When my kids were small, I initiated a tradition in our house of giving eight gifts over the course of the eight days of Hanukkah. I didn’t have this tradition when I was younger, but I liked the idea of lighting a candle every night and giving my children a gift to unwrap to celebrate. It was easy to go into a toy store and pick up tchotchkes for less than $10 each, or even $1 each (at the Dollar Store). My children didn’t ask for anything much in particular and they liked whatever they got.

As the years progressed, I kept up the tradition of eight gifts for each night of Hanukkah but it started getting harder as the demands started to increase. All of a sudden, they wanted this…they wanted that…and none of seemed to fit into my perception of a holiday that was never meant to be commercialized as Christmas. I got in trouble for buying one child clothes, and the other child forbids the giving of books. Still, I had the gift buying control and even slipped in my one night of charity where I gave them money to donate to an organization of their choice.

But this year, Hanukkah became something else. My special needs son decided that he wants to build a computer, and it was up to me to buy all the parts during the eight nights of Hanukkah. When I wouldn’t agree to that, he decided he wanted a PlayStation. Then Amazon gift cards. Then money. And when it became clear that wasn’t going to happen, he got upset. Really upset.

It was hard to deflect or get him to think of anything else.

I keep telling him that Hanukkah isn’t about greed or materialism. It’s about the miracle of an oil lamp that burned for eight days without replenishing. It’s about freedom. It’s about being proud of our heritage. It’s about fitting in to a world where we are a minority.

But his demands persisted. As a mother, I’ve been wondering where I struck out, but I know deep down that his obsessions are out of his control, and definitely out of my control.

Having a special needs child is as challenging as it gets. Some days are better than others and not all holidays work out the way I hope. But despite his shenanigans and unrealistic requests, he’s an amazing child who is showing me the true meaning of life. He’s bright, he’s eccentric, he walks to his own beat.

And as we enter a new year and light the candles approaching that time, I embrace his differences as I learn how to turn negative requests into positive ones.

So, are you wondering what #HanukkahHoopla is?

In the spirit of the season, myself and 7 other bloggers are giving 8 gifts to 8 lucky commenters. Click on the menorah above to be magically transported to the schedule where you’ll find links to visit other fabulous writers and increase your chances of winning holiday cyber-swag!

Taken together, we represent a broad range of Jewish experience. Some of us are Reform. Others are Conservative. Some are Orthodox. Some of us keep kosher; others, not so much. One of us is a rabbi.

We’re offering cyberswag to people who leave fabulous comments.

That’s EIGHT chances to win!

You can comment on anyone’s blog from December 16th all the way until the end of the 2014. Winners will be posted here & on individual bloggers’ pages in the new year.

HANUKKAH HOOPLA BLOGGING SCHEDULE 2014

12/17 : Rivki Silver. “The Miracle of Marriage”

 12/18 : Miriam Hendeles.  “Eight Personal Miracles of 2014.“

12/19 : Renee A. Schuls-Jacobson. “Short on Decor, Long on Miracles.”

12/20 : Tikva Kennedy. “Hanukkah With a Christmas Tree”

12/21 : Rebecca Klempner. “Ready For a Little Hanukkah Hoopla”

12/22 : Rabbi Rebecca Einstein Schorr. This Messy Life.

12/23: Monica Gebell.  “Light.”

What are you doing to celebrate this season? Want to hear about MY giveaway?

I’m giving away a copy of Jammin’ with Jew! Vol II Holiday Xxplosion (CD) andMama Doni’s “Jewish Holiday Party” (DVD)! 

Jammin’ with Jew! Vol II Holiday Xxplosion (Jamhouse Recs, 2014) is the highly anticipated follow up to Josh and Jamtones Jammin’ with Jew Vol I (Jamhouse Recs, 2012). With over 40,000 copies of Vol I in distribution (mostly thru PJ Library!) the Jamtones have been jet setting around the country playing shows in PJ communities including NY, Texas, Fla, DC,  all over New England and the Northeast. Holiday Xxplosion! offers families a funny and ultra funky twist on holiday classics and original songs based on holidays including Chanukah, Tu b’shvat, Rosh Hashana and of course Shabbat! 

