Start the month off right, with one of these fun things to do this weekend….
FRIDAY –
If you can’t wait until May 4th to geek out and say, “May the 4th be with you,” Star Wars fans can get their fix a few days earlier. Tonight, the SAN DIEGO SYMPHONY is doing a concert called STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE. This is your chance to hear John Williams' score performed live.
The PADRES were looking good until they lost their series with the Cubs. Let’s see if they can vault into first place as they take on the other Chicago team, the White Sox at Petco Park. That series is going on all weekend long.
We all know Convoy is where you go for the best Asian food, well…there’s a one mile walk that’s the SAN DIEGO CHINESE FOOD TOUR, from 5 to 7:30, in KEARNY MESA.
If you don’t want to walk around and enjoy Peking Duck and other foods, but prefer to look at art, you can enjoy the FIRST FRIDAY ART WALK OCEANSIDE KICKOFF. There will be 60 local artists, and lots of food and live music, and fun for the whole family.
SATURDAY –
For sports, the Padres aren’t the only game in town; SAN DIEGO FC will be at Snapdragon Stadium to play LAFC. You can also listen on San Diego Sports 760 starting at 6 p.m.
If you want to get your drink on, the CINCO DE MAYO WEEKEND BAR & CULTURAL CELEBRATION is happening in the GASLAMP QUARTER. Lots of food, booze, and a variety of different kinds of music.
Grammy winner GORDON GOODWIN is bringing his jazzy BIG PHAT BAND to Jacobs Music Center DOWNTOWN.
AGENT 51 will be at the Casbah DOWNTOWN.
THE CHER SHOW is at the Moonlight Amphitheatre in VISTA, if you’re a fan of Cher.
Other tribute shows include The Pretenders in San Marcos (Pretending Chrissie) and Santana in Pacific Beach.
You’ll have to wait until Sunday for the Neil Diamond tribute, at the Sunshine Brooks Theatre in OCEANSIDE.
ON STREAMING ….
The folks behind the Emmy-laden series, Adolescence, are behind a new adaptation of LORD OF THE FLIES on Netflix.
Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) plays the new mayor of a haunted New England town in the horror-comedy WIDOW’S BAY on Apple TV.
AT THE MOVIES…
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA 2
The first movie was good, not great. It’s hard to believe it was 20 years ago when we met these characters, and with such a long time between the two movies, I feared the worst. But this is a serviceable sequel. All the characters are back, so we get Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, Emily Blunt, and Anne Hathaway. Kenneth Branagh was brought in to play Streep’s new (and improved) husband (he’s not given a lot to do). Justin Theroux plays Blunt’s boyfriend, a billionaire who’ll buy her anything. The character is written poorly, though. You don’t buy him as a real person for a second. Lucy Liu plays his ex, and a seclusive billionaire. The actor I was most happy to see was B.J. Novak. He’s a great writer and his look is perfect as the new owner of the magazine [side note: see the movie Novak wrote and directed called “Vengeance” which was brilliant]. The premise has Andy (Hathaway) returning to Runway, which doesn’t make Miranda (Streep) happy. They’re dealing with the new landscape where people are more interested in online and hits, instead of quality journalism. Former assistant Emily (Blunt) is now the head of a big luxury brand that is needed to help the magazine survive. If you liked the first movie, you’re going to love this one. At one point, when the story involved trying to get an interview with a reclusive person, and a book deal might go down for a story on Miranda – I thought of another brilliant movie that got derailed because of Covid closing down movie theatres – The Burnt Orange Heresy (Donald Sutherland playing a reclusive artist someone wants to interview, and a great small part for Mick Jagger, but I digress). A few scenes in this movie didn’t make logical sense, but it’s fun, and you’re never bored. And of course, Tucci steals every scene he’s in. The writers have given him, as well as Blunt and Streep, enough cutting remarks to make us almost feel we’re watching the original. The cameos are fun at a party at the Hampton’s (Karl-Anthony Towns, Ronny Chieng, to name a few). I also liked seeing Andy rock a Bjork “Post”. Lady Gaga has a fun turn performing at a Runway fashion show. 3 stars out of 5.