Hong Kong

Burroughs Powerhouse show choir is making an appearance this week in China after being invited by the government to participate in its new year parade. Powerhouse was invited by the Chinese government to perform as one of 12 international groups in its Chinese New Year parade in Hong Kong, Jennifer Oundjian said in an e-mail. “We just got back to the hotel after performing in the Chinese New Year Parade!” Oundjian said. “It was an electric night! 100,000 people on route of the parade and televised all over China with 7 million viewers alone in just Hong Kong!

The Beijing Olympics wasn?t the only event in recent weeks in China to inspire sold-out crowds and international enthusiasm. The Los Angeles Children?s Chorus ? which involves 61 youths from across the Los Angeles area, including about a dozen from the Foothills ? recently returned from a two-week pre-Olympic tour to China. While in China, the young people performed with the Stanford University Symphony Orchestra, in a collaboration conducted by Beijing native Jindong Caii. Chorus members also traveled to various historic landmarks and performed to appreciative crowds across the country.

Claudia Peschiutta GLENDALE -- As a girl, Jojoe Zee knew there was something different about the boy who would one day become her husband. Paul Zee was vocal. "That's very rare for Asian young people because we are taught not to talk too much," Jojoe said. That's what made her parents and friends question her attraction to Zee. That's also what made her fall for him. "My friends would say, 'Why do you like him,' and I would say, 'Because he can really make me happy when he speaks,' " Jojoe said.

Karen S. Kim LA CRESCENTA -- Assemblywoman Carol Liu (D-La Crescenta) will participate in 2001 China Expo-USA's grand opening ceremony Dec. 7 in Los Angeles. The ceremony will include a ribbon cutting, speeches and the unveiling of a new Chinese commemorative "Year of the Horse" stamp by the U.S. Postal Service. More than 100,000 people are expected to visit the 500 booths of the exposition, which runs from Dec. 7 to 9 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

Wu -- Simpson Former Glendale resident Crystal M. Wu and Bryan M. Simpson exchanged wedding vows at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz. Pastor Charles White officiated. Crystal is the daughter of Ronald and Georgiana Wu of Glendale. She graduated in 1996 from Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena and from Georgetown University in 2000 with a degree in international business and marketing. She is an account executive in menswear for Gucci. Crystal was a Ticktocker with the National Charity League, Glendale Chapter from 1990 to '96 and served as its president in 1996.

The Walt Disney Co. and its Marvel Studios subsidiary said Monday that "Iron Man 3" will be a co-production with China, as the Burbank company teamed with DMG Entertainment of Beijing to co-finance and distribute the film. Robert Downey, Jr., Gwynneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will return for the third movie in the hit franchise, whose two films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide and $42.8 million between them in China. The third installment of the movie will be directed by Shane Black unlike the first two installments which were directed by Jon Favreau.

Tim Willert LA CRESCENTA -- Kimberly Goffredo began her voyage around the world in Vancouver, B.C., in August. By the time her ship docked in Havana, more than three months later, the 20-year-old La Crescenta resident had visited Japan, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam, India, Singapore, South Africa and Brazil for the first time. "It was the most amazing learning experience," said Goffredo, who returned home Dec. 10. "I don't think I realized how much I changed while I was gone.

by Lynn Duvall East meets West in Local Family Home (Out of respect for an elder of the family profiled today, I have withheld a few details in this column, including the family's surname.) One day I received an e-mail from Rowena, a La Cañada mom, who urged me to try a restaurant in Pasadena. She said her two boys just loved the food. I gave it a whirl and liked the food, too. I was surprised when I saw the menu because the dishes were authentic Afghanistan fare. It seemed like an adventurous restaurant choice for a typical American family.

David Silva o7 This is the first of a two-part column.f7 "Greetings from Peshawar." Although the Instant Message that flashed across my screen almost made me drop my coffee cup in my lap, I shouldn't have been surprised. The message was from Laura Winter, who used to work with me as a reporter for the Foothill Leader, the News-Press' sister paper. Laura always had a fascination with "being there" -- with being on hand when history was in the making.

