Kaijudo on Hub Network

Do your kids like martial arts – or possibly just lots and lots of cool monsters? If so, they should check out Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters, now airing on the Hub Network.

Kaijudo follows the adventures of a young hero, Ray, who possesses the rare ability to befriend and duel alongside fantastical creatures from a parallel dimension. Evil forces would have these creatures enslaved, so Ray and his two best friends must join the ranks of the mysterious Duel Masters to ensure the survival of both races before it’s too late. The cast features the vocal talents of well-known actors and voiceover artists including Scott Wolf (“Party of Five”), John DiMaggio (“Futurama”), and Phil LaMarr (“Futurama”).

We took some boys to see a special screening of the show last week, and on the ride home the car was filled with intense debate about the various creatures, and which ones were good or bad. There’s a companion trading card game that adds interest too (collect the rarest one, and you’ll be the coolest kid on the block!).

Thanks to Hub Network for giving us the opportunity to preview this show – Let the battling and card-trading begin!

Kaijudo airs Saturdays on the Hub Network at 11am PT/2pm ET.

TEDx Manhattan Beach

As parents, we often wonder: How we can support our children in finding that “thing” that inspires and excites them? How do we help them find their passion and purpose? The TEDx Manhattan Beach conference, titled “Journey to Purpose: Dream, Educate, Thrive,” will explore these topics and more on October 13.

 

The full-day conference aims to bring dynamic, leading-edge thought leaders and educators together to share their ideas and expressions about purpose – how to define and find purpose, and its effect on the human mind, spirit and well being. Speakers include John Hall, the autistic CEO of a multimillion-dollar company, and Emma Doyle, a sixth-grader with a passion for cake decorating.

Early bird tickets are on sale for $115 from now through October 7. After that, ticket prices go up to $125.

TED is a nonprofit devoted to “Ideas Worth Spreading” that began as a conference bringing people together from technology, entertainment, and design. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. TEDx Manhattan Beach is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that was founded as part of Leadership Manhattan Beach and is now a volunteer-run, stand-alone, not-for-profit organization.

The TEDx Manhattan Beach conference will take place on October 13 from 9am to 5pm at Manhattan Beach Middle School, 1501 North Redondo Avenue, Manhattan Beach.

Knott’s Scary Farm

Do you love spooky, creepy, and spine-tingling thrills? Have we got a scare for you! This year Knott’s Berry Farm is celebrating their 40th annual Halloween Haunt, in which the whole park is transformed at nighttime into “Knott’s Scary Farm.”

What’s so scary about an amusement park? As soon as you head in, your eyes start trying to focus in the dark amid all sorts of creepy fog effects and lighting. Inside you have a choice of 13 different terrifying mazes and 9 scary shows, plus some of the regular rides that are tricked out with extra-ghoulish features. Then, just when you think you’re safe, there are a whole bunch of creepy characters who pop out at you from every corner throughout the park. At one point walking down the pathway we thought we were looking at a ghostly statue, until she suddenly sprang to live and started chasing people down the path. Yikes!

The Halloween Haunt is a special ticket event not covered by regular Knott’s Berry Farm admission or a Knott’s Season Pass. Ticket prices are $36 – $52 pre-sale online and $60 on the day of event. For “Trapped,” Knott’s reservation-only, interactive maze , the cost is $60 per reservations with up to 6 guests per party. If you want to get a jump on the evening, you can sign up for the pre-haunt “Boo-fet” (prices starting at $21.95) before the Haunt opens for the night.

So what’s inside the scary attractions? We had a chance to sample a few:

Trick or Treat – This is a classic haunted house, in which each room of the “house” has something ready to jump out and terrify you. Try not to be the person who is asked to sit at the dining room table (like I did…and nearly jumped six feet in the air!).

Dominion of the Dead – Is is possible to have a soothing haunted house? This one is eerie in a dreamlike way, with the ethereally haunting music to match. To give you an extra shiver up your spine, some of the costumed actors reach out and tickle you lightly with a feather.

Delirium – All of your creepiest and grossest nightmares come to life in this haunted house. Cockroaches, slimy bugs, walking over dead bodies, squeezing through tight spaces…this one’s got it all.

Dia de los Muertos – This “Day of the Dead”-themed attraction is eerie in a fun house sort of way. Brightly colored creatures pop out at you from every corner and at one point you have to feel your way through a room filled with hanging skeletons. Don’t forget those 3-D glasses for an added effect!

End Games – Do you like your haunted houses sick, twisted, and bloody? Great! This one’s for you! Think chainsaws, grinders, torture…Plus, if you’re too scared to visit, you can also get your thrills watching other people get scared out of their minds. Check out Endgames Live! on Livestream during Haunt hours.

The Haunt is open from now through Halloween on Friday/Saturday nights from 7:00 pm to 2:00 am, and Thursday/Sunday nights from 7:00 pm to 1:00 am. Regular park admissions close after 5:30 pm on Haunt days. Knott’s Berry Farm is located at 8039 Beach Boulevard in Buena Park CA 90620.

Knott’s Berry Farm treated us to an evening at Knott’s Scary Farm; we did not receive compensation. All photos courtesy of Knott’s Berry Farm.

Two Milk Minimum

When’s the last time you heard your kids laughing really, really hard? Like, hard enough so that they fall on the floor with tears rolling down their faces…in a good way? If you’re longing to hear that sound, your best bet is to head over to Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, which has a special family-friendly comedy show on Saturdays called Two Milk Minimum.

