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Yahoo
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Former teen stars from Debbie Gibson to Ross Lynch take the stage this week in CT arts
Several erstwhile teen stars are coming to Connecticut this week. Debbie Gibson has been a pop star who wrote her own hits since she was 16 years old. Now, she has a 40-year career to draw on when she performs at Foxwoods Resort Casino on June 7. Skylar Astin, coming to the Shubert Theatre on June 6, was in the teen angst musical 'Spring Awakening' on Broadway before he became a movie and TV star. Steve Boone started playing guitar in high school and, by the time he was 21, he was playing bass and co-writing songs for the Lovin' Spoonful. Now in his 80s, Boone is with the lineup of the Spoonful that is playing the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den on June 7. Pierre Bouier was 15 when he started his first band and has been the frontman of Simple Plan since he was 20. He is now 46. Ross Lynch was in the Disney Channel series 'Austin & Ally' as well as 'Teen Beach Movie' and its sequel, and was playing a teenager as recently as 2020 in 'Sabrina the Teenage Witch.' Lynch's band with his brother Rocky, The Driver Era, is at Mohegan Sun Arena on June 7. Lastly, Bloc Party is yet another band who had its first hits when some of its member were in their teens. It's a night for guitar fanatics on June 1 at 7 p.m. at The Kate with the eclectic California Guitar Trio (who originally formed as students in a workshop led by rock guitar genius Robert Fripp) plus the guitar-centered performer and composer Kaki King. $41. Los Rivera Destino does parodies of pop songs with one of their most famous inspirations being Bad Bunny. The satirical trio is also a solid, beat-happy musical act, which makes its live shows more than jokes. June 1 at 7 p.m. $36.15. The California singer/songwriter SiR, known for his collaborations with Alicia Keys and D-Smoke, released his fourth album 'Heavy' last year and brings his 'Step Into the Light' tour to Toad's Place on June 1 at 8 p.m. $50.75. Abraham Verghese discusses his bestselling novel 'The Covenant of Stone' with another major novelist, Amy Bloom, on June 2 at 7 p.m. The event is hosted by RJ Julia Booksellers but will be held at Madison's First Congregational Church. $25; signed books available for purchase. Canadian rockers Simple Plan have been around for a quarter of a century (and six albums) now. The band's latest tour brings the musicians to College Street Music Hall with Winona Fighter and Losers Club. June 3 at 8 p.m. at College Street Music Hall. $30-$75.59. Heavily influenced in his youth by the Velvet Underground, Dean Wareham has in turn influenced countless indie bands of the last 30 years through the astounding albums he made as the force behind Galaxie 500, Luna and the duo Dean and Britta. He even did film scores for Noah Baumbach. His music goes from somber to funny, an attitude swing he also brought to his 2008 memoir 'Black Postcards.' Wareham's solo album 'That's the Price of Loving Me' came out earlier this year. June 3 at 8 p.m. $32.34, $26.69 in advance. The Stowe Center's 'Who is Harriet?' series presents Tess Chakkalakal, author of the new biography 'A Matter of Complexion: The Life and Fictions of Charles W. Chestnutt.' She will talk about a 1901 novel of Chestnutt's that was favorably compared to Harriet Beecher Stowe's 'Uncle Tom's Cabin' but failed to have even a fraction of its impact. June 4 at 6 p.m. $20; $35 includes a copy of Chakkalakal's book. There is an option to attend the talk virtually. The double bill of Maryland grindcore act Full of Hell and Chicago hardcore punks Harm's Way has three more bands opening the show, including Kruelty, Jarhead Fertilizer and Clique. June 5 at 6 p.m. $34.54. The British post-punk band Bloc Party, formed in 1999, is marking the anniversary of its debut album 'Silent Alarm' and also playing its later hits. Keeping the night current is up-and-coming opening act the Arkansas duo Joan. June 5 at 8 p.m. $30-$84.86. Alex Moffatt was on 'Saturday Night Live' for six seasons, best known for his Eric Trump and The Guy Who Just Bought a Boat. He returns to his live comedy roots with four stand-up sets at Mohegan Sun's Comix club June 5 and 6 at 8 p.m. and June 7 at 6 and 8 p.m. In the sequel to the long-running show 'Menopause the