Uncover Secret Bars, Private Patios, and To-Die-For Specialty Cocktails at Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor

Stumble Upon the Strongest Spirits at Dark Harbor and Sip on a Green Gummy Bear, Watery Grave, S.O.S. and More
September 27 – November 2
Darkness will once again descend upon the legendary Queen Mary in Long Beach for Dark Harbor, Southern California’s most terrifyingly authentic haunt, with six mazes, private patios, and FOUR new captivating secret bars masked in menacing darkness, waiting to be uncovered. Those daring enough will have the opportunity to venture through Dark Harbor in hopes of stumbling upon the demented delights brewing within The SideBar, Door 13, The Line Up, and The Broken Compass. Guests are encouraged to push their curiosity, mingle with monsters, and test their fears in hopes of discovering the strongest spirits at Dark Harbor to sip on the to-die-for new specialty cocktails that only lurk within.
“All throughout Dark Harbor, monsters and crew members will possess a select number of wooden tokens to distribute. These tokens provide a mystifying clue hinting at the location of an access point,” hinted Charity Hill, Executive Producer Dark Harbor. “Everyone is going to want to be in a secret bar. It’s our ultimate bar experience. And this year, one of the secret bars is a place on the ship where people have wanted to gather for years and we’ve never opened it up to Dark Harbor, until now.”
Guests can gather these elusive coins by interacting with chaotic characters, making the ultimate wish at the new Gallows Wishing Well, and by taking control and pulling strings in the Imperium Puppet Theatre. For those select guests who are able to successfully decode the treachery and trickery laid upon them, Dark Harbor’s secret bars will offer their spell binding specialty cocktails that are out of this world. Cocktails include The Pickled Punk - a flavorful whiskey-based shot chased with pickle juice and the Green Gummy Bear - a mixture of watermelon vodka, midori, lime roses juice, a splash of soda and a gummy bear to garnish. For those that are really daring, try the Watery Grave - a spiced rum-based drink mixed with grenadine, coke and lime or the S.O.S. – a Jägermeister, ginger beer and lime juice blend located within Deadrise.
In addition to the new secret bars and specialty cocktails, Dark Harbor hosts additional bars including Crime Scene Alley and Hideaway, The Last Drop, The Barrel Tasting Room, Rusty Nail & Pier and 9-degrees Ice Cave, which will also provide guests with delectable drinks to quench their deadly thirst. For those with more than just a hunger for horror, cabana menus offer tantalizing table service platters with a variety of enticing entrée options. Head to the Mess Hall at Deadrise for a loaded macaroni and cheese cup or work up an appetite for Poison Pizza at Feast. Guests can take a break from the tricks with treats like crepes, iScream malts and shakes, cotton candy martinis, and liquid nitrogen infused kettle corn that will chill guests to the core.
Named one of the top 10 most haunted places on Earth by Time Magazine, The Queen Mary’s Dark Harbor offers the most authentically frightening experience available. Bringing the true infamous tales of The Queen Mary to life, the annual event begins September 27 and continues through November 2, 2018. General admission ticket prices start at just $20 online, with Fast Fright, Evil Express, VIP, Ultimate Scream, and lodging packages available. For more information or to purchase tickets online, visit www.queenmary.com/dark-harbor.

BEAUTIFUL - The Carole King Musical is NOW PLAYING through September 30th at Hollywood Pantages Theatre “

“Beautiful” tells the inspiring true story of King’s remarkable rise to stardom, from being part of a hit songwriting team with her husband Gerry Goffin, to her relationship with fellow writers and best friends Cynthia Weil and Barry Mann, to becoming one of the most successful solo acts in popular music history. Along the way, she made more than beautiful music, she wrote the soundtrack to a generation.

Her ablum “Tapestry” made her a household name in the 1970s, but the prolific composer began writing songs when she was just a teenager. At 17, she and Goffin wrote “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow” which was recorded by The Shirelles. After her marriage failed, and King is faced with adversity, she pulled up her sandal straps and pushed herself beyond the bebop tunes she wrote for Don Kirshner for so many years. The result is her “Tapestry” album that soared to the top of the charts. It became one of the best-selling albums of all time and is beloved by generations. With more than 25 million albums sold, “Tapestry” remained the best-selling album by a female artist for a quarter century, and King went on to amass three other platinum and seven gold albums.

