BY DIANE MARLIN-DIRKX
Full Disclosure Your humble correspondent grew up with an affinity for team player-ship, in today’s psycho-parlance, “playing well with others,” or is that psyche-parlance? Yes, that’s correct. Psycho-parlance would be wrong. Offensive. Goddess-forbid we should be offensive even to ourselves. Some may find this behavior a personality disorder. Perhaps it’s a mid-western thing. In any case, it actually continued in my life through university. What? Check out the 5th item in this calendar. That’s right. The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain is coming to town. To The McCallum Theatre. One night only. Unfair. After all, they’re coming across the pond a very long way for only one night to perform on the instrument I adored during good times and endured during not-so-good times. The ukulele accompanied my years around a campfire in Girl Scouts, and through all-nighters studying in a smelly dorm redolent with pizza and spilled suds. If the violin was for high-brows, the guitar for Bobby Dylan wannabes, the ukulele was for fun, flubs and all. Read on for more fun this and next month.
Friday and Saturday, January 23 and 24, 7 PM. Two great shows. You’ve recognized every move they made, every song they’ve sung, we’re talking Friday night’s Ladies of Rock & Soul: Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Donna Summer and The Supremes. And on Saturday night, The Jersey Girls: Connie Francis, Bette Midler, Whitney Houston and Lesley Gore, who can cry on her birthday if she wants to! Have no doubt, they all are uber-divas of the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, entertaining as only they know how, shaking the rafters with their finest moves, performing vocal calisthenics and answering hot booty-calls on stage from groupies in the fan-pit. They don’t miss a beat in the Celebrity Tribute Concert Series at the Indian Wells Theater, Cal State San B Bernardino’s Palm Desert Campus. While you’re rocking your curls off, ask about this musical series that runs through March, 2015, you don’t want to miss a beat either. The Indian Wells Theater is located at 37-500 Cook St., between Gerald Ford and Frank Sinatra drives. To purchase tickets, call the Indian Wells Theater box office at (760) 341-6909 or for more information, visit the Indian Wells Theater website at www.IWTheater.com.
Saturday, January 24, 8 PM. Jay Leno comes to town. Question: Who else could write an autobiography entitled Leading with My Chin? Answer: Only Jay Leno, who will appear at the McCallum Theatre for one night only. Just in case you’ve been living on planet Pluto, the just-retired acclaimed TV late night show host Leno has a history of accomplishments as a stand-up comedian, best-selling children’s book author, corporate speaker, TV and movie voice-over artist, car builder and mechanic, and philanthropist. It’s no wonder that he is called “the hardest working man in show business. Prior to becoming host, Jay had been the exclusive guest host on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson” since September 1987. He first appeared as a guest on the show March 2, 1977, and he made numerous appearances on the show, as well as NBC’s former program “Late Night with David Letterman.” It was in May of 1992 when Jay followed in the footsteps of legendary NBC late-night hosts Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson as “Tonight Show” host. Jay became the ratings leader of late night and never looked back. Wow! And we’ve got him for only one night. We’ll take it. Jay Leno has been touted as one of the nicest people in show business and the hardest-working — a winning combo for the man who says “Anyone can have a life – careers are hard to come by!” Tickets are priced at $95, $85, $75 and $55 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.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015, 11 – 2 PM. The First Annual Fashion Show Luncheon at Melvyn’s Restaurant to beneft SafeHouse of the Desert. Pulling out all the stops, as well as the corks, proprietor Mel Haber, will be serving a three-course gourmet luncheon, with complimentary champagne, a silent auction of treasures you won’t be able to live without, and a guest speaker at the legendary Ingleside Inn. The fashion show will feature European designer Oksana, and the Fashion Group International 2014 “Crystal Style Award” recipient, designer Fedor. Entertainment will be provided by Michael Healey and Anna Rose Agno. SafeHouse of the Desert provides emergency shelter, intervention and outreach services to Youth in Crisis. Luncheon at Ingleside Inn, 200 Ramon Rd., Palm Springs. Tickets are $65.00. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Battin at 760-567-9421 or Julie Hale at 951-351-4418,or register on the website www.operattionsafehouse.ejoinme.org
Thursday, January 29, 7 PM. Be still my strumming heart when The McCallum Theatre presents The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain. Yahooey! Yes, we kid you not. It’s an evening you won’t forget offering a funny, virtuosic, twanging, awesome, foot-stomping giggle-to- guffaw time, jumping from Tchaikovsky to Nirvana via Otis Redding and spaghetti western soundtracks; the Orchestra takes the audience on an eclectic music adventure. Formed—even more likely, “yanked” into being in 1985 as a bit of fun, their first gig was an instant sell-out and they’ve been performing ever since. Their mission was simple: To have fun and “not to lose money.” Public opinion was that an orchestra consisting entirely of ukuleles in different sizes was a strange concept; something that attracted the performing members. They determined to make something fresh and entertaining, modern and old-fashioned, in a different style which deviated from current performance fashion. In 2015, The Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain will celebrate 16 million minutes of “ukuleleation,” having been on the road and around the world for thirty years and counting. Tickets are priced at $70, $50, $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, and most major credit cards. Google the group on YouTube. You won’t regret it.
Thursday, February 5, 7:30 – 9:00 PM. Serial Musical Evenings: Pete Carlson’s Jazz for Jazz Lovers features The Banda Bros. Sextet and all we can say is, “hot, hot, hot!” Led by Drummer Ramon Banda and Bassist Tony Banda, brothers who’ve been playing together and playing well with others, such as Poncho Sanchez Latin Jazz Band (a 32 year-in-tune collaboration!) since before they were teens, starting with backyard jam sessions and wedding bands. Today the Banda Bros. are trumpeted as one of LA’s hottest Latin jazz bands performing a blend of Latin, Afro-Caribbean, and straight ahead jazz and original compositions. Hear and cheer them at Pete Carlson’s Golf and Tennis, 73741 HWY 111, Palm Desert. Admission ticket: $25 per person. Call for more information 760-568-3263, or toll-free: 1(800) 600-3263. Visit website: www.petecarlsonsgolf.com Seating is limited. Non-profit concert proceeds support jazz education and scholarships for young musicians in the Coachella Valley.
“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!
