KIDS/SNEAK PEEK : GETTING IN THE TRUE SPIRIT WITH CRAIG TAUBMAN 'N CO.``Hello God. Are you out there? Haven't spoken in a while ...'' Craig Taubman, better-known as the creative force behind Craig 'n Co. of children's music fame, is singing into the phone, a form of expression that comes easier to the Sherman Oaks resident than simply talking. The song is off of his new album, ``My Newish Jewish Discovery,'' a collection of tunes - some silly, some sweet - about spiritual issues. ``Hello God'' was inspired by a conversation with his 7-year-old daughter, Abby. ``I'm really happy about this God thing,'' Taubman says in a nonsinging moment. ``I asked my daughter if she believes in God. But then I thought, `That's not a good question because it's a really narrow thought process.' So I asked her if she talks to God.'' The song is the result of her answer. For fans of Taubman, whose music is a staple on Radio Aahs History Radio AAHS (sometimes misspelled as "Radio Oz") was a radio network managed by the Children's Broadcasting Corporation. Its flagship station was WWTC-AM in Minneapolis. At its height in 1996, Radio AAHS had 29 affilliates across the nation. and whose videos are a frequent treat on the Disney Channel  Editing of this page by unregistered or newly registered users is currently disabled due to vandalism. , the latest album follows a tradition of mixing popular music forms with surprising lyrics. And, although much of the album deals with Judaism, Taubman's religious heritage, it approaches it in such a broad way that others can easily hook into its message of happiness and love. ``I am very Jewish,'' says Taubman. ``I identify with Judaism on a daily basis. But I'm also bright enough to realize that 95 percent of Jewish people don't identify on that level. ``The values are universal values In philosophy, universal values is an attempt to establish a finite set of concepts that are recognized by all human beings as morally good. The discussion of universal values is quite unsettled (often controversial), and therefore, can start from many different places: . The messages are not unique to Jewish. All the cultures that survive do so not by might but by spirit.'' ``My Newish Jewish Discovery'' is a follow-up to ``My Jewish Discovery,'' which he was commissioned to produce by My Jewish Discovery Place Museum in 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. . The album won the 1995 Parents' Choice award. The grant from the museum helped Taubman, already an established children's musician, to ``combine my kid-ish and Yiddish careers. It was a wonderful opportunity.'' The album should be available in stores now. Craig 'n Co. also will perform live locally Friday at the opening of ZanyBrainy, a children's store, in the Northgate Center in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. . The show starts at 5 p.m. The center is at 111 S. Westlake Blvd. On Oct. 26, Craig n' Co. will perform at Kids 'n Critters, a benefit in Studio City for My Friend's Place, a Los Angeles-based nonprofit group that aids homeless kids. The show will be staged on a backlot backlot Noun an area outside a film or television studio used for outdoor filming ``street'' at CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. Studios on Radford Avenue. The day also will feature an appearance by the Dalmatians who played Perdita and Pongo in ``101 Dalmatians,'' life-size versions of the puppets from ``A Puzzle Place,'' jugglers, clowns, stilt stilt, common name for some members of the family Recurvirostridae, shore birds including the avocet. Stilts, as their name implies, have the longest legs of any bird except the flamingo. walkers and craft activities. Performer Jessica Harper will share the bill with Taubman. Tickets are $10 per person and are limited. Call (310) 454-5397 to make a reservation. Magic movie ``Aaron's Magic Village,'' an animated film based on a tale by Isaac Singer For the Jewish American writer, see . Isaac Merritt Singer (October 26, 1811 – July 23, 1875) was an American inventor, actor, and entrepreneur. He made important improvements in the design of the sewing machine and was the founder of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. , opens today at General Cinemas at the Fallbrook Mall in Woodland Hills. The G-rated movie features the voices of Fyvush Finkel (from TV's ``Picket Fences''), music composed by three-time Oscar winner Michael Legrand (``Yentl,'' ``Summer of '42'') and lyrics by Pulitzer Prize winner Sheldon Harnick (``Fiddler on the Roof''). CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Craig Taubman's ``My Newish Jewish Discovery'' is a collection of tunes about spiritual issues. |
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