Get a Load of This

After the massive cleanup following the devastating Montecito mudslides, where to dump it?

More than 20,000 dump truck loads – in excess of seven million pounds – of muck have been taken to the Ventura County Fairgrounds, where it is being stored temporarily.

But with the totals increasing daily, officials face a daunting task.

One debris site has an estimated 100,000 cubic yards of mud that needs removing, according to sheriff Bill Brown.

Up to 1,000 tons more each day could eventually end up in the Calabasas landfill.

Ellen Gets the Lowe Down

Montecito actor Rob Lowe has been sharing video of the devastating mudslides on fellow Montecitan Ellen DeGeneres‘s TV talk show.

Rob, 53, told her: “It has been a very difficult week. The sadness, I can’t kind of get beyond it.”

Both celebrities had to evacuate their homes last month when the Thomas Fire roared out of control near our rarefied enclave and again this month.

Rob said his home was under voluntary evacuation order and his son Matthew, 24, decided to stay while he was out of town for a meeting.

“At 4 o’clock in the morning, I had a FaceTime from Matthew panicking,” the TV star recounted.

“It was like Armageddon. Gas lines were rupturing. People saw the fires, then woke up. It was like daylight. They couldn’t figure out what was going on, went out to see, and were washed away.

“It was literally a perfect storm of bad events.”

Ellen has set up a Montecito Disaster Relief GoFundMe page to help with the relief efforts.

Master of Illusion

Pilobolus, considered one of the world’s greatest exponents of dance illusion, put on a dazzling display at the Granada as part of UCSB Arts & Lectures series.

The highly imaginative program, with its unique and diverse collaborations, combined athleticism, grace, and jaw-dropping imagery, well earns them critical acclaim.

The 47-year-old company under creative director Mark Fucik, which has more than 120 works in its repertoire including collaborations with magicians Penn & Teller and a new one with banjo greats Bela Fleck and Abigail Washburn, has even performed at the Academy Awards and continues to blaze new trails.

They can’t come back soon enough.

Getting Their Phil

The 99-year-old Los Angeles Philharmonic under charismatic Venezuelan director Gustavo Dudamel made its annual visit to the Granada, a longtime tradition, as part of CAMA’s 99th season.

The concert blasted off with Stravinsky’s Fireworks, wrapping with Brahm’s Symphony No.1 in C minor.

Sandwiched wonderfully in between was the orchestra’s principal timpanist Joseph Pereiras‘s new concert for timpani and two percussion with Maraca2 – Tim Palmer and Jason Huxtable.

A heady combination.

Danced the Night Away

Fans of the UCSB Dance Theater were in for a treat at the Hatlen Theater with an eclectic program featuring four premieres and a special guest performance.

The dance debuts were by guest choreographer Andrea Giselle Schermoly, who returned to the campus to create a new work after her highly successful residency last spring.

Also on the slate was Miche Wong with her new work Apsara, which she created in collaboration with artist Mary Heebner.

Nancy Colahan‘s Deja Vu for Strings and Percussion was performed by members of the UCSB Dance Company, under the direction of Delila Moseley and artistic director Christopher Pilafian.

The music was played by percussionists from the UCSB Department of Music led by Jon Nathan, who is also director of the UCSB Jazz Ensemble.

New York-based Buglisi Dance Theater wrapped the show with Jacqulyn Buglisi‘s Requiem set to Gabriel Faure‘s soaring mass.

A delightful evening.