‘Dog Whisperer’ coming to Hartford’s Bushnell

Monday, July 25, 2011 by:Pat Quinn
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Photo: “Dog Whisperer” Cesar Millan will share his techniques in Hartford.  (Getty Images)

Tickets go on sale Monday, Aug. 1, for an appearance in Hartford by best-selling author and television star Cesar Millan.

The famed dog-behavior specialist is coming to Mortensen Hall in the Bushnell Center for the Performing Arts, 166 Capitol Ave., on Sunday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. Tickets ($35.75 and $45.75) go on sale  at 10 a.m. on the web, or call 860-987-5900. A limited number of VIP tickets ($75) will be available, which includes a post-show meet-and-greet with Millan.

Co-creator and star of the “Dog Whisperer” on the National Geographic channel, Millan has co-authored three books: “Cesar’s Way,” “Be the Pack Leader” and “Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan: The Ultimate Episode Guide.”

In Hartford, Millan will talk about his life experiences, and teach the attendees how to apply his techniques in the training and rehabilitation of their own dogs.

Categories: General

See ‘Gong Show Live’ and/or audition to be a cast member

Monday, July 25, 2011 by:Linda Tuccio-Koonz
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“Gong Show Live” will bring a host of talented and hilarious acts to Danbury’s Ives Concert Park as part of a live performance on Thursday, Aug. 18 at 8 p.m. Tickets on sale online or by phone at 203-837-TIXX.

An audition will be held in Danbury to select the show’s newest permanent cast member (date and location to be announced). To be considered, performers should email a two-minute video to GongShowLive@sbcglobal.net by Aug. 10.

“Gong Show Live” — the only Sony-authorized stage presentation of the iconic ’70s TV show, “The Gong Show” — showcases a modern-day cast of offbeat, professional acts known from such TV shows as “America’s Got Talent,” “Late Show with David Letterman” and  “So You Think You Can Dance.”

Producer Leslie Gold, whose Radiochick Corporation holds the rights to stage “Gong Show Live” events in the U.S., said the original show’s variety, humor and surprise elements made it not just memorable, but a precedent-setting piece of American pop culture.

“There’d be no ‘America’s Got Talent,’ ‘Jersey Shore,’ ‘Big Brother’ or other current reality/talent TV shows without ‘The Gong Show’,” she said.” ‘Gong Show Live’ brings the format and all of the fun and lunacy of the beloved TV show to an interactive theatrical stage production, and there’s truly nothing like it.”

“Gong Show Live” also features comedian Ray Ellin as host/emcee and three judges (Chuck Nice, Leslie Gold “The Radiochick” and Dan Naturman), all of whom are  known from their work in stand-up comedy, TV and radio.

Casting is done by Robert Russell, renowned for the casting of reality TV shows including “The Bachelor,” “The Apprentice,” “Big Brother,” “The Restaurant,” “Moment of Truth,” and NBC’s “Phenomenon.

A sampling of acts that will be featured in “Gong Show Live” on Aug. 18 at Ives Concert Park include:

  • Chipps Cooney – Comedian/illusionist who amazes no one, but made it to top 30 of “America’s Got Talent”
  • Jason “Mallet Man” Taylor – Protegé of Lionel Hampton and Tito Puente in a zoot suit who dances, spins and plays the xylophone simultaneously
  • Carol “The Pigeon” Scibelli – As a singing pigeon, she’s performed for “Gong Show” originator/host Chuck Barris
  • The Amazing Amy – Elderly female contortionist who performs to a Star Trek theme (and who was rejected by “America’s Got Talent”)
  • Rhonda Smith Duffy Coris – The star that almost was, as seen on “The Daily Show,” “30 Rock” and “Conan”
  • Eva from Iowa – Could be the world’s first rapper/sax player
  • Not Britney Spears – Kooky folk medley of Britney’s songs as you’ve never heard them
  • Skatin’ Sarah Palin – Roller-dances her way into your ballot box, to a rousing patriotic song
Categories: General

Out and about: Things to see and places to be this weekend

Friday, July 22, 2011 by:Christina Hennessy
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Above: Darian Cunning of Bridgeport performs to an enthusiastic crowd at the Green Vibes Stage at the Gathering of the Vibes music festival at Seaside Park in Bridgeport on Thursday, July 21. Photo: Brian A. Pounds / Connecticut Post

Of course, the major event of the weekend is taking place on the grounds of Bridgeport’s Seaside Park, where the four-day Gathering of the Vibes music festival is bringing more than 40 bands to three different stages. Follow the action at our Vibes blog.

But, even if your plans do not bring you to Bridgeport, there are plenty of other activities taking place around the area.

In Darien, ragtime and jazz will rule at the Darien Arts Center when the Ragtime Evolution Quartet comes to play Saturday, July 23. And, don’t miss a chance to catch the Feelies, an influential indie rock band that formed 35 years ago in New Jersey, when they come to play Friday, July 22, at Daniel Street nightclub in Milford. The band’s latest album, “Here Before,” was released in April. At Caramoor, performers will present works by composers who have earned the Pulitzer Prize for their works, as well as those who may have been overlooked throughout this weekend. Robert Cray Band will present a concert in New Haven on Saturday, July 23. Steely Dan will perform in Danbury on Monday, July 25, with Alison Krauss and Union Station making a stop later in the week. And, Roberta Flack will end the first Stamford jazz series with a performance on Wednesday, July 27.

The art of telling a story, in words and on film, anchor a double-feature being presented Saturday, July 23, at the Bijou Theatre, which recently in Bridgeport.