Mama Doni’s “Jewish Holiday Party” is her debut DVD with a brand new bonus soulful, acoustic CD soundtrack. From a bluegrass “”Chanukah Oh Chanukah”” medley sing-along to a fun instructional “”Making Challah with Mama Doni”” video throw-down in the kitchen, this DVD celebrates Chanukah, Passover and Shabbat like never before. Join Doni as she sings and dances through the holidays. Party along at home with helpful how-to’s for making mouth-watering matzo-pizza, sizzling latkes and other scrumptious surprises! This exciting new soundtrack features 12 original acoustic versions of classic Jewish favorites by Doni Zasloff-Thomas and guitarist Eric Lindberg. Mama Doni’s “”Jewish Holiday Party”” fills your home and holidays with a hoedown of Jewish deliciousness and delight! With a whole lot of soul and a country-lovin’ spirit, “”The Original Jewish Cowgirl”” will capture your heart & soul with a “”Bluegrass Dayeinu”” and so much more. Eric Lindberg rockin’ the guitar, dobro, banjo, mandolin and ukele, makes this DVD/CD pack a happy heimish hoedown!! It’s the perfect rollicking gift for the whole family to enjoy for many holidays to come.

You can comment on my blog or any of the Hanukkah Hooplah blog from December 16th all the way until the end of the 2014 listed here: http://rasjacobson.com/2014/12/15/time-for-hanukkah-hoopla-2015.

If you respond on my blog, answer this to win:

What is your advice for teaching kids the TRUE meaning of Hanukkah?

Winners will be selected randomly. The giveaway will end on December 31st, 2014. Winner must be U.S. based and accept the prize within 24 hours.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to participate in this campaign. I worked with my prize sponsors to provide a FABULOUS prize to celebrate #HanukkahHooplah.

Follow

The post My Hanukkah Hooplah Story: Celebrating the Holiday with a Special Needs Child (with a Giveaway!) appeared first on The Culture Mom.

About Time is the latest film by writer and filmmaker Richard Curtis. If you loved his other films, which include Notting Hill, Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral, you will love this one. Curtis has a distinctive voice and style that weaves through his work, and this film is no exception. It’s a small film with a big life lesson, and it had me raptured.

I was lucky enough to spend time with Curtis recently at a small press conference. I sat in the first row and asked as many questions as I could.  He was what I expected: honest, direct and seemingly very in touch with his feelings, which you would expect after viewing his work for the last 20-30 years like I have.  I was lucky to have witnessed part of Four Weddings being shot whilst living in London in 1993 right on the street I was living on at the time. He was very happy to reminisce about the scene and made me feel like I was a part of something quite special. Every time I watch Four Weddings, I remember that moment.  That’s the kind of man he is: a maker of special moments.  Head over to IMDB.com now and check out his resume.  It’s unbelievably impressive.

Here are some of my favorite parts of our conversation:

Where did the idea for a movie about time travel derive?

Richard Curtis: “The idea for the film, in fact, I can specifically remember, and often you can’t – it came from a conversation with a friend about whether or not we were happy, and we both came to the conclusion we were not as happy as we should be.  And we kept talking about what would be the perfect day.  And we said, ten years ago, we would have said we’d like to fly to Las Vegas, win $1 million, get a text saying that you’ll be nominated for an Oscar.  And now, the happiest day was the one we were having, just having lunch with each other, taking your kids to school, having dinner with the family.”

“And I thought how can I write a film about something as simple and it seemed to be important to me as possible.  And I thought, well, the only way is make up a huge contraption of time travel, create a character who can go anywhere, make any of these choices, and if that person chooses to go back just to a normal day, then you might be able to make the point in a way with some jokes, as well.”