 The “Beautiful” cast will be led by original first national tour stars Sarah Bockel as King, Alison Whitehurst as Weil and Jacob Heimer as Mann, and welcomes Dylan Wallach as Goffin, James Klow as Kirshner and Suzanne Grodner as Genie Klein. With a book by Tony and Academy Award nominee Douglas McGrath, direction by Marc Bruni and choreography by Josh Prince, “Beautiful” features a stunning array of beloved songs written by Goffin and King, and Mann and Weil. The show opened on Broadway at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre in January 2014, where it has since broken all box office records and recently became the highest grossing production in the theater’s history.

The Pantages is located at 6233 Hollywood Blvd. For information and tickets, visit hollywoodpantages.com.

Highlights from LA Times' THE TASTE 2018 over Labor Day Weekend

Los Angeles Times THE TASTE 2018 transformed the Paramount Pictures Studios backlot into the ultimate evening block party over three nights during Labor Day weekend from Aug. 31 to Sept. 2nd. This year, The Taste featured chefs and restaurants who have helped make Los Angeles one of the most exciting places in the world to eat.
A special wall tribute painting was made by artist Devin Liston of LA Times food critic Jonathan Gold, who passed away July 21 2018 of pancreatic cancer.
Los Angeles Times’ The Taste was presented by Pacific Sales Kitchen & Home, and is produced in association with Best Events. The Collins College of Hospitality Management and L.A. Regional Food Bank were the event’s charity beneficiaries. Some highlights and dishes from the show this Labor Day weekend:

The 8th Annual LA Food & Wine Festival Once Again Took Over LA.

AUGUST 22-26, 2018

Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival, produced by Coastal Luxury Management and presented with founding partners FOOD & WINE and Lexus, celebrated its 8th Anniversary from August 22-26. Master sommeliers, local chefs, and the food world’s biggest culinary stars once again gathered as the best of the Los Angeles culinary scene took over the City of Angels for the unprecedented four-night and five-day extravaganza.
Here are some of the Highlights:
Ultimate Bites of L.A. Hosted by Alvin Cailin & Antonia Lofaso.

Heat on the Street: Taco Takedown
Replaced the traditional Night Market in Downtown Los Angeles with an all-new Heat on the Street on Grand Avenue, hosted by Robert Irvine, Susan Feniger, Mary Sue Milliken, and Aarón Sánchez. This “Friday Fiesta” brought all the nuanced flavors of Latin cuisines to the plate, serving ceviche, tacos, carne asada, nopalitos, and more, with perfectly paired cervezas, tequila, and delectable wine.

Some other events included: LIVE on Grand with Curtis Stone, Tiffani Thiessen, and Special Guest DJ Questlove, Lexus Grand Tastings, Exclusive Luncheons and Dinners.

 

AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY HONORS CHEF MING TSAI AT CALIFORNIA SPIRIT 33 GOURMET GARDEN PARTY, WITH HOST CHEF JAVIER PLASCENCIA

The American Cancer Society’s California Spirit 33 gourmet garden party honored Chef Ming Tsai with the 2018 Impact Award for his inspiring work in the fight against cancer through his leadership in the national non-profit Family Reach on Sunday, July 15 at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. The event was hosted by Chef Javier Plascencia, celebrated chef, author, TV personality noted for his signature interpretation of the cuisine of Baja California. Chef Jason Fullilove, owner of Barbara Jean LA presided as Culinary Chair for the event.
Honorary chairs Sherry Lansing (Paramount Pictures, STOP CANCER, Stand Up 2 Cancer) and Phil Rosenthal (15-time Emmy Award-winning “Everyone Loves Raymond,” “Spanglish,” “I’ll have What Phil’s Having” and second season of “Somebody Feel Phil” on Netflix) welcomed the crowd and Andrew Firestone (Principal at StonePark Capital) presided over the live auction. The event was attended by Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill, Chicago P.D.), Sharon Lawrence (NYPD Blue), Samantha Harris (Entertainment Tonight, Dancing with the Stars, Camila Banus (Days of Our Lives), among others.
The event featured a performance by Band From TV, a powerhouse of well-known and acclaimed actors including Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Jack Coleman, and Scott Grimes. Guests enjoyed offerings from LA’s top restaurants including 71 Above, Barbara Jean LA, The Bel-Air, BOA, Fig & Olive, Frida Mexican Cuisine, Guerilla Tacos, Kato, Life Energy Food, Maple Block Meat Co, McConnell’s Fine Ice Creams, Panini Kabob Grill, Prawn Coastal, Takami Sushi & Robata, Sweet Lady Jane, The Wallace, Wolfgang Puck Catering, and Wood & Vine. Libations were poured by Ammunition Wine, Codigo 1530 Tequila, Danone Waters of America, Drake’s Organic Vodka & Rum, Golden Road Brewing, Hilltop Coffee, Lillet, Kikori Whiskey, Moraga Bel Air, Malibu Vineyards, and The Ojai Vineyard. 
Corporate and individual sponsors include, at the Master Chef level ($25,000)—Centric Capital Advisors, Ellie Kanner and David Zuckerman. Chef de Cuisine sponsors ($10,000) include Cedars Sinai Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute, Sam and Peggy Grossman, Sherry Lansing, New York Film Academy Foundation, and Phil & Monica Rosenthal.  Supporters at the Sous Chef level ($5,000) are Amalfi Estates, Heyler Realty, Lynn Both & Kent Kresa, SoCalGas, and Torrance Memorial Medical Center.
Media sponsors included KTLA-TV, Variety, Angeleno, The Hollywood Reporter, and KJAZZ Radio. California Spirit raised $________  for the Society’s groundbreaking research, free patient and caregiver services, and early detection and prevention education programs.

