Desperate Visions Productions announces the premiere of “Mondo Sacramento” at the historic Crest Theatre April 24 and 25. It is the newest production from its creative filmmaker Jason Rudy.   I sat down with Jason at a coffe shop in mid- town Sacramento and asked him some questions about what he does.  Tell readers a little about yourself.  I have always loved movies and began my research into creating movies at the age of 15. From there I got into the underground scene, like “Pink Flamingos” and “Rocky Horror Picture Show.” I read and read to learn everything I could possibly know about it. I am a self-taught filmmaker with much information on anything that has to do with making movie

The River City Saloon is the 'The last Old West Saloon' in old Sacramento off 2nd street. The Saloon is managed by Sean Derfield, and in mid March, he will be having a film shot at that location. The project is actually a PROMO for the movie titled 'Men on Film' is written by Narmandi Zaurice Parker. I sat down with Narmandi for an interview. This is his story... J: Where did you get your name, Narmandi Zaurice Parker? N: My father was a part of the Normandy Invasion during WWII and chose to name me after that, but my mother decided to change the spelling of my name to fit my personality. I’m still to figure out what that meant. Anyway, I grew up in Hudson, Maine. The town only had fo

There is a new wizard in town! A wizard who loves gardening, planting and designing art on clothing, for all to see. This is 'The Wizards' story... J: Tell us a little bit about yourself? W: My boyfriend and I have been in love for over seven years. We met in high school and have been joined at the hip ever since. We moved in together right out of high school. I went to college and attend Sacramento State University.. I graduated with a bachelor's degree of science in business, entrepreneurship in 2011. My boyfriend and I have always wanted to own a business together. Now we show case all of our designs to local events in Sacramento. We have always been passionate about our community h

If you’re going to remove the sound from a film, you’d better do it right. Not being able to hear what people are saying is very odd and kind of disconcerting, especially for a modern audience. Luckily for The Artist, there is a way to make it work, and work fantastically at that. The Artist opens during the late 1920’s, at the height of our star, silent film actor George Valentin’s (Jean Dujardin) career. He’s a loveable guy, instantly showing his charisma at a premier (evoking some shenanigans from Singin’ in the Rain) for one of his movies. After the premier he bumps into Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo) a beautiful young dancer who soon falls in love with him. Unfortunately for George, hi

   'No Apparent Reason' is a book created and written by Frankie Vanity and the WNG. It’s a wonderful creation of an original world from the mind of Frankie Vanity and her creative team the WNG who help with editing, layouts and story ideas. It's about an eclectic group of misfits in college and their misadventures along the way. It is set in New Orleans and has Paranormal Investigators, a bit of supernatural and pop culture references. The book draws on life experiences and relays those experiences through humorous, fun and crazy characters. Frankie Vanity, tell the readers a little about who you are? I am a costume designer, event coordinator, public relations, artist and writer to name

I was inspired to interview Oscar Benjamin because of all that he has accomplished. So many friends and colleagues told me how dedicated he is at being a successful photographer and columnist. I was so glad he took the time to enjoy our annual Christmas party, where there was lots of food and drink, and we enjoyed watching him sing karaoke. It was a great time. Before the party started, I sat down with Benjamin. Before we knew it, a half hour passed and I realized this was going to be a great article. Tell me a little bit about yourself. What do you do? I can say I’m a photographer, but that would be too simple of an answer. I'm also a writer, and I'm also a radio host. This is my 10th

Prelude to the Season 2011 - Arts & Minds Congratulations to all the winners and thank you to all our sponsors, volunteers and guests! On October 14, 2011, Prelude to the Season debuted the theme “Arts and Minds” to recognize the unity of creative pARTerships. The event began with a video greeting from Congresswoman Doris Matsui and a welcome speech by Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson. The lineup featured entertainment by jazz duo Clemon Charles & Mike Wilson; the cast of Cosmo Cabaret’s current show, “Bingo!”; dancers from I Can Do That!, an arts and education group that works with young people of all abilities; a short film by BVA Volunteer Jayson Carpenter on the work of Heart to Heart

