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rebellect-writes · 4 years ago

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[SIZE=1][b]Name:[/b] Jess. [b]Age:[/b] 21. [b]How did you find us?:[/b] Well, you see. You found me!

[align=center] [color=WHITE]Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing, Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. -- [b]Edgar Allan Poe[/b] "The Raven"[/SIZE][/color] [IMG]http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lilkhvalW01qzozmk.gif[/IMG] [color=WHITE]Tell me would you kill to save for a life? Tell me would you kill to prove you're right? Crash, crash, burn let it all burn. This hurricane chasing us all underground.[/color] [/align]

[b]Name:[/b] Fallon. [b]Nicknames & Aliases:[/b] [LIST]Fall; He’ll acknowledge you if you’re not being funny. Autumn; He may change his hair colour a lot but that will get you smacked. Sadistic; Why thank you! Lust; No, he’s not a chick even if he wears guy-liner. [/LIST][b]True Age:[/b] 3004 [b]What He Says:[/b] 1018 [b]Date of Birth:[/b] December 26th [b]Age at Death:[/b] 30 [b]Gender:[/b] Male. [b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] Bisexual, though guys are more his thing. [b]Occupation:[/b] Owns his own theatre plus company, sometimes steps in at Club Hell to help Noah.

[b]Bloodline:[/b] Belle Morte. [b]Power Level:[/b] Master. [b]Mind-Set:[/b] Dominant unless submissive suits the situation. [b]Animal to Call:[/b] Wolves. [b]Powers:[/b] [b]Standard Vampire powers:[/b] Like all vampires, Fallon’s got heightened physical strength and he has steel like grip. He could send a human flying with a slightest touch and like the newly dead, he’s capable of lifting a small car with ease. He’s also very fast, more than capable from switching from a death like stillness to a speed that’s perceived faster than the human eye can follow since he can cloud people’s minds. It’s like as if he vanishes at will! His senses are pretty spot on, Fallon can smell a human’s emotional state, and to some degree, he can taste weaker shifters or vampires and his hearing? Well, he can hear a whispered comment from the other side of the house. With his age, Fallon can disguise himself and appear mortal, but unlike a human, he can switch from being a completely animated being to something that is still, expressionless and silent. The last thing of note is that he’s extremely difficult to harm like most of the older vampires and wounds made from heavy objects, and even bullets, heal with moments even though it hurts like hell he doesn’t let it show.

[b]Feeding Via Mind:[/b] Now, this is a tricky thing for him to do since the human mind is complex. He has to touch people to do this, skin to skin, for it to work and he can only enter a person’s mind to feed from their more promiscuous thoughts and deepest fantasies. He can’t sustain himself on this for long, maybe a day or two extra, but he can use it to hold back the ardeur and the blood hunger. To avoid doing this often, Fallon takes precautions and wears a pair of leather gloves.

[b]Empathic Voice Manipulation:[/b] Fallon can use his voice to bring out the better aspects in peoples moods. He thinks of it more as a mental power than something actually physical because he doesn’t have to touch someone when he uses it, however it still gives off a physical sensation at times to the people he uses it on. In his mind, it’s supposedly like rolling a victim. They want to stay and listen to him, even if they wouldn’t normally do it or despise him. He's only ever really used this power on his wolf, Jesse.

[b]The Ardeur:[/b] Fallon is an incubus, and one of Bella Morte’s special little boys and girls. The most basic way to describe it is that anyone under its thrall is gripped by the intense desire to have sexual intercourse with the user or the closest person to them despite their general preferences. This power’s truly frightening because the Ardeur drains the energy from those it feeds on and can potentially drain a person to the point of death, so incubi and succubi have more than one general lover if they want to feed correctly.

[b]Animal/Human Servant Creation:[/b] In theory, Fallon could take a human on as a servant as well, outside of his animal servant Jesse Harley. Basically, this power allows Fallon to magically bind someone to him, making said servants greater resistance to injury and mental powers and almost complete immunity to his own power (first mark). It also allows him to draw power from his servant and experience what they eat and drink, and even enter their dreams (second mark). He has to take some of the servants blood, but by doing so, it conveys increased healing powers, immunity to poisons and allows him and his servant to communicate mentally (third mark). After that, it’s just a matter of getting his servant to drink his blood and he can make them immortal like him, it also gives them a bond of almost complete mental communication and allows the servant to draw on Fallon’s strength (fourth mark). However, should his servant die, Fallon’s would be metaphysically crippled and most likely go insane since he’s old enough to survive the death. [b]Rank:[/b] Témoin

[b]Face Claim:[/b] Jared Leto. [b]Description:[/b] [IMG]http://images.sugarscape.com/userfiles/image/july/0707jared2.jpg[/IMG] [i]Height:[/i] 5’10. [i]Weight:[/i] 166lbs. [i]Eyes:[/i] Blue. A very distracting blue. [i]Hair:[/i] Naturally, brown and stays brown. Unless he dyes it a different colour for fun! (and 6 months out of 12, it’s one colour or another.) [i]Build:[/i] Very lean, almost to the point he looks underweight but that’s a lie. [i]Visible marks:[/i] He has two tattoos, one on the inside of his wrist in Latin with a quote he forgot years ago, and the other ( a small triad ) on his collar bone. [i]Style:[/i] Normally loose clothes, grungy punk like clothes. Beaded bracelets, necklaces and so on. He can wear suits, if he does though that’s another story since they make him feel confined. He’ll wear them though, if the occasion calls for it and keep the complaining to a minimum.

[b]Special Skills:[/b] [LIST] [*] Can speak French, Romanian, Spanish and Italian. Oh! And sarcasm. [*] He can appear human, unlike newer vampires. [*] Since he’s second in command of Jackford, he does actually have a network of spies and snitches at his finger tips that he uses when he has to. He’s built this up over the years, so in a way it’s a special skill, because he uses it to keep Noah updated and the Kiss one step ahead of things most of the time. [*] It isn't really a special skill, but he prides himself on not being power hungry. [/LIST][b]Personality:[/b][LIST]Fallon is just a giant ball of multicolours. No, seriously, his hair isn’t the only thing that changes. Normally, he’s an ok kind of guy that doesn’t go out of his way to annoy people too much. He likes to help people out and offer them a shoulder to cry on or wall to bounce ideas off. He’ll give advice where it’s due, even if he’s stepping on toes or going to piss someone off, if he feels the need to say it then he will. He’ll always try and apologize afterwards, but he’s Old World, so sometimes things don’t click right despite being fairly modern. What most people don’t notice, and sometimes Fallon doesn’t either, is that he gets bored easily and he acts out, heck the only people that probably would notice one of his acting out fazes are his brother, cousin or Jesse because he goes beyond the typical theatrical, creative and eccentric, he strays into maliciousness. He’s a bit of a charmer when he’s not being a whacky nut case that should be locked away for societies own wellbeing. Fallon’s loyal and backs up any threats and promises, if he says that he’ll do something then he will do it, even if it makes him squirm and whinge like a kicked puppy.

With his vast age, Fallon’s adopted a slightly twisted perspective on vampires and other supernatural. He comes from a time when they were monsters and did drop bodies where they could be found by others then slaughter others. He’s also well versed in the way many Kisses are run. Masters of the City are treated with the utmost respect, and he would give his life if it was what his “master” would want. Masters within the Kiss don’t get instant respect either; if they’re not strong enough then they have to earn it. In a dog eat dog world, its sink or swim baby. Lower Kiss and fledglings jump when he tells them too…Or at least that used to be the way. Fallon treats the Kiss like extended family, they have their ups and their downs but at the end of the day they’re not that dysfunctional. That doesn’t mean he’ll put up with blatant endangerment of his family. If it’s for the better good of all, he will stop people by any means appropriate and has at times locked vampires away in coffins and forgotten about them, or simply ripped their hearts out. He hasn’t held the position of second in command by only being a funny bastard; he has his ruthless streak well hidden as it may be.

While he’s been in Jackford, he’s made it his job to be friends with all the local werewolves where he can and provide them with an alley should they need it. He’s only ever once called the wolves of Jackford without their permission and he won’t do it again. Those he call come to him willingly or not at all. It’s the same with any partners he has as force is very distasteful. No one in this life time has seen Fallon at his worst. Sure, he has his moments where he withdraws from the world and appears bored with what’s going on around him and with what’s going on in his life, but I’m not talking about a depressive vampire. The anger in him is deep, and it’s destructive and in some ways protective because he does rant and he does rave and he does lash out normally in his head these days and prays that he never needs to get violent properly. [/LIST][b]Likes:[/b] [LIST] [*] Playing video games with Jesse. [*] When there’s no trouble for the Kiss. Running around like chickens is annoying. [*] Riding his bike through the city. Screw your cars! [*] Shopping in person, though he’ll never own up to it when he does it online. [*] When it snows. [*] Swimming. [*] Protecting the Kiss. He wouldn’t be second in command of the city if he didn’t. [*] Tormenting Jesse on their [i]movie nights[/i]. [*] Writing poems, short stories, you name it. [*] Playing the guitar, that’s something only Jesse and Noah know about. [/LIST][b]Dislikes:[/b] [LIST] [*] Religious talk. Followed by the words "vampires have no souls." [*] Getting blood on his favourite clothes. It’s hell to get it out. [*] When Jesse gets into trouble and doesn’t tell him straight away. [*] Fighting with Noah. [*] Jesse disobeying him in some form or another. [*] Silence. He has to have a little noise around him otherwise his mind wanders. [*] People underestimating the Kiss. [*] People that try and hurt his wolf. [*] Getting blood on his clothes. [*] Having to make an example of someone. [/LIST][b]Strengths:[/b][LIST] [*] Goes to great lengths to make friends with the wolves before calling any. [*] Jesse makes him look at the world a whole new way again. [*] Is brutally honest when he needs to be. Suck it up, princess! [*] He’s pretty intelligent, even if he does look like a typical punk. [*] His brother. Enough said on that matter. [*] Can and will walk into a church, much to the surprise of many. What? He’s fine as long as there’s no flaming crosses or bible toting idiots. [*] Patience of a saint, it must be said. When things look rough, he’ll look for other options. [/LIST][b]Weaknesses:[/b][LIST] [*] Having to be invited into a home. [*] Holy symbols. [*] Jesse Harley. Hurt the pet and you hurt the Master. [*] His older brother Noah. [*] He has to feed the Ardeur or risk it getting out of control and no one wants that. [*] Has a habit of running his mouth off at times. [*] Likes blood a little too much. [/LIST][b]Fears:[/b][LIST] [*] Small spaces. He can deal for a little while but not long time frames. He feared them as a human and it has carried over as a vampire. [*] Seeing Jesse hurt and being unable to help him, he wouldn’t know what to do if he didn’t have his wolf around. [*] Noah's temper or Jaspers. He fears that in a big way like any baby brother/cousin would. [*] Being starved from touch again. [/LIST][b]History:[/b][LIST]Seven years after the birth of Noah, during a particularly rough winter, Fallon was brought into the world kicking like any normal babe to be welcomed by his older brother Noah and his father as his mother lay exhausted. His mother knew something was different about her second son; womanly intuition of course, brought on by the fact Fallon was quiet as a babe. Her first son and her husband didn’t seem to notice it, so she didn’t mention it to anyone. From the moment that Fallon could walk on his own two feet, his brother was teaching him all kinds of things as well as his parents. They were growing old; they wanted both of their boys to survive in the harsh life that had been given to them and in less than six years Fallon and Noah were left orphans as their parents passed on. Noah tried at first to make things work, he took up the responsibilities afforded to a man and Fallon tried his hardest too help, even at such a young age. Eventually the local story teller Alaric’s wife came and helped, and then the rest of the settlement rather than see the boys waste away since they had no other blood kin close to hand.

When he was ten, Fallon was left in the care of the story teller and his wife as Noah went off to fight for the clan and settlement with other young men. As much as he hated it, he couldn’t blame Noah much but he did feel abandoned. For most of his life Noah was the only constant in his life, and to be left with strangers that some in the settlement considered mad was a little…scary. After the first few weeks though, he was fine and Noah was the last thing on his mind. Up at dawn he would go hunting with the story teller while his wife kept the house and small farm that they had and they’d go into the woods to hunt birds and the like and every day Fallon was told a different story about Gods and Goddesses, demons and all kinds of great and wonderful things. He was also taught how to shoot a bow and arrow over the nine years he spent with them, he was also taught to hunt and forage in the woods and the land around them, and every night when he lay down to sleep he no longer thought about Noah like he had when he had when he’d been younger.

Nine years later and Noah stumbled back into the settlement. Fallon wasn’t the first to great him as he’d been out fishing at the time, but when he found out that his brother was back, he raced back. Only, things weren’t as they were. Before he embraced his brother, Fallon hesitated for a moment and he knew that Noah noticed it because his brother had to clear his throat to get Fallon to even move forward that last few steps. There was just something different about Noah that he didn’t like and yet he couldn’t explain it. So instead he pushed it aside and embraced his brother and tried to summon up the elation that he just couldn’t feel. Yes, he was happy that Noah had returned alive and whole, but it was the joy of having a warrior return from battle and not that of a baby brother. Maybe it was because Noah didn’t seem that enthused to see him or it was the fact that the entire settlement had hounded him. So, after a quick hug and a ‘I’ll see you later’, Fallon slunk off with his tail between his legs in no mood for the celebration.

Over the following years, the brothers tried to reconnect, they really did. Fallon showed him everything that he had learnt but Noah seemed to always find something to pick and poke at while fending off the women folk that wanted to hear tales of the war and offers from wealthier travellers that wanted a mercenary. Every time Noah poked, Fallon snapped, every time he prodded, Fallon hissed until eventually he just took off and left Noah to the mercy of the villagers. Alaric’s wife, Ava, tried to get the brothers to bond but to no good, and they got in to enough fights both verbal and physical that on occasions Fallon was left with a bloodied lip or black eye and Noah was left with another dent in his conscious. Fallon may’ve been good with a hunting knife or a bow, but his brother was deadly with or without weapons so Fallon never fought back. So in the end both brothers were left sitting on opposite sides of a chasm that only seemed to get wider and wider and ultimately led to Fallon’s mounting frustration and anger, even Old Alaric called him up on that a time or two when it cost them a night’s dinner.

Old Alaric died two years later, just after Fallon’s twenty sixth birthdays. Ava had passed the previous autumn before and it was the only reason that had Fallon alone on the coast watching a pyre burn rather than finding out about the war in the south. It was then he decided that he really wanted to make things up with Noah. He returned to the settlement too late, apparently his brother and the other warriors had gone that morning. Rather that race after them like an idiot, Fallon retreated to the old shack that had been his home for years with Alaric and Ava and broke down. He screamed and he raged and he prayed that his brother would return again, just one last time, but he never did. It was only then he realized how stupid he’d been for letting the gap between him and Noah stay so wide.

Noah never returned.

It was six months before he really gathered himself together to carry on with things. He became the story teller for the village like Alaric had been before him. He told the children stories that defied all possible imagination while the adults got on with things. After about a year and a half though, things got a little hectic. A very bad harvest had left the settlement running low on food and to make matters worse they’d gotten word of a small wolf pack that had been scavenging to close for anyone’s comfort. When the first body turned up and it was decided by the head of the settlement that they needed to do something about the wolves, when Fallon saw no one volunteering, he offered to go out and hunt the pack down. He was given a horse, supplies enough for a week if he stretched them, and sent on his way. Of course he wasn’t stupid and he didn’t really trust the villagers much, more so the so called leader that should’ve gone off with his damned warriors to war. He stopped by his home to retrieve what he would need, his bow was better than any dagger.

Setting out properly this time, he tracked the animals for a week before setting up a trap far enough away from the village that no one would be bothered by it. Rather than taking the wolves on all at one time he settled into picking them off, one or two over the space of a few days, then another few weeks would pass before he would take more out disrupting their routine and scaring them away from villages they even looked towards for their next meal. Eventually however, he got them all and returned home with the wolf pelts almost a full year later. It was a bit of a shock to find that the settlement had changed so much, so many of the elders had passed on and the leadership had shifted to a new generation. One that Fallon knew all too well. Abner, son of Esca; One of the other boys that had missed out on the last war had taken over the headship to allow his father some peace through his final days. Fallon wasn’t allowed to approach the old leader directly and when he brought his ‘case’ to Abner, the other male dismissed him. Called him mad, said he’d made a pact with the devil because no one would’ve been able to kill a pack of wolves alone. Rather than accept or deny, Fallon dumped the wolf pelts at the man’s feet before walking away as Abner made it a law before everyone that he should be shunned. Any help of any kind would be met with a punishment and so on and so forth, Fallon didn’t catch the end of it. He did work out what was happening though about fortnight later when no one would look at him, trade, and talk or even walk by him without warding themselves.

It hurt Fallon to his core because of what he and his family had done for the village, but he was determined to weather the bad patch. Only it was a bit longer than any patch, for six full years passed and he was alone through it all. Starved of touch and conversation, Fallon withdrew into a hermit like lifestyle living in the village so to speak but not a part of it. Then the strangest thing happened, after returning from a fishing trip on the coast, Fallon almost walked smack bang into his brother. His dead ice cold to the touch brother. Naturally he gaped like a caught fish before bolting for his home leaving Noah standing there like a statue. He must have been mad! For the next two nights he was scared to close his eyes and stayed locked away in his home and then on the third night Noah banged on his door asking to come in. Rather than have an argument with his dead brother, Fallon invited him in…and fainted.

The following night Noah walked right in and Fallon didn’t even flinch but kicked out a seat from his table and going back to his stew. Since he believed he was mad at the time, Fallon happily listened to what Noah had to tell him for the next few weeks. Fairies were real? Could’ve fooled him! People changed into animals? Get out of here! Noah had been turned into the undead on the battlefield by the Lord Fallon had seen with him weeks previous….No, seriously, get out demon. Fallon snapped and the brotherly fight lasted for weeks before either one of them were calm again to sit in the same room without threats of impalement of some kind, and not once did Fallon tell his brother what had happened in the village to cause him to live like a hermit. He didn’t mark the year passing, but he did try his damnedest to try and fix things with Noah despite his frustration and then one night – exactly a year to the day – he met Master Mikhail. Noah was powerless to do anything as the old Master vampire deep rolled Fallon and tore into his throat.

Sometime later, Fallon woke up starving with fangs in his mouth. Naturally he panicked because he was no longer in his home and he was out of his element. Noah caught him before he could bolt anywhere and tried to explain things before Mikhail came to them. Apparently Mik had grown impatient and turned Fallon and now Fallon would live forever if he fed on the life blood of the living. Gods be damned! If Noah hadn’t already been dead, Fallon would have throttled him or Mikhail. Since he didn’t trust Mikhail as far as he could throw him, Fallon stuck to his brother’s side as the Master told him what was going to happen next and if he didn’t stop hissing and spitting like an annoyed kitten then he could easily die the true death. Rather than argue, Fallon accepted his fate and in a roundabout way, thought of it as a way to see if the old stories Alaric had told him were true. It didn’t stop him from cringing and whimpering when Noah and Mikhail showed him how to feed, and yet again another argument erupted between the brothers that left Mikhail ordering Noah away for the evening while Fallon stayed with Mikhail. He probably would have been scared by his brothers parting words “No, Master Mikhail. You won’t use him.” But he wasn’t. He found it exciting, almost as exhilarating as the rush of blood he’d taken from the girl they’d gotten him. Truth be told, he’d never liked any of the girls in their village because they were stuck up.

He should’ve been humiliated by the actions he took with his master but he wasn’t at all. In fact it was the first he’d really felt in years after having been starved of touch. It also explained why when Noah and Jasper had pushed girls towards him growing up, Fallon had sent them away. He wasn’t a virgin by any means, but it wasn’t something that he’d broadcasted in life. For once in a long time he was happy and content, and in a way it opened himself up to all kinds of guilty pleasures. While he learned to control his new instincts, Mikhail would use him when Noah misbehaved, and when Fallon misbehaved, he would use Noah. Both fledglings learned fast that their ‘father’ wouldn’t be swayed by a honeyed tongue and sweet actions eithers.

Centuries came and went and they travelled all over the world, and then one day Noah reached his Masterhood and the attention shifted from the two of them to Noah. Fallon was jealous and he hid it be slinking off more and more on his own and risked his neck more times than he could count. His brother was only six hundred and forty seven years old! Why couldn’t he have new powers as well? Oh yeah, he sulked. Mikhail snapped one evening and threw him in a coffin while Noah was away for an evening. The sulking turned to panic and out right fear. Being trapped in a box reduced him to nothing within hours and when Noah tore through it, Fallon clung to his brother and cried his eyes out for all he was worth. Fallon didn’t blame Mikhail at the end of the day, he hadn’t told anyone about his claustrophobia ever thinking it humiliating enough, but it was a good century before he felt truly comfortable about his maker again.

More time passed and as Fallon approached his seven hundredth and eleventh year as a vampire, something happened that changed him. Something clicked inside his head, he could feel werewolves and without knowing what he was doing he called the local pack to him. However that wasn’t the only thing that clicked in him, the Ardeur. Unbeknown to him, Noah and Mikhail had gotten into a little trouble with the church and Mikhail was using Fallon as a proxy to feed from. The pack wolves that came were sent into a lust induced frenzy and Fallon was in the centre of it and enjoying every moment. It wasn’t until a few evening safter that he found out one of the wolves that had come had been barely fifteen years old, shocked by that revolution, he waited patiently for his maker and brother to return, still riding the high from the new powers and feeding. Mikhail and Noah were just as surprised as he was when they came back. It was nice…

And then six hundred years later the nice changed. Fallon had grown bored living in his brother’s shadow as well as Mikhail’s and asked if he could leave, after asking his brother of course. Mikhail granted his wish and the brothers said good bye but promised to stay in touch. One thousand and three hundred years old and it was safe to say he’d learnt a lot in his time. He’d gotten a hold of his master powers, fed his incubus side on a regular basis so there’d never be a mistake again with the teenage wolf from when they first showed. He eventually settled in Coventry at age two thousand one hundred, but he hid his powers from the Mistress that accepted him into her Kiss. Morgana was an interesting woman, he’d been drawn to her beauty and she’d been drawn to his bloodline powers. He was her personal toy for the next five hundred years, he jumped when she said so, he started to plot her downfall when she personally tore into a werewolf and rather than letting the poor shapeshifter die, Morgana infected it with her corrupting bite. He was forced to watch as the young boy – barely eighteen – rotted to death in slow agony on the floor because she’d been insulted by the shirt he’d worn. When she’d been lulled into a false sense of security and had had enough of Fallon, she traded him away for something new. Little did she know that he’d given the Temion of her kiss the keys to take her down and the last thing he heard from Morgana or anyone within the Coventry Kiss was that the manor house had gone up in flames.

Oh well. Jackford was interesting enough, even though he’d been ‘gifted’ to the Master of the City at the time to do with as he pleased. Luckily, Fallon won him over and fought his way to the top by wit, skill and sheer power once he was settled in. The Kiss from what he could tell was really new and finding its feet, so he used it to his advantage to get a hold on the city over the next five hundred years. The only interesting thing that tickled his fancy was meeting a werewolf in 2007 on the outskirts of the city. Fallon had been dealing with a rogue alpha that had been the companion of a vampire that had insulted a previous Master of the City and out of a misguided sense of comradeship, Jesse attacked him after Fallon had killed the other werewolf and Fallon had no option but to defend himself from the spirited pup’s mauling while nursing wounds from the other wolf. Jesse staggered off and Fallon traced him back to the Pack house, rather than leaving the wolf to stay unconscious on the kitchen floor Fallon took him back to his home outside of the Kiss manor and patched him up as much as best as he could. When Jesse woke up, he came back singing and Fallon unknowingly gave him the first mark as an animal servant as he taunted and teased the irritable wolf before explaining what had happened. Simple enough right? Right.

Jesse decided to stay with him as his willing blood donor the following year and Fallon was ecstatic. Then he got a call from someone he hadn’t heard of in a long time in early 2010. Mikhail wanted him to return to deal with some delicate werewolf issues for him. He was surprised because he’d thought that Mikhail would’ve known other wolf callers but apparently not anyone as experienced as he was. Shrugging off his curiosity, he bade Jesse fair well and slipped across the pond to New York. Trouble was an understatement, there were four packs fighting for one territory! Fallon was in New York for just under a year and counted down the days until he could get home, he even had a chance to drop by New Jersey and visit Noah for a few nights before him came home to find Jesse picking a fight in one of the local clubs. Then when the last Master of the City left Jackford, Fallon did the only thing he could as he was still wheeling from the trip and familiar faces, he called his Maker and got the promise that Jackford wouldn’t be without a Master for long.

A fortnight later his brother showed up. [/LIST]</span>

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obplayhouse-blog · 5 years ago

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PRESS RELEASE

OB Playhouse & Theatre Company Presents:

INTO THE WOODS

Directed by: Juztine Tuazon

Music Direction by: Kirk Valles

Choreographed by: Jennie Gray Connard

Produced by: OB Theatre Company

Music & Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim

Book by: James Lapine

About the Production:

James Lapine and Stephen Sondheim take everyone's favorite storybook characters and bring them together for a timeless, yet relevant, piece. The Tony Award-winning book and score are both enchanting and touching. The production will look at the story told through a new perspective.

