Library Mojo New Storytime on Thursdays

by Kim Crail

Children between the ages of three and five (and their grownups) are invited to the Montecito Library for a weekly Preschool Storytime starting in February. We will be meeting every Thursday from 10-10:30 am. Come by to meet new friends, read stories, sing songs, and make crafts.

This is a great opportunity to introduce little ones to group listening and participation in a small environment. Our Preschool Storytime went on hiatus during the pandemic, switching to outdoor options and then being replaced by Stay & Play on Tuesdays, which has been popular with younger toddlers.

This returning program will provide more structure than our Tuesday program, with the idea of getting “bigger” little ones ready for kindergarten. Seeing some of our former Preschool Storytime regulars return now as elementary school kids was a great reminder that we needed to bring this back!

For the month of February, our focus will be farm animals… E-I-E-I-O.

Brain Education

Meet at the Montecito Library for a free, interactive educational series that will answer your questions about memory loss, healthy aging, and how to be a caring member of our community.

Our February class is “Where Are My Keys vs. What Are My Keys For?” Forgetfulness and changes in cognition are a normal part of aging, but when do those changes become a concern? Join us to learn about normal and abnormal brain changes and techniques you can use to approach a loved one about whom you have concerns.

This program is offered in partnership with the California Central Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association. We encourage all community members and caregivers to attend to learn more about this important topic.

Poetry Club Discusses Robert Creeley

Our Poetry Club has switched to the third Wednesday of every other month, which will occur on all even months this year.

You are invited to learn more about Robert Creeley as we explore the fascinating life, incredible friendships, and impactful, prolific work of this distinguished poet and award winner. Frequently associated with the “Black Mountain Poets,” Creeley was an exceptionally influential American author, poet, and professor. His linguistically spare, but electric, emotionally charged style of verse gave important prominence to lived personal experience. Please bring a favorite poem by the featured poet to discuss. All are welcome.

February Events:

Stay & Play - Tuesdays, Drop in anytime 9-10:30 am

Preschool Storytime (age 3-5)

- Thursdays, 10-10:30 am

Knit ‘n’ Needle - Thursdays, 2-3:30 pm

Learn Library Apps: Consumer Reports

- Wed, 2/1, 10-11 am

Library On the Go Van @ Cold Spring School - Wed, 2/1, 3:30-5:30 pm

Poetry Club: Robert Creeley

- Wed, 2/15, 2-3:30 pm

Brain Education Series: “Where Are My Keys vs. What Are My Keys For?”

- Wed, 2/22, 10-11 am

Montecito Book Club: My Sister, the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite

- Tues, 2/28, 12-1 pm whipped cream is made fresh and served alongside an assortment of seasonal berries and powdered sugar on top. going to see a side of Fauci that’s very hard to impeach.”

See you at the library!

MJ: The shortcake bread is elegant, not quite like a biscuit but more like a pastry biscuit.

LJ: The taste and texture are a bit extravagant, similar to the desserts and costume design (by Milena Canonero) you see in the film Marie Antoinette, with heaps of whipped cream and luscious berries.

LS: The cheesecake with berry compote is also very light. It’s basically a variation on a New York-style cheesecake. The graham cracker crust is made with butter, graham crackers and a hint of cinnamon.

LJ: There’s a balance of sugar that isn’t too crusty. The ivory cake and golden crust drum up visions of Lana Turner’s costume design (by Irene Lentz) in The Postman Always Rings Twice (1946).

MJ: Stealing a man’s wife is one thing, but don’t even think about touching his dessert!

That includes some of the folks who have said nasty things about him over the last few years.

“They see the film and they say, ‘Oh, alright. I kinda like him now.’”

Only the Beginning for New Carpenter Doc

reviews, including a strong notice from The New York Times

Fourteen years later, Schmidt has expanded upon the book as the producer and screenwriter of Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, which has its world premiere at SBIFF.

Karen was the female half of the brother-sister duo that scored 12 Top 10 hits in a span of five years, including “We’ve Only Just Begun” and “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” collecting three Grammys, a TV variety show, and more than 100 million of sales for their hookfilled, easy-listening tunes.

