LAGUNA BEACH, Calif., Aug. 16, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Celebrity Benefit at the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters, the most entertaining and star-studded night of the summer art season, will be held in Laguna Beach on Saturday, August 26. This red carpet one-night affair will offer guests an evening of fine art, entertainment and a special performance of this summer's popular Pageant of the Masters, titled "The Grand Tour." Proceeds will support the Building Fund for renovations of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters facility.
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The event begins at 5 pm with a private viewing of the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show and red carpet arrivals walked by attending celebrities, including the evening’s Pageant host Bryan Cranston and musical performers Herb Alpert and Lani Hall. Other guest celebrities scheduled to appear are Diedrich Bader (The Drew Carey Show), Rachel Boston (Ghosts of Girlfriends Past), Shawn Christian (Days of Our Lives), Kate Flannery (The Office), Judy Greer (War for the Planet of the Apes), Anne-Marie Johnson (In the Heat of the Night), Katherine Kelly Lang (The Bold and the Beautiful), Monica Lawson (Wakefield), Erica Luttrell (Salvation), Joe Mantegna (Criminal Minds), Donna Mills (Knots Landing), John O’Hurley (Seinfeld), French Stewart (Third Rock from the Sun), Kristy Swanson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future), Larry Wilcox (CHiPs), Arianne Zucker (Days of Our Lives) and many, many others.
Guests will enjoy an intimate concert on the Festival green at 6 pm, performed by music legends Herb Alpert and Lani Hall. Herb Alpert is a platinum-selling musician, song writer, record executive, fine artist, and philanthropist. After early success composing "Wonderful World" for Sam Cooke, Alpert went on to co-found A&M Records in 1962, a label which grew from his garage in West Hollywood into the largest independent record label in history. His band, The Tijuana Brass, was wildly popular throughout the sixties, with Alpert becoming the top-selling recording artist of 1966. In 2017, Alpert releases two new albums, “Music Vol.1” in July and “The Christmas Wish” in September. He lives in Southern California with his wife, Grammy Award-winning vocalist Lani Hall.
Lani Hall Alpert, a Chicago native, rose to fame in 1966 as the lead singer of Sergio Mendes’ break through group, Brasil ’66. The band was signed to A&M Records by the co-founder of the label (and Lani’s future husband), music legend Herb Alpert. Lani has the distinction of recording more than 22 albums in three different languages, four alongside her husband, and in 1983, she sang the title song for the James Bond film, Never Say Never Again. In 1986 Hall Alpert earned her first Grammy Award for Best Latin Pop Performance for her album, “Es Facil Amar.” Her second Grammy was as a producer of Herb Alpert's “Steppin' Out” album that was awarded in January 2014.
After the concert show, award-winning actor Bryan Cranston will draw the winning ticket for a 2018 Acura TLX ($33,000 value). This is the conclusion of a summer-long raffle. Since the Festival season opened on July 5, visitors have been purchasing their raffle tickets in hopes of being the lucky winner. Raffle tickets will continue to be sold right up until 8 pm that night: $5 for one ticket, $20 for five tickets (winning ticketholder need not be present to win).
Culminating the evening, guests will enjoy a special performance of the 2017 Pageant of the Masters production of “The Grand Tour,” introduced by the celebrity host Bryan Cranston.
Bryan Cranston is an acclaimed actor, writer, producer, director, and author. On television, Cranston’s portrayal of Walter White on AMC’s Breaking Bad garnered him four Emmy® Awards, four SAG Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Cranston holds the honor of being the first actor in a cable series and the second lead actor in the history of the Emmy® Awards to receive three consecutive wins. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe and three Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Hal in FOX’s Malcolm in the Middle. In 2014 he won a Tony Award for his role as President Lyndon B. Johnson in the Broadway bio-play All the Way. He reprised his role in the HBO television film of the same name and won a SAG Award for his performance. For his leading role in Trumbo in 2015, Cranston received widespread acclaim and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Cranston will next star in Richard Linklater’s Last Flag Flying with Steve Carell and Laurence Fishburne. The film will premiere at the New York Film Festival in September 2017 and then be released by Amazon on November 17, 2017. He will also star in Neil Burger’s Untouchable with Kevin Hart. Bryan was recently seen as Zordon in Power Rangers, and as the title character in Robin Swicord's independent feature, Wakefield. In addition, Cranston is a New York Times bestselling author of A Life In Parts.
“August 26th will be an incredible night,” says Sharbie Higuchi, director of marketing and PR for the Festival of Arts. “We can’t wait to share the evening with Bryan Cranston, Herb Alpert, Lani Hall, our celebrity supporters… and we look forward to welcoming our most enthusiastic Festival and Pageant fans!”
Tickets are on sale now and range from $50–$250. There will be limited and open seating for Herb Alpert and Lani Hall’s performance and assigned seating for the Pageant of the Masters. The event is sponsored by Southern California Acura Dealers, KOST 103.5 and Yamaha. To purchase tickets, go online to www.PageantTickets.com or call 1-800-487-3378. The Festival of Arts is a non-profit organization that produces the Festival of Arts and the Pageant of the Masters.
For general information, call (949) 494-1145 or visit the website at LagunaFestivalofArts.org. The event is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California. Proceeds support the arts and art education in and about Laguna Beach.
The photos are also available via AP PhotoExpress.