JEFFREY SANKER - WHITE PARTY, PALM SPRINGS Jeffrey Sanker brings you the hippest, hottest weekend of the year. Break out your board shorts and sunglasses and get ready to celebrate Spring Break, Jeffrey Sanker style.'

Wanna be where the boys are? Then you need to be poolside at the Wyndham Hotel where a Superstar Guest DJ will spice up your afternoon! Three main events heat up the night starting with The Inferno on Friday, the world famous White Party on Saturday, featuring for the first time the musical phenomenon Rosabel: DJ Ralphi Rosario and DJ Abel, and the magical Sunset T Dance on Sunday. For a special announcement on the Grammy Award winning performer to appear at this year's White Party click here.  April 14-17, Palm Springs, CA.

THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST Academy Award-nominated Lynn Redgrave joins Miriam Margoyles and Terence Rigby for the cast of Oscar Wilde’s celebrated play in which bachelor Jack Worthing and his scallywag friend Algernon each fall thoroughly in love and wind up under the scrutiny of Lady Bracknell. 

January 17^th – March 5^th The Ahmanson Theatre 135 N. Grand Ave (213) 628-2772

PERMANENT COLLECTION An African-American businessman is chosen to be president of a highly regarded art museum and decides to change the public exhibits of a revered collection of Impressionist paintings with some priceless African works.  Who are the arbiters of art? Can art be appreciated without a cultural perspective?

January 8^th – February 12^th Kirk Douglas Theatre 9820 Washington Blvd Culver City (213) 628-2772

BOMBAY DREAMS A dazzling spectacle set amid Indian’s bustling film industry, it features a lush score, glittering costumes, lavish sets and exotic dance numbers.  This tribute to Bollywood features the choreography of Farah Khan and the music of Indian composer A.R. Rahman.

February 21^st – March 5^th Orange County Performing Arts Center 600 Town Center Drive (714) 556-2787

MADAMA BUTTERFLY By Giacomo Puccini When it had its American debut in 2004, this visionary staging became the most talked about artistic event in town. This simple, yet powerful account of a trusting young woman who commits herself to a man unworthy of her loyalty finds new life and new meaning in broad, bold strokes.

January 21^st – February 19^th The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, Music Center, 135 N. Grand Ave (213) 972-8001 www.laopera.com

THE ITALIAN GIRL IN ALGIERS This effervescent “opera buffa” established Rissini’s career in 1813 and tells the tale of the resourceful Isabella who crash lands in Algiers only to find her long lost fiancé and herself held captive by the lecherous Mustafa. 

January 24 – 29^th Orange Country Performing Arts Center 600 Town Center Drive (714) 556-2787

JAY JOHNSON: THE TWO AND ONLY Through the illusion of ventriloquism and his diverse array of comic characters, Johnson takes us on a multi-dimensional journey: the surprisingly dark history of ventriloquism; the story of a shy boy in Texas who finds his passion and other classic routines.

January 20^th – February 19^th Brentwood Theatre 11301 Wilshire Blvd (310) 479-3636

THE GOOD BODY Eve Ensler, the author of the international phenomenon The Vagina Monologues plans to explore and expose even more.  A portion of the proceeds from the tour benefit V-Day, the global movement founded by Ensler to end violence against women and girls.

January 31^st – February 12^th Wadsworth Theatre 11301 Wilshire Blvd (213) 365-3500

RICKY MARTIN Kicking off the US leg of his tour in January, Ricky Martin makes one of three stops in California at the Pantages Theater to promote his latest CD, 'Life".
 
The album promises a new multicultural musical direction, "I've had the opportunity to travel and exchange ideas with a myriad of people from around the world; Brazil, India, Egypt, the Caribbean islands - people from all walks of life. The creative influence of these cultures reminded me how connected we all are. ‘Life' is global; the sounds go from rock to Middle Eastern, from Asian to hip hop, pop to reggaeton."
 
A devoted philanthropist, and UNICEF Ambassador, Martin recently established "People for Children," a project of the Ricky Martin Foundation, that fights for children's rights on a global and local basis. January 24, 7:30P, Pantages Theater. For tickets and information visit www.rickymartinmusic.com

1ST ANNUAL CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL Ventura County's first festival will feature raffles for a new Harley Davidson Fat Boy motorcycle, sponsored by Ventura County Harley, and a 2006 Ford Mustang Convertible (filled with chocolate), sponsored by Barber Volkswagon. Also featured will be over 100 varietal chocolate booths, competitions, a chocolate dunk tank and everything else chocolate! All proceeds will go to the RHFI's Children's Heart Fund.

The RHFI Children's Heart Fund supplies pediatrics and cardiology staff volunteering to treat children suffering from radiation-induced illnesses in the indigent regions of the former Soviet Union.

February 11 & 12, 10AM to 6PM, Ventura County Fairgrounds

For more information visit www.vcchocolatefestival.org