paul chaderjian

by Paul Chaderjian The 23rd melted into the 24th, 1915 became 2008, and I’m wide awake at the intersection of Atwater and Minneapolis in the metropolis of Los Angeles. It’s April 24 at 2:22 A.M., and I can’t sleep. It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this; this wasn’t how it was supposed to play out. Twelve hours ahead in Yerevan right now, thousands are making an annual pilgrimage to Tstitsernakaberd. But what’s the point? Later this morning, the bluetooth-wearing, 7-jeans-clad, chain-smoking young people will get into their cars and drive around with the tricolor hoisted out their windows, take over Hollywood Boulevard and then shout for justice at the Turkish Consulate on Wilshire, but what does that have to do with me? Can our genius only do this much 93 years later? U.S. proclamations, being pandered to by politicians seeking office, political speeches, and lots of songs and poetry recitations can’t bring back the dead, erase the trauma, erase the nightmare, vocalize Mun...

..two decades back, some six years before we would hear about the Internet, when big hair was fashionable and English literature was focused on apathy and indifference in the affluent America of the Reagan era, a group of young Armenians, fresh out of college, picked up their Hi8 cameras to show their community what was ravaging the homeland and what the diaspora needed to confront. There had been an earthquake, massacres in Sumgait, and talk of independence, and a weekly show called Horizon would bring these stories to KSCI TV in Los Angeles every Saturday at 5:30 P.M. courtesy of the Armenian National Committee. In those days of a somewhat lost innocence and naivety, when the sons and daughters of the diaspora were tipped that there was a homeless Armenian living on the streets of Hollywood, the would-be filmmakers and reporters took the cameras out after midnight to track down a man named Hagop. We gave him food, interviewed him as if he was an exotic animal in a zoo, then reporte...

....and Boghos Kupelian takes a swig of the Armenian brandy and congratulates the three dozen young Armenians gathered on the second-floor office of the former Atwater Village, California, warehouse that has served as the temporary office of the West Coast Bureau of the Armenian Reporter. The occasion is a visit from our editor Vincent Lima from Yerevan. I have invited the sixty-plus active contributors to the Reporter to come, meet up, chat, and enjoy lahmejune and boregs and tahn from Sassoun Bakery . . . and brandy. The latter was the idea of Boghos’s son Roger Kupelian. As I walk from one friendly face to another, it dawns on me that not only have we just finished producing the first year of an exceptionally interesting, avant-garde Armenian newspaper, but we have actually engaged young Armenians to participate in something uniquely Armenian. Thanks to the leadership of the newspaper’s owner and the support of our growing circle of subscribers and advertisers, we have reached ...

-- Hye Riders Set Example of Charity and Outreach By Paul Chaderjian PASADENA, Calif. – The appetizing aroma from skewered kebobs barbequed over an open flame, a giant and inviting bounce-house for kids, loud Armenian music and nearly two dozen powerful and picture-perfect Harley-Davidson motorcycles greeted supporters of the annual Hye Riders motorcycle club toy drive. "We heard about what they’re doing," says Sam Kartounian, " and we figured it would be a great way for us to support this small niche in the Armenian community. I think it’s really commendable what they’re actually doing, being that the whole image of bikers is kind of stepping out of the whole realm of what Armenian society dictates." Throughout the sunny Sunday afternoon, Armenians from all over Southern California, Armenian, Hispanic and African-American bikers and their families -- as well as those simply wanting to enjoy a good Armenian picnic -- stopped by the Pasadena Armenian Community...

** Frank dialogue with one of the brightest stars in entertainment * The secrets of her success, her visit to Armenia, her childhood, and her new gig by Paul Chaderjian BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Seven nights before the giant presses in Gardena, California, or Westwood, New Jersey, printed these black letters on the paper that is in your hands now, the writer of this article had writer's block. After all, how does one come up with the perfect opening sentence of an Armenian Reporter cover story about Cher, a modern-day legend? She's a superstar with more than four decades of staying power. She has sold more than 100 million albums and is an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy, and Golden Globe-winning performer. She has starred in movies and on television and has directed; she has been known for her tastes in fashion and men. Her life and her loves have been chronicled by media around the world. And now, entering her sixth decade of life, she is making a comeba...

--> “Express yourself” by Paul Chaderjian Many of us are always trying to find a meaning or reasons for how life unfolds. It's human nature to ask why, especially when it comes to our raison d’etre. While many may believe in the Chaos Theory, the Butterfly Effect, or Existentialism, I take my cues from others who come into my world to introduce new ideas, new ways of thinking, or to challenge what I know or how I see things. In each impossible situation, difficult personality, or life hurdle, I look for the windows that open when a door is slammed in my life. In each work of art, entertainment, or news story I encounter, I note the messages and ideas that speak to my heart. I find inspiration in and ideas from events that may seem circumstantial but indeed may be the illumination of the path we are individually supposed to take to make the collective journey that I believe was predestined. I decided to write this prologue because of an “Aha!” mome...

Evening marks the release of 31-song Sayat Nova set and children’s DVD  By Paul Chaderjian   GLENDALE, Calif. – In front of the black backdrop of the stage, a spotlight from above illuminates the pianist and the piano. The beige and-brown grand piano is a Petrof; the suit-clad pianist is none other than one of the culture’s shining stars: Armen Babakhanian.  This performance, this evening – celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Hamazkayin Music Committee – has the audience of nearly 300 mesmerized. “Excellent, excellent, excellent,” says Rita Demirjian, a supporter of the arts and a community activist. “I always have high expectations from the Hamazkayin, but tonight’s program went beyond my expectations.”  This story begins two decades ago when the Western United States Executive Board of the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society created its music committee. The goal was to document and promote Armenian music by publishing and recording mus...