CONCERN FOUNDATION’S 44TH ANNUAL BLOCK PARTY RAISES $1.8 MILLION FOR CANCER RESEARCH

On Saturday, July 14th 2018, Concern Foundation for cancer research successfully produced its 44th Annual Block Party on the backlot of Paramount Studios in Hollywood on the foundation’s 50th anniversary. Themed this year as Cancer Crusaders, the highly anticipated and sold-out event hosted approximately 4,000 guests, successfully raising $1.8 million for cancer research through ticket sales, donations and bids on auction items.
All guests had a chance to experience over 70 restaurants, caters, and beverage vendors including Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Fogo de Chao, Dulan’s Soul Food, Button Mash, Fresh Brother’s Pizza and Pink’s Famous Hot Dogs. The night was filled with interactive entertainment such as casino-style gaming, a celebrity bar hosting actors Lili Bourdán (BATTLESTAR GALACTICA, THE NUN), Gabe Jarret (REAL GENIUS) and Chad Johnson, the original TV Batmobile, and live and iconic Super Hero “streetmosphere”. For the 14th year in a row, The Best of LA® on Los Angeles Magazine’s street featured lounges, photo booths, food stations, beauty stations and gift bags sponsored by Infiniti.
As a focal point for the evening’s festivities, the live auction lead by lifestyle expert and entertainment reporter, Mar Yvette, presented guests with the option to bid on prizes including VIP tickets to a taping of “The Ellen DeGeneres Show”, VIP tickets to the 2018 American Music Awards, a six-night vacation in Maui, and Dodger Dugout seats. Following the auction, John Ferdenzi of Town and Country Event Rentals was honored with the Spirit of Concern award. Recognized for his dedication and commitment to Concern Foundation, John Ferdenzi has been a valued member of the extended Concern family for more than two and a half decades. He has given his time and creative talents to assist at various Concern Block Parties and annual holiday events.
 This year, in connection to the theme, the foundation was happy to honor Dr. Jay & Kris Calvert and family as this year's "Cancer Crusaders" for their participation in helping to conquer cancer through research. Honored on stage alongside his family, Dr. Jay & Kris Calvert openly shared their personal experience with cancer. The Calvert's 10 year old son Ace was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia at age 4 and while today he has beaten his cancer, ALL (Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia) can always return and he is never truly cured.  This is a major reason he and his family feels so strongly about raising money to help find a permanent cure.  Jay himself was a young scientist who could not get funding early in his career as a molecular biologist and he personally knows how important our mission to supporting young investigators is to jump start researcher's careers. Dr. Jay Calvert has been consecutively named one of Los Angeles Magazine's "Super Doctors" in 2014, 2015, and 2016.  He has appeared on multiple hit television programs including CBS's "The Doctors" and OWN's "Dr. Phil". 
Concern Foundation is proud to have these members of the community serve as this year's honorees. Their personal connection to the fight against cancer and philanthropic actions alongside the non-profit organization is sure to help make this year's Block Party a success.
 Concluding the event, Derek Alpert stated, “Having the honor to be on stage to welcome and see nearly 4,000 of the true super heroes all gathered together helping us raise funds to conquer cancer is a very emotional thing for me.  It’s such a blessing to be able to help orchestrate this event each year and to bring together 4 generations of donors, 5 decades of cancer researchers that Concern has funded all surrounded by a tremendous outpouring of love and support by our local business community that donate their time and talents so that we can give as much money as possible to support cancer research.”