PREVIEW — Forever Motown in Modesto

There was a time, not all that long ago, when I wouldn’t have come within miles of Forever Motown, a critically-acclaimed tribute show that’s coming to the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto this Sunday, November 3. Its been selling out venues nationwide. But I’m from Detroit, you see. The Motor City. Born and …

¡Feliz Dia de los Muertos! Happy Day of the Dead? Yup!

I’m dipping mi dedito into this whole Day of the Dead thing. Most of my Mexican friends have been patient as I’ve discovered and learned about their culture. I’m sure you’d think otherwise if you were to hear me speak, but I’m not a native Spanish speaker. (Gracias Rosetta Stone y Adelante Media Group.) So …

EXCLUSIVE! Terry Fator Keeps It Clean, With An Adult Edge

Comedian, singer, and master ventriloquist Terry Fator has been thrilling Las Vegas fans for over a decade. He will be bringing his critically-acclaimed show to the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto on November 16. During my EXCLUSIVE interview, Fator said he prides himself on presenting a hysterical, clean show that provides yuks for …

EXCLUSIVE! Regal / UA Theater At Market Square In Sacramento Abruptly Closes Doors

If you call the main number to the Regal / United Artist Market Square location, at 1739 Arden Way in Sacramento, you get a recording that claims “the best place to watch a movie just got better.” If that’s true, it got better across the street at the new Cinemark XD. The Regal / UA …

Cedric The Entertainer In Modesto: A NSFW Review

Over the years, I’ve seen the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto transformed into a supple supper club, an old fashioned juke joint, a magic showcase, an 80s dance disco, and a winter wonderland. But Saturday night, I watched the venue morph into an old school black comedy club, during a show that was …

K-Mart Should Return The Bride Halloween Costume, And Maybe Offer A Hooker One. Now THAT’s A Blue Light Special

Earlier this week, a sorely confused mom in Australia started a change.org petition designed to force K-Mart into removing a wedding dress Halloween costume that was being offered to little girls. The mom argued that the sale of the costume promoted forced child marriages, and she even cited global statistics on the epidemic.   The …

EXCLUSIVE! Cedric The Entertainer Preps For Oct 26 In Modesto…And Playing Ralph Abernathy In Upcoming Feature

Cedric The Entertainer will bring a wide range of experiences to the stage at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto Saturday night (October 26). During our EXCLUSIVE interview, he told me that he’ll put his unique comedic spin on a variety of topics, including marriage, his kids, and being a relatively new grandfather, …

Popeyes To Bring Back Sandwich For Black Friday? : The Chicken Chronicles Vol 2

Popeyes’ unfathomably good chicken sandwich — the spicy one. Black Jesus, the spicy one — has been MIA since August. The fast food bird chain introduced it on August 12, almost immediately got into a Twitter war with one of their homophobic chicken rivals, and the sandwich almost instantly sold out nationwide. They promised it …

Jenifer Lewis At UC Davis — A NSFW Review

CAUTION: The words used in this review are almost as colorful as the artist’s own, in print and live on stage. Consider this your final warning! Sunday morning, at the request of the incomparable Jenifer Lewis, I got out of bed, brushed my teeth, looked myself in the mirror, straight in the eye, and repeated …

Happy Sweetest Day! Let’s Put The Midwestern Holiday On The National Map

This year, Sweetest Day falls on October 19. If you’re not in the midwest, you probably don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. But I think everyone needs to celebrate the holiday. Sweetest Day was originated in Detroit just over a century ago, primarily as a promotion for local candy companies. After a brief …