television series of all time, The Carol Burnett Show, which ran from 1967 to 1978. She has excelled on stage, on screen, and on television.

Other films include Pete ‘n Tillie, Billy Wilder’s The Front Page, Robert Altman’s A Wedding, Annie, and Noises Off. She won an Emmy for her recurring role on the popular sitcom, Mad About You, and played a number of dramatic roles as well.

Bess Armstrong made her feature film debut in The Four Seasons after starting out in television. She went on to co-star in High Road to China, Jaws 3-D, Nothing in Common, and the TV series My So-Called Life and House of Lies, among many other credits.

For more about our Anniversary Classics Series, including an upcoming screening of GUESS WHO’S COMING TO DINNER, visit www.laemmle.com/ac and join our Facebook Group.

LAEMMLE LIVE: New Series Launch with Samohi Chamber Orchestra – Sunday January 22, 2017

January 6, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle Leave a Comment

Don’t miss the debut of LAEMMLE LIVE! Our new live performance series at the Monica Film Center kicks off Sunday, Jan. 22 with SAMOHI CHAMBER ORCHESTRA and special guest host RICH CAPPERELA of KUSC.

Santa Monica High School’s 18-piece string orchestra will perform pieces by luminaries such as Villa-Lobos, Beethoven and Elgar. The orchestra is directed by Joni Swenson and Jason Aiello.

We are delighted to be launching Laemmle Live with these talented youngsters from just up the street. Please help us welcome them as we celebrate the launch of this new program.

RSVP using Eventbrite or Facebook.
This is a free event!

EVENT DETAILS
Sunday, Jan. 22, 2017
11:00 AM
Monica Film Center

An Evening with Shirley MacLaine, January 11, at the Music Hall 3 in Beverly Hills.

January 4, 2017 by Lamb Laemmle 1 Comment

An Evening with Shirley MacLaine and 40th Anniversary Screening of THE TURNING POINT (1977) on Wednesday, January 11, at Laemmle’s Music Hall at 7 PM. Click here to buy tickets now.

On January 14 the Los Angeles Film Critics Association will present its Career Achievement Award to Shirley MacLaine, Oscar-winning star of stage and screen for the last 60 years.

In conjunction with that event, the Anniversary Classics series offers an intimate conversation with MacLaine, along with a 40th anniversary screening of her award-winning film, THE TURNING POINT.

The movie was nominated for 11 Academy Awards in 1977 and won Golden Globes for best drama and best director Herbert Ross. Screenwriter Arthur Laurents won the Writers Guild award for best original screenplay.

Both MacLaine and co-star Anne Bancroft were Oscar-nominated for their performances in the film, and dancers Mikhail Baryshnikov and Leslie Browne also received nominations for their supporting roles.

THE TURNING POINT tells the story of two friends who started out together as dancers in a national ballet company (modeled on American Ballet Theatre).

Bancroft’s character became a prima ballerina while MacLaine’s character chose to give up her career and raise a family. When MacLaine’s daughter (played by Browne) launches her own career as a dancer, the two women examine the life choices that they made two decades earlier, and long buried jealousies and resentments come to the surface.

Variety called the movie “one of the best films of its era,” and added, “Pic ranks as one of MacLaine’s career highlights.”

New West magazine agreed that The Turning Point was “among the most emotionally satisfying movies of recent years.”

After starting as a dancer on Broadway, Shirley MacLaine made her film debut in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Trouble with Harry in 1955.

She earned her first Oscar nomination when she co-starred with Frank Sinatra in Some Came Running in 1958. She earned two more nominations for her performances in Billy Wilder’s The Apartment (1960) and Irma La Douce (1963). She won the Oscar in 1983 when she starred in James L. Brooks’ Terms of Endearment.

Among her many other films are Around the World in 80 Days, Ocean’s Eleven, The Children’s Hour, Sweet Charity, Being There, Steel Magnolias, Postcards from the Edge, and more recent turns in Richard Linklater’s Bernie with Jack Black and Elsa & Fred with Christopher Plummer.

For more about our Anniversary Classics Series, including an upcoming evening with Alan Alda, visit www.laemmle.com/ac and join our Facebook Group.

Hung Viet Nguyen: Sacred Landscapes

December 16, 2016 by Lamb Laemmle Leave a Comment

Art in the Arthouse welcomes SACRED LANDSCAPES, an exhibit by artist HUNG VIET NGUYEN, on display at the Monica Film Center from Dec 2016 – Feb 2017.

