Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce Board Member Stan Gerson, r, and a fellow Member enjoy the new Dining Terrace at Westfield Fashion Square during their Networking Breakfast. The Networking Breakfast takes place the first Wednesday of every month.

Westfield Fashion Square is preparing to officially unveil its highly anticipated new Dining Terrace and has planned a series of special events for the whole family to enjoy during the weekend of May 18-20. The new Dining Terrace features twice as much seating as before, new restrooms, bright natural lighting, stylish décor, and much more.

Westfield’s goal in revamping the space was to offer shoppers an entirely new destination to relax, enjoy community events, and grab a convenient — and delicious — bite to eat during the day or in the evening. The Dining Terrace, which was previously known as your standard cafeteria-style food court, has transformed into a bistro-style dining area reminiscent of a chef’s kitchen.

From l, L.A. City Councilman Tom LaBonge and Marketing Director (WFS) Juliet Mothershed at the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce Networking Breakfast. On May 18-20, the whole family is invited to celebrate the unveiling of the new Dining Terrace at Westfield Fashion Square.

Already the new seating area that opened this spring is now the new home to the Sherman Oaks Chamber of Commerce monthly networking breakfasts and will be hosting many more key community events for the public throughout the year.

In celebration of the grand opening, Westfield Fashion Square has planned the following events:

Friday, May 18

• 6 p.m.: Enjoy a buffet of a variety of different candies and make your own candy treat bag before enjoying the free Friday Flick.
• 7 p.m.: Friday Flick (FREE) – Families can grab dinner at the new Dining Terrace or simply enjoy food samples from various restaurants while enjoying a free screening of a family movie chosen by a Facebook fan vote. Guests will also be able to enter into numerous drawings for special prizes and mall retailer discounts.

Saturday, May 19

• Noon—4 p.m.: Greeters will be giving away scratch-and-win cards with special discounts and food offers.
• Noon—2 p.m.: Close-up Magic – A magician will be roaming the Dining Terrace performing tricks, while card tricks are mastered at various tables throughout the Terrace.
• 2 p.m.—4 p.m.: Balloon Twisting – A balloon twister will be roaming the Dining Terrace creating animals and more all out of a rainbow of colored balloons.
• Noon: William Sonoma Cooking Demonstration with William Sonoma giveaway. Dining Terrace restaurants will be offering samples on passed trays.
• 1 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 2 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 3 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 4 p.m.: William Sonoma Cooking Demonstration with William Sonoma giveaway. Dining Terrace restaurants will be offering samples on passed trays.
• 6 p.m.: San Fernando Valley Museum Exhibit Reception & Curated Talk

Sunday, May 20

• Noon—4 p.m.: Greeters will be giving away scratch-and-win cards with special discounts and food offers.
• Noon—2 p.m.: Close-up Magic – A magician will be roaming the Dining Terrace performing tricks, while card tricks are mastered at various tables throughout the Terrace.
• 2 p.m.—4 p.m.: Balloon Twisting – A balloon twister will be roaming the Dining Terrace creating animals and more all out of a rainbow of colored balloons.
• Noon: William Sonoma cooking demonstration with William Sonoma giveaway. Dining Terrace restaurants will be offering samples on passed trays.
• 1 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 2 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 3 p.m.: Chef Kids Cooking Demonstration
• 4 p.m.: William Sonoma cooking demonstration with William Sonoma giveaway. Dining Terrace restaurants will be offering samples on passed trays.

Westfield Fashion Square is located at 14006 Riverside Dr. in Sherman Oaks. For more information, call (818) 783-0550.

Kathy Hilton (second from l) flanked with her sisters and daughters. From l, Kim, Kathy, Kyle, Paris, and Nicky.

On Mother’s Day, socialite, actress, and clothing designer Kathy Hilton will be celebrating with daughters Paris and Nicky, as well as sons Baron and Conrad. But, she’ll be missing her deceased mom.

“I had the most wonderful mother in the world, who passed away very young, a month before her 63rd birthday.” It was not unusual for them to speak on the phone up to 20 times daily.

When Kathy grew up, there were no nannies in sight. She was always the mother who would pick her and her friends up from school. “We’d go to my house and she would chauffer us all over.”

The duo was extremely close, particularly because her parents divorced when she was three. “She basically raised me alone.” When her mother Sharon remarried, Kathy took his name, Richards. “He was a wonderful dad, who was about 20 years older. Here, I thought I’d have them forever.”

But then there was the call that no one wants to receive. “She called, started crying, and said that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I was in a state of disbelief. She suffered with the diagnosis for six years.”