Musical,' those rockin' menopausal women who met in a department store in the first show are now on a cruise pop standards being parodied this time around include 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend,' 'Lady Marmalade' and 'Let's Hear It for the Boys.' June 6 at 7:30 p.m. $31-$61. Skylar Astin was on Broadway in 'Spring Awakening,' in the 'Pitch Perfect' movie series and on TV in 'Crazy Ex-Girlfriend' and the recent 'So Help Me Todd.' He is doing his concert act on June 6 at 8 p.m. at the Shubert. $46.40-$119. Eddie B brings his latest one-man live show about the pressures and foibles of life as a teacher, 'If These Classroom Wall Could Talk,' to the Garde on June 6 at 8 p.m. Eddie B's live act was originally adapted from a series of comedy videos he created entitled 'What Teachers Really Want to Say.' $29-$65. Puerto Rican salsa music singer/songwriter Luis Fugueroa performs on June 6 at 8 p.m. at Infinity Music Hall Hartford. $30.9.3-$57.53. The Hartford Symphony Orchestra's final MasterWorks concert of the season features pianist Clayton Stephenson (the symphony's current artist in residence) and an invigorating program of John Adams' 'Doctor Atomic' symphony, Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' and Rachmaninoff's 'Symphonic Dances.' June 6-8. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 3 p.m. $41.50-$88.50, $10 students and children. Fairfield Theatre Company began decades ago as an actual theater company but soon turned into a year-round concert venue. The theater occasionally returns in the form of the Black Rock Theater, which is honoring the venue's rock cred with a production of the landmark musical 'Hair.' June 6 at 7 p.m., June 7 at 2 and 7 p.m. and June 8 at 1 and 6 p.m. $63-$73, $38 students. David Auburn's father/daughter drama about mathematics and mental health is being done by the Little Theater of Manchester June 6-22. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. $16-$34; discounts for students, seniors, military and groups. The massive annual Middletown PrideFEST is happening on June 7 from noon to 10 p.m. in downtown Middletown and includes a march, rally, concert and tea dance. There are over a hundred vendors, food trucks, 80 groups marching in the parade and a crowd that numbers in the tens of thousands. The ever-popular funnyman Jim Gaffigan has three shows at Foxwoods' Premier Theater due to public demand. Gaffigan is on his 'Everything is Wonderful' tour. June 6 at 7 p.m., June 7 at 5 and 8 p.m. $88.80-$825.85. The Lovin' Spoonful had a bucketful of 1960s hits, including 'You Didn't Have to Be So Nice' and 'Summer in the City.' The original lineup, which formed in 1965, only lasted for a couple of years and the band broke up for good (or so they thought) in 1968. One founding member, bassist Steve Boone, is in this latest version of the Spoonful, alongside Jeff Alan Ross, Bill Cinque, Mike Arturi and Rob Bonfiglio. June 7 at 8 p.m. Free. The pop duo of Ross Lynch (star of 'Teen Beach Movie' and 'My Friend Dahmer') and his brother Rocky, have been performing together for over 15 years. Their band, The Driver Era, has a new album out called 'Obsession' and a national tour called the same thing. Singer/songwriter Valé opens. June 7 at 8 p.m. at Mohegan Sun Arena. $25.30-$266. Debbie Gibson spent part of her 40-plus year career as Deborah Gibson before reverting to Debbie. Her new 'Newstalgia' tour covers her early teen hits and some new stuff she's doing now. June 7 at 8 p.m. $56.95-$135.85. The venerable world music ensemble Gipsy Kings, still led by its founder Tonino Baliardo, strums rhythmically at Ridgefield Playhouse on June 7 at 8 p.m. $110-$166. The six-piece Norwalk band Similar Kind grooves with synthesizer, sax and more at Space Ballroom on June 7 at 8 p.m. $32.34, $26.69 in advance. Visit a stable of animatronic unicorns in an enchanted forest inside the Connecticut Convention Center. The interactive Unicorn World exhibit happens on June 7 and 8 from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. $36.23; weekend passes and group discounts available.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Two people hospitalized after head-on collision in Mashantucket
