Introduced at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) by homerunPET, a global leader in smart pet-care technology, its top-selling CS106 Self-Cleaning Litter Box is indeed a game changer. Our house “with two cats by the door” was a great testing ground for this space-age unit.

The maker’s design directives (“reliable, hygienic, and truly hands-off”) have been achieved. We set up the unit in the corner of our garage, and Minchey watched the assembly warily. Soon she jumped in, inquisitiveness being her genetic imperative. The unit admittedly looks like what Elon Musk would want for cat owners if he becomes successful moving the human population to Mars (although he now has set his sights closer with the moon as his target).

The curved lines and bubble like-housing would please George Jetson. Indeed, once we got the unit up and running, I have happily taken a distant back seat to the proceedings. Minchey (and eventually her friend the far more hesitant Rosie) found where she needed to do her thing, and both have been doing so ever since. The CS106 rolls out the egregious material once the cat exits the unit, all of which is gathered in a separate bag. My wife advises that gathering the bag and adroitly placing it in the rubbish bin is fast, smooth, clean and almost vibrant.

I haven’t waited around to see if the two cats perform in tandem, although as they bulk up in their later years the extra large internal space will preclude the cats from outgrowing the CS106. Another great feature is the auto-fill feature. All in, we feel less guilty taking a few holidays away from the house. Between the remote controlled kibble feeder, the flowing water fountain bubbler and now the CS106, our cats have the run of our new house, even when we are on the road.

homerunPET is scheduled to introduce a camera that “integrates directly with the CS106 to deliver advanced behavioral insights, real-time activity detection, and enhanced health monitoring—powered entirely by on-device AI.” That evolution seems almost inevitable, and we shall see if that type of cat intimacy is where our household is headed.

The cats feign indifference when we return home, but we are confident they like our Jetsons style of feline maintenance.

More info here.

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As the Preston documentary unfolds, the casual fan will be stunned at being reminded of how many great songs Billy Preston influenced. Even the most ardent fan will be jolted with the plethora of artists whose music was made better by Preston. Toward the end of the film, even Eric Clapton admits that he was just in Billy’s band.

Most famously, Preston was exactly the catalyst needed by The Beatles to complete their last two albums.

The Liverpudlians first met Preston while playing their relentless gigs in Germany. A fellow teenager, Preston came through Hamburg on tour with Little Richard. Each of the Beatles acknowledged Preston’s critical input, but it seems George was especially receptive. It was George who included Preston in the Bangladesh concerts and George’s subsequent solo tours. And it was George who signed the legal release when Allen Klein refused to let Preston leave Apple Records; it was sadly evident the label did not support Preston’s ambitions. The documentary (ably directed by Paris Barclay and written by Paris Barclay & Cheo Hodari Coker) goes on to describe how Preston played on five albums with the Rolling Stones, starting with their two very best Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main Street. A stunning achievement.

Preston’s girlfriend, actress/model Kathy Silva, left him for Preston’s colleague Sly Stone, with whom he recorded. It is uncertain about whom Preston wrote “You Are So Beautiful.” The film suggests Preston’s mother was the inspiration. Joe Cocker enjoyed huge success covering the ballad.

Preston appeared on the inaugural episode of Saturday Night Live, performing “Nothing From Nothing,” yet another #1 hit.

But the main strength of the film is the fantastic job in juxtaposing Preston’s insatiable and incredible musical talent with the contradiction thrust on him by the church that could never allow Preston to acknowledge overtly his sexuality. That conflict failed to give him the support he needed when addiction took its toll, causing him to spiral downward in a series of regrettable legal infractions.

The film includes an amazing array of interview clips, both recent era talking heads and interview sequences from across the decades. The insights from people who knew Preston from a very early age throughout his sprawling recording career paint an incredible picture of an incredible talent.

It is unlikely there will be any other book or film that will shed this much light on an ultimately enigmatic man.

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Directed by Penny Marshall, starring Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Rosie O’Donnell and Tom Hanks, A League of Their Own is the true story of trailblazing women who formed the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during World War II.

  As part of the events surrounding the 100th anniversary year of the historic El Portal Theatre, Women’s History Month will be celebrated with a special screening of A League of Their Own, on Saturday March 14, 2026.

Ann Potenza

  Just announced as the El Portal’s Managing Director, Ann Potenza has initiated monthly movie nights at the theatre as part of the year-long centennial celebrations. Potenza said, “For Women’s History Month we wanted to celebrate female talent and empowerment by remembering the remarkable contributions of women throughout history, and A League of Their Own certainly does that.”

