Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Nothing to do on April 19th in San Francisco and the East Bay? 0:)

Anyone in the San Francisco/East Bay area on April 19th should get along to the Black Brothers concert. If you love Irish music and great storytelling, you'll love it!

19 April 2013
San Francisco (CA)
Black Brothers in Concert at Collins Theater

http://www.black-brothers.com

If you want to join in yourselves, I can highly recommend Shay's sessions at the Starry Plough! I miss heading out there myself: A highlight of the week!

"Join Shay and many of his friends in the East Bay for the 'Starry Irish Session' -
A night of lively Irish music and song at 8pm every Sunday night.
'The Starry Plough' is situated at 3101 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley
(Tel: 510.841.2080) one block east of Ashby BART."

http://www.starryploughpub.com

Anyone heading to San Francisco should bear it in mind because the session is open for anyone almost every Sunday evening of the year 0:)

Shay Black is brilliant and regardless of what level your musicianship lies, he'll have you tapping/clapping along and joining in!

P.S. from Shay via Facebook.

"The Black Brothers Band are performing our only San Francisco show this year at the Collins Theater on the campus of Sacred Heart Cathedral Prep (SHCP) this coming Friday (April 19th) for a special fundraiser for the school. The show promises to be very entertaining as not only will we have the full band on board (Bobbi Nikles on fiddle, Eamonn Flynn on piano, Shay Black on guitar and vocals, and Michael Black on cittern, banjo and vocals), but we will also be joined by some very special guests. The SHCP string ensemble will join us for a few songs, as well as Ciara Black on vocals, and freshly back from the World Irish Dance Championships, Ciara Duggan. The event commences at 7.00 with a very "Irish" reception with music by harpist, Maureen Brennan and show begins at 8.00pm.
If you can't make it but might have some friends who might be interested feel free to forward this message.
Black Brothers in Concert at Collins Theater
Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory School
1055 Ellis St. San Francisco
Phone: 415-775-6626


Ellen 0:)

Saturday, April 6, 2013

XYZ Studios

With thanks to somebody's mother who carries her son's business cards around. 0:)

Just discovered this gem of an animation studio carrying on business here in Melbourne. Another of those "unsung heroes" who gets overlooked in their hometown while the rest of the world sings their praises.

http://www.xyzstudios.com

Check out their accolades:
http://xyzstudios.com/about/

Check out their style:
http://xyzstudios.com/category/againstallodds/

Read all about it:
http://blog.xyzstudios.com/

Their business card is going into my little black book for future reference. 0:)

Ellen 0:)

Friday, April 5, 2013

New Colored Pencil Fine Art Exhibition

Now on-line and well worth the look-see: Not quite the schoolroom children's efforts of your years-gone-by!

http://www.cpsa.org/view-explore-this-9

And yes, they are still called "paintings", regardless of what medium is used to create the fine art that results. 0:)

"Explore This" exhibition rules allow for more mediums than only colored pencil to be used while exploration of the possibilities and resulting creative experimentation is appreciated. It's a freer environment!

Check it out! 0:)

Ellen 0:)


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Lucas Arts? Not far, far away at all...

*Star Wars* aficionadi are reeling from the news that Disney has completed the plans to close down LucasArts.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-57577786-235/disney-shuttering-lucasarts-moving-to-licensed-games-model/

Hold fast to hope though! Not all projects are completely lost!
"Although LucasArts itself will halt development of its two major projects, Star Wars 1313 and Star Wars: First Assault, it appears that those games are not dead in the water. A source with knowledge of the decision told CNET that neither game is being fully shut down, but that it has not yet been determined what will happen to them. However, LucasFilm has decided that "Star Wars" games should now be developed either by third-party studios or by Disney Interactive."

Facebook wails aside, it's always curious to me how myopic and narrowly-focused fans can be when it comes to their personal stake in a franchise or its creative talent. Reading Facebook flailings at the above news, I was reminded of an article I read not long after the inimitable George Lucas sold his long-treasured creation.

Now he has sold *Star Wars*, it moaned, what is he going to do to fill in his time?
A-ha! It exclaimed! He is building a museum! He will be filling in his time building a monument to all he achieved with *Star Wars*.

Hmmmm, says I, a long time observer at *Edutopia*. http://www.edutopia.org

Seems to me it isn't George Lucas lacking in creativity or imagination but those fans writing about his perceived "Clayton's retirement".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/08/usa-georgelucas-museum-idUSL1N0C00NS20130308

"(Reuters) - Filmmaker George Lucas, the creator of "Star Wars," has submitted a bid to build a "storytelling museum" in San Francisco to share his vast collection of contemporary paintings, illustrations and digital art.

Lucas has offered to construct the Lucas Cultural Arts Museum on federal land, run it and stock it with hundreds of millions of dollars worth of art by the likes of Norman Rockwell and Maxfield Parrish. "What he finds most fascinating in these artists is their ability to capture an emotion and tell an entire story in one image," Lucas spokesman David Perry told Reuters.!...Lucas sold Lucasfilm Ltd., his film-making venture founded in 1971, to The Walt Disney Co. for $4.05 billion in 2012. Perry estimated the value of the proposed gift at $1 billion, including the artwork and more than $300 million to construct the museum at the Presidio."

"The semi-retired Lucas described his proposed museum as "a dedication to cultural fantasy" in an interview with CBS This Morning.

"Part of the museum is designed to educate younger people into the idea of storytelling, into the idea of being able to paint your fantasies, which is what 'Star Wars' was," he said.

"'Star Wars' was there to inspire young people to imagine things, to imagine going anywhere in the universe and doing anything you want to do and using your imagination to entertain yourself."

The museum would include five galleries, ranging in size from 4,500 to 8,500 square feet, a 200-seat theater and a 75-seat lecture hall. It would feature breathtaking views of the Bay, Alcatraz and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Lucas bought his first work of art, a page from one of Walt Disney's Uncle Scrooge comic books, for $25 when he was a University of Southern California film student. Since then, he has amassed a collection of 150 years of what he calls "fantastical" art.

In a letter accompanying his proposal, Lucas described a childhood trip from his home in Modesto to the de Young Museum in San Francisco as life changing.

"I was drawn in by Norman Rockwell's ability to tell a complete story in a single image," he wrote. "It was then that I began to learn the art of visual storytelling.""

Decision is apparently planned for some time in April. CANNOT WAIT! I know certain fans won't agree with me but I think we are only now seeing the best George Lucas has in store for us all.

Ellen 0:)