The production is helmed by audience-acclaimed director, Juztine Tuazon, winner of the BroadwayWorld San Diego region awards in 2019 for their productions of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead and American Idiot. Tuazon will take the audience on a whimsically enticing visual adventure that follows the path of unlikely characters on a journey deep into the darkness (and light) found only in the woods. Tuazon presents a fresh and more diverse perspective on this now classic tale, by challenging gender and sexuality norms, and finding parallels in the story with struggles same-sex couples experience while trying to have children of their own.

The story follows a Baker and his wife, who wish to have a child; Cinderella, who wishes to attend the King's Festival; and Jack, who wishes his cow would give some milk. When the Baker and his wife learn that they cannot have a child because of a Witch's curse, the two set off on a journey to break the curse. Everyone's wish is granted, but the consequences of their actions return to haunt them later with disastrous results.

“Anything can happen in the woods.”

Rated: E

Runtime: ~2 hours

DATES:

March 13th – April 5th

Thursdays – Saturdays at 8 PM

Sundays at 2 PM

**There is one industry night: Monday, March 23, 2020 at 8 PM

Cast:

Narrator - Anton Schneiderwind Cinderella - Adelaida Martinez The Baker - Sydney Joyner Bakers Wife - Wendy Waddell Jack - Roberto Castillo, Jr. Jack’s Mother - Heather Deerfield Little Red - Sara Ah Sing The Witch - Chelsey Moore Stepmother - Erik Ramirez Florinda - Dominique Brown Lucinda - Mary Grace Sumner Rapunzel’s Prince/Wolf - Cody Bray Cinderella’s Prince - Quincy Bazen Steward - Cecile Pham Rapunzel - Caitlin Helm Mysterious Man - Brian Evans Milky White/Cinderella's Mother/Granny - Dianne Gray Giant’s Wife - Beth Accomando

PRICING:

Friday & Saturday: GA: $36, VIP $49 Thursday & Sunday: GA $32, VIP $46

**Special Industry Night 3/23/2020: GA $15, VIP $30

THURSDAYS: Buy-One-Get-One-Free Tickets on Thursdays with code “2for1”

SUNDAYS: Save $8 on Sundays with code “SundayFunday”

OTHER INFO:

Lobby opens one hour before showtime. House opens 15-20 minutes before showtime. Seating is first- come, first-served. No seating for late arrivals 15 minutes after showtime.

Event Site: https://www.obplayhouse.com/

Ticketing Site: https://www.obtheatrecompany.com/into-the-woods.html

#into the woods #musicals #Musical Theatre #San Diego #SDtheatre #sandiegotheatre

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daniel1972777 · 4 years ago

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Buy careem verification number People and events, A 300-bed ward complex with improved medical facilities at the Homagama Base Hospital constructed by the Bamunu Arachchi Foundation was declared open this week.

Due to the increased number of out-patients and the lack of adequate infrastructure facilities, the Bamunu Arachchi Foundation Buy careem verification number decided to draw up a Master Plan with the help of the Central Engineering Consultancy Bureau and the Health Ministry.

Mr. Mahipala undertook to fund and construct Phase I Stage I of this Master Plan, which houses the General OPD and specialized clinics. The foundation stone for Phase II Stage I, Operation Theatre Complex, was also laid at the same time.

In 2009 a building with three floors for Buy careem verification code facilities was also handed over to the government by the Bamunu Aarachchi Foundation. Ministers P. Dayaratna and A.H.M. Fowzie, Western Province Health Minister Jagath Angage, Western Province Health Director, Amal Harsha de Silva and Mr. Mahipala who is also the Honorary Consul of Madagascar in Sri Lanka were present. The building complex was opened by Dr. Shirley de Perera.

After sell-out tours all over the world, theatre company 1927 brings their play ‘The Animals and Children took to the Streets’ to Colombo

Trust no one. Suspect even your own shadow. Welcome to the Bayou Mansions; a sprawling, stinking tenement block, in which curtain-twitchers and peeping-toms live side-by-side and the wolf is always at the door. When Agnes Eaves and her daughter arrive late one night, does it signal hope in this hopeless place, or has the real horror only just begun?

Like a giant graphic novel burst into life, theatre company 1927 takes the audience on a theatrical journey of startling originality. Four years after their multi-award winning, critically-acclaimed debut ‘Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea’, ‘The Animals and Children took to the Streets’ is 1927’s new hit.

Seamlessly synchronizing live music, performance and storytelling with stunning films and animation, this wickedly twisted show comes to Colombo for two performances on February 28 and 29 at the British School in Colombo auditorium.

The play had its world premiere at Sydney Opera House and sell-out seasons in Sydney, Melbourne, London, Perth, Paris and the Edinburgh Festival 2011. The reviews were all positive. ‘This is a perfect alternative show. In fact, it is a perfect show,” said the Financial Times.

Their Colombo shows will be on Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, February 29 at 7.30 p.m. (75 min show, no interval) at the British School Auditorium, 63 Elvitigala Mawatha, Colombo 8. Tickets are priced at Rs. 1000 and Rs. 800 and are on sale from Saturday, February 11 at the British Council, Colombo Help Desk (9 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. – Tuesday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sundays). The show is suitable for anyone 8 years and above.

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popradar · 7 years ago

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Weekend Planner: 20 of the Coolest Things to do in L.A.

Art: Kate Micucci, courtesy of the artist and Gallery1988

Here are 20 awesome events happening in L.A. this weekend...Want the 411 on additional events and happenings in LA? Follow @christineziemba on Twitter or Instagram.

FRIDAY, DEC. 1

KATE MICUCCI (Art)

On Friday night, from 7-9 pm artist and actor Kate Micucci returns to G1988 for another solo show. All her works are on sale, and proceeds from Micucci’s cut are going to charity. Bring an unwrapped gift (valued $10 or more) to the opening on Friday and get a discount on your purchase.

ISABEL ALLENDE (Book talk)

Book Soup presents Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende (The House of the Spirits, City of the Beasts), off-site at the Skirball Cultural Center on Friday at 7 pm. Allende discusses her new novel In the Midst of Winter, which chronicles the lives of “very different people brought together in a mesmerizing story that journeys from present-day Brooklyn to 1970s Chile and Brazil.” She’ll be in conversation with Los Angeles Times Book Editor Carolyn Kellogg. Each ticket ($28) will include a signed copy of english edition of In the Midst of Winter.

BLITZEN TRAPPER (Music)

The Bootleg Theater presents the Portland, Oregon-based experimental pop band Blitzen Trapper on Friday night. The band’s on the road promoting its latest release, Wild & Reckless. Lilly Hiatt opens. All ages. Tickets: $20. Doors at 8:30 pm.

SLOTHRUST (Music)

Boston trio Slothrust play The Echo on Friday night. The rockers just released an EP of covers, Show Me How You Want It To Be. Covers include “Wonderful World,” “...Baby One More Time” and one of our personal favs, “Sex and Candy.” And the Kids, Slugs open the night. Tickets: $11.50, $15 day of show. Ages 18+. 8:30 pm.

vimeo

MUSEUM OF FAILURE (Art)

The Museum of Failure opens on Saturday at the A+D Architecture and Design Museum. The pop-up museum, which closes on Feb. 4, is a curated collection of “epic fails by some of the world’s best known companies.” What to expect? Items such as Apple Newton, Bic for Her, Betamax and more. The Museum of Failure is open Wednesdays to Sundays. Adult general admission tickets: $15+ fees. Children 12 and younger: Free.

SLEEPLESS: THE MUSIC CENTER AFTER HOURS (Party)

The next installment of Sleepless: The Music Center After Hours series happens from 11pm on Friday to 3 am on Saturday. This special edition of Sleepless—Cuba: Antes, Ahora / Then, Now—is being held as part of Pacific Standard Time: LA/LA. The overnight event allows guests to explore The Music Center’s Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The event features talented artists and performers from Cuba, film screenings, light installations, and a mercadito of Cuban artwork and merchandise. There are other events throughout the weekend related to Cuba: Antes, Ahora / Then, Now. The demand for the free tickets (+$6 fee) has been high, and unavailable online. Additional tickets may be released so follow the Music Center on Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

TORI AMOS (Music)

Tori Amos plays three nights at The Theatre at Ace Hotel, from Friday to Sunday. Her music is as relevant now as it was when were in school. Tickets: $55-$75.

SATURDAY, DEC. 2

POCOCK BREWING COMPANY (Beer fest)

Pocock Brewing in Santa Clarita celebrates its 2nd Anniversary with a beer fest on Saturday from noon to 4 pm. Pocock invites more than 18 other breweries to help celebrate (Absolution Brewing to Wolf Creek). There will also be live bands (The Darryls, The Snare Heads) and food trucks (Swami's Sandwiches, Vern's Grill, Tomski Sausage). All net proceeds benefit the Castaic Education Foundation and the Santa Clarita Valley Education Foundation. General admission: $40, VIP: $55. Designated Driver (non-drinking): $10. VIP entry is at noon and general entry is at 4 pm.

UNION STATION (Holiday festival)

Union Station celebrates the Christmas/holiday season with a festival and pop-up artisan market on Saturday from 11 am to 8 pm. The day features more than 30 vendors including jewelry from The Key Historic, screen-printed T-shirts from The Poster List, a mobile record shop from Dig It Vinyl; organic body products from Original Good Goods and more. The family-friendly event features live music from the California Feetwarmers (ragtime); Sweet Beats, DJ Kiyomi’s modern sounds from a renovated 1957 ice cream truck; and Girls Gone Vinyl, a collective of female DJs. Food trucks and local craft breweries, including Indie Brewing at the Beer Garden, will be on hand, too.

A CURRENT AFFAIR (Shopping)

A Current Affair Vintage Pop-up Marketplace returns to L.A.’s Cooper Design Space Penthouse on Saturday and Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm. The show brings together more than 65 vintage retailers and private dealers to showcase clothing, accessories and jewelry. There’s an open bar, courtesy of local distillery Our Vodka, hydration by Boxed Water, and complimentary draft lattes from La Colombe. General admission begins at 12 pm with tickets at $12. Preview admission on Saturday at 10 am: $20. Weekend pass: $28.

Image: Courtesy of the MAK Center

MAK ANNUAL ARCHITECTURE TOUR (Design)

MAK Annual Architecture Tour takes place on Saturday from 3-7 pm in Inglewood. The tour highlights three single-family homes designed by R.M. Schindler to “promote and redefine modern, affordable living in 1940's Los Angeles.” These homes are open to the public for the first time. Proceeds from the tour benefit the MAK Center for Art & Architecture's work and stewardship of Schindler's architecture. Tickets: $45 general, $40 members, $90 ticket + Friend level membership.

GIANT ROBOT POST-IT SHOW 13 (Art)

The 13th annual Giant Robot Post-it show returns to Giant Robot 2 - GR2 Gallery on Saturday. The show features more than 400 artists and 3,000+ works of art on Post-it notes. All works are $25 each. The show opens to previews at noon and sales start at 3 pm. The exhibition runs through December 10.

THE BECHDEL CAST LIVE PRESENTS DIE HARD (Live podcast)

The Bechdel Cast, a podcast hosted by Caitlin Durante and Jamie Loftus, examines the portrayal of women in film, one movie at a time. On Saturday, at Nerdist Showroom at 7 pm, Durante, Loftus and special guest Debra DiGiovanni stage a live show to celebrate The Bechdel Cast’s One Year Anniversary, and they’re tackling Die Hard.

THE CHRONICLES OF LA (Shopping)

The Chronicles of LA is a mysterious, experiential pop-up store and art exhibit that takes place in a secret vintage hotel on Friday and Saturday. With the theme of sex, the two-day pop-up features more than 60 artists, designers, performers and musicians from around sharing ideas and viewpoints about sex, through their works and goods. We don’t know much more than that, so to get the location and more details, RSVP.

Images: Courtesy of Night Gallery and Marisa Takal

BEYOND OY TOO SCARED TO HA-HA (Art)

Night Gallery presents Beyond Oy Too Scared to Ha-Ha, a solo art exhibition of new work by LA-based artist Marisa Takal. From the gallery: “Takal creates abstract expressionist landscapes of places, times, interiors, intestines, disillusions, and emotions. She began work on the pieces of this exhibition during the inauguration earlier this year, and many of the pieces began from a place of anxiety.” The opening reception takes place on Saturday from 7-10 pm. The exhibition runs through Jan. 13.

HOLIDAY AFLOAT (Boat parade)

The 55th Annual Los Angeles Harbor Holiday Afloat Parade takes place on Saturday at the Port of Los Angeles. With the theme of "Peace Around the World," approximately 60 boats will be parading along the LA waterfront, decked out for the holiday season. The parade starts in the East Basin near Banning’s Landing Community Center in Wilmington, and it takes about 90 minutes for the boats to travel the entire route. There are spectator viewing spots in several locations in San Pedro and Wilmington.

SUNDAY, DEC. 3

Image: Courtesy of Voyager Institute

WTF VOYAGER CHRISTMAS (Film)

The Voyager Institute collaborates with crew from the former Non Plus Ultra venue for upcoming movie nights at 2044 Rosslyn St. On Sunday, they present A WTF Voyager Xmas. The first half of the afternoon presents a “condensed” version of Jack Frost (1998). The film stars Michael Keaton as a rocker reincarnated into a sentient snowman. The effects are awesome, and it’s a film that needs to be taken in with an audience. The second half of the program features film critic Alonso Duralde (The Wrap) and a Q&A about the Christmas movie genre. Doors 6 pm, show 7 pm. The event is free with RSVP, but donations accepted.

HEAVY HEAVY LOW LOW COMEDY SHOW (Comedy)

Heavy Heavy Low Low Comedy Show takes place in the back bar ot Bar Lubitsch on Sunday at 9:30 pm. The show is free and features the comedic talents of guest host Erin Alexis with Amy Miller, Papp Johnson, Kelly McInerney, Rose Toberman Alsander, Chase Austin and Jules Posner. Ages 21+.

EMO NITE DAY (Music)

Emo Nite Day is a festival of emo acts that takes place on Sunday from 2-11 pm at the Shrine Expo Hall & Grounds. The lineup on multiple stages features The Used, Machine Gun Kelly, Tigers Jaw, Craig Owens (Chiodos), Finch, Aaron Gillespie (Underoath + The Almost), Frank Zummo (Sum 41), Mom Jeans and more. DJ sets from Preston, From First To Last and others. The all-ages event also features art installations, food trucks and other treats. Tickets: $59.50.

FRIENDSHIP BUDDIES (Comedy)

Friendship Buddies is a weekly stand-up comedy show that takes place on the patio of the Verdugo Bar in Glassell Park. Hosted by Luke Giordano, the lineup features: Amy Miller, Ryan Conner, Debra DiGiovanni, Biniam Bizuneh, Grant Lyon, Kyle Shire and Aaron Hertzog. 8 pm. Free.

—by Christine N. Ziemba

#weekendplanner #events #losangeles #thingstodo #film #comedy #music

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textales · 5 years ago

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“Illicit White Powders.”

“This is the night Larry will try cocaine” he said as he banged on the dashboard of the brand new 1988 Chevy Astro Van. We were headed to some stripper bar on Northwest Highway in Dallas where he’d score, and Willie was looking forward to introducing me to something he’d been enjoying for some years now.

“No, it’s not” I said as I slapped the passenger side of the dashboard with equal cadence and enthusiasm. “I’ve got enough problems with beer…but I will be happy to be your designated drunk driver.” And with that I avoided a problem that could have brought me down just like countless others in my orbit at the time and to this day.

It’s an evil, sickening, insidious drug that makes fun times exponentially more fun while leaving users with an incredibly painful hangover – physically, emotionally and fiscally. And in the case of so many of my friends, it also drove them to a far more potent, cheaper and devastating replacement drug commonly known as “Crystal,” “Meth,” or “Ice.”

Willie and I met in Phoenix in the late 1980s. He was one of the salespeople based in Dallas, in town for a factory tour and some training. From the word go he was a total thrill - being with him was an adrenaline rush. In the first 48 hours of meeting we’d had a minor car crash, flew to Las Vegas and back, got kicked-out of a restaurant for being too rowdy, and chased by a confused mall cop wielding a gun.

Back then I was a 22-year-old naive kid from Montana looking for some big city excitement, and finding Willie fit the bill. He was intoxicating in so many ways, and to say he was magnetic would be an understatement. I remember a rather forward woman in the restaurant that first night stop him to say he was the most beautiful man she’d ever seen. Willie took the compliment with the grace of a Hollywood actor or a polished politician. He was tall, fit and stunningly good-looking. He was a blue-collar guy who made it big - driven, with a strong work ethic and fantastic sense of humor. And contrary to what any of his ex-wives or girlfriends might think (even to this day), he and I never had sex nor were we even in the same room naked. Truth told I was never attracted to him in that way. We were the best of friends and left it at that.

The last time I saw Willie in person was about ten years ago at his giant house north of Dallas. Answering his call for help, my friend Carla and I jumped a flight to DFW and spent an extended weekend at Willie’s. He was a wounded bird, having gone through a messy divorce with a third wife we’d never met. Willie needed us – he had a history of becoming friends – too close of friends – with his own employees. It seemed these “friends” almost always took advantage of his generosity and were never honest – probably because they were on the payroll. Carla and I were not among those “hired friends” and Willie knew he could rely on us for honesty and objectivity. We couldn’t be bought – and he respected us for that.

We listened attentively as he told stories of the last couple years with the ex-wife. From what little detail he gave me of this woman, I pictured a gold-digging high-maintenance size-zero blonde with big fake cans and an Oklahoma accent. Even though I never met her, I shall describe her not-so-affectionately as a “Coke Whore.” She’d burnt him good, and he was damaged and medicating.

The house was a massive McMansion in the northern suburbs not far from the location of the South Fork Ranch from “Dallas” - the TV series of the 1980s. With six bedrooms, five bathrooms and 5,000+ square feet of living space, the house seemed ridiculously massive for just one guy or even a couple. But that was Willie – he liked living in a giant castle in the ‘burbs. This place had a dry sauna, a workout room with tanning bed, a mini-theatre with cushy leather terraced seating, adjacent to a full bar in a game room complete with a regulation-sized pool table and a couple of pinball machines. Of course the back yard had a giant swimming pool and hot tub with a gargantuan outdoor kitchen complete with a stainless steel Wolf stove, refrigerator and ice maker. The only thing missing from this place were people – it was a lonely, huge empty house.

The house was evidence of two decades of hard work and business success. Other trappings included an array of luxury vehicles – a Cadillac Convertible, a Lincoln Navigator and a Chrysler 300. And he owned a twin-engine 40+ foot luxury yacht docked at a lake nearby.

He built his empire by manufacturing products to supply the residential construction boom in Dallas. At the height of it, his company employed over 110 people and had revenue of over $6 million annually. He paid himself a substantial six-figure salary and was known to be quite generous with his employees, paying them well and offering bonuses and other incentives.

But with the recession of 2008 the construction boom came to a screeching halt. And by the time I got to Dallas in March of 2010 the damage had been done. Little did I know that was the beginning of the end.

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furederiko · 7 years ago

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Time for November's 1st Random-News-Digest! And specially released on November 17th, 2017... despite being several hours late. LOL.

(Images courtesy of Nintendo, Warner Bros, 20th Century FOX, Square Enix, and The Pokemon Company/GameFreak. Taken from Official Trailers and/or Official Sites)

Super Mario Bros

Hold on to your Yoshis, because Mario Mario is coming back (yes, after that dreadful live action attempt in 1993) to Hollywood. This time, in an animated movie created by Illumination. If the report is to be believed, then Nintendo will be partnering with Universal to produce and release this movie. In case you live under a rock and doesn't know Illumination, that's the studio in charge of the "Despicable Me" and "The Secret Life of Pets" series. I know what you're thinking, I can already see the Toads being treated as the new Minions. LOL.

This project is said to be just in early stages, so it might take a few more years before it is ready for release. The average process to develop a big screen animated movie takes roughly 3 to 5 years, so if the deal moves on this month then we can expect the movie to arrive in... 2020. Which is the year of the Japan Olympics!!! Aaaaah, I see what you did there Nintendo. Honestly, I'm not expecting much of this project. As long as it's as entertaining as SONY's "The Angry Birds Movie", and unlike those numerous dull live action attempts... then I'll be okay. I'm pretty much sold by the word ANIMATED anyway, because forcing a live action adaptation to Mario and Luigi would be... a HUGE NO.

Metal Gear Solid

Now for this one, I'm... NOT so sure. Not just because I'm not big on KONAMI's "Metal Gear Solid" franchise as a game, but because it's live action. And we all know there's an eerie curse looming over live action adaptations for video games title. Look no further than "Assassin's Creed"... among many others.

The good news is, Derek Connolly is writing the script, and Jordan Vogt-Roberts is directing. The former has worked on "Jurassic World" and "Star Wars", while the latter is determined to make a watchable video game movie. LOL. Vogt-Roberts is most definitely a unique and seemingly fun guy, I'll give you that. This pair has worked together creating "Kong: Skull Island", which was an entertaining movie. Hmmm... now that I think about it, the whole espionage Special Forces theme would be somewhat similar to what Vogt-Roberts did in that King Kong movie. I genuinely think he actually CAN pull this off! Let's just hope the project moves on to higher stages, and not fizzles out like... it has always been.

Disney Animation

This was actually a news from last month. Yeah, I got pretty caught up with many personal ordeals, that I've completely missed out on mentioning this movie on my previous R-N-D. "Gigantic", Disney's version of the classic "Jack and the Beanstalk" story had been cancelled.

Said news was quite startling, considering the title was still part of their D23 Event... even if it was in a very minor way. It also has been in development by co-directors Meg LeFauve and Nathan Greno for quite some time, with a fixed 2020 release window. 'Creative process' was mentioned as reason for its cancellation, with Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studio president Ed Catmull calling the movie as 'not working'. The studio has moved on to another original project, that is expected to open in Thanksgiving 2020. Will we be getting another Disney Princess movie, following last year's "Moana"? Here's hoping. For now, the studio still has "Ralph Breaks the Internet: Wreck-It Ralph 2" set to open on November 21st, 2018, and the sequel to their hit title "Frozen" on November 27th, 2019. We can still look forward to those ones...

Disney Live Action

The live action department also hit a bump. Director Sam Mendes has departed his live action re-telling/adaptation for "Pinocchio". This is the second time he has walked out from a Disney project, with "James and the Giant Peach" being the first one. There's a rumor that Mendes might be moving to the franchise he worked on before, but that's the topic for a different category.

It's unclear if Disney will continue to work on this title by finding another director, or take a completely different approach and shelves it like what they just did to "Gigantic". Right now, two titles that are in active production is Guy Ritchie's "Aladdin", and Jon Favreau's "The Lion King" that will open on July 19th, 2019. If I'm not mistaken, Niki Caro's "Mulan" is still in pre-production, along with other titles.

We can also add a new title "Prince Charming", that is set to be written and directed by Stephen Chbosky. Chbosky is famous for his recent work "Wonder" that is set to be released this weekend, as well as the critically acclaimed "The Perks of Being a Wallflower". As the title suggests, it will focus on a young Prince and all the struggle he faces to live up to the family name. Of course, since the name Prince Charming typically refers to the one from... "Snow White" and/or "Cinderella", I can't help but wonder if this will be connected as prequel or some sort to either. It doesn't sound like it, but who knows, right? Let's just wait for more information in the near future...

Star Wars

Remember the time when many people speculated Rian Johnson would take over Collin Trevorrow's directorial seat for the tentatively titled "Star Wars - Episode IX"? Lucasfilm had expressed positive response to the director, and he himself was genuinely excited, giddy, and extremmely passionate about his love to experience in the franchise. It felt like a sure if not most plausible thing. But then we all knew that didn't happen, because it's J.J. Abrams instead who returned for the job.

But why didn't Johnson take the movie? Surprise surprise, turns out, he has other BIGGER project planned... for the franchise. Yes, he's not leaving the franchise anytime soon. Lucasfilm indeed had a great mutual time with Johnson, that they not only want him to work on another "Star Wars" movie, but to set up an entirely NEW non-Skywalker trilogy for them! The word 'bigger' would be an understatement now, right? He will be writing and directing at least the first one of this trilogy, while long time collaborator Ram Bergman is producing.

We can safely assume that this means the Skywalker-focused storyline will be wrapped up in "Episode IX", and afterwards, we'll be seeing a new route for the franchise in the foreseeable future. This new trilogy might not be episodic in nature, and will introduce entirely new characters from the universe. A "blank canvas" as Kathleen Kennedy said. Many fans have expressed both praises, and approval, as well as concerns, and disapproval for this approach, but if you ask me, I'm welcoming this with open arms. I've never been an avid fan of this space opera before, so this could be my official entry point. Without the need to explore previous movies, that is! LOL. I wonder if this new trilogy will be connected to the newly announced live action TV series?