  Potenza’s background includes having been a hands-on theatrical producer for several impressive shows at El Portal Theatre, such as The War of Roses, Twelve Angry Women and Dragapalooza.  Potenza has also brought her strong work ethic to major cultural events in Los Angeles, the most notable being The Feast of San Gennaro in Hollywood. “I started as a volunteer because of my passion for my New York Italian heritage, then my love of the Los Angeles community led me to become the annual event producer”. Potenza is also the creator and host of Women Who Kick Glass, a weekly podcast that highlights the stories of fearless women throughout history who broke barriers and shaped the world. 

  Calendar listing for Women’s History Month Film: A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN (1992) Rating: PG,  Saturday March 14, 2026, 4pm & 8pm. 

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Over the ensuing decades, he has released a solid body of work. He drew deep from that vast songbook at a wonderful gig at Pappy & Harriet’s in Pioneertown, right around the corner from Joshua Tree.

In a pre-concert chat, he told me that the album still remains the format of choice for him. He confessed he would not know exactly how to present a single song; in isolation it would “not have a home.” But then he went on to describe that his song Ebeneezer Is Back in Town would be the exception to the rule. It came to him as a reaction to another New Yorker, in this case, Donald J Trump. Forbert wanted to add it as a bonus cut to his CD, so that it would have a physical home.

When I asked how he captures an inspiration for a song, Forbert said it might be a snippet that appears from seemingly nowhere, or even a thought developing during a sound check. Across all the years he clearly remains gratified to be able to write, record and perform his songs. Forbert reiterated that the live experience and the album format remain front and center in his approach to creating music. He described his early days busking in Grand Central Station and gigging around Greenwich Village. Indeed, this part of his life is well described in his evocative book Big City Cat bringing to mind similarly memorable descriptions of coming to New York in landmark books by Patti Smith and Bob Dylan.

We rounded up our chat as Forbert was preparing to go on stage. He advised it was the third night of the gig, and because his wonderful keyboardist was still learning the songs Forbert would be using a set list.

When on stage, Forbert’s well worn guitar (slung back on one hip) has likely seen as many miles as he has. He looks a dozen years younger than you’d expect.

At Pappy and Harriet’s (a delightful venue which has hosted some of the best songwriters around – can you say Paul McCartney?), Forbert pulled from his deep songbook for an evening full of gems.

Songs that took many in the crowd back to their college years were delivered in heartfelt fashion: Thinkin’, What Kind of Guy, The American in Me, Clouds Roll Past the Sky, to name a few.

One of the most poignant audience participation experiences in years was when Forbert advised the crowd he would give us the nod to sing the refrain of “yeah, yeah, yeah.” The song was about when John met Paul, told from the former’s slightly egotistical yet heartfelt perspective. Simply brilliant.

That boy sure could sing the kinda songs
That this boy’s singing, if he should come along
Our great group could sure do something strong
And you’d see the things that I see
You’d see the things that I see

What Kind of Guy and Goin’ Down to Laurel were in the setlist as well. It is doubtful anyone left the show other than uplifted.

(photos by Brad Auerbach)

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 The next generation will live long and prosper with the new STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY series, premiering January 15, 2026 on Paramount+ globally.

 It’s the latest in the plethora of spin-offs (about a dozen) that followed the original Star Trek, which debuted 60 years ago in 1966. The iconic series followed the crew of the Starship Enterprise lead by Captain Kirk, who was a graduate of the Starfleet Academy.

 Now that famous fictional intergalactic school from the Star Trek universe gets the spotlight in a show that introduces viewers to a young group of cadets at the Starfleet Academy. They come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism, under the watchful eyes of their instructors. They discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate friendships, rivalries, first loves, and a wrathful new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the interstellar Federation itself. That villain is played by recurring guest star Paul Giamatti as Nus Braka, part-Klingon, part-Tellarite, and a 100% scene-stealer.

 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy stars Oscar-winner Holly Hunter as the Chancellor of Starfleet Academy. The Starfleet cadets are played by Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, and Zoë Steiner.

L-R: Robert Picardo as The Doctor, Kerrice Brooks as Sam and Bella Shepard as Genesis in season 1 , episode 1 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy streaming on Paramount+. Photo Credit: Brooke Palmer/Paramount+

 Fan favorite, Robert Picardo returns to his Star Trek: Voyager role as the holographic Doctor, now 900 years old and assigned to teach at the Academy.

 During the Paramount+ Zoom interview session for members of the Television Critics Association (TCA), Picardo expressed relief that he hasn’t had a lot of technobabble so far on the new series.

 Picardo told the TCA, “What feels different is that the new Star Treks are in contemporary language. In Voyager, in my iteration of Star Treks, that time we spoke in mid-galactic speech, you know, it was nowhere in time. And now we speak in contemporary speech. It was a shock at first. I mean, they went nuts on the Internet that I said ‘that would be super helpful.’ The Doctor would never say ‘super helpful.’”