Since making this film, you have since declared there is no more directing for you in your future.  Why is that?

RC: “I hated every minute of it.  It’s very tense directing.”

Was there anything that surprised you about either the process or the finished product of the film?

RC: “I think there’s a big thing, actually.  And it is credit to these two (Bill Nighy and Domhnall Gleeson) , but I think the accumulative effect of the father and son story is stronger than we thought it would be, I can’t quite explain that.  I think it may be the fact that in a way, Bill’s in a lot of scenes he didn’t seem to be in.  There are just all those early scenes where he’s making the mistake with the suntan cream.  When you looked at it, he didn’t seem to be in every scene in the family house, and then he was. He was there dancing, he was there sitting, he was there reading when they were doing the garden.  And I think, somehow, the accumulative effect of the father and son thing turns out to have been stronger when people see the film than I thought it would be, which is of course very rewarding and lucky.  So, that’s been something of a surprise, I think.”

I was wondering if part of the reason you thought of Rachel McAdams, besides being such a great actress, is because of Time Traveler’s Wife, and if she’s worried about being typecast in time travel movies.

RC: “Well, actually, kind of in a way, the answer’s the opposite, which is that we very nearly didn’t offer it to Rachel because it thought it might be a wasted month while we sent the script to her and she said, well, obviously, I’m not going to do that because I did The Time Traveler’s Wife. We so wanted her that we thought we’d risk it.  We never talked about that film particularly until she saw the first cut of the trailer.  And she said, oh, my gosh, there’s one shot when you’re asking her to marry you, and she said that is exactly the same as one shot in Time Traveler’s Wife when I think Hugh Jackman was asking her to marry, she asked, are you worried?  And I said, I’m not worried.  And I think it’s literally only you and Jackman who are going to know, so we didn’t worry about it.  But, no, I think it was a very different film and a very different mood and tone.”

How did you relate something or make something so relatable with time travel?  

RC:  “Well, it’s odd, because I think when you watch the film, you stop remembering it’s sort of time travel quite soon.  And I think one of the ways we achieved it was by how low tech it was. And when we edited the movie, I kept saying to everyone, don’t worry, we’re going to make that better.  And we went to see four special effects houses and the time travel bit.  They did a trick where they like rotoscoped out the characters and made it 3D, and we did a thing where we slowed it down and made them go backwards and put fuzzy stuff around the side.  And all of that was a disaster, and it looked awful.  I think by making it so banal, you can sort of fit in the sci-fi with all the human stuff.”

“And I worked so little on it because I thought to myself, how would you travel back in time, you’d probably all instinctively go like that.  And that was all I did.  That was just about it.  That was as far as my imagination went.”

Do you work very closely with the music supervisor?  What is the process with the music?

RC: “The music’s terribly important, and funnily enough, when I was doing the movie, I didn’t go back and look at any science fiction movies, but I got very obsessed by songs which I thought were on that subject.  So, Ben Folds’ song “The Luckiest,”, and in fact, a Ben Folds song called “Still Fighting It,” which is a father and son song he wrote, and the Ron Sexsmith song Gold In Them Hills–and when I first handed in the movie, it said on the front page, Tim and Time, which is what I wanted to call it, or “The Luckiest,” or “Gold In Them Hills,” which is the names of those songs.  So, the songs kind of provide me with an emotional pitch so that when I’m writing I know what I’m aiming for.  And it’s something I felt in songs.  In Love Actually, I listened to the Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas is You, and Notting Hill was all based around a very of a Tom Waits song called Downtown Train and a version by Everything but the Girl.  And whenever I was trying to feel how I wanted the movie to feel, I would play that song.”

About Time is reaching a theater near you on Friday, November 8th! 

Follow

The post An Interview with Film Director Richard Curtis appeared first on The Culture Mom.

Follow

The post Angel Heart Music Storybook appeared first on The Culture Mom.