“That Story movie was pretty accurate, except it was just a very whitewashed version of the truth, covering over things that happened in her family,” Schmidt explained. Which is why Schmidt, for both the book and the new doc, interviewed her former drummer, her closest friends, contemporaries such as Carol Burnett, and second-generation fans like Kristin Chenoweth, as well as Barry Morrow, the Santa Barbara screenwriter of The Karen Carpenter Story and the actress who played her, both of whom were still affected by the experience.

The film features lots of archival footage of the Carpenters, as well as a number of audio clips of Karen, culled from radio stations and elsewhere that have never been widely heard.

Rachel Hendrix – starring Lori Singer (from Fame and Footloose) as a creative writing professor who experiences a relapse of grief one year after the death of her husband. Directed by Victor Nuñez (Ulee’s Gold, Ruby in Paradise).

Killing Me Softly with His Songs – A doc about the life and work of composer Charles Fox, who wrote the title song, “I Got a Name,” and “Ready to Take A Chance Again,” as well as iconic TV show themes for Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, The Love Boat, and Wonder Woman

Rachel’s Farm, in which Rachel Ward explores the possibilities of the regenerative farming revolution, a subject near and dear to Santa Barbara’s heart.

Visit https://sbiff.org for showtimes, tickets, and the full guide of movies being shown at this year’s event.

A Double Dose of Ted Nash

cated her life to abolishing nuclear weapons ever since, and her moving story is told through the lens of her growing friendship with a second-generation survivor, Mitchie Takeuchi – also the film’s producer. She’ll join director Susan Strickler following the screening at SBCC’s Fé Bland Forum on Friday, Feb. 10.

Hearts in Song

There’s no little irony in the fact that Randy Schmidt only developed his interest in the 1970s pop hitmakers the Carpenters from watching the 1989 TV movie, The Karen Carpenter Story, given that he’s the driving force behind the new documentary Karen Carpenter: Starving for Perfection, that aims to set the record straight.

“The day after that, I was in our local library researching and never really stopped,” Schmidt said. “I became the internet Carpenter’s guru for around 15 years, talking about what I learned about her life.”

Schmidt said he was waiting for someone to write the book he wanted to read about Carpenter’s music and all the pressures that led up to her untimely death at 32 from heart failure due to anorexia. He began to interview some of the people who knew her and decided to write it himself. The result was the 2010 book Little Girl Blue, which received great

For Schmidt, the film culminates more than three decades of his work on Karen’s story, but his effort isn’t just about digging for the truth. It’s also to be a part of introducing the next generation to the late singer’s work.

“First and foremost is her voice, which is like nothing I’ve ever heard,” he said. “She had such a conversational quality like she’s speaking directly to you, so warm and yet dark and melancholy. There was a sadness that was like she had a story she was trying to tell you, but she couldn’t quite let it all out. But you could hear it within the voice. I want everyone to hear it. The Carpenters’ music is dated, but her voice is so timeless that it could be a hit in any decade.”

Other Movies

We’d Like to Catch

Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer –Thomas von Steinaecker’s already heralded dive into the enigmatic auteur director behind Aguirre, the Wrath of God; Fitzcarraldo; and Grizzly Man

“I’m the longtime MJ arts editor and Giving List columnist. After 17 years in my rental cottage downtown I now need to relocate. Ugh!

I’m looking for a solo space (cottage, apartment, guest quarters, etc.), locally, with rent in the low $2Ks, available by the end of February-ish. Nonsmoker, no pets, great references. Might you know of something?” Call Steven at (805) 837-7262 or email sml.givinglist@gmail.com .

The culmination of jazz saxophonist/ composer/educator Ted Nash’s expansive winter residency in town and over Zoom this year comes next weekend (Feb. 18-19) when the Santa Barbara Symphony premieres his Transformation – a rethinking and newly arranged for orchestra take on a segment of his 2021 collaboration with Glenn Close, Transformation: Personal Stories of Change, Acceptance, and Evolution. But first, there’s another installment of his periodic collaboration with local musicians in conjunction with the Santa Barbara Museum of Art. This time around, rather than have the jazz lovers take their inspiration from works of art, Nash challenged them to use their own imagination in keeping with the theme of transformation.