Of course, this means that his work on "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" has completely left Lucasfilm VERY satisfied. Johnson himself might be REALLY anxious about it (a humble response, by the way), but this is by all means an expression of HIGH confidence from the studio. As evidenced by the departure of Trevorrow, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, and others, they wouldn't give Johnson such massive responsibility if they are not overly pleased collaborating with him. He might be such a good polite and down to earth guy, eh? If you're curious about his work, then you only need to wait a bit longer. "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" arrives in less than a month on December 15th, 2017!

James Bond

Yep, thanks to walking out of the Disney live action project, Sam Mendes has immediately been rumored to direct the untitled "Bond 25". This naturally makes sense. Mendes worked on "Skyfall" and also "Specter", and the next movie might very well be Daniel Craig's last foray. Would be nice to see Mendes returning to deliver Craig's swan song as well as to wrap it up as his final 007 trilogy. Christoph Waltz had stated that he's not coming back as Blofeld though, so I wonder if that might affect Mendes' decision. Sure, Waltz teased that the role could be re-cast, but who can really tell what the future, I mean James Bond holds. Also, MGM announced earlier this month that Annapurna will help bring the franchise to the theatre. Does this mean the studio has won the bidding war? It's unconfirmed for now, but that seems to be the case. Quite surprising too, because it felt like a lesser entity when compared to other bigger names on the mix. But I guess as long as the franchise can still hit theatres, it's a victory for Bond's devoted fans nonetheless.

Dark Universe

Sad to say, this could be the LAST time for this category to be featured in my R-N-D. According to recent report, Universal has pulled the plug on its ambitious Dark Universe. At the very least, it's in critical condition.

All signs have totally led to this. Tom Cruise's "The Mummy" was a big failure that didn't make enough good impression (could you imagine what would have happened had Tom Cruise agreed to play Tony Stark in the first "Iron Man"? Marvel Studios dodged an bullet right there). And then production for Bill Condon's "Bride of Frankenstein" was halted not long after it begun, and the movie had since been removed from the planned release date. None of the other projects like "Invisible Man", "Wolf Man", or some others showed real progress. Next thing that happened, both Alex Kurtzman and Chris Morgan who seem... (or to be precise USED) to be the overseer to this Monster-based universe, have each moved on to other projects. That pretty much sealed the deal, don't you think? For the record, this isn't the first time Kurtzman abandons a cinematic universe. Don't ever forget Paramount's Transformers and also SONY's Amazing Spider-Man series.

Of course, it doesn't mean that the idea is gone for good. Universal can still pull off a soft reboot or some sort, simply by planning more properly before jumping towards another dark waters. President of production Peter Cramer even stated, "We are not rushing to meet a release date and will move forward with these films when we feel they are the best versions of themselves.". This implied that at least, Condon's movie might still become a reality sometime in the future.

I'm personally feeling VERY disappointed to hear this, knowing the probability of seeing Russell Crowe reprising his Dr. Jekyll is now close to zero. I really want to see him 'Hulk Out' and becomes a massive monstrous Edward Hyde... which we didn't really fully get in "The Mummy". But who am I to say, right? All I can say is, I hope Universal will inspire other studios to think ahead and NOT just try to snobbishly copy Marvel Studios' success without analyzing what makes their universe works. Heck, they have even proved that it's never to late to course-correct things. So don't give up Universal, and just do it one step at a time, okay!

DC Films

Uhmm... so yeah, embargo for critics reviews (both social media on November 10th, and full essays on November 14th) for Warner Bros' "Justice League" has been uplifted earlier this week. And well, true to the nature of DC Films (at least its first three movies, with "Wonder Woman" being the not-that-surprising exception), the response is a mixed-bag. Immediately, it has divided critics both fans and non-fans of DC Comics alike with polarizing opinions. Some said that Joss Whedon's clear influence doesn't gel well with the 85% done by Zack Snyder, but others said it worked just fine to elevate the movie. If you visit one entertainment site, you'd likely stumble on a review that paints the movie in a moderate-to-good light by calling it 'Pretty Good', while elsewhere you'll be greeted by review that sees it as bad-to-awful by calling it 'Pretty Bad'. Suffice to say, despite leaning to positive, things do not look completely 'PRETTY' for WB and DC.

By the way, RottenTomatoes deliberately delayed their aggregated score for the movie. My initial assumption when I saw the headline? "Ain't this cheating, huh?". Those who think RT is being paid by Marvel Studios... looks like WB is the one paying them instead, am I right? After all, this studio is infamous for constantly blaming RT for their movies' own critical failures. Of course, despite the fact that WB DOES have a stake in this site (feel free to make your own conclusion with that), that is NOT the actual reason. It's more inline with the site's Facebook show, or something like that. Of course, said score have been officially (it was leaked before hand) released now, and no surprise... as of writing (October 17th, 08:50PM local time), it's currently sitting at 37%. That is already a tad lower than its initial number. YIKES!

General consensus is calling the movie as fun but flawed. A narrative mess, but at least it gets the characters correctly now. An entertaining spectacle, but visually it's ugly and tacky. So at the very least, it's not a trainwreck and is still BETTER than the dreadful "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice" nor the abominable snowma-... er, "Suicide Squad".

Ironically, WB tried to be boastfully 'different' three times, and failed miserably. Eventhough, in a way they WERE mimicking or parroting Marvel Studios. Just admit it, "Batman v Superman" was consciously made to rival Captain America 3, and "Suicide Squad" was their version of Guardians of the Galaxy. This year, they blatantly and openly COPY that 'competitor' movies. "Wonder Woman" was an amalgam of the first Captain America with elements of Thor, while "Justice League" is clearly DC's version of the 2nd Avengers. And my oh my, look what they've gotten! Good to POSITIVE responses!!! The morale of the day, if you can't compete, just follow suit. Oh, and also... use talented people who have worked on the opposite side. I mean, duh... Patty Jenkins, Joss Whedon, and Brian Michael Bendis? "Justice League" opens today on November 17th, so let's hope it will perform better financially than critically.

David F. Sandberg's "Shazam!" is moving along nicely as the movie next to be seen after next year's "Aquaman" (to be released in... *drumrolls* December 2018). After casting Disney Prince Zachary Levi as the heroic version, the movie obviously needs the human version, the little kid named Billy Batson. Remember when acclaimed young actor Jacob Tremblay (who similar to his Oscar-winner BFF, deserves BETTER roles) was said to be in contention? Well, the role ended up on young Asher Angel's hand instead. Name doesn't sound familiar? Well... he is one of the leads of "Andi Mack" on... Disney Channel. See? If you can't beat them, snatch their actors too. Grace Fulton is said to be portraying the female lead, and actor Mark Strong was said to be in negotiation to play the antagonist Dr. Sivana... whoever that is. Should he decide to take the job, this would be Strong's second DC character for WB after his short turn as Sinestro.

Interestingly, WB desperately wants this franchise to be noticed. Why is that? Just think about it, the movie is set to open in Spring 2019, so it's going to be released not far behind a particular Marvel Studios movie called... "Captain Marvel". I'm sure you know where I'm leading to with this, right? Yes... because Shazam used to be called by the same name. Coincidence? Highly UNLIKELY. It's another game of chicken by good'ol always-competitive WB (no matter how many try to scoff it off, their rivalry to Marvel is apparently REAL), folks! And a rather ballsy albeit rude one too. I mean for crying out loud, in this kind of political situation that sees a president continuously provoking people to hate a previous female opponent like a sore loser, and numerous reports of mistreatments of women by Hollywood top names... WB wants to use a testosterone-manchild-themed movie to directly challenge a FEMALE-led movie just because the two shared the same name? I call that suicide.

How about Dwayne Johnson's Black Adam then? That character is the nemesis of Shazam, so it's natural if we get to see him too in the movie. But noooope, apparently WB is planning to put him in another movie instead. And surprise surprise, it's not his own solo movie as the studio repeatedly promised, but Gavin O'Connor's "Suicide Squad 2". I literally slapped myself in the face when I read this, because dang it... wasn't it enough to throw a sexist Enchantress, that they just HAD to pit the broken Squad against another supernatural character? This is not confirmed for now, but since the movie still has a long way before starting production in October 2018... let's just hope WB has a more sane way for combining the "Suicide Squad" and "Shazam!" franchise. Hold on... did they just confirm that "Shazam!" is part of the current continuity then? Then I'm honestly not sure how I feel about that... (read: there goes half of my interest in seeing the movie.). I really want this to be its own separate thing, and not boggled in the failed universe. I guess I expected too much too soon, huh?

About "The Batman", there's a hint that Ben Affleck might be stepping out the Matt Reeves movie after all. Though he was singing a different tune during this year's San Diego Comic-Con International, the actor has since been saying a complete opposite. In a press junket for "Justice League" in London, he even openly said that he does NOT know what the future holds. That sounds like a guy who's thinking of gracefully bowing out from the DC Films... as soon as possible. He even mentioned the exact same thing to USA Today not long after. Quite surprisingly, the internet also expressed their agreement to see him leave. Some already even fancasting and speculating a replacement (that one actor, I hope its NOT true). OUUCH! Looks like what once a bright star, is slowly fading away like a comet that visits a solar system every hundred of years. Hmmm... I wonder if Henry Cavill will follow suit after this...

Last but not least, Patty Jenkins' much anticipated "Wonder Woman 2" has vacated its December 13th release date to arrive 6 weeks earlier. CALLED IT! Yep, I knew WB would end up doing this because competing directly with "Star Wars" would be waaaay too risky. I'm just surprised that it took this long for the studio to announce the shift. I guess they were waiting for Marvel Studios to prove that early November is a good spot for comic book adaptation, huh? Don't worry, Gal Gadot is expected to reprise her role, because WB had said that the report of her 'refusal' (originated at PageSix) is NOT true. "Wonder Woman 2" will now open in November 1st, 2019.

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

Would you look at that?! I can't believe this, but WB has mischievously prepared a contingency plan for the negative response to "Justice League". I assume based on past experiences, WB is aware that critics would still be divisive (no different situation, a bit worse than "Man of Steel" even) about their DC movies, so they immediately releases official synopsis and cast photo for the "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" sequel. Come on, releasing this on the same day the DC ensemble movie is released? Can't be a coincidence. A pretty darn good distraction, if I should add! Not to mention, this comes on the heels of that recently announced Niantic AR game.

The new official title has immediately generated mixed response. After all, "Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald" OBVIOUSLY put the focus on Johnny Depp's villainous character Gellert Grindelwald. It could be a good thing, if his name was still as big as it used to be in the past, but we all know that the world has changed. Thankfully, one character stood out the most among the confirmed cast members. It's none other than Jude Law's young Albus Dumbledore. I must say, he doesn't look the way I expected to be, but I'm definitely not complaining. Hey, a charming dashing Dumbledore would be a great selling point for the new franchise that hasn't been able to be on par with its "Harry Potter"... sequel.

We got FIVE couples now. The four core characters from the first movie are here, hopefully in a bigger and more memorable inclusion. We have Claudia Kim's cursed 'Maledictus' character, who seems to be pairing up with Ezra Miller's Credence and could very well be serving as an antagonist. And then there's Zoe Kravitz's Leta Estrange who is engaged with Callum Turner's Theseus Scamander. Indeed, Theseus is Newt's big brother, so here's hoping Eddie Redmayne isn't sidelined completely and get to showcase actual dramatic involvement in this sequel.

Say what you will about the first movie, but it was surprisingly entertaining enough to make me see more. It might be not at the heights of the "Harry Potter" series, but I'd gladly take this over the DC Films anytime. Directed by David Yates based on a screenplay from J.K. Rowling, this movie is set to arrive precisely one year from now on November 16th, 2018. Aaaah, I get it now.

X-Men Universe

Let's address the elephant in the room first. When we talk about Marvel character owned by 20th Century FOX nowadays, then you should be aware of a recent report that has taken the world by storm. That's right, the House of Mouse Disney is in negotiation to purchase FOX's film and TV division, because the other company wants to focus on news and sport. That literally means, all the movie rights for X-Men and Fantastic Four will be reverted back to Marvel! Yes, every characters from those faction might be returning home in the foreseeable future, because despite the report that talk has ended, the possibility is still very much high. Assuming Comcast or Verizon doesn't suddenly come out of left field and snatches this opportunity instead, of course.

If you ask me how I feel if FOX and Marvel Studios arrange an agreement similar to what the latter did with SONY and Spider-Man? Then I would not hesitate to say "No Thanks". Combining Marvel Studios' movie universe with FOX's sloppy, botched, and well... generally uninspiring one would be a disaster. FOX tend to disregard good characters, and treat them badly more often than not. But if this deal DOES become a reality, then I'd be REALLY happy. That means we WILL be getting the much-needed reboot that the X-Men and Fantastic Four are desperate for, and not just a soft-reboot that producer Simon Kinberg had been boasting out and about... that ended up with his "X-Men: Dark Phoenix". I don't know about you, but Kinberg clearly doesn't know what he is doing, so I want to see him OUT of and AWAY from any Marvel stories for good. Of course, there's a downside to all things. Through FOX movie division, we were able to get more comic adaptations in a yearly basis. Not just that, we also got titles like "Logan" or the upcoming "The New Mutants" that run in R-rated route, one that Marvel Studios or Disney in general would be highly unlikely to explore. That might be an outcome that many fans might be hard to swallow...

Anyways, amidst that rumbling news, Deadpool kept on walking proudly, as if it doesn't care about what would happen to its own crumbling universe. After all, one comment on social media said that Wade Wilson is the only Marvel character who could easily address the change casually without the need to mind its own continuity. Don't forget, this is the guy who is consciously confused which Professor X he should report to. LOL. "The Untitled Deadpool Sequel" (that's the placeholder title, which I hope would be the official title because it just fits the character so much) movie released a holiday-themed first official poster, as well as a Bob Ross inspired second teaser that well... if you ask me, pretty much stole a bit of buzz from WB's movie premiere. LOL.

This teaser suggests that despite the change in director, the movie still retains the same idiosyncratic atmosphere. I'm glad that the returning characters aren't forgotten in this one, and if some people catch this one theory right, we might be getting a rather 'sinister' antagonist as the super villain. WOW. "The Untitled Deadpool Sequel" (I'm still laughing here!) arrives on June 1st, 2018, so if you're a fan of the first movie, make sure you mark your date.

One more thing, would you like to see a movie featuring... a mutant character called "Multiple Man"? Well, James Franco might be starring in one. So whether you want it or not, it's still probably coming in the future. Who's behind this bizarre and preposterous idea? Duuuh... Kinberg of course. Who else? LOL.

SONY Marvel Universe

Situation in the SONY side, is a 'little' different. Not content with "Venom" (showing us a first look of Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock after just 2 weeks of production) and "Silver & Black", the studio is already moving forward with another title. This time, "Morbius the Living Vampire". Earlier this week, it was revealed that the writers of this year's "Power Rangers" Burk Sharpless and Matt Sazama had submitted their script to the studio. The two previously worked on several underwhelming movies like "Dracula Untold" and "Gods of Egypt".

To be honest, I'm actually surprised when I found out that Dr. Michael Morbius belongs to SONY. He's a long time antagonist of Blade, and as far as I know, that character has reverted back to Marvel. Of course, I just discovered that the Roy Thomas and Gil Kane's creation debuted in "Amazing Spider-Man" #101. It makes sense now, because it's almost the same situation to the character Kingpin. Problem is, similar to Venom and other Spider-Man related characters, the BIG question is will these character work without Spidey himself... Or in Morbius case, without Blade? I seriously doubt it. I believe just the fact that these characters will not interact with the ones from Marvel Studios, is already strongly pessimistic. Let's just wait and see if SONY can prove that it DOES have what it takes to jumpstart their own Spidey-less Marvel Universe.

Marvel Studios

Let's talk about "Thor: Ragnarok" first! Eventhough this weekend the movie's might would likely be overthrown by DC's first ensemble movie, Taika Waititi's comedy has managed to at least stay on number 1 for two consecutive weeks. It's making huge money, even more than Chris Hemsworth's first two solo movies. Seriously though, should we even be surprised? This buddy comedy is genuinely FUN and hilarious, and plenty of its memorable scenes will be etched into your brain... forcing you to laugh or giggle whenever the memory strikes. Like a lunatic? Well, if you say so. LOL. Really though, you couldn't see me now but I'm currently cackling upon remembering that... uhm, naked scene. LOL.

By the way, Waititi has openly expressed his desire to make another Thor movie with Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo. What do you think? Should he get his second Ragnarok movie? If it means we'll get another 'Get Help' moment, or more of Jeff Goldblum's Grandmaster? Waititi might not have a vast or deep knowledge of comic book, but since "Ragnarok" pretty much creates a clean slate for Thor Odinson and the Asgardians... he can pretty much do anything. And I honestly look forward to see that.

Disney has begun campaigning the movie and James Gunn's "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2" for Oscar race too. Since many of the Award's regular players have been lambasted with various kinds of sexual misconduct allegations, can we expect members of the Academy to turn towards comic book adaptations now? I certainly hope so. We know that 'Best Visual Effects' and in some cases 'Best Make Up' will be the usual entry, but I sure hope these movies get a chance in other categories too. 'Best Score' or 'Sound Editing' perhaps? I do think Mark Mothersbaugh deserves an appreciation for his work in "Ragnarok".

"Black Panther" is now officially three months away from release! Well, for the US region at least... because several other countries (like yours truly) usually get it earlier. To celebrate this, Marvel Studios have released a batch of single character posters that includes Chadwick Boseman's T'Challa, his royal family members, up to Andy Serkis' Ulysees Klaue. As far as I recall, we haven't had one for Michael B. Jordan's Erik Killmonger... or did I miss anything? The movie also have tested positively in early screenings according to report, so we're in for another Marvelous time. "Black Panther" arrives on February 16th, 2018.

Fans have been actively demanding the D23/SDCC trailer for "Avengers: Infinity War", to the point that people started doing illegal stuff like posting leaked images and all. We got the first look for Proxima Midnight, Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow's new hairdo and costume that resembled another Marvel character, as well as Paul Bettany's Vision and Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch looking in despair. These pictures are great, but HOW we get them is the morale question here. I'm not particularly fond of this attitude, because it only shows the dark and negative side of fandom.

Obviously there are VALID reasons why Marvel Studios is withholding that trailer, thus is it so hard to just WAIT until it is released officially? The reason can be a simple one, like the need to add quality Visual Effects to it, or a bigger one like... the potential of spoilering other movies. In particular, "Ragnarok" and "Black Panther". I'll use "Ragnarok" for example. Thor's appearance in the trailer shown exclusively last Summer was INCONSISTENT compared to how he ended up in "Ragnarok". In the end of "Ragnarok", we know that he got a 'permanent scar', and he didn't look like that at all in the "Infinity War" trailer. And then there's that scene with Loki holding the Tesseract. Also, Thor ran into a gigantic vessel, that Marvel Studios President has confirmed to be the Sanctuary II. The owner? Josh Brolin's Thanos. See? It's a massive spoiler already. Who knows what kind of secret from "Black Panther" it would spoil in advance!

I personally feel what we all need to know, is that the movie will undoubtedly be HUGE. Like Ruffalo himself hyped stated, it has "all of the Marvel characters in it. All nine franchises. I mean, it’s mind-boggling. Everyone has their moment to shine. Everyone is still their characters.". Feige admitted that even the filming felt overwhelming and surprisingly emotional everyday. And also, that the movie is some kind of a... heist movie? HUH? Yeah, co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo specifically said so to CNET, which honestly made me wonder. They were pretty specific that the heist would be Thanos' play, as he collects all 6 Infinity Stones. Hmmm... let's just stop right here, because now I've become curious to see the trailer. LOL. But nope, I know for sure that I'm going to be watching this movie. At least, ONCE. That's why Marvel Studios can even delay the trailer forever or not release it at all, and I won't mind. Because I don't really need any more convincing to see it.

As far as I know, "Ant-Man and the Wasp" has completed production. I'm not really sure about this though, but I think I did see like some kind of celebration for it on Twitter. Regardless, both Walton Goggins and David Dastmalchian have completed their parts earlier this week. Dastmalchian even gave us a look for Randall Park's Agent Jimmy Woo. Here's hoping we'll be getting a teaser trailer soon.

Laurence Fishburne who would soon be seen as Bill 'Goliath' Foster in the movie, opened up to Collider that because he grew up with Marvel, he actually pitched himself to Marvel Studios! Intriguingly, he also came with several ideas, and has been developing one secretly with Marvel. He hoped that "It’s gonna change the world". Hmmm.... this is intriguing. Fishburne didn't specifically say movie, so it could very well be a comic series, or even a TV one. Something related to Blade perhaps? or some others? Hmmmm...

Recent report by Variety claimed that Ben Mendelsohn has been approached to play the antagonist in "Captain Marvel". If his interview with Collider was any indication, it seems he might have officially come onboard the movie... or at least in final talks. His response reminded me greatly to when Paul Rudd, Benedict Cumberbatch, and also Carol Danvers herself Brie Larson tried to play coy about their roles. These are obviously polite and sincere actors, so they couldn't really hide that big of a secret. Since this is feeling like a dejavu, let's just say we shouldn't be surprised if Mendelsohn ends up antagonist-ing Larson in the movie when it arrives on March 8th, 2019.

This is the last one for the category folks! More SPOILER-ish (as usual, you might want to skip to the next category if you avoid one) information surrounding "Avengers 4" has been flying over the internet. One particular bit teased the reenactment, a flashback, or perhaps a time travel twist involving "The Avengers". Not only because Robert Downey Jr. was spotted wearing the exact same shirt from the 2012 movie, Hemsworth himself posted a photo (with his daughter) wearing a costume precisely from the same movie. Actor Frank Grillo and Maximiliano Hernández were also suspiciously present in Atlanta. Does this mean Crossbones and Agent Jasper Sitwell are alive in the movie? Hmmm. Could we be seeing a reality alteration here? Especially if we consider the ability of the Reality Stone. According to report that can't really be considered credible, these will all be scenes generated by Tony Stark using his B.A.R.F. simulation that we saw in "Captain America: Civil War". To who? Ty Simpkins' Harley Keener, who has been confirmed to appear in the movie. Hmmmm... now I'm really curious about this movie too. But let's just focus on "Infinity War" first, shall we?! One day... I mean one movie at a time.

Marvel TV

Oh hey, Marvel's "Inhumans" has officially ended with its eight episode. I think it was last Friday, if I'm not mistaken. How would I know, if I couldn't even care less about it. Personal preference aside, that means the 5th season of Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." is about to air very soon. And if you're among devoted Marvel fans who are already counting days, then the show has released an official trailer to wet your appetite for this new season.

The trailer was... uhmm, okay I guess? I'm still on the fence to follow this season, so I can't really tell if this manages to persuade me or not. One thing for sure, it's action packed and filled with creepy aliens. It's really nice to see Henry Simmons' Mack and Natalia Cordova-Buckley's Yo-Yo get more presence and involved in more action. We also see bits of the new characters: Jeff Ward's ambiguous Deke, Eve Harlow's Tess, Pruitt Taylor Vince's commander Grill, and Coy Stewart's possible-Nuhuman Flint.

And then there's that confirmed report of Nick Blood returning in some capacity as Lance Hunter. What about Adrienne Palicki's Bobby Morse? Last we heard, she won't be making an appearance due to her tight schedule in the equally space-themed alien-filled "The Orville". That doesn't mean she's not open to reprise her role though, because she has had a great time and is still in touch with the cast. Here's hoping the stars will align somehow, and we get to see her official return in the series. "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." will begin the new season on Friday, December 1st, 2017, with a two-episode premiere entitled "Orientation Part 1 & 2".

Marvel's "Runaways" is set to premiere next week, on November 21st. Its first three episode will hit the streaming platform Hulu on the same day. To prepare for this, Entertainment Weekly has released official posters and banners for each of the six lead characters, while IGN dropped additional ones showcasing their super-powered abilities. They looked neat, and teased the teenager's signature skillset. Currently being praised as the teenage soap-opera side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, let's just hope that this series attracts enough viewers and good rating to warrant another season.

Meanwhile, Marvel's "New Warriors" has departed Freeform... even before it is even aired. Although Kevin Biegel's 10-episodes first season was initially meant to debut in the network, the pilot was so well-received to the point it attracted several high-level Disney execs. Freeform was unable to set a time slot for this show (I guess they prefer Marvel's "Cloak and Dagger" more?). Thus Marvel Entertainment pulled it out, and has been actively searching for a partner that can launch it next year as planned... as a direct two-seasons package! Surely it won't land on Netflix, given Disney's plan to launch their very own streaming service in 2019. This is just a wild guess, but I think Hulu would end up becoming its new home.

Speaking of Disney's upcoming new service, CEO Bob Iger confirmed that it will feature at least one new Marvel series among others. I wonder what that is? I just hope, and sincerely hope that it is not concerning Kamala Khan's Ms. Marvel. It would be such a waste to utilize that massively popular character in a TV setting, when it would make the most in movie format. She's an Avenger, so she's better of to be with the other members, right? Not to mention, Marvel TV doesn't exactly have a good track record to pull their projects off properly (Inhumans, anyone?). I prefer that rumored "Power Pack" movie to switch places if that's indeed the case. Crossing my fingers!