The Walt Disney Co. and its Marvel Studios subsidiary said Monday that "Iron Man 3" will be a co-production with China, as the Burbank company teamed with DMG Entertainment of Beijing to co-finance and distribute the film. Robert Downey, Jr., Gwynneth Paltrow and Don Cheadle will return for the third movie in the hit franchise, whose two films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide and $42.8 million between them in China. The third installment of the movie will be directed by Shane Black unlike the first two installments which were directed by Jon Favreau.

Burroughs Powerhouse show choir is making an appearance this week in China after being invited by the government to participate in its new year parade. Powerhouse was invited by the Chinese government to perform as one of 12 international groups in its Chinese New Year parade in Hong Kong, Jennifer Oundjian said in an e-mail. “We just got back to the hotel after performing in the Chinese New Year Parade!” Oundjian said. “It was an electric night! 100,000 people on route of the parade and televised all over China with 7 million viewers alone in just Hong Kong!

GLENDALE — Byron Alder was sure he would not recover his vintage camera lens. His wife was positive that earrings she lost during a recent home invasion robbery were gone for good. But the Alders, along with about 1,000 other residents from around Southern California, were ecstatic to find their belongings Saturday displayed across a series of tables and rooms at the Crescenta Valley Sheriff’s Station. The display was made possible by the Sept. 26 arrest of Jeffrey Parcell and Tobias Reyes, who allegedly ransacked more than 20 homes in a more than 12-month span in La Crescenta, Glendale, Artesia and other cities, Det. Rodger Burt said.

The Beijing Olympics wasn?t the only event in recent weeks in China to inspire sold-out crowds and international enthusiasm. The Los Angeles Children?s Chorus ? which involves 61 youths from across the Los Angeles area, including about a dozen from the Foothills ? recently returned from a two-week pre-Olympic tour to China. While in China, the young people performed with the Stanford University Symphony Orchestra, in a collaboration conducted by Beijing native Jindong Caii. Chorus members also traveled to various historic landmarks and performed to appreciative crowds across the country.

by Lynn Duvall East meets West in Local Family Home (Out of respect for an elder of the family profiled today, I have withheld a few details in this column, including the family's surname.) One day I received an e-mail from Rowena, a La Cañada mom, who urged me to try a restaurant in Pasadena. She said her two boys just loved the food. I gave it a whirl and liked the food, too. I was surprised when I saw the menu because the dishes were authentic Afghanistan fare. It seemed like an adventurous restaurant choice for a typical American family.

Glendale's Alex Theatre welcomes The National Acrobats of Taiwan, the foremost practitioners of traditional dramatic folk arts, in its third U.S. tour. This celebrated troupe, led by artistic director Lo Jih-Hung, will grace the Alex Theatre stage with an awe-inspiring blend of comedy, dance, magic, and martial prowess on Jan. 29 beginning at 8 p.m. Extraordinary family entertainment suitable for adults and children of all ages, the program features a troupe of 35 world-class master clowns and jugglers exhibiting astounding movements, endless creativity and spectacular choreography.

Sgt. Jake Roenick (Ethan Hawke) is hiding out from himself in Detroit's decrepit Precinct 13. The lone survivor of a drug bust gone homicidally wrong, Jake seeks little more than to finish closing down the precinct and moving on to a quiet new desk job. On New Year's Eve, the precinct's final night, Jake and his skeletal staff plan for little more than a booze-fueled celebration. That plan changes abruptly with the unexpected arrival of Detroit's public enemy No. 1: Marion Bishop (Laurence Fishburne)

Wu -- Simpson Former Glendale resident Crystal M. Wu and Bryan M. Simpson exchanged wedding vows at The Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz. Pastor Charles White officiated. Crystal is the daughter of Ronald and Georgiana Wu of Glendale. She graduated in 1996 from Westridge School for Girls in Pasadena and from Georgetown University in 2000 with a degree in international business and marketing. She is an account executive in menswear for Gucci. Crystal was a Ticktocker with the National Charity League, Glendale Chapter from 1990 to '96 and served as its president in 1996.

David Silva o7 This is the first of a two-part column.f7 "Greetings from Peshawar." Although the Instant Message that flashed across my screen almost made me drop my coffee cup in my lap, I shouldn't have been surprised. The message was from Laura Winter, who used to work with me as a reporter for the Foothill Leader, the News-Press' sister paper. Laura always had a fascination with "being there" -- with being on hand when history was in the making.