“When we find inspiration outside of ourselves, it’s our own creativity and imagination that has us explore our own thoughts and feelings based on what we were exposed to,” he explained. “You don’t necessarily have to have the most sophisticated background in composing or even in music – just a willingness to embrace the things you feel and think –and find ways in music to express that. That’s what I’m trying to encourage here.”

Hear the results in a free concert at Mary Craig Auditorium at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12. See next week’s issue for more from Nash on the Symphony premiere.

A Non-SBIFF Screening

Yes, you actually can find a movie screening with the filmmakers that isn’t part of SBIFF this week, as the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation presents The Vow from Hiroshima, an intimate portrait of Setsuko Thurlow, who was 13 when she survived the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. Thurlow has dedi-

Still stuck about where to take your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day? SOhO might have the solution. Veteran Santa Barbara songbird Shawn Thies , who has emotional richness amid the silky smoothness, is bringing along a bunch of her musical friends for a Tuesday, Feb. 14, dinner show at 7 p.m. at the restaurant-nightclub, including local stalwarts George Friedenthal , Randy Tico , Maitland Ward , Bill Flores , and David Hunt … Alternately, you can also sip cocktails and/or dine with your dear one block away with Nic & Joe at Crush Bar & Tap, billed as Santa Barbara’s first queer bar, open to people of all identities all the time. That’s where the smoky-sultress jazz pop singer Nicole Lvoff and innovative arranger/guitarist (and Indy arts writer) Joe Woodard , a.k.a. the band Lucinda Lane when they’re doing originals, will perform selections from their ever-expanding songbook of Beatles, Joni Mitchell, bossa novas, jazz standards, and more.

For something edgier, ask your honey to head to Center Stage Theater for the first show from Anima, Theater of the Feminine Underground, since the pandemic. Anima’s mission is to provide a stage for women to share their voices and visions for the purpose of catalyzing collective transformation through creative expression, which takes the form of 10 pieces that might range from spoken word to music, movement, or experimental theater, providing a glimpse into the creator’s inner world.

Three days earlier, Center Stage also hosts Yulia Maluta’s eighth annual Colors of Love dance show, a celebration of love, cultures, and unity with live dancers and singers including Latin, Samba, Flamenco, Belly Dance, Argentine Tango, Swing, Pole Art, and more. Singer Terrill Williams Carter is featured in the Saturday, Feb. 11, event.

Steven Libowitz has covered a plethora of topics for the Journal since 1997, and now leads our extensive arts and entertainment coverage performs regularly with Opera SB as a Chrisman Studio Artist.

A glorious start to the new season...

Giving Back

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s Archewell Foundation has raised $13 million since its formation in 2020 with $3 million given away to their charitable causes, including cash for 12 million COVID-19 vaccinations.

The monies raised by the Sussexi’s charitable organizations was also handed to organizations supporting refugees from Afghanistan and Ukraine.

Archewell’s first “impact report” says its money helped pay for 12.66 million COVID shots around the world, while working with the anti-poverty charity Global Citizen.

The donations equated to 23% of income.

Bravo!

See the Light

Former Montecito TV talk-show hosts Ellen DeGeneres and Oprah Winfrey, who just celebrated her 69th birthday in L.A., are set to appear on former First Lady Michelle Obama’s new podcast with Amazon Audible.

The new project, The Light Podcast, debuts March 7 and remains exclusive to Amazon for two weeks, at which point it will become universally available.

It will be an eight-part series discussion with topics including race and relationships.

Personal Disagreement

Actor Ashton Kutcher was not happy his ex-wife Demi Moore detailed their marital problems in her 2019 bombshell memoir Inside Out

The Carpinteria resident, 44, who graces the cover of Esquire’s first ever digital cover story, fumes he was “f**king pissed” at his former spouse, 60, for reigniting a media frenzy over his personal life.

