I've been a bit behind bringing you photos from the world's Fashion Week runways. So here's a roundup of some of the crazy looking clothes being sent down the runways in Paris, London and Madrid this week. We'll start with the men: Fellas, it's not getting much better for you.
A "Sesame Street" parody of "Mad Men"? Sure, why not?
It's never too early to introduce children to betrayal, self-loathing, excessive smoking, using scotch to solve emotional problems, patting a buxom secretary on the ass after a job well done, and the joy of keeping your job after your new boss loses his foot in a freak riding lawn mower incident.
Like the famous crackhead singer Whitney Houston once said, teach them well and let them lead the way.
You know what's weird? This actor was in a pretty successful movie this year, was on a T.V. show that I actually watch, and has been in the gossip rags quite a bit recently, and yet I still didn't recognize him in this picture.
What say you? Can you guess who he is without cheating like a big, dumb cheater? Put your best guess in the comments section.
Looks like The Lamp Post is the place to be on this Wednesday evening. Its weekly night has turned into quite a variety of local entertainment from week to week. Tonight, you can check out local bands Beastmaker and Robots Love Thrash.
I'll also recommend checkin' out Tower TV at 6 p.m. today on Central Valley Talk, as they'll be discussing the Re:FUSE Festival with our pal Famous Whitewater.
I'm pounding out stories today for Friday's 7 section and Sunday's Spotlight section, but even if I didn't have a few thousand words due in a matter of hours, I'd still be scratching my head trying to figure out what to post on the Hive today. It just seems kind of, well, blah out there. (Maybe I'm just glum and pessimistic after watching last night's screening of Michael Moore's "Capitalism: A Love Story," which opens Friday in Fresno.) So I'm turning this over to you. What do you care about today? What piques your interest? What news/entertainment events are you following? How would you cheer up the world?
UPDATE 4:05 pm: Wow, lots of Civil War fans. We got our ten commenters, and then some. Emails are going out to the winners: Nileen Clark and Kristina Hillman. Thanks for playing.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: It's the 20th anniversary this weekend of the annual "Civil War Revisited" festivities at Kearney Park, which have turned into quite a big deal for the reenactment crowd. (It's the largest Civil War event on the West Coast.) More than 30,000 people are expected this year. We here at the Beehive have EIGHT tickets to give away free to this event, which takes place Saturday and Sunday and is sponsored by the Fresno City and County Historical Society.
Here's how it'll work: We'll give a pack of four tickets to the THIRD commenter on this post and another pack of four tickets to the TENTH commenter. These tickets normally go for $10 each. You have to pick up the tickets at the Bee's front lobby by 5 p.m. Friday. Please remember: No multiple entries are allowed. We won't publish comments until we have a winner. Rules are on the jump.
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"Glee," 9 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): Fresh off her Emmy win for her work in "Pushing Daisies," Kristin Chenoweth guest stars as a former student recruited to help give the glee club more of an edge. The plan seems to be working until Will (Matthew Morrison) realizes he may be losing a key member of the club. So far the Fox Network series has had some real highs and lows. Chenoweth is such a ball of energy and dazzling singer you can count on some highlights tonight.
Also tonight: The series debut of "Hank" at 8 p.m. and "The Middle" at 8:30 p.m. on KFSN (Channel 30.1).
For one of its final shows before closing its current location, Zapp's Park is going out in style. And by "in style" we mean loud, energetic and possibly offensive. But that's Zapp's Park for ya. A bunch of a punk bands -- including one we really like -- will be cranking up the volume. According to its calendar, this is the second to last show at Zapp's, which is hoping to move to a larger venue in the coming months.
So I'm looking for a list of the Big Fresno Fair's food events, and I see this on the fair's web site: Toilet Paper Freestyle Contest.
You can imagine the thoughts that ran through my mind based on that title.
What's your version of the Toilet Paper Freestyle Contest? Submit all ideas -- the more outlandish the better -- in the comments. I'll reveal the contest details later today.
CONTEST DETAILS: The contest is simple: Young children have to unravel a roll of toilet paper as quickly as possible. It's not as exciting as making wedding dresses out of toilet paper, but the contest still is a crowd pleaser.
