“The Human Fuse” sounds more like a moniker for a superhero than a mere mortal, but taking into account what Brian Miser does and has been doing since his high school days, the name is more than fitting. After more than eight years with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, Brian has launched himself out of his self-designed and built canon more than 6,000 times.

This year for the 141st edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Fully Charged show at the Staples Center July 20-24, Brian brings a brand new act and new levels of energy, adrenalin and risk-taking! With a jolt seven times the force of gravity, Brian, The Human Fuse, will arc through the air 110 feet across the arena at nearly 65 miles per hour from a self-made, supersized, human crossbow…on fire!

Defying the laws of physics and gravity almost every day requires pinpoint accuracy, so nerves are still a factor in Brian’s work. “You’re pretty sure you know where you’re going to land,” he says, “but sometimes you worry you’ll be a little short or a foot over.” Still, Brian says, “It’s hard to beat flying through the air, no strings attached. To me, it’s the ultimate.”

And what about the fire, an added component to this new act? “The thing with flying with fire is that you’re moving so quickly that the flames are behind you, but when you land they come up over you,” Brian says. “It’s the most exhilarating thing.”

We’re betting some of that exhilaration will rub off on us, from our seats in the audience, that is… Don’t miss The Human Fuse and the rest of the daredevils, acrobats, animals, clowns and performers at the greatest show on earth. We hope to see you there!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – Fully Charged

Staples Center
1111 South Figueroa Street, Los Angeles, 90015
Wednesday, July 20, 2011 – Sunday, August 14, 2011
o Wednesday, July 20 – 7:30pm
o Thursday, July 21 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
o Friday, July 22 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
o Saturday, July 23 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
o Sunday, July 24 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Ages: All
Cost: Tickets – $12 (opening night), $15, $20, $25, $40 (VIP), $70 (Front Row) and $100 (Circus Celebrity)
Website

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – Fully Charged

Honda Center
2695 E. Katella, Anaheim, 92806
Wednesday, July 27 – Sunday, August 7, 2011
o Wednesday, July 27 – 7:30pm
o Thursday, July 28 – 1:00pm, 7:30pm
o Friday, July 29 – 10:30am, 7:30pm
o Saturday, July 30 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
o Sunday, July 31 – 1:30pm, 5:30pm
o Tuesday, August 2 – 7:30pm
o Wednesday, August 3 – 1:00pm, 7:30pm
o Thursday, August 4 – 10:30am, 7:30pm
o Friday, August 5 – 1:00pm, 7:30pm
o Saturday, August 6 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
o Sunday, August 7 – 1:30pm, 5:30pm
Ages: All
Cost: Tickets – $12 (opening night), $15, $20, $25, $40 (VIP), $70 (Front Row) and $100 (Circus Celebrity)

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus – Fully Charged

Citizens Business Bank Arena
4000 Ontario Center Parkway, Ontario, CA 91764
Wednesday, August 10 – Sunday, August 14
o Wednesday, August 10 – 7:30pm
o Thursday, August 11 – 7:30pm
o Friday, August 12 – 12:00pm, 7:30pm
o Saturday, August 13 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
o Sunday, August 14 – 11:30am, 3:30pm, 7:30pm
Ages: All
Cost: Tickets – $12 (opening night), $15, $20, $25, $40 (VIP), and $70 (Front Row)

Plus a chance to win 4 tickets to their show at the GRAMMY Museum on Saturday, February 12, 2011

A little L.A. Kid Stuff factoid: During our BLAK (before L.A. Kid) days, this L.A. mom and her sister L.A. aunt, big fans of the group oZomatli, were compelled during a Hollywood Bowl concert to start a conga line and pick up more than a handful of Ozo fans along the way. Ah, memories!! So, how excited we are as moms to hear that oZomatli, a group of former L.A. kids themselves, are bringing their brand of music, “a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian ragas,” straight to the little ones!

With a new CD set for release this summer, oZoKidZ is busy developing characters, songs, dances, and languages that fit into oZoWorld. “We’re always looking for the best way to connect to the kids starting at their level and then take it from there to another place,” says bassist Wil-Dog Abers. With most members of the band being dads to kids ranging in age from 2 to 13 years old, we’re pretty sure oZoKidZ will resonate loudly with the youngest of generations.