Netflix

Eventhough Marvel's "The Punisher" is catching everyone's attention, and receiving mostly positive response from entertainment critics (general drawbacks are inevitably concerning the gun violence), Marvel fans need to be prepared with the possibility of it being the final Marvel title on Netflix. As has been widely reported, Disney is intent on creating their own streaming service. One that will include new live action show for "Star Wars", animated series based on "Monsters Inc.", and also Marvel series.

It's unlikely if the service will ONLY have one series. So it makes perfect sense for Disney to end their contract with Netflix, and pull out movies and shows like Marvel's "Daredevil", Marvel's "Jessica Jones", Marvel's "Luke Cage", Marvel's "Iron Fist", and Marvel's "The Defenders" from the platform to be exclusives alongside their 'future family'. After all, Disney had openly stated that Netflix would end up becoming their competitor when the time come. I doubt Netflix would be threatened, with a vast library of original series and movies in their pockets. But this might have a bitter result to fans of the series. Sure, this might not be as bad as many fans are worrying about, because these shows might simply move to a different place. Then again, we also need to remember that Netlfix co-financed these series, so the most likelihood is that these series will be put to a close. Can fans handle that? I don't think so.

For now, "Daredevil" begins filming Season 3 this week. I think the 2nd seasons of "Jessica Jones" and "Luke Cage" had wrapped, while the one for "Iron Fist" will start next month. At the very least, these shows are still set to air in 2018 since Disney won't be launching their service until the following year. Come 2019? Come what may. All episodes of "The Punisher" should already be available today, so you might want to enjoy it as much as possible... while you still can.

Final Fantasy

"Episode of Ignis", the third character DLC for "Final Fantasy XV" has received an official release date. Square Enix announced at the Paris Games Week 2017, that it will be available on December 13th, 2017. The storyline will take place after the "Trial of Leviathan", where Ignis is tasked to protect the unconscious Noctis as they make their way to safety. Ravus will also join forces with Ignis, likely to protect his sister Lunafreya. The story will have multiple endings, and feature new music from "Chrono Trigger" composer Yasunori Mitsuda. You can check out the official trailer for this DLC on Youtube.

Noctis himself, is set to have his own... uhmmm, 'adventure'. As in, he will be guest starring as a playable DLC character in... "Tekken 7". Yes, I know I should've put this in a separate "Tekken" category, but moreso than Geese Howard who came from "The King of Fighters" series, Noctis IS the LEAD of "Final Fantasy XV". It would be more appropriate to feature him here in his own turf, right? Ahahaha... good excuse, eh. Noctis will be available in Spring 2018. The announcement trailer sees him receiving an in-game invitation/request from Lars Alexandersson, and features his three travelling companions too (who unfortunately are only present as cameo). Go check it out, it's a fun video...

Dynasty Warriors

KOEI Tecmo has announced the release date of the English version of "Dynasty Warriors 9". While the original Japanese version will arrive for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on February 8th, 2018, countries in North America and Europe will have to wait a few days later for a release on February 13th, 2018. I doubt this will spark complaints though, because unlike previous titles, this one only sees a delay that is only less than a week away.

Pre-ordering the game will reward players with a set of extra costumes for the character Zhao Yun, Guan Yinping, Diaochan, Sun Shangxiang, Lu Lingqi, Wang Yi, and Wang Yuanji. I know what you're thinking, Zhao Yun's the only male on the list! I guess that's because he's the unofficial poster boy for the franchise, so he gets the privilege to be surrounded by the ladies. Fans of the series can already book their copy of the game right away, whether in physical or digital version.

Ace Attorney

Nintendo Switch has taken the world by storm, and rightfully so. While its launch lineup was pretty scarce, third party developers have begun noticing the potential and strong selling point of the hybrid console. One of them, is of course CAPCOM.

According to recent report, they are preparing THREE... yes, not one or two, but three titles from the "Ace Attorney" franchise to be released in 2018. The first two, are compilation titles set to be released between April and October 2018. The first one compiles the first three games (Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Justice for All, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney − Trials and Tribulations), and the second compiles the next three (Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies, Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Spirit of Justice). All those titles have been exclusively available or re-released for Nintendo 3DS, so I doubt it will take long for them to be transferred into a Switch version.

The third title, is going to be an entirely new title that features Phoenix Wright as the lead protagonist once again. This is good because the latest title released was the 19th century setting "The Great Ace Attorney 2: Ryunosuke Naruhodo’s Resolution", and just like its prequel, it didn't get an English-language version. Having Phoenix at the spotlight means fans might get an international version, albeit via digital services. This news is still regarded 'rumor' for now, but as I said, Switch is getting all the buzz, so I won't be surprised if it ends up becoming actual fact and not just fan fiction.

ARIKA

The company's so-called 'Mysterious Fighting Game' has been given an official title. It's "Fighter EX Layer".... Whooaa--HUH? Hold on, Layer? Why Layer, what's the point? I wonder why they don't just call it "Fighter EX Arena" or something. Japan and their Engrish sometimes throws you for a loop, huh? LOL.

ARIKA will start beta testing on December 11th, with six playable characters: Kairi, Garuda, Skullomania, Darun Mister, Allen Snider, and Shirase. Those who attend PlayStation Experience 2017 on December 9th and 10th, will also be able to play a demo version. The game will utilize a system called 'Gougi', which sounds a little hard to describe or comprehend. Apparently, this will allow players to have different ways to play, so the flow of matches will be changed. To put it simple... it's difficult to make sense of until I can get my hands on it. LOL. "Fighting EX Layer" will arrive next year, so for the time being, check out the new trailer to get more... uhm, understanding about it.

Pocket Monsters

DC fans have gotten a "Justice League" movie, while Marvel fans received "The Punisher" series this very day. There's still one more, and this one is dedicated for Pokemon fans worldwide. Yes, the high-scored "Pokemon Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon" is now officially available in market! Yaaaay...

Since the start of the month, The Pokemon Company has been releasing new promotional materials to convince gamers to grab the new and final adventure on Alola Region. Did you know that every Legendary Pokemon and their alternate forms are set to appear via Ultra Wormhole? Make sense, because this would be the last title for Nintendo 3DS. Some of them are version exclusives (like Ho-Oh is Ultra Sun while Lugia is in Ultra Moon), and some even requires special conditions (Giratina can only appear if version exclusives Dialga and Palkia are present), but all the Legendaries from Generation I to VII is here.

What about Team Rainbow Rocket? It's a villainous organization created by... previous bosses from past games. Yes, Team Rocket's Giovanni is bringing Team Magma's Maxie, Team Aqua's Archie, Team Galactic's Cyrus, Team Plasma's Ghetsis, and Team Flare's Lysandre to challenge the protagonist. There's also The Battle Agency that allows players to use Rental Pokemon, and also Totem Stickers that enable them to obtain totem-sized Pokemon. You can check out the details on these features on Gematsu, or check out the official trailer.

The latest one focuses on Necrozma, because the so-called 'Strange Evil' contains another enlightening "Secret". This refers to a report that the poster Pokemon/Ultra Beast will have a new form in these games, and not just the Dusk Mane or Dawn Wings. Read the details of this news on Gematsu.

Those who don't have a 3DS, has no other choice but to rely on "Pokemon GO" your Smartphone. Hey, there's a free Alolan costume now... to make it seem like we're also playing "Ultra Sun & Moon". LOL. Problem is, what would happen now that Niantic is actively developing a new title? Should casual and devoted players alike be nervous? Well... if Niantic's statement could be hold accountable (they... generally do, by the way), then players should NOT be worried. The company openly promised that inspite of "Harry Potter: Wizards Unite", "Pokemon GO" will still be continuously improved and updated. They even say that the team is 'doubling down' on new improvements, particularly in the year 2018. Hmmm... that means we won't be getting the rest of Generation III until at least January, huh? Bummer.

With a new 'copycat' app already 'stealing' the buzz by implementing most-requested features that "Pokemon GO" has been sorely lacking, it looks like Niantic will be pushed to step up their game much faster. Producing updates in a slow pace simply won't cut it anymore, unless they are planning on losing more and more players by relying on the same gameplay that... well, ends up becoming tedious and boring after a while. So yeah, let's just keep a close tab on this 'promise' and whether the company will be able to be true to their words or the opposite. That's when the judgement will be strike down. Am I right? *wink*

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meterteller4-blog · 5 years ago

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This Week’s Shows: Oct. 29-Nov. 4

Anna Acosta on October 29th, 2018

Joan Jett (Photo by RTN Stevens via Media Crunch/NY Post)

Upcoming Los Angeles concerts: Tropicália, HARD Festival, Big Adventure, a Celebration of Mac Miller, St. Vincent, Sting and Shaggy, Public Image LTD, Morrissey, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, the Selecter, Rhoda Dakar of the Bodysnatchers, Genesis, Jesse J., Danzig, Devil Makes Three, the Damned, the Adicts, Ozuna, Mike Shinoda, Cloud Nothings, Fidlar, Death From Above, Beartooth, the Ataris, Troye Sivan, John Carpenter, Poppy, Gus Dapperton, Clan of Xymox, Eric B. & Rakim, Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, La Luz, Sister Mantos, Estas Tonne, Parker Millsap, Frankie Cosmos, Nina Diaz, Louis Prima Jr., Rozwell Kid, RÜFÜS DU SOL, Organ Freeman, Hi-Tone, Gardenside, Crooked Colors, Kip Moore, Toro Y Moi, Natalia Lafourcade, Satsang and Tim & Chitty of Nahko & Medicine for the People, Primaveras, San Cha, Jukebox the Ghost, Susan Lucas, Family & Friends, Will Hoge, Old Time Relijun, SISU, Kero Kero Bonito, Suzanne Santo of HONEYHONEY, the Delirians, Madison, the Motet, Gorgon City, Elliot Levin, Theo Katzman, Jauz, Evan + Zane, Thee Oh Sees, Jen Awad, Red Rain, Johnny Osbourne, Good Witch, Drac & the Swamp Rats, Nap Eyes, the Birth Defects, Molly Nillson, Still Corners, Ruby Haunt, Wolfmother, Deep Vally, New Evil, VITCH, Airplane Mode, Jay Rock, Half•alive, Hikes + Ruler, PLNT9, Criminal Hygiene, Cardillo, the Crenshaw, Maico, Muscle Beach, Royal Distortion, Hello Seahorse, David Keenan, the Time Travelers, the Coronas, John Cate, Beyries, Denzel Curry, Davis, Wilfax, Boy Azooga, David Serby & the Latest Scam, Daedelus, Peach Pit, The Menzingers

Above: Rockin’ strong at 60, L.A. punk Runaways founder Joan Jett still doesn’t “give a damn about [her] bad reputation” and continues to blaze her own trail. Her latest single with the Blackhearts, “Fresh Start,” is off the recently-released soundtrack for the documentary on her life and career, “Bad Reputation.” Joan Jett & the Blackhearts open for Morrissey at the Microsoft Theater on Dia de Los Morrissey (aka Thursday, aka Dia de Los Muertos).

This week’s shows:

Monday, Oct. 29

St. Vincent at the Hollywood Palladium Sting and Shaggy at the Santa Barbara Bowl The Adicts and the Dickies at the Novo Jay Rock and Reason at the Fonda Theatre Half•alive, Common Souls and Phil Good at the Moroccan Lounge John Givez at Resident Nina Diaz, Madame Headdress, Ugly Sweaters, WhoCares and Won’t-Co at the Hi Hat Hikes + Ruler, Standards and Heirloom at the Bootleg Theater PLNT9, Raised on TV, Handsome Karnivore and Trash Dogs at the Silverlake Lounge Spare Parts for Broken Hearts, Ever So Android and Iress at the Satellite Criminal Hygiene, No Win, Ryan Pollie and Manhattan Murder Mystery at the Echo Cardillo, Melaena Cadiz and Christina’s World at the Love Song The Crenshaw, Teton and Behavior at the Smell Maico, Mortal Boy, Luckyandlove, Elevate the Sky and the Problem of Time at the Airliner Muscle Beach, Fathers and Asslife at the Redwood Bar Elliott Levin and Kathleen Kim at Zebulon Beyries at the Hotel Café The Coronas, Saint Sister, Bitch Falcon and David Keenan at Bardot John Cate, Tillie, Old_Sport and Hot Sauce Holiday at the Mint King Mersey at the Three Clubs Royal Distortion, Teenage Ritual, the Bad Applez, Sick Mystic, Motorbone and Furious Angels at the Whisky a Go Go Hello Seahorse at the Roxy The Sunset Jam at the Viper Room Davis, De Palma and Royal Laundry at the Wayfarer Denzel Curry and KiD Trunks at the Observatory Wilfax at the HOB Anaheim Restaurant & Bar (Early Show) Nick Normal, Gardener and This Uni at the Continental Room Alan Chapman at the Catalina Club

Tuesday, Oct. 30

Billy Idol, Steve Jones, Tony James and Paul Cook in Generation SeX at the Roxy Beartooth, Knocked Loose and Sylar at the Belasco Theater The Ataris at the Playhouse Nightclub Troye Sivan, Kim Petras and Carlie Hanson at the Greek Theatre Will Hoge and Jade Jackson at the Moroccan Lounge Boy Azooga and Blushh at the Echo Deap Vally, the Paranoyds and the Entire Universe at Echoplex Theo Katzman, Suzanne Santo of HONEYHONEY, Madison Cunningham, Mike Viola and Rett Madison at the Bootleg Theater Airplane Mode, Monopoly, HOLLY, Mestizo & the Heavy Twelves and Bianca at the Hi Hat Primaveras, Dylan Sherry and the Halfway Happys at the Silverlake Lounge New Evil, Melted Bodies and Jane Machine at the Satellite David Serby & the Latest Scam at the Love Song VITCH at Lot 1 Payday Rap Showcase at the Virgil The Suite, Varsity Drag and Original Son at the Redwood Bar David Keenan at the Hotel Café The Time Travelers, Dirt Miller, Glory Daze and Jewel Tones at the Hotel Café Second Stage Overstreet at the Mint Isabella Blue, Alexandria Noelle, Paige Williams and Zyles at the Mint (Late Show) Dustin Hyatt and Hunter Perrin at the Three Clubs Sazerac Steppers Brass Band at the Sassafras Saloon Eric Hutchinson & the Believers and Jeremy Messersmith at the Troubadour Westfield Massacre, Sapphic Musk, Red Devil Vortex and Blood & Diamonds at the Viper Room Open Mic at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon Calamity Company at the Del Monte Speakeasy Wolfmother and Of Limbo at the Observatory Blac Youngsta at the Constellation Room Stevie Talks at the HOB Anaheim Restaurant & Bar (Early Show) Walking Papers, Phantom Darlings and Wild Wild Monsters at the Parish at House of Blues Anaheim Tech N9ne, Futuristic, Dizzy Wright and Krizz Kaliko at the House of Blues Anaheim Storm House, Teenage Goo Goo Muck and Wolfs Blood at the Continental Room Daylyt, YXNG VIZ, Kaadenze and more at Chain Reaction Joseph Soul at Skyloft CamelPhat at SLO Brew Rocks Kip Moore, Jordan Davis and Jillian Jacqueline at the Vina Robles Amphitheatre Randy Emata at the Federal Bar Barb Jungr and John McDaniel at the Catalina Club

Wednesday, Oct. 31

John Carpenter at the Hollywood Palladium Poppy, Jaira Burns and Kailee Morgue at the Wiltern Gorgon City, King Henry, Bones and Matt Black at the Novo Jauz, Holy Goof and LondonBridge at the Fonda Theatre Evan + Zane at the El Rey Theatre A Celebration of Mac Miller with Action Bronson, Anderson .Paak, Chance the Rapper, Domo Genesis and more at the Greek Theatre Thee Oh Sees at the Teragram Ballroom YG and Playboi Carti at the Globe Theatre Jen Awad, San Cha and Farah Shea at the Bootleg Theater Drac & the Swamp Rats at the Silverlake Lounge Exile on Hollywood Halloween Soiree (Rolling Stones & David Bowie cover band) at Harvard & Stone Good Witch, Blood Candy and Doctrin at the Satellite Johnny Osbourne, Madamou Ousmane Kelly, Viernes 13, Blanco y Negro and more at the Echo + Echoplex The Selecter and the Delirians at the Regent Bathhouse and Goddollars & Paradise at Los Globos Esemae, Chase Petra, Ned & the Dirt and Young Winona at the Virgil KSHMR, Grlskout and Brian Matrix at Exchange Red Rain (Peter Gabriel tribute ft. Tamaryn), the Kate Bush Experience and La Isla Madonna at Zebulon Erick Morillo at Sound Nightclub Stryper, SJ Sindicate, Brittany’s Rage, Chemical Diary and Still Cross at the Whisky a Go Go Dance with the Dead, Daniel Deluxe, Facexhugger and Thrillsville at the Roxy Tsushimamire, Evol Walks and Alex Cole at the Viper Room Daedelus and Particle Kid at the Del Monte Speakeasy The Puscie Jones Revue at the Wayfarer Teenage Goo Goo Muck at Alex’s Bar Beartooth, Knocked Loose and Sylar at the House of Blues Anaheim The Adicts, Narcoleptic Youth and the Droogettes at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium Sandra Pillar & the Wild Cards at Molly Malone’s Chris Brown, Tyga and Rich the Kid at OHM Nightclub Philthy at the Federal Bar

Thursday, Nov. 1

Morrissey and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts at the Microsoft Theater Jessie J., Ro James and Kiana Ledé at the Wiltern The Motet and the Dip at the Teragram Ballroom Gorgon City, King Henry, Bones and Matt Black at the Novo RÜFÜS DU SOL, Cassian and Icarus at the Shrine Expo Hall Nap Eyes, Will Fox and Runnner at the Moroccan Lounge Still Corners, Ruby Haunt and Papercuts at Resident Liz Vice and Moda Spira at the Bootleg Theater The Birth Defects, Parents and (Big)Pig at the Satellite Molly Nilsson, CMON and Future Shoxxx at the Echo Blueface, 1Take.Jay, Kalan and Big Swift at Echoplex Derez De’Shon at the Regent Rucci and more at the Regent (Late Show) CB Brand at the Love Song Project Pat and Dee Justice at Los Globos Quinto Sol and Pachamama at the Virgil Alé, Somos Mysteriosos and Twisted Black Sole at the Redwood Bar Pendulum at Exchange Findlay, Giant Rooks, Linafornia and Mavi Phoenix at Zebulon Hunter, Jaw Talk, Little Dume and Malia Civetz at the Peppermint Club Swedish Jam Factory at the Hotel Café Honey and Amy Wilcox at the Hotel Café Second Stage Denny Love at the Sassafras Saloon Jack Harlow at Catch One Hocico, Invalid and Jaksyn at Union Nightclub Tim Reynolds at the Hard Rock Café CAAMP and Doc Robinson at the Troubadour Wyatt Starks, Jtali, DMGD and Pwrmve at the Whisky a Go Go Reignwolf at the Roxy Blac Youngsta at the Viper Room The Claws, the Darryl Morris Band and Bristol to Memory at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon Wild Wild Wets and King Flamingo at the Wayfarer Bitchin Summer, Family Tree Analog and Masses at Alex’s Bar 6ix9ine at the Observatory Crooked Colours and Evan Giia at the Constellation Room Kip Moore, Jordan Davis and Jillian Jacqueline at the House of Blues Anaheim Jewel at the Morongo Casino Resort Family Style at Skyloft Hope Easton and Will Logsdon at Genghis Cohen Norteno Y Banda at Copper Blues Subterraneo at the Federal Underground Fred Dinkins at the Catalina Club

Friday, Nov. 2

Ozuna at the Forum Mike Shinoda, Don Broco and Grandson at the Hollywood Palladium The Damned, Radkey and the Darts at the Fonda Theatre Crooked Colours and Evan Giia at the El Rey Theatre Cloud Nothings at the Teragram Ballroom Kip Moore, Jordan Davis and Jillian Jacqueline at the Wiltern RÜFÜS DU SOL, Cassian and Icarus at the Shrine Expo Hall Toro Y Moi, Salami Rose and Joe Louis at the Novo Natalia Lafourcade at the Fox Theater Pomona Satsang and Tim & Chitty of Nahko & Medicine for the People at the Moroccan Lounge Jukebox the Ghost at the Lodge Room San Cha, Sin Color, Gemma Castro and Mind Monogram at the Hi Hat Family & Friends and Animal Years at the Bootleg Theater Susan Lucas, Lampwick, Lions at Sunset, Madd, Hayden Everett and Madeline Rosene at the Silverlake Lounge Old Time Relijun, SISU and Lunch Lady at the Echo Kero kero Bonito and Frankie Cosmos at the Regent Elijah Ocean & the Countrysiders at the Love Song Trybvl, GQOM and Blaq Pages at Los Globos Clit Kat, Kicked Off the Streets, Desert Island Boys and Neutral at the Smell Andy Fonda and Superbloom at the Escondite Jauz, Crankdat and Holy Goof at Exchange Paint at Zebulon Jon McLaughlin and Matt Wertz at the Hotel Café Tony Lucca, Covenhoven, Moonlight Graham, Jon Licht and Olivia Lane at the Hotel Café Second Stage Caleb Henry & the Customs, Jack Symes and Tom Sless at the Mint Sssssss!, Torpedo Coffins and Twisted Black Sole at Café Nela Alcest, King Woman and Glaare at Catch One Cam Meekins at Union Nightclub – Jewel Room Booka Shade, Anakim and Kynda Black at Sound Nightclub Peach Pit, Sun Seeker and Ponytails at the Troubadour Six Gun Sal, Venrez, the Lipstix, Distorted Fate, Endless Aggression, Foreign Figures and Bassic at the Whisky a Go Go Mac Ayres at the Roxy Johnny Madcap & the Distractions, Sid & the Twins, Turtles on Speed and Joey Rome at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon Jeffrey Foucault and Dusty Heart at McCabe’s Guitar Shop Garrett Hazen, All Things Blue, Jake Tittle and DCR Pollock at the Wayfarer The Dead Boys, the Crowd, Flytraps and Nico Bones at Alex’s Bar Strung Out, Pulley, the Bombpops and Spider at the Observatory Robotaki and X&G at the Constellation Room Trivium, Avatar and Light in the Torch at the House of Blues Anaheim CKY and Nekrogoblikon at the Parish at House of Blues Anaheim Soul Spinner and Joshua Whittemore at the Continental Room Summer Salt, Hovvdy and the Symposium at the Glass House Leavers, Set Sights, Desertion, Within Reach, Hartsick and Ties to Treason at Chain Reaction Simbala at the Garden Grove Amphitheater Sofia Niño de Rivera at the Riverside Municipal Auditorium Lauren Alaina at the Rabobank Arena Love Handles at Copper Blues Jim James at the Cathedral Sanctuary at Immanuel Presbyterian Marco Antonio Solis at the Citizens Business Bank Arena Stryper at the San Manuel Casino Michael Mell at Genghis Cohen Holy Grey and Sean Alan & the True Love Band at Molly Malone’s Ambrosia at the Canyon Santa Clarita Dokken at the Canyon Agoura Hills Spafford at Camp Mars The Dan Band at the Rose Andy Garcia at the Catalina Club