Curated by Tish Laemmle, Sacred Landscapes showcases a large selection of Nguyen’s majestic paintings, primarily landscapes and captivating abstract works. The work transports you into the mind of the artist who has an enigmatic connection to nature. Painting from memory, Nguyen renders an impressive amount detail in stunning and unexpected compositions that seem to suspend reality. Viewing his work has a spiritual quality that can only be experienced in person.

Hung Viet Nguyen was born in Vietnam in 1957 and studied biology at the Science University in Saigon. After relocating to the U.S. in 1982, Nguyen transitioned careers, finding work as an illustrator, graphic artist and designer.

He developed his artistic skills in an independent fashion, carefully studying a variety of traditional Eastern and Western forms, media and techniques. Nguyen’s complex, labor intensive investigations of oil paint reveal a
mastery of texture. While portions of Nguyen’s work suggest the influence of traditional art forms such as woodblock prints, Oriental scroll paintings, ceramic art, mosaic, and stained glass, his ultimate expression as an artist asserts a more contemporary sensibility.

Having been deeply affected by Nguyen’s work – “it speaks to the soul” – Art in the Arthouse curator Tish Laemmle was inspired to bring Sacred Landscapes to life at the Monica Film Center for the enrichment of the movie-going public.

Nguyen’s paintings have been exhibited at galleries, cultural art centers, and museums, juried by museums including LACMA and the MOCA. Honors include the Juror’s Choice Awards, 2013, and the San Diego Art Institute Biennial International Award Exhibition, 2015.

Critic’s Reviews of Nguyen:

KCET.ORG

Easyreadernews.com

Diversionla.com

Miracle of Miracles … Fiddler Sing-a-Long + First Night of Chanukah Celebration!

December 14, 2016 by Marc H 4 Comments

*** FIDDLER UPDATES (skip to main article)
We’re pleased to announce an dynamic and eclectic line-up of Fiddler Hosts for 2016!

Ahrya Fine Arts
Cantor Phil Baron – of Valley Beth Shalom – BUY TIX
BONUS! – BARBARA ISENBERG will be on hand to sign copies of her book TRADITION!: The Highly Improbable, Ultimately Triumphant Broadway-to-Hollywood Story of Fiddler on the Roof, the World’s Most Beloved Musical.

Claremont 5
Cantor Paul Buch – of Temple Beth Israel – BUY TIX

NoHo 7
Susan Edwards Martin – Broadway star, entertainer – BUY TIX

Playhouse
Jason Moss – of Jewish Federation of the San Gabriel and Pamona Valleys – BUY TIX

Royal
Eli Batalion – actor, star of Yidlife Crisis – BUY TIX

Town Center 5
Gustavo Bulgach – musician, bandleader of Klezmer Juice – BUY TIX

Jump below to find out more about our hosts.

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Will the matchmaker make you “the perfect match?” There’s only one way to find out … join us this year for our 9th Annual Fiddler on the Roof Christmas Eve Sing-a-Long … plus FIRST NIGHT OF CHANUKAH CELEBRATION!

(Scroll down to watch the event trailer. For tickets, visit Laemmle.com/Fiddler).

The rare concurrence of Christmas Eve and the first night of Chanukah adds a new wrinkle to our tradition this year, enabling the community to come together in celebration of the Jewish holiday. “This year we can sing from the rooftops … and light the Chanukah Menorah!” comments Greg Laemmle.

To accommodate demand, the popular Fiddler program has been extended to six venues including the newly re-opened AHRYA FINE ARTS art deco movie palace in Beverly Hills.

In addition to exuberant movie and song, the evening will feature TRIVIA with PRIZES being awarded to Fiddler buffs with the quickest recall. Dressing in COSTUME is not required, but highly encouraged! Who knows, perhaps the best costume will garner a prize? That will be up to the emcee.

phil-baron_02_crop2_lr — PHIL BARON at the Ahyra Fine Arts

susan_martin_crop_pr — SUSAN EDWARDS MARTIN at NoHo 7

We’re excited announce several new hosts this year. These include Broadway performer Susan Edwards Martin, Klezmer musician Gustavo Bulgach, comedian and star of YidLife Crisis, Eli Batalion, and community leader Jason Moss. Returning are Cantor Paul Buch of Temple Beth Israel and Cantor Phil Baron of Valley Beth Shalom, the latter to be master of ceremonies at the Ahrya Fine Arts.

Jump down to get more info on each of our hosts.

Our own Greg Laemmle is enthusiastic as ever about the Fiddler experience, in part due to it having one of the best movie scores of all time, declaring that “Christmas Eve isn’t just Chinese food anymore!” Furthermore, “We welcome all those in the community who are looking for an alternative Christmas eve experience … and this year, a different first night of Chanukah to boot!”

