Dick Noel, a crooner with the Ray Anthony Orchestra who went on to be known as “The King of the Jingles” for his work on commercials, died Friday, Oct. 23 at Escondido after a long illness, his friend Hank Jones said. He was 90. A Time for Love, his highly regarded 1978 album made in collaboration with pianist Larry Novak, featured world-weary renditions of such…
Part game, part theater, part team-building exercise, escape rooms are taking off around the world, and that includes Escondido and San Marcos. Growth has been explosive. The number of permanent rooms world-wide has gone from zero at the outset of 2010 to at least 2,800 worldwide today, according to MarketWatch calculations based on rooms registered to escape-room directories. The concept was birthed in Japan, spread…
The year of no Welk Resort Theatre For nearly four decades, Welk Resort Theatre has showcased all manner of live stage shows at a 309-seat showcase. That tradition comes to an end with the final performance of “A Christmas Carol” on Dec. 31. Following the Dickens of a show, the string of live dinner shows at the north Escondido resort dating to 1981 comes to an…
This is the 2006 winner of five Tonys… “Oh dear God, please let it be a good show. I just want a story and a few good songs,” says Man in Chair at the top of “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and I was silently saying “amen” to that right up front. The Man (Vincent Pasquill), a shy depressive in a shapeless brown cardigan, plays an LP…
Rancho Santa Fe this summer is channeling Buffalo Springfield: “There’s something happening here. What is is ain’t exactly clear.” It’s anonymously placed mysteriously at night in the manner of English-based graffiti artist Banksy. Some call it the ultimate in pop-art. Unfortunately, as quickly as the art pops up, it tends to pop down. The Ranch can be an unforgiving place when it comes to anonymous…
Deets What: “The Music Man” plays through July 30; Where: Welk Resort Theatre San Diego, 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido; When: Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm; Thursday and Saturday at 8 pm; How: Tickets: (888) 802-7469 or welkresorts.com. Classic musical at Welk Resort, Escondido through July 30. I’ll grant that “Oklahoma!” is a pretty good opening song for a musical, but for my…
Tale of the Toppled Hurler: A Peter Hartwell Story by Bruce A. Kauffman c 2017 All rights reserved. For full story, visit: https://escondidograpevine.com/a-the-tale-of-the-toppled-hurler-a-peter-hartwell-story/. Chapter 16 They’ve weathered the crisis at the temple and now Hartwell heads for town to witness the rest of the Yankees’ series. Jimmy drove me to Kenmore Square, where I checked into the hotel and lingered under a hot, needle-point shower until…
A controversial painting that made headlines earlier this year is now the subject of a lawsuit in a federal court in Washington, D.C., but constitutional experts predict the plaintiff’s free speech arguments are doomed. The case hinges on whether an art competition held by members of Congress qualifies as “government speech,” which has less protection under the First Amendment. The legal feud has roiled emotions in Washington…
A federal judge has rejected efforts to reinstall a painting in the Capitol that some lawmakers and police groups found offensive because it depicts police officers with animal heads. David Pulphus, a student artist from Missouri, and Rep. William Clay, his Democratic congressman, had sued Architect of the Capitol Stephen Ayers for removing the painting in January. They sought a preliminary injunction to have the…
Details “The Man Who Came To Dinner” plays through April 30, 2017 at Welk Resort Theatre, 8860 Lawrence Welk Drive, Escondido. Friday and Saturday at 8 pm; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm Tickets: (888) 802-7469 A nightmare? Yes. Funny? No, hilarious. Never invite Sheridan Whiteside to dinner. That imperious radio wit just might fall, injure something and refuse to leave, demanding service in…