Saturday, Nov. 3

Tropicália with Morrissey, Mazzy Star, Kali Uchis, Toro Y Moi and more at the Queen Mary Events Park HARD Festival with Justice, Die Antwoord, Knife Party and more at the Los Angeles State Historic Park Big Adventure with Empire of the Sun, Modest Mouse, Phantogram, Cold War Kids and more at the OC Fair & Event Center Fidlar at the Hollywood Palladium The Devil Makes Three and Erika Wennerstrom at the Wiltern Organ Freeman at the Teragram Ballroom RÜFÜS DU SOL, Cassian and Icarus at the Shrine Expo Hall Hi-Tone at the El Rey Theatre Public Image LTD at the Fonda Theatre theLAnd Launch Party with Daedelus, Anthony Valadez, Cypress Moreno, Jeremy Sole, Jeff Weiss and more at 1921 Buckingham Road Parker Millsap and Jim & Sam at the Moroccan Lounge Los Hurricanes at Resident Rozwell Kid, Prince Daddy & the Hyena, Colleen Green and Casual Friday at the Hi Hat Lean, the Young Wild and Maiah Manser at the Bootleg Theater Great Lake Swimmers and Native Harrow at the Echo The Menzingers, Tiny Moving Parts and Daddy Issues at the Regent Super Lunch, Maki, Miradores del Sol and LUXYZ & long2gone at the Smell Kidi Band, Little Arcs, Clio Wilde and Boinkasaurus at Lot 1 The Azar Lawrence Experience at Zebulon Jon McLaughlin and Matt Wertz at the Hotel Café Cody Lovaas, DT Robbins, Seneca & the River, Punch-Drunks, the Swoons and the Coldwaters at the Hotel Café Second Stage Harry Katz & the Pistachios, King Flamingo and the Hidden Depths at Harvard & Stone Blu at the Mint Alley Cats, Mike Watt, Amadans, the Rails and Are You a Cop at Café Nela Thrillseekers, Christopher Lawrence, Amanda Darling and Submersive at Avalon Bedouin and Guy Laliberte at Sound Nightclub Youngr and TeamMate at the Troubadour Tall Heights, Old Sea Brigade and Frances Cone at the Roxy Katalyst Collective at the Del Monte Speakeasy Sultans of String at McCabe’s Guitar Shop Vinnie & the Hooligans at the Wayfarer Streetlight Manifesto and Mephiskapheles at the Observatory Mac Ayres at the Constellation Room Jake Hitt and Papa J & Richard at the HOB Anaheim Restaurant & Bar (Early Show) The Struts and the Wrecks at the House of Blues Anaheim Morgan Mallory Three at the HOB Anaheim Restaurant & Bar (Late Show) Ambrosia and the Usual Suspects at the Coach House The Selecter, Rhoda Dakar of the Bodysnatchers, the Steady 45’s and Bite Me Bambi at the Glass House Danzig, the Damned, Venom Inc., Power Trip, the Meteors and Mutoid Man at the FivePoint Amphitheatre Dokken, 2Hipnotic and Dianthus at the Cave Spliff Vision and more at the Garden Grove Amphitheater Dennis DeYoung at the Fox Performing Arts Center Cerulean, Marc Platt and Big City at Molly Malone’s Mason Summit and Charlie Hickey at Genghis Cohen La Marcha at Copper Blues Camila and Sin Bandera at the Honda Center Sugar Ray, Gin Blossoms, Lit and Alien Ant Farm at the Rose Anthony Crawford at Skyloft Playero at the Riverside Municpal Auditorium Spafford at Camp Mars Stryper at the Canyon Santa Clarita The Dan Band at the Canyon Agoura Hills Buddy Rich Band at the Catalina Club

Sunday, Nov. 4

Tropicália with Cardi B, Mac DeMarco, Chicano Batman and more at the Queen Mary Events Park Gus Dapperton and Beshken at the El Rey Theatre Eric B. and Rakim at the Novo Death From Above at the Teragram Ballroom Estas Tonne and Sergei Polunin at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre Parker Millsap and Jim & Sam at the Moroccan Lounge Gardenside, Youth Fountain, Demon In Me and Tiny Stills at the Hi Hat Chase Cohl, Entrance and Nik Freitas at the Bootleg Theater Open Mic at the Silverlake Lounge La Luz and Shy Boys at the Echo Clan of Xymox, the Bellwether Syndicate, Second Still and Curse Mackey at Echoplex Frankie Cosmos, Kero Kero Bonito and Tanukichan at the Regent June West, Slim Jeff and Talk 2 Strangers at the Love Song Carnival of Soul at the Love Song (Late Show) Sister Mantos, Machetres and Oscura Luna at Los Globos Continues, NO and Inhalants at the Smell John Snow’s Coast to Coast Collective at the Virgil Doble Poder at La Cita Dynasty Handbag, Will Shwartz, Elizabeth Milton and more at Zebulon Flaccid Mojo, Snake Union and Rogue Squares at Zebulon (Late Show) Julia Ryan at the Hotel Café Second Stage Johnny Travis Jr. & the Delta Dawns at Harvard & Stone Mokina, Stig and Joel Schnaper at the Mint Phum Viphurit at the Roxy Crematory Stench, Depraver, Karas and Healing at the Viper Room Chris McKhool at McCabe’s Guitar Shop (Matinee Kids’ Show) Lawrence Lebo, Ken Emerson and Jim “Kimo” West at McCabe’s Guitar Shop Louis Prima Jr. & the Witnesses at Saint Rocke Janie, Fellow Robot and Laced in Blue at Alex’s Bar Public Image LTD at the Observatory Kalin White at the Constellation Room Gregory Michael at the HOB Anaheim Restaurant & Bar (Early Show) Aguilas de Oxnard Mariachi at Copper Blues Redwood Black at Skyloft Dead Horses at SLO Brew Rocks Betty Bryant at the Catalina Club (Brunch Show) John Daversa at the Catalina Club

Source: http://buzzbands.la/2018/10/29/this-weeks-shows-oct-29-nov-4/

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traversetheatre · 7 years ago

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10 Questions: Douglas Maxwell

Grab a cup of tea and a biscuit, find yourself a comfortable chair and settle down for this bumper edition of 10 Questions with The Whip Hand playwright, Douglas Maxwell.

From reading recommendations to his writing playlist, from sharing the times he almost gave up on playwriting, to how theatre continues to surprise and delight him, you won’t regret a moment of reading Douglas’ heartfelt and hilarious responses...

[10 minute read]

1. What was your inspiration for writing The Whip Hand?

I honestly can’t remember. Usually my plays have specific autobiographical beginnings. But this one had been brewing in the back of my mind for so long that where it came from is lost to me now. In fact I used to worry that if I sat on this thing for much longer someone else would come along with the same idea and steal my thunder.

I think I was reluctant to write it not because of the subject matter but because of the style. I knew it would have to play in ‘real time’ in one room, which isn’t the sexiest way to do a play nowadays. You rarely get new plays like that in Scotland. And it’s difficult. It takes a lot of old-school playwriting skill to keep that stuff flying. But actually, that’s where a lot of the play’s power comes from.

I started writing it in a hotel room in Montreal a few years ago. I was over there with The Traverse at La Licorne, who were doing a reading of one of my plays. I had just seen 20,000 Days on Earth, the Nick Cave film. I was so inspired that I knew I’d have to write something that night. But I hadn’t brought anything to work on. Because I’d been thinking about it for so long The Whip Hand was the only new thing I knew I could start without any notes.

2. What three words would you use to sum up the play?

As anyone who has seen my plays will know, I rarely use as few as three words to describe anything. But, as my hand is forced…

Dramatic. Involving. Truthful.

(The Whip Hand. Image David Monteith-Hodge)

3. How do you want audiences to feel having watched The Whip Hand?

Playwriting is about holding the audience’s attention and moving us from one state to another. They way in which we’re held, and the way in which we’re moved, are up for grabs and different with every play.

With The Whip Hand I want to grip people with the characters and the premise, but to keep the ground beneath our feet ever-shifting with the story. Hopefully by shifting tones, assumptions, expectations and loyalties, it’ll mean that we’re always questioning our own attitudes to what the characters are talking about.

And although the style and the set-up of the play is quite straightforward, because of the backstory it soon unfolds into something complex and mercurial.

This is not a reasonable, balanced, even-handed “issue play”. That’s for someone else to do.

There’s a rawness to the characters, and a rawness to what they’re on about that means this stuff is not handled with care: it’s smashed on the floor like a bottle - shards everywhere.

Ideally though, at the end, hearts will be pounding…

4. Do you have a favourite line or moment in the play?

There’s a big speech about a third of the way in that changes absolutely everything. And there’s a character who stays quite quiet for the first act, but when he gets going things really rev up. And the last ten minutes are pretty explosive.

(The Whip Hand. Image David Monteith-Hodge)

5. Can you tell us about your writing environment?

I write at a desk in our bedroom. I have a laptop sitting on three big old hardback books. (For no other reason apart from size they happen to be: School Girls Holiday Book 1952, Tom Wolfe’s Back To Blood and a beautiful James Hogg collection, The Ettrick Shephard, Poems and Life.)

I need the screen at eye-level cos I’ve got bad back and the beginnings of a stoop, so I plug in a keyboard and try to watch my posture. It doesn’t work. I’m still curled up like an Olympian cyclist most of the day. I’ve got some books on my desk (a Chambers Dictionary, Fowler’s Modern English Usage and my diary) and a lamp.

I face the wall, but there’s a wee alcove with a CD player in it. I usually have four or five CDs in a pile beside it. (Today they are the new OK Computer reissue, Kid A, Dan Auerbach’s last album and a Hug of Thunder by Broken Social Scene.) I’ve got a wee New York Giants American football stress-reliever thing that I chuck about when I’m thinking/skiving. And there’s a little Lego pterodactyl that the drummer in Fever Dream: Southside made me as a souvenir.

In the alcove, there’s a framed picture of my dad and another of my friend Bob, who was the source of Charlie Sonata.

At my feet, under the desk, is a printer and a record player. It’s not a good record player. It’s got crappy wee speakers built into the sides. Everything sounds like punk on this machine. It can make Simon and Garfunkel sound like the MC5. I like it for live albums. Before The Flood is in it right now.

(In case you find it of interest, we made a playlist of these suggestions that you can listen to, here.)

I have two guitars within reach – one acoustic, one electric - again for that good old thinking/skiving reflex.

(Charlie Sonata, Lyceum Theatre)

6. If you could spend a day with a character from one of your plays, who would it be and what would you do together?

I know this will sound pretentious and awful, but I feel like I spend too much time with my characters as it is. They’re not enigmatic or unknown to me, as they are to many writers. They’re sometimes just versions of myself – or versions of aspects of myself. Sometimes they’re straight from my day-to-day life. Anyway, I feel like they all live in my world and I know them very, very well. So, that being said, I don’t really feel the need to go to Butlin’s with them or anything.

But, again at the high risk of sounding completely insufferable, I do love them. I don’t start writing a play until I get a big sore pang of empathy for all of the characters.

7. Can you tell us about the first play you wrote?

It was an adaptation of The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner by James Hogg. I ran a wee theatre company when I was at University (and co-founded the Stirling University Musical Society fact fans!). I did an English Literature degree and asked if I could write a play for my honours dissertation. I was the first person to ever do that, I think, so they had no idea how to mark it – which worked in my favour. It was an unreadable undergraduate piece of pretentious pseudo-intellectual nonsense. But I staged it in the Macrobert with a cast of thousands, it went down a storm and I was addicted for life. My second play was a farce about an assassination attempt on Oscar Wilde. Oof. Terrible. And listen, that was by no means my most ill-advised idea from that period. In fact that was just the beginning of five years of writing duff play after duff play and sending them off in brown envelopes to be rightfully rejected by every theatre in the land.

Not including the stuff I wrote for youth theatres and business conferences,

I wrote twenty-one full-length plays before I finally wrote a good one.

The Traverse was my only open door by the end of that period. I really hope they don’t have any of those plays in their archive.

(The Whip Hand. Image David Monteith-Hodge)

8. Going on from that, what advice would you give to your younger playwriting self?

I don’t really regret anything from that time. Although it was disheartening and hard I did my 10,000 hours when I was young and stupid so it was fine. And the way it happened meant that I developed such a strange, wide-ranging set of playwriting skills that when I could finally control it and write something good I was fully armed.

It didn’t matter that I slept in my mate’s kitchen for 5 years; in a flat with no heating, no shower and no cooker. It didn’t matter that I signed on or worked in crappy part-time jobs. I was totally dedicated to writing plays and I’m proud of my younger self for never giving up, for always pushing to get better and for making every day a school day.

I remember one summer night when I only had enough money for either a chip-roll for tea or a bottle of beer. I chose the bottle of beer. As I walked to the offy it occurred to me that I was just pretending; that if my plays weren’t actually going on (which they obviously weren’t) then my whole life was just some daft game. I was a fake. I was pretending to be a writer. I went back to that Withnail flat and wrote all night – what I was writing God knows. But now I look back at that guy and think that I was never more of a real writer than that night.

The guy who needs advice is the guy who finally had a couple of plays on – his dreams came true! That guy’s swanning about thinking he’s Tennessee Williams or something. To him I say, ‘Shut your face a minute, will you? Be true to your characters, not your ego. You know nothing yet so keep schtoom and learn quicker. You represent the plays, not the other way round. Don’t wait for humility to be thrust upon you. Keep writing the plays you feel like writing, not the plays you think you should be writing. And if the only reason you’re doing a job is for the money then don’t do the job.’

9. What has been your most memorable theatre experience – either as a member of the audience, or as part of the creative team?

I have so many important memories of shows, and loads of personal experiences that are profound and vital to me, it would be a bum steer to mention any specifics.

But I’m a good audience member. I hardly ever hate anything I see in a theatre. This will make me sound like an intellectual weakling no doubt, but the simple act of performance – any performance – always works its magic on me. Always. When a show starts, when someone comes out and begins to perform I always feel like I want to cry.

I’ve noticed that the type of person who works in theatre and hates everything they see and can’t bring themselves to say something positive about anything – let alone gush enthusiastically about someone else’s show – well, they tend to be not very good. Theatre needs enthusiasm. That’s the fuel. Real theatre people love theatre. Why else would you do it? There’s no bloody money. Nah, sneering disdain and world-weary sighs are for people that like reading reviews more than going to see a play. Talented people, people who are always pushing themselves forward and really grafting hard at their craft are always open to being blown away. They can see the flashes of greatness in even the most underpowered show. They’re fans.

10. Are there any websites, books or other resources that you find particularly useful as a playwright?

All writers are readers, of course. That’s just a fact. So I always have a novel on the go. But I’m also always reading for work. I read scripts all the time, particularly from shows in London I’ll never see, or old plays that someone mentions that I’ve never read or a playwright I’m completely unaware of. In the last few weeks, I’ve read Anthony and Cleopatra, Enemy of the People and I have The Ferryman and An Octoroon lined up. I also read loads and loads of scripts from unproduced writers and students.

Writers improve by reading as many plays as we can and writing as much as we can. The writing is more important.

Plus we have to go to the theatre all the time or our words turn academic, inward and heavy. Sometimes when I’m at a show, before the lights go down, I look around and wonder ‘will the play I was writing today work with this crowd?’ You’d be amazed how often the answer to that is no. So I think, ‘what would work then?’

Mind you, we probably make the biggest leaps forward by looking at our own work with a cold eye, rather than by reading someone else’s play. And when you start to work with actors and deal with audiences, then the learning curve really steepens.

But as far as a reading list goes, starting with Aristotle’s Poetics is always a good idea (but not the stuff about comedy – he’s way off on that). I’ve got a soft spot for stories about Broadway writers frantically re-writing shows based on bad audience reactions in Boston. There’s a lot to learn there I think. Act One by Moss Hart, On The Street Where I Live by Alan Jay Lerner and Rewrites by Neil Simon are all fantastic. I found Dario Fo’s Tricks of the Trade and John McGrath’s A Good Night Out particularly good for writing for a Scottish audience, even though that’s not what they’re actually about. In that respect, Ian Brown’s Scottish Theatre: Diversity, Language, Continuity is the best.

Screenwriting books are a laugh for a busman’s holiday, but they’re best avoided for playwrights. All that prescriptive stuff about the hero’s journey and page layout and story structure just doesn’t count on the modern stage.

There are no rules, of course. No right way or wrong way to make a play. What works on this one won’t necessarily work for the next one. And the same play is different each night, which is the joy of it. We’re making moments in time, not monuments. Plays are designed to be seen only once. It’s more like planning a party than writing a novel.

Sun 6 – Sun 27 Aug You can book tickets for The Whip Hand here.

#Douglas Maxwell #10 Question #playwriting #writing advice #The Whip Hand #TravFest17 #Traverse Theatre

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the-brazen-gear-blog · 7 years ago

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What My Depression Taught Me

Almost a year ago, I was walking to Starbucks. I got to these stairs which lead to the building Starbucks is in, and I sat down on them because I couldn’t make it the next thirty steps to get my coffee.

I know, I know. It sounds ridiculous. But what you don’t see from the outside is the battle I had already fought before I left my front door. That particular morning the giant cinder block that keeps me in my bed was especially heavy, but I lifted it. The walk to the bathroom felt like a thousand miles, but I walked it. The effort it took to shower was too much, and I sat down on the shower floor and cried for half-an-hour, but by the end of it, I was clean. By the time I had done the most basic of tasks I was already exhausted.. and I mean exhausted. So when I saw these stairs and realized I didn’t have the strength for one more step, I sat, and I cried. That was the moment I realized I needed to take a semester off school. I had gone to about three of my lectures, total, in the first three weeks of school, and now it was time to admit defeat. Admitting that I couldn’t do school was one of the hardest and most humbling experiences of my life. I have always had a large part of my identity held in being “that smart girl” or “the one who graduated early” or “the homeschooled girl”. It was devastating to my pride to have to admit that I couldn’t handle the three classes I had signed up for, let alone the honours program that I had been enrolled in a few months prior.

Now, I don’t say any of this to make you feel sorry for me. I don’t feel sorry for me. I’m an incredibly privileged physically able straight white cis-woman from an upper-middle class family. I realize that I have an easy life compared to most people on this earth. I say this to give you some background to what I’ve learned in the past year, and the incredible, terrifying, strengthening journey I’ve been on.

1) A support system can come from anywhere

My core support system consists of the expected people, like my mom and dad and my best friend.. but it also includes my mom’s friend from University, my voice teacher from high school, the parents of my piano and voice students, my theatre professor, and my friend from first year Chemistry. Now, of course, I count all of these people as close friends now but I am only around a few of them on a regular basis. Even so, together they have managed to pull me through some really hard times. If you don’t have a family that you can go to about these things, or you feel like you have a hard time making friends, your support system can be found anywhere.

2) There is a major difference between being lazy and being depressed, but they aren’t mutually exclusive.

This year has been, and continues to be, a time for major life lessons. One of those lessons is that sometimes, I am lazy, and I need to work on that. Because I felt as though I had a “legit excuse” for skipping class, and skipping work, and skipping out on plans, I did it all of the time. My “legit excuse” was really only legit about half of the time. The other half of the time I just used my depression as a way out of something I didn’t want to do. I didn’t realize I was doing it at the time, but looking back I can see the difference between the two. It is incredibly important to find the balance between self-care/self-love and just being selfish. Mental health days are real, and they are necessary, and sometimes you genuinely cannot get out of bed.. but if you use that excuse on days where you just don’t want to get out of bed, you quickly become the boy who cried wolf and even help perpetuate the stigma of Depression=Lazy.

3) Hard work and mediocre grades are so much more satisfying that lazy work and good grades.

As I mentioned before, school has always been my thing. I was homeschooled, I planned my own curriculums, I finished my high school coursework when I was 15. Grades come really easy to me, just like how socializing comes easily to other people (pretty sure that’s just witchcraft though). This year went from me doing ballet twirls through stacks of A+’s and sometimes putting aside the time to pretend to study, to me becoming a rhino violently thrashing through the Killam Library for hours every day trying to find some kind of ability to focus and ending up with C’s. And I am so damn proud of those C’s.

4) A freshly made bed makes the world a better place.

Even if you get right back into said bed.

5) So does a luxurious shower.

It’s hard to be sad when you are a soft, good smelling, clean and shiny god/goddess. It’s also a lot easier to go outside once you feel clean and shiny and good.

6) Motivation is a privilege, not a given. Don’t take it for granted.

I am so, so happy to say that after lots of adjustments, and “new pill” side effect flus, I have found a combination that works. I am motivated. I have been up and doing things before noon almost every day for the past month. Waking up and wanting to do something, anything, is incredible. I will never again take that feeling for granted. I will get up, and do as much as I possibly can, so that if the bad days come again, I haven't wasted the good days.

7) Daily gratefulness isn’t just some yuppy thing. It actually does help.

I have a home. I have food. I have access to medications and therapy. I have parents that can help me out financially so I can afford to not work or do school for a semester. My body is healthy even when my mind is not. I am able to go to university. I have a good, healthy family situation.There are so many things that I can be grateful for.

8) Solitude can be really, really healthy.

Wandering through a Chapters by yourself, looking at, smelling, and basking in being surrounded by books isn’t weird.

...okay maybe it is but it’s still incredibly soothing.

9) People are generally kind.

The amount of support I have received from acquaintances, old friends, employers, even some strangers, has been incredible. Watching the news, it can sometimes feel like the world is evil and scary and bad.. but people surprise you and come through in unexpected ways. 10) I am strong. Really really f***ing strong.

I have battled my own brain with a complete lack of motivation, irritability, wanting to isolate my self, wanting to never leave my room again, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety attacks. It’s not easy to fight off thoughts of your own death with a stick made out of anxiety and the granola bars you’ve been eating for four days because you can’t leave your house to get groceries. But I did it. I’m present. I’m about to go shower and do some work. I weathered a violent storm in the middle of the ocean, and came back in one piece.

Yesterday, I walked out of Starbucks with a delicious Frappuccino after working on a website, creating a budget for myself and for my new company, talking with a new potential roommate, and generally working really hard. I sat on these stairs and realized how far I’ve come in the past year.

I am alive, I am vibrant, and I am proud.

#depression #recovery #anxiety #school #university #solitude #coping #therapy #therapists #mental health #suicidal thoughts

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blackkudos · 8 years ago

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Jesse L. Martin

Jesse L. Martin (born Jesse Lamont Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for originating the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical Rent and his television roles as NYPD Detective Ed Green on Law & Order and Detective Joe West on The Flash.

Early life

Martin, the third of four sons, was born in Rocky Mount, Virginia. His father, Jesse Reed Watkins (1943-2003), was a truck driver, and his mother, Virginia Price, a college counselor; the two divorced when he was a child. His mother eventually remarried and Martin adopted his stepfather's surname.

When Martin was in grade school, the family relocated to Buffalo, New York, but Martin began to dislike speaking because of his Southern accent and was often overcome with shyness. A concerned educator and mentor influenced him to join an after-school drama program and cast him as the pastor in The Golden Goose. Being from Virginia, the young Martin played the character the only way he knew how: as an inspired Southern Baptist preacher. The act was a hit, and Martin emerged from his shell. Martin attended high school at The Buffalo Academy for Visual and Performing Arts, where he was voted "Most Talented" in his senior class. He later enrolled in New York University's Tisch School of the Arts' Theatre Program and while at NYU he was also the popular President of Rubin Dorm, the former domain of Mark Twain. He also has a niece named Daisia Martin born by his youngest brother David Martin

Career

After graduation, Martin toured the states with John Houseman's The Acting Company. He appeared in Shakespeare's Rock-in-Roles at the Actors Theatre of Louisville and The Butcher's Daughter at The Cleveland Play House, and returned to Manhattan to perform in local theatre, soap operas, and commercials. Finding that auditions, regional theater, and bit parts were no way to support himself, Martin waited tables at several restaurants around the city. He was literally serving a pizza when his appearance on CBS's Guiding Light aired in the same eatery. While the show aired, the whole waitstaff gathered around the bar television to cheer his performance. Often, during the dinner rush, he broke out in song. When he gave his customers their dinner checks, he told them to "keep it, because someday I'll be famous!"

Martin made his Broadway debut in Timon of Athens, and then performed in The Government Inspector with Lainie Kazan. While employed at the Moondance Diner, he met the playwright Jonathan Larson, who also worked on the restaurant's staff. In 1996, Larson's musical Rent took the theatre world by storm, with Martin in the role of gay computer geek/philosophy professor Tom Collins. The 1990s update of Puccini's La Bohème earned six Drama Desk Awards, five Obie Awards, four Tony Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize. In 1998, the West End production of Rent opened with four of the original cast members, including Martin. He played Tad in the concept album of Bright Lights, Big City.

In 2010, Martin returned to the stage for one of his biggest theater commitments since Law & Order performing in the productions of The Merchant of Venice and The Winter's Tale as a part of The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He played the roles of Gratiano and King Polixenes, respectively. The two shows were performed in repertory, beginning with previews on June 9, 2010 through to the final performance on August 1, 2010.

The Merchant of Venice later transferred to Broadway to the Broadhurst Theater for a limited engagement, during which time Martin reprised his role as Gratiano. The show began previews on October 19, 2010, and officially opened on November 7. The show began a hiatus on January 9 to accommodate Al Pacino's pre-existing obligations, and resumed from February 1, 2011 to February 20, 2011; Martin did not reprise his role after the hiatus due to other work commitments. He took part in a one-night-only reading benefit of Romeo and Juliet to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the opening of the Delacorte Theater in Central Park, alongside Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, Raúl Esparza and others on June 18, 2012.

Television

Martin soon landed roles on Fox's short-lived 413 Hope St. and Eric Bross' independent film Restaurant (1998). Ally McBeal's creator, David E. Kelley, attended Rent's Broadway premiere and remembered Martin when the show needed a new boyfriend for the show's title character. His performance as Dr. Greg Butters on Ally McBeal caught the attention of David Duchovny, who cast Martin as a baseball-playing alien in a 1999 episode of The X-Files titled "The Unnatural" that Duchovny wrote and directed.

While still shooting Ally McBeal, Martin heard rumors that actor Benjamin Bratt planned to leave the cast of Law & Order. Martin had tried out for the show years before and won the minor role of a car-radio thief named Earl the Hamster, but decided to wait for a bigger part. With the opportunity presenting itself, Martin approached Law & Order producer Dick Wolf regarding the opening. Wolf hoped to cast him, and upon hearing that CBS and Fox both offered Martin development deals, he gave the actor the part without an audition.

