Local fitness trainer whips us into shape with her new book
Atkins, Weight Watchers, Jared from Subway—these days everyone seems to have an answer to your weight loss problem. But whom should we listen to, now that it’s barbeque season?

As much as she hates to burst your bubble, local Toadal Fitness trainer and now self-published author, Rebecca Rovay-Hazelton is here to discredit one-size-fits-all health plans and offer tips for guiltless summertime grilling.

In her debut self-help book “Choosing Health,” released this May, Rovay-Hazelton uses her knowledge as a licensed American Health Science University Lifestyle and Weight Management Consultant, to give you the lowdown on the pitfalls of dieting.

A new graphic novel mirrors life in the deep south—with a twist
In the tradition of groundbreaking graphic novels such as Art Spiegelman’s “Maus” and Alan Moore’s “Watchmen,” writer Johnnie (JD) Arnold and artist Rich Koslowski’s new book “BB Wolf and the Three LPs” ingeniously melds the medium of classic comic books with a serious, history-steeped story, all making for an excellent, moving piece of work, which will be celebrated at a release party on July 10 at Comicopolis.

Set in a world mirroring the deep American south of the Jim Crow era, where wolves are the victims of racism and oppression at the hands of hateful pigs, the story follows the life of the title character, a blues musician whose farm and family are unfairly and horrifically taken away from him.

Local designers team up for a fashion show at Stripe
Roughed up hair, gorgeous painted faces, ruffled frocks, modern, cutting-edge leather accessories—it all makes for the type of fashion shoot you’d see in Vogue magazine. Or, you can just walk down the street and see such innovative fashionable concepts come to life at Stripe, as the one-year-old popular clothing and housewares boutique in Downtown Santa Cruz, debuts its first runway show at 8 p.m. Friday, July 9 at 107 Walnut Ave. (Doors open at 6 p.m., and tickets are $10.)

What makes this fashion show different than some of its predecessors in town is that the team behind it have been planning this project for months, and they’re going for genuine fashion—no thesis student art projects here—rather, you’re going to get a taste of something you might find at Bryant Park during fashion week in New York, meaning that this is indeed something you’ve never seen before in Santa Cruz.

Cabrillo Stage gets in the groove with exuberant 'Swing'
Movie musicals of the 1930s liked to advertise themselves as “All Singing! All Dancing!” to let Depression-weary audiences know they were in for a good time. In much the same spirit we get “Swing,” the second offering in this year's expanded Cabrillo Stage summer musical theater season. All singing, all dancing, “Swing” is a lively, uptempo production without dialogue, plot or story, whose energetic ensemble sings and dances its way through more than two dozen classic big-band numbers from the ’30s and ’40s.

Corey Feldman opens up about the late Corey Haim, ‘The Lost Boys’ and connecting with fans
If there is one movie made in or associated with Santa Cruz that is probably the most universally recognized and beloved at the same time, it is the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys. Having sunk its fangs into fans new and old over the course of more than two decades, the film seems to grow in popularity with each passing year and successive generation that grows up watching it.

Round two of Cabrillo’s hit still sizzles
It is no wonder that audience popular demand brings this uplifting glance at the human "relationship" back to the Cabrillo Stage for a second season. “I Love you, You're Perfect ... Now Change,” sparked mirth from curtain to close on opening night, June 18. The dynamic cast of four—Max Bennett-Parker, Nicolas Ceglio, Sarah Stein and Ariel Buck— carried out roles that ranged radically in age and complexity. The small cast tackled more than 40 different parts altogether in the two-hour outing, ranging from awkward twentysomething daters, to an elderly couple that meets at a funeral. So, it’s official—this show is still a hit.

Local writer and performer Patrice Vecchione brings her one-woman show home
Coming of age at 50 is different from coming of age as a young woman. And coming home at the age of 50 has a power all of its own. After experiencing a sell-out run in Monterey—with standing ovations following each performance—local playwright and performer Patrice Vecchione says of her new one-woman show, “Now I’m ready to bring this home.”

Cabrillo Stage launches its summer season with the return of ‘I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change’
Last summer it debuted to sold-out performances and audiences couldn’t get enough. So what better way to satiate theatergoers than to bring it back? That’s what Cabrillo Stage is doing this summer with its return performance of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!” The comedic musical centers around four different actors who take on a multitude of roles and personalities in a display of various relationships that cover an enormous age span. For any actor it’d be a tough challenge to tackle such a script, but for the four actors who starred in last year’s production, they’re getting a second chance to mix things up, try new approaches, and perform in the play all over again.