[photo source: UGO]
Wow, it's one of those weekends in Fresno. You know, where there are so many cool music events happening that you wish you had 12 ears instead of two.
Here's a guide to some of the top stuff, but feel free to add whatever else you know to be happening in the comments.
RE:FUSE FESTIVAL
The Fresno Urban Sound Experience Festival is back for another year -- this year as the Re:FUSE Festival (thanks to a little legal wrangling with Fuse TV). But let's forget about the name and focus on the music -- there are more than 40 local artists performing at the festival this year, which starts with a preview night on Friday at Full Circle Brewing Co., continues all around downtown Fresno on Saturday then caps off Saturday night with an afterparty at Tokyo Garden.
There's a DJ lounge this year at The Loft, which should be super fresh. There's also some cool new venues, like Hero's, Club One and -- most awesome -- atop the spiral parking garage. The musical selections are all over the place, ranging from jazz and blues, to punk, rap and ska. And $15 gets you into everything. More info and the full band list is here. More good Re:FUSE reading can be found here.
"The National Parks: America's Best Idea" 8 p.m. KVPT (Channel 18.1): Ken Burns' six-part documentary series continues with "The Empire of Grandeur" (1915-1919) an episode that looks at when the dozen national parks were under the supervision of different federal agencies. To fix the problem, the government establishes a unified agency to oversee all the parks: the National Park Service in 1916. Stephen Mather, the first director, is a businessman and parks advocate, makes a push to get more visitors to the parks. The series continues through Friday.
TV note: The CW series "The Beautiful Life: TBL" is the first new show to get canceled. Only two episodes aired.
Wanna see the unprofessionalism of a local concert promoter in action? Behold.
SCENARIO: Local show promoter Faddafigga sends a MySpace message to local band Down Word, asking if they can play a gig. Down Word politely declines, saying it doesn't want to play too many shows in a certain week. Simple enough, right? Nope.
THE RESULT: Mr. Faddafigga acts like a complete d-bag, getting more profane and more illogical by the reply. Along the way, he disses Down Word, the Re:FUSE Festival, Jerry's Pizza in Bakersfield. Here's the whole rundown. Warning: Foul Language.
MY TAKE: Want to know what's wrong with the local music scene? Promoters like this guy. Promoters who think that whatever they're doing is better than what someone else is doing. Promoters who don't see that a music scene is not made up of one person or one show, but of many moving parts, all of which deserve respect and attention. Here's hoping whoever invited this guy to help with Re:FUSE Fest asks him to stay away.
I'm wondering if anyone in the New York media has managed to track down the offending cell-phone ringer at Broadway's "A Steady Rain." Hugh Jackman, who was interrupted by the ringing phone, asked the owner to turn it off. Then, in one of those mortifying moments that felt as if it'd last forever, no one in the audience moved to shut it off, prompting Jackman's co-star, Daniel Craig, to break in and demand that someone silence the stupid thing. The irony is that the incident appeared to be captured with crude video by someone else with another cell-phone camera who was surreptitiously filming the performance:
I could imagine the New York Post, say, or maybe Gawker, fingering the culprit, publishing his or her photo and letting the hate begin.
I'm curious what local actors and audience members think about Jackman pausing to deal with the transgressor. Certainly, there come times in theater performances when the action has to be stopped -- if someone is stricken in the audience, for example, or if there is an accident on stage. Does an annoying ring count as enough of a reason to break the sacrosanct Fourth Wall? (Granted, Jackman did seem to stay in character in terms of accent/delivery.) I think that as a theatergoer, at least, I would have liked to see the actors simply stop and wait until the phone stopped ringing. That way, at least, there wouldn't be such a jolt to the dialogue.
What do you think?
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If your answer to that question is "really fast," then consider testing your pizza-eating chops Sunday at Me-n-Ed's first pizza eating contest happening at Victory Grill. It's sorta like the hot dog eating contest held at Coney Island Grill in July -- expect this is part of a big celebration for National Pizza Month, which is October.