From 1999 to 2008, he played Detective Edward 'Ed' Green on Law & Order. Altogether, he was the fifth longest-serving cast member; behind S. Epatha Merkerson, Sam Waterston, Jerry Orbach and Steven Hill. He had a brief hiatus at the end of the 2004–2005 season while he was filming the movie adaptation of Rent in which he reprised the role of Tom Collins. Martin's final episode of Law & Order aired April 23, 2008, as he was replaced by Anthony Anderson. Martin returned to NBC a year later, as the co-star of The Philanthropist.

On September 14, 2012, NBC announced that Martin would be joining the cast of SMASH during season 2 for a nine-episode arc as Scott Nichols, the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Workshop. Martin has also been cast as one of the leads in an NBC pilot of The Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives as Greg Cooke. It was announced on May 10, 2013, that NBC would not be picking up the pilot.

Martin was cast as Detective West in the pilot for The Flash, a spin-off from Arrow in January 2014. The Flash was picked up for a full 23 episode season by The CW.

Film

On March 4, 2013, it was announced that Martin would replace Lenny Kravitz as Marvin Gaye in an upcoming biopic directed by Julien Temple, and produced by Vassal Benton and Fred Bestall. Martin had been attached to a different Gaye biopic for years and had stated that it was his dream role to portray the legendary Motown singer.

Other work

Martin voiced the character Ed Green in the video game Law & Order: Justice is Served, and narrated the audio book The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin and On the Shoulder of Giants, Volume 2: Master Intellects and Creative Giants by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. He co-produced the Off-Broadway production of Fully Committed with Rent co-star Adam Pascal (and two other producers).

Martin sits on the board of trustees for the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation along with Rent co-producer Kevin McCollum.

Personal life

In October 2006, Martin returned to Buffalo, New York to work on an independent film (Buffalo Bushido).

He is a resident of Manhattan.

Stage work

Ring of Men (Off-Broadway) - Unknown date and character

The Prince and the Pauper (Off-Broadway) - Unknown character and date

Arabian Nights (Off-Broadway) - Prince of Fools, Clarinetist, Boy (1994)

The Butcher's Daughter (Cleveland Playhouse) - Unknown character (1993)

Timon of Athens (Broadway Premiere) - "Alcibiades' Officer" (original), "Second Masseur" (original), Alcibiades (understudy) (1993).

The Government Inspector (Broadway Revival) - Abdulin (original), Panteleyeva (understudy) (1994)

Rent (Off-Broadway) - Tom Collins (1996)

Rent (Broadway) - Tom Collins (1996)

Rent (West End) - Tom Collins (1998)

Bright Lights, Big City (musical) (concept recording) - Tad

The Threepenny Opera (Williamstown, MA; Williamstown Theatre Festival Production) – Macheath (2003)

The Merchant of Venice (Shakespeare in the Park) - Gratiano (Summer 2010)

The Winter's Tale (Shakespeare in the Park) - King Polixenes (Summer 2010)

The Merchant of Venice (Broadway) - Gratiano (2010); transfer from the Shakespeare in the Park production

Romeo and Juliet (Public Theater; Delacorte Theatre's 50th Anniversary) - Gregory, Friar John, Watchman 2 (2012)

Wikipedia

#Jesse L. Martin

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larryland · 5 years ago

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by Roseann Cane

As Barrington Stage Company‘s production of Into the Woods opens, we’re presented with a group of fairy-tale familiar characters, including Cinderella (Amanda Robles); Jack (the Beanstalk climber, played by Clay Singer); Little Red Riding Hood (Dorcas Leung), and Rapunzel (Anna Tobin). A dapper narrator (Thom Sesma) draws us into their world, where we also meet The Baker (Jonathan Raviv) and The Baker’s Wife (Mara Davi), as well as an ugly, terrifying old Witch (Mykal Kilgore).

All of these characters are driven by wishes. Cinderella yearns to attend the king’s festival, just like her wicked stepmother and stepsisters, who cruelly mock her. Jack’s beloved cow, Milky White (a puppet brilliantly designed by Brandon Hardy), is unable to provide milk, and Jack’s desperate mother (Leslie Becker) forces him to sell her; his wish is to find a way to get Milky White back. Little Red wishes to buy bread to bring to her grandmother, introducing us to The Baker and his Wife, who poignantly wish to have children. The Witch reveals to the couple that their inability to have children is the result of a curse she put on the Baker’s father for stealing her vegetables. However, she will lift the curse if the couple bring her four ingredients: a cow as white as milk, a cape as red as blood, hair as yellow as corn, and a slipper pure as gold.

Thus the familiar stories intersect, and the characters enter the woods to learn how to make their wishes come true. By the end of Act I, it seems that they have. In Act II, they learn of the darkness and the danger in the woods, and the very mixed blessings of fulfilling their wishes.

Joe Calarco has assembled a splendid ensemble of actors to bring life to this Sondheim masterwork, into which one may find meaning on personal (understanding the unconscious, the effects parents have on their children, the meaning of love and family, the ambivalence that informs every choice we make) and global (the responsibilities inherent in human connectedness, the consequences of ethical behavior) planes.

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Mykal Kilgore, as the ugly witch who eventually transforms from a hideous crone into a regal golden beauty, commands the stage in the best sort of way, with solid presence, a startling performance, and a powerfully beautiful voice. To be sure, a strong ensemble is crucial to the success of Into the Woods, and every member of this dazzling cast shines. Thom Sesma’s Narrator/Mysterious man (some cast members play double roles) brings us two completely different figures who, not incidentally, serve a similar purpose in providing guidance to audience and, later, to characters in the play. Dorcas Leung’s Little Red Riding Hood is a hoot, a tough cookie under a cloak. As Cinderella, Amanda Robles is tender and moving, with a silvery singing voice that, at times, seemed not to enunciate clearly, but gave a lovely performance nonetheless. Clay Singer is a charmingly innocent Jack whose love for his cow is palpable, as is his obedient understanding and love for his mother (the lovely Leslie Becker, who crafted two additional, memorable roles, Granny and the Giant’s Wife, with equal aplomb). Raviv and Davi, the Baker and his Wife, movingly embody their complex relationship as well as the metamorphosis of their partnership.

The music is stunning and often as surprisingly deep as the woods; Darren R. Cohen’s musical direction and conducting were very satisfying. Choreography by Mayte Natalio was elegant and inventive, and Jen Caprio’s costumes were delightfully clever. Into the Woods makes strong demands of the sound designer (Matt Kraus) and lighting designer (Sherrice Mojgani), and Kraus and Mojgani did the production proud. Brian Prather’s scenic design was beautifully executed, and I loved how his set’s journey into expressionism complemented the production.

Into the Woods is not appropriate for young children, and I was pleased to note that Barrington Stage had lobby signs expressing just that, even though some theatergoers did have young ones in tow. Please know that it can be very scary for kids. It is also a long show, two hours and 45 minutes (including intermission). I have no doubt that some of my fellow Sondheim fans will be displeased with my opinion that the show would benefit from some judicious cutting, if only by the master himself. That is not likely to happen. Nevertheless, the show is an important one, and gratifyingly provocative. I’d encourage you to see it while you can.

Barrington Stage Company presents Into the Woods, Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, Book by James Lapine, Originally directed on Broadway by James Lapine, Orchestrations by Jonathan Tunick, Directed by Joe Calarco, Musical Direction by Darren R. Cohen, Choreographed by Mayte Natalio. Set design by Brian Prather, costume design by Jen Caprio, sound designer by Matt Kraus, puppet design by Brandon Hardy, lighting design by Sherrice Mojgani, wig, hair, and make-up design by J. Jared Janas, production stage manager Renee Lutz, assistant stage manager Patrick David Egan. CAST: Zoë Aarts as Lucinda, Leslie Becker as Jack’s Mother/Giant’s Wife, James Cella as The Steward, Sarah Dacey Charles as Cinderella’s Stepmother/Granny/Cinderella’s Mother, Mara Davi as The Baker’s Wife, Mykal Kilgore as The Witch, Dorcas Leung as Little Red Riding Hood, Pepe Nufrio as Rapunzel’s Prince, Megan Orticelli as Florinda, Jonathan Raviv as The Baker, Amanda Robles as Cinderella, Thom Sesma as Narrator/Mysterious Man, Clay Singer as Jack, Anna Tobin as Rapunzel, and Kevin Toniazzo-Naughton as Cinderella’s Prince/The Wolf.

Into the Woods runs June 19-July 13, 2019, at Barrington Stage Company’s Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, 30 Union Street in Pittsfield, MA. Barrington Stage Box Office: 413-236-8888 or online at www.barringtonstageco.org.

*Children under the age of 5 are not permitted in the theatre.

REVIEW: “Into the Woods” at Barrington Stage by Roseann Cane As Barrington Stage Company's production of Into the Woods opens, we’re presented with a group of fairy-tale familiar characters, including Cinderella (Amanda Robles); Jack (the Beanstalk climber, played by Clay Singer); Little Red Riding Hood (Dorcas Leung), and Rapunzel (Anna Tobin).

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tyleroakley-obsessed · 5 years ago

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If you’ve been outside for more than five minutes in the last week, you know what’s up: summer has arrived. Here’s your guide to things to do in Memphis this summer, including about 100 Memphis summer events, things to do with kids in Memphis, and summer festivals in Memphis. If you like this list, check out these guides, too: – Memphis Patio Guide – 20 Kid-Friendly Things To Do In Memphis This Summer – 10 Outdoor Adventures At Shelby Farms Ongoing Events The Parchman Hour: Songs And Stories Of The ’61 Freedom Riders, Hattiloo Theatre, Through June 2, $66-$35, all ages This musical journey based on the 1961 Freedom Rides takes audiences through the Deep South with pioneers who fought discrimination. Food Truck Fridays, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, Fridays through June 28, 11:30 – 1:30 p.m., free admission to the gardens during Food Truck Fridays, all ages Enjoy lunch on Fridays in the beautiful Dixon Gardens, with local vendors on hand each week offering everything from tacos to seafood to hot wings. Levitt Shell Free Concert Series, Levitt Shell, Thursdays – Sundays through July 31, most shows are 7:30 – 10 p.m., free, all ages Bring your chairs, blankets, snacks and drinks and enjoy a host of free outdoor concerts at the Levitt Shell. The shows are all ages, but parents should look up the entertainment ahead of time to be sure they’re cool with it. Go here for the full schedule. Memphis Redbirds Games, AutoZone Park, all summer long, $16-$75, all ages Baseball games are on several days a week, all summer long, with fireworks, BBQ nachos, Rockey the Redbird mascot, and of course, great baseball from our Triple-A team. Read more and see a list of special game promos here. Orpheum Summer Movie Series, Orpheum Theatre, select dates through August 23, doors open 6 p.m. and movies starts at 7 p.m., $8 adults/$6 kids under 12 Watch classic films and musicals. Arrive early to grab a themed drink special and test your movie trivia knowledge. Go here for the full schedule. Rooftop Parties, Peabody Hotel, Thursday nights through August 15, 6. – 10 p.m., $10-$15, 21+ Every Thursday night in the summer, hundreds of Memphians (and visitors) flock to the Peabody Hotel’s massive rooftop for live music, snack buffets, and drinks. Ladies and hotel guests free until 7 p.m. Time-Warp Drive-In, Summer Drive-In, select dates all summer long, dusk to dawn, $10 per person Memphis’ drive-in movie theater offers monthly all-night movie marathons with cult classics, horror and more. There’s a different theme every month – think all the Back To The Future Movies, all your John Hughes 80’s faves, or weird art-house animation. Parents should look up the movies to decide whether they’re age appropriate. Social Sundays, 46 Riverside Drive, June 2, July 7 & August 4, free, all ages Free kid-friendly activities in the River Garden pavilion on the first Sunday of the month. Drop in during your afternoon walk in the park. Canoes and Cocktails, Shelby Farms Park, June 13 and 27, July 11 and 25, 6 – 9 p.m., 21+, Tickets start at $45 Watch the sunset during a guided evening paddle on Hyde Lake, followed by cocktails on the porch. BYOB – bring your own boat — or rent one from the Hyde Lake Boathouse. Proceeds benefit the park. Live At The Garden, Memphis Botanic Garden, June 29 – September 7, gates open at 6 or 6:30 p.m., general admission $45 The Botanic Garden’s popular annual concert series, now in its 19th season, features five crowd-pleasing/old-school favorites, including the Doobie Brothers, Kansas, and Lionel Richie. Coolers, blankets and chairs are welcome for lawn seating, and the crowd is decidedly adult. May Events Zoo Brew, Memphis Zoo, May 24, 7-10 p.m., $45 members, $50 nonmembers, 21+ Kick off the holiday weekend with more than 35 beer stations spread throughout the Zoo, as well as food for sale. Entertainment by Boo Mitchell and the Allstar Band. Celebrate Memphis, Tom Lee Park, May 25, 3 p.m., free, all ages Celebrate Memphis’ Bicentennial with live music from Al Kapone, Lucero, Opera Memphis and others, air show, drone lights show, fireworks, family zone, creative arts tent, games, and the World’s Longest Picnic Table. Gates open at 3 p.m. Blankets, lawn chairs, coolers permitted. Memphis to The Moon: Apollo 11 Movie Premiere & Launch Party, May 25, 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. Watch Apollo 11: First Steps Edition on the giant screen, Back to The Moon: For Good Planetarium show, and a special presentation by Apollo Mission Flight Controller Bill Weppner. Enjoy a host of activities celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon Landing. Launch party activities and Bill Weppner presentation free with general admission, CTI Theater or AutoZone Dome Planetarium tickets. The Music of Sonny Rollins, Crosstown Arts, May 25, 7 – 9 p.m., doors at 6:30 p.m., performance at 7 p.m., $15, all ages Tribute to Memphis jazz tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, part of the Crosstown Jazz Series, which salutes classic jazz music as contemporary musicians perform the work of the legends. Memorial Day with Star & Micey, Railgarten, May 26, 7 – 10 p.m., no cover, all ages Enjoy a free concert with one of Memphis’ most inventive bands this Memorial Day Weekend. Overton Square Spring Concert, Chimes Square, May 26, 4 – 8 p.m., free, all ages The annual Spring Concert features the 41st Army Band and Graber Grass. A Cornhole Tournament benefiting the National Kidney Foundation of West Tennessee will kick off at 4 p.m., with a cost of $20 per team. There will be art play and balloon art for the kiddos, MEMPopS frozen treats for all, and The TapBox Mobile Beer Garden will have drafts for purchase. Wolf River Conservancy Family Fun Paddle, Wolf River, May 26, 1 – 4:30 p.m, free, all ages. Paddle a 3.5-mile section of the Wolf River with the fam, stopping along the way to stretch your legs on the sandbars and enjoy the company of other paddlers. This event is free, but space is limited, so please register early. Nerd Nite, Rec Room, May 29, 7 – 9 p.m., 18+ Nerd Nite is a monthly event held in more than 90 cities across the globe during which several folks give brief, fun, informative presentations across all disciplines while the audience drinks along. Plan to arrive early, as seats fill up fast. 30th Annual Memphis Italian Festival, Marquette Park, May 30 – June 1, $10 admission adults/free for 10 and under and active military, all ages A Memphis tradition, featuring food, live music, arts and crafts, activities, and more. Botanical Bars, Memphis Botanic Garden, May 30, 6 – 9 p.m., $30 members, $40 non-members, 21+ Enjoy botanically inspired adult beverages, food, music and more in the gardens. Whiskey Tasting & Dinner, Celtic Crossing, May 30, 6 – 9 pm., $75, 21+ Taste some of the finest Scotch whiskies around with “Master of Scotch,” Rick Edwards, who will share his favorite selections. Dinner will be provided and carefully paired with each whisky. The Memphis Music Tour, Elmwood, May 31, 6 p.m., $20, all ages Led by Memphis musician, historian, filmmaker, and author Willy Bearden, this tour will introduce you to the music of the musicians who rest at Elmwood. You’ll visit a a Big Band legend, blues singers, horn players, producers, and more. Beer and wine will be available for sale prior to the tour. Memphis Zombie Walk, Handy Park, May 31, 3 – 9 p.m., free, all ages For the 13th year in a row, the undead will come together to eat brains and gather canned food and donations for the Mid-South Food Bank. Goner25 Weekend, May 31 – June 2, various locations and times, $50 wristband, adults A $50 wristband gets you into all four shows, with artists like Memphis’ Jack Oblivian and Tokyo’s Guitar Wolf, or you can purchase individual tickets to each show. Photo by Craig Thompson. June Events African American Arts Festival, Shady Grove M.B. Church, June 1, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m., free, all ages Celebrate the opening of the Arts Cafe in the Riverview Kansas Community, whose mission is to engage, educate and elevate using African American arts as a platform. Enjoy live music, poets/spoken word artists, dancing, arts and crafts, and food trucks. Art Fix, Spay Memphis, June 1, 11 a.m. – 4 p.m., free, all ages Shop from more than 15 local artists in an open-air marketplace and meet pet-centric businesses and adoptable pets. Kid-friendly and pet-friendly, with 15 percent of sales benefiting Spay Memphis. Big Gay Dance Party, Minglewood Hall, June 1, 8 p.m. – 2 a.m., $20 and up, 21+ Kick off the summer party season with a sizzling dance party in Midtown. Outdoors Inc. 38th Annual Canoe & Kayak Race, Mud Island, June 1, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m., no charge for spectators, all ages More than 500 recreational to expert-level paddlers will gather on the banks of the Mississippi River for this annual event. Sci-Fi Sounds, Two Rivers Bookstore, June 1, 3:30 – 5 p.m., free, all ages Experimental electronic music and science fiction words at this performance and reading by Robert Traxler, an experimental electronic musician. Barkers Brunch Artist Market, Wiseacre Brewing, June 2, 12 – 6 p.m., free admission, all ages Check out creative local businesses and meet adoptable pups at this artist market, where 10 percent of each sale will benefit Street Dog Foundation. Kafe Kirk at Crosstown, Crosstown Concourse, June 2, doors at 5 p.m., performance at 6 p.m., $45-$60, all ages Grammy-winning saxophonist Kirk Whalum heads up this monthly jazz series in Crosstown Theater, which features musical and spiritual collaborations with special guest artists. This month’s guests are Kortland and Kameron Whalum. Gin Tasting, Greyhound Memphis, June 4, $25, 21+ Taste four gins paired with small plates. Additional small plates and craft cocktails will be available after the event. Seating is limited. Complimentary valet parking for up to three hours 71st Annual Germantown Charity Horse Show, 7745 Poplar Pike, June 4 – 8, $5 adults/free for 6 and under, all ages This Germantown tradition is part sporting event, part festival, and definitely worth checking out if you have any interest in horses, socializing, or seeing something new and different. Several food vendors will be on site, as well as vendors selling art and high-end goods. Proceeds benefit Kindred Place. Whet Thursday, National Ornamental Metal Museum, June 6, free, all ages Tour the museum and grounds, enjoy live local music, sample local food truck fare, watch a metalsmithing demonstration, browsing a pop-up show and art sale, and take in the sunset from the best view along the Mississippi River. Wine and beer served with valid ID. Cloud 9 Memphis Presents Four Places, Theatreworks Memphis, select dates and times June 7 – 23, $20 adults/$15 seniors and students When Peggy’s two adult children take her out for lunch, they quietly begin to take her life apart. The drinks come fast, the tempers peak, the food flies. Hairspray, Theatre Memphis, June 7 – 30, times and ticket prices vary, all ages In 1962 Baltimore, Tracy Turnblad dreams of being on a local TV dance show. When she wins a role on the show, she becomes an overnight celebrity and meets a colorful cast of characters, leading to social change as Tracy campaigns for the show’s integration. Memphis 69 Screening, Crosstown Theatre, June 7, doors at 7 p.m., film at 7:30 p.m., tickets $7, all ages This concert documentary, shot over three days in June of 1969 at the Levitt Shell, celebrates Memphis’ 150th birthday with blues music from icons like Bukka White, Furry Lewis, and Rufus Thomas. Followed by a Q & A with Bruce Watson of Fat Possum Records and filmmakers Joe and Lisa Lamattina. After-party to follow in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts — free admission with a Memphis ’69 screening ticket and $10 without. The Legend of Georgia McBride Opens, Playhouse on the Square, June 7, 8 p.m. – 10 p.m., prices vary, adults Casey is young, he’s broke, his landlord’s knocking at the door, and he’s just found out his wife is pregnant. To make matters even more desperate, he’s fired from his gig as an Elvis impersonator in a small-town Florida bar, and the bar owner brings in a B-level drag show to replace his act. Wedding Belles on Millionaire’s Row: Exhibit Opening, Woodruff-Fontaine and Mallory-Neely Mansions, June 7, 5 – 8 p.m., $35 Dozens of exquisite wedding gowns spanning from the 1850s -1960s will be on display in two historic mansions in Victorian Village. Enjoy open house-style tours and light refreshments. Beer & Bagel Off-Road Race, Wolf River Greenway, June 8, 9 a.m. $45 regular registration, all ages This event will feature a unique course starting from the Humphreys Boulevard trailhead, followed by a blowout party with DJ, dancing, tailgate games, photos with Sasquatch, and plenty of bagels and beer. A portion of the entry fee will go to the Wolf River Conservancy. Literatini, Novel Memphis Bookstore, June 8, 7 – 10 p.m., tickets: $50 per individual, $75 per couple, 21+ Enjoy live music as you sample cocktails and delicious food from local bars and restaurants. Receive 20 percent off bookstore purchases the night of the event, with proceeds benefiting Memphis adults struggling with low literacy. Night at the Lorraine, National Civil Rights Museum, June 8, 7 – 11 p.m., $100 +, adults Step back in time with an evening of food, live music, dancing and fun reminiscent of the Lorraine Motel – which counted B.B. King, Nat King Cole, Isaac Hayes, and Jackie Robinson among its famous guests. Real Memphis Wrestling, Rec Room, June 8, 7 – 9 p.m., $5 cover, under 21 welcome with parent or guardian Real, live professional wrestling returns to Memphis, now with beer. Spillit Slam: Around the Fringes with Memphis Film Festival, June 8, McCoy Theatre at Rhodes College, 8:30. – 10 p.m., $10, adults The theme for this event is “Around the Fringes.” Storytellers who have their names drawn will have five minutes to share their story with an audience, and the slam winner will be invited to compete in the Story Grand Slam in November for the title of Grand Master Storyteller of Memphis. Canoes and Cocktails, Shelby Farms Park, June 13 and 27, July 11 and 25, 6 – 9 p.m., 21+, Tickets start at $45 Watch the sunset during a guided evening paddle on Hyde Lake, followed by cocktails on the porch. BYOB – bring your own boat — or rent one from the Hyde Lake Boathouse. Proceeds benefit the park. Homeroom: A Comedy Show, Hi Tone, June 14, 7 p.m., $10-$15, 18+ This school-themed improv show encourages audiences to bring props for “Show & Tell” unusual textbooks for “Substitute Teacher,” and a cell phone to text in roasts for the “Virtual Yearbook”. One comedian will walk away as the comedy valedictorian. Juneteenth Urban Music Festival, Robert Church Park, June 14-16, free to enter, all ages Juneteenth commemorates African American freedom and emphasizes education and achievement. Celebrate Juneteenth with lots of live music, vendors, a car show, kids play area and much more. Transmission: 80’s Dance Party, P & H Cafe, June 14, 9 p.m. – 2 a.m., $5, 21+ Break out your dancing shoes and join DJ’s Plastic Citizen and Alpha Heather for New Wave, New Romantic, Post Punk, Synth Pop, Ska, Freestyle and more. Puppypalooza #2, Crosstown Concourse South Loading Dock, June 15, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., free, all ages Have a barking good time with live music from a gypsy-jazz trio, adorable doggie portraits, MEMPopS, face paint and henna, shopping for doggies items, and meeting adoptable puppers and doggos. Proceeds benefit Hearts of Gold Pit Rescue. Cemetery Cinema: Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, Elmwood Cemetery, June 22, 8:45 p.m., $15, children 12 and under not permitted Cemetery Cinema offers visitors a chance to enjoy the beauty of Elmwood with this unique film series. Showtimes are based on the setting of the sun. Films are projected onto the roof of the historic 1852 Cottage. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and coolers. Food trucks fare and libations will be available for purchase. Downtown Olympics, Loflin Yard, June 22, 10:30 a.m. – 7:30 p.m., 21+ Show off your athletic abilities while downing some brews and supporting a great cause. Beer pong, cornhole, tricycle race and more. Prizes for top finishers, best parade entry, best team name and more. Benefits Urban Bicycle Food Ministry. Craft Food & Wine Festival, The Columns, June 23, 4 – 9 p.m., $60-$110, 21+ This charcuterie-inspired festival will showcase locally made breads, cheeses, fruit preserves, cured meats and more from 40 vendors. Live music by Will Lang Jazz Trio and DJ Crystal Mercedes. Admission includes a small tasting board and wine glass. Read more here. Yo Gotti & Friends Birthday Bash 7, FedEx Forum, June 28, 7 p.m., tickets start at $34.50 Memphis born rap and hip-hop artist Yo Gotti’s will celebrate his birthday with Memphians and special guests. Past performers at Yo Gotti’s annual birthday bashes have included Nicki Minaj, Young Jeezy, and Lil Wayne. Memphis Concrete 2019, Crosstown Arts, Saturday, June 29 – Sunday, June 30, $25-$50, all ages This annual experimental electronic music festival happens in The Green Room at Crosstown Arts. Mid-South International Festival, Railgarten, June 29 – 30, starts 11 a.m. both days, $10, all ages Celebrate the many cultures of the world with traditional dancing and costumes. Enjoy food from an international menu and shop for jewelry and clothing. July Events Bartlett Fireworks Extravaganza, Bobby K. Flaherty Municipal Center, July 3, opening ceremony at 6, fireworks at 9:10, free, all ages Live music, car display, children’s activities, concessions and more leading up the fireworks extravaganza. International Carnival on the River, Beale Street Landing, July 6, 8:30 p.m. – midnight, $50, adults Dance the night away to the sounds of salsa, dancehall, Afro-beats and more on this nighttime cruise on the Island Queen. Friends for Life Cookout, Overton Park, July 7, 11 am. – 7 p.m.., $20-$40, all ages Enjoy a day of cooking contests, free food, beer, yard games, and a hot wing-eating contest. $20 admission gets you two drink tickets. Benefits Friends for Life. Anime Blues Con 9, Cook Convention Center, July 12-14, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., $40 and up, all ages This annual event for all ages celebrates the arts and culture of Japanese Anime, comics, and cosplay. Cemetery Cinema: O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Elmwood Cemetery, July 12, 8:45 p.m., $15, children 12 and under not permitted Cemetery Cinema offers visitors a chance to enjoy the beauty of Elmwood with this unique film series. Showtimes are based on the setting of the sun. Films are projected onto the roof of the historic 1852 Cottage. Guests are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and coolers. Food trucks fare and libations will be available for purchase. 31st Annual WEVL Blues on the Bluff, July 20, 6-11 p.m.. National Ornamental Metal Museum, prices TBA, all ages Celebrate another year of amazing Memphis music while enjoying great food and drinks at one of the city’s most beautiful viewing spots over the Mississippi River. Taste of Memphis Vegan Food Fest, Cook’s Lake, July 20, 11 a.m. – 7 p.m., $10, all ages Highlighting the best of vegan cuisine from chefs in the Mid-South. The Mesmerist by Jeffrey Day, Woodruff-Fontaine House, July 20, 7:30 – 9 p.m., $45, ages 16 and up The 19th century was filled with magic and magicians. Experience it for yourself in the beautiful Woodruff-Fontaine ballroom. National Day of Dance, Ballet Memphis, July 27, 10 a.m., free, all ages and abilities Celebrate National Dance Day with Ballet Memphis and the Dizzy Feet Foundation. Everyone is welcome at this free community event to celebrate dance. Ballet Memphis will teach the official National Dance Day dance, which will be performed flash mob-style by all participants and filmed for inclusion on the Dizzy Feet Foundation website. Bring a refillable water bottle. Parking is free but space is limited. Wine Festival on the Farm, Shelby Farms Park, July 27 – 28, tickets start at $55. 21 + Angie Stone, Morris Day & The Time and other artists are scheduled to play this festival, hosted by Chardonnay Bistro & Bar. August Events Memphis Music Listening Party, Central Library, August 1, 7 – 9 p.m., free, all ages Join other local music lovers the Central Library to explore the music of “Swamp Soul” songstress Marcella Simien through five of her songs, with Grammy-winning author Robert Gordon. Riverfront Storytime, Cossitt Library, August 2, 10 – 11:30 a.m. and 6 – 7:30 p.m., free for kids and adults Kids will learn about the Mississippi River through story time, experience a puppet show about ways to enjoy and protect the river, and enjoy playtime on the river with other children. Balls, frisbees, kites, bubbles and other toys will be provided during playtime. Memphis Chicken & Beer Fest, Liberty Bowl, August 3, 6-10 p.m., $40 and up, 21+ Chicken, beer, and live musical entertainment, benefiting Dorothy Day House in Memphis. Admission includes a souvenir tasting glass and more than 90 different beverage samples. Food available for purchase. Elvis Week 2018, Various locations, August 9 – 17, prices vary, all ages Celebrate the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll this August by attending one of the many Elvis events around the city, from official Elvis Tribute Artist contests to dance parties to the famous candlelight vigil that brings fans from around the world to the gates of Graceland. Haunted Pub Crawl, Downtown, August 9, 16 & 23, $25, 21+ A spooky walking tour of Downtown Memphis restaurants, bars and taverns. Drinks not included in ticket price. Drafts & Laughs, Memphis Made Brewing, August 10, 7:30 p.m. – 9:15 p.m., free admisison, all ages Well-crafted beer and comedy in Cooper-Young. Gilded Twilight Tour, Woodruff-Fontaine House Museum, August 16, 7 p.m., $25, 21+ This tour will transport you to the gilded age of 19th century Memphis, when dinner parties and midnight soirees filled weekly schedules. Enjoy a light reception in the lavish dining room, then stroll the historic mansion halls while docents share its stories. Memphis Back 2 School Festival, Winridge Park, August 10, noon – 4:30 p.m., free admission with donation of school supplies,toiletries or new kids’ clothing, all ages This kid-friendly event features food trucks, music, clothing, and information on health, education, art, and after-school care programs for families. Enjoy a culinary experience from Memphis restaurants, caterers, and food trucks. Kids can enjoy the fun zone, equipped with inflatables, a rock climbing wall, bouncy houses and petting zoo. The Science of Wine, Pink Palace Museum, August 16, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., $60 members/$65 non-members/$35 designated drivers The 5th annual Science of Wine will have the Pink Palace overflowing with the best Memphis has to offer in wine, food, and fun. Jim Gaffigan: Secrets and Pies Tour, August 17, 8 p.m., prices vary Four-time Grammy nominated comedian, actor, writer and producer Jim Gaffigan brings his tour to Memphis. Backstreet Boys: DNA World Tour, FedEx Forum, August 27, 8 p.m., prices vary, all ages The Backstreet Boys bringing their biggest arena tour in 18 years to Memphis. Delta Fair, Agricenter International, August 30 – September 8, $10 adults/$5 kids 12-5/$5 seniors/free under 4, all ages More than 50 carnival rides, fair food, live music, crafts, contests and much more. About the Author Aisling Maki is a freelance writer, editor, and public and media relations specialist with awards from The Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists and Public Relations Society of America, as well as several awards for fiction writing. Her work has appeared in publications in more than 20 countries. You can usually find her cheering on the Grizzlies, doing outdoorsy things, or traveling with her daughter, Brídín. They live in Cooper-Young with a dog, a guinea pig and a pair of pet mice. Are you a home owner in Memphis, with a broken garage door? Call ASAP garage door today at 901-461-0385 or checkout http://bit.ly/1B5z3Pc