Ozomatli will appear at the Grammy Museum in L.A. on Saturday, February 12 at 11 a.m. as part of the Grammy Family Musical Series. Read below to see how you can enter to win 4 tickets to the show. L.A. Kid Stuff recently caught up with Ozomatli to learn more about oZoKidZ.

L.A. Kid Stuff: Congrats on Ozokidz! Ozomatli has always had an intergenerational reach, but what inspired you to create specifically for the younger set?

oZoKidZ: Thanks so much!!!
Ozo has always played for and connected to young people. Over the past 16 years we’ve performed for countless schools , orphanages & youth centers of all ages. We also always invite the youngest members of our audience (under 12) up on stage to play percussion and jump around with us during the last song of the set.
Mario (ozo’s drummer for 7 years) has saying for years that he thought that it would be a cool idea to make a kids record although it wasn’t til last year in Feb that we decided to actually do it. We were playing at the HOB in Chicago late on a Tuesday night and we couldn’t figure out why there weren’t more people coming to the show. Wil-Dog put out a blast on FB and Twitter. The response was interesting.  Most people were saying things like “I’d love to come but I can’t find a sitter” or “why are you guys playing so late on a weeknight? I’ve got kids!”.  Then we realized that making a kids CD was imperative.

L.A. Kid Stuff: How would you describe the Ozokidz sound and album?

oZoKidZ: We’re developing the sound as we speak and right now we’re doing trial and errors with our new songs in front of a live kids audience to see which ones connect with them the best.

L.A. Kid Stuff: What are some of your favorite songs on the new album that fans can look forward to?

oZoKidZ: The Piranha song which is about a father and his child encouraging the child to jump into he water. The parent reassures the child that there is nothing in the water that will hurt them and the father will protect them. It also encourages the child to learn how to swim.

We have a song about putting your thumbs up while taking pictures – it’s called “Cheesy Thumb”. We’ll also have some Ozomatli classics about animals that fit into the set really well.

L.A. Kid Stuff: Any plans for touring this album?

oZoKidZ: Yes. Big plans! We’ll be playing all over the states this year doing family shows.

L.A. Kid Stuff: What role did or will the kids in oZomatli’s life play in oZoKidZ?

oZoKidZ: Asdru’s (singer and trumpet player) daughter is actually singing on the Piranha song and Will-Dog’s daughter is currently working on a character that will be at our live show. It’s an Ozomatli bird named “Dozer”. All of our kids are a definite inspiration and our guinea pigs to see what will work before jumping into a live audience.

L.A. Kid Stuff: What’s in store for the future of Ozokidz?

oZoKidZ: A CD, a DVD, a book, a TV show and a fully realized Ozo world for kids!

oZoKidZ
Grammy Museum
800 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90015
Saturday, February 12, 2011
11 a.m. (doors open at 10:45 a.m.)
Ages: All (Best for ages 5 and up)
Cost: $10 (includes admission to the cool museum!)

TO ENTER the four-pack of tickets giveaway drawing to see Ozomatli at the Grammy Museum, make a comment on the L.A. Kid Stuff Facebook Giveaway Contest post HERE and tell us why you want to go to the concert. Comments accepted until midnight, Wednesday, February 9. Winner chosen randomly and announced Thursday, February 10. One entry per person. Winners of L.A. Kid Stuff giveaway contests within the last 90 days are not eligible to participate. Good luck!

With so many fun family and kid stuff in L.A. (not to mention work and the rest of life), who has the time to get really creative in the kitchen? Spice up your family dinner options and make it easy on yourself with the help of your very own menu planning service! The brainchild of Ann Bender and Karen Hutchinson–two busy, working moms who loved to cook but wanted to get out of their weekly dinner ruts–Relish! is a menu planning service that provides you with everything you need to shop, make and create yummy meals for the family.

