Hamburger

Is it coincidence or intentional that "Fast Food Nation" (rated R) started playing in theaters around the time we celebrate the national holiday with a tendency toward the excesses of eating? Be prepared to skip a meal after being subjected to a film that's heavy on the commentary with a dash of amusement on the side, weaving a number of separate but intersecting stories together. Don Henderson (Greg Kinnear) is the vice president of marketing for Mickey's, a giant national hamburger chain (clearly satirizing ?

Summer is burger season, but frankly, this summer is shaping up to be nearly too hot to fire up the grill. If you are hankering for a hamburger, but can't bear the thought of burning your own briquettes, head out to The Habit Burger Grill in Glendale. It's cool as an ice cream soda inside, with a buzz of conversation and the aroma of the grill filling the air-conditioned air. Choices are the classic burger-fries-and-soda combos, with a smattering of grilled sandwiches and salads.

John Burroughs High marching band plays for audiences, competitions outside of football season.Football season at John Burroughs High School may be over, but the band plays on. John Burroughs High School Marching Band has spent the majority of the school year dealing with the misconception that they play only while the football team competes. But really, percussionist Emily Cole said, they play for their own audiences and participate in their own competitions. "We get a bad rap -- we don't get a rap at all," laughed the 16-year-old, adding that some students at the school are barely aware that the band exists.

Coach motivates with a little pain, his own The Burroughs High football team had a tough few days of practice this week. The Indians were preparing for the opening of Foothill League play against defending champion Valencia, which just happens to be ranked No. 3 in CIF Southern Section Division II. Tuesday, the varsity team was working out on the outfield grass on the school's baseball field. It was an intense practice, with Burroughs coaches doing their best to motivate their players for the big game ahead.

The big top rolled through town Saturday, saturating Burbank on Parade’s 29th annual street march in a wave of colors that breathed life into an overcast morning. Burbank on Parade Celebrates the Big Top, this year’s iteration of an event that began in 1945, began with a 27-foot-wide circus tent and gave way to Grand Marshal Ronald McDonald. The hamburger mascot waved from inside a 1926 Ford as hundreds of spectators lined Olive Avenue from Keystone to Lomita streets to take in the community celebration of floats, equestrian groups and public officials.

The Troubadour Theater Company's latest production, "Hamlet, The Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark," is now playing at Burbank's Falcon Theatre. And for this second time out this season, the Indefatigable director Matt Walker has surpassed all previous efforts. He lovingly wields an artistic whip and chair to keep this motley crew of clowns, gymnasts and singing comedians in line. Normally Walker plays overseeing ringmaster as the hi-jinx unfold. This time, he's assumed the title role resulting in a tour de force performance.

The contemporary urban designer Paul Murrain said, “We cannot continue to believe that the landscape is sacred and the city profane. They must both be considered sacred.” The new exhibit at the Brand Library, “Metropolis: Prospects & Observations” illustrates this sentiment by showcasing five artists whose vision of urban life finds beauty and context in oft-overlooked perspectives of our concrete jungles. Photography, oil on canvas, ink and crocheted stainless steel illustrate these local artists’ interpretation of our urban landscapes, with man-made influence decidedly controlling the environment, rather than the other way around.

DAVID SILVA It was the low-carb nachos and beer that did it. I had been fruitlessly searching the wine aisle of my favorite specialty store for a particular brand of red wine when I finally realized the label had been removed from the shelves. In its place was row after row of low-carb nacho tortilla chips and low-carb lager beer. I'm still not sure if it was the loss of my favorite wine or the thought of some glutton trying to snack and booze his way to fitness that made me snap, but suddenly I had had enough.