The event begins at 5:00 p.m. and of course ends with a fantastic rooftop fireworks show! This year the host for the evening is CBS 2 and KCAL 9’s Meteorologist and general assignment reporter Josh Rubenstein.

There will be ongoing entertainment all evening, including the music of SHEL and Cody Bryant on the Main Stage, a Kids Zone with inflatable rides, and an All-American Smokehouse Barbecue. Bring your own picnic or buy one! General admission is $15 for adults, $8 for children 6-12, 5 and under is free. Tickets go up to $20 and $10 on the Fourth so get them early. Wristbands for viewing the fireworks from the roof can be added to any general admission ticket for $20. VIP Tickets are also available and include a prime rib dinner in an air-conditioned soundstage, beer and wine, scotch and sake tasting stations, a martini bar and rooftop viewing of the fireworks – all for the price of $100 for adults and $50 for children 6-12. Entertainment in the VIP room will be Jaron and the Long Road to Love. Jaron currently has a top 20 hit in the country charts, “Pray for You.”

Tickets for this event can be obtained by calling the Chamber office at 818-655-5916, through their website www.studiocitychamber.com or at the event.

This will be an outstanding one-of-a-kind event, so don’t miss out! Share your comments with me at barbeedee@yahoo.com. I wish you all a Happy Fourth of July!

Pianist Sasha Alexeev.

I love listening to live music, especially when I’m fortunate that it’s coming from a talented musician. Fortunately, I was able to attend a one night concert at a small theater in Burbank, Theatre Banshee, on Saturday June 19, and was extremely impressed by the performer of the evening.

Sasha Alexeev, a pianist, composer and recording artist who is preparing to leave on an extensive tour, became known in his native Russia as a child prodigy at the age of four, and began performing classical music at age five. He attended programs at CalArts in California, and since has written over 100 compositions for orchestras and various instruments, as well as recording numerous albums.

When Sasha came on stage and began to play, everyone was mesmerized by the music, and mentally transported to visions of seashores, sunrises and other beauties of our earth. After several numbers, a lovely young lady joined him on stage named Eun-jung “Jewely” Koh. She is a talented artist, so a canvas was set up on an easel where the audience could watch her create a beautiful painting while being inspired by the sensual, moving sounds created by Sasha Alexeev. It held the audience spellbound to watch both of these talented people in motion.

Sasha will be heading to other areas of California such as Orange County and San Francisco soon, and his tour will begin sometime in September, 2010. Check out his website (www.SashaMusic.com) for tour details and listen to his many albums featured on the site. Overall, even though this was a small, unadorned theater, the concert and talents exhibited that evening were totally delightful. If you are lucky enough to be able to see him perform, I know you will be moved and enchanted by the program he presents.

For upcoming shows at Theatre Banshee, which is located at 3435 W. Magnolia Blvd. in Burbank, call them at 818-547-3810.

Barbara Elliott may be reached at barbeedee@yahoo.com.

Mayor Villaraigosa addresses the crowd at his private estate to welcome the Gay Pride Festival.

This time of the year is very special for the City of West Hollywood, leading to the recent annual parade in their city along Santa Monica Blvd. For the first time, Mayor Villaraigosa held an outstanding garden party on Saturday June 5, 2010, on the grounds of his private residence in Los Angeles to welcome the Los Angeles Gay Pride Festival and all its participants and dignitaries prior to the upcoming festivities.

His special guests included Sharon and Kelly Osbourne, who were serving as the Grand Marshals for the parade. This celebration raises social and political awareness of the gay and lesbian community and has grown into one of the nation’s premier events of this kind and is now celebrating its 40th year in West Hollywood!

The Mayor welcomed the large crowd attending this party where the guests enjoyed wonderful food, drinks and entertainment. The lively speeches and welcoming hosts, along with the Mayor and the Osbournes, added to the enjoyment of this delightful afternoon at this outstanding estate.

There were other events contributing to this special time of the year, including the annual AIDS/LifeCycle bike ride that concluded on this same day at the Veterans Center in West Los Angeles. Over 2,400 participants raised $10 million over the past week, and the riders traveled 545 miles from San Francisco to Los Angeles which is the world’s largest HIV/AIDS fundraising event.

Mayor Villaraigosa charmed everyone with his welcoming talk and plans to turn this into an annual event during his time serving as our mayor. All in all, everyone attending enjoyed all this special day had to offer and were looking forward to more upcoming events.

Producer Mark Castaldo, Director/Producer Tim Van de Steeg, Composer Steve Horner, Co-Executive Producer Steve Abdo, Terry Hitchcock subject of the film, and Associate Producer Christine Redlin pose together at the “My Run” screening during the Newport Beach Film Festival.