Here's more info from the Me-n-Ed's peeps:
The contest will be held on Sunday, October 4, 2009, starting at 4:00 pm at Me-n-Ed's Victory Grill. We're taking the first 50 contestants to show us what they've got. That means YOU! So, act fast, time is running out for your chance to win the title of Me-n-Ed's Fastest Pizza Eater of the Year and some great prizes. If you don't think YOU can finish a whole pizza, recruit someone you know to compete and come support them!
Maybe I'm experiencing some mid-life regression, but I am super excited for Halloween this year. Although it's a little too early to start celebrating, I've already been to two Halloween stores (have yet to buy anything, though: can't decide between Slutty Hermione Granger and Slutty Goddess Athena), watched a couple of horror movies, and spent a fun evening communing with demons via Ouija board (calm down, believers -- the new Parker Brothers glow-in-the-dark version is less about evil and more about finding out if that cute boy in Biology class likes you; a different kind of evil, some would say).
With my new Halloween spirit in place, I'm happy to see that even Jane Austen is getting in on the act this year, albeit against her will. Quirk Classics, the company that brought us Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, this month has released Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, Austen's book about the down-on-their-luck Dashwood sisters, with a little sea monster action thrown in.
I've been known to be something of a hater. In fact, if you asked certain people, they might tell you that I have a list of people I hate. This may or may not be true.
What is true is that I'm far too nice of a person to truly hate anyone that I know in real life -- or even follow on Twitter. Most of my hate is reserved for famous people who don't even know I exist and offer very little chance of actual conflict.
Today my hate is raging for a certain Wrangler-wearing, Sears-shopping dude:
From a reader:
I wonder how much money cash-strapped California is spending to chase Roman Polanski around Europe?
Well, here we are on another Monday morning. How was your weekend? Mine was, as usual, pretty low-key:
FRIDAY: Pool at the Brig, followed by karaoke at Tokyo Garden and a trip to the finally-open Tower Dogs. Anyone try the Last Call dog?
SATURDAY: Finally got around to seeing "Inglourious Basterds" (oh Brad Pitt, you do amuse), and then got into the Halloween spirit, visiting the Halloween Express store, then watching Rob Zombie's "Halloween" and Sam Raimi's "Drag Me to Hell." One of these films is a fun, over-the-top fright fest, the other is Rob Zombie's "Halloween."
SUNDAY: Intended to spend the day making pumpkin-y treats: sweet and spicy toasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin soup ... alas, the Save Mart by my house does not yet carry pumpkins. Instead, I settled for a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks as I watched an amazing "Mad Men" episode (second week in a row!).
Soooo... what did I miss besides Septemberfest Oktoberfest and the Philharmonic?
"Lie To Me," 9 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): The second season of the Fox drama opens with an investigation of a murder where the only witness isn't that reliable. It will be up to Dr. Cal Lightman (Tim Roth) and his team to determine the truth. New executive producer Shawn Ryan is promising some changes this year to the series inspired by the true story os a psychologist who can read clues in the face, body and voice to tell when a person is lying. The changes this season to "Lie To Me" will be a boost to the energy of the story lines and the addition of Mekhi Phifer to the cast. Ryan previously worked on the dramas "The Shield" and "The Unit."
Also tonight: The NBC series "Trauma" debuts at 9 p.m. on KSEE (Channel 24.1)
The Fresno Philharmonic kicks off the 2009-10 season Saturday and Sunday, and we'd like to hear what you thought of the performance. Was the Ansel Adams multimedia component effective for you? How was the audience? What kind of impression did guest soloist Shannon Lee leave on you? Submit your review as a comment on this post.
If you look in Friday's 7 section, there's hardly any presence for the musical "Fame": no review, not even a display ad. Just our little "opening today" listing. For a film that's been hyped over the past few weeks with lots of national commercials and talk-show plugs, it's a little suspicious, right?
You bet.
"Fame" wasn't screened for critics until the last minute in limited markets, and the studio blew off Fresno completely. There weren't any wire reviews available in time to run in 7, which is why we'll be running our review in Saturday's Life section. No surprises here: The Miami Herald's review, which we're using, gives the film a "D."
