The nightlife: bartender of the week and alternatives to Taco Tuesday…

Thursday at 4 p.m. The Counter Burger in Hermosa Beach serves complimentary appetizers at its official ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony.

The travels of Ottmar

Master guitarist and Zen monk Ottmar Liebert comes to Saint Rocke
Forty years ago an unusual boy, born with a faraway look in his eyes, wandered the streets of Cologne, Germany.

How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? [MOVIE REVIEW]

“How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster?” Such a peculiar title and yet so illustrative of the career arc of Norman Foster, master architect, winner of the Pritzker, Stirling (twice), and Prince Asturias Prizes in art and architecture.

Soul Seeking with Kevin Sousa

“There was a seminal moment where I asked myself how honest I was going to be with this, with the reader… and I said fuck it, I gotta put out what’s me.”
Bold and powerful words, if not raw, from 41-year old Hermosa Beach resident, former Mira Costa High School teacher and Beach Sports instructor, waterman, therapist, and musician Kevin Sousa.

There are no losers in “Undefeated” [MOVIE REVIEW]

“Undefeated” is as magnificent as its subjects – the football coach and his underprivileged student/athletes at Manassas High School in poverty-stricken North Memphis, Tennessee.

Bullhead a fine, tough film

Belgium’s worthy Academy Award-nominated “Bullhead” is a tough film – tough to describe and tough to watch.

Skeleton Crew: Death comes to Redondo Beach on Valentine’s Day

The dead have a message for us, and Paul Koudounaris knows it by heart: What we are, you will be; what you are, we once were.

The author of The Empire of Death: A Cultural History of Ossuaries and Charnel Houses, Koudounaris visited 70 sites in nearly 20 countries over a five-year span. He’ll talk about what he discovered and learned on Tuesday evening – Valentine’s Day, ladies and gentlemen! – at the Redondo Beach Public Library.

“Return”: film about a woman’s return from war is a promising start for director Liza Johnson [MOVIE REVIEW]

“Return” opens slowly on the face of Kelli, sitting in an airport, still in fatigues, waiting, worried anticipation in her eyes.

Camelot [THEATER REVIEW]

Anyone who has seen a production of Lerner and Loewe’s classic musical “Camelot” would likely take issue with the title song’s claim that “there’s simply not a more congenial spot for happily-ever-aftering…” At best, the conclusion to this gut-wrenching tale of personal and political disillusionment could be considered a hopefully ever after.

Bartender of the Week: Jennifer Osborne at Shellback and The Castle

Bartender of the Week: Jennifer Osborne at Shellback Tavern  and The Castle in Manhattan Beach.