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There Will Soon Be a Superfine North Shore Trio

And more dining news from Boston’s suburbs and beyond

There’s plenty more to Massachusetts dining than just restaurants in Boston proper. We’re keeping tabs on developments in the Greater Boston area and beyond, including openings, closures, and more. With a focus on Greater Boston suburbs but occasionally reaching out further around the state, this piece is updated weekly, with the most recent news appearing at the top.

May 16, 2018

BROOKLINE — Hamilton Restaurant & Bar (1366 Beacon St.) opened for a sneak peek over the weekend in Brookline. The restaurant took over the former Yasu space, and from name to design, it embraces history. With a 150-person capacity, Hamilton is serving up “good, simple, seasonal food, rooted in classic cooking” from chef Nick Davidovich, an alum of West Bridge, Salts, and 80 Thoreau. There’s also beer, wine, and cocktails, along with some televisions for airing sporting events.

MALDEN — Bikeeny Caffe(62 Summer St.) opened earlier this month, serving coffee, Mem tea, cakes, sandwiches, and mini puff pastries (“bikeenies”) in assorted varieties. It’s open seven days a week, starting at 6 a.m. on weekdays and 7 a.m. on weekends.

MELROSE — Tsukiji Bistro (505 Main St.) has closed down. The restaurant specialized in Asian cuisine and had only opened in December, according to Boston Restaurant Talk.

NEWBURYPORT — Manchester-by-the-Sea’s Superfine (25 Union St.) has not one but two new locations on the way: the previously reported, long-in-the-works one in Marblehead at 126 Washington St., now set to open this spring, plus a newly announced Newburyport location at 17 State St., the former CR Moulton’s, that’ll open this summer. The Superfine team is made up of Matthew Gaudet, who was chef and owner of the now-defunct West Bridge in Cambridge; Paul Emmett, an alum of Radius and West Bridge; and Christopher Robins, formerly culinary director for the Aquitaine restaurant group. Under the motto “common food done uncommonly well,” the fine-dining-experienced trio serves a family-friendly, casual menu that centers around pizza and burgers. There are also ribs, “crunchy” chicken, avocado toast, one giant garlic knot, and more (not to mention boozy shakes for the adults).

PEABODY — Tony C’s Sports Bar & Grill(210 Andover St., Northshore Mall)is now open and operating seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 1 a.m., serving a menu of hearty bar fare like burgers, sandwiches, pastas, and more. The nearly 8,000-square-foot restaurant takes its name from former Red Sox player Tony Conigliaro. In addition to dining space inside (with opportunities for watching sports, of course) there is also a patio and a lounge area. The growing local chain also has locations in Somerville, Burlington, and Boston’s Fenway and Seaport neighborhoods.

May 9, 2018

Moody’s Delicatessen/Facebook

Tacos at a preview of the soon-to-open El Rincón de Moody’s that took place at sibling/neighbor spot the Backroom

PEABODY — The Northshore Mall (210 Andover St.) is filling up with food. In addition to the recently opened Bancroft & Co. and the previously announced Tony C’s, which should open later this month, the mall has announced that New Hampshire’s Hop & Grindburger and beer joint and Amigo’s Mexican Kitchen and Tequila Bar will also open, both in fall 2018. And later this month, the ubiquitous Caffè Nero will arrive as well.

QUINCY — Dorchester’s Windy City Pizza (516 Gallivan Blvd., Dorchester) is now open in Quincy as well (195 Newport Ave.), operating until 3 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays (but it’s delivery-only after midnight). The casual spot serves pizza, wings, and other takeout/delivery staples.

REVERE — An update on the uncertain future of Bianchi’s on Revere Beach: It’ll be able to stay open until around Labor Day this year before construction begins on the new development at that site, and there’s a good chance it’ll ultimately be able to reopen inside the new building.

WALTHAM — As the Moody’s Delicatessen (468 Moody St.) empire continues to expand within Waltham and beyond, it’s getting a 30-seat, counter-service taco and barbecue sibling right down the street, El Rincón de Moody’s (456 Moody St.), later this month. It’ll serve beer, wine, and cordial-based cocktails in addition to a menu full of taco combos, pulled pork sandwiches, and agua frescas. Keep an eye on Instagram for updates.

May 2, 2018

Brian Samuels/Blue Dalia

Blue Dalia

LEXINGTON — Tres Petite Creperie (1707 Massachusetts Ave.) is under new ownership, and now (in addition to crepes) it also has an interesting mix of new menu items: tacos and lasagna.

NATICK — Blue Dalia Mexican Restaurant & Tequila Bar (1245 Worcester St.) opens May 4 within the new Wegmans grocery store in Natick, as previously reported. Culinary director Roberto Santibañez (who is behind Fonda in New York City) and chef de cuisine Geno Bahena oversee the menu of Mexican dishes like tamalitos de elote, enchiladas con mole xico, and more. There are also cocktails (including plenty of margaritas) and other boozy options for those looking to break up grocery shopping with some tequila. Sure, it’s a restaurant in a grocery store, but it’s a really attractive restaurant in a really popular grocery store.

The restaurant will be open seven days a week from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the bar open until 11 p.m. and lunch and brunch coming soon. Here’s the opening menu:

SOUTH BRAINTREE — Pho Vietnam will take over the former Sintra space in South Braintree (906 Washington St.), according to Boston Restaurant Talk. The restaurant hasn’t yet announced an opening timeline.

WINTHROP — A new source for Nepalese food has opened in the area. Bridges Nepali Cuisine (35 Crest Ave.) is up and running, serving rice bowls packed with lentils, vegetables, grilled chicken, and more. There are also samosas, soups, sides, and rice porridge for dessert.

April 25, 2018

Brendan Pelley/Instagram

Spinach pie at Coffee and Cotton

LOWELL — Hell’s Kitchen and Beat Bobby Flay alum Brendan Pelley, formerly behind the Pelekasis pop-up at Wink & Nod and more recently chef de cuisine at Doretta Taverna & Raw Bar, has taken on the role of culinary director for the cafe, grocery store, and theater at Mill No. 5 (250 Jackson St.), an old mill now filled with numerous dining and shopping options. He’s handling concessions for Luna Theatre, adding to the prepared foods section at Red & White Market, and serving up sandwiches, “yummy bowls,” and more at Coffee and Cotton, as Boston Magazine reported. Looking for that spinach pie he served at Pelekasis and Doretta? That’ll be at Coffee and Cotton, too.

LYNN — Hayward’s (125 Lynnfield St.) closes down on April 27. Owner Taso Mavros is reportedly selling the restaurant to Enrico and Jaime Mancini, who plan to open Dock 125 onsite, retaining a few Hayward’s dishes while serving items like burgers, pasta, and steak.

MAYNARD, SUDBURY, AND WALTHAM — WAAF radio personality Greg Hill’s Whole House Group will sell both Flank in Waltham (74 Tower Rd.) and 29 Sudbury (29 Hudston Rd.) to the AB Hospitality Group. Flank has closed and will reopen as a new restaurant following renovations, and 29 Sudbury will remain open. Whole House retains Battle Road Brew House in Maynard (20 Sudbury St.).

STONEHAM — Nobility Hill Tavern (423 Main St.) will take over the former Felicia’s space, serving New American comfort food. Felicia’s closed last fall after more than 50 years in business, as Boston Restaurant Talk reported.

April 18, 2018

Abbott’s Frozen Custard/Facebook

CONCORD — Rapscallion Kitchen & Bar(208 Fitchburg Tpk.) officially opens its doors on April 24. The restaurant is connected to Acton’s Rapscallion Table & Tap and Sturbridge’s Rapscallion Brewery. The restaurant will operate Tuesday through Sunday from 12 p.m. to 11:30 p.m., with the kitchen closing at 9:30 p.m.

FRAMINGHAM — British Beer Company (120 Worcester Rd.) will close down at the end of the month after 12 years in business. “The new owners have some great plans for the property and we wish them well,” a Facebook post from the restaurant reads. Stay tuned for details on the replacement. (As noted below, a Walpole location also closed recently.)

LEXINGTON — Abbott’s Frozen Custard(1853 Mass Ave.) is a Rochester, NY original that’s making its mark on the Boston area. With one location already operating in Needham and another in Brighton Center, Abbott’s now has a Lexington shop as well.

NEWTON — District 118 Kitchen (118 Needham St.) has opened for business, taking over the former Grande Kitchen space. The restaurant is not connected to the similarly named District Kitchen in Pittsfield. It’s open seven days a week, and the menu includes items like seared ahi nachos, smoked salmon flatbread, braised short ribs, and burgers.

NORTH ANDOVER — Howling Wolf Taqueria (550 Turnpike St.) now has a third location — its second “express” fast-casual spot, as opposed to the full-service Salem one — offering counter-service Mexican food in North Andover. The restaurant serves a lineup of tacos, quesadillas, burritos, and more.

PEABODY — Bancroft & Co.(210 Andover St.) is now open at the Northshore Mall. The restaurant is a sibling to the Bancroft, a steakhouse in Burlington, and it’s serving up a mix of New England fare (clam chowder and baked clams) along with items like brick chicken, steak, burgers, and grilled branzino.

QUINCY — Jenny’s House(1247 Hancock St.) in Quincy specializes in Chinese cuisine. The restaurant’s been open since the end of March, and it serves items like sweet and sour pork spare ribs, dan dan noodles, wonton soup, scallion pancakes, and pork belly buns.

Elsewhere in Quincy, Sully’s (28 Chestnut St.) will be closing down in June, per Boston Restaurant Talk. The dive has been around since the early 1930s, and it will reportedly be replaced by a new development complex.

Additionally, FoxRock Properties may open a new restaurant in the former Masonic Temple (1170 Hancock St.) in Quincy. The venture will include a lounge, a dining area, a convention room, and a rear courtyard, according to BRT.

April 11, 2018

The Hangover Pub [Official Photo]

The Hangover Pub

ABINGTON — Great Chow (497 Bedford St.) has closed down after about 10 years in business serving a mix of Chinese and Japanese cuisine. There’s another location in Quincy that remains open.

BROOKLINE — Clover Food Lab (6 Harvard St.) will close down its Brookline location on April 20 after five years in business, according to Patch. It was a takeout-only spot that founder Ayr Muir had tried to rezone to accommodate seating, but to no avail.

NEWTON — Grape Leaf Mediterranean Grille(6 Lincoln St.) opened recently in Newton Highlands. The restaurant serves Greek dishes including gyro, pastitsio, falafel, souvlaki, soups, and salad. It also offers catering and prepared meals ready to heat and eat, featuring roasted chicken, moussaka, spicy tofu, and more.

WALTHAM — Bonefish Grill (99 Third Ave.) has closed down, leaving New England without a location of the Florida-based chain seafood restaurant.

WATERTOWN — Joyful Garden (550 Arsenal St.) is in the midst of relocating from Brighton (1234 Soldiers Field Rd.). The Chinese restaurant previously operated in the lobby of a hotel, serving dishes such as teriyaki chicken, seafood soup, walnut shrimp in a deep-fried taro ring, hot and sour soup, and much more.

WORCESTER — Bacon-centric Hangover Pub and sibling ramen-centric restaurant Broth are both closed for the time being, due to legal circumstances involving a co-owner of the restaurant. Christopher Slavinskas was charged with lying to the Drug Enforcement Administration earlier this year, per multiple reports. He pleaded guilty and will be sentenced June 29. Details about the reopening of the restaurants are not yet available.

March 28, 2018

The Stones/Instagram

The Stones, Stoneham

MARBLEHEAD — Blue Canoe Cafe (14 School St.) officially opened its doors this week, with a canoe hanging from the ceiling and a live version of its golden retriever mascot making adorable contributions to the cafe’s social media. In addition to coffee and tea, Blue Canoe offer smoothies, breakfast sandwiches, yogurt bowls, wraps, sandwiches, soups, salads, and a designated kids menu.

NEEDHAM — Capella (45 Chapel St.) is set to open soon in the former Petit Robert Bistro space in Needham. A Craigslist post indicates it could make its debut around April 15, starting out with dinner service and adding lunch in the fall. The menu will include fish, grilled meat, and fresh pasta, and there will be a patio in seasonal months.

NEWTON — A replacement is on the way to the former Grande Kitchen space (118 Needham St.). District 118 Kitchen + Bar has taken over and could open in early April. Follow along on Facebook for updates to its opening timeline.

STONEHAM — Chef Patrick Campbell opens his own suburban restaurant formally on April 3, with quiet previews this week. The alum of Barbara Lynch’s No. 9 Park and opening executive chef of Cafe ArtScience introduces The Stones Common House & Kitchen in his hometown, with pasta, meats, hamburgers, salads, and more. A full preview of the restaurant appears in Food & Wine.

WELLESLEY — Bertucci’s, a longstanding Boston-area pizza staple, has closed down a handful of locations recently, including one in Kenmore Square and now in Wellesley at 380 Washington St. The closure was reportedly related to the restaurant’s lease.

March 21, 2018

Cava [Official Photo]

Cava bowl

ABINGTON — Double Horse Bistro(800 Brockton Ave.), which opened earlier this month,serves “modern American Asian” dishes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is available all day, and entrees range from French toast, chicken and waffles, omelets, and Benedicts to egg-topped burgers, pho, and Vietnamese fried rice.

DEDHAM — A Mediterranean fast-casual chain out of DC that recently opened one location in Boston adds a second regional spot in Dedham this Friday. Cava officially opens on March 23 at 724 Legacy Pl., but the day before, it’s holding a community day, where it will give out free meals while collecting donations to benefit its non-profit partner Future Chefs. The restaurant’s daily hours will be from 10:45 a.m. to 10 p.m., but this Thursday’s special hours are 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for lunch and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. for dinner.

MARLBOROUGH — Crazy Stone (1009 Boston Post Rd E.) recently opened in Marlborough, and it’s serving a menu of sushi, gyoza, and other Japanese entrees, including steak that’s been slow-cooked on hot slate. There’s also crepe cake for dessert.

PEMBROKE — Gather (35 School St.) — no relation to the Briar Group’s Gather in Boston — is a new restaurant serving breakfast and lunch, with a special family-style dinner on Sundays. The menu includes items like breakfast burritos, stuffed French toast, breakfast poutine, grilled cheese, and marinated chicken breast. There are also kids menus available.

Nearby, a new juice and smoothie bar has opened up. Smoosh(254 Church St.) is now open with a menu of smoothies and smoothie bowls, shakes, protein blends, energy shots, and juices. There are also grab-and-go items like pre-cut vegetables, hummus, overnight oats, and quinoa salad.

March 14, 2018

The Cottage/Facebook

Chicken milanese at the Cottage, sister restaurant to Door No. 7

NEWTON — House of Tandoor (81 Union St.) will open in the neighborhood sometime in April or May. It is the new sibling of Himalayan Bistro, a Nepalese restaurant in West Roxbury, and a website advertising the forthcoming restaurant shows a plate of samosas.

NORWOOD — The town is down a restaurant from Down Under. Well, not quite. Outback Steakhouse (1212 Providence Hwy.) closed for good earlier this month, leaving only a few remaining locations in the area, including those in Somerville, Peabody, Randolph, and Hanover.

PEABODY — Tony C’s Sports Bar & Grill (210 Andover St.) opens a fifth location this May at the Northshore Mall. The restaurant will span more than 7,000 square feet of space and will have at least 70 high-def televisions to accommodate hordes of sports fans. The North Shore can look forward to outdoor dining space, Red Sox paraphernalia, and a menu including items like Philly cheesesteak wontons.

WATERTOWN — J. Dee Asian Bistro (98 Main St.) closed its doors in Watertown, and Ginger Exchange will take its place. With two existing locations in Cambridge’s Inman Square and Boston’s Back Bay/Symphony area, Ginger Exchange now has a “coming soon” note on its website for the forthcoming Watertown location, indicating a spring opening. The restaurant serves a mix of Japanese, Korean, and Thai cuisine, and it’s also related to Mission Sushi & Wok and the delivery-only Wow Wings.

WELLESLEY — The owners of the Cottage have a new restaurant on the way to Wellesley. Door No. 7 (165 Linden St.) will be less family-friendly and more “adult” and “sophisticated” than the Cottage, co-owner Laura Wolfe told Wellesley’s Board of Selectmen, with the team whipping up small plates in an open kitchen. There will also be an oyster bar. Look out for its arrival in late summer, around August.

March 7, 2018

Brian Samuels

Chandra Gouldrup, owner of the Farmer’s Daughter and the forthcoming Towneship in North Easton

CONCORD — Adelita (1200 Main St.) opens for lunch and dinner, bringing farm-to-table, organic Mexican food to Concord. (Really farm-to-table: The meats come from owner Kristin Canty’s own farm in New Hampshire.) Canty also operates Woods Hill Table in West Concord and has a restaurant headed for Boston’s Seaport as well, on the former site of the iconic Anthony Pier’s 4. The menu at Adelita, developed by Woods Hill Table’s executive chef Charlie Foster, features items like tacos, ceviche, aguachile de camarones, chorizo taquitos, carne asada plates, and churros for dessert.

LYNN — IronBound Marketplace(3-11 Mt. Vernon)will be an indoor/outdoor market for the North Shore, filling downtown Lynn with food trucks, permanent stalls, and a broad collection of vendors. A block party celebrating the arrival of the market is scheduled for April.

MALDEN — 3 Amigos (375 Main St.) has opened in Malden with a menu full of Mexican dishes like fajitas, fish tacos, and flan, plus tequila infusions. The restaurant makes its corn tortillas in-house and boasts a wide selection of drinks. A grand opening for the restaurant is scheduled for March 14.

NEWTON — El Basha Grille (880 Walnut St.)opened a few weeks ago in Newton, joining existing locations in Worcester, Westborough, and Sudbury. The Newton location is takeout only, offering Mediterranean and Lebanese cuisine, including kebab, mezze items, shawarma, moussaka, falafel, and so much more.

NORTH EASTON — Brunchers in southeast Massachusetts have been going nuts for The Farmer’s Daughter (122 Main St.) since it opened five years ago, serving up New England comfort food featuring plenty of local ingredients. These days, there’s dinner service several nights a week as well — aka “TFD After Dark.” But that’s not all: Chef-owner Chandra Gouldrup is just about ready to open the Farmer’s Daughter’s dinner-focused follow-up, Towneship, in a renovated 150-year-old church nearby (140 Main St.)

The restaurant will make full use of the old church space — think mezzanine seating, cathedral ceilings, and lots of exposed bricks and beams. There will also be two bars, a chef’s table, an exposed kitchen, and outdoor dining.

