"American Idol" alumnus Adam Lambert, who grew up in North County and graduated from Mt. Carmel High School, is featured in a cover story in this month's Details magazine for an article subtitled "Why does every woman in American want to sleep with the American Idol?' The article charts the openly gay Lambert's growing female fan base during the recently ended "American Idol" tour, where fanatical female fans at nearly every tour stop threw bras, panties and sex toys onstage when he performed, and showered him with gifts and sexual invitations.
The article features a steamy photo spread, where he's seen kissing and embracing a topless female model (and wearing his trademark black nail polish and guyliner makeup). In the story, Lambert says he finds women attractive and has kissed a few, but that's as far as he's gone, and the photo shoot was just for fun. He says he finds the attention from women "weird" but flattering.
Lambert released his first single, "Time for Miracles," part of the soundtrack for the upcoming disaster film "2012," on Tuesday and by noon that day, it was already the No. 1 download in the nation (a spot it continued to hold on Wednesday), and No. 10 download on iTunes. His debut album, titled "For Your Entertainment," will go on sale Nov. 23. So far, presales for Lambert's album are setting national sales records, outselling the upcoming discs for Mariah Carey, Madonna and Barbra Streisand.
To celebrate 50 years in Del Mar, The Romeros will present an anniversary concert Nov. 21 in their hometown.
The Romeros ---- better known as "The Royal Family of the Guitar" ---- moved to the United States from their native Spain in 1957, and two years later settled in what would become a sprawling complex of homes where three generations of Romeros would carry on the family's musical legacy.
Los Romeros was founded in Del Mar by Celedonio Romero, who formed the classical guitar ensemble with his then-young sons, Celin, Pepe and Angel. Over the years, the lineup changed. Celedonio retired, and then passed away in 1996. That same year, Angel went on to a solo and conducting career, and a third generation of Romeros ---- Celino (Celin's son) and Lito (Angel's son) --- stepped in to fill their fathers' places. The Romeros have performed with symphonies all over the world as well as for international leaders and U.S. presidents.
The family will celebrate its half-century of music-making with a special concert hosted by the Del Mar Foundation's Cultural Arts Committee at 7 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Del Mar Powerhouse in Powerhouse Park. Tickets are $75 and will include a special reception with Spanish wine and chocolates. Romeros concerts are known to sell out well in advance, so early orders are encouraged: Call 858-635-1363 or visit delmarfoundation.org.
Most moviegoers don't enjoy having an infant seated in the row behind them, but parents of toddlers need date nights, too.
So on Thursday night, UltraStar Cinemas will introduce a "Baby's Night Out" event at its La Costa theater.
Moms and dads are invited to bring their babies to a screening of "Couples Retreat" at 7 p.m. today. Admission is $5.50 per adult, and babies will be admitted free. Special accommodations for this screening will include stroller parking, dimmed lighting, reduced movie volume and changing facilities set up inside the auditorium.
Thursday's screening marks the debut of the "Baby's Night Out" film program. If the screening is a success, it may become a regular monthly offering at the La Costa and other UltraStar Cinema locations.
Visit www.ultrastarmovies.com.
TV chef and author Martha Stewart signed more than 1,000 copies of her latest cookbook Sunday at the Costco store in Carlsbad ---- the largest turnout Stewart has ever received for a book signing.
Several hundred people showed up at Sunday afternoon's event, where Stewart stayed an extra 45 minutes to accommodate the crowd who had queued up to have their copies of "Martha Stewart's Dinner at Home" signed.
Legendary science fiction novelist Ray Bradbury will make an appearance Nov. 19 at the Escondido Public Library.
Bradbury, author of "The Martian Chronicles," "The Illustrated Man" and "Fahrenheit 451," will talk about his writing and sign copies of his books at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 19 at the library, 239 S. Kalmia St. Call 760-839-4601.
"Street Lights," a gritty musical about a group of inner-city teens who fight to save their high school's endangered music program, will have its world premiere next spring at the Old Globe.
The musical featured a book and hip hop/R&B score by Joe Drymala.
Old Globe executive producer Lou Spisto said the musical got its start at the 2009 New York Musical Theatre Festival and will be presented locally as part of the Globe's Southeastern San Diego Residency Project, a collaboration between the theater and San Diego's Lincoln High School Center for the Arts. The musical will be presented first at Lincoln on Feb. 20 and 21 and will move to the Globe Feb. 25-28.