About Time is the latest film by writer and filmmaker Richard Curtis. If you loved his other films, which include Notting Hill, Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral, you will love this one. Curtis has a distinctive voice and style that weaves through his work, and this film is no exception. It’s a small film with a big life lesson, and it had me raptured.

The film revolves around 21 year-old, Tim (played by Domhnall Gleeson who lives with his eccentric, loving family in Cornwall, England. When he finds out from his dad (played by the fabulous Bill Nighy) that the men in his family can travel back in time, he decides to make the world a better place using his new found power.  But the first thing he does is return to a New Year’s party and kiss the girl, of course. After moving to London to practice law, he uses his power to fix his friend’s play to prevent professional disaster. Then he uses it to win the heart of Mary (played by Rachel McAdams), but that love takes a bit of time with time travel trying to get them in the right place at the right time. They marry and Tim continues to use his powers when necessary until he can’t anymore because some things can’t be helped. Life has to be lived. The film taught me to appreciate life, appreciate love and appreciate the people around you. In typical Curtis style, the casting is impeccable, the film locations set the tone for the dialogue and action and the music accompanies the material in superb harmony (the soundtrack includes the Cure, The Killers, Dolly Parton, Cat Powers, Ron Sexsmith and Nick Cage).

I was thrilled to be invited to a press conference with Curtis, Nighy and Gleeson last week. I will never minimize the significance of having the opportunity to meet and interview my favorite artists and meeting the three men behind this excellent film was nothing less than perfection.

I asked Curtis what inspired him to write the film, to which he replied:

The idea for the film, in fact, I can specifically remember, and often you can’t – it came from a conversation with a friend about whether or not we were happy, and we both came to the conclusion we were not as happy as we should be.  And we kept talking about what would be the perfect day.  And we said, ten years ago, we would have said we’d like to fly to Las Vegas, win $1 million, get a text saying that you’ll be nominated for an Oscar.  And now, the happiest day was the one we were having, just having lunch with each other, taking your kids to school, having dinner with the family.

And I thought how can I write a film about something as simple and it seemed to be important to me as possible.  And I thought, well, the only way is make up a huge contraption of time travel, create a character who can go anywhere, make any of these choices, and if that person chooses to go back just to a normal day, then you might be able to make the point in a way with some jokes, as well.

And I thought how can I write a film about something as simple and it seemed to be important to me as possible.  And I thought, well, the only way is make up a huge contraption of time travel, create a character who can go anywhere, make any of these choices, and if that person chooses to go back just to a normal day, then you might be able to make the point in a way with some jokes, as well.

As mentioned in my review above, the music is very compelling. I had to ask Curtis about it. Here’s what he said:

Yes, the music’s terribly important, and funnily enough, when I was doing the movie, I didn’t go back and look at any science fiction movies, but I got very obsessed by songs which I thought were on that subject.  So, Ben Folds’ song The Luckiest, and in fact, a Ben Folds song called Still Fighting It, which is a father and son song he wrote, and the Ron Sexsmith song Gold In Them Hills–and when I first handed in the movie, it said on the front page, Tim and Time, which is what I wanted to call it, or The Luckiest, or Gold In Them Hills, which is the names of those songs.

So, the songs kind of provide me with an emotional pitch so that when I’m writing I know what I’m aiming for.  And it’s something I felt in songs.

So, in Love Actually, I listened to the Mariah Carey All I Want For Christmas is You, and Notting Hill was all based around a very of a Tom Waits song called Downtown Train and a version by Everything but the Girl.  And whenever I was trying to feel how I wanted the movie to feel, I would play that song.

The conversation was riveting and I’m including just a small part here.  Perhaps I’ll run another post with the full conversation next week.

It was an honor to both see the film preview and interview these amazing men. The film will be in theaters nationwide starting November 1st.

To bide your time until then, I have an ABOUT TIME giveaway.