MASHANTUCKET, Conn. (WTNH) — Two people were injured after a head-on collision in Mashantucket on Route 2 Saturday morning, police said. Two cars were traveling in opposite directions on Route 2 in the area of Foxwoods Boulevard when one of them crossed over the westbound lanes into the off-ramp, colliding with the other vehicle around 1:08 a.m. Four kids allegedly steal car, strike multiple vehicles in New Haven Both drivers were transported to Backus Hospital for serious but non-life-threatening injuries. The accident reconstruction team is investigating the crash. Anyone with information about the crash is urged to contact Officer Schmidt at the Ledyard Police Department at 860-464-6400. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Winner of 'Hell's Kitchen' to be named executive chef at Gordon Ramsay's Foxwoods restaurant
Gordon Ramsay's Connecticut restaurant is getting a new executive chef. Starting on May 1, Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods Resort Casino will be taken over by Kyle Timpson, Season 23 winner of "Hell's Kitchen." In a press release, Foxwoods said appointing Timpson demonstrates the resort's commitment to hiring top culinary talent as a premier dining destination. "It's been a pleasure to get to know Kyle throughout his time filming 'Hell's Kitchen'at Foxwoods," said Jason Guyot, President & CEO of Foxwoods Resort Casino. "As he steps into this role, we are confident he will bring both exceptional culinary skills and a fresh creative vision to one of our most celebrated dining destinations. We're proud to officially welcome him as a member of the Foxwoods family.' Here's what to know about the restaurant's new chef. Originally from Dennis Township, New Jersey, Chef Kyle Timpson is known in the culinary world for his creative, high-energy approach to top-notch food. After graduating from the Academy of Culinary Arts at Atlantic Cape Community College, Timpson built up his culinary career in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, gathering over a decade of experience at top-rated restaurants. During "Hell's Kitchen," Timpson stood out for his consistent performance and leadership, with Gordon Ramsay saying the chef "earned this opportunity through sheer grit, passion, and undeniable talent." After 16 weeks of tough competition, Timpson emerged victorious, becoming the first openly gay male chef to win the show in the very kitchen that he is about to lead. During Foxwoods' 33rd anniversary celebration in February, Timpson connected with the tribal heritage of Foxwoods, giving him a sense of purpose in his new role. "I am humbled to start as executive chef at Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods. To be stepping into this role at the venue I gave everything I had to win is absolutely surreal," said Chef Kyle Timpson in a press release. "Foxwoods already feels like home, and I'm excited to not only deliver the high-intensity, high-flavor experience guests expect from Hell's Kitchen, but also to do it in a way that celebrates the local community." Gordon Ramsay in New England: Gordon Ramsay visited Massachusetts this weekend. Here's what restaurants he visited A top destination for luxury dining, Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods is known for its open-kitchen concept and signature dishes like pan-seared scallops, lobster risotto and beef wellington. Reservations for Hell's Kitchen at Foxwoods can be made online up to 60 days in advance, and the casino warns that the restaurant fills up quickly. Hours are 4:30-10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with additional lunch hours from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday-Sunday. Hell's Kitchen is inside the Grand Pequot Tower at Foxwoods Resort Casino, located at 350 Trolley Line Blvd. in Mashantucket. This article originally appeared on The Bulletin: Who won 'Hell's Kitchen' season 23? Winner to become chef at Foxwoods
Yahoo
16-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Five years later: Seeing COVID-19 in the rearview mirror