"Street Lights" is the second production produced through the Southeast San Diego Residency Project. The first production, "Kingdom," was presented to large crowds last year.
Single tickets for "Street Lights" will go on sale Dec. 6 at www.theoldglobe.org and 619-234-5623. Tickets will be priced from $10 to $35.
Organizers of next month's California Surf Festival are seeking volunteers who'd like to help out at the event, which runs Nov. 19-22 in Oceanside.
The four-day event will feature exhibits of surf photography and films, a concert by Jake Shimabukuro, a 50-year anniversary tribute to Surfer Magazine, book signings, exhibits, and meet-and-greet opportunities with filmmakers. Volunteers will not be paid for their service, but they will have the opportunity to view films and attend various events for free.
A free volunteer kick-off pizza party will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at the California Surf Museum at 312 Pier View Way in Oceanside. Visit www.surfmuseum for festival details.
Just in time for Halloween, Carlsbad-based New Village Arts Theatre will hold a costume and prop sale this weekend.
From 9 a.m. to noon Sunday, the theater will offer items from its warehouse, including historical and modern costumes, props and furnishings and other items donated by New Village board members. The sale takes place at the theater at 2787 State St. in Carlsbad.
The La Jolla Playhouse-born musical "Memphis" opened to mostly positive reviews on Broadway Monday.
The rock 'n' roll musical had its world premiere last year in La Jolla and had a subsequent production in Seattle last spring. Directed by Playhouse artistic director Chris Ashley with a score by Bon Jovi keyboard player David Bryan and book by Joe DiPietro, it's the fact-inspired story of a white radio DJ in 1950s Memphis whose pioneering efforts to play music by black artists on the radio helped fuel the rock 'n' roll movement. The musical was a hit with local audiences and was named Best New Musical for 2008 by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle.
New York Times critic Christopher Isherwood praised the cast, particularly the two leads Chad Kimball and Montego Glover (reprising their roles from the show's debut in La Jolla), Ashley's direction and Sergio Trujillo's choreography, but he called the musical "slick but formulaic" and described its score as lacking in authentic soul and therefore "the Michael Bolton of Broadway musicals." He also called the lyrics "cliche-ridden" and the book "cartoonish."
Associated Press, critic Michael Kuchwara called "Memphis" both "tuneful" and "theatrical," making it "the very essence of what a Broadway musical should be." He praised Kimball and Glover, Ashley's direction and the show's exuberant energy. Newsday critic Linda Winer called "Memphis" "extraordinary" and described it as "arguably the best blakc musical written by white guys since 'Dreamgirls.' "
And Variety critic David Rooney praised the cast, vocals, choreography and Ashley's "vigorous" direction, but criticized the story's "soulless" and "predictable" book.
Meanwhile, two other La Jolla Playhouse-born plays have also moved to New York. Charlayne Woodard's "The Night Watcher," which was a Playhouse Page to Stage workshop last year, opened to strong reviews off Broadway last month. And Claudia Shear's "Restoration," which opened earlier this season in La Jolla, will open in spring 2010 at the New York Theatre Workshop.
Dr. Mark Plotkin, the ethnobiologist who stars in the IMAX movie "Amazon," now playing at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in Balboa Park, will host a screening of the film on Friday evening and will answer audience questions afterward.
Plotkin is co-founder of the Amazon Conservation Team, which has mapped more than 40 million acres of rainforest in an effort to protect the endangered habitat. Since the filming of "Amazon," which travels the length of the South African river, encountering wildlife and nearby human inhabitants along the way, Plotkin has led a major effort to protect the river and its native tribes.
The public is invited to the program, from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday at the Science Center. The film will be presented at 6 p.m., followed by a one-hour lecture and Q&A session at 7 p.m. Also featured at the lecture will be Chief Almir, a Surui tribe leader from the Amazonian region.
Afterward, Plotkin will sign copies of his book "Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice: An Ethnobotanist Searchs for New Medicines in the Amazon Rain Forest." Tickets to Friday's event are $8.50. Visit www.rhfleet.org.
Pam Kragen is the entertainment editor of the North County Times.