Her mom’s strength helped her through difficult situations. “I’ve been very blessed. We don’t have to go into it, but when the unfortunate situation with Paris’ video broke, I needed my mom. She was so open and kind and honest. She gave unconditional love and support.”

When her mother passed away, Kathy barely coped. “I was just numb. I talked to a therapist a couple of times about it, but I was also raised that you don’t do that. As young and cool as she was in her day, a psychiatrist was not in her vocabulary.

“She loved my girls, and being a young grandmother, she was like a second mom. The beautiful part when my mother passed away was, my two younger sisters were all sitting around saying, ‘I’m the favorite; I’m the favorite.’ Here, we all thought that we were her favorite, but I really am the favorite! So, everybody started laughing.” (Sisters Kyle and Kim appear on The Housewives of Beverly Hills.)

“I spoke at the funeral, as did my sisters, husband, and Paris. I just looked up and said, ‘I can’t believe you’re not here with us and we love you.’ I think she’s still with me. I believe she is.”

And then there is Rick Hilton, who Kathy describes as the rock of the family. “As strong as people may think I am, I’m really not. Honestly, meeting my husband at 15 and getting married at 19 was good.”

Her mom was at home when she died. On that fateful day, the nurses set her up by the big family room kitchen. It was five-thirty in the morning. All of a sudden, the water went on, and pots started clanking, and drawers started opening and shutting. The nurse said that there are certain people who are not ready to go and outside forces happen. It’s sad.

“She taught me to say thank you to everyone. I think it’s important to let people know how you feel. I’m a very supportive person. I am the kind of person that, if somebody calls me at three in the morning, I’m there.”

Sue Facter owns a news agency that specializes in the luxury brand. Her work appears in USA Today, Los Angeles Times, Women’s Day Australia, as well as on broadcasts and the web.

Most people in America don’t pay attention to what is going on with their own government. It’s understandable that it’s all many can do just to make a living for their families, see to their children’s needs, and try to live their lives in relative comfort and security. Unfortunately, if you don’t pay careful attention to what is going on, that comfort and security can slip away and with it much personal freedom.

Our country has become strongly divided between those who want big government to take care of their lives for them, and those who want as little government interference as possible. By and large, the Democratic Party is the party of large government encroachment while the Republican Party is for smaller, less intrusive government. People think that when the government gives something to them for nothing, it is free — but it isn’t. What many don’t seem to get is that whenever government gives you something, it always comes with a price. Usually that price is less freedom.

When the government pours money into something, like local schools or a particular industry, it ends up controlling that entity. Government becomes like a silent partner, only not so silent. It can tell you how to spend that money, it can tell you what kind of curriculum can be taught in your local school, it can tell you what kind of car you must drive, and, ultimately, if government controls health care, it can tell you what medical procedures you are allowed to have.

Whether it’s a school, or a car company, or an individual, once control is given over to the government that entity or person suddenly becomes dependent on government, not unlike a drug addict becomes dependent on his drug supplier. It is a vicious cycle – the more people depend on entitlement programs and other handouts from the government, the more powerful government becomes.

As we await the Supreme Court’s decision (expected sometime in June) on the constitutionality of Obamacare, America’s first step into socialized medicine, it might be a good time to reacquaint ourselves with some words of wisdom on the subject of socialized medicine by President Ronald Reagan. The following is from a recording he made called Ronald Reagan Speaks Out Against Socialized Medicine:

“One of the traditional methods of imposing statism or socialism on a people has been by way of medicine. It’s very easy to disguise a medical program as a humanitarian project…. Now, the American people, if you put it to them about socialized medicine and gave them a chance to choose, would unhesitatingly vote against it. We have an example of this. Under the Truman administration it was proposed that we have a compulsory health insurance program for all people in the United States, and, of course, the American people unhesitatingly rejected this.”

Reagan goes on to explain what happens under a government controlled health care system:

“The doctor begins to lose freedom…. First you decide that the doctor can have so many patients. They are equally divided among the various doctors by the government. But then doctors aren’t equally divided geographically. So a doctor decides he wants to practice in one town and the government has to say to him, you can’t live in that town. They already have enough doctors. You have to go someplace else. And from here it’s only a short step to dictating where he will go…. All of us can see what happens once you establish the precedent that the government can determine a man’s working place and his working methods, determine his employment. From here it’s a short step to all the rest of socialism, to determining his pay. And pretty soon your child won’t decide, when he’s in school, where he will go or what he will do for a living. He will wait for the government to tell him where he will go to work and what he will do.”

That recording was made around 1961, five years before Reagan was elected governor of California and almost twenty years before he became president. But his words then have never had more profound meaning than they do for us today, at this pivotal time.