The 90-minute show, starting at 4:30 pm, features a changing lineup of comedians, magicians, jugglers, and musicians. With the hilarious Michael Rayner serving as emcee, there is never a dull moment (Would you believe he can spin a cheeseburger on an umbrella?). At a recent show, the featured performer was magician Joseph Tran, who had the kids rolling in the aisles and then speechless in amazement with his balloon animal and ring tricks.

Michael Rayner balances a wheelbarrow on his chin…You had to see it to believe it!

The club itself is a small, intimate setting, with a front row of cushion-y chairs that are right at the foot of the stage. Kids are encouraged to come as close as they’d like, and they are frequently invited on stage to participate in tricks. Hungry? There’s a $5 kids’ menu with everything a kid could want, from burgers and fries to pizza.

With admission at $10 per head (kids under 2 are free), it’s about the same you’d pay for an afternoon at the movies but the experience is unique and intimate and will leave your kids with a real appreciation for live performance. Want to have a birthday party there? Just bring the cake to serve afterwards; there is no “cake corkage” fee.

Flappers Comedy Club is located in Burbank at 102 East Magnolia. Phone: 818-845-9721. View the full events calendar here.

Blogger disclosure: Flappers offered free admission for bloggers in our group. Many thanks to Adrienne of Adrienne’s House for coordinating the event!

Crafted LA

Feeling crafty? Or do you just appreciate others who are? Either way, you’re going to love CRAFTED at the Port of Los Angeles, the country’s largest permanent indoor craft marketplace, located in San Pedro. And if you head over on Friday, August 24, you’ll be able to enjoy a massive Etsy craft party from 7:00 to 10:00 pm.

The craft party, part of Etsy’s Craft Party 2012 global celebration, will include loads of craft projects with the expert makers of CRAFTED (a small materials fee may apply for some booths), artist demos, food trucks and a wine bar, a live DJ and photobooth, a nail bar, a tie-dye station, a message-in-a-bottle make-and-take, and of course shopping and browsing around CRAFTED market stalls. Even better: There’s no charge for admission, and parking is free.

Leather and crochet jewelry and accessories by Lint and Buttons

CRAFTED marks a total makeover of a classic World War II-era waterside warehouse that is now home to hundreds of individual craft artists, designers, and artisanal food makers. The artists present their unique handcrafted goods in a vibrant patchwork of market stalls. You can find apparel, art, food, jewelry, home decor, paper goods, and toys in this massive marketplace every weekend. Read more about some of the CRAFTED LA members here.

CRAFTED is located at 110 & 112 East 22nd Street, San Pedro. Phone: (310) 732.1270. Click here for driving directions.

Knott’s Berry Farm Food

Have you been to Knott’s Berry Farm lately? Sure, you may go for the rides and expect to eat some fried chicken, but you’d be surprised at the food variety that awaits you. There’s a new menu featuring meatball sandwiches, ribs, bruschetta, black bean burgers, Hawaiian ahi poke on wonton crisps… In fact, we dare you to leave hungry!

To read more about all of the new food options at Knott’s, (and to learn a little Knott’s history) please check out our story on Jolly Tomato. (And yes, that’s a piece of boysenberry pie in the photo, and no matter what you enjoy for dinner, there’s always room for some of that pie.)

Local Use Vehicle LUV

Manhattan Beach Confidential on his way to visit open houses

Have you seen this car? This cute little electric vehicle is part of a local use vehicle demonstration project by the South Bay Cities Council of Governments. Through the LUV project, the local government group is lending this GEM E4 to local families for two months at a time to experience all of the conveniences of a local-use electric vehicle. Manhattan Beach Confidential and I were fortunate enough to make it to the top of the waitlist and we welcomed the car into our family and our daily routine last week.

The GEM E4 is exactly how they describe it – it’s a local use vehicle. It plugs into a regular wall outlet and it has a range of 20 miles before it will run out of power. At a max speed of 25 miles per hour, it can’t travel any major roads, but it can get you just about anywhere you need to go around town. Also, it doesn’t come with any bells and whistles – there’s no power steering, no power windows, no radio, and not even a clock.

But, after less than one week with this little guy, the verdict is… We LOVE it! For every single local trip we do during the day (camp and swim lesson drop-off and pickup, trips to the grocery store, visit to a friend) it is the absolute perfect vehicle. In fact, each time we drive it we look around at all of the other cars and say, “I can’t believe people are actually using gas and producing emissions to get around town.”

Even though it looks small, it’s surprisingly roomy. Four people can fit quite comfortably (it’s actually pretty tall so there’s a lot of head room).  The doors also detach in case you want to put something large (like a surfboard) inside; plus there’s a locked trunk compartment. And even though it’s not the fastest car on the road, it is easy to manuever through the crowded streets and parking spaces down by the beach.

Other bonuses: Free parking at EV charging stations at LAX, free parking at meters in Hermosa Beach, and free parking at meters in Santa Monica.

We’re sure going to miss it when our two  months are up. In fact, we’re already looking into the tax incentives and other benefits if we decide to buy one for ourselves. Will you be the next driver of this cute little car? Apply here to participate in the program, or visit South Bay Cities LUV on Facebook to learn more.