Old Hollywood Shimmers in George Hurrell Show at Laguna Art Museum

Stacy Davies kicks butt, and not just because I used to work with her several years and area codes ago (full disclosure, etc. etc., blah-blah-blah).

You might know and love her from her Sunday night "Hollywood Happening" show on Laguna Beach's fine radio station KX 93.5 (where you will believe that certain actors can actually croon a decent tune), but she's also a fine award-winning writer and art critic, and in this week's OC Weekly, she gets to expound on the new "George Hurrell: Laguna to Hollywood" show at Laguna Art Museum. From Davies' story:

"George Hurrell: Laguna to Hollywood" is a good place to start for those who aspire to Kodachromatic greatness (particularly in portraiture), as well as anyone who longs for the days when movie stars kept their private lives private and gave us what we really wanted—fantasy.

Hurrell was a product of his time and knew that turning a pretty puss or handsome heartthrob into an ethereal deity was what the public and studio demanded, but he also had an instinct about light and how to sculpt a face with shadow. All of the images in the exhibition reflect this extraordinary talent, with a few iconic renderings making his reputation as "the Rembrandt of photography" seem an understatement.

Click right here for the full review, and tune in to "The Hollywood Happening" every Sunday at 8 p.m.

"George Hurrell: Laguna to Hollywood" at the Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Dr. (949) 494-8971; www.lagunaartmuseum.org. Open Mon.-Tues. & Fri.-Sun., 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thurs., 11 a.m.- 9 p.m. Through April 28. $5-$7.