Think of Relish! as your very own personal assistant in the kitchen! Once you become a member you’ll get new menus every Thursday for healthy, easy-to-make, delicious, simple gourmet meals that even your finicky kids will love. You pick and choose the dinners you want, put it in your weekly menu, indicate how many people you’ll be cooking for, then presto! You get a grocery list of all the things you need to buy to make the meals. With ingredients and recipes available ahead of time, there’ll be no more last-minute dinner dilemmas with only half of the ingredients on hand. The best part of the equation? A more organized you plus less time in the kitchen equals more quality family time at the dinner table!

Ann Bender and Karen Hutchinson - founders of Relish!

With Relish’s database of simple gourmet options, you’ll not only get a weekly menu plan but you’ll be able to sort through for kid-friendly, low-calorie, quick dinner recipes and more. If you have a lot of one specific ingredient in your fridge, type it into the database search and get some meal recipe options that’ll put it to good use. A popular “Freezer” section will give you ideas, recipes and instructions on making dishes ahead of time for the freezer for later use.

Membership is easy and inexpensive! Only $21 for a three-month membership. But as an L.A. Kid Stuff member you’re entitled to a two-week FREE membership. Go to the Relish website HERE and in the Gift Subscription Voucher # box type LAKIDSTUFF and fill out the rest of the information. Then get ready for the oohs, ahhhs and mmms from your kids. Enjoy!

There’s a magical place tucked in a corner of Vincent Lugo Park in the City of San Gabriel where sea creatures have lived and entertained the imaginations of children for the past 45 years. Cast out of concrete by Mexican-American master concrete artist Benjamin Dominguez, Laguna de San Gabriel Nautical Playground is a whimsical lagoon with a sea dragon, pink whale, octopus and other creatures that, in today’s ubiquitous standard playground swings and slides, are amazing to behold. Just as amazing are the efforts of non-profit Friends of La Laguna, the group that successfully lobbied against the demolition of the park in 2006 and won a place for Dominguez’ work on the California State Registry of Historic Places and as a City of San Gabriel local landmark.

When one thinks of historic places, playgrounds do not instantly come to mind. In fact, Laguna de San Gabriel Nautical Playground is the first civic playground to be on the California Registry despite the City of San Gabriel’s initial safety concerns, which the Friends of La Laguna say will be mitigated after restoration. The graceful, beautiful and seemingly fluid work of Benjamin Dominguez might easily be mistaken as objects in a sculpture garden absent the play and laughter of kids, but this scenario is something that won’t ever be, says Friends of La Laguna President Senya Lubisich. “As much as we are preserving the playground, we are preserving the experience for children,” Lubisich says. “There’s nothing like watching a child enter the playground for the first time. They are in awe, and because these are animals, they hug them and connect with them. The playground inspires creative play.”

Two other Benjamin Dominguez playgrounds exist in southern California, one in Whittier Narrows Recreation Area at Legg Lake and the other in Garden Grove at the Atlantis Play Center. Friends of La Laguna are already in discussions with the County of Los Angeles to preserve the Whittier Narrows Park playground another historic place. The California Office of Historic Preservation will receive the Legg Lake nomination June 1st and a decision could come in six months or sooner.

If your kids haven’t already experienced the magic of a Benjamin Dominguez playground and its unique creatures, there are plenty of ways for you to share it with them.

Play at a Park

Laguna de San Gabriel Nautical Playground
Vincent Lugo Park
Corner of Wells & Ramona Street
San Gabriel, CA;
(626) 308-2875
Free
Website

Whittier Narrows Recreation Area
Legg Lake
823 Lexington-Gallatin Rd.
South El Monte, CA 91733
Free
Website

Atlantis Play Center
13630 Atlantis Way
Garden Grove, CA 92844
(714) 892-6015
$1 Admission
Website

Go on a Picnic

L.A. Conservancy, Friends of La Laguna Celebrate the Sixties with May Day Monster Mash Picnic
Saturday, May 1, 2010
11 a.m. -2 p.m.
La Laguna de San Gabriel, Vincent Lugo Park, San Gabriel

Bring the family to this “Monster Park” for a May Day afternoon of games, lunch, architecture-inspired ice cream sandwiches from the Coolhaus truck, and more! The event is part of the L.A. Conservancy’s The Sixties Turn 50 events. (MORE)

Volunteer with Restoration Efforts

According to Friends of La Laguna President Senya Lubisich, various grants and donations have allowed for phase I of Laguna de San Gabriel Playground restoration to take place. With a preservation architect overseeing the project, construction of the wooden entry dock and centerpiece dragon slide will begin in July, and there will be plenty of opportunities for the public to volunteer in the rebuilding and renovating and in the process have a hand in preserving history. For more information, contact the Friends of La Laguna on their website. Or check back at L.A. Kid Stuff where we’ll be sure to list all volunteer opportunities for you and your kids!