Something tells me this version of the film isn't going to live forever.
Joan already filled you in on Oktoberfest -- hey, isn't Sunday's event in the Tower District jumping the gun? Should it be "Septemberfest," and, if so, is it breaking the rules to hold a German-themed beer fest in a month without a "K"? -- but it's worth a reminder.
What else do people have planned this weekend?
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When it comes to making classical music accessible for high-school-age kids, it's hard to think of a better ambassador than violinist Shannon Lee. She was just 12 when she soloed with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. Now 17, she's one of the music world's hot young players, and she's here to share her stuff with Fresno when she performs Saturday and Sunday with the Philharmonic. This morning she made a special visit to Bullard Talent to play for students. I asked Bob Bullwinkel, visual and performing arts coordinator for the county education office, to describe the scene. He writes:
The performance this morning was great! Packed house and incredible playing ... . Lee performed a "Concerto for Kids" that included Schubert's Erlkoenig and Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumble Bee, both of which fascinated the young audience members and showcased Lee's technical virtuosity.
Lee will play the Glazunov Violin Concerto in the Phil's opening concert, which I wrote about in Friday's 7 cover story. For more of Bullwinkel's description of Lee's school concert, continue to the jump.
Here's the tease to the Fresno Grizzlies and Parker's off-season shenanigans:
This ad is creating some controversy. What do you think?
Film
"Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs": The catalyst of chaos is Flint Lockwood (voiced by Bill Hader). He's spent his entire life trying to invent something to help the world. Spray-on shoes seemed like a good idea until he discovered there was no way to remove them. The film is like the perfect gourmet meal. It is visually stunning and only gets better once you sample it. "Cloudy" is so good, it will leave you wanting seconds.
DVD
"Ghosts of Girlfriends Past": A committed bachelor (Matthew McConaughey) faces his past dating practices. This is the movie's biggest problem. The Charles Dickens structure has been used in numerous TV and film projects by characters played by everyone from Bill Murray to Mr. Magoo. "Ghost of Girlfriends Past" ends up being a pale spectre of a romantic comedy because of the movie's too-familiar structure and McConaughey's casting. It gets just enough jolt of comedy from a solid supporting cast to give it some life.
TV
"Mad Men": Followiing the show's second consecutive Emmy Award win for Outstanding Drama Series, AMC will broadcast a Season 3 marathon starting at 10 a.m. Sunday. The marathon will feature the first six episodes of the series including: "Out of Town," "Love Among the Ruins," "My Old Kentucky Home," "The Arrangements," "The Fog," and "Guy Walks Into an Advertising Agency."
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"Smallville" 8 p.m. KFRE (Channel 59.1): Clark Kent and "Smallville" are going through some changes for tonight's ninth season opener. Clark, wearing a big S emblem as part of his black ensemble, is on the verge of accepting his place as Earth's hero. Unless something dramatic happens, this will be the year Clark officially becomes Superman - right now he's only known as the red-blue blur - and moves closer to the character who has been saving the day for 80 years in comic books, films and other TV shows. Tonight's episode digs into the Superman mythology with a group from the Kryptonian city of Kandor and a tough opponent for Clark Kent.
Also tonight
KGPE (Channel 47.1) has the CBS season openers for "Ghost Whisperer" at 8 p.m., "Medium" at 9 p.m. and "Numbers" at 10 p.m. The season opener for NBC's "Law & Order" is at 8 p.m. on KSEE (Channel 24.1).
The second season of the Fox drama "Dollhouse" begins at 9 p.m. on KMPH (Channel 26.1). The only new series debut tonight is the 8 p.m. launch of the Fox comedy "Brothers" on (KMPH, Channel 26.1).
Remember that episode of "The Office" where Michael felt left out of Jan's woman's seminar, so he kept lurking around the conference room, disrupting the meeting?
How about the one where Dwight scoped out Oscar's house because he thought he was faking illness?
And the one where Michael lied to David Wallace about the Golden Ticket idea and then tried to take it back? And the one where Dwight took off too fast in his car, crashed into a fence and hit his head on the dashboard?