There is another quote from Reagan from another speech which I find quite sobering:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Let us all hope that the Supreme Court does the right thing for us this June.

Dear Mom,

Thank you for being the mom that you are. We share so many fun memories from when I was a child up to today that always put a smile on my face. I am blessed with your guidance, friendship, and love that have made me the mom that I am today. I love you.

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love,
Karima

Dear Mom,

Every day I miss you! It seems as time passes, my yearning increases to be near you geographically and emotionally. I’ve become the person I am, because of your influence. You are the greatest mother for me! There are many women who are mothers; I notice them in their roles, and titles. But there is only one YOU! Only one mother, who fills my heart, holds my hand, who knows me better than I even know myself, at times. Whenever I have something to share, and I’m excited or filled with joy, the first person I want to tell is you! And, those days that feel like I am losing and my efforts are futile, believing the world will win, your voice always comforts, calms my soul. My mother reminds me that I matter; I am loved completely, by the person I admire and respect more than anyone. Everything in life becomes so much better, after we talk. Every time we see each other, I get little butterflies of excitement! Sharing time with me is the best gift! From love, you carried me, and brought me into this world. The love you’ve given me has continued to ripple and fill the lives of my children. You are my true best friend, and the love of my life!

Happy Mother’s Day!

I ADORE YOU!

Sandy (your little doll)

Aeriform Arts.

As a television executive for BET Networks, Lea Walker knows the demands of a fast paced career. When her busy lifestyle took a toll on her health, the driven career maven found herself in the emergency room. Back and reproductive issues were revealed and the ensuing surgeries left her bedridden for weeks. Walker discovered that the surgery not only stripped her of her physical strength but also her sense of body confidence and power.

“My scars became a symbol of how my body had failed me. I came to the conclusion that maybe I needed to finally slow down and do something for me. My friend suggested a pole dance class; it looked fun, so what the heck?”

Not only was pole dancing great fun, but it restored her sense of “self.” From pole dancing she moved on to Aerial Yoga. The exercise led to her back pain subsiding and she was able to avoid additional surgery. Centered, confident, and reconnected, Walker wanted to share her new found empowerment and Aeriform Arts was born!

Stretch yourself and your concept of fitness this summer with unique classes at Aeriform Arts. Located in the art district of North Hollywood, Aeriform Arts is a fitness studio where every “body” can come to and work out while having fun. Specializing in Aerial Yoga, Pole, Lyra, BUTI ™, Pilates, Stretching, Aerial Fit (with Beam, Barre, Hammocks, Silks, & Lyra), Classic Burlesque, and Yoga, Aeriform Arts is located at 5625 Lankershim Blvd. in NoHo. For more information on classes call (818) 980-AERI [2374] or visit www.aeriformarts.com.

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — For the first time in the race’s history, cycling fans and enthusiasts will have the opportunity to participate in the Amgen Tour of California by riding on the actual race course just prior to the eighth and final stage of the 750-mile, Tour de France-style competition.

The “Nissan Ride Before the Pros,” taking place in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, May 20, from 8-9:30 a.m., will allow cyclists of all levels to ride on a 5-mile, closed-circuit course that will be part of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California’s eighth and final stage taking place that same day. Free to participants of all experience levels, the “Nissan Ride Before the Pros” will begin and end at the official finish line where the professional riders competing in the 2012 Amgen Tour of California will cross to complete the 42.6-mile stage they started in Beverly Hills on Rodeo Drive earlier in the day.

Along the way, riders taking part in the event, which begins at L.A. LIVE at the foot of STAPLES Center, will head up Olive Street passing Pershing Square before a “sprint” past the historic Biltmore Hotel, up a challenging incline while heading towards Disney Hall and the Los Angeles County Music Center. The riders will ultimately reach City Hall and City Hall Park before making a loop back towards the iconic Jewelry District prior to arriving back at L.A. LIVE. Along the way, riders will also pass hundreds of iconic downtown restaurants, businesses, museums, and other landmarks with thousands of residents and fans lining the streets cheering them on while waiting for the best professional riders in the world to pass by shortly thereafter for the final stage of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California.

In order to participate in the “Nissan Ride Before the Pros,” interested fans must register prior to the event on the Amgen Tour of California website at www.amgentourofcalifornia.com/nissan. Participants must be over the age of 18 or receive permission from a parent or legal guardian.

Doctors on the runway.

Beaming smiles radiated like sunshine for the “April Showers” themed fashion show luncheon presented by the wonderful ladies from the Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center Guild. The annual event is the flagship fundraiser for the Guild and always fills the Grand Ballroom of the Sheraton Universal Hotel. Its popularity is not only because so many support the Guild’s worthy goals, but also the fashion show features doctors from St. Joe’s strutting the catwalk.

