Center Stage

Coming June 1, 2010

Tune in Tuesday, June 1st at 7PM (PST) as KXLU Los Angeles proudly presents Center Stage with Mark Gordon featuring special guests:

Bartlett Sher & Rod Gilfrey will be talking about the new the new production of SOUTH PACIFIC which is going to open at the Music Center on June 2nd.

Máire Clerkin will be talking about his one woman show The Bad Arm - Confessions of a Dodgy Irish Dancer - a one-woman comedy with Irish Dance

SOUTH PACIFIC

THE LINCOLN CENTER PRODUCTION OF ROGERS AND HAMMERSTEIN'S "SOUTH PACIFIC" OPENS WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2 AT AHMANSON THEATRE IN LOS ANGELES

A luscious new production of one of Broadway's most endearing musicals, the Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific," opens next Wednesday, June 2, 2010, at 8 p.m. at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre, and runs through July 17, 2010.

Directed by Tony Award ®-winner Bartlett Sher, this production Rodgers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific," is the first Broadway revival of the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical since its 1949 premiere, and swept the 2007-2008 theatre awards, winning seven Tony Awards® including Best Musical Revival as well as the Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Drama League Awards for Best Musical Revival.

Set on a tropical island during World War II, the musical tells the sweeping romantic story of two couples - U.S. Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and French plantation owner Emile de Becque, and Navy Airman Joe Cable and a young local native girl, Liat, and how their happiness is threatened by the realities of the war and by their own prejudices.

The new production features a cast of 34, musical staging by Christopher Gattelli, sets by Michael Yeargan (winner of the 2008 Tony Award®), costumes by Catherine Zuber (winner of the 2008 Tony Award®), lighting by Donald Holder (winner of the 2008 Tony Award®), sound by Scott Lehrer (winner of the 2008 Tony Award®) and music direction by Ted Sperling. A full orchestra of 26 members - the largest orchestra of any touring Broadway production - will perform the original orchestrations by Robert Russell Bennett (winner of a Special 2008 Tony Award®) and dance and incidental music arranged by Trude Rittmann

Rodgers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific" premiered at the Majestic Theatre on April 7, 1949, and went on to enjoy a five-year Broadway run winning nine Tony Awards including Best Musical, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and countless other awards. Considered by many to be the finest musical ever written, the score's songs include such musical theatre classics as "Some Enchanted Evening," "Younger Than Springtime," "Bali Ha'i," "There is Nothin' Like A Dame" and "A Wonderful Guy."

Tickets for Rogers & Hammerstein's "South Pacific" are available by calling Center Theatre Group Audience Services at (213) 972-4400, in person at the Center Theatre Group box office located the Ahmanson Theatre or online at Center Theatre Group.

Hot-Tix, priced at $20, are available and can be purchased in advance, or subject to availability, on the day of performance at the CTG box office (no checks). For the deaf community, call TDD (213) 680-4017 for tickets and information. Orders for groups of 15 or more may be placed by calling (213) 972-7231.

THE BAD ARM: CONFESSIONS OF A DODGY IRISH DANCER

Click image to play promo The Bad Arm - Confessions of a Dodgy Irish Dancer is a one-woman play by London-Irish dancer-performer Máire Clerkin. Amid astounding bursts of rhythm and physical theatre, this ugly-duckling-never-quite-swan recounts her experiences of sex and booze and rock and roll like only a convent-educated Irish catholic girl can.

If you thought all Irish dancers were curly-haired cutie-pies with perfect posture, meet a scowling misfit from London in this outrageous antidote to Riverdance.

Máire Clerkin jumps in and out of Irish dancing shoes, clicking and kicking her way across the stage in this percussive account of being English in Ireland, Irish in England and a pink-haired punk in a grey city. Pungent vintage photos of not-so-swinging London illustrate Clerkin's woeful but hilarious personal history as the disappointing daughter of a successful Irish Dancing teacher in 1970s London. Clerkin's'glorious riffs of traditional Irish dance... animated impersonations and snapshot transitions...'(LA WEEKLY) deliver an hour of rich, dark comedy.