There is plenty of theater to keep people in their seats, with “Menopause, The Musical,” playing in New Haven; “Lips Together Teeth Apart” in Westport; “Carousel” in New Canaan, “The Three Musketeers” in Bridgeport; “Henry V” and “The Winter’s Tale,” in Stratford; “Sweeney Todd” in Danbury; and “Broadway Blockbusters” in Norwalk.

I leave you with a recent performance of the Feelies.  Until next time …

Categories: General

Kid Cudi canceled

Friday, July 22, 2011 by:Sean Spillane
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Just received this email concerning Sunday night’s non-Vibes concert in Bridgeport:

“Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Kid Cudi show at Webster Bank Arena has been canceled. Refunds available at point of purchase.”

Guess that takes some of the traffic worries away from downtown Bridgeport Sunday night.

Categories: General

Lil P-Nut with Jadin in the Mix at Stepping Stones

Thursday, July 21, 2011 by:Scott Gargan
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Above: Lil’ P-Nut proves even 8-year-olds can have swag.

Schoolboy hip hop sensation Lil P-Nut will join London’s DJ Jadin in the Mix at Stepping Stones’ Summer Jam Live on Wednesday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. P-Nut will bust out the rhymes while Jadin lays down the beats.

Tickets are $10 in advance and $12 at the door.

Born in 2002 in Memphis, Tenn., P-Nut made his debut in 2009 at the city’s legendary New Daisy Theather, opening for Memphis’ own Nakia Shine. He went on to perform on the Ellen Degeneres Show, and is preparing to sign a record deal with Cartoon Network.

Summer Jam Live continues on Wednesday, Aug. 10 with Burnham, a Vermont-based pop/rock band that opened for Justin Bieber last year; and Stereo Skyline, a punk pop band from East Meadow, N.Y. The series caps off Wednesday, Aug. 17 with the Battle of the Bands.

For more information, call 203-899-0606 or visit Stepping Stones.

Categories: Music

Any rum runners in your family? CPTV wants your photos from the 1920s and 1930s

Thursday, July 21, 2011 by:Linda Tuccio-Koonz
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Connecticut Public Television (CPTV) is looking for images, footage and memorabilia on the temperance movement and prohibition.

Do you have…stories, photos or film from the 1920s and 1930s?  Pictures of brewers or alcohol producers?  Memorabilia from Connecticut speakeasies?  Memories of family members making or drinking wine, beer or spirits during this period?

CPTV is also looking for documents/photos from the Connecticut Temperance Society, the Prohibition Party, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, the Anti-Saloon League, and other such organizations of the period.

In addition, the station is seeking general pictures and paintings from the late 1800s and early 1900s that depict everyday life, fashion, recreational activities, etc., from the era.

If you’re interested in submitting materials for the project, contact Jennifer Boyd, executive producer at CPTV at jboyd@cptv.org.

Categories: General

DiCamillo helms third week of jazz festival

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by:Christina Hennessy
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Stamford native Joyce DiCamillo, right, will be bringing jazz to Columbus Park in downtown Stamford, Wednesday, July 20, when she performs during the Jazz up July series. Maydie Myles is the opening act.

In addition to her live performances, DiCamillo has served as executive director of the Stamford Young Artists Philharmonic for many years. She also leads that group’s Young People’s and Young Artists Jazz
Ensembles

This new series, which is presented by Stamford’s Downtown Special Services District, ends next week, with a performance by award-winning singer/songwriter Roberta Flack, Wednesday, July 27.

The July 20 concert is free, but there will be a $10 admission fee (12 and older) for next week’s concert. All performances begin at 6:30 p.m.

Categories: Event, Local Talent, Music

Wright Brothers first in flight? Wrong, says exhibit

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 by:Pat Quinn
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Right: At the Aug. 14 event, Andy Kosch will display his replica of Whitehead’s airplane that Kosch himself flew successfully 25 years ago.

On Aug. 14, 1901, two years before the Wright Brothers, Gustave Whitehead, a German immigrant to Bridgeport, flew his powered aircraft unassisted a distance of a half mile in the skies over Bridgeport, truly being the first in flight.

Or so says a release from Bridgeport’s Discovery Museum, which on Aug. 14 will unveil a new exhibit, “Bridgeport: First in Flight.”

The 110th anniversary of Whitehead’s historic flight will be celebrated along with the innovations of  helicopter aviation pioneer Igor Sikorsky, and Frisbee.

The new exhibit will featuring a historic collection of Whitehead’s memorabilia and personal documents.

Bridgeport Mayor Bill Finch is expected to teleconference live with the mayor of Leutershausen, Bavaria, Germany, Burgermeister Herr Siegfried Hess, and representatives of the Gustave Whitehead Museum. Professor Herbert Pietschmann from Vienna will moderate the proceedings.

Noted historians will lecture at various times throughout the day, presenting evidence that Whitehead was in fact first in flight. Audience questions will be taken at each session.

Andy Kosch will display his replica of Whitehead’s airplane that Kosch himself flew successfully 25 years ago. George “Doc” Gunther, noted Whitehead enthusiast and founder of the Connecticut Air & Space Center, will be an honored guest.

Next door in Veterans Park, Bridgeport’s new Frisbee Golf Course will open with a “Frisbee Festival,” featuring freestyle demonstrations, distance and accuracy competitions, Frisbee dogs exhibitions, live music and other family entertainment also are planned.

Meanwhile, in the spirit of celebrating German design and engineering, Black Horse Garage is lending a 1965 Porsche 350SC and 1968 Mercedes Benz 300 SL for the day. Bridgeport’s Black Horse Garage is recognized as a leading restorer of vintage and historic vehicles.

Admission to the Discovery Museum and “Bridgeport: First in Flight” is free. Some activities may require a small admission.

For more information, visit The Discover Museum online or call 203-372-3521.

Categories: General
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