From the Top Down

In the new desert architecture, style coexists with function and sustainability

Robert Julian Real Estate

You can learn much about Palm Springs architecture by simply driving around looking at rooftops.

Tough All Over

Shelby Lynne stands up for herself in music and life

Robert Julian Arts & Entertainment

“I was born to sing. That’s what I do,” she says. “I have to sing for a living. I have to write songs. And I have to help people.” Lynne has just returned to the desert after a national tour — playing 24 cities in 33 days to promote her new CD.

A Star Turn

After designing many houses for celebrities, Joseph Ambrose takes on a different kind of client: himself

Robert Julian Real Estate

A case of wine, each bottle chosen from a different vintner, greeted architect Joseph Ambrose when he arrived home after his first meeting with Rod Stewart. “The attached note said he hoped the gift would inspire me to give special attention to his project,” Ambrose recalls of the 1986 meeting.

Leaving the Crime Scene

Richard J. Lewis of CSI makes his move from television to the big screen

Robert Julian

Over the last nine years, Lewis has produced 49 and directed 45 episodes of the hit series. Seated in his modernist house at Tamarisk Country Club in Rancho Mirage, he says, “For the last year, I’ve been commuting from here to Universal City in Los Angeles, which can be a huge pain. But Palm Springs is a laid-back, nonjudgmental place where you can get away from the rat race and be who you are.”

Sister Act

Robert Julian

The two women on stage at the Indian Wells Theater execute a game of musical pingpong. Sharing the spotlight, Dela Zimmer effortlessly soars through arias, followed by her sister Elizabeth Dreyfuss, who belts out show tunes. Eventually they settle into a formalized sibling rivalry, assisted by the lyrics of Irving Berlin’s “Anything You Can Do” from Annie Get Your Gun.

No-Nonsense Compassion

Robert Julian

Judge Judy: ‘The most important thing we can do for childen is give them a sense of self-esteem.’ An off-camera conversation with Judy Sheindlin dramatically contrasts with an appearance in court before “Judge Judy.”

Macho Man

Former Village People singer Mark Lee, now a desert resident, performs a show of his own.

Robert Julian Arts & Entertainment

Now a Cathedral City resident, Lee shook his booty as a member of the Village People, whose hits included “Macho Man,” “In the Navy,” and the enduring gay anthem “YMCA.”

Calling All Filmmakers

A producer of infomercials and the VP of a Desert Hot Springs Studio are raising the profile and building a community of local women working in film and television

Robert Julian Arts & Entertainment

Many of us were disappointed last year when the television show Hidden Palms — whose pilot was shot in Palm Springs — moved to Phoenix after the show was picked up by the CW network. Although the series lasted only six weeks, those were six weeks of shooting that could have generated work for local residents who work in the