By Jacob Pamus

December 1, 2023 (La Mesa)-- Amanda Fagan is an accomplished 19-year-old musician who has written many songs during the past six years.  She lives in La Mesa with her parents and younger sister.  During a two-week stretch at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, she wrote a 23-song musical in just two weeks. A New York musical producer was so impressed that he contracted with Amanda to produce the musical.  Amanda Fagan’s band will be performing at La Mesa’s Holiday in the Village on December 2 and  at Balboa Park’s December Nights on December 1.

East County News Service

November 27, 2023 (San Diego) — The 16th annual San Diego Pottery Tour features 110 open studios with works of over 35 ceramic artists.  The self-guided tour is held December 9 and 10 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The tour includes several artists in or near East County, including Spring Valley, Rolando and the College area.

Story and photo courtesy of the San Diego Watercolor Society

November 7, 2023 (El Cajon) - Michael Garberick, an artist and resident of El Cajon, California, has won the Second-Place award in the November 2023 San Diego Watercolor Society (SDWS) Member’s exhibition “What’s the Story?”, an in-gallery show of the SDWS at 2825 Dewey Road in Liberty Station, San Diego, CA. Garberick’s painting titled “Margaret’s Needlepoint” was selected by prominent local artist Jesse Miller for this honor, out of 220 paintings. (Photo, left)

By Miriam Raftery

November 1, 2023 (El Cajon) – East County Arts Association announces the grand opening of Surje Coffee Shop at the Gallery, sharing space with the Association at 124  East Main Street. 

“We invite you to immerse yourself in the rich aroma and artistic inspiration that coffee brings,” the association’s website states. “Our theme for November special month is Coffee in Art, where we welcome any artwork related to coffee or inspired by the captivating world of caffeine.”

Artists are encouraged to drop off their works on Wednesday, Nov. 15 between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.  All artworks must be wired (no sawtooth hangers).

September 28, 2023 (Lakeside)--Helix Water District announces the winners of the 2023 Lake Jennings Photo Contest, with this year’s first place in the adult category going to photographer Billy Ortiz of Lakeside for his image “Reflection.” (Photo, left)

By Jacob Pamus

Everybody Dies by the End is a feature film written by Ian Tripp and directed by Ian and Ryan Schafer. The film was partially shot in Jamul and downtown. The film stars East County locals such as Brendan Cahalan and Vinny Curran, who owns a bar called Thrusters Lounge in Pacific Beach. Other local actors include Brendan Cahalan from El Cajon and Ian Tripp of San Carlos.

The synopsis of the film is: “A documentary crew follows cult classic horror director Alfred Costella as he makes his final film - An all-practical masterpiece...with a dark twist.” 

When asked about his experience during the production of the film, Ian Tripp told ECM, “You have to be agile to problems coming at you every minute, but the crew itself was why we surpassed any problems we had.” He went into further detail, explaining how well the crew worked together in an environment that could be very stressful.

East County News Service

August 22, 2023 (Lakeside) – The Lakeside Chamber of Commerce and the El Capitan Stadium Association invite you to the second annual Lakeside Arena Rhythm ‘N’  Brews concert at the Lakeside Rodeo Grounds. The concert on Saturday, Sept. 16 will feature an evening of rhythm, live music and craft brews.

Review by Branda Gorgies

July 31, 2023 (San Diego’s East County) – Barbie, directed by Greta Gerwig, has just been released on July 21. The Barbie movie has been long-awaited for this summer, with many coupling it with the film, Oppenheimer, which came out the same day but had a wildly different energy, as you can tell by the title if you know your US history. Barbie broke the record for the biggest box office opening weekend for a female director, making $155 million in North America and $377 million globally. Barbenheimer, the combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer, made $235 million in their opening weekend, making it one of the most successful opening weekends in box office history.

Barbie stars Margot Robbie, who plays stereotypical Barbie, and Ryan Gosling, who plays beach Ken. In Barbieland, all the Barbie dolls live their perfect lives in a world dominated by women. The president is a Black Barbie, the houses are all owned by Barbies, the Nobel prize winners are all Barbies, the entire supreme court is female and the Kens are just Ken. In this world, the Barbies live under the idea that they’ve cured all the problems women face in the real world. This isn’t true, and stereotypical Barbie realizes that when she has to go to the real world to save the girl playing with her doll, whose depressing thoughts of death are affecting Barbie. Due to these thoughts and the connection between Barbie and the girl playing with her doll, Barbie becomes imperfect. She has bad morning breath, expired orange juice, burnt waffles, a cold shower, flat feet and the worst of all: cellulite.

By Kathy Carpenter

July 25, 2023 (Poway) - In the hallowed halls of the Old Bailey, a tale of murder, lies, and the enigmatic “Witness for the Prosecution” begins to unfold, presented by PowPac Theatre in Poway. The audience is drawn into the case of Leonard Vole’s story and his subsequent arrest for murder. "Witness for the Prosecution” is a slow, deliberate, tantalizing tease.

This gripping courtroom drama is set in 1950s London. The story revolves around Leonard Vole, a charming and enigmatic young man accused of murdering a wealthy widow. He finds himself in a precarious situation as the primary suspect in a crime he denies committing.

Enter Sir Wilfrid Robarts, a brilliant and seasoned barrister who takes on Leonard's case. Despite Leonard's protestations of innocence, the evidence seems stacked against him. As the trial progresses, Sir Wilfrid's legal skills are put to the test, and he must unravel a web of deception, betrayal, and unexpected twists.

East County News Service

July 17, 2023 (La  Mesa) – Spacebar Café and Wine Bistro in La Mesa hosts a comedy night on the fourth Friday each month from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

East County News Service

July 11, 2023 (Spring Valley) - Saps at Sea, the San Diego chapter of the Sons of the Desert, the Laurel & Hardy fan organization, present their August program, "Double Your Pleasure" on Saturday, August 19 at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Spring Valley.