For those whose Christmas season isn't complete without watching Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed stroll through Bedford Falls warbling "Buffalo Gals," Sacramento's Crest Theatre is bringing director-screenwriter Frank Capra's 1946 Liberty Films classic, "It's a Wonderful Life," back to the big screen for nine holiday screenings Dec. 22-24. It's just one of three yuletide-themed events scheduled for the 975-seat art deco movie palace during the week leading up to Christmas. Also on tap: the G-rated "Santa's Cool Holiday Film Festival" (Dec. 17 and 18), a syndicated package of "Greetings from the Theater Management" trailers, vintage TV segments, cartoons and the so-bad-it's-good 1964 theatri

Ryan Adams, in his usual black leather jacket and jeans, sat solo on the stage, his long, messy hair seemingly blinding him from his black book of sheet music and lyrics – a thick anthology of prolific work spanning from his first solo record “Heartbreaker” to his Oct. 11, 2011 release, “Ashes & Fire.” The crowd applauded and whistled, and after an endearingly awkward pause, Adams grinned, saying, “Hello. Thanks for coming to the show. I’m just going to sing some songs about ‘the feelings.’” Anyone who knows Adams’ music understands that Adams’ feelings are the unabashed, raw type – the kind that tells a relatable yet shocking and often painful story. And if he has no story to tell, you

This past weekend marked the 20th anniversary of the Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival (SIGLFF) at the Crest Theatre. The festival ran selected film series each evening from Thursday to Saturday. Founder Alan Cole started the project in 1992 as a student-run film festival that received support from Sacramento State University, Gay and Lesbian Alliance students with grant funding from Associated Students Inc. , which is a official governing body which operates the sponsorship of programs and services to CSUS students. A bevy of sponsors and volunteers support the board of directors, programming and gala committees to prepare and organize the annual festival that takes p

World-renowned pianist and songwriter Jim Brickman will perform at the Crest Theatre Nov. 4 with musical guests Anne Cochran and Benjamin Utecht. Brickman, who also sings at his concerts, said he will be performing romantic melodies, a few Christmas songs, but no breakup songs – that’s just not his style. "The Gift," "Valentine” and "Love of My Life" are just some of his famous love song compositions. He has collaborated with various musical talents, including Martina McBride, Olivia Newton-John, Michael Bolton and Lady Antebellum. "You have to find your own voice, because if you sound like someone else, then there's nothing unique about you," Brickman said. His distinct style of music

Fifty-eight local Girl Scouts will receive their Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouts, during the annual Recognitions of Excellence Ceremony this Sunday. Girl Scouts who earn this award have demonstrated leadership skills, career planning and community involvement. To earn the Gold Award, girls are challenged with the task of choosing a community issue and addressing the root cause with a sustainable solution. Girls choose issues they are passionate about and spend a year or more planning and executing their projects. Nationally, only 5.4 percent of girls eligible to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award actually receive it, so this is a huge accomplishment for these local gir

For some time now, K Street has been wavering between its past life as a Sacramento hot spot and its future as a wilting has-been. The busy street is clearly an institution from 9 to 5, but despite the Crest and the constant stream of events, city planners have been struggling to pull in a real evening crowd. The news is out that a team of fairytale Bay Area developers has joined forces and created Dive Bar, Pizza Rock and District 30. This nightclub-pizza-bar trio hopes to entice the masses for some good old K Street entertainment and after-hours. But is this Bay Area vibe a bit of a stretch in grabbing the attention of the average Midtown resident? Even worse is the grueling task of con

Widely acclaimed author of “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” and more recently ”The Lake of Dreams” Kim Edwards spoke at the Crest Theatre on Thursday as the fourth author of the California Lectures’ 2010-2011 season. Her work has been praised for its wit, humanism and realistic settings as well her innate ability to transport her reader to exotic locales and accept them implicitly in the story. Her second and most recent novel, “The Lake of Dreams,” came fast on the heels of the breakout success she achieved with her freshman effort, “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter,” which spent an awesome 122 weeks on the New York Times Best-seller List, 20 of which were spent at number one. The lecture, whic

"Touching Home" was a film that shouldn't have been made, claim identical twins Logan and Noah Miller, who wrote, directed and starred in the semi-autobiographical movie. But the aspiring filmmakers tend not to take "no" for an answer. The twins, who were raised in the Bay Area, had an alcoholic father who was homeless for the last 15 years of his life and died in jail. As depicted in the based-on-real-life The movie portrays how the twins kept each other strong and trained together to be college (Noah) and professional (Logan) baseball players. The film had its Sacramento premiere Friday night at the Crest Theatre in front of nearly 1,000 people. The Millers were joined on the red carpe

Not having any relatives west of the Mississippi, my family often traveled up to Portland to spend Thanksgiving with old friends. We'd usually pick up a couple books on tape from the Contra Costa library before heading out on road trips like these, but pianist George Winston's albums Autumn and December always traveled with us. Because of these albums' bonding themes – holidays, family, journeys – the music grew into an important memory from childhood. In some ways, it ceased being art for me, in that I couldn't evaluate it with a critical eye as I developed musically. This isn't to say that I think George Winston is a bad composer or pianist. In the same way I occasionally eat at a child

This Friday, Eagles bassist Timothy B. Schmit will play a concert at the Crest Theatre. Please read this article for background on Schmit and details on the show. The following includes excerpts of an email interview with Schmit: You grew up in Sacramento. Do you have fond memories here, and how did the city, if it did at all, affect your decision to play music? Or was it purely a personal choice? I've always looked at Sacramento as having been a great place for me to grow up. That, coupled with a good family life, seemed to be a good recipe for my eventual trek out into the rest of the world. The reasons I left were numerous, but it mainly had to do with trying to further my musical in