Ominous and unstoppable, the coronavirus disease reached the West Coast of the United States in January 2020, the first confirmed case of what became known as COVID-19 turning up near Seattle. Nearly two months passed before the disease arrived in southeastern Connecticut, long enough for those in health care and business in the region to prepare as best they could for a scourge they knew little about. 'We saw it coming up the I-95 corridor,' Shannon Christian, Lawrence + Memorial Hospital's chief nursing officer, recalled last week. 'We had time to plan. We set up a testing tent outside. ... There was so much we didn't know.' On Friday, March 13, 2020, the disease surfaced here for the first time, its presence detected in a Rhode Island child attending a Mystic child care facility. By then, the number of cases in the state had climbed into double digits. The following Monday, March 16, the hammer came down. Gov. Ned Lamont and Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Phil Murphy of New Jersey came together to announce that the restaurants, bars, movie theaters and gyms in their states would have to close that night until further notice. Separately, Lamont told Connecticut's media outlets the Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan tribes had agreed to shut down their respective casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, the next day. So much for St. Patrick's Day. Five years later, many in the region have vivid memories of how COVID-19 disrupted their lives and forever changed the way they live. At L+M, which admitted its first COVID-19 patient that March 17, things happened fast. The tent meant to accommodate patients who would drive beneath it, step out of their vehicles and sit in a chair while a nurse took nasal and oral swabs was soon catering to drive-through traffic. Christian remembered the spread of the disease in Connecticut was initially concentrated in Fairfield and New Haven counties and that L+M nurses were able to assist their counterparts at hospitals in Greenwich and Bridgeport. Cases weren't expected to surge in southeastern Connecticut for months. Dr. Oliver Mayorga, L+M's chief medical officer, said both health care and the public have learned to be more vigilant about viruses and vaccines in general since COVID-19's peak. Medicine's embrace of telehealth — virtual communications among doctors, nurses and patients — is another obvious outcome of the pandemic, he said. An innovation L+M championed during COVID-19 was the placement of intravenous (IV) pumps or poles outside patient rooms rather than at bedsides. The relocation enabled doctors and nurses to monitor IVs from a distance, reducing their exposure to infections and the consumption of personal protective equipment. COVID-19 also exposed a need for greater behavioral health resources, Christian noted, with patient violence against nurses and other hospital staff increasing. 'New nurses want to know, 'What can you do to keep me safe?'' she said. Smoke clears at casinos With Jeff Hamilton, a new president and general manager, at the helm, Mohegan Sun seemed on its way to a banner year in 2020. The casino's January business had been outstanding and February had been strong, too. Beginner's luck? We'll never know. In March, COVID-19 struck, causing both of southeastern Connecticut's casinos to close for the first and only time since their debuts in the 1990s. They locked their doors March 17, 2020, and didn't reopen — and then only partially — until June 1. 'Seventy-four days,' Hamilton noted last week. 'It was the most difficult thing I've ever had to go through professionally. Casinos are not made to be closed.' During the shutdown, Hamilton stayed in touch with his employees through weekly updates he filmed in his home and posted on a casino website. He kept people abreast of COVID-19 and management's plans to reopen. He talked to them about unemployment benefits and assured them their health insurance still was intact. 'It showed I'm just a normal guy, going through what they were going through,' Hamilton said of the updates, which he's never stopped doing. Largely recovered from the pandemic, the casinos are nevertheless different than they were. Buffets are gone for the most part, as are the buses that ran back and forth to Asian enclaves in Boston and New York City. The biggest change, though, Hamilton believes, is the casinos' ban on indoor smoking. Prior to the pandemic, smoking was allowed on portions of the gaming floors at both casinos. 'Being nonsmoking helps us,' Hamilton said. 