Feelings

As the clock’s hands inched closer to 7 p.m. on Friday evening, photographer Cynthia Alarcon’s eyes darted around the Burbank Creative Arts Center giving everything a final visual nod of approval. In just moments the doors of the gallery would open to unveil her “One Woman’s Journey” exhibit that photographically documents her travels and experiences over the past two decades. The reception, staged to celebrate the opening of Alarcon’s retrospective, was not just a beginning, but also a culmination of a 20-year journey and a yearlong period of reflection.

International singer/songwriter Morris Albert has that special touch for bringing couples together, especially when they hear his 1974 multi-platinum hit "Feelings," known the world over for its sentimental lyrics and moving melody. Several years ago, he met a couple who had been separated for two years and were planning to meet the next day with their lawyers to divorce. They decided to spend their last night together seeing Albert's concert, to remember the song that was popular when they started dating, he said.

Thank you for covering the protest in Burbank against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger ("Protesters get pumped up," Saturday). If he is doing such a good job with the budget, as the visitor from Texas says, then why are his approval ratings tanking, now at 37%? He was voted into office on the promise he would advocate for the "people." Who are the people, if not teachers, firefighters and nurses, who make modest salaries, work for the health of the public, and ask only to have decent benefits?

Joyce Rudolph Chelsea Williams has high hopes for landing a record deal and becoming known all over the world. It's her dream. But for now, the 19-year-old Sunland singer/songwriter is enjoying success in her own backyard as one of several acts appearing in the Glendale Marketplace Summer Music Series. Williams, who accompanies herself on acoustic guitar, has more than 80 original songs in her repertoire. And she wrote them in a little over six years, she said.

In response to Denny Grossman's letter, "Group of activists shouldn't get its way": Sometimes it takes a minority to finally open the eyes of the majority. Our state lawmakers don't think the mascot issue is "real stupid." It's real necessary to ensure that no child feels racially discriminated against while attending school. This issue is not about the feelings of adults and their days as an Indian, it's about the feelings of children. All children should have a voice.

James Petrillo Does an end to loneliness exist? Is true love really possible? Can it all happen around the water cooler? Maybe so, if our egos have anything to say about it. The enduring struggle to find happiness in an increasingly isolated world is examined in the world premiere of Joseph De Rosa's "An Evening With The Egos" at the Victory Theatre Center in Burbank. This simple story of finding love at the office is enriched by a lovable cast and some keen insights into the inner workings of the mind.

Dave Golonski I want to start by thanking every Burbank resident who voted in last week's election. More importantly, however, I want to express my gratitude to the countless residents who have shared their feelings with me over the past two months. Throughout January and February, I -- along with my family, friends and supporters -- covered a wide section of Burbank as we took our campaign door to door. My meetings with you, on your porches, patios and driveways, proved to be very important to me. The input, ideas, concerns and beliefs you were willing to share, provided me with a better understanding of how and why you feel the way you do about issues that face us. Your willingness to openly give me input, both negative and positive, has given me both the desire to work harder than ever before to capitalize and build on our successes and to reexamine the issues that cause concerns.

As I reached into my kitchen drawer last weekend, I found yet another curly straw shoved in among the utensils along with a handful of cheap, regular, plastic straws. These are a pet peeve of mine, as straws appear everywhere in my home — inside almost every cup my children use, on the bottom of my dishwasher, and shoved messily into drawers. They are often the cause of spills in my house as kids reach for them and they tip a cup over. My reaction as I saw this straw stuffed in my drawer was to pick it up and throw it away, being the nuisance that is was to me. I realize this may sound ridiculous to some of my readers.

The Colony Theatre continues its string of unique and entertaining shows with its current production, “Almost, Maine.” More a series of vignettes about love than a regular multi-act play, “Almost, Maine” delivers a satisfying experience. Four actors play 19 characters living in the mythical town of Almost, an unorganized territory in Aroostook County, northern Maine, 200 miles from the ocean. It is truly in the middle of nowhere, or as my friend used to say, in the middle of everywhere.

I agree with letter writer Steve Urbanovich, about Burbank Water and Power's comparison ignoring demographics. My husband and I are also retired. We are 65 and 71 and we've lived in the same house for 40 years. We receive the utility's letters and they feel like harassment. We have made these energy-conserving upgrades: double-paned windows, insulation, new texture coat and energy-efficient air conditioning/heat, appliances, light bulbs. All our sprinklers are on timers, we water after 6 p.m. and before 6 a.m. We take “boat showers.” We keep our air-conditioning thermostat at 75; sometimes it never kicks on until the afternoon.