The Messenger Directed by Oren Moverman By Tony Sheppard Capitol Weekly Ben Foster and Woody Harrelson are an Army Casualty Notification Detail, tasked with informing the N.O.K. (next of kin) when their loved ones have been killed in action. It’s a soul-destroying assignment and, as explained by the older man (Harrelson) to his younger colleague (Foster), it’s not one that can be made easier by staged shows of understanding. But it’s a necessary function in a time of webcams and cable news shows. They race to get to the N.O.K. before they hear the news from anybody else. Foster has been on the edge of stardom for a decade and may be best recognized recently as Angel in “X-Men: The Last

Last night, John Irving, National Book Award-winning author of twelve novels, including The World According to Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meany, The Cider House Rules and his latest, Last Night at Twisted River, appeared in conversation with UC Davis Director of Creative Writing, Pam Houston, before an appreciative full-house at downtown’s Crest Theater, as part of California Lectures’ 2009-2010 line-up of literary speakers. Irving told the audience he writes according to novelist Herman Melville’s warning, “Woe to him that seeks to please rather than to appall,” saying that his goal is “not only to frighten readers, making them anxious for the fates of characters I have made them like,” but

The Crest theatre brought back memories for one pair of Sacramentans Tuesday Night. Dick and Joanne Cossairt, both 76, were among hundreds on hand to celebrate the Crest's 60th anniversary with the screening of "That Midnight Kiss." "The new Crest marquee looks the same as when we were kids," Joanne Cossairt said. "They did an amazing job." The evening began around 6 p.m. with many in line at the concessions table for the 60th-anniversary special: ten packs of Smarties candy which were popular in the 1940s, soda and popcorn for $3. Then at 7 p.m., Crest manager Sid Heberger took to the stage to make a presentation. She thanked those who were there at the original screening and a young

As a throwback to the 40s, 60 cents will get you a ticket to That Midnight Kiss. For their 60th anniversary celebration, The Crest will try to recreate the atmosphere of the original grand opening event. After watching a Fox Movie newsreel of the opening night celebration, the audience will watch That Midnight Kiss, the same film screened 60 years ago at the grand opening. Attendees are also encouraged to wear '40s-style clothing and can eat 1940s candy such as Smarties, Flicks and Black Crows, available at the concession stand. The grand opening was attended by then-Gov. Earl Warren, and Sacramento's first female mayor, Belle Cooledge, as well as the film's stars Mario Lanza and Kathryn

Some scenes from Third Saturday   The Kasbah Trio The Storytellers Folk and Fusion TAIS Members of Sacramento World Music and Dance  Fashion Show Justin Farren The Pre-lit Crest Photos | Kati Garner

Although many of the events this weekend do not really reflect the true meaning of the foundation of this holiday, there are still some great things to do! Whatever your plan is this weekend, do take a moment to reflect on what Memorial Day is about and be thankful for our fellow Americans who put their lives on the line for the sake of our country. Just in case you aren't sure as to what Memorial Day is all about and why it is a National Holiday, here is the definition from Wikipedia: "Formerly known as Decoration Day, Memorial Day commemorates U.S. men and women who died while in the military service. First enacted to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War (it is celebrated near

Cameras flashing, limos, tuxedos and dresses: Thursday night at the Crest Theater, a film premier event will roll out the red carpet for a selection of bright young screenwriters, directors and actors. But there will be no Hollywood A-listers -- in fact, you won't even pay to get into this event showcasing the brightest young filmmakers from Sacramento-area high schools and middle schools. Sponsored by the Center for Multicultural Cooperation (CMC) and Sacramento Chinese Community Service Center (SCCSC), the premier will display three different types of films: youth voice stories and intergenerational stories that are both several minutes long, and 30-second anti-tobacco public service a

On Monday, May 4, metal band Anvil stopped by and played a short three-song set after a screening of Anvil! The Story of Anvil at the Crest Theatre. The following is a photojournal of the special film and music event:   The colorful Crest Theatre marquis announced the event to passersby on K Street. Drummer Robb Reiner took photos with fans. Almost all of the fans wore black to the screening, as those pictured show. Singer and guitarist Steve "Lips" Kudlow (second from left) posed with a number of fans.  Crest Theatre Manager Sid Heberger annouced the film Anvil! The Story of Anvil, and mentioned that the band would be performing after the screening. During Anvil's first ever vi

Organizers of the annual Trash Film Orgy, now in its ninth year, have just announced their 2009 summer schedule for July through August at the Crest Theatre in Downtown Sacramento. The festival, "bringing you the best in 35mm exploitation and cult cinema," will start on July 11 with the camp classic "Flash Gordon," and follow up with five more mostly-obscure films of the midnight movie variety. The shows will be hosted by the festival's original host, Francois Fly. The screenings will also feature a variety of other activities, including "live bloody stage shows," costume contests and audience participation. These folks go all-in. What follows is the schedule for the 2009 Trash Film Orgy

  This week, the second annual Sacramento All Sketch Comedy Festival rolls, and roles, into town (see what I did there?). It’s the brainchild (or something less intellectual and less offspringy) of two of Sactown’s most creative and twisted (in a good way, none of that M. Night Shyamalan crap) minds: Sid Heberger and Keith Lowell Jensen. As well as founding the Festival, Sid and Keith are the founders of the local comedy troupe I Can’t Believe It’s Not Comedy (apparently they like to found). Sid is also the manager of the beautiful and historic (and heroic champion of K Street’s economy) Crest Theatre and Keith is a local comedian, filmmaker (Why Lie I Need a Drink), author (The Atheist