I love movies! I’m not into horror ones, or far-out space fantasies, but mostly films based on real life, or well-written scripts one can relate to. That’s why I was so thrilled to be invited to come to The Newport Film Festival and be a guest at the viewing of one of the entries, as well as the after-party with those involved in the production of a wonderful true-life story called My Run.

This annual festival is a huge one, with over 300 entries this year, and it’s spread out over a vast area in and around Newport Beach and surrounding communities where screenings are ongoing for a busy long week with huge crowds in attendance. My Run tells the true story of Terry Hitchcock whose wife passed away from cancer, leaving him with three young children to raise on his own.

Devastated with the double burden of trying to make a living and care for his children and all the trials of everyday responsibilities, it led him to do the impossible—bring awareness to the world of being a single parent by running a daily marathon (26 miles) for 75 days straight! He was not an athlete, not in good health, but he never gave up. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll cheer him on to the final finish of this well told documentary narrated by Billy Bob Thornton.

The film My Run drew a crowd of over 400 people followed by a thunderous standing ovation! The after party was held at the Newport Sports Museum, which is a unique collection of sports memorabilia, founded by John Hamilton, and was attended by everyone involved in the making of the film and guests including Newport Beach Mayor Keith Curry and his wife.

I have just received the news that the film My Run has just been awarded the festival honor “Outstanding Achievement in Documentary” so the celebrations are just beginning, I’m sure! My congratulations to all involved, especially Christine Redlin, Associate Producer, and I’ll look forward to seeing it again in theaters when it is released! For more information, visit My Run’s official website at www.myrunmovie.com.

Pictured (left to right) are Bill Perkins, Robert Buell, Kayda Johnson, Michael Grust, president and CEO of Senior Resource Group, developer and operator of the residential community, Mitch Englander from Councilperson’s Greig Smith’s office, Tim Fox, Martin Fenton, Scott Sterling, Bill Drake, Donna Thomas and Eric Oxford.

We’ve been telling you for months now about an enormous project that was in progress, The Village at NorthRidge. This massive undertaking is the most beautiful and unusual senior living community around, and it has taken the builders and developers a long time to reach their goal of perfection in creating what I felt was a “city within a city”!

The day finally arrived on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 for their Grand Opening and what a celebration it was! In spite of threatening clouds and scattered showers, numerous dignitaries and their representatives showed up for the ribbon cutting ceremony along with crowds of expectant future residents and neighbors. Prior to the festivities and program, servers with loaded trays of appetizers were everywhere, along with free-flowing wine and champagne and beverages at bar stations. Everyone was encouraged to tour the vast main rooms including a movie theater, library, fully equipped Fitness Center, an Internet Café as well as The Prairie Grille Restaurant!

This luxury community is comprised of 275 one-and-two bedroom independent living and Assisted living residences. The beautiful common areas include a paneled huge Living Room, an Art Gallery, a Lounge and Bistro, not to mention the huge heated swimming pool and spa! This “City” also has an onsite bank and market and includes underground parking. I was able to talk with the manager, Donna Thomas, as well as Michael Grust, President and CEO of Senior Resource Group (SRG), who were closely involved in this project from the beginning. This was the most impressive complex of its kind I have ever seen! If you or a family member is looking for a place with a unique lifestyle to retire to, this is it! For more information, you may contact them at 818-812-4600, or visit their website at www.TheVillageAtNorthridge.com

For comments or questions you may reach Barbara Elliott at barbeedee@yahoo.com.

Councilmember Tom LaBonge addresses the crowd on Healthy Kids Day.

What a fun day for all ages! This is the largest health day held in the nation for kids and their families. The local annual event was put on by the East Valley YMCA located in North Hollywood at 5142 Tujunga Avenue across from the large North Hollywood Park.

Crowds started arriving early for this exciting time held on Saturday, April 17, which featured all-day entertainment, rock climbing walls, dance and athletic demonstrations, drum circles and even a cooking demonstration! Ongoing music with amazing talent was featured on a large stage area, and school bands from Grant High School and Madison Middle School performed to everyone’s delight! The energy in the air was accented by the smiling faces of the children participating in the numerous ongoing activities and events. Excitement was everywhere!

Tom LaBonge, our City Councilman, welcomed everyone and all the special guests that joined in to celebrate this wonderful day. The YMCA was founded in 1888, and is widely known for teaching a healthy life style for all ages for generations. There are 24 locations in the Los Angeles area, so to get your family involved, go to their website (www.YMCAla.org) for locations and information to join as an individual or family for a great time year around. Healthy and happy kids today will become the Leaders of tomorrow! Get involved in everything this organization has to offer—you won’t be disappointed! What a great day!

