CRITICS` PICKS : STAGE.Solo ... with high notes: Whenever an actor gives a solo performance in L.A., someone is bound to utter the dreaded S-word: ``showcase.'' Sure enough, plenty of our resident thespians have been known to use live theater as a personal audition for their next big-screen vehicle. When you're dealing with a performer the quality of Brian Cox This article is about the actor. For the physicist, see Brian Cox (physicist). For the director, see Brian Cox (director). For the football player, see Bryan Cox. Brian Denis Cox, CBE (born June 1, 1946) is a Scottish actor. , however, rest assured you won't be witnessing a glorified glo·ri·fy tr.v. glo·ri·fied, glo·ri·fy·ing, glo·ri·fies 1. To give glory, honor, or high praise to; exalt. 2. personal employment ad. Starting tonight, the veteran movie and theater actor and co-star of the Mark Taper Forum's production of David Hare's ``Skylight'' a couple of seasons ago is bringing his brooding, humorous intelligence and basso profundo bas·so pro·fun·do n. pl. basso pro·fun·dos or bas·si pro·fun·di 1. A deep bass singing voice. 2. A singer who has such a voice. voice to the Matrix Theatre Company, 7657 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. . He'll be playing a boozy, razor-tongued critic in ``St. Nicholas,'' a one-man drama by the acclaimed young Irish writer Conor McPherson Conor McPherson (born August 6, 1971) is an Irish playwright and director. Born in Dublin and educated at University College Dublin, McPherson began writing his first plays there as a member of UCD Dramsoc, the college's dramatic society. . But here's the catch: There are only eight performances of this special benefit production: 8 tonight and Wednesday through Aug. 7, and 7 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 8. Tickets are $22.50. For information, call (323) 852-1445. - Reed Johnson Reed Cameron Johnson (born December 8, 1976 in Riverside, California) is an outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays of the American League East division of Major League Baseball. He weighs 180 lb (82 kg) and is 5'10" tall. MUSIC Altoed states: Since his late teens, alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett Kenny Garrett is an American post bop jazz saxophonist and flutist. He was born in Detroit, Michigan on October 9, 1960. His father was a tenor saxophonist. Kenny's career took off when he joined the Duke Ellington Orchestra in 1978, then led by Duke's son, Mercer Ellington. has been steeped in the jazz world. As a sideman side·man n. A member of a jazz band who is not the leader or a featured soloist. for legends like Miles Davis Noun 1. Miles Davis - United States jazz musician; noted for his trumpet style (1926-1991) Miles Dewey Davis Jr., Davis , Art Blakey Arthur (Art) Blakey (October 11 1919–October 16 1990), also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina, was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. Along with Kenny Clarke and Max Roach, he was one of the inventors of the modern bebop style of drumming. , Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (born April 7 1938 in Indianapolis, Indiana) is an American jazz trumpeter. Known primarily for playing in the bebop, hard bop and post bop styles, Hubbard is commonly ranked among the greatest trumpeters and jazz musicians to come to prominence in the and Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw II (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) (United States) was a jazz trumpeter and composer. Shaw grew up in Newark, New Jersey, and began his study of music at the age of 11. , Garrett built a reputation for adventurous solo excursions and lyrical ballad playing. Garrett's five-year stint with Davis, which included four album dates, gained him worldwide exposure. The Detroit-born saxophonist's first record consisting entirely of his own compositions, ``Songbook'' was nominated for a Grammy in 1997. Garrett appears tonight through Sunday at Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood. The idea behind Garrett's latest effort, ``Simply Said,'' was to further his songwriting while exploring new rhythmic possibilities within the jazz framework. Guests on the album include guitarist Pat Metheny, pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Marcus Miller and drummer Jeff Watts. Catalina is at 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Show times are 8:30 and 10:30 tonight and Saturday, 7 and 9 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $14 and $16. Information: (323) 466-2210. - Fred Shuster FILM A mighty independent: Everything you've heard is true. Well, not everything, but the part about ``The Blair Witch Project'' being the most uniquely accomplished, low-budget indie in many a full moon is absolutely right. A mock documentary about three film students who get lost in the woods while trying to make their own film about a legendary witch, ``Blair'' is a brilliant record of a group nervous breakdown nervous breakdown n. A severe or incapacitating emotional disorder, especially when occurring suddenly and marked by depression. nervous breakdown . Directors Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez actually sent actors Heather Donahue, Michael Williams and Joshua Leonard into the forest with hand-held cameras and an agenda to improvise. The jittery resulting footage, supposedly discovered a year after the filmmakers-within-the-film ``disappeared,'' marvelously evokes the characters' growing irrationality and terror. Whether you find it scary or not - and different people have had different responses - you can't help but be swept up in ``Blair Witch's'' thoroughly believable atmosphere of hysteria. The biggest movie surprise of the summer has definitely come in a small but brilliantly put-together package. - Bob Strauss TV Man with a camera: Southern California's most intrepid television reporter, Huell Howser, is going to take a hand-held digital camera along for a look at local nighttime hangouts. Even Howser isn't sure yet where he will be going, but some of the possibilities include record stores, Home Depot (one of my favorites), swimming pools, Dodger games, bookstores and late-night karaoke clubs. ``Hot Summer Nights With Huell Howser'' will air from 7:30 to 8 p.m. for six straight nights - Sunday through Friday - on KCET KCET Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo (Japan) KCET Kamaraj College of Engineering and Technology (Channel 28). For real late-nighters, ``Hard Rock Live'' will have its season premiere Saturday at midnight on VH1. A new twist this year is a ``Backstory'' segment, which looks at the featured artist's career. This week, it's Sheryl Crow, who along with her band plays such numbers as ``Anything but Down,'' ``There Goes the Neighborhood'' and ``My Favorite Mistake.'' The ``Backstory'' examines Crow's metamorphosis from sensitive singer/songwriter to rocker. Next week's show features Santana with a guest appearance by Dave Matthews. Fox's ``The Ben Stiller Show'' only lasted 13 episodes during the 1992-93 season, but they were 13 of the best episodes on television that season - or of any other season. Along with regulars Janeane Garofalo, Andy Dick and Bob Odenkirk, Stiller pushed the edge of TV comedy and probably his show off the air with a wicked mixture of satire, pratfalls and irony. Fox never seem to know what to do with it and exiled it to odd hours. Now you can make amends for not tracking it down with the ``Ben Stiller Show Marathon,'' from 6 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on cable channel FX. Tape it so you can watch it again. - Rob Lowman CAPTION(S): 4 Photos PHOTO (1) Heather Donahue is one of the filmmakers who finds things getting more than a little creepy in ``The Blair Witch Project.'' (2) ``Hot Summer Nights With Huell Howser'' has the KCET host taking camera in hand for six straight nights beginning Sunday. (3) Saxophonist Kenny Garrett is emphasizing his own compositions on ``Simply Said.'' He'll be at Catalina Bar & Grill tonight though Sunday. (4) Veteran stage and screen actor Brian Cox stars in the one-man ``St. Nicholas,'' at the Matrix Theatre Company. |
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