WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN
It will be a blast to the past on May 18 as the California Science Center hosts its annual Discovery Ball, with legendary Egyptian queen Cleopatra as the guest of honor.
From sustainable farming to superheroes, the center has put on lavish bashes with educational and inspirational themes for the past 13 years.
This year’s gala will showcase the west coast premiere of “Cleopatra: The Exhibition.”
Guests will enter a time machine and go back to the days of old Egypt. The setting is a marketplace in ancient Alexandria. Vendor stalls will provide the backdrop for food and beverage stations with decorative wares for sale. After sampling some Middle Eastern treats, guests will have a chance to get a sneak peak of the center’s new exhibit.
Next, it’s a festive parade and a lavish feast fit for a queen. Dinner will take place on Queen Cleo’s opulent barge.
After the evening’s program, guests can cut loose at the Midnight at the Oasis Nightclub, or catch an IMAX screening of “Mysteries of Egypt.” It’s a night rich in history waiting to be unearthed. Can you dig it?
LOOKING THE PART
Three big movies are on the way in 2012 and while we don’t know how they’ll do at the box office, the casting gets four stars.
First up, “Dark Shadows” is back. The campy 1970s vampire soap was the original “Twilight” and became a cult sensation. Ghoulish Tim Burton will be a natural in the director’s chair, and probably no one better to play vampire Barnabas Collins than Johnny Depp.
The story unfolds in 1752 when the Collins family sets sail from Liverpool to North America. Playboy Barnabas breaks the heart of a witch who turns him into a vampire and buries him alive. Things change when Barnabas is accidently freed from his coffin and finds himself in 1972. Michelle Pfeiffer plays the family matriarch Elizabeth. Burton’s longtime partner Helena Bonham Carter steps into the role of Elizabeth’s live-in psychiatrist, and rocker Alice Cooper appropriately plays himself.
Another good casting call is Ashton Kutcher. He’ll reportedly play late Mac guru Steve Jobs in “Jobs: Get Inspired.”
He may be better known for sitcoms like “Two and a Half Men,” but the tall and lanky 34-year old does bear a striking resemblance to the Apple founder.
Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t wow Oscar voters as J. Edgar, but he may have better luck as Jay Gatsby in the upcoming remake by Baz Lurhmann. Blonde cutie Carey Mulligan could turn out to be the perfect Daisy Buchanan as well.
Of course we’ll have to wait and see whether the performances measure up. But when it comes to casting they all seem perfect for the part.