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Glendale News

Alex Theatre Closing until November

The Alex Theatre will be dimming its iconic spire for 5 months.
The Alex Theatre will be dimming its iconic spire for 5 months.

The Alex Theatre Performing Arts & Entertainment Center in Glendale first opened its doors in 1925. For nearly 90 years it has served as the centerpiece of the City’s arts, culture and community programming. On Sunday, June 30th, The Glendale Arts will host the Alex Theatre Open House that will allow the public to enjoy the history of the Alex Theatre before they close their doors for an expansion project. The Alex Theatre on Sunday night will be open for self-guided tours, food from local restaurants, a look back at the last 20 years of programming and a sneak peak of what’s to come. The event has garnered a lot of support from local businesses in the area as they hope to keep this icon alive.

The 6,400 square foot renovation is set to start shortly after the event and will continue into November. The $5.3 million construction project will improve the historic venue and make it more competitive as it is slowly taken of an annual government subsidy. The improvements will allow the theatre to house larger, more technical productions in the future, hopefully leading to a wider-range of clientele.

The theatre’s operator, The Glendale Arts, will be closing down the theatre for 5 months to make an expansion to the theatre. The event starts at 6:00pm and at 8:30pm there will be a ceremonial dimming of the Alex’s iconic spire. Please RSVP to this fantastic Glendale event on Facebook @GlendaleArtsCA. This free open house is made possible through a generous grant from The Walt Disney Company.

The theatre is located at 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale, CA 91203. For more information visit Glendalearts.org.

 

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Glendale News Movies/Television

Glendale Dancer Competing in “So You Think You Can Dance”

Glendale's Paul Karmiryan will be competing in this season's "So You Think You Can Dance."
Glendale’s Paul Karmiryan will be competing in this season’s “So You Think You Can Dance.”

“So You Think You Can Dance” is back on Fox this summer for its 10th season, and this year a Glendale resident will be dancing for the top title. Paul Karmiryan is a 21-year-old Glendale resident that started learning Latin ballroom at the age of 17. He is among the Top 20 dancers chosen to move on to the regular competition after surviving the Vegas Week callbacks. Paul will be up against 19 equally talented and professionally trained dancers from across the United States.

The first Live Show of the season premieres tonight, Tuesday, June 25th at 8:00PM as a 2-hour episode on Fox. Each week, dancers will be coupled up and randomly given a genre to dance to. They will have one week to practice before performing at the live competition. One couple will be eliminated each week until the final winning couple is chosen at the end of the season. As the couples begin to dwindle, the dancers will also be performing solos.

Paul may have an advantage in this season’s competition because he competed in and won the Armenian version of “So You Think You Can Dance” two years ago. Paul entered into the competition while visiting the country for the first time since he left, and he quickly won over their hearts with his dancing. While the experiences will be completely different, Paul was able to grow as a person and dancer while competing on the show, and hopefully will be able to use that to his advantage.

Paul came to Glendale from Armenia at the age of 6 and his only previous dance experience was traditional Armenian dancing. With only 5 years of professional dance experience, Paul will have to work hard to compete with the dancers who have been dancing since a very young age.

This year’s judges will include Nigel Lythgoe, Mary Murphy and Adam Shankman, and the show will be hosted by Cat Deeley. The weekly live shows are filmed in Los Angeles.

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Glendale News Movies/Television

DreamWorks Animation Now Producing for Television

A scene from DreamWorks Animation TV show, "Dragons: Riders of Berk."
A scene from DreamWorks Animation’s TV show, “Dragons: Riders of Berk.”

Glendale – Glendale is home to DreamWorks Animation SKG. Up until now, DreamWorks Animation has focused primarily on making animated movies, but this week they have become a multifaceted media company. They signed deals this week with Netflix and a German leading children’s television channel to produce animated television shows for them. With the decline in DVD sales everywhere, DreamWorks has decided to expand their horizons in order to not have to rely solely on box office revenues from their animated features.  

