Whales

The success of last year's "Dolphin Tale"proved this theorem: Imperiled marine animals + true-ish story + workmanlike sincerity + happy ending = a hit. Will the equation hold for director Ken Kwapis' whale movie"Big Miracle"? Well. "Big Miracle" is surprisingly good, though the "surprisingly" part betrays certain low-bar expectations going in. So be it. Kwapis ("He's Just Not That Into You,""The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") exceeds those expectations handily while juggling an ambitious number of characters and agendas - and without demonizing any of them.

JAZZ Not content to simply be one of the driving forces behind the L.A. indie-jazz combo Kneebody as well as leader of his own ensemble with the knotty recent recording, "Frame," saxophonist Ben Wendel thinks small with this duo appearance with pianist Dan Tepfer. The New York-based Tepfer, who spent time paired with Lee Konitz, should be a fine foil for Wendel's genre-blind tastes given Tepfer's 2010 album "Five Pedals Deep" and last year's ambitious reworking of Bach's "Goldberg Variations.

The Bush administration on Monday gave the Navy permission to "harass" and potentially injure whales, if necessary, in conducting exercises with a powerful new sonar to hunt for super-quiet submarines. The Navy asserts that no whales will be killed by the intense underwater noise because of elaborate safety precautions.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, capitalizing on the tremendous success of their Animal Planet TV show, “ Whale Wars ,” has now taken on a new battle. With the Japanese fleet's Antarctic hunt finished for the season, the skull-and-crossbones crew have turned their attention on the Faroe Islands with a new show: “ Whale Wars: Viking Shores .” The second episode of “Viking Shores” airs Friday at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet, and the Faroese are fighting back in defense of their traditional whale hunting in unique fashion.

Re "Future of Whales' Lagoon Grows Murky," March 13: While I am no eco-terrorist, I am saddened that one of the few remaining whale breeding areas might be threatened by a salt mining concern, especially one not based in this country. I do not want to state that salt mining is wrong per se, and it may be helpful to other areas, but whales are increasingly limited and still mysterious as to their intellect and sentience. JAMES DITCHIK Woodland Hills

The success of last year's "Dolphin Tale" proved this theorem: Imperiled marine animals + true-ish story + workmanlike sincerity + happy ending = a hit. Will the equation hold for director Ken Kwapis' whale movie "Big Miracle"? Well. "Big Miracle" is surprisingly good, though the "surprisingly" part betrays certain low-bar expectations going in. So be it. Kwapis ("He's Just Not That Into You," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants") exceeds those expectations handily while juggling an ambitious number of characters and agendas — and without demonizing any of them.

The annual Dana Point Festival of Whales celebrates the 5,000-mile journey of the California gray whale down the coast. Dana Point is a natural landmark against which the whales check their migration route, and the community marks the occasion with whale watching, live music, educational programs, recreational activities and ocean-themed events. Dana Point Harbor. 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Activity schedule and prices vary; see website for details. (888) 440-4309. www.festivalofwhales.

The Peninsula Valdes nature reserve is a remote mix of mud flats, cliffs and stony beaches so rich in wildlife that UNESCO named it a World Heritage Site in 1999. In these waters off the east coast of Argentina, southern right whales thrive and orcas snack on sea lions and baby elephant seals.  Travel outfitter Adventure Life organizes five-day sea kayaking and camping trips that take travelers to see penguins, sea lions, elephant seals and, of course, whales -- up close. The trip starts and ends in Trelew, Argentina, and spends two nights camping at El 39, a beach where southern right whales are studied.

Sometimes, even bucket-list trips go on sale. Travel company Antarctic Dream is offering half-off an 11-day trip to Antarctica in November and December that features close encounters with humpback whales, leopard seals and orcas on daily Zodiac raft excursions amid blue ice and glaciers. The small-ship expedition begins and ends in Ushuaia, Argentina, then spends two days crossing Drake Passage each way. Stops include Cuverville Island, known as a rookery for Gentoo penguins; Aitcho Island; Neko Bay; Pleanu on Petermann Island; and Deception Island.