Last December we held a ticket giveaway contest for a little known animated film called The Secret of Kells during it’s one-week Oscar run!  Boy was it successful!  The Oscar-nominated film for Best Animated Feature was the only one of its kind–among the digitized, big studio films–that stayed true to traditional animation techniques.  From April 2-8, 2010, you’ll have another chance to see this visually-spectacular film during its one-week run at the Landmark Theatre  in Westwood.  Don’t miss it!

The Secret of Kells draws its story from the ancient The Book of Kells and offers fantasy, a magical adventure and visually-spectacular style inspired by Celtic Art and illuminated medieval manuscripts.

The Book of Kells is a beautiful manuscript and Ireland’s most precious medieval artifact. Journey with protagonist 12-year-old Brendan as he fights Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal that will magically complete this magnificent book. The adventure will take Brendan outside of the abbey where he lives into an enchanted forest where a white faerie wolf/girl will befriend him and help him on his quest. In the process Brendan’s own extraordinary talents will be awakened and his courage fortified.

Extensive research into Irish fairy tales, legends and historic Irish locales and monuments went into developing the lavishly-detailed and colorful look of the film. And in a time when digital animation is becoming more and more standard, The Secret of Kells relies mostly on classic hand-drawn animation inspired by medieval art.

“Many of the most influential animation artists still insist that there are stories that are best told with traditional animation,” says Director Tomm Moore. “With our influences and subject matter concerning some of the greatest craftsmen and artists who ever lived we felt strongly that this film is one of those stories.” (Click HERE to see a film clip and the TRAILER)

The Secret of Kells – Oscar nominee for Best Animated Feature

The Landmark Theater
10850 West Pico at Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 90064; (310) 281-8233
Friday, April 2-Thursday, April 8, 2010
Times vary per day (please check website)
Ages: 8 to adult
Cost: Child $9.50; Adult $12.50
Website

15-year-old Bryn Watkins can’t quite recall the exact moment she fell in love with ballet because as long as she can remember, she’s been dancing. “I’ve always danced and I don’t know how not to dance,” she says. “I suppose that means somewhere along the way I fell in love with it but I think that’s just always been.” Indeed, ballet has been a big part of her life since she was a little three-year-old attending “mommy and me” dance classes. Today, she practices anywhere from 20 hours to 30 hours a week—all while balancing school, volunteering as the pianist for her church choir and trying to be a “normal” teenager. Bryn’s hard work has paid off; as a member of the Maple Youth Ballet, she has performed in a few productions, including the Nutcracker, Diamonds 2.5, Balanchine’s Valse Fantasie and Balanchine’s Serenade. This April, she’ll dance the lead in the classic fairytale Cinderella at the Irvine Barclay Theatre for one day on Saturday, April 3, 2010 at 1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.

Bryn credits the support of her family, particularly her mom, with her success. “My mom has been integral in my development as a dancer. She always reminds me to ‘dance with joy’,” says Bryn. “When she was young, she was an avid dancer herself, and I feel privileged to continue her dream through my own endeavors.”

L.A. Kid Stuff asked Bryn’s mom Dana Watkins to share her memories and experiences fostering a love of dance and raising a little toddler into a successful ballerina. 

Here’s Bryn’s mom, in her own words:

I have a photo, taken when she was about three years old, of Bryn dressed in a little pink leotard and tutu, and holding the first nutcracker in her (currently huge) collection. Below the photo I wrote, “Bryn wants to be Clara someday.” Like many little girls, Bryn loved to dance, dress up in tutus and tiaras, and pretend to be a ballerina. However, unlike most of those little girls, Bryn’s interest in ballet never flagged or waned, and her talent was apparent early on. From the time she started real ballet classes—at age 5 or 6—she had a phenomenal teacher who is something of a legend in Orange County: Helen Clarke.