One (1) winner* receives:

·         Love Actually 10th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray Combo Pack available 10/15)

·         About Time Soundtrack featuring music from Ellie Goulding, Ben Folds & more (Available 10/29)

·         About Time nail polish & journal

(*Winner must live in U.S.)

To win, just comment below and let me know your Richard Curtis film, and a favorite line if you can recall.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

– Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

– Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

– Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

Winner will be selected randomly.  This giveaway will end on Monday, Monday, October 14th at noon EST. Winner will be posted here, on the Culture Mom Facebook page and via email and will have 24 hours to accept their prize.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to write this post.  I was provided with the film preview and interview to facilitate this post.

Follow

The post Richard Curtis Film Review and Giveaway appeared first on The Culture Mom.

Last week we got in the car and headed north to Katonah to spend an evening with Suzanne Vega at Caramoor.  We had long talked about attending a concert there and it basically took one of my favorite artists to get us there. I’m a long time fan of hers, having loved her for the last 25-30 years or so (gulp!).

Okay that just aged me a bit.  The first time I saw her was in my birthplace, Atlanta, GA, and I have seen her perform several times since in NYC, Westchester and at the Lilith Festival several moons ago.  I love her song writing, the sound of her dreamy voice and the way she performs telling the story behind each song as she goes.  I can even feel myself as a young girl listening to her music right now as I write this post, being transported back in time. She has taken several important issues important to the human race and written songs about them to raise awareness, like child abuse (watch the video at the end of this post) and I have so much respect for her.

But seeing her at Caramoor was an experience like no other that I’ve had. The concert was literally in the most beautiful setting ever, with the moon and sun gazing over all of us. The Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a former estate owned by Walter and Lucie Rosen (no, we’re not related).  They hold classical concerts there throughout the year, as well as educational programs. Built in the 1940s, the main house is an imitation Italian villa. The estate features a collection of Renaissance and Chinese artwork, some rare. The setting makes you feel like you are in a faraway place, certainly not in the middle of Westchester or even remotely close to NYC.

Suzanne Vega played a slew of old songs, as well as new ones, along with  Irish guitarist Gerry Leonard. I was surprised to find how many songs I was able to sing along with her: Caramel, Marlene on the Wall, The Queen and the Solder, to name a few. The evening made me feel grateful for singers like her who still choose to hit the road to join their faithful fans and drum up new ones.  My only complaint about the Caramoor is that it does draw a quiet crowd, probably one that’s used to hearing classical music, so it was hard to sing along with her. Fortunately, the couple next to us was probably the only other die-hard set of fans and the woman sang her heart out, also deeply impacted by seeing Suzanne Vega once again.  I hope to see Suzanne Vega again and again in my lifetime. She just brings me back to the center.

I leave you with this piece of nostalgia.

To end, I’ll share this tweet that Suzanne Vega topped off my weekend with:

I LOVE TWITTER.

Follow

The post A Night at Caramoor with Suzanne Vega appeared first on The Culture Mom.

I have a confession.  I’m not the kind of mom that gets on the floor and plays board games with my kids every day.  I do get on the floor with them, but not as often as I should.  I tend to have a million things to do and my focus is not always where it should be.

However, since I came back from Vietnam a few weeks ago, I have been more focused on spending time with them.  After two weeks on my own without the family, I was able to think about necessary change.  I knew that I wanted to be more engaged as a parent when I got back, so I implemented Family Game Night on the weekends.  I admit we’ve only done it once or twice, but I’m working on doing it more.

So, when I was offered a copy of Wii Sing POP!, I jumped.  I love to sing in the car with my kids.  And recently I’ve gotten very embarrassingly and addictively into an app called Song POP that’s plugging into my passion for music.  What could be more fun than singing pop songs with my kids?

When night falls, when homework is done, and we are all done with our chores, we settle in the den, microphones in hand.

And then it’s all rock and roll!  I’m on the floor, playing with my kids, just as I’d hoped to more of after my trip to a place far, far away.