Parking revenues and passenger figures at Bob Hope Airport continued to sink in August, each coming in more than 7% lower than a year ago, according to the latest report. Parking revenues slid roughly 8.2% in August compared to the same period last year, according to statistics released to the Burbank-Glendale-Pasadena Airport Authority on Monday. The drop came after declines of 10.7% in July, 7.3% in June and 8.7% in May. The airfield also reported $1.5 million in revenues from parking fees in August, compared to $1.6 million last year.

China is rolling up the red carpet for Hollywood. Just six months after Chinese and American leaders reached a new agreement allowing more foreign movies into the world's most populous nation, officials there are trying to torpedo the box office returns of some of Hollywood's biggest summer films. American studios carefully schedule their pictures' launch dates - often declaring them a year or more in advance - to avoid colliding with similar movies going after similar audiences.

It was impossible to tell which was shining more brightly at the Burroughs High School commencement ceremony on Thursday - the faces of the graduates or the newly renovated Memorial Field. “It feels awesome,” said Michael Lima as he lined up with his classmates to accept his diploma. “It feels like I have accomplished something. I worked hard for 13 years and this is where I stand today.” The Burroughs High School class of 2012, more than 600 students strong, was the first to celebrate graduation at the recently remodeled Memorial Field, and not without a bit of a fight.

With art festivals, it can feel like once you've seen one, you've seen them all. In Burbank that's actually true - last weekend's downtown Arts Festival is sponsored by Downtown Burbank and West Coast Artists, the latter of which hits street fairs like this all over Southern California. But Burbank's festival guarantees you'll see a few pieces you won't find anywhere else. Among the paintings, handcrafted jewelry and furniture, there's one style that only stays in Burbank as long as the street sweepers and rain stay away.

Numerous residents at a community meeting last week at the Buena Vista Library said they had never heard of the Rancho Review Board, the only neighborhood review board in Burbank. “Yes, this is the only neighborhood with a review board,” Assistant Community Development Director Michael Forbes said in an email. “I think the reason for that is because this is the only area where the architectural design of the buildings is seen as playing an important role in the neighborhood character and ties the commercial and residential areas together as a single neighborhood.” Forbes said residents should get involved in the review process to help ensure that the neighborhood character is preserved and enhanced.

NORTHEAST GLENDALE — Shortly after helping the Crescenta Valley Junior All-Star softball team win the District 16 championship against Burbank on Tuesday night, pitcher Olivia Thayer paused briefly before describing the makeup of her team. "Our team is like a puzzle and we know how to put the pieces together," Thayer said after Crescenta Valley posted a 15-1 victory in the championship game called after six innings because of the 10-run mercy rule at Scholl Canyon Ball Fields.

With the city facing a budget scenario in which it will have to tighten its belt to the next notch, no matter the pain, it’s inevitable that some social programs will feel the squeeze. Already the situation has started to manifest itself in senior meals program, where city administrators are floating a proposal to consolidate lunches to two locations — the Joslyn Adult Center and the Don Tuttle Senior Center. The McCambridge Park location, which has been out of service since September while crews install seismic retrofits, would be permanently axed from the program.

I can’t begin to tell you how many times I’ve won the Irish Lottery! It sort of all started about nine years ago when I received the first announcement via e-mail. Imagine my surprise, especially because I hadn’t even bought a ticket, but here were these wonderful people trying so hard to inform me of my great fortune! Heck, they must have sent at least a hundred more messages. Was I the luckiest guy on the face of the Earth or what? Then another miraculous thing occurred — several people from assorted countries in Africa and Europe contacted me asking for my help to transfer $20 million out of their troubled, strife-torn country into a nice, safe Swiss bank account.

NBC’s plans to reintroduce scripted programming in the final hour of prime time could generate as many as 1,500 jobs and $15 million a week in spending, industry observers said. Following the worst year on record for filming in Los Angeles — one that saw motion picture, television and commercial productions flee the state for less tax-laden pastures — the estimate served as a stark reminder of how quickly things can turn around, said FilmLA President Paul Audley.