"Fox" will be dropped from the studios' name with near immediate effect. Variety reports that Disney will be dropping the "Fox" name of 20th Century Fox, a name in the Hollywood Industry since 1935, to simple "20th Century Studios." Fox Searchlight Pictures is also getting the fox-less rebranding of simply "Searchlight Pictures."  Variety goes on to say that "those logos won’t be dramatically altered, just updated. The most notable change is that the word “Fox” has been removed from the logo marks. Otherwise, the signature elements — swirling klieg lights, monolith, triumphal fanfare — will remain the same."

The Little Mermaid is a classic story that turned 182 years old this year. Written by Hans Christian Andersen in 1837, this story has been told and retold in many ways, with the most famous done in 1989 by the Walt Disney Company. Disney produced an adaptation that put Ariel in the front and center in its massive corporate branding machine, and she’s been there ever since. Disney made the original, and much darker material, into something that resonated with today’s audiences.

Today, there are multiple adaptations and retelling of that 1989 animated film, including a live-action re-make in the works, a live broadcast on ABC, theme park attractions, and even theatrical productions. This includes one playing in Santa Maria at Hancock College’s Marian Theater through Dec. 22.

PCPA goes all out in their production, and the spectacle is awe-inspiring. The play itself is based on the 1989 film, so it includes many familiar things, but also expands on the original material with new scenes and songs. Something that makes the show stand out from other PCPA productions is that this one has collaborated with New York City’s 2 Ring Circus to bring breathtaking aerial feats to life on stage. This helps make the action to look as if you’re under the sea, swimming with all the sea creatures, or on a ship watching sailors climb the tall mast. The cast is massive, which includes the 2 Ring Circus performers, and all your favorite PCPA resident artists in roles that seem custom made for them. Erik Stein is King Triton, George Walker nearly steals the show as Scuttle, and Guest Artist Katie Emerson does a great job of bringing the titular character to life. Most of all, however, Kitty Balay simply is Ursula, and they really couldn’t have anyone better for that role.

These actors are fantastic, but perhaps the real stars of the show are the costume and design teams. The costumes are bright, vibrant and just what you would expect in a production like this. I can only imagine how much fun working on the costume for Ursula was.

PCPA has another well-deserved feather in their cap for this holiday season production. It is a real crowd pleaser and one that the whole family will enjoy. Our 4-year-old daughter was enthralled throughout a recent matinee.

These shows will undoubtedly sell out. Everyone will want to see this.

Tickets are $38-$50 and performances are only at the Marian Theater in Santa Maria. Call the box office at 805-922-8313 or visit www.pcpa.org for more information.

Disney has just released what is probably the final full trailer for Frozen 2, leading up to the film's release on November 22nd of this year. 

The sequel to the highly popular original 2013 film, Frozen, is expected to be another massive hit for Disney. Judging by the look of the trailer, even on a  technical level, the quality of animation continues to soar. Working on the original film, art director, Michael Giaimo, began pre-production research by reading extensively about the entire region of Scandinavia and visiting the completely Danish-themed city of Solvang on the Central Coast, but eventually zeroed in on Norway in particular because "80 percent" of the visuals that appealed to him were from Norway.

​However, Solvang still has a huge Hans Christian Andersen presence, the Danish author who is responsible for creating the story behind the inspiration for Frozen with the story of The Snow Queen. He also wrote the original story for The Little Mermaid, among many others.

​
What do you think of the new trailer and are you excited to go back to see what magic awaits? Watch it below!

It was confirmed today by multiple sources, including Variety, that Ewan McGregor is set to reprise his role as the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, on Disney's upcoming streaming service, Disney+. McGregor first played the role in the long anticipated, long since debated prequel trilogy, starting with Star Wars: Episode I - A Phantom Menace in 1999. It was long sense rumored and whispered that McGregor was attained by Disney to do the role after appearing in recent live-action films, Beauty and the Beast (2017) and Christopher Robin (2018). 

Many Star Wars fans were left divided with the reception of the "Prequel Trilogy," but many will say the best aspect of them were Ewan McGregor's take on a younger Sir Alec Guinness, who originated the role in Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977). Other favorite characters have seen returns in various ways, including Darth Maul, who was seen briefly in Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018).

McGregor also lent his voice, uncredited, to Star Wars: Episode IV - The Force Awakens (2015) which you can hear during Rey's "force-back" after touching Anakin and Luke's lightsaber. The character of Obi-Wan Kenobi lives past the films, appearing in animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars and Star Wars: Rebels. The actor giving his voice in the animated series is Santa Barbara native, James Arnold Taylor. 

There is no word or confirmation from Disney on the size and scope of the untitled Obi-Wan Kenobi series coming to Disney+. The show will be joining at least two other live-action Star Wars series that will be on the service, including Jon Favreau's The Mandalorian and another untitled series following Diego Luna's Cassian Andor and Alan Tudyk's K-2SO characters from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016).  