On a recent Thursday night in Hollywood, NBA player James Harden was holding court, but there wasn't a basketball in sight. The second-string guard for the Oklahoma City Thunder was partying at Roxbury, celebrating his 22nd birthday with several hundred of his closest friends. Jammed into a circular corner booth with roughly 40 others, Harden took swigs from a bottle of Patron as hip-hop music blasted and leggy ladies in short dresses filled the dance floor. The $13,000 moment came when a parade of runway-ready "bottle servers" sashayed toward his table carrying his order of 22 bottles of Moet & Chandon.

Music Led by Pakistani-born guitarist Abbasi, the Rez Abbasi Group is a band of heavy-hitting improvisers that includes New York City saxophonist David Binney attests to the global, genre-blind reach of jazz. The group's 2011 album "Sono Sono" was partly inspired by Pakistani Qawwali music, but the end result sounds equally informed by hard-edged fusion and even dashes of prog rock with ample room in between for Abbasi and company to cross borders of their own. The Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut E S. Onizuka St., Suite 301. 9 p.m. Thurs.

Travelers may think of Hawaii as the land of surfboards, sunsets and mai tais, but there's a lava flow of reasons to go beyond the beaches and discover why residents say they are lucky to live in Hawaii. And, yes, some of the state's best beaches are found on the Big Island. But don't get stuck there. Do what the locals do: Swim with the honu. There are five snorkeling areas along the Big Island's Kohala Coast: Puako Bay, Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Hapuna Beach, Mauna Kea and Mauume.

MUSIC New York City-based vocalist Kate McGarry celebrates the release of her album "Girl Talk," a tribute to the singer's "beloved jazz singer-mothers" that includes nods toward Betty Carter, Sheila Jordan and Carmen McRae. Adding to the album's distinctively contemporary spark are underlying nods toward the sexual politics of today such as on an inspired turn with Rogers and Hammerstein's "We Kiss in a Shadow. " The Blue Whale, 123 Astronaut E S Onizuka St. Suite 301, L.A. 9 p.m. Sat. $10. http://www.bluewhalemusic.com .

MUSIC An L.A. native who's been a fixture around town with the likes of Peter Erskine, Anthony Wilson and veteran trumpeter-vocalist Jack Sheldon, pianist Josh Nelson sounds poised for national prominence on his fifth album as a bandleader, "Discoveries. " Though packed with nods to the vintage sci-fi of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne, the album's sound feels grounded in the now, with rich ensemble playing and a gracefully ambitious compositional voice. Here he performs with a nimble quartet that features guitarist Larry Koonse.

A California gray whale found tangled in a fishing net off the Orange County coast swam free after a lengthy rescue over the weekend. Whale-watching boats spotted the young cetacean stranded outside Dana Point Harbor with about 50 feet of netting and rope wrapped around its flukes, or tail. With permission from the National Marine Fisheries Services, Dave Anderson of Capt. Dave's Dolphin and Whale Safari attached a buoy to the animal to monitor it overnight as a team of whale-watch crew members, wildlife rehabilitation staffers and boaters with specialized training and gear assembled for a weekend rescue attempt the next morning.

David W. Kenney, SeaWorld's first veterinarian, who played a key role in bringing the original Shamu to the San Diego amusement park as well as a gray whale believed to be the first raised by humans, died Feb. 14 in Montrose, Colo. He was 77. The cause was cancer, said his sister, Meredith Maler. Kenney was hired by the park a few weeks before its 1964 opening and over the next several years displayed an ingenuity and dedication that helped the fledgling tourist attraction build and maintain an impressive collection of marine animals.

Dana Point Festival of Whales When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday Where: Dana Point Harbor, 34624 Golden Lantern, Dana Point Cost: Prices vary for whale watching excursions. A free shuttle services all parking lots and event locations. See festival website for details. Info: (888) 440-4309, http://www.festivalofwhales.com