The Glendale company will be creating over 300 hours of programming for Netflix. DreamWorks Animation has already produced several animated television shows based on their character from previous films, such as “Dragons: Riders of Berk,” which airs on Cartoon Network and is based on the 2010 movie, “How to Train Your Dragon.” By creating animated programming for Germany’s children’s channel, they are also guaranteeing that their franchises will continue to grow and be enjoyed by children all over the world.

DreamWorks Animation’s first animated film was “Antz” and was released in 1998. To date they have released 26 movies, and they have all been very successful. Most notably, “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” and “How to Train Your Dragon” have been the most successful, as well as their sequels. DreamWorks Animation is preparing for their next premiere, which will take place next month for “Turbo.” This movie will tell the story of an ordinary garden snail whose dream is to become the fastest snail in the world. “Turbo” is scheduled to be released on July 17th.

DreamWorks Animation was spun-off from DreamWorks Studios in 2004 and is headed by one of the original founders, Jeffrey Katzenberg.

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Glendale News

Glendale’s Downtown Hopes to See a Parklet Soon

Glendale's rendering of a "parklet" to be built on Brand Blvd.
Glendale’s rendering of a “parklet” to be built on Brand Blvd.

Downtown Glendale – Downtown Glendale hopes to open a “parklet” on Brand Blvd. soon in order to give the street more of a comforting atmosphere. Last month, the 200 block of Brand Blvd was ruined by a fire that blazed through a multi-unit building. The fire devastated two businesses, Skaf’s Lebanese Cuisine and Regali Preciozo, and both expect to be closed for months. As a way to bounce back from this scarring fire, the city of Glendale has decided to replace four parking spaces with a 300-square foot “parklet,” a small open space that will invite the residents of Glendale to relax and enjoy the city’s beauty.

The park will front the two businesses closed down by the fire, as well as Sedthee Thai Restaurant, which was able to escape the fire’s devastation. The city plans to keep the parklet for a year and then assess its success. If deemed successful, they will plan similar changes to other parking spaces in the city. While this is Glendale’s first attempt at converting parking spaces into parks, other surrounding cities have already adopted the idea.

Glendale hopes that this open space filled with plants and seating will draw in community members and be used in the future for community events. The Library, Arts & Culture Department plan to set up a library there based on the honor system. The concept is that a person takes a book from the library, replacing it with another book they may have. This encourages people to exchange reading material and has been known to be popular in small coffee shops.

The parklet will be located south of the corner of Brand Blvd. and California Ave., just north of Chess Park. The project is set to be complete by the end of July.

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HPC News Glendale News Movies/Television

IDA, Inc. to Animate New Feature Film

'Tailchaser's Song' will begin production later this year.
‘Tailchaser’s Song’ will begin production later this year.

Glendale Tenant News – Hollywood Production Center is proud to announce that their very own IDA, Inc. will be working on the new animated feature film, ‘Tailchaser’s Song.’

IDA, Animetropolis and EFG-Renascence recently announced at the Cannes Film Festival that they will be teaming up to animate the feature film, ‘Tailchaser’s Song.’ The stereoscopic 3D CG-animated family film will begin production later this year. The director of ‘Rise of the Guardians’ (2012), Peter Ramsey, will be joining the team as Executive Producer, along with the author of this fantasy-adventure novel, Tad Williams, as Co-Executive Producer.

‘Tailchaser’s Song’ is an adaptation of Tad Williams’ acclaimed bestselling novel of the same name. ‘Tailchaser’s Song’ was the first novel this fantasy and science-fiction author had written, first published in 1985. This story follows the adventures of a tom cat, Fritti Tailchaser, as he journeys to find his missing friend. Williams’ ‘Otherland’ series was optioned by Warner Brothers last year.

IDA, Inc. has offices in Los Angeles and Japan. They were the first Japanese studio to be nominated for a Visual Effects Society Award for animation.