Well, I didn’t realize how much we were enjoying it until my son tossed a microphone into the air and caused the disk to get stuck in the machine the other day.

We Sing POP! is the first game in the We Sing karaoke series to feature 30 sensational pop hits from the World’s leading pop stars. It offers decades of original hits to choose from including modern day pop icons and chart legends like Adele, Jessie J, Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga and more (basically a dozen bands I’ve never heard but they’re SO good).  There are eight multiplayer party modes to choose from, making it a great addition to family game night or a sleepover with friends. Some other features include, singing lessons to help train your voice, performance replay that allows you to add cool effects to your voice and player statistics with a detailed breakdown of how you performed.

I’m thrilled to be giving away a copy of Wii Sing POP!   It comes with two microphones and you must have the Wii game to play and has a retail value of $39.99.

To win, tell me who you’ll give the game to in the comments below.

You can get additional entries by doing one of or more of the following:

– Follow The Culture Mom on Facebook.

– Follow The Culture Mom on Twitter.

– Follow The Culture Mom on Pinterest.

This giveaway will end on Thusday, March 14th  at noon EST. Winner will be posted here, on the Culture Mom Facebook page and via email and will have 24 hours to accept their prize.

Disclosure: I was not compensated to run this giveaway, but I was provided with a copy of the game.  However, all opinions expressed are my own.

UPDATE: The winner is Jacqui who was first to enter.  Thanks to everyone for entering!

Follow

The post Giveaway: Wii Sing POP! (and How it’s Making Me a Better Mother) appeared first on The Culture Mom.

Last night my daughter and I were invited to a special preview showing of Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Movie in my old neighborhood in NYC.  As we headed in right after camp and swim lessons, refreshed and ready for a night on the town, I could sense her excitement.  And I was pretty excited, too.  For me, Katy Perry is a throw back to the music I liked when I was her age – Blondie, Bananarama, even Weird Al Yancovic with all her crazy costumes and wigs.  She’s what I consider to be my guilty pleasure – music that I groove out while driving the car, music that brings a huge smile to my face no matter what.

The movie follows her 365 day 2011 tour fille with dazzling costumes, lavish sets, confetti, her beloved crew that consists of friends and family, and more.  Best of all, it’s all in 3D, so some of the concert scenes are eye-popping with bubbles and bouncing balls throwing themselves into your lap.  And the pin glasses in her honor are cosmic.

But it’s not just a film about Perry and her life and career.  It starts out and finishes with an anti-bullying message complete with short vignettes of children who are inspired by Perry.  One child says, “Katy tells us it’s okay to stand out, it’s okay to be unique.” At 18, Perry knew that she wanted to be famous, but even then she knew that it came with responsibilities  Today, with songs like “Do You Ever Feel,” she makes it clear to the younger generation that it’s okay to be different.  Kudos to the film’s production team for using the film as a forum to teach and inspire children of all ages coming to see the film about their favorite musician.

But there is also a lot to learn about Perry in this well-made film, and much of it humanizes her, like the following:

– Her parents were traveling ministers and she was only allowed to listen to Christian music until she was 18.  The only film she was ever allowed to see was “Sister Act 2″.  When she finally heard Alanis Morisette, she learned that there was another way to explore music and speak your mind, so she moved to Los Angeles to launch her career.

– Her career, with Glen Ballard as her first producer when she was signed on with Island Def Jam, took time to kick off, as the label wanted her to be the next Avirl Lavigne.  She was determined to be Katy Perry, and when she got signed by Columbia Records, that is who she finally became.  Herself and no one else.

– Perry is the first female artist to ever have five #1 singles from the same album.

– At every concert during this tour, her sister led  a”Meet & Greets” – right before every single concert, she met kids and parents backstage, many of whom were from the Make-a-Wish Foundation (children who’s last wishes are granted and meeting Perry is one for many of them), and invited many of them to come up on stage during her show.