Miss Helen taught Bryn for several years (5? 6?) and Bryn continues to drop in to take an open class from her whenever she can fit it in. Bryn really caught the ballet bug under Miss Helen’s tutelage, and from then on there was no stopping her. When Bryn was 11 years old, her old studio folded, and she made the move to Ballet Pacifica. It was there that she caught the eye of David Allen, who directed the Nutcracker, and suddenly, at age 12, Bryn was living her longtime dream of dancing the role of Clara. Subsequently, Ballet Pacifica folded, and Charles Maple rescued the “orphaned” dancers and gave them a wonderful, secure new home.

Bryn has danced in productions of Coppelia, Nutcracker, and numerous other ballets, most recently appearing as the Snow Queen and Mirliton in Nutcracker. She has been named a semifinalist in the Music Center Spotlight competition for the second year in a row. She has been offered a full scholarship to Ballet West Academy, and has received scholarship offers from other institutions as well.

As for her dreams and goals: It’s simple. Bryn wants to dance. She is most alive when she is dancing. She never tires of it, she never complains about the time it takes (although she does regret that her social life is so compromised; she wears a t-shirt that says: “I can’t. I have rehearsal.”) Most of all, she is always willing to put in the work necessary to get better, to get that extra fouette or two inches of extension.

Outside of ballet, Bryn is also an accomplished pianist. She has taken piano for about 7 years, and although she doesn’t put in the practice time on the piano that she should, she’s pretty darn good. She is an honors student carrying a full load of AP and honors classes at El Modena High School, and she gets up early every morning for a 6:30 a.m. religion class. And she doesn’t get enough sleep. And of course, she dreams of the day she will get her driver’s license—although figuring out when she will have the time to go to Driver’s Ed is a conundrum. So in many respects, she is a normal teenager. It is only when she puts on her tights and toe shoes that you realize she is anything but.

Cinderella

Maple Youth Ballet
Irvine Barclay Theatre
4242 Camps Drive, Irvine, 92612
Saturday, April 3, 2010
1:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: $28 adults; $22 children and seniors
Website

Now more than ever is the call to environmentalism and conservation more crucial. From the world’s steady climate increase to the suffering Polar bear population, signs of global warming are too prevalent to ignore. Cause for even greater attention is the fact that the way we live our lives can contribute to, or help alleviate, the global warming phenomenon.

This year we hope to take real steps–even if they’re baby steps–to practice conservation, sustainability and environmentalism, and to bring our kids along during the journey. The earlier we cultivate a respect for our planet, the more routine green practices will become for our kids.

Here are some of our ideas to be more green, but don’t forget to also regularly check out the Green Living section of L.A. Kid Stuff for ongoing suggestions.

Educating Ourselves

Go Green Expo Los Angeles
Spend this weekend hearing suggestions on how to live more sustainable lives and what products are the most environmentally friendly, from baby and kid stuff to household cleaning supplies. (MORE)

Sustainable Sundays at the Natural History Museum
A monthly series at the Natural History Museum that brings together experts and the public to find green, innovative local solutions to far-reaching global problems, from climate change and water conservation to land use, preserving our environment and protecting Earth’s biodiversity. The first workshop for this year is this Sunday, Others planned include Waste Not, Want Not about recycling and World Water Day L.A. on water conservation. (MORE)

The Environmental Protection Agency Website for Kids
An excellent Global Warming primer for kids (and anyone interested in the simple lowdown on the topic, for that matter). Graphics, videos and colorful photos engage kids while educating them.

Nature.org
An excellent website that will explain, then help you calculate your and your family’s carbon output with a handy online calculator. carbon footprint calculator estimates how many tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases you create each year. Your average compared to someone in a developing nation will shock you.

TheGreenGuide
This site has real world tips on how to live more environmentally responsible lives, from using energy efficient light bulbs and recycling to rainwater harvesting and tips for greener travel.