“The celebrity physicians and staff models who escort the beautiful models down the runway are always a highlight,” said PSJMC Guild president Kathleen Marsden, who welcomed everyone to last week’s event. She also asked all the Guild ladies to stand up and take a well-deserved bow for all their efforts year round. Special recognition went to hardworking Lucy Brown, Jo Massimini, and their committee for organizing the fabulous event.

The “April Showers” afternoon was sprinkled with laughs thanks to master of ceremonies Harold Greene, the award-winning journalist from CBS 2 News and KCAL. Sister Rose Byrne gave an Irish blessing and called the Guild women a “tremendous gift, those who touch lives with their generous service.” Sister Colleen Settles, the Chief Mission Officer, gave the invocation. And while we’re counting our blessings, let’s give a shout-out to Grace Patz, at 98 she’s a dynamo in charge of reservations. Marian Enos also deserves praise for all her work on the program book, and press chairwoman Terry Campbell. All in the Guild are working hard to honor their pledge to raise half a million dollars for the Hycy and Howard Hill Neuroscience Institute in Burbank.

The fashion show was presented by Lucinda Miedema of Couture Productions, and ballroom dance professionals Michael Kuka and Natalia Lind wowed everyone with their tangos. But it was the doctors strolling the runway with the oh-so-lovely professional models that provided the most entertainment for the crowd. Honorary Guild member Dr. Raul Mena always gets cheers, and joining him were doctors Daniel Eisenberg, Mark Gerard, Rex Hoffman, Franklin Kase, Michael Marvi, Stephen McNeese, George Teitelbaum, Shahan Yacoubian, and Stephan Yacoubian, plus the foundation’s Ron Blitzer. I’ll bet all their mothers would be very proud of their “model” sons!

Chicago Has?Christie Brinkley Strutting Her Stuff

One of the world’s most successful supermodels, the dynamic Christie Brinkley will reprise her “killer” role in the musical smash Chicago, May 15 to 27 at the Pantages Theatre. Brinkley has already received critical acclaim playing “Roxie Hart” in the Tony Award-winning show on Broadway and in London’s West End. Also starring is John O’Hurley as tap dancing lawyer “Billy Flynn.” Chicago producer Barry Weissler says, “I’m excited to share with audiences the stellar performance that Christie delivers.”

In addition to her phenomenal supermodel career, Christie is known for her commitment to health and fitness. She wrote and illustrated a health and beauty book, Christie Brinkley’s Outdoor Beauty and Fitness Guide which topped The New York Times bestseller list. She also shines as a photographer, designer, actress, and philanthropist. Plus she has launched a line of natural skin care products as part of her new company, Christie Brinkley Beauty.

But more than that, she is a proud mother of three children, Sailor Lee and Jack Paris, and actress/singer Alexa Ray Joel. No doubt she’s looking forward to celebrating Mother’s Day.

My Three Sons Day

Did you know that My Three Sons Day in Los Angeles will be proclaimed at City Hall on May 16? Councilman Tom LaBonge will designate the day as “My Three Sons Day in Los Angeles.” Attending the event will be sons Barry Livingston, Stan Livingston, and Tim Considine. Other cast members, series regulars, and guest stars are expected to attend the ceremony as well.

The TV comedy My Three Sons was an American institution from 1960 to 1965 on ABC, and then CBS until 1972. The show chronicled the life of a widower, played by Fred MacMurray, raising his three sons. The sons were played by Tim Considine, Don Grady, Stanley Livingston, and later Barry Livingston. The series also featured William Frawley, of I Love Lucy fame, and later William Demarest. Towards the end of its long run, the wonderful Beverly Garland joined the show as the ideal step-mom.

Kudos to all the moms everywhere.

Driving to the tony Doheny/ Wilshire neighborhood, we saw a vision of a food truck parked outside the Writers Guild Building. Egg rolls and matzo ball soup were served at the opening of the Seventh Annual Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival (May 3— 10) held at the Writers Guild during a pre-screening reception. Presented by the Jewish Journal, their theme: Our films aren’t selected; they’re chosen!

Recognizable faces swarmed the room waiting to see Jill Vandenberg Curtis, the widow of Tony Curtis, whose documentary, Tony Curtis: Driven to Stardom, was screened.

