HAPPY MAY DAY 2017 (AND PREVIEW OF THIS WEEK’S MANY FUN EVENTS)

This is one “special day” that I’ve never wished you a happy one of before! I actually don’t even know if May Day is a real thing, or if I just imagined it. But since I’m thinking of it right now, why not?

And this first week of May is going to be full of juicy events! So, I figured I’d give you a quick little preview of what will be going on in Los Angeles tonight and this coming week-end. We may as well celebrate the new month with tons of fun activities.

First up is tonight, (duh,) which carries over to the next two Mondays. It’s Magic Monday, at the Santa Monica Playhouse, which I have never been to before, except for parties in the adjacent courtyard. It’s not just a magic show, even though there will be world-class award-winning magicians performing. There are also due to be jugglers, marionettes, ventriloquists, exotic balloon art, and more. Make sure you go early for the close-up magic pre-show. [Note: I’ll review opening night for you later on in the week, so please keep an eye out for that, if you’re curious.]

Then Saturday brings the most important event of the week, because it’s the day that I will be the guest speaker for a class on Public Relations at UCLA Extension. I see hundreds of press releases per month, so, if there’s anyone who can tell those students how, and how not, to write them, I’m your gal. I’m more than happy to help-out the next generation of PR peeps! (And the instructor, as well!)

Of course, as everyone in this town should be aware, Friday is Cinco de Mayo. It’s a really fun special day to celebrate, whether you imbibe or not. My favorite celebration of it ever was a few years ago in Brooklyn. My friends Helen and Sharon and I had dinner at a happening neighborhood eatery named—guess what?—Cinco de Mayo! I don’t drink at all, and certainly not tequila, but bring on that guacamole and those mariachis!!! Just please, please, please, everyone—do not, under any circumstance, drink and drive!!!

Speaking of drinking, the BBQ and Beer Festival will be in Santa Clarita all week-end long! And, if you’re a designated driver for the Friday night kick-off, you’ll get a free meal from one of their many delicious food vendors. That’s a good deal, all the way around. (By the way—the vendors themselves are not delish, that I personally know of, anyway—their food is!)

Also, this entire week-end will feature LA Dance Fest, which includes the Luminario Ballet, doing two numbers I reviewed recently. And the festival continues into next week-end at Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, a theatre where every seat is a good one! (Their opening gala will be on the 11th.)

Speaking of dance, the Paul Taylor Dance Company will be performing at The Wallis in Beverly Hills on both nights this week-end. Lucky Angelenos!

Then Sunday will be the biggest day of them all! First up is Masters of Taste at the Rose Bowl. It’s a foodie fest, with samplings from many of the eateries around town. I went to the Media Preview, but sadly for me, (because that one was just a small private event, so there were just a few select participants,) there were no dishes I eat. But that’s me. As many of you know by now, I’m a super-picky eater. Everyone else looked to be having a blast. Nobody wanted to leave! So I’m looking forward to this full-forty-restaurants event this time, which I’ll definitely be attending. (Come up and say hi. But please wait until I stop chowing-down for a second!)

The week-end gets capped off with the 2017 MTV Movie and TV Awards, live from the Shrine Auditorium. I love that they finally added the television category this year. I would live-tweet them for you guys, but I’ll have to watch them at a later time because, after the Masters of Taste, I’ll be at the opening of Archduke, the new play at the Taper. (I’ll probably be in too much of a food coma at that time, anyway, for my tweets to make much sense.)

Whew! Full enough first week-end of May for you?! So what will the rest of this happy month bring us?

And Happy May Day to you all!

(And please remember to check-out each event’s websites for the details you’re interested in. It’s all right there on the web for you!)