Here are some of the concerts and music events happening in the Sacramento area this coming week. Get out and enjoy! For detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com. Concerts, Music Events, and The Sacramento Music Scene This Week: A Grand Night For Singing at Cosmopolitan Cabaret on 1000 K Street in Sacramento. Opens tonight and will continue WED-SUN until May 8th.  Show times are at 8PM or 7:30PM with some 2PM matinees. Tickets are $33-$48.   Through February 20th: Sacramento Theatre Company presents The Musical of Musicals at Wells Fargo Pavilion Pollock Stage on 1419 H Street in Sacramento. WED-SUN Show times Vary. Tickets are $15.00 - $38.00. Rush

WINNING STREAK SNAPPED AT ONE Statistics predicting a Sacramento win against the visiting Charlotte Bobcats Tuesday night were overwhelming. Consider this season: the Kings had never lost a home game following a road win (such as Monday’s win in Portland), while the Bobcats had never won the first game of a road trip beginning on a Tuesday. How compelling is that!?! Not very, as it turned out.  Another statistic proved far more relevant: since their coaching change in December, the Bobcats were 8 - 6. Were that .541 winning percentage in our Pacific Division, they would trail only the Lakers. The Kings lost by 5 points, 94 - 89. When one reporter asked Coach Paul Westphal after the game

Some of the best known trucks in all of Monster Jam - Gravedigger, El Toro Loco, Tropical Thunder, The Patriot, Outlaw and Bounty Hunter gave a crowded house at ARCO Arena a unique mix of noise, speed and adrenaline. Monster Jam spent three wild days at ARCO this past weekend and the fans could not have been more pleased. Not only did these fans cheer for their favorite drivers, but when the stars of the show, the trucks, made their way to the dirt floor the screams were deafening. Over the years Monster Jam has changed to become much more than just trucks jumping cars, speeding down the track and being loud. Now, Monster Jam is a fully fledged production where thousands of kids rush to t

What has 66 inch tires, a supercharged fuel injected big block American V8, 1300-2050 + horsepower and can suck up to 10 gallons of gas per mile? That’s right, the Advanced Auto Parts (AAP) Monster Trucks. These bad boys will be at ARCO Arena Friday, Saturday and Sunday jumping cars, riding the edge and just creating one heck of a good time. According to AAP, Monster Jam, monster trucks face off in two different forms of competition -- side-by-side racing and freestyle: Side-by-side racing – traditional bracket racing, where the first truck, with the least amount of penalties, crosses the finish line is declared the winner. Freestyle competition – allows drivers a limited amount of time

Before tipoff you had a smoke machine introduction, a choreographed dance routine, a head couch riling-up the audience, trick shots and amazing dunks – now that is the way to start a game of basketball. The Globetrotters bring more of a sense of purpose in the first five minutes of being on the floor than many sports do the entire night. Although you know the night is choreographed, it’s obvious that it is about the kids and about making those kids believe in who they are. For 85 years the Globetrotters have brought their fast-paced, high-flying and antic filled game to the world and what a world it is. As approximately 5000 thousand young kids and their families packed Arco Arena, the Ha

Arco Arena (soon to be Power Balance Pavilion) was transformed into a dirt arena for the 2011 Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Sacramento Invitational on Friday and Saturday night. The first thing newcomers to the PBR must know is that you do not refer to this as a rodeo. No, as Jack Carnefix told me, “rodeos have a few bull rides but mostly include things like mutton busting, calf roping and pole bending.” He continued with, “this two-day event is just bull riding – no gimmicks.” As the night began a group of men came-out to the floor and traced the letters PBR with gasoline. As the fireworks burst and flames shot from the flame guns, the traced letters came to life with fire. With music