The Bad Arm - Confessions of a Dodgy Irish Dancer - a one-woman comedy with Irish Dance - written and performed by Máire Clerkin, directed by Dan O'Connor, hits Theatre Asylum Lab for six performances in the Hollywood Fringe Festival. 6320 Santa Monica Blvd. LA, CA 90038

June 19 at 4:00 PM & 11:30 PM, June 20 at 7:00 PM, June 25 at 5:30 PM & June 27 at 2:30 PM and 7:00 PM BUY TICKETS on-line at Hollywood Fringe or phone 866 8110-4111 For more info visit www.maireclerkin.com Tickets $10

Coming May 25th 2010

Tune in Tuesday, May 25th at 7PM (PST) as KXLU Los Angeles proudly presents Center Stage with Mark Gordon featuring special guests:

Joe Berlinger will be talking about his new film CRUDE

Christopher Browne will be talking about his new film AFTER THE CUP: SONS OF SAKHNIN UNITED

Also entertainment attorney Dina LaPolt

CRUDE

As many of you may have seen in the press, the makers of Crude were recently served with subpoenas by Chevron, in an effort to gain access to the nearly 600 hours of raw footage accumulated during the making of the film. Our attorneys filed a response, stating that our footage is protected by the journalist's privilege and forcing us to hand it over to any third party (either Chevron, the plaintiffs' lawyers, or anyone else) is a violation of our First Amendment rights. The hearing was held on Friday, April 30th in New York.

Last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ruled against us, unfortunately denying our arguments.

We are appealing this decision, as we feel it is a violation of our First Amendment rights and could have a seriously chilling effect on documentary filmmakers and journalists everywhere. We appreciate the incredible outpouring of support from people in the documentary community and allies all over the world, and we hope that this extremely troubling situation will conclude in our favor. We will keep you posted on all developments. Please keep checking back here for updates.

Thank you for your support.

-Joe Berlinger, May 12, 2010

AFTER THE CUP: SONS OF SAKHNIN UNITED

There are over 1.4 million Arabs who are citizens of Israel, facing the challenge of living in a Jewish state while maintaining their Arabic heritage. In Israel, soccer is king, and Bnei Sakhnin has become the first team from an Arab town to win the prestigious Israeli Cup- and represent Israel in European competition. Fielding Arab, Jewish and foreign-born players, owned by an Arab, and coached by a Jew, Bnei Sakhnin's success has begun to represent a symbol of coexistence, a potential bridge between Arabs and Jews in Israel.

But as Bnei Sakhnin begins its first season after their unexpected win, they know it may well be their first and last in the limelight. Underfunded, lacking experience, and with a rift brewing between the star player and the coach, they face unprecedented challenges- impossible expectations have come with their sudden success, and failure to live up to them will carry consequences both on and off the field. AFTER THE CUP tells the story of a soccer team that couldn't create a new Middle East, but showed the world what it could look like.

Dina LaPolt

LaPolt is regularly asked to speak all over the world on music business panels ranging from SXSW in Austin, Texas and CMJ in New York City to MIDEM, the annual International Music Business Conference held in Cannes, France. She has also been featured on numerous talk radio and television shows across the country. In addition, LaPolt has authored numerous articles on the music business, which have been published in the Entertainment Publishing and the Arts Handbook, Mathew Bender Entertainment Industry Contracts: Negotiating and Drafting Guides, A&R Registry, California Lawyers for the Arts Music Business Seminar and Cosmik Debris magazine. She has been quoted in national magazines including Billboard, Rolling Stone and Music Connection.

