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Stefanie Van Aken

Tag Archives: entertainment

Guardians of the Galaxy

01 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Archive It

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Disney, entertainment

Usually, I am not into superhero or fantasy type movies, so when a new Marvel movie comes out, I have to admit, I am not the first in line to buy tickets. However, I do have three sons, two of which are totally into all the Marvel Superheroes and the other who is now getting into movies like Star Wars. I took the later to the media screening of Marvel’s latest comic book heroes movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. My son was thrilled beyond belief to get a sneak peek of the action packed sci-fi film. I, on the other hand, just happy to spend the time with him. When all was said and done, I was pleasantly surprised at the overall outcome.

Overall story line:

guardians of the galaxy cast

From Marvel, the studio that brought you the global blockbuster franchises of Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and The Avengers, comes a new team—the Guardians of the Galaxy. An action-packed, epic space adventure, Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” expands the Marvel Cinematic Universe into the cosmos, where brash adventurer Peter Quill finds himself the object of an unrelenting bounty hunt after stealing a mysterious orb coveted by Ronan, a powerful villain with ambitions that threaten the entire universe. To evade the ever-persistent Ronan, Quill is forced into an uneasy truce with a quartet of disparate misfits—Rocket, a gun-toting raccoon, Groot, a tree-like humanoid, the deadly and enigmatic Gamora and the revenge-driven Drax the Destroyer. But when Quill discovers the true power of the orb and the menace it poses to the cosmos, he must do his best to rally his ragtag rivals for a last, desperate stand—with the galaxy’s fate in the balance.

My 10 year-old son’s comments on the film:

Guardians of the Galaxy Movie Poster

“Guardians of the Galaxy is an appropriate movie for kids ages 10 and up. The objective of the movie is a gang of aliens fighting Ronin to save the galaxy. There is humor and action that kept me very engaged and excited to see how it ended. My favorite character was Groot because even though he said very little words, his actions made me laugh. Overall, Guardians of the Galaxy is a movie I would see the sequel to, and was worth my while.”

My adult perspective on the film:

As I mentioned, I’m not big on sci-fi, fantasy type films, so it was a bit challenging for me to keep up on who was the good guy, the bad guy and why. But it didn’t take long, the story line falls into place pretty quickly. I adore Chris Pratt, and when I told my son he was the voice behind Emmet in The Lego Movie, well, that just made Guardians of the Galaxy even more awesome. Overall, I thought the story line was exciting, with some endearing moments, and comedic relief. The casting was great. Along with Chris Pratt, the movie also stars Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, John C. Riley, Glen Close and Benicio Del Toro to name a few.

Awesome Mix Tape 1 Guardians of the Galaxy

The soundtrack? Even better. In fact, that will might be the part of the movie parents will enjoy most, the soundtrack and the 80’s references throughout connected with many adults in the audience. My son also loved how there will obviously be a Guardians of the Galaxy 2, and already started coming up with his own story lines and questions. The movie is rated PG-13, which I was bit surprised. I guess it takes a lot to get an R rating these days. Some language I was not thrilled to have my son hear, though he is technically 10, not 13, but a pretty mature 10. And, there were a few sexual references and innuendos, thus, why I was surprised it was given a PG-13 rating. Because of that, I wouldn’t recommend the movie to the under 13 set. I may also be a bit conservative in my views, but I was a concerned about how he would handle a few scenes. Nothing too scary, the action seemed right on par with a PG-13 rating. In the end, he really enjoyed the film, and is still laughing at some of the lines and scenes. And, yes, Groot, like Olaf in Frozen, stole the show for me. He brings about a tranquility and optimism for peace.

groot guardians of the galaxy

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY opens in theaters everywhere on August 1st! See it in 3-D if you can. 

I was an invited guest of Walt Disney Pictures as a member of the media to preview the movie, Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. All thoughts and opinions are my own. All images (besides my personal photo) are property of Walt Disney Pictures and Marvel. 