Earth911.com
Want to know how and why things are recycled, from paper to plastic to electronics? This website will tell you. Get tips and how-tos on reusing everyday objects to composting in your backyard. News articles about everything on recycling. The best part of the site, a search engine that will connect you (your zip code) to the nearest location where you can recycle types of items that you specify (such as batteries, computers, glass, etc.)

Buying Local and Living with Less

Shop at Farmers Markets
Not only do Famers Markets offer locally grown produce which is good for the environment and our local farmers, but the prices on organic goods are often cheaper than what you’ll find at your local Whole Foods or specialty brick and mortar. Add to that the abundance of children’s activities at many of these Farmers markets and it’s a win-win proposition for the whole family. Check out our updated Kid Friendly Farmers Markets list HERE.

Be Green with a Green Thumb
The only thing better than buying from a local farmer is growing your own food. But in the concrete jungle that is L.A., not everyone’s dwelling is connected to a plot of dirt suitable for a garden. You can still teach your kids the importance and benefits of gardening at your local community garden. The Los Angeles Community Garden Council lists community gardens near you. Community Gardens are like public parks but are maintained by the public. For a small fee you can use a plot of land–designated for you–to grow your garden. You will tend, cultivate and harvest from your own plot. (MORE)

Kids Toy Making Workshop
What’s better than kids learning to make their own toys, teaching them creativity as well as self sufficiency. It may not make all of your family’s big retail box toy needs disappear, but an appreciation for and sense of pride in something made with their own hands may lengthen the time until your next stop at the toy store. (MORE)

Creative and Crafty Kid at Craft ‘N Sew Program
A do-it-yourselfer’s best resource is Hands on Third, where next week a six-week Craft ‘N Sew session will start for kids ages 5 and up. The session will include Puppet Making, Costume Design, Recycled Art, Decoupage, Make your own Robots, Monsters and more! (MORE)

Family Activities Fostering Love & Respect for Nature

Plant Trees Together
It’s not what you’re doing, it’s who you’re with…except sometimes it is what you’re doing, and who you’re with makes it that much better. It’s not written anywhere that volunteering as a family for activities such as community tree plantings can’t be fun as well! Next weekend join an Eagle Award prospect plant 34 trees along a business district in Long Beach. (MORE)

Whale Watching
The beauty and grace of creatures of the ocean can spur discussions on how they live, their habitat and the interconnection between people, animals and the earth. (MORE)

Restoration Parties at Ballona Wetlands
You don’t need a reservation to learn about birds and the importance of their natural environment at the Ballona fresh water marshes or to take an in-depth tour of the Ballona salt marshes and sand dunes. Do so on the second and fourth Sunday of each month, then understand the importance of what you and your family are doing when you help restore the sand dunes and trails at a Restoration Party. (MORE)

This holiday season while many of us are at home drinking eggnog and spending time with our families, Todd Straley will be hard at work making sure his own extended work-family brings extra cheer to your holidays. In fact, this is the way he’s been spending the majority of the past 13 Christmases: on the road with various traveling ice shows. But don’t feel sorry for Todd just yet, because this Company Manager of the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy show loves what he does, and admits that its perks make up for any shortcomings us grounded mortals might recognize.

Being the person in charge of a unit of 100 employees including performers, crews and concessionaires is a big responsibility, and one that has brought him around the world and to every single one of the 48 contiguous United States. In fact, it’s best to ask not where he has been, but where he hasn’t.

The Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy North American tour began in August and will continue until April 2010. In June 2010, Todd and the unit will bring the show on a four month journey through China, Southeast Asia and Australia. If you consider all of Todd’s travels on his own time and add his travels for work, he’s pretty much been everywhere except Russia, Africa and India. Even that may soon change as he says Disney on Ice is looking into expanding to India.

“I love meeting new people and bringing the show to different places,” says Todd. “I’ll watch the show and the audience and you see the kids light up and they just go crazy and are so happy.”

Todd’s sense of pride and love of the show is evident as he recalls memorable moments from each country. But as the Company Manager, he must also keep in mind the happiness of 100 other people in the Unit who ultimately determine the quality of each performance. That’s why during the holidays, Todd ensures that there are enough activities to make any tour member feel right at home…on the road.