– The film puts a big emphasis on her relationship with Russell Brand, who she married right before the tour began.  She worked really hard on making their marriage work, she was certainly wild about him.  He texted her, came on tour with her and she spent every tour break traveling to be with him (he never came to her).  He was her “one that got away” and when he breaks up with her (from a distance, the jerk), she is beside herself, crazy in love with him. Proof that even movie  It came down to a choice between her career and love, and I believe that one day she will certainly have it all.

– Perry is very close to her grandmother, who she visits on her sold-out 124 area shows across the world, in Las Vegas.  Her grandmother is a sharp lady who says exactly what she feels and grounds Perry, who shows up to visit in very glam garb.  When they talk about her upbringing and how much they traveled and the effects it has on children, Perry said point blankly, “But we turned out okay” (meaning her and her two siblings).  To that, her grandma responded, “As far as I know!” with a loving laugh.

At the end of the film, we see the last concert of the tour with her grandmother and parents on stage.  It’s been a tumultuous year full of up ups and downs.  Clearly still hung up on Brand, she still believes in fairy tale endings.  The tears shed for him are palpable, good for a 3D film (not really) as she sings “Not Like the Movies”:

Snow White said when I was young,

“One day my prince will come”

So I wait for that day

They say it’s hard to meet your match

Find my better half

So we make perfect shapes.

The dream team behind this movie includes Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz (Directors) and Brian Grazer (Producer).  The Directors covered every side of her tour, the highs and the lows, the fact and the fiction.  For that, I applaud them.  For my daughter, there’s a new kid in town in our house – Selena Gomez will no longer reign.  Looks like Katy Perry is joining the ranks.

Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Movie starts this Thursday, check out your local listings.

Check out the trailer:

Disclosure: I was provided with complimentary tickets to facilitate this review, but all opinions are my own.

Follow

The post Film Review: Katy Perry: Part of Me, The Movie appeared first on The Culture Mom.

And indeed it was.  We got dressed up, a rarity in my house.  We went into Manhattan on a Monday night, another rarity for us.  We entered the most lavish hotel and were shown to the cafe where we were treated like 5th Avenue residents.  With the cover noted as $135 per person, you would expect it to be full of people in mink coats.  And that’s who was there. Fortunately, they do allow standing room only for a much lower price, and film students and younger people came in at the show’s start and lined the walls.

I was one of the many seated to hear Woody Allen live in person, and our view was impeccable.  We splashed out, ordered a bottle of wine and enjoyed the night.  At approximately 8:35pm, Woody walked in to join his band and I buzzed with excitement.

For years, he has been playing New Orleans Jazz Band with his band on Monday nights. I’m not particularly a Dixieland Jazz fan, but put Woody Allen in the band and I’m more than interested. They played just over an hour and my ears and eyes were fixated on my film hero and I grooved to the beat.  It was a phenomenal night and one that I will never forget. For your viewing pleasure, here are a few videos I shot:

I highly recommend that you go see Woody and his band now.  It will cost you a pretty penny, and make sure you are prepared so that you dont’ have the shock of your life when the bill comes.  For me, seeing Woody play was on my bucket list and now I can cross it off. And Woody, good luck on Sunday night! I’ll be rooting for you.

Disclosure: I covered all my own expenses for this experience.

Follow

The post Bucket List: Woody Allen – Live at Cafe Carlyle appeared first on The Culture Mom.

The concert is taking place at the Rose Theater at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center, Broadway at 60^thStreet, New York, NY.  Tickets for the Jazz for Young People concert are $12, $20, and $28 and you can win a family pack right now on MamaDrama!

I hope that you’ll head over there to enter.

Follow

The post Giveaway: Jazz for Young People Family Concert Series at Jazz at Lincoln Center appeared first on The Culture Mom.

Photo credit: Hideki Shiozawa

Follow

The post A Night at the Westchester Philharmonic appeared first on The Culture Mom.