You can catch the Disney+ service starting this November to see Ewan McGregor back in action again. If you want to see Obi-Wan Kenobi back on the silver screen, then you don't have to wait that long. Central Coast Film Society is showing Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope on Saturday, August 24th at the Clark Center for the Performing Arts in Arroyo Grande, California, with special guest Ken Napzok. Tickets are still on sale and this is sure to be one of the largest Star Wars celebrations on the Central Coast! Get your tickets here!

There are few fandoms in film and television that rival the passion and sheer numbers of the group of super-fans, affectionately known as "Trekkies." Well, it looks like Star Trek is going to "boldly go" to the Santa Ynez Valley. 

Today, at San Diego Comic-Con, the Star Trek panel released a load of new information about CBS' new show, Star Trek: Picard. Along with images, and panel discussion from the stars of the show, we were treated with a new trailer of the show. Many Star Trek: The Next Generation fans began swooning as they saw the beloved character, Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, along with a large amount of favorites from that "generation." From what is gathered, the character Jean-Luc Picard, which has not been seen on the silver screen since 2002's Star Trek: Nemesis or on the small screen of Enterprise in 2005, and has since retired from the Starfleet, taking time to make Bourgogne wine at "Chateau Picard" in his native country of France.

Funny how his amazingly fictitious futuristic french villa and vineyard look in no way like Sunstone Winery in the beautiful Santa Ynez Winery today.  Actually, they're one and the same. The Sunstone Villa can be seen in the opening shots of the newly released trailer and also makes an appearance in the recently released poster. It also appears later in the trailer where Picard makes contact with someone who will be bringing him (assumingely) back into the thick of it in outer space. 

Production on Star Trek: Picard started on April 29, 2019 under the working title, Drawing Room and is expected to continue through October 1, 2019. The show is set to air on CBS early 2020, which is the same year that the Central Coast Film Society will be premiering the Central Coast Film Festival in Santa Ynez Valley. 

Are you excited for Star Trek: Picard? Ready to visit Sunstone Winery inSanta Ynez Valley? Can you spot Sunstone in the poster? Leave a comment below after watching the trailer for yourself!

Star Trek: Picard filming location at Sunstone Winery.

Plan your next visit by going to Visit Santa Ynez Valley, as well as Solvang USA or Discover Buellton. 

Writers, filmmakers, and photographers are coming together on the Central Coast to showcase the most intriguing things you may not know about local treasures. They tilt their lenses toward community, conservation, and extraordinary hidden experiences right here in our own backyard.

Nash Moreno, armed with a vision and a camera, started assembling a team in April of this year to bring attention to interesting locales. Moreno said, “I think part of the appeal is that we are all still learning, and we each bring a different skill set to the table. This gives us a lot of leeway to stray from convention.”

Their first release “Pacific Gold” is an 11 minute ride into the nuances of aquaculture. They find themselves on boats in Morro Bay, chronicling the day to day life, struggles, and triumphs of the Morro Bay Oyster Company. Film rolls and lenses shutter as they learn about the sustainable practices of oyster farming, the role it plays in the Morro Bay Estuary, and just how rough and beautiful a life on a floating office in the bay can be. 

​In those 11 minutes, you get a good look at the life of what oyster farmers go through in Morro Bay. It's not glamorous, but that's okay with them! When you do what you love, you never work a day in your life. This film is beautifully shot and put together in a way that really gives a great sense of the people and culture in a corner of the Central Coast!  

​Watch the video here!

To quote HBO, "If you can't wait to get back to Monterey, you're in good company."

The hit HBO show, Big Little Lies,  premiered it's second season last night. The show is based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling book, which is a dark comedy series about three mothers whose seemingly perfect lives, in Monterey California, unravel to the point of murder. The star-studded cast, which includes Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern and Zoë Kravitz has a new star joining the line up and came out with huge fanfare. 

Meryl Streep was "a scream," according to a CNN review of the episode and said the "premiere showcases Meryl Streep at her best" while Collider.com says the "Meryl Streep is sublime in another addictive season." Rotten Tomatoes is giving the season, as of now, a 99% fresh, saying that it is "Gorgeous and gripping, Big Little Lies's second season doubles down on the dark humor and gives its impressive cast even more juicy drama to chew on -- especially an excellent Meryl Streep."

Did you catch the premiere? Tell us what you think.

Be sure to catch the show on Sunday nights on HBO!

Platinum Peek's new documentary film, Dirty Toes, was released online recently and has been receiving a great response.  The film is made by a Cal Poly student and his brother and focuses on a local resident with Cerebral Palsy. Erikson Dickens said in an interview with KSBY that he and his brother decided to make the documentary because they like telling stories about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. Their goal is to encourage people to go after what they want and live a full life.

Dickens said he and Cameron Sluggett met at age 14 and became friends. Dickens said Sluggett has never let his disability stop him from following his dreams.

Sluggett said he has never let his disability define his life.

“I’m honored to have a story be told about me,” Sluggett said. “I didn’t realize it was so different. It just seems like it’s my life.”

By age 24, Sluggett grew 5 businesses and traveled to Tahoe, Maui and Nicaragua.
The film is called “Dirty Toes” and you can watch it at cameronsluggett.com, or watch it below!