How does a professional bull rider ride a mechanical bull? With no hands. And two television news anchors? Hanging on for their life! Promoting the Professional Bull Riders at Arco Arena tonight, Bulls Restaurant and Bar hosted a bull "ride-off" with the crew of Good Day Sacramento early Friday morning and a professional bull rider and an enthusiastic crowd. Tonight will be the eighth of nine straight days of bull riding for many of the PBR’s Top 40, who stopped by two Touring Pro events in Colorado before heading to California. “Sacramento is loaded with really good bulls, and the other bull that’s flown in under the radar a little bit, but he actually beat Bushwacker two or three t

Here are some of the concerts and music events happening in the Sacramento area this coming week. Dine Downtown continues through Sunday, January 16th, so get out and enjoy dinner and a music event! For detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com Concerts, Music Events, and The Sacramento Music Scene This Week: Through February 20th: Sacramento Theatre Company presents The Musical of Musicals at Wells Fargo Pavilion Pollock Stage on 1419 H Street in Sacramento. WED-SUN Show times Vary. Tickets are $15.00 - $38.00. Rush tickets half off admission 1/2 hour prior to show times and are subject to availability. Saturday, January 15th: Coming To America with

It has been a long time since this reporter has seen the Harlem Globetrotters perform live; that will change on January 17th at Arco Arena when they bring their quirky and fun style to the court. With many of the original members retired the question is whether the team will perform the way they used to. That question was answered today when meeting with Harlem Globetrotter ‘Hot Shot Branch’ on the court. After watching ‘Hot Shot’ run, dunk, shoot and spin there is no doubt the game is still on. For anyone who has not seen the Globetrotters perform you are in for a treat. They make the game of basketball more interesting buy clowning around, making goofy mistakes, actively engaging the cr

I have lived in Sacramento my whole life, so I’ve come to grow a thick skin when it comes to the jokes about our little “cow town.” I usually brush them off as uninformed comments from people who don’t know what this city has to offer. Sacramento boasts a terrific history, with ties going all the way back to the Gold Rush, and a rich and diverse landscape. That is why today I hang my head in shame with the reported news that the Maloofs are seriously considering selling the naming rights to our only corporately sponsored arena to a company who admits that their “Power Balance” products are nothing more than a scam. Sure, there are no laws that says the Maloofs cannot do what is being repo

By Amy Serna It might seem hard to imagine making a successful career with puppets, but that is exactly what stand-up comedian and ventriloquist Jeff Dunham has accomplished. His fame, however, wasn’t handed to him from the get-go. Dunham has been working with dummies ever since he was a kid, but now the puppets he brought to life have quickly become classic comic icons. Forbes magazine didn’t name Dunham the highest-paid comedian (along with popular comics Chelsea Handler and Dane Cook) in the United States for nothing. In the past year, the puppeteer earned up to $22.5 million, and Pollstar named him the top touring comedian for the second year in a row.  Dunham’s “Very Special Chris

It was the first home game of the new year. A fresh start. A new beginning. A chance to recapture the home team magic. As the opponent was another revamped version of the run-and-gun Suns, the Kings would have their hands full trying to keep Phoenix's mad bombers at bay. With some great defensive pressure in the final quarter and the outstanding play of rookie DeMarcus Cousins – playing like a larger version of last year’s rookie of the year, Tyreke Evans – the Kings provided another fantastic fourth-quarter comeback and held on to beat the Suns 89-84 at Arco Arena on Sunday evening. It was a slow start for the Kings as the Suns’ Mickael Pietrus (7 points, 4 rebounds) and Steve Nash (20

I've been a Kings fan for a long time, and I never had a chance to attend regular-season games until I started going to college. I frequently watched Kings games on local TV and saw many calls that would make you scratch your head more times than a kid with lice. Many of those calls took me back to the 2002 Western Conference Finals where the Kings were royally robbed of the championship. After attending many games last year and becoming a first time season ticket holder this year, I've come to see too many foul calls that are blatantly wrong and unjustified. As I look around at all the obstacles that the Kings organization is facing thus far, I can't help but believe that there is some co