Congratulations again!

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Hollywood News Movies/Television

The Monsters Take over Hollywood

Monsters University hits theaters on June 21st.
Monsters University hits theaters on June 21st.

The Monsters are back after 12 years, and they are coming back with a bang. The ‘Monsters University’ premiere took place Monday night in Hollywood at the El Capitan Theater. Before the screening, there was a monstrous college tailgate that included the Monsters U marching band and cheerleaders. The blue carpet was filled with monsters, along with attendees that all wore the Monsters U royal blue school colors. Children and parents alike flooded the blue carpet to enjoy the newest edition of universities in Los Angeles.

‘Monsters University’ will come out in theaters Friday, June 21st, and it is a prequel to ‘Monsters, Inc,’ which was released in 2001. As a prequel, Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, commonly referred to as Sully, are just starting out at college as they try to figure out what kind of ‘scarers’ they are going to be. By going back a couple of years, producers were able to add new lovable monsters to the storyline and explain how Sully and Mike came to be the monsters that we knew and loved in the original ‘Monsters, Inc.’

There has been a lot of marketing promotions around this movie as children and adults had the chance to make their own Monsters U student ID badges and we saw trailers for the movie that played out just like a college promotional commercial. There is a lot of fun and excitement surrounding this movie, and the next generation of children will be able to enjoy the monster gang as well.

Mike Wazowski is voiced by Billy Crystal, John Goodman is the voice of Sully, and Randy is played by Steve Buscemi. ‘Monsters University’ is produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. If you want to check out some of their fun interactive games, go to www.disney.com/Monsters-University.

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Movies/Television

‘The Purge’ Goes Beyond a Thriller

'The Purge' is out in theaters June 7th.
‘The Purge’ is out in theaters June 7th.

Written and directed by James DeMonaco, ‘The Purge’ is a speculative thriller that takes place in a future America where one night a year people are allowed to take part in any act of crime without punishment. In 2022, ‘The Purge’ America has been reborn with unemployment and crime rates at an all-time low. This can be attributed to the yearly Purge. In this 12-hour period, from 7:00 PM to 7:00AM all the law-abiding citizens can address their pent up anger and attack and kill anyone without consequence. A wealthy family readies themselves for yet another Purge, which they personally do not participate in, but regardless, hoards of murders come to their home ready to attack. DeMonaco’s film is overflowing with ideas about social class, race, and violence and he has found a horror/thriller story line in which to address them.

DeMonaco’s film was screened at the Stanley Film Festival this year, which showcases classic and contemporary independent horror cinema at the haunted Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. While there is plenty of bloodshed and violence, the most disturbing part of the movie is the actual concept of this Purge. ‘The Purge’ has been criticized for not delving deep enough into America’s issues, but just touching on the ideas of aristocracy and race is enough to get the audience thinking. It is hard to ignore the idea that in this world America has saved itself from destruction by killing themselves off. The Purge allows them to kill anyone in general, but what what becomes a reality is that they are killing the people that are not contributing to the betterment of society; in essence, the poor and homeless.

This movie was released on June 7th and has made nearly $52 million to date domestically. ‘The Purge’ stars Ethan Hawke, Rhys Wakefield and Lena Headey. ‘The Purge’ received a B- from Entertainment Weekly’s ‘Movie Review’ and a 37% on Rotten Tomatoes’ ‘Tomatometer.’

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Movies/Television Celebrity News

Kim Kardashian Gives Birth to a Baby Girl

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcome home a baby girl on June 15th.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West welcome home a baby girl on June 15th.

The Kardashians have a newest addition to their family with the birth of Kim Kardashian’s baby girl on Saturday, June 15th. The little girl was born at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles to 32-year-old reality show star Kim Kardashian and 36-year-old music artist Kanye West. Their baby comes a little early with their announced due date not until July. While the name of the baby has not yet been released, the family is happily tweeting congratulations to the new mother.