The Crest Theater will soon be filled with adoring and screaming Garibaldi fans once more. On October 26, performing live at the Crest Theatre will be the Sacramento native and world famous performance artist, David Garibaldi. Garibaldi’s works are known for wowing crowds. The artist travels nationwide and overseas to showcase his talents on something as simple as an empty canvas. Music feeds into his performances and crowds go wild. Many admiring fans guess and wonder what the painting will be when he is finished, but they are always astounded and amazed. Once he has your attention, that’s it - you’re hooked. Garibaldi has created everything from the King of Pop to the King of Rock ‘n’

A cultural reception was held Saturday, opening with a blessing performed by Kalpulli Maquili Tonatiuh, a spiritually-based local Aztec dance circle, thanks to Xico González, curator of Malaquías Montoya’s solo exhibit, “Voice for the Voiceless” at the Center for Contemporary Art, Sacramento. “In the Chicana/o tradition, we pay homage to those that came before us, to the people that Malaquías pays homage to in his artwork,” González said. Homage was certainly paid as the dancers assembled outside of the center to first bless the building. Jessica Alvarado, donning a headdress with green feathers, carried a smoke pot in which tree sap burned. She read the blessing in the Nahuatl language.

Public Agency Lawsuit to Seize $21,000 Home from Rightful Purchaser near Sacramento, California... In the rustic, antique wood-built town of Locke, California, founded from 1912 to 1920s, the Locke Management Association (LMA), a thirteen (13) member board put in place in 2003 to maintain, preserve and manage the town is prioritizing its limited $60,000 operating budget to attempt to undo a recent property purchase that occurred. The buyer, Martha Esch, struck a deal to purchase one of the town’s dilapidated properties with seller, Dona LaBlanc for a $21,000 purchase price. The LMA claims both women circumvented the agency’s rules in order to complete the sale. The property was previously

I I met Tom Presler at a meeting for the Vampire Ball put on every year October 22nd by Shannon McCabe. I had interviewed Tom about his experiences acting. He then informed me that he is the founder of the Zombie Club and is a local comedian. I was intrigued by his vast interests and wanted to interview him further. He is what I call the "free thinker of artistic individuality of this decade." Question: Tell the readers who you are? Answer: I'm a writer, entertainer, artist, social commentator, comedian, songwriter, thinker and passionate activist. What I want, more than anything, is to bring creative and free thinking people together to do good things and sometimes funny things. Questio

Interview by: Judy Raderchak First off tell the readers about yourself. (Your name, what you do where you came from etc.)  My name is Reginald Gage (Reg). I am the middle one of 6 born to Lewis and Elizabeth Gage. I was born and lived in Detroit, MI until I was 14, and then my family moved to Santa Clara, CA. I attended private academy’s all of pre-college life, Catholic Central High, in Detroit, St. Francis High, in Mountain View, CA, but convinced my father to allow me to go to the local high school my last two years of HS because I wanted to finally attend school with neighborhood friends. I was fortunate enough to be able to attend and receive my high school diploma from Emil R. Buc

Sacramento artist Karen O’Haire was inspired to paint by Claude Monet, father of the Impressionist movement. She recently returned from spending a week working in his former gardens in Giverny, France. “They let us in before and after the gardens were open for tourists,” O’Haire said. “I sketched in the morning when just me and the other artists and the garden workers were there. That was really fun.” O’Haire was one of nine American painters who, through a friendship with another artist, worked in the garden from May 26 - June 8. She produced a painting and a number of sketches each day. “It was my third time I got to do this. I feel very fortunate,” she said. “When you’re there you so

Sacramento there is always lots of talk about the quantity and quality of theater productions, art events, concerts or music and dance performances, but rarely do we hear people talking about what it takes to be and live as an artist in Sacramento. With all the actors, musicians, visual artists, performers, designers, architects, writers, chefs, and other creative professionals in the region, it makes sense to ask this question, so that we can truly be a place where arts and artists thrive. For Arts’ Sake – the coalition of artists, arts managers and arts enthusiasts seeking to strengthen the eco-system for Sacramento arts and culture – has launched an online survey directed to all the cr