If you were at Arco Arena Wednesday night, you might have thought the Kings had just won a NBA Championship. A thrilling midcourt shot at the buzzer by Tyreke Evans sent the place into a massive frenzy, ending the Kings' eight-game skid with a 100-98 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. After strong showings by DeMarcus Cousins (21 points, 16 rebounds) and Beno Udrih (24 points, 4 rebounds), it looked like yet another disappointing fourth-quarter loss for the Kings. O.J. Mayo gave the Grizzlies a 98-97 lead with a difficult fadeaway jumper with 1.5 seconds remaining to seemingly seal the deal. Then the impossible happened as Evans took the next inbound pass and raced to midcourt, jumping into

Please don’t kill the messenger. Yes, the story is one you’ve read before. One you’ve read way too often this hoops season. The Sacramento Kings carry a lead into the final quarter and suddenly the offense stops moving and the team seemingly forgets it’s true mission: Beating a team they should beat on the home floor. After a back and forth battle, the Kings give another game away as the offense stalls and the players look like they abruptly forget how to execute the essentials as they lose to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 84-79 on Thursday night. This was the first game for the team after Coach Westphal decided to start Samuel Dalembert instead of DeMarcus Cousins after the “choke sign

Here are some of the concerts and music events happening in the Sacramento area. This weekend a variety of musical holiday events are going on, so stay dry & warm at a venue near you! For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com Concerts, Music Events, and The Sacramento Music Scene This Week: Through Sunday, December 26th: Sacramento Theatre Company presents A Christmas Carol at 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Shows take place Thursday - Sunday at various times. Tickets are $20 - $40. Through Thursday, December 23rd: Sacramento Ballet presents The Nutcracker with music provided by the Sacramento Philharmonic at the Sacramento Community Center Thea

A 77-year-old act came to Arco arena last night, but there was nothing tired about it.  The Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring the world-famous Rockettes showed the near-capacity crowd that when it comes to entertainment, experience is a definite plus. From the first tableau of reindeer-costumed Rockettes drawing Santa’s sleigh across the stage in artful precision, the audience was enthralled by the show.  With stunning costumes, terrific sets with great special effects, lighting and sound of exacting quality, and even some snowshowers over the audience, the stage came alive with Christmas cheer. The 18 beautiful, leggy Rockettes were ably augmented by the lush voices of a sextet

Country music fans came out in droves on Sunday night to see superstar duo The Judds perform at Arco Arena. The iconic mother and daughter team of Naomi and Wynonna Judd drew approximately 6,500 predominantly female fans to Arco, selling out the seating layout for this particular performance. It has been more than 10 years since the The Judds toured last, and this current outing – “The Judds: The Last Encore" – is being billed as their final reunion. The pair opened with “Had a Dream” and followed with Judds classics “Girls' Night Out” and “Love Is Alive.” Here are some photos from the show:     Naomi Judd greets a fan in the front row. Wynonna Judd Naomi Judd Photos by Steven C

Here are some of the concerts and music events happening in the Sacramento area. This weekend will be a great one with warmer than average weather. So get out and enjoy some of the festive events happening near you. For more detailed information on these events and many more go to www.eMusiConnect.com Concerts, Music Events, and The Sacramento Music Scene This Week: Through Sunday, December 26th: Sacramento Theatre Company presents A Christmas Carol at 1419 H Street in Sacramento. Shows take place Thursday - Sunday at various times. Tickets are $20 - $40. Friday, December 10th - Thursday, December 23rd: Sacramento Ballet presents The Nutcracker with music provided by the Sacramento Phil

The losing has stopped, at least for one night, as the Sacramento Kings beat the Washington Wizards 116-91 Wednesday. Jason Thompson and Beno Udrih stepped up in a big way to help snap an eight-game losing streak. Thompson finished with a double-double, scoring 22 points and grabbing 14 boards. Udrih led all Kings scorers with 23 points. The Wizards were without their top player, rookie John Wall. He was dressed and on the bench, but did not play due to foot pain. Wednesday’s game would have been the first time Wall faced his former Kentucky teammate DeMarcus Cousins. The Kings were dealing with their own injury problems. Tyreke Evans has been slowed by plantar fasciitis, which is the