Email Author Joe Lapin

2012 Stories by Joe Lapin

• The Addams Family

  published December 20, 2012

  They’re creepy and they’re kooky: snap, snap. For decades, this delightfully ghastly television family were the antithesis to Leave It... More >>

• A Portrait of James Dean: Joshua Tree, 1951

  published December 13, 2012

  In contemporary Hollywood, many actors clamor to be the "outsider" star, branding themselves as the next celebrity to rage against old age with... More >>

• Lord of the Rings Trilogy

  published December 6, 2012

  In preparation for the first of a trilogy of films adapting J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy masterpiece, The Hobbit, it’s important to revamp... More >>

• Lewis Black

  published November 29, 2012

  When it comes to topical comedians spouting rants as long and dramatic as a Shakespearean soliloquy, Lewis Black is a king. A champion of snark,... More >>

• Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band

  published November 21, 2012

  Some rock ‘n’ roll shows simply fill a Tuesday night with enough noise to free the audience from the minutiae of the work week. The... More >>

• Birch Street Beer League

  published November 21, 2012

  The realm of competitive beer drinking is hotly contested. Guzzlers and beer pongers from all over the world brag about their skills: the ability... More >>

• Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day Live From London

  published November 15, 2012

  Why can’t Led Zeppelin be like the Rolling Stones and keep touring until they drop dead? Honestly, getting the band back together is almost... More >>

• Future Fix

  published November 8, 2012

  Bands in Orange County often start out as a bunch of buddies sitting around in a garage. Many, unfortunately, sound pretty similar—adhering... More >>

• Brenda Carsey Record Release Party

  published November 1, 2012

  For a musician to emerge out of the assembly line of singer/songwriters, they need to possess something more than talent. They need... More >>

• Lady Punk Night with The Stops

  published September 6, 2012

  Have you ever felt that punk shows are dripping with way too much machismo? Maybe you’re over studded leather belts used as weapons. Well,... More >>

• Moonwalker—Reflections of Michael Jackson

  published August 2, 2012

  When legendary musicians pass away, fans pay the ultimate homage by impersonating their acts—it’s an attempt at giving our heroes... More >>

• Chris Isaak

  published July 26, 2012

  With his hepcat snarls and sharp falsetto runs, Chris Isaak’s style is one of the most unique in pop music (just listen to the "Wicked Game"... More >>

• Movie Mondays: The Nightmare Before Christmas

  published July 19, 2012

  ‘Twas The Nightmare Before Christmas, and all throughout OC, everyone was heading to Costa Mesa to watch a Tim Burton movie for free. Once... More >>

• Fat Joe

  published July 12, 2012

  With some amateur rappers, you can count on a few clichés at their concert: a not-so-subtle line about allegedly being a gangbanger;... More >>

• Nick Cannon

  published July 5, 2012

  We've had the pleasure to watch performers like Adam Sandler, Jimmy Fallon and Chris Rock rise from comedians to superstars. We saw them as young... More >>

• Huntington Beach Fourth of July Parade

  published June 28, 2012

  In 1904, Huntington Beach held its first Fourth of July parade—that’s more than a century of proud marching in Surf City to celebrate... More >>

• A Taste of Greece

  published June 21, 2012

  Have you ever stood up in a restaurant and, in recognition of an amazing dinner, smashed your plate on the ground? Have you ever dipped fresh pita... More >>

• The Great American Trailer Park Musical

  published June 7, 2012

  When you imagine a trailer park, maybe you think about Hank Hill delivering propane and propane accessories to a camper cluster where women hang... More >>

• The Head and the Heart

  published May 31, 2012

  Think about all the bands who've traveled through Southern California—how many are never heard from again?  The list is endless. ... More >>

• Long Beach Opera presents Ainadamar

  published May 24, 2012

  Legendary poets never die old and happy—they go out tragically, seemingly a prerequisite to literary glory. Sylvia Plath put her head in an... More >>

• Zelda Bing's Love Camp

  published May 17, 2012

  We all remember Chris Farley on Saturday Night Live giving “motivational speeches," his character “living in a van down by the river."... More >>

• Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead

  published May 10, 2012

  What if existence was like a comic strip? The boring parts would be white space, every other moment would be a punch line, and the heaviest... More >>

• Tickled Pink

  published April 19, 2012

  Could there be a profession more terrifying than a comedian? Oh, the horror of those blank stares and tortuously awkward silences. How the hell... More >>

• 26th Biannual Visiting Poet/Writer Event

  published April 12, 2012

  So how do you plan on celebrating National Poetry Month? (Don’t pretend like you didn’t know it was April, either.) Maybe you’re... More >>

• The Blues Brothers

  published March 29, 2012

  Whatever happened to music with soul? We're talking about rhythm and blues. We're talking about Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin—the type of... More >>