BY DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Sorry, this response is so tardy, but I was so impressed by Lady Gaga’s awesome tribute to The Sound of Music at the Oscars (February 22) and the surprise appearance of the also-impressed film’s star, Julie Andrews, that I could hardly type and keep my all-agog well-lined lips closed. The pop icon with the name so long we can’t repeat for lack of space, Gaga found new friends among the standing audience, sending the applause meter into overdrive. Where did that voice come from? Perhaps from under the Cinderella froth she twirled in on stage? (Andrews co-star Christopher Plummer, always called the legendary50-year old film, The Sound of Mucous.) In any case, the rest of the Academy Awards was mostly a snooze-fest, but I wondered who else in this season or the next here at home is going to amaze, delight and surprise us with a song, speech, dance, sculpture, fashion design, painting, a performance that we never expected from them, or anyone. We live in a magical desert. Stay tuned.
Friday, March 6, 8 PM. Young Croatian cellists Luka Sulic and Stjepan Hauser together known as 2CELLOS have no limits when it comes to performing live, and are as impressive when stroking their way across the strings playing Bach and Vivaldi as they are when rocking AC/DC. Case in point: 2CELLOS rose to fame in 2011 when their version of Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” took the world by storm, receiving over three million YouTube views in the first two weeks. The YouTube video became a massive viral sensation, leading to a record deal with Sony Masterworks and an invitation to join Sir Elton John on his worldwide tour. In February 2014, Luka and Stjepan published their rendition of AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” to YouTube. The video went viral, gathering 10 million views in the first two weeks. ‘Nuff said? See and hear this Dynamic Duo at The McCallum Theatre. Tickets are priced at $65, $45, $35 and $25 and are available at the Theatre’s web site at www.mccallumtheatre.com, or by calling the McCallum Theatre box office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert CA 92260, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
Saturday, March 7, 8 AM- 3 PM, and Sunday, March 8, 9 AM – 3 PM. Loving All Animals “Rummage Sale” to benefit the non-profit organization’s “Whiskers & Purrs Program,” is one vast gathering up of the philosophy of “One man’s junk is another man’s or woman’s treasure!” And we recommend it as a loving gesture of caring for the two or four legged critters living in our midst who will benefit from the Spay and Neuter program the proceeds will cover. A great way to give to the cause, who doesn’t enjoy pawing through possibly valuable antiques, still working electronics, comfy stuffed chairs, or a replacement for a dining chair that collapsed under Uncle Harold? Who couldn’t use a wooden tennis racket, a putter that hits the hole every time? Who knows what you’ll find? Want to donate? Call 760-834-7000. Or Adopt!! Volunteer! Participate! Location? Next to Loving All Animals office, north of HWY 111, off San Pablo, 75648 Alessandro Dr., Palm Desert.
Monday, March 9, Luncheon 10AM – 2 PM. “Jewels of the Nile” fashion fundraiser luncheon is hosted by the Rancho Mirage Women’s Club with an exotic touch to support its charities featuring shopping, raffle prize giveaways, silent auction and a fashion show that the event’s chair Nila Tatum calls, “definitely new, edgy and exciting. Primarily sponsored by Franz Tatum Wealth Management at the ‘purple amethyst level,”, chairwoman Tatum is second vice-president of the RMWC and says fashions will be shown by industry award-winning designers including Andrew MacLaine, palm Springs resident who has been in the semi-finals of TV’s Project Runway, Daisy Fofie, from Cameroon, Africa, who achieved her degrees at American fashion design institutes, and Tafreshu, an honors graduate of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles. Tickets are $75 per person, and guests are asked to RSVP soonest to this popular event by calling Sue at 760-898-6968. Location: Agua Caliente Resort and Casino in Rancho Mirage. For additional information about Jewels of the Nile, including sponsorship support, please contact Nila Tatum at 760-770-2003 or nila2361@gmail.com. For more information about the Rancho Mirage Women’s Club, please visit http://www.ranchomiragewomansclub.org or contact membership chair Micki Elliott at mickielliott@gmail.com.
Friday, March 13, 8 PM, Saturday, March 14, 2 PM (Matinee), 8 PM, Sunday, March 15, 2 PM (Matinee) 7 PM. Girls! Glamour! Gershwin! “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” the Tony award winning musical comedy about the Roaring Twenties, straight from today’s Great White Way”—New York’s Broadway stage—and hang on to your garters, girls– right now at our McCallum Theatre in Palm Desert all weekend. (You may want to see it more than once. In fact, we guarantee it!) May we sing from the lyrics of the show:: “Who could ask for anything more?” Plot: There’s a cast of outrageous characters gathering in New York to celebrate the wedding of a wealthy playboy. Oops, as luck would have it, when the guy meets a feisty, bubbly bootlegger who melts his foolish heart, hilarity ensues, which is too tame a word for the evening of, you got it, girls, glamour and the gorgeous music and song of Gershwin. Tickets are priced at $95, $85, $45, $65 and $45 and $85, $75, $55, $35, and are available at the Theatre’s web site at www.mccallumtheatre.com, or by calling the McCallum Theatre box office at (760) 340-ARTS. The McCallum Theatre, located at 73000 Fred Waring Drive, Palm Desert CA 92260, accepts payment by cash, personal check, VISA, MasterCard, Discover and American Express.
“Don’t Be Clueless” wants to remind you that press releases for inclusion should be in to the Coachella Valley Weekly at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled event! Thanks!