Local Vegas Holiday Gift Ideas | The Smith Center Gift Card

23 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

entertainment, holiday gift guide, Las Vegas, Lifestyle, support local business, The Smith Center, Vegas Tours

If you’re an avid RockStarMomLV reader, then you already know that I am a huge fan of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  Huge.  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am for what they are bringing to the Las Vegas community.

In the spirit of Supporting Local Business this Holiday season, why not give the gift of arts and entertainment with a gift card for The Smith Center?  Broadway musicals, world class theater and performances that we would normally have to travel hundreds of miles to experience, will be available to us just a few miles on the I-15 in Downtown Las Vegas when they kick off their inaugural season in March 2012.  And, right now, The Smith Center for the Performing Arts is making it easier for everyone to enjoy by offering the chance to purchase individual tickets for 26 shows during the inaugural season.

Shows available for individual ticket purchase include Broadway favorites, such as THE COLOR PURPLE, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s MARY POPPINS, MILLION DOLLAR QUARTET and MEMPHIS. Individual tickets will also be available for a wide variety of programming, including The Cleveland Orchestra, The Canadian Tenors, tap dance extraordinaire Savion Glover,Playhouse Disney’s Imagination Movers, blues-legend Buddy Guy, humoristDavid Sedaris, Béla Fleck and the Flecktones and many more. The diverse array of programming creates a series rich in choices for anyone in the Las Vegas community to enjoy.

For a full list of available titles, visit www.TheSmithCenter.com. Individual tickets prices start at $24 per ticket.

Gift certificates can be redeemed for performances at The Smith Center and are available in any denomination. Order today by calling the Ticketing Office at:             702-982-7805      .

For show listings and details, visit: www.TheSmithCenter.com.

Are you a local business in need of some promo love this Holiday season? Contact Stefanie(at)RockStarMomLV(dot)com to get your business on my blog! This is a complimentary service.

Local Businesses Rock!  Happy  Holiday Shopping!

xoxo~
RSMLV

The Smith Center | Las Vegas

30 Friday Sep 2011

Posted by Stefanie Van Aken (RSMLVTravel) in Fun

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

entertainment, Las Vegas, Lifestyle, RockStarMom, The Smith Center, Vegas Tours

This is Post 1 in a series of posts about The Smith Center Las Vegas.

Stefanie came to me a few months ago and asked me if I would like to do a guest blog spot on RockStarMomLV, she said I could talk about whatever I was feeling passionate about at the moment.  Well…..at any given moment I am normally passionate about no less than 50 or 60 things.  But once I started thinking about her audience and what I thought would be a great and informative topic, my answer was crystal clear – The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.  For those of you that are not yet familiar with this project, hang on a few minutes and I can promise you, you will be just as excited as I am about it!

As a native Las Vegan I grew up going to “plays” at Cashman field, the Thomas and Mack Theatre, Spring Mountain Ranch and even a few oldies but goodies at the Huntridge Theatre in the 80’s.

My mother has always had a passion and a love for the arts.  She did her best to instill that passion in me. I still have vivid memories of being a innocent little 6-year old girl, sitting in the sticky green grass on a beautiful summer night, watching the Wizard of Oz on stage at Spring Mountain Ranch Park.  Seeing Dorothy and the Tin Man come to life before my very eyes was beyond amazing to me.  I have very fond memories of taking many mother/daughter trips to LA throughout high school and college to see various performances.  Thank God I had a mother who forced me to open my eyes to a whole other side of the world – the arts.

About 6 months ago, I took my 5-year-old son on a Mommy and Son weekend date to LA.  I took him to see Room on a Broom at the Orange County Theatre for Performing Arts.  Leading up to the play his little 5 year old mind, as sharp as it is, could not wrap his head around what exactly a play was.  He was filled with questions such as:  “Are we going to see a movie? Is it going to be a ride like at Disneyland? What will we PLAY with since it’s called a play?  Will it be like the Princesses on Ice that we took my sister to see at the Orleans arena?”

Trying to describe in detail (as my son demands) what theatre is– is next to impossible.