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Coming Tuesday May 18th

Tune in Tuesday, May 18th at 7PM (PST) as KXLU Los Angeles proudly presents Center Stage with Mark Gordon featuring special guests:

Dave Davidson will be talking about his new film A PLACE OUT OF TIME: THE BORDENTOWN SCHOOL

Laura Poitras will be talking about her new film THE OATH

A Place Out of Time: The Bordentown School

For a seventy-year period, when America cared little about the education of African-Americans, and discrimination was law and custom, The Bordentown School was an educational utopia. An incubator for black pride and intellect, it taught values, discipline, and life skills to generations of black children. This is the story of that remarkable school, as told by Bordentown alumni, historians, and remarkable archival footage. It is also the story of black education in America across three centuries, presenting a nuanced, rarely seen portrait of a separate black space; and a much-needed preface to the growing national discussion about historically black institutions and their role in nurturing identity and accomplishment. What was lost and what was gained in the march toward equality?

Watch at trailer for the film. A Place Out of Time - The Bordentown School

THE OATH

Academy Award ®-nominated director Laura Poitras brings to audiences a singular work of high-risk filmmaking with this gripping documentary political thriller shot on location in Yemen and Guantanomo Bay. THE OATH is the cross-cut tale of two men whose fateful meeting ultimately propelled them on very different courses with Al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, September 11th, Guantanamo Bay Prison and the U.S.

Poitras is that rare filmmaker who risks her life to go to Yemen and Guantanomo Bay and gets incredible access. Because she has had contact with these former Al Queda members, she has now been placed on the "watch list" at airports. Recently though, on her way to Berlin, she ended up on the "no fly" list and had to have a government official step in to clear her status. In a year, when a female director who made a narrative film about the war, here we have another female director who actually went to Yemen, Guantanomo Bay, and Iraq to give us first hand insight as to the impact of this conflict on the people there and those we are fighting.

Poitras's previous film MY COUNTRY MY COUNTRY was nominated for an Oscar in 2007 for Best Documentary, as she profiled and follows a doctor in Iraq whose family was separated by the war and eventually, he had to flee to Europe. Poitras is an important American filmmaker and with THE OATH, she brings us another point of view that is rarely seen. This time, from former Al Queda members - one a "re-educated" reformed Jihadist and the other, a prisoner in Guantonomo Bay who becomes one of the first POW's to have a trial by the Bush regime. THE OATH is the rare film that brings audiences face to face with members of Al Queda.

Coming Tuesday May 11, 2010

Tune in Tuesday, May 11th at 7PM (PST) as KXLU Los Angeles proudly presents Center Stage with Mark Gordon featuring special guests:

Harmony Korine will be talking about his new film TRASH HUMPERS

Marc Forby will be talking about his new film PRINCESS KAIULANI

Ronnie Marmo will be talking about his new production LENNY BRUCE IS BACK

TRASH HUMPERS follows a small group of elderly "Peeping Toms" through the shadows and margins of an unfamiliar world. Crudely documented by the participants themselves, we follow the debased and shocking actions of a group of true sociopaths the likes of which have never been seen before. Inhabiting a world of broken dreams and beyond the limits of morality, they crash against a torn and frayed America. Bordering on an ode to vandalism, it is a new type of horror, palpable and raw.

Set against the dramatic island backdrop of Hawaii and based on the inspiring true story, Princess Kaiulani is a breathtaking romance about an unlikely heroine and her unwavering fight to defend the independence of her people.

In 1888, Hawaii was a paradise teetering on the brink of civil unrest. The tide had turned against the long-incumbent royal family, under the malevolent influence of a rebel party with links to the American government. Within months, the Palace was overthrown, and the royals exiled.

Princess Kaiulani also known as Barbarian Princess is a drama film, set to be released in USA on May 14, 2010 (limited). The film is written by Marc Forby / Robert Payne and directed by Marc Forby, and stars: Q'orianka Kilcher as Princess Ka'iulani, Barry Pepper as Thurston, Will Patton as Sanford B. Dole, Shaun Evans as Clive Davies, Jimmy Yuill as Archie, Julian Glover as Mr. Davies, Tamzin Merchant as Alice Davies, Catherine Steadman as Miss Barnes and Kainoa Kilcher as Kaleo.