'We were worried at first because you've got to get up from the (slot) machine to go smoke outside and that takes time. ... We've never said 'never,' but I don't see us going back (to allowing smoking).' Another change casino-goers might have noticed is the arrangement of slot machines. Long banks of machines have been replaced by 'pods' of four machines, and there's more space between machines. Viral scenes, notions Suzanne Sypher of Mystic, one of several people who shared their memories of March 2020 with The Day, described a train ride she took home to New York's Pennsylvania Station after visiting relatives in Florida. The coronavirus hadn't made a big impression on her by the time she headed south, but the news about it had grown scarier during her three-week stay in the Sunshine State. When she boarded the train home in Sebring, Fla., it was nearly empty, Sypher said. And when she got off the train in Penn Station, there was nobody there. ... In Penn Station. 'Usually, people are racing everywhere there,' she said. 'It was just security guys with German shepherds. I said, 'What's going on?'' Riding an escalator, Sypher, a retiree who worked at L+M for 30 years, glimpsed the scene outside a train station window. 'No people walking on the street,' she said. 'No cars, maybe a cab or two.' On the continuation of her journey, she was the only passenger in the train car she occupied from New York to New London. She thinks it must have been April 1 when she got home. 'Eerie,' she said. Like Sypher, Paul Berkel, a retired middle school principal living in Mystic, had a tale to tell about returning home from a trip to Florida. On their way back, he and his wife stopped in North Carolina to visit his brother's family. 'We spent the night with them,' Berkel said. 'I remember them supplying us with boxes of wipes and masks. It was just coming out that everything needed to be sterilized.' When they stopped at a hotel, they 'walked around wiping doorknobs and bathrooms,' Berkel said. 'Once we got home, the other thing I remember vividly is that our house became our castle,' he said. 'We joked with friends that our gardens never looked so good. We couldn't go anywhere, only to the store when absolutely necessary. We turned our attention to our house, the garden.' He said they're now more conscious of vaccines and public announcements about health. They're not fond of flying and probably never will be, given their post-pandemic aversion to crowds. No arenas for basketball games, no visits to The Kate in Old Saybrook or the Granite Theatre in Westerly for live entertainment. The pandemic provided writers with plenty of material. Phyllis Ross, of Lyme, devoted a chapter to it in 'Revolutions, Transformations and Tragedies Through My Eyes,' which she published in 2021. The chapter includes her journal of the events of March 2020. In her entry for March 15, she lamented how much her world had changed. 'Everything has been cancelled — not just social activities,' she wrote. 'The town of Lyme is essentially dormant. Town Hall is unoccupied. Check the website if you need information. People are not going to movies. Few are in restaurants. Sports activities are cancelled. People have been asked to wash their hands often and stay at home. It's hard to believe. This coronavirus has people scared to death.' Nearly two weeks later, her entry for March 30 betrayed some hope: 'We're fortunate here in Lyme to have lots of open space and clean fresh air. I wonder how people in small apartments in New York — now the epicenter of COVID-19 — who are expected to remain in quarantine, can bear the confinement. Walking along the street has been a source of great pleasure, especially since the spring flowers are beginning to bloom. People you pass move away at least six feet. Nearly everybody wants to chat — but at a safe distance. Another writer, Michael Steinberg, who grew up in Niantic, graduated from New London High School and now lives at Bride Brook, a Niantic nursing home, authored 'The Disaster Diaries: Mad Musings in Corona Nation' while living in San Francisco. He said he tried to capture what life was like in and around the city's Golden Gate Park, which he said still welcomed people during the pandemic. Cut off from his own family for a time, he witnessed others fall into poverty and lose their homes. 'You'd see clusters of tents all over the city,' Steinberg said. Despite such scenes, he tried to inject some humor into his storytelling, he said. One of his earlier efforts, 'Millstone and Me: Sex, Lies and Radiation in Southeastern Connecticut,' tackled the Millstone Nuclear Power Station's safety record. 'It's not really over yet,' Steinberg said of the pandemic.