He did get increasingly more excited as we pulled into the parking structure and he began to see other kids walking towards the big mysterious theatre doors.  Once inside we quickly found our seats and I could see his little wheels spinning in that bright mind of his.  This big huge theatre was NOT what he was expecting! Plus characters from Room on a Broom were playing hide and seek through the aisles.  His eyes lit up and that beautiful smile that melts me every day slowly spread across his little cheeks.  The lights dimmed and the sound grew louder, the colors more vibrant and the characters came to life.  I saw him slowly go from sitting to standing and then bouncing on his knees.  He was hooked!  He did not make a peep through the entire production except for his loud and infectious laugh every 20 seconds or so!  We left the theatre and he had a spring in his step.  He has been asking consistently since that weekend when we can go to the theatre again.

So you can imagine my excitement to share with you more information about a FANTASTIC venue that is opening in March, 2012 right here in good ole’ downtown Las Vegas – The Smith Center for the Performing Arts.

Here is a brief snap shot of what the Smith Center is all about.  I urge you to go on their Web site at www.thesmithcenter.com and explore the site, take the virtual tour, and if you are as excited as I am go downtown and drive around the Center!  Stop in the offices located at the Holsum Lofts to get a much more in depth feeling about what an amazing project this is!

Rendering of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts

The Smith Center for the Performing Arts:

By the Numbers:

  • $150 million: Donald W. Reynolds Foundation donation
  • 32: Months to build The Smith Center
  • 1.5 million: Man-hours it will take to build
  • 1,000+: Construction workers building The Smith Center
  • 4,000: Tons of structural steel
  • 2,458: Tons of Indiana limestone
  • 29,500 lbs: Weight of bells in the carillon bell tower
  • 170 feet: Height of carillon bell tower
  • 47: Bells in the carillon bell tower
  • 23: Boxes on the Box Tier in Reynolds Hall
  • 25+: Architects, engineers, designers and consultants
  • 373: Windows in the Large Hall building
  • 2012: The Smith Center opening

Upcoming Broadway productions that are on sale now:

The Color Purple – April 3rd – 8th, 2012

Mary Poppins – May 22nd – 27th, 2012

Million Dollar Quartet – June 12th – 17th, 2012

Memphis – July 18th – 22nd, 2012

Coming Soon: 2012 – 2013 Broadway Las Vegas Series

Wicked – August 29th – October 7th, 2012 (see below for ticket info)

There will be MANY other awesome productions at The Smith Center, here are some that I definitely won’t miss:

March 16, 2012 (On sale as part of the Design Your Own Series, September 25, 2011 at 10:00am PST.)

The Imagination Movers began in 2003 when four friends from New Orleans joined forces to make rock and pop music for parents and kids to enjoy together. The Movers have become the soundtrack to many families’ lives thanks to their winning blend of rock ‘n’ roll energy, slapstick comedy and parental wisdom – all wrapped up in bright blue coveralls!

STRAIGHT NO CHASER

March 25, 2012 (On sale as part of the Design Your Own Series, September 25, 2011 at 10:00am PST.)

If the phrase “male a cappella group” conjures up an image of students in blue blazers, ties and khakis singing traditional college songs on ivied campuses… think again. Straight No Chaser (SNC) are neither strait-laced nor straight faced, but neither are they vaudeville-style kitsch.

Ashley Massi is a kinda sorta stay at home mom of two amazing kids, Addison (3) and Dominic (5).  She works part time (from home) as a freelance publicist.  She worked for 5 years on the Nevada Silverman Triathlon and is handling the public relations and media outreach for the upcoming ITU Long Distance Triathlon World Championships, in Henderson, Nevada.  She claims once this race is over she is going to retire, but we all know better than that! Ashley is a native Las Vegan’ and lives in Henderson with her awesome little family.  

Vegas Tours: Places to rock in Vegas with or without your little entourage. (c)

The Smith Center  did not provide us with anything for free except a tour of their facilities, nor did they pay us for this post.  All words and thoughts are 100% the writer’s.

 

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