“I’d finally gotten to the place where the press had really laid off me and my wife Mila Kunis and family. And then the next day, the paparazzi were at my kids’ schools,” the father of two reflected on the renewed interest in his first marriage following Moore’s book release.

During the interview, the People’s Choice Award winner recalled exactly how his “life changed” the moment news broke over his relationship with actor Bruce Willis’ ex, who is 15 years his senior.

“I was 26, bearing the responsibility of an eight-year-old, 10-year-old, and 12-year-old,” he said of becoming a stepfather in his mid-20s. “That’s how some teen parents have experienced their 20s.”

Mazel Tov!

My congratulations to Montecito rocker Adam Levine, 43, and his former supermodel wife Behati Prinsloo, 34, who have just welcomed their third child. The tony twosome, who wed in 2014, already have daughters Gio Grace and Dusty Rose , aged four and six, respectively.

No word yet of the sex or name of the latest addition to the family...

Burnett Birthday Bash

Montecito comedy legend Carol Burnett will be celebrating her 90th anniversary with some of Hollywood’s biggest names.

NBC has announced an upcoming two-hour special honoring the icon on her birthday, “Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter and Love,” which will air on April 26.

Joining in the celebration, which is shooting at the Avalon Hollywood Club in the Big Orange, will be Montecito singer Katy Perry, Ellen DeGeneres, Cher, Julie Andrews, and Amy Poehler.

“I can’t wait to look back at so many wonderful moments throughout my career,” gushes Carol. “I feel so lucky to share this night with everyone.”

Other stars lined up for the celebration are designer Bob Mackie, Lily Tomlin, Laura Dern , Marisa Tomei , Steve Carell, Susan Lucci, Sofía Vergara, and Vicki Lawrence

Quite the crowd...

A Droop in Goop

Montecito actress Gwyneth Paltrow has closed the London branch of her Goop lifestyle store franchise after losing $1.8 million in revenue as a consequence of the global pandemic.

The wellness brand, famous for its vagina-scented candle and psychic vampire repellent spray, was originally launched by the Oscar winner in 2008 as a weekly newsletter.

It has since developed into an internationally recognized brand with Paltrow, 50, opening her first U.K. store in affluent Notting Hill in 2019.

But the shop was forced to close its doors as the coronavirus pandemic swept across Britain in March 2020 and has remained closed ever since.

Local Author Acknowledged

Mahri Kerley, bubbly owner of the popular book emporium Chaucer’s, obviously has a sense of humor. Accompanying her display of Spare, Prince Harry’s best-selling memoir, is the notice: “Book by local author.”

Student Artists Honored at Museum

The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara has honored 23 student artists during a presentation and reception at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art.

Chosen as winners of the founda- tion’s Art Scholarship competition, each received a scholarship and their selected art submissions will be exhibited in the museum’s Family Resource Center through Feb. 12.

“This was our first scholarship reception in three years, and there was a remarkable electricity in there,” says Mary Dwyer, interim foundation president and CEO.

“The student work on exhibit was superb, and it was evident that all assembled enjoyed celebrating the students’ creative triumphs in person once again.”

Each year, the organization invites high school seniors in southern Santa Barbara County to submit a portfolio of original work for its art scholarship competition. A panel of prominent local artists – R. Anthony Askew , Isaac Hernandez, and Patti Jacquemain –judged the submissions.

There were 97 students competing this year, with each winner receiving a $2,500 scholarship, with the Schall Family Best in Show winner Annabel Contreras from Dos Pueblos High getting an additional $1,000 scholarship.

Sightings

Michael Douglas and actress wife Catherine Zeta-Jones noshing at Local... Warbler Katy Perry and actor fiancé Orlando Bloom at the G’Day USA arts gala in L.A... Actress and game-show host Jane Lynch enjoying Taco Tuesday at Los Arroyos on CVR.

Pip! Pip!

From musings on the Royals to celebrity real estate deals, Richard Mineards is our man on the society scene and has been for more than a decade