“We do a Secret Santa gift exchange and we’ll have breakfast together Christmas morning, do the show and maybe have dinner together on Christmas night,” he says. His “touring family” as he refers to them, will repeat the togetherness at New Years. “We’ve become a really close knit family. That’s what happens when you are all touring together.”

No doubt good company and good management do a lot for the Unit’s morale; and when morale is good, the shows prove it. Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy promises just that as it pulls out all the stops. From talking, life-sized Lightning McQueen and Mater cars a soaring Tinkerbell high above the stadium to a Lion King ensemble and the Little Mermaid and her prince to a Princess pre-show with Cinderella and Tiana, this show is as good as it gets.

Judge for yourselves just how good the Disney on Ice Worlds of Fantasy show can get. It’s not too late to purchase your tickets for the Staples Center shows this Thursday – Sunday. Next week the show moves to the Honda Center in Anaheim through the 27th, to the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario through January 3rd and will conclude its Southland tour at the Long Beach Arena January 6-10.

Wherever you see the show, remember that in addition to all the talented performers on the ice and in costumes, there’s a guy behind the scenes who makes sure it all comes together. You may see him peeking from behind the curtain, and more likely than not he’ll be enjoying the cheer the performance is bringing to families like yours as much as you are enjoying the show itself.

Disney On Ice – Worlds of Fantasy

Staples Center
1111 S Figueroa St., Los Angeles, 90015
Thursday, December 17, 2009 – Sunday, December 20, 2009
Thursday: 7:30 p.m.
Friday: 11 a.m.; 7:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday Noon: 3:30 p.m.; 7:30 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: $16 – $65

Plus a chance to win four tickets to their
Family Workshop at the Grammy Museum!

A little L.A. Kid Stuff factoid: During our BLAK (before L.A. Kid) days, this L.A. mom and her sister L.A. aunt, big fans of the group Ozomatli, were compelled during a Hollywood Bowl concert to start a conga line and pick up more than a handful of Ozo fans along the way. Ah, memories!! So, how excited we were to hear that Ozomatli, a group of former L.A. kids themselves, are bringing their brand of music, “a notorious urban-Latino-and-beyond collision of hip hop and salsa, dancehall and cumbia, samba and funk, merengue and comparsa, East LA R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian ragas,” straight to the little ones!

Ozomatli will appear at the Grammy Museum in L.A. on Saturday, December 19 at Noon as part of the Grammy Family Musical Explorations Series. Kids will be invited on stage to learn one of their songs then the same kids will have an opportunity to perform at Ozomatli’s concert at Club Nokia. (Parents must purchase tickets to the evening concert)

L.A. Kid Stuff recently caught up with Ozomatli and found out they have some great advice for today’s L.A. kids!

L.A. Kid Stuff (LAKS): Ozomatli is intercultural and global in its reach, but also intergenerational. We see parents bringing their kids to concerts all the time, and we plan to bring our own L.A. kid as well. Do you have any plans to create music specifically for the younger set?

Ozomatli (OZO): It’s funny you ask that question because we’ve been talking recently about doing a cd specifically for kids and perhaps doing additional shows that are geared for kids. “Ozo’s for the kids!” is a common phrase that we use. Even if we don’t speak the same language, we have connected with and played music alongside children from places as far reaching as Myanmar and Madagascar. We’ve always invited kids onstage to play with us and we do workshops at schools and orphanages all over the world. You never know, we just might show up on Sesame Street or the like. And you’re right, our shows are inter-generational. We see everything from babies to senior citizens at our shows. We had a 98 year old woman tell us that she loves us and saw us on Dancing with the Stars!

LAKS: You were U.S. State Department Cultural Ambassadors on international tours in 2007. Does that label still resonate with your group today?

OZO: We are a group of kids (relatively speaking) from L.A. who love to play music, so it is still odd to be called ‘cultural ambassadors’. For Ozo, it is another avenue that lets us go to places that are off the beaten path and play our music and connect with people we would otherwise never meet. We really appreciate these opportunities. There are plans to do some trips in 2010 to China and Mongolia and we are always open to more.