Therese Gamba, Co-Host; Barbara Firestone, PhD, President & CEO, The Help Group; Cheryl Saban, PhD, Special Guest Speaker; Nadine Schiff-Rosen, Tea Host; Teddi Cole, Co-Host; Julia Baumgartner, Co-Host

It had been quite a while since I had been to the unique Four Seasons Hotel on Doheny Drive near Beverly Hills, so I was thrilled to attend a wonderful event there on March 17, 2010. It was the 3rd Annual Teddy Bear Tea: An Affair of the Heart, a special afternoon High Tea sponsored by the Help Group to benefit children with autism.
This organization is the larg-est of its kind in the United States, serving children with autism, learning disabilities and other special needs. They serve over 6,000 children and their families every year with amazing results. The event began with a varied silent auction with numerous intriguing items to help raise funds for their group, and then everyone entered the charming banquet room for the High Tea and program to begin.

The Help Group Children’s Choir

While everyone was getting acquainted and enjoying the delicious food, the distinguished Barbara Firestone, PhD, the president, CEO and founder of The Help Group, introduced the various dignitaries and guests of honor in attendance. A talented children’s choir performed to the delight of the attendees, followed by the introduction of the esteemed guest speaker, Dr. Cheryl Saban. She is a renowned psychologist, philanthropist and family advocate deeply committed to causes for children. She is also a noted author of numerous books and articles about women, children, parenting and marriage, as well as socio-political issues. She kept us all inspired by her experiences, ideas and numerous involvements in helping to improve lives of families and leading toward a better world.
At the close of the afternoon event, a book signing was held, including her recent release “What is Your Self-Worth?” Everyone had a delightful time being part of this outstanding event, and I left with the goal of becoming more involved in this wonderful charity, The Help Group.

For more information and coming events, their telephone number is 877-943-5747, or go to their website, www.thehelpgroup.org. For comments, you may reach Barbara Elliott at barbeedee@yahoo.com.

(L-R): John Larson (Correspondent for KCET), Val Zavala (SoCal Connected anchor/host) and Bret Marcus (Executive Producer of KCET).

I was privileged to be able to attend a preview of KCET’s new show of their second season of their show SOCAL Connected on October 6, 2009. I’m sorry I missed the first season, as this show is so new, and has subjects that everyone will be interested in. This event was held on the KCET lot in a large studio attended only by those directly involved in the production, as well as executives of KCET and invited members and guests.
After a delicious brunch was served, an introductory speech was given by Bret Marcus, Executive Producer, and then a clip of the show was presented to the guests, most of them viewing this segment for the first time. The show aired on Thursday, October 8th to excellent reviews.

KCET—Saul Gonzalez (Producer) and Alexandria Gales (news host with Jim Lehrer).

This first show addressed the subject of texting while driving which many people are guilty of and most don’t realize the constant danger in having a serious auto accident. The film also compared texting drivers with drunk drivers, and the results showed how dangerous both are but most accidents and deaths were from distracted drivers while texting. The program was riveting and compelling in bringing home the importance of concentrating on just driving and reaching your destination safely.
I’m looking forward to the future shows this season, and hope you join me as a viewer of SOCAL Connected—an excellent program!

Vicky Kennedy (daughter-in-law of Robert Kennedy) and children with Scott Folsom (Vice-Chair of LAUSD Construction Committee).

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on October 10, 2009 for the first of three school buildings in the new project being built on the former site of the famous Ambassador Hotel in the central Wilshire District. This magnificent campus has been designed by Gonzalez Goodale Architects of Pasadena. There were over one thousand people attending this event, and representatives included members of the Robert F. Kennedy family, as well as the Mayor’s office, the City Council and the Los Angeles Unified School District at this dedication ceremony.
The day before, the doors were opened to about 800 K-5 students, and just viewing the campus and buildings was awesome! Eventually, when the middle and high school buildings are completed in 2010, it will serve more than 4,000 students in the surrounding nine-block radius who were formerly bussed to distant schools. Whenever possible, the architects incorporated areas of the famous hotel in their new design.

The proud architects of Gonzalez Goodale.

The Coconut Grove nightclub will become a 574-seat auditorium and lecture hall, and the Embassy Ballroom (the site of Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 assassination) will become a 12,706 square foot library and will also have a collection of Kennedy memorabilia.
All in all, this was an impressive event and program followed by a luncheon for attendees. When completed, the city of Los Angeles will have acquired a wonderful addition to our city that will be used and enjoyed by generations to come. Congratulations to all the dedicated individuals who worked so hard to see this dream become a reality!