ON the (Big) Screen
It’s so exciting to finally have the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in full swing. We’ve been on the beat getting stories ready for what feels like ages, and it’s really fun to see all of that finally start to come to fruition. I love the whole shebang but am particularly excited about the Writers Panel — an impressive group that includes the Daniels (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Todd Field (Tár), Kazuo Ishiguro (Living), Rian Johnson (Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery), Tony Kushner (The Fabelmans), Martin McDonagh (The Banshees of Inisherin), Ruben Östlund (Triangle of Sadness), Lesley Paterson (All Quiet on the Western Front), and Sarah Polley (Women Talking) — on Saturday, February 11 at 11 a.m. at the Arlington.
I mean, seriously … in addition to all of their amazing 2022 films, Kazuo Ishiguro is a Nobel Prize–winning novelist. He wrote The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go, among other notable works. And Tony Kushner is THE Tony Kushner, the fricking Pulitzer Prize–winning Angels in America guy! If you care at all about the written word in its many artful forms, you won’t want to miss this fabulous panel.
ON the Stage
“How sweet it is” to be a “Brown-Eyed Girl” in Santa Barbara right now! My heart goes pitter-patter every time I see another announcement from the Bowl. Just this week we found out that James Taylor is coming on May 31 and Van Morrison is coming on September 16. Also on the calendar are Young the Giant with Milky Chance and Rosa Linn (Aug. 18), as well as the previously announced Tyler Childers (Apr. 26), The Black Keys (May 4), Billy Currington (May 6), Brett Young (May 19), Trevor Noah (Jun. 2-3), and Little Big Town (Jul. 15). With more to come. I can’t wait!
Speaking of waiting, our town’s favorite adopted son Jack Johnson will be playing a very special show in the intimate Lobero Theatre on February 21. Diana Hill wrote a hilarious and touching story about her adventures waiting in line for the quickly sold-out show. Another huge name coming to the venerable venue is Charles Lloyd, who will celebrate his 85th birthday and the Lobero 150th anniversary with a concert on March 10.
Also on the musical nostalgia radar is Air Supply, bringing “The Lost in Love Experience” tour and a long list of love songs to the Chumash Casino Resort on February 17.