  “Well, in 800 years, the Doctor may have changed a little. And also, he now is teaching cadets, so he has to speak in their language. The adjustment came easily because there’s a reason for it.”

Another change is the Doctor’s program evolved to incorporate profanity. “It shocked me when the Doctor had his first four-letter word. I thought, well, he needs to shock the students that are not paying attention. That was the context. I said a word really to grab the attention of one of the students. And then immediately after he says, ‘Are you allowed to say that?’ And I say, ‘Say what?’ So I completely immediately denied, it’s kind of gaslighting the student a little bit. But it also shows that he is using every tool in his toolbox to teach these kids. So it makes sense. However, there will be hardcore old Star Trek fans will go, ‘Did the doctor just say a four-letter word?’ And I’m going to have to say, ‘Yes, it’s a brave new world.'”

He added, “And the other weird thing is that in Voyager, there were no zippers in the 24th century. Zippers are back. I don’t know why, but they’re back.” Which takes Trek fashions back to the future.

Alex Kurtzman and Noga Landau serve as co-showrunners and executive produce the series alongside executive producers Gaia Violo, Aaron Baiers, Olatunde Osunsanmi, Jenny Lumet, Rod Roddenberry, Trevor Roth, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. The series’ premiere episode is written by Gaia Violo and directed by Alex Kurtzman.

STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY is produced by CBS Studios in association with Secret Hideout and Roddenberry Entertainment, carrying on the legacy of Star Trek’s creator Gene Roddenberry.

Tune in on Paramount+

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The Thalians celebrated 70 years of service, healing and gratitude at its annual Holiday Gala. The ever fabulous (at 90!) Ruta Lee, chairwoman of the board emeritus, held court at the dazzling event for the organization she founded in 1955 along with Debbie Reynolds, Jayne Mansfield, and other stars who wished to extend their hearts and influence beyond the stage and screen by helping others. Presently Thalians are partnered with UCLA’s Operation Mend, providing mental and physical healthcare to U.S. veterans.

The President of The Thalians, Frank Sheftel greeted the celebrities and VIPs at the Bel-Air Country Club on December 6, 2025 for an evening of charitable camaraderie, entertainment, and honors. Songwriting legend Neil Sedaka was honored with the Mr, Wonderful Award for his contributions in the humanitarian realm through his Neil Sedaka Foundation. Also the angelic philanthropist Madeline Gussman was presented the inaugural Debbie Reynolds Angel Award from Debbie’s son Todd Fisher who expressed, “Mom would be proud.”

Frank Sheftel, Ruta Lee, Madeline Gussman, Neil Sedaka

  The highlight of the evening was a mini concert by Golden Globe winner Ann Jillian, an incredible singer who thrilled everyone with her special performance of timeless tunes. Jillian even did a medley of Neil Sedaka songs for the honoree, who also surprised guests when he sat at the piano and sang a few of his hits including the classic “Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.” The Nelson Kole Orchestra also was a delightful part of the evening’s entertainment.

The classy Thalians president Sheftel was the perfect host and announcer and everything else that was needed, including introducing the attending luminaries. Among the notables were Jo Anne Worley, a devoted supporter of Thalians, along with Patrika Darbo, Susan Olsen, Kate Linder, Penelope Ann Miller, BarBara Luna, Carol Connors, songwriter David Longoria, Tamara Clatterbuck, Todd Sherry, Rico Anderson, Lawrence D. Piro, MD, author Consuelo G. Flores, publisher Christopher Gialanella with wife Andrea Gialanella, Kathy Garver, and former honoree Freda Payne.

Performer Catherine Hickland and her husband Todd Fisher did their “Cat and Todd Live” streaming show from The Thalians gala and talked with stunning Stefanie Powers. Powers let everyone know she’ll be performing A.R. Gurney’s play Love Letters with Patrick Wayne, on Sunday, January 11, 2026, 1 p.m., at the historic El Portal Theatre to benefit the William Holden Wildlife Foundation. Also acknowledged was The El Portal’s grand dame theatre manager Pegge Forrest, who noted that the El Portal will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2026 with lots of great shows in the New Year.

Frank Sheftel, Jo Anne Worley, Kate Linder

Sheftel was happy that the legacy of The Thalians continues as Hollywood’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to the treatment of mental health. Money was raised for the cause, and he introduced Dr. Jo Sornborger, PsyD, executive director of Operation Mend, during the presentation of a $250,000 check from The Thalians to UCLA’s Operation Mend. The dedicated group brings a wealth of experience and passion to The Thalians’ mission, making the organization a continuing force for good.