The couple is not married, as Kim was still officially married to Kris Humphries only 11 days before the birth. The NBA player married Kim in 2011 and they filed for divorce only 72 days later. The divorce filings were long and difficult, and the courts finally announced the official divorce of Kris and Kim on June 4, 2013.

The baby will be Kim Kardashian’s first child, and the third grandchild of Kris Jenner. Kim’s sister Kourtney Kardashian, 34 years old, gave her mother the first two grandchildren, Mason and Penelope. Kim’s pregnancy was highly publicized, along with pregnancy partner Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge. The Duchess’ baby is due in mid-July, and has been closely followed in the media. The two women were expected to have both their first babies be girls.

The Kardashian family has become a spectacle in media with their family being famous for various things. Kim gained her fame as a model, actress, business woman, and reality television star. Her two sisters, Kourtney and Khloe followed her into various business ventures as well. Their brother Rob graduated from USC and recently launched a sock line. Their father was the legendary Robert Kardashian who served as the defense attorney during O.J. Simpson’s murder trial in 1995. Robert Kardashian passed away in 2003. Kris Jenner remarried Bruce Jenner, the gold medal winner for the decathalon in the 1976 Montreal Olympics. Kris and Bruce Jenner had two more children together, Kendall and Kylie. The entire family stars in Keeping Up with the Kardashians, an E! reality television series that follows the lives of the Kardashian/Jenner family. The series’ success led to the spin-offs Kourtney and Kim Take New York, Khloe and Lamar, Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami, and Kourtney and Kim Take Miami.

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Movies/Television

The Much Awaited ‘Man of Steel’ Releases this Weekend

'Man of Steel' comes out in theaters Friday, June 14.
‘Man of Steel’ comes out in theaters Friday, June 14.

With “Iron Man 3” released last month, “The Wolverine” to be released next month, and “Thor: The Dark World” set to be released in November, 2013 is far from lacking in superhero movies. However, June came with anticipation and excitement as “Man of Steel” was debuted to the world today. “Man of Steel” had a limited release of midnight showings last night, for which they were able to collect $21 million. This surpasses “Iron Man 3,” which was released earlier this summer and was only able to bring in $15.6 million on its midnight opening. While the box-office is expecting “Man of Steel” to collect $85-100 million domestically, the distributors at Warner Brothers are staying conservative and projecting $80 million.

Directed by Zach Snyder and produced by Christopher Nolan, “Man of Steel” follows the life of Clark Kent in the original tale as he tries to hide his superpowers and live a regular everyday life. Here we see Clark Kent played by British actor Henry Cavil. Amy Adams stars as Lois Lane and Michael Shannon plays the role of the menacing General Zod.  

There is a lot of hype surrounding this superhero movie, especially after Christopher Nolan wrapped up the final movie in the Batman trilogy last year. Although this weekend is dead in terms of new releases, “Man of Steel” will have to compete with last weekend’s batch of releases such as “The Internship,” “The Purge,” and “This is the End.” Only time will tell whether this superhero will be able to fly away with this weekend’s box office.  

We last saw Zach Snyder directing “Sucker Punch” in 2011, and his counterpart, Christopher Nolan, was directing “The Dark Knight Rises” in 2012.

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Movies/Television

The Los Angeles Film Festival is Back

The LA Film Festival kicks off in downtown on June 13th and ends June 23rd.
The LA Film Festival kicks off in Downtown on June 13th and ends June 23rd.

Downtown LA – The Los Angeles Film Festival is back for its 19th year. Following the heels of the Sundance Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival and Cannes Film Festival, there is a lot of excitement surrounding the films to be seen in Southern California this year. The festival kicked off with some pre-festival excitement on June 12th with the pre-screening of much awaited “Man of Steel.” The next night, however, was the official opening night of the festival where they debuted “I’m So Excited” by Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar. Tonight the festival continues on with 11 screenings, the first one starting at 7:10 PM and the last one starting at 10:00 PM.

