Longtime Santa Ynez Valley resident Bernie Taupin, 73, longtime lyricist for rocker Elton John, has published a new memoir Scattershot: Life, Music, Elton, and Me. Taupin provides insight into his close friendship with the legendary piano man and their remarkably successful collaboration which produced over 50 Top 40 hits. He was a founding member of […]

It was a scene worthy of Degas as 130 guests arrived at the Santa Barbara home of board member Gary Dorfman for the State Street Ballet gala honoring founder Rodney Gustafson and the Gail Towbes Center for Dance. Dancers, beautifully dressed in full ballet attire, graced the entrance to the boffo bash, which was co-chaired […]

I was last at Bellosguardo, the 24-acre oceanfront estate owned by the late copper heiress Huguette Clark, who died in 2011 at the age of 104, for a megabuck fundraising gala five years ago, so it was nice to return to the magnificent aerie when the Bellosguardo Foundation, with assistance from the Santa Barbara Historical […]

To Chaucer’s, the bibliophile bastion in Loreto Plaza, to hear Chicago-based author Melanie Benjamin, 60, expound on her latest novel California Golden, about two sisters navigating the surf culture and tangled ties between mothers and daughters in the ‘60s. A prolific historical novelist, Benjamin wrote The Aviator’s Wife on Anne Morrow Lindbergh, which has been […]

On a personal note, I remember philanthropist and longtime Casa Dorinda resident Irene Hymanson, who has moved to more heavenly pastures at the age of 81. Irene was the daughter of violinist William Hymanson, a member of the Music Academy faculty from 1959to 1969. After living and working in Los Angeles as a paralegal, she […]

The capacious stage of the venerable Granada Theatre, which hosts six resident companies, was socially gridlocked with more than 200 guests for the 7th annual Legends gala, appropriately enough emceed by the ubiquitous Andrew Firestone, whose parents Brooks and Kate Firestone were being lauded. The recipients also included the historic Ensemble Theatre Company (ETC), the […]

A record crowd of 205 guests turned out for the 7th annual Heart of New House lunch at the Hilton, raising around $120,000 for the nonprofit which has helped men with drug and alcohol problems for the past 68 years. The charity, which has an annual budget of $1.2 million, has 100 residents in three […]

Fans of top American trial lawyer Gerry Spence, 94, got a rare chance to see his works of art at his 24-acre estate on Romero Canyon Road. Gerry, the author of 17 books, is a member of the Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame and has never lost a criminal case before a jury as a […]

Our Eden by the Beach’s latest hotel, The Steward, is a charming and historical gem on nearly five acres with 87 one-bedroom suites. The Tribute Portfolio by Marriott, described as “a modern hideaway rooted in horticulture,” dates back to the 1860s when the charming Goleta estate was the Victorian home of pioneer horticulturist Joseph Sexton, […]

Camerata Pacifica launched its 34th season in fine style at the Music Academy’s Hahn Hall with works by Beethoven, Mozart, and Elgar. Musical lovers turned out in force to see the chamber music group founded by Irishman Adrian Spence at the age of 25, with an inaugural performance at the Lobero as the Bach Camerata. […]