LAKS: What is the purpose of your workshops at the Grammy Museum? We love how kids who attend the day show will be invited onstage at Club Nokia that evening. What will the kids do onstage that night?

OZO: The purpose of the workshops is to reach out to our younger fans and do something fun and exciting with them. The kids will get to play music, dance, have a good time, and hopefully learn something from the experience. We’ll teach them one of our new songs and have them perform it with us later that night. Sorry but I can’t divulge too much information about it here, you and you’re readers will have to come down to the Nokia!

LAKS: Any advice to kids or teens who want to get into music?

OZO: Follow your heart and Play Play Play! Know that anything you set your desire on is ABSOLUTELY possible, so follow your dreams!

LAKS: For band members who grew up in L.A., what were some of your favorite places to go as a kid?

OZO: Some of our favorite L.A. spots growing up were: (in no particular order) the train ride at Griffith Park/Travel Town, L.A. Zoo, Griffith Observatory, Placita Olvera, the Shriner’s Circus at the Shrine, MacArthur Park Peddle boats, Tommy’s, the Children’s Museum, Dodger Stadium, Elysian Park, Santa Monica Pier, La Brea Tar Pits, and Venice Beach, just to name a few. As you probably gather, we love our city!

OZOMATLI
Grammy Museum (Family Music Encounters)
800 West Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, 90015
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Noon (doors open at 10 a.m.)
Ages: All (Best for ages 5 and up)
Cost: $10 (includes admission to the cool new museum!)

TO ENTER the four-pack of tickets giveaway drawing to see Ozomatli at the Grammy Museum, become a member of L.A> Kid Stuff newsletter list if you aren’t already, then email us at info@lakidstuff.com Winner will be chosen Monday, December 14 and notified immediately. Good Luck!

Psst! Word on the street is that there’s a cool new animated film that is a likely Oscar contender and you have a chance to win four tickets to see it this Saturday, December 5 at 2 p.m.!

The Secret of Kells draws its story from the ancient The Book of Kells and offers fantasy, a magical adventure and visually-spectacular style inspired by Celtic Art and illuminated medieval manuscripts.

The Book of Kells is a beautiful manuscript and Ireland’s most precious medieval artifact. Journey with protagonist 12-year-old Brendan as he fights Vikings and a serpent god to find a crystal that will magically complete this magnificent book. The adventure will take Brendan outside of the abbey where he lives into an enchanted forest where a white faerie wolf/girl will befriend him and help him on his quest. In the process Brendan’s own extraordinary talents will be awakened and his courage fortified.

Extensive research into Irish fairy tales, legends and historic Irish locales and monuments went into developing the lavishly-detailed and colorful look of the film. And in a time when digital animation is becoming more and more standard, The Secret of Kells relies mostly on classic hand-drawn animation inspired by medieval art.

“Many of the most influential animation artists still insist that there are stories that are best told with traditional animation,” says Director Tomm Moore. “With our influences and subject matter concerning some of the greatest craftsmen and artists who ever lived we felt strongly that this film is one of those stories.” (Click HERE to see a film clip and the TRAILER)

Be one of the first to see The Secret of Kells at its one-week only Oscar-qualifying run at the AMC Burbank Town Center 8 Theatres starting this Friday. It won’t be back in theatres again until its general release in March 2010!

The Secret of Kells

AMC Burbank Town Center 8
201 E. Magnolia Blvd. #345, Burbank, 91501
Friday, December 4 – Thursday, December 10, 2009
Friday, Monday-Thursday: 7 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 2 p.m.
Ages: All
Cost: Kids $9; Adults $10-$12

If you pre-purchase your tickets ONLINE, you will have an opportunity direct $4 of each ticket you purchase to L.A. Kid Stuff’s favorite charity St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Just click HERE and look for the green drop down menu at the top of the page and choose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, then purchase your tickets! You can also purchase tickets at the Box Office in Burbank, but the charity component applies only to online pre-purchased tickets ONLINE

TO ENTER the four-pack of tickets giveaway drawing, become an L.A. Kid Stuff member by signing up for the weekly newsletter then email us at info @ lakidstuff.com  Winner will be chosen Thursday, December 3rd and notified immediately. Good Luck!