As we circled the globe looking for the best of jazz, I admit, I was surprised to find a trend fostered by the French language; it seems that most romantic language lends itself to this passionate music. From New Orleans, LA in the United States to Marciac, France, here are the best of the best:

Coming in at, perhaps, the most popular and best known is the New Orleans Jazz Festival in Louisiana which this past year featured such superstars as The Neville Brothers, Stevie Wonder, Billy Joel, Jimmy Buffett, Tim McGraw, and Santana. The best of the U.S. can arguably be summed up with the New York Jazz (running now) and San Francisco Jazz Festivals, creating a cross-continent tour to keep you entertained. Usually mid-October through November 30, the forthcoming San Francisco Jazz Festival brings the best and brightest to the beautiful Golden Gate setting for epic and intimate concerts at venues throughout the city.

Head north from your U.S. tour to Montreal then south to Havana (as you can’t get there from the U.S.) to finish a North America tour including Canada’s Montreal Jazz Festival starting June 26 at the Place des Arts, and The Havana International Jazz Festival. Design by Cubans and… Canadians (apparently, yes really), first time and returning visitors to the Havana Festival get to know Cuban culture while experiencing the best of Latin and international jazz; be sure to bring some of that Montreal experience with you and you’ll fit right in.

From the U.S. to Europe, the Montreux Jazz Festival kicks off in early July starting you at the foot of the Alps on the banks of Lake Geneva in Switzerland, in a region known for its unique climate and quality of life as “The Swiss Riviera”. Wrap up Europe with time in France at the Jazz in Marciac summer festival which has just tapped Wynton Marsalis with his Septet, Quintet and friend Richard Galliano. From Marciac to Paris for the ongoing Paris Jazz Festival in beautiful Parc Floral.

Not found in a specific place so much as being throughout the Caribbean, the annual Jazz Party at Sea is a Week long Jazz Cruise featuring the likes of the Cyrus Chestnut Trio and Harry Allen Quartet. With 30 top musicians playing in various combinations on different nights, you get to know them personally in intimate settings granting the possibility of joining an amateur jam

I’d be remiss without adding a local favorite; the Fillmore Jazz Festival in San Francisco, CA this Independence Day weekend. Say hello to Brooks for me.

Not enough? Find your local jazz festival with Zvents or any one of our local partners. For more Jazz news and music, give Jazziz a read or visit All about Jazz.

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Blue Sky Studios, the creators of the movie Ice Age, have released their newest feature animated film, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!, which opens in theaters today.

The movie is based on Dr. Seuss’ very short children’s storybook, which is impressive since the movie is 1 hour and 28 minutes long. A recent Washington Post review described the movie as: “A computer-animated feature that strikes an amiable balance between honoring the text and the dictates of contemporary animation, the film is as good as one could hope for in this era of post-literate impatience.”

Through a bit of magic (and no, not Disney magic…but rather, Blue Sky magic), Horton’s screenwriters, creative directors, and members of the production, art & technical teams created a tremendous amount of new material to develop it into a full feature film.

The movie, Horton Hears a Who!, features the famous voices of comedic actors Jim Carrey (Horton), Steve Carell (Mayor), and Carol Burnett (Kangaroo).

The movie has received rave reviews by movie critics, so go check it out and see for yourself whether it’s as good as it’s cracked up to be!

We welcome your comments!

Flickr Photo Credits: Horton Movie Poster by divxplanet and Steve Carell/Mayor by MyCine

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Monday, March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day! Once a year, it’s your chance to be Irish — so, adorn yourself with green from head to toe (and avoid getting pinched…unless you like that sort of thing - yow!)

St. Patty’s Day is all about shamrocks, green beer, leprechauns, and corn beef! There are festivals, like the Guiness St. Patrick’s Day Festival at Riverfront Park, NC where you can experience Irish music, dance, food, artisans, and booth displays.

For additional local festivities and parades, try the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Concert at Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, CA, featuring Irish bagpipers, Irish bands, street performers, and floats. There’s also the Harrisburg St. Patrick’s Day Parade in downtown Harrisburg, PA or the Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration in Grand Ledge, MI…just to name a few!

For those wild, late night party-goers, check out the Miller Lite ShamRock St. Patrick’s Day Block Party in downtown San Diego’s Gaslamp District where thousands flock to the area to experience live music, hot DJs, great food and green beer with 40,000 sq ft of Astroturf (cool!) in the streets!

If you’re looking for a more sophisticated outing, enjoy the Thistle and Shamrock: California Philharmonic Pays Tribute to Celtic Culture performance on Saturday night to see the Cabar Feidh pipe band and Celtic dancers.

But, if you’re interested in something more low-key, you might want to head over to your nearby local pub for a tall glass of Guinness!

• Gene McCarthy’s Irish Pub in Buffalo, NY
• Kell’s Irish Pub and Restaurant in San Francisco, CA
• O’Shea’s Irish Pub in Charlotte, NC
• O’Donoghue’s Irish Pub in Scottsdale, AZ

And to depart with an Irish blessing:

“May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day. May songbirds serenade you ever step along the way. May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that’s always blue. And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.”

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!!

Flickr Photo Credits: Shamrock by jciv and Leprechaun by OZinOH’s

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Admittedly, Sex And The City is a huge guilty (or not-so-guilty) pleasure…I think almost all women can agree. The much anticipated movie (based on the HBO hit series) starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, and Cynthia Nixon, won’t be in theaters until May 30, 2008…but we do have a little sneak peek!

A couple of months ago, a 41 second theatrical trailer was released, wetting our appetites. But the 2 minute 30 second “movie spoiler” recently came out and it utterly tickled me with delight. It was a refreshing change from watching all the old re-runs from the DVD set. The girls are back in New York City with their outrageous fashion, extravagant lifestyles, cheeky romances, fine dining, and fabulous drama!

*Warning: This is called a “spoiler,” so if you don’t want to ruin any surprises, you may not want to view the clip…but man, the temptation is so hard to resist!

Sit back, relax…and enjoy!

You can also learn more details about the Sex and The City movie at the official website

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Things are heating up for the presidential candidates as they aggressively campaign across the country in pursuit of the official party nominations. In exactly one week, twenty-four states will hold primary elections on Super Tuesday (February 5th) to select the delegates to the Democratic and Republican national conventions. According to CNN Politics, Super Tuesday is “the biggest single-day showdown of the race.” A record-breaking voter turnout is anticipated on both sides.

Although Democratic front-runner, Hillary Clinton, swept through Florida today, rival Barack Obama is still energized by his South Carolina win last Saturday. John Edwards, who is trailing far behind without a single victory continues to forge ahead, confidently asserting that he is still the “strongest general election candidate.”

On the Republican front, top candidates battling it out are Mitt Romney, John McCain, and Mike Huckabee. Meanwhile, Rudy Giuliani remains the underdog.

The day before Super Tuesday (February 4th), join the Identity Politics and the Presidential Election symposium for an engaging talk about race, gender, religion and sexuality in the upcoming presidential election with Stanford University Professors Clay Carson, Michele Elam, Paula Moya, and Deborah Rhode. Facilitating discussion about the candidates can certainly be helpful if you’re still trying to finalize your decision.

If you’re interested in volunteering to help run campaign booths, there are plenty of ways to get involved - just contact your nearby representative. If you’re politically charged and are organizing events in your local area, be sure to add them to the Zvents search index!

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