He continues, “This is your once-a-year chance to be the star of the shtetl. Join voices with friends and neighbors and sing your heart out alongside Fiddler’s screen legends,”?he continues. “And it’s okay if you haven’t memorized all the songs. We provide the lyrics.”

Song highlights include the iconic “TRADITION”, “IF?I?WERE?A?RICH?MAN”, “TO?LIFE”, “SUNRISE SUNSET”, “DO?YOU LOVE ME?”?and “ANATEVKA”, among many, many more.

Don’t miss the buggy! Those who wish to attend the program are advised to purchase tickets in advance as the program has traditionally sold to capacity.

See you in the shtetl…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnuyNaOEBt4&feature=youtu.be

Fiddler Hosts – 2016

Cantor PHIL BARON at the Ahrya Fine Arts (Beverly Hills)
Cantor PHIL BARON of Temple Valley Beth Shalom in Encino comes to us courtesy of community partner JEWISH HISTORICAL SOCIETY (JHS) and the BREED STREET SHUL. Baron is the son of a violinist and the grandson of a Vilna rabbi. Before becoming a cantor, he took a successful detour into children’s entertainment, where he had over 300 original songs recorded – nearly 200 of these by the Walt Disney Co. He co-created two television series for Jewish children, Bubbe’s Boarding House, and the multiple award-winning series Alef…Bet…Blast-off! As a vocalist he has been featured with the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra and the New Orleans Philharmonic.

SUSAN EDWARDS MARTIN at the NoHo 7 (N. Hollywood)
Broadway star SUSAN EDWARDS MARTIN will represent partner Temple Beth Hillel at our NoHo 7 venue. A star of Broadway, Martin is an accomplished singer, musician, actress and comedienne who originated the role of ‘Lady Blue’ in HARVEY FIERSTEIN’s Tony Award-winning play “Torch Song Trilogy.” She has also appeared in many other Broadway and Off-Broadway productions such as “Bubbling Brown Sugar,” “The Suicide,” and the long-running musical comedy “Scrambled Feet.” Numerous television credits include a recurring role on “Days of our Lives,” and guest appearances on “NYPD Blue,” “Designing Women,” and “Columbo,” among many others. Martin is currently creating a new original musical, “Unlimited” based on her personal story of growing up in Long Island and her ensuing life in show business.

JASON MOSS at the Playhouse 7 (Pasadena)
Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys JASON MOSS will be our host at the Playhouse 7 in Pasadena. Under his leadership, the Federation has doubled its programming with the creation of such programs as the Cultural Arts Program, PJ Library, a nationally recognized program to reach and connect with unaffiliated Jewish families. In addition, Moss will soon launch JLife SGPV, a lifestyle magazine celebrating Jewish life in the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys.

ELI BATALION at the Royal Theatre (West L.A.)
Star of comedy web series Yidlife Crisis, ELI BATALION will be our host at the Royal Theatre in West Los Angeles. Created with co-star JAMIE ELMAN, Yidlife Crisis is a love letter about modern Jewish identity set in Yiddish (with English and French subtitles), that uses comedy as a vehicle for inclusiveness. Batalion is a multi-faceted talent, at once writer, producer, actor, and composer for film TV and stage. His many projects have ranged from award-winning horror musical films (including the recently release “Stage Fright” starring Minne Driver and Meat Loaf) to touring musical comedy productions and live comedy shows such as the cult hit “J.O.B The Hip-Hopera.”

GUSTAVO BULGACH at the Town Center (Encino)
Accomplished Klezmer musician and bandleader GUSTAVO BULGACH will be our host at the Town Center 5 in Encino. Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Bulgach was inspired at an early age by the religious and secular life of the Argentine community. Now based in L.A., Bulgach travels the globe uplifting audiences with a vibrant, soulful Klezmer he terms the “soundtrack of the Diaspora.” Bulgach has been a longtime member of the House of Blues Foundation house band backing artist such as LITTLE RICHARD, TAJ MAHAL, and THE WAILERS. His own outfit, KLEZMER JUICE, was featured in the Hollywood mega hit movie THE WEDDING CRASHERS featuring Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn.

Cantor PAUL BUCH at the Claremont 5 (Claremont)
Cantor PAUL BUCH has served Temple Beth Israel in Claremont since 2003. He came to the cantorate after a 25 year career in TV and film production in Los Angeles, New York, and Portland. In addition to his cantorial duties, Buch is President of the Claremont Interfaith Council and serves on the Faith-Based Roundtable of the Pomona Unified School District. He is also Chair of the City of Claremont’s Human Relations Committee and serves on an advisory committee at the Claremont School of Theology. This will be his third consecutive year as our Fiddler host in Claremont!