She did not disappoint. Tall, blonde, and glam, the knockout wore a sparkly blazer and skinny jeans and appeared on a panel with Sally Kellerman, Marian Collier, Max Roeg, and John Gillmore. Film critic Pete Hammond moderated. In the audience: Jon Voight, Robert Forster, Marty Ingels (wife Shirley was recovering from hip replacement surgery), Ed Lautner, Jack Carter, Kat Kramer, Stella Stevens, Marvin Paige, and Anne Jeffries.

Said Jill, “Tony loved being a movie star. Although he was very narcissistic, he didn’t want to do a documentary just about his life. The film was made with people who worked with us on horse rescue.”

As fastidious as Jill is, Tony was interviewed sitting in front of his own art work with paint on his hands, a far cry from the handsome stud he was promoted as early and during his career. The film and folks interviewed referred to him as a pretty boy.

“He loved being Tony Curtis,” she said. She had already seen the screening at the Cannes Film Fest and cried throughout it. The tears returned last week. “I’ll have to excuse myself; it’s difficult to watch.” (And she did. After the panel, the equestrian sat on a folding chair in the lobby of the Writers Guild with a friend during the screening.) She attended the dessert after-party with strawberry shortcake by Hansen’s.

Jill reminisced that she recently visited her late husband’s home he shared as a child. It was in the back of a tailor shop. Four people lived in one room. “He really came from nothing to something.”

Mamie Van Doren, with long hair extensions, credited Curtis for her career. “Tony helped me. He was a tower of strength. He was handsome, sexy, and Jewish. I lucked out! But, he liked me as a friend. He’d call me Little Mamie.

Added Sally Kellerman, “I was commuting between Canada and Israel for work. The most embarrassing thing was a love scene and I had to be naked. I couldn’t do it, so they gave me a rubber contraction, which was a drag. I would have been better off naked.”

His Some Like it Hot co-star, Marion Collier, said, “Tony did a lot of waiting for Marilyn [Monroe] on the set. I signed on for six weeks and wound up working for four months. We all waited for Marilyn.”

Marty Ingels joined the stage to celebrate Curtis. “The Hollywood he loved so much never gave him a break. Fans kept him working. He was the kid who came from the Bronx to Bel Aire.

Said Norby Walters, “Tony Curtis was underrated.”

Gerrie Larsen.

It’s interesting to realize that the art of illusion and magic can trace its roots as far back as the Pharaohs in Egypt. And that the revered title of Magician was always reserved for the men, while women were often dubbed sorceress or simply a witch. That doesn’t seem fair.

Now to give the ladies their due, producer Dale Hindman has gathered many of the finest female magicians to perform for a special “Women in Magic Week,” May 7 to 13, at the world famous Magic Castle in Hollywood. Included among those who have made their mark in the mostly male dominated industry of illusion are Luna Shimada, who is the daughter of longtime magic legend Shimada; and Suzzane, the first female recipient of the Close Up Magician of the Year award. Nine other “Ladies of Illusion” from around the world will appear for the occasion.

In addition, the Magic Castle, private clubhouse for world-class magicians, will be honoring one of its own pioneers of illusion, the late Gerrie Larsen. Actually, without Gerrie the Magic Castle would never exist, since she is the beloved mother of the Castle founders Milt Larsen and the late Bill Larsen.

Gerrie was a regular on local television in Los Angeles, known as “the Magic Lady” on KTLA. And she starred in her own ABC children’s magic show for many years. Clips featuring her performances will be included in the Castle’s Palace Theatre during the week, with commentary provided by her son Milt Larsen. An added treat to mark the pre-Mother’s Day tribute will be an appearance by Liberty Larsen, the great granddaughter of Gerrie, who will emcee the palace shows and perform one of her great grandmother’s signature tricks.

With its 13 stages and performance areas, the Magic Castle has been the location for numerous film and television productions. It boasts a history of star studded membership, from Cary Grant who was the first Academy of Magical Arts President, to Neil Patrick Harris, the current President.

As one of the most recognized Hollywood landmarks, the Magic Castle is approaching the eve of its 50th anniversary as a popular tourist destination, since 1963. The Magic Castle has already celebrated the 100th anniversary of the Victorian-style mansion structure — known as Lane Manor — a year ago. And now the Academy of Magical Arts will, for the first time in its history, host a “Women in Magic Week” offering non-members the chance to get tickets for the special occasion.

One of the biggest changes of our lifetime is the rapid pace of technology in all its manifestations. What a relief to be able to calmly read a local newspaper filled with community news, with coverage of local politics, the arts, entertainment, and neighborhood events. Our country and our community benefit from the publication of local free weekly papers which are of immediate value to local merchants who advertise and readers who can be informed of what’s current and what’s interesting. Keep up the good work, and your expanding publication.

Sincerely,
Chuck Levin