What sort of things do you have to look forward to these next 10 days? While the movies are still the main attraction, there has also been a particular emphasis on providing out-of-the-theater events that add to attendees’ movie experience. These include conversations and panels with actors, directors and writers. The festival is also offering a great opportunity for families with kids to enjoy the big film culture through Family Day. Family Day is an event free to the public that will be celebrated with activities the entire family can enjoy thanks to their sponsors at Hasbro Studios. This fun day of family-friendly adventure will conclude with the world premiere screening of “My Little Pony Equestria Girls.” Family Day will take place Saturday, June 15 at the Nokia Plaza at L.A. Live from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

While most of the screenings will be taking place at L.A. Live’s Regal Cinema, there will also be screenings at the LA County Museum of Art (LACMA), JW Marriot – ION Rooftop Bar, GRAMMY Museum and Grand Performances and Arts Brookfield at FIGat7th Plaza. Starting Thursday, June 13th, the festival will run until Sunday, June 23rd. For more details about the festival and the schedule, visit their website at www.lafilmfest.com.

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Uncategorized Press Release

Production facility adds office space

NewOfficeSpace_DAXKOCompany expands its offices into a pair of buildings on Brand Boulevard.

DOWNTOWN — With a growing need for office space in the entertainment industry, Glendale’s Hollywood Production Center has acquired two new buildings to accommodate its growth and expand its services.

Hollywood Production, located on the northeast corner of Lexington Drive and Orange Street for about a year and a half, is expanding into adjacent buildings at 401 and 413 N. Brand Blvd.

“We rent out office space only for people in the entertainment industry,” General Manager Lucy Mardonovich said. “Since we’ve opened, we’ve seen a lot of interest in Glendale from the industry.”

The company provides office space for industry tenants, and amenities such as a gym, car wash, private kitchens and other accommodations.

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Uncategorized Press Release

Arts foundations raise funds for public dance performances

Nerd-Herd-1024x681Glendale Arts is working with the Heidi Duckler Dance Theatre and the Anna Djanbazian Dance Company to raise money for free public dance performances that will be held on Oct. 15 and 16 in the vacant lot on the corner of Brand Boulevard and Wilson Avenue in Glendale.

The three organizations will host a dinner on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Ard Eevin house located at 851 W. Mountain St., Glendale.

Designed by Nathaniel Dryden in 1902, the Ard Eevin House is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Dinner guests will enjoy an elegant buffet dinner and a dance performance by the Djanbazian Dance Company. Tickets to the dinner cost $100 per person.

The funds raised from the dinner will underwrite the free dance performances of a dance work titled “Expulsion.”

The performance is a thought-provoking work of art based on the themes of the often fragile nature of home and the universal experience of being forced to leave it.

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Glendale News Uncategorized HPC News Hollywood News Press Release

Hooray for Hollywood

Hollywood Production Offices open for production staff looking for extra space or a spot closer to home.While nearly a million square feet of office space sit vacant in the city, Amidi Real Estate Group has just finished renovating a Glendale building that sat vacant for the past five years with plans to reopen it Wednesday.The Los Angles-based group, which owns the Hollywood Production Center, will reopen the building at 121 W. Lexington Drive for short-term leases by video production support staff who are crowded at their home offices or who need a place closer to home, said general manager Lucy Mardonovich.”We had an asset that wasn’t being used so we just decided to do something with it since the Hollywood office was so successful,” Mardonovich said. “We felt there would be great energy for city of Glendale to have. Disney and DreamWorks are expanding and those valley production companies need to have something nearby.”

Amidi also owns the Glendale Office Center and the Brand Jewelry Mart, she said.Dubbed the Hollywood Production Center-Glendale, offices come with furniture, high-speed Internet, phones and other amenities. They will only lease space to the creative people who work on video production, she said.”It’s an absolutely total remodel,” she said. “Every floor’s been gutted and separated into the offices.