Composer, arranger and pianist Pablo Ziegler will bring his "Beyond Tango" arrangements of jazz tunes infused with tango rhythms to the Mondavi Center at UC Davis Friday night. He is a 2005 Latin Grammy Award winner for “Bajo Cero,” which won Best Tango Album of the Year. Ziegler was born in Buenos Aires and said he worked with the piano first. “I started at the age of 5,” he said. He studied at the Buenos Aires Music Conservatory and graduated as a piano professor and said that he has been playing jazz music since he was 15. In 1978, Ziegler joined Astor Piazzolla’s quintet and toured with the Argentine composer. Piazzolla is famous for his tango music and bandoneón playing and intro

Sacramento, are you ready for a fun-filled day of delicious tacos and carne asada, exciting bachata dancers and beautiful ancient art? The 20th annual Festival de la Familia promises all that and more this Sunday at Cal Expo. The Festival de la Familia is a cultural extravaganza that pays tribute to the people and cultures of Latin American countries by celebrating their customs and traditions and highlighting the variety of Latin influences within our local community. “It’s really a celebration where we appreciate other cultures in a safe and family-oriented environment,” said Veronica Delgado, chairwoman for the festival’s Arts and Culture Pavilion. One of the things the festival is k

While planning your route this 2nd Saturday, be sure to stop by Elliott Fouts Gallery (4749 J Street, Sacramento) for the reception for Go Figure!, a group exhibition of figural paintings, from 6pm-9pm. Among the artists showing in the exhibition is Sacramento-based painter Jeff Felker. His paintings included in the show address revisiting abandoned places and moments in time, marked by emotional significance to the figure. Each painting captures fragments, as once forgotten and neglected as the scenery, with a desire to find new meanings and relevance within the same space. The show also features work by Candice Bohannon, Derek Gores, James Crandall, Kenney Mencher, Peter Wedel, Sara Zi

DGC/Interscope band Escape the Fate will headline the Dead Masquerade tour at Ace of Spades this weekend, joined by support acts Alesana, Motionless In White, Get Scared and Drive A. Las Vegas-based hard-rockers Escape the Fate are touring in support of their self-titled third album and recently released “Issues Remix” EP, featuring remixes of their first single "Issues" done by Jakwob (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lily Allen), LA Riots (Tiesto, The Ting Tings), Wolves At The Gate (The Cure) and Does It Offend You, Yeah? (Muse, The Raconteurs, Bloc Party). The band currently graces the cover of Outburn magazine, which declares, “the band’s new album is a compelling modern day masterpiece.” Bassist

The smoke has cleared in the skirmish over a guerrilla-art mural painted next door to Sugar Plum Vegan Bakery in Midtown. A graffiti-removal service hired by the Midtown Business Association painted over or "buffed out" the roughly 20-foot-tall mural of a three-headed blue and green man a little more than a week ago. Sacramento artist Shaun Turner had painted the outdoor mural Nov. 13 as a Second Saturday Art Walk event to help draw attention to the bakery, which opened at 2315 K St. in March. Trouble was, the mural was technically painted on the wall of a small commercial building next door at 2309 K St. The bakery’s manager and chef, Marshall Massa, and Sugar Plum owner Melissa Sugar

Sacramento artist Skinner said his interest in art began in preschool when he would try to draw Hulk Hogan’s muscles. The 32-year-old’s art – a far cry from drawings of Hulk Hogan and brontosauruses – has been shown across North America and Europe. His most recent international show was a 10-day event in Moscow two weeks ago. His work includes paintings, wall murals, toys, album covers and sculpture as well as music, which he said he picked up in high school – playing guitar and singing. Some of his work has been featured on snowboards, skateboards, snowboarding goggles and even a poster campaign for the Quentin Tarantino film “Inglorious Basterds” that ended up not being used. Born Wa