Actor Ronnie Marmo (ABC's General Hospital) is the comic legend Lenny Bruce in Lenny Bruce is Back (And Boy Is He Pissed), where the political and social critic returns from the grave for one final performance. Bruce's passionate comedy and crusades for free speech led to obscenity charges and arrests, paving the way for the honest and uncensored acts of Richard Pryor, George Carlin and Robin Williams.

Coming May 4th

Tune in Tuesday, May 4th at 7PM (PST) as KXLU Los Angeles proudly presents Center Stage with Mark Gordon featuring special guests:

Claire Brownell and Eric Hissom will be talking about the hit show ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S THE 39 STEPS.

Lesliie Zemeckis will be talking about her documentary BEHIND THE BURLY Q..

Justin Bahniuk and Michael Gates from the band TRESTLES.

ALFRED HITCHCOCK'S "THE 39 STEPS"

Mix a Hitchcock masterpiece with a juicy spy novel, add a dash of Monty Python and you have Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps." This two-time Tony and Drama Desk Award winner is adapted by Patrick Barlow (Olivier Award for Best New Comedy), directed by Maria Aitken and features sets and costumes by Peter McKintosh. The production is based on an original concept by Simon Corble and Nobby Dimon and on the book by John Buchan.

Seeking a frivolous night out at the theatre, Richard Hannay is lured into a world of intrigue by a mysterious woman claiming to be a spy. When she winds up dead in his flat, he flees London with the police hot on his trail. This is a classic portrayal of one man's flight from wrong accusation through a series of misadventures and old fashioned romance.

Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" features a cast of four actors - Claire Brownwell, Ted Deasy, Eric Hissom and Scott Parkinson - who, against all odds, breathlessly and hilariously attempt to reenact all of the characters, locations and famous scenes in Hitchcock's 1935 film thriller with just a few props and a lot of theatrical ingenuity and split second quick changes.

Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" features lighting by Kevin Adams and sound by Mic Pool. Dialect coach is Stephen Gabis. Original movement created by Toby Sedgwick. Additional movement created by Christopher Bayes. Production management is by Aurora Productions.

Tickets for Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps" start at $20 and are available by calling (213) 972-4400 or online at www.CenterTheatreGroup.org. Tickets can also be purchased in person at the Center Theatre Group box office at the Music Center. For the deaf community, call TDD (213) 680-4017 for tickets and information. Orders for groups of twenty (20) or more may be placed by calling (213) 972-7231.

Alfred Hitchcock's "The 39 Steps," is currently playing at the Center Theatre Group/Ahmanson Theatre through May 16

Director Leslie Zemeckis, producer Sheri Hellard traveled extensively across the country from the Bayous of post-Katrina in Mississippi, to New Jersey to Florida, filming dozens of interviews with little-known performers. They tracked down the last remaining stars, along with the relatives of deceased performers who shared their scrapbooks and their stories. Interviewed were former musicians, strippers, novelty acts, club owners, funny men and women, authors and historians assembled together like never before.

TRESTLES

Justin Bahniuk and Michael Gates met at Graceland University, Lamoni Iowa, in 1998. Bahniuk was a music performance major and Gates a commercial design major. Both were involved with numerous bands in college, but did not begin creating electronic music together until 2003, when both were living in Des Moines Iowa. Trestles was born in November of that year.

Although Gates and Bahniuk came from different musical backgrounds, both found common ground with interests in vintage electronic music, american sub-cultures, and surreal art. Gates and Bahniuk found electronic music was the best genre to get musical ideas and concepts across effectively.

The name "Trestles" comes from an old wooden bridge to the east of Lamoni Iowa. The bridge was a common place for Gates and Bahniuk, as well as other friends, to explore their nature environment. "Trestles", the name, also represents a musical bridge for the listener to travel across. Bridging the gap between reality and fantasy.

Trestles musicians try to become vessels for higher inspiration. Trestles uses many different types of instrumentation including Software Synthesizers, home 4-track recorders and processed pre-recorded music loops.

In 2005 Trestles re-located to Los Angeles, California, where they reside today. In 2010 Steven Phillips joined Trestles as a full time member. Steve hails from Atlanta, Georgia, and has a rich musical background including work with James Brown.