To find out more about their work please visit www.thalians.org

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Without much backstory, we are dropped into the studio and over time the personalities become clearer, they dynamics among the band begin to take focus.

The parallels with Fleetwood Mac are evident: a five piece band, two women, three men, two Yanks, three Brits, intra-band intimate relationships, a headstrong leader on guitar, a drummer who also manages the band and drinks a bit too much. Diana (Claire DeJean) is the Stevie Nicks of the band, complaining she doesn’t know what to do with her hands while onstage; the rest of the band play instruments. Diana has an obvious talent in songwriting, which her boyfriend Peter (Denver Milord), the Lindsey Buckingham of the band, both nurtures and fears.

Bassist Reg and keyboardist Holly are stand ins for the married couple John and Christine McVie. Their relationship is physically manifested as they stand physically furthest apart in the studio, but seemed to drift in and out of intimacy during the course of the play.

When a song from the prior album released months earlier hits the charts, newfound vigor hits the band. That was indeed the case while Rumours was being recorded.

Claire DeJean as ‘Diana’ and Denver Milord as ‘Peter’

Strictly speaking, Stereophonic is not a musical. The music written for the play was composed by Will Butler from the indie rock band Arcade Fire, and captures quite well the vibe of the era portrayed. Director Daniel Aukin generally keeps the pace flowing, but even with the radio edit version on offer, a few sequences lag.

For music fans, Stereophonic is a treat. For those looking for well-drawn characters in a Petri dish of creativity, the play delivers.

Fleetwood Mac shipped many albums and has clearly been the catalyst for several storylines. With rumo[u]rs again swirling about a reunion, the band can take comfort that it is not only their music that continues to inspire.

Playing through January 2, 2026. tickets available at  BroadwayInHollywood.com or Ticketmaster.com

Photos by Julieta Cervantes

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The Band built a song book as solid as any group of its era. After their debut album in 1968, the four Canadians and the drummer from Arkansas became the envy of myriad musicians. Eric Clapton and George Harrison wanted to join; Cream and Beatles had become overwhelming. Here instead were these timeless looking guys woodshedding in Woodstock with a throwback sound that whispered, then blew through the music scene. Neighbor Bob Dylan found these guys the perfect foil, and tapes leaked out to become the most infamous bootleg in rock.

The Band forged ahead for another eight years and finally decided to go out on top. They coordinated with promoter Bill Graham and set up The Last Waltz in San Francisco over Thanksgiving weekend 1976. For the seemingly outrageous price of $25, attendees were treated to a sterling lineup of guests ranging from Neil Young and Joni Mitchell to Van Morrison and Bob Dylan. Filmed by Martin Scorsese, it sits regularly near the top of the list of best concert films.

The well beloved San Diego band Mrs. Henry was presented with the invitation to recreate The Last Waltz several years ago under the banner of Chest Fever, and they recently restaged it at The Belly Up. For those hesitant about seeing a tribute band, don’t miss the next iteration of this performance. The musicians are tight and well-rehearsed. They inhabit the songs fully and reverently.

Full of swagger and confidence, the band pulls into Nazareth on their Mystery Train and makes a beautiful noise for many hours. As in the original, a horn section comes and goes. A bounty of guest musicians bring their unique approach to the almost-sacred set list. With a stamp of approval from the late Robbie Robertson and The Band Official Estate, Chest Fever’s performance definitely delivers.

Highlights are almost too numerous to mention, but let’s start with: “The Shape I’m In,” “Stage Fright,” “All Our Past Times” and “Acadian Driftwood.” As in the original, “Caravan” was a showstopper. That was about the only time most folks have seen Van Morrison in a wildly high spirited demeanor. At The Belly Up, Bryan Barbarin similarly tore up the stage, even mimicking Van’s unexpected high kicks.

Chest Fever’s set list approached 40 tracks, and from a mercenary standpoint that is great value for your ticket price. But more importantly, the musicianship was consistently solid. The songs are peerless. A splendid time was had by all.

Chest Fever: Guitar & Vocals – Dan Cervantes, Piano & Vocals – Jody Bagley, Bass & Vocals – Tim McNalley, Organ – Jeff Howell, Drums – Robbie Rae Hammett
Guests included: Dylan Donovan, Mike Stax, Jerry Ramey, Steve Rucker, Ash Easton, Batya Macadam Somer, The Wellsprings, Juan Carlos, Murf McRee, Mighty Joe Milano, Chris Torres, Daring Greatly, Jess Roberts, Midnight Jack Tempchin, Bryan Barbarin, Jamie Daniels, Rebecca Jade.

(photos by Brad Auerbach)

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