Cory Williams (Social, the Met) will be executive chef at the new spot, serving up New England cuisine. Stay tuned for an opening date, which is fast approaching.

Towneship [official drawing]

This will one day be Towneship

SALEM — Antique Table (26 Congress St.) expands to Salem this week, opening officially on Friday, March 9. The restaurant has existing locations in Winthrop and Lynn, serving pizza, pasta, seafood, and more.

WAKEFIELD — Gloucester’s Tonno will add a second location in Wakefield (175 North Ave.), which will span more than 4,000 square feet with seating for 110 inside and 65 outdoors on a patio. With a full liquor license, Tonno will serve the same Italian seafood-focused menu as in Gloucester. Owner Anthony Caturano is also behind the acclaimed Prezza in Boston’s North End (24 Fleet St.)

February 28, 2018

Simjang/Facebook

Simjang banchan

ARLINGTON — Fusion Taste (303 Broadway) has closed down temporarily but could reopen at the same location soon. The restaurant serves Japanese and Chinese dishes, including sushi, noodles, and more. Stay tuned for updates on its return.

Also in Arlington,Bagels by Us (789 Massachusetts Ave.) will close on March 16 after more than 20 years in business. It’s known for its bagels, along with sandwiches, salads, and other diner fare.

BROOKLINE — Hamilton (1366 Beacon St.), a forthcoming restaurant and bar near Coolidge Corner, will serve “good, simple, seasonal food, rooted in classic cooking,” as chef Nick Davidovich (formerly of West Bridge, Salts, and 80 Thoreau) told Boston Restaurant Talk. The 149-seat restaurant, which will have a bar section separate from the main dining room, will also serve beer, wine, and cocktails.

QUINCY — Dorchester’s Windy City Pizza will add a new location in Quincy at 195 Newport Ave. It will serve pizza, subs, salads, wings, and more, and if all goes well, the restaurant could open by the end of the year, offering service until 3 a.m. and delivery.

Elsewhere in Quincy, Sala by Fratelli’s is on the way to 470 Southern Artery, and the person behind it is John Milone, who runs Fratelli’s Pastry Shop (which has three locations in Massachusetts). Sala by Fratelli’s will seat 60, with a menu of desserts and drinks, coffee, and more. Look out for an opening in May.

WORCESTER — The team behind the acclaimed Deadhorse Hill has a new restaurant opening tomorrow, March 1. Simjang (72 Shrewsbury St.) features American-Korean dishes, including Korean fried chicken, pork belly bossam, raw bar items, and more. Soft serve will eventually be on the menu too — flavors like matcha and yuzu — part of a growing trend nationwide.

The team has lots of Boston-area ties: Jared Forman and Sean Woods, two of the co-owners, come from Strip-T’s and other area restaurants, as does chef de cuisine Mike Wenc, and general manager Ellen Benson is an alum of Island Creek Oyster Bar and Giulia.

Meanwhile, Stix Noodle Bar (72 Franklin St.) has opened in Worcester from New England Craft Restaurant Concepts, which also operates Brew on the Grid. The group recently closed down its Cambridge location of Brew on the Grid and will replace it with another Stix Noodle Bar restaurant. Stix serves noodle bowls, stir-fried dishes, and more.

February 22, 2018

The Backroom at Moody’s [official photo]

BROOKLINE — Takusan Sushi has closed, and now Xiang Yu China Bistro operates in the 1223 Beacon St. location, serving stir fry, noodles, and items featuring pork belly, beef with hot pepper, and whole fish dishes.

Elsewhere in Brookline, a replacement is on the way for Yasu, which closed down in 2016. Hamilton will open at 1366 Beacon St., and an early look at interior designs shows it to be an expansive space.

DEDHAM — A trendy salad restaurant chain based in DC, Sweetgreen, opens a new location in Dedham at 244 Legacy Pl. on Monday, February 28. The chain will donate proceeds from this opening day to Fresh Truck.

SPRINGFIELD — An MGM Casino in Central Massachusetts will boast several different dining options, including one from chef Michael Mina (of PABU), which will be a coastal Italian concept called Cal Mare. Other options will include The Chandler Steakhouse, South End Market, and TAP Sports Bar.

WAKEFIELD — Public Kitchen took over Caryn’s Sports Bar & Restaurant in Wakefield, opening in mid-February at 397 Main St. The owners have a connection to Giacomo’s, which has locations in Melrose and both Boston’s North End and South End, and the restaurant serves pub-style items like burgers, flatbreads and more.

WALTHAM — The popular Moody’s Delicatessen & Provisions on Moody Street in Waltham drastically expanded its restaurant this week and introduced a larger menu full of seafood and more. There are now oysters available on the half shell, along with scallops, hamachi tiradito, a salmon belly BLT, and a daily crudo. Other menu items include charcuterie, flatbreads, and French onion soup. Moody’s also recently expanded to Back Bay.

WELLESLEY — The tide went out for Wellesley’s juice wave with the closure of Thirst Juice Shop in January. The business had been around since late 2016, and it continues to operate a location in Downtown Boston. Meanwhile, another trendy restaurant will move into town this week: The aforementioned salad chain Sweetgreen opens at 180 Linden St. on Saturday, February 24, and will donate proceeds from the first day to Natick Community Organic Farm.

February 14, 2018

Rachel Leah Blumenthal/Eater

Blue Ribbon pulled pork

BEVERLY — Poke continues to grow in popularity on the East Coast, this time landing in Beverly, north of Boston. Lolo Poke is now open (503 Rantoul St.) and serving the Hawaiian raw fish dish, as well as musubi — seaweed wrapped around rice and spam, tofu, salmon, or chicken.

BROCKTON — With existing locations in Falmouth, Saugus, and Northborough, Mexican restaurant Casa Vallarta just added another location in Brockton (610 Oak St.) All locations are family-owned, and the restaurants serve dishes such as burritos, fajitas, tacos, and enchiladas, plus a lengthy list of margaritas.

DEDHAM — Blue Ribbon BBQ made its debut in Dedham this week, opening on February 12 at 350 Washington St., per Boston Restaurant Talk. This planned expansion has been in the works since 2016. Blue Ribbon — with longstanding locations in Arlington and West Newton — is known for its pit-smoked barbecue, including platters of pulled pork, chicken, brisket, ribs, and more.

February 7, 2018

The Angry Donut/Facebook

The Angry Donut

FOXBORO — CBS Scene Restaurant & Bar (200 Patriot Pl.) closes down for lengthy renovations on February 12 after 10 years in business at Patriot Place. The renovations will coincide with a shift in management, as the Kraft Group and CBS have teamed up with Big Night Entertainment Group (Empire, Red Lantern, Explorateur, more) to run the restaurant. CBS Scene could reopen over the summer.

METHUEN — Pica’s Pub & Grill (10 Ayers Village Rd.)is open in Methuen, and it has a rich history in the area. In 1939, Albert Pica opened a restaurant called Garden Nite Cafe, and his family has run restaurants there ever since. Now, his great-grandson Shane Bernard, and Shane’s father Wayne, are running the new restaurant, which serves burgers, sandwiches (including a muffaletto), appetizers, salads, and entrees like baked mac and cheese and steak tips.

NEEDHAM — Petit Robert Bistro (45 Chapel St.)closed down towards the end of January, but a different restaurant is already lined up to take its place. Cappella will take over the Chapel Street space, under the auspices of Rob Picardi from Prezza in Boston’s North End.

Meanwhile, The James Pub & Provisions (1027 Great Plain Ave.) has opened near Needham Center, with a mix of small and large plates, including soda bread, grilled octopus, leek tart, duck confit salad, spicy beef tartare, seared monkfish, a burger, fish and chips, and grilled pork chops.

NEWBURYPORT — The Angry Donut(38 Washington St.)has found a home and debuted with limited hours last week. The former pop-up turned brick-and-mortar is now serving up doughnuts, scones, muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, brownies, and babka, plus coffee, espresso beverages, and tea.

SALEM — Mr. Crepe(83 Washington St.), which has a longtime location in Somerville’s Davis Square, has expanded north to Salem, opening with a familiar menu of stuffed crepes, pastries, soups, and more. The shop operates daily, serving breakfast through dinner.

January 24, 2018

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Adjarian khachapuri at Jana Grill & Bakery

BURLINGTON — Eddie V’s will take the place of Macaroni Grill, which closed down at 50 South Ave. last year. The Austin, TX-based chain of Eddie V’s is part of the Darden Restaurant Group and serves seafood and steak. It’s also coming to Boston proper.

Also in Burlington, Caffe Nero, the London-based chain of coffee shops that’s expanded with dramatic fashion in the Boston area over the last few years, has officially opened within the Burlington Mall (75 Middlesex Tpke.) It is situated near Au Bon Pain and Besito Mexican Restaurant.

FRAMINGHAM — Rasoi Gourmet Indian Kitchen (855 Worcester Rd.)has closed down after more than 20 years in business. A reason for the closure was not given, but posts on Facebook indicate the restaurant may pursue a new location.

MALDEN — Oppa’s Kitchen & Bar (157 Pleasant St.) is closed, at least for now; the business was seized.

NATICK — Kelly’s Roast Beef closes down this month after about 20 years in business in this location, which is inside of Jordan’s Furniture (2 Underprice Way). The owners are reportedly not renewing the lease on the space, though other locations of Kelly’s will remain in operation.

Meanwhile, the Natick Mall will get a Dave & Buster’s(1245 Worcester St.), which aims to take over a section of the current Sears, which is downsizing.

Finally, the owners of The Farmhouse in Needham have a new project planned for Natick. Buttercup is set to arrive at 13 West Central St. this spring from Dora Tavel-Sanchez Luz and Gabriel Sanchez, who aim to serve farm-to-table American dishes alongside a full bar. They’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to help with funding.

QUINCY — Momo Cafe is up and running in Quincy at 649 Hancock St., serving a selection of desserts and pastries, plus tea and more. (It does not serve momo, Nepalese dumplings.)

SALEM — Smokin’ Betty’s BBQ closed its doors at 94 Lafayette St. on January 14 after a little under a year in business. The owners — who are also behind Gulu-Gulu Cafe and Flying Saucer Pizza Company, which remain open — shared a heartfelt message on Facebook announcing the closure, stating: “At the end of the day it really came down to simple math. We spent more money than we brought in and we projected a larger number of customers than we saw come through our doors.” They intend to continue offering Smokin’ Betty’s food for catering orders and perhaps reopen one day in a smaller venue.

WATERTOWN — Jana Grill & Bakery (2 Watertown St.) opened just a week ago, and it’s serving a menu of Armenian dishes, including egg boats, babaganoush, shawarma, flatbreads, and breakfast items. It’s open daily from 10 a.m. to 10 or 11 p.m.

January 3, 2018

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Ramen at Broth by the Hangover

ARLINGTON — Chilly Cow (451 Massachusetts Ave.) will convert into Abilyn’s Frozen Bakery, under the same ownership. The ice cream shop will serve largely the same items with some additions, with a goal of making a name for itself as a national wholesale brand.

SAUGUS — A planned expansion of Kane’s Donuts will likely happen this spring, as the popular shop prepares to open a location with a drive-thru window within the Essex Landing development, which many will remember as the site of the Route 1 miniature golf course and its recognizable orange dinosaur statue, which still stands.

TAUNTON — A new Fratelli’s Pastry Shop is open (1 Washington St.), and it joins two more in Quincy and Weymouth. Like its counterparts, the Taunton shop serves specialty cakes, cupcakes, pastries, cookies, pies, and breads, in addition to a menu of sandwiches, salads, pizzas, calzones, and more Italian dishes. The Taunton bakery is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WELLESLEY — The Cottage (190 Linden St.) temporarily closed down on January 2 to allow for updates, including a menu change and interior renovations courtesy of Taniya Nayak, a former HGTV host and designer who has worked on several restaurants in the area, including Yellow Door Taqueria and Lower Mills Tavern, among others. Her designs for The Cottage will reportedly feature natural wood and greenery. Culinary director Peter Hansen will oversee updates to the menu. Expect The Cottage to reopen mid-January.

WEYMOUTH — Gourmet Oriental (625 Washington St.)has closed down. The restaurant served a mixture of Chinese dishes and offered karaoke, live music, and other entertainment.

WORCESTER — The team behind The Hangover Pub (Worcester’s bacon-filled restaurant) has a new restaurant focused on ramen. Broth is now open next door at 106 Green St., serving five different soups (including a vegetarian option), light appetizers, several cocktails, and two desserts made with bacon.

December 27, 2017

The Angry Donut/Facebook

The Angry Donut

LEXINGTON — Yangtze River(25 Depot Sq.), a Chinese-American restaurant that first opened in the 1970s, has closed down, per Boston Restaurant Talk. It served lunch and dinner, plus dim sum on the weekends. A different restaurant called Sanyo will take its place.

MARLBOROUGH — A new spot joined the interesting restaurant names category: Thairiffic is now open in Marlborough (128 Main St.), serving items like massaman curry, tom yum soup, and fresh rolls. The restaurant also offers takeout.

NEEDHAM — It’s been many months since chef Rachel Klein departed the restaurant that bears her initials, RFK Kitchen (30 Dedham Ave.), and now it’s getting a rebranding. L&K (“lounge and kitchen”) grandly reopens tomorrow, December 28, with new managers and a new menu by new executive chef Matthew Kovach. There’s also a new cocktail menu and selection of “lounge bites.”

NEWBURYPORT — A pop-up called The Angry Donut has permanent aspirations. Founder Tom Quill is a native of Newburyport, and he connected with baker Jill Passen to launch The Angry Donut, appearing as a pop-up and at farmers markets around the region. Now, they’re working to secure a permanent location and have launched a Kickstarter to help fund the process, offering rewards for those who donate.

WESTFORD — Go to The Okipoké(8 Cornerstone Sq., Unit B) and eat yourself some fish. The new restaurant in Westford serves a wide range of options, including bowls, burritos, and salads, topped with tuna, salmon, shrimp, tofu, and more.

WORCESTER — A place for Vietnamese noodles and seafood opened recently in Worcester. My Sister’s Crawfish II(442 Park Ave.)joins Dorchester’s My Sister’s Crawfish in serving rice plates, bun, noodles, spring rolls, and crawfish by the pound, plus bubble tea.

December 20, 2017

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Tuna poke tostadas at Bueno Malo

ANDOVER — “The flavors of Mexico meet the heartbeat of Southern California” at Bueno Malo, which opened about six weeks ago in Andover. Mike Reidy and Franco Lozano III teamed up for the restaurant, which has a full bar and serves tacos and burritos stuffed with steak, grilled chicken, shrimp, fish, bean and cheese, and even tater tots. For dinner, there are wings, taquitos, ceviche, nachos, and street corn.

DEDHAM — Legacy Place continues to grow its food and beverage options, adding one more this week: Temazcal Tequila Cantina’snewest location, now open, spans 7,000 square feet, filling nearly every inch with Mexican dishes and more than 250 varieties of tequila.

NORTH ANDOVER — Howling Wolf Taqueria, featured in Eater Boston’s Salem dining guide, already has one fast-casual location in Marblehead, but this spring it will add another in North Andover. The new Howling Wolf Express will operate with a full liquor license within a space at 550 Turnpike St.

SAUGUS — One of the most recognizable plots of land in Saugus will soon be home to a new restaurant. A development project at the site of the former Hilltop Steak House will bring a 110 Grill restaurant to the area, along with an undetermined fast-casual restaurant. The Saugus 110 Grill will join several existing locations around the state, and a bunch more are on the way.

SWAMPSCOTT — Local-born chain B.Good will expand to the North Shore, adding a restaurant in Swampscott at 450 Paradise Rd. B.Good serves a line of locally-sourced fast-casual meals, including salads, burgers, sandwiches, and grain bowls.

WALPOLE — A source for beer will go quietly into the night in Walpole: British Beer Company on Route 1 will shutter on Christmas Eve, with reports indicating the business couldn’t reach an agreement with the landlord. There are 13 other locations in the region.

December 13, 2017

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Mooyah burgers

BERLIN — Mooyah Burgers, Fries & Shakes opened its newest Massachusetts location on December 11 (48 Highland Commons East). The Texas-based fast-food chain serves a menu true to its silly name, focusing on burgers, which are topped with items like bacon and jalapeños. There are turkey burger and chicken options for sandwiches as well, and the restaurant also has vegetarian options, plus hot dogs, french fries, and salads, along with shakes.

BRAINTREE — The Braintree side of the Weymouth Landing development will welcome a new restaurant, Bates Bar and Grill(2 Commercial St.), taking the place of the Landing Pub and Ultimate Pizza, which were torn down after a fire.

MELROSE — A restaurant serving sushi and pan-Asian dishes is now open in Melrose. Tsukiji Bistro is located at 505 Main St., in the same building as Stearns & Hill’s Bistro.

SALEM — Stacia’s Place closed down (97 Bridge St.) on December 1. The restaurant had been around for 35 years, serving subs of all varieties, along with soup, salads, wings, hot dogs, and several other items.

Also in Salem, Victoria Station has been shut down, with reports indicating that it had not renewed the lease for the space at 86 Wharf St.

WELLESLEY — Smith & Wollensky plans to open a steakhouse location in Wellesley — taking over the longtime Blue Ginger space at 583 Washington St., as previously reported — and has set a target opening date for mid-April 2018. There are two existing locations in Boston proper, along with other steakhouses in Chicago, Columbus, Houston, Miami Beach, and London.

November 29, 2017

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Fiorella’s Concord

CONCORD — Fiorella’s has arrived in Concord, joining an existing location in Newton (and takeout-oriented siblings dubbed Fiorella’s Express in Belmont, Cambridge, and Brighton). The new restaurant, located at 24 Walden St. (the former Bondir space), serves the familiar menu of Italian dishes in a full-service dining format.

FRAMINGHAM — The beloved J&M Diner is back in business after a devastating fire pushed it out of its original home back in March. The new restaurant opened at 50 Worcester Rd. at 6 a.m. on November 27, with a line out the door.

WALTHAM — A Brothers Marketplace is on the way to Waltham and will open within The Merc at Moody and Main (45 Moody St.), per Boston Restaurant Talk. There are other locations in Weston and Medfield, offering retail goods along with prepared foods.

November 22, 2017

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Blue Canoe Cafe storefront

CONCORD — A new market on the way to Concord will also serve prepared foods, and the folks behind it also run Trail’s End Cafe and Lincoln Kitchen. Concord Market will be located on Lowell Road and could open in about a year.

DEDHAM — Yep, there’s another Caffe Nero open. This one’s at Legacy Place (218 Legacy Pl.); it debuted on November 20.

MARBLEHEAD — A new place for coffee and food will open within a storefront on School Street that was previously home to Atomic Cafe. Blue Canoe Cafe (14 School St.) will serve coffee, sandwiches, smoothies, and baked goods, along with bags of Atomic coffee. Renovations are underway.

PEABODY — Seawitch Restaurant & Oyster Bar, a longtime restaurant and fish market, is now under new ownership with a new name — well, two: The market arm of the business became North Shore Lobster and the restaurant became SeaGrilz. Both are open and located at 203 Newbury St. (Rte. 1).

Peabody will also see the addition of a La Siesta restaurant, which has an existing location in Winthrop. The Mexican restaurant will open within a building under redevelopment at 1 Main St.

November 15, 2017

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Pressed Juicery juices

LYNN — A Central American chicken chain called Pollo Campero (25 State St.) grandly opened a location in Lynn this week, serving fried and grilled chicken. There are also two other locations nearby, in East Boston and Chelsea.

WAKEFIELD — A new restaurant called Public Kitchen (395 Main St.) will take over for Caryn’s Sports Bar & Restaurant in Wakefield. The partners in the new restaurant are all connected to Giacomo’s, which has locations in Melrose and both Boston’s North End and South End. Expect to see pub-style items like burgers, flatbreads, wings, and chili.

WELLESLEY — California-based Pressed Juicery has a new location in Linden Square (180 Linden St., Suite 107), where it offers cold-pressed juices and frozen treats. There’s also a location in Cambridge’s Harvard Square and one on Newbury Street in Boston.

WORCESTER — A 1920s-themed restaurant called Josephine (551 Main St.) will open within the Hanover Theater in Worcester around spring 2018, and the person behind it is Chris Rassias, who also operates The Farimount Grille in Hyde Park.

November 8, 2017

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Singh Saab

ARLINGTON — Waltham’s Santa Banta has officially relocated and reopened in Arlington as Singh Saab(444 Massachusetts Ave.). The restaurant offers a large menu of Punjabi dishes and a lunch buffet.

BURLINGTON — Singh Saab also got a sister restaurant in Burlington this week, an Indochinese restaurant called Singh Ching (184 Cambridge St.)

NEW BEDFORD — dNB Burgers (22 Elm St.)once again fell victim to vandalism this week, with a Facebook post showing a brick that had been thrown through one of the windows. This is the fourth instance of vandalism or break-in at the restaurant.

NORTH SCITUATE — A fire destroyed 50-year-old Jamie’s Grille & Pub in North Scituate this past weekend, and the building will likely be torn down. A post on the restaurant’s Facebook page indicated there were no injuries. There is no word yet on whether the owners will rebuild.

November 1, 2017

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Friendly’s ice cream

MARLBOROUGH — In an attempt to rebound from closures, Friendly’s is testing a new prototype restaurant in Marlborough, with plans to open more locations in the next several years, MassLive reports. The new restaurants feature drive-through windows, which 10 existing locations will also get. The Marlborough location is slated to open on November 6 at the Apex Center on Route 20 (180 Boston Post Rd. W.)

NEEDHAM — The James Pub & Provisions will open within the former home of the Centre Cafe (1027 Great Plain Ave.), per Boston Restaurant Talk. The owners aim to “bring the pubs of fond memory into the light once more,” according to the restaurant’s website, and it will reportedly open some time this fall.

WOBURN — A new restaurant called Shallots (920 Main St.) opened in September with an Asian fusion lunch and dinner menu that includes items like stir-fry noodles, panang curry, mango fried rice, chili duck, steak, and spicy eggplant, among others.

October 25, 2017

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Spiga

LYNN — The White Rose Coffee House has closed, as The Daily Item reports, due to drama prompted by anti-police statements that the owner’s daughter (and a manager at the cafe) made on Facebook. Owner Kato Mele apologized, fired her daughter, and invited police to the cafe to make amends, but it was not enough.

NEEDHAM — The nearly decade-old Spiga (18 Highland Cir.) has reopened after a big revamp, with chef Marisa Iocco in charge as the new co-owner. The Italian restaurant underwent a menu and design overhaul over the summer.

PEABODY — Regina Pizzeria has closed down its location at the Northshore Mall, sharing an update on Twitter that “we closed at that location because the Mall took our space to make a new entrance.”

WOBURN — Arcenia’s Cucina Rustica closed its doors in Woburn and has now been replaced by a different Italian restaurant called Fortunato’s (428 Main St.)

October 18, 2017

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Davio’s in Braintree

BRAINTREE — Davio’s officially opened its newest location in Braintree this week at the South Shore Plaza. This is the ninth location for the restaurant.

CHELMSFORD — The Establishment is a family owned and operated restaurant at 75 Princeton St. that debuted in September with a menu ranging from burgers and pizza to baked haddock, steak tips, and more.

CONCORD — As Country Kitchen owner Trish Irons prepares for retirement, the restaurant prepares to close on December 15, per Boston Restaurant Talk. Irons is pursuing options, including having someone else take over the restaurant.

LOWELL — Loui Loui Louisiana Seafood opened a new location in Lowell a few months ago, and its recent growth has gone beyond the Northeast. The restaurant had just two other locations when it opened in Allston earlier this year (in Stoneham, Massachusetts, and Fort Lee, New Jersey), and now its presence reaches as far as Duluth, Georgia, with six total restaurants.

STONEHAM — One restaurant closed down and another is on the way to Stoneham, just north of Boston. Felicia’s (423 Main St.) shuttered over the weekend after more than 50 years in business. Meanwhile, chef Patrick Campbell (previously of Cafe ArtScience and No. 9 Park) plans to open The Stones Common House & Kitchen in the town square.

October 11, 2017

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Cook in Needham

BRAINTREE — Davio’s Northern Italian Steakhouse will soon add a new member of the family with the opening of its Braintree restaurant at 250 Granite St. The massive restaurant, slated to open early next week at South Shore Plaza, spans 10,000 square feet and serves pasta made in-house, seafood, beef entrees, and more.

DEDHAM — Fast food chicken chain Chick-Fil-A (140 Providence Hwy.) opened its eleventh location in Massachusetts last week. The beloved, albeit controversial, restaurant is known for giving away free chicken to the first 100 customers on opening day, and Dedham’s opening drew a crowd ahead of time.

NEEDHAM — Cook (109 Chapel St.) opened over the weekend, joining an existing location in Newton (825 Washington St.) Right now, Cook is open for dinner, but lunch and brunch will follow soon. The restaurant seats 115 and serves items like lobster sliders, chili-rubbed flat-iron steak, and tagliatelle with meatballs.

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