You do? Good. Then we don't have to talk about last night's episode, because it was basically just a rehash of all that, minus the comedy.
I've already told you about the Lindsay Brewfest and Central San Joaquin Valley Brewers' Oktoberfest, so here are some other places to drink and dine:
Restaurant Week Fresno -- until October 9
With 17 restaurants offering inexpensive, three-course menus, it takes a while to work your way through Restaurant Week Fresno. Reminder: Add your reviews here.
Bring-Your-Own-Wine Dinner at Fleming's -- Friday
Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar is offering free corkage with its $45 three-course meal. (Tax and tip is not included.)
All-You-Can-Eat Pancakes -- Saturday
The San Joaquin River Parkway & Conservation Trust will host a sausage-and-pancake breakfast at the River Center. The breakfast takes place 8-10:30 a.m. Proceeds benefit River Center community education programs.
Mariposa Agri-Nature Trail -- Saturday and Sunday
As part of the trail, Chappell Winery will host wine tastings. Join the grape stomps at 2-4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. JJ's Breads will hold a bread-baking demonstration and tasting 10-11 a.m. Sunday. Details are at the bottom of my column.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m.: We have an email out to our third commenter. Thanks for playing!
ORIGINAL ENTRY: This should be a popular event: The Fresno Philharmonic, in conjunction with the Stockton and Sacramento orchestras, commissioned jazz icon Dave Brubeck and his son Chris to write a piece titled "Ansel Adams: America." The orchestra will play the piece as more than 100 Adams images, among them his famous Yosemite shots, are projected overhead. Also on the program is Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and young wonder soloist Shannon Lee, who will perform Glazunov's Violin Concerto. I have a cover story about the concert and the upcoming season in Friday's issue of 7.
I have TWO orchestra tickets (row K) to give away to the 8 p.m. Saturday concert at the Saroyan Theatre. I'll give them to the THIRD commenter on this post. You have to pick up the tickets at the Bee's front lobby by 5 p.m. Friday. Please remember: No multiple entries are allowed. We won't publish comments until we have a winner. Rules are on the jump.
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Back when "Smallville" launched on what was then the WB Network, executive producer Alfred Gough promised "no flights, no tights." That was when the series was about a family trying to raise a special needs son. The new "Smallville" has opened the way for the producers to at least cheat a little on their promises. The slow change of direction can be seen when the season opener airs at 8 p.m. Friday on KFRE (Channel 59.1).
The series and Clark Kent (Tom Welling) have grown up over the years. Ma (Annette O'Toole) and Pa (John Schneider) Kent are a distant memory. So is Clark's first love Lana Lang (Kristin Kreuk) and arch nemesis Lex Luther (Michael Rosenbaum). They have been replaced by Clark's efforts to juggle a human life with the heroic expectations placed upon him.
Clark doesn't slip into the bright red-blue-yellow suit but dresses more like another comic book character, The Punisher. A big S emblem is on the front of the dark shirt he wears as part of his black ensemble. There's no cape, but the long coat does flap in the wind as Clark stands overlooking the crime-filled world of Metropolis.
As for the flight, Clark has leaped a few tall buildings over the years. Now he's pressing his Kryptonian father, Jor-El, to teach him some flying maneuvers.You can bet that will happen this year.
The series continues to grow especially in the area of the Superman mythology. Friday's season opener introduces a group from the city of Kandor and the Oct. 8 episode brings Metallo (Brian Austin Green). It is a little odd to see Green go from "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" where he fought robots to a character that is as much machine as he is man.
If the rest of the season goes the way of these first two episodes, this will be the year that Clark officially become Superman - he's only known as the red-blue blur now - and moves closer to the character who has been saving the day for 80 years. If the producers have to go back on their promises, that's OK as long as the series continues to grow.
Just a quick reminder: Elizabeth, Gypsy, Kiani and Serafino Wesson, plus local television news reporter Alysia Sofios, are scheduled to be guests on the "Dr. Phil" show to air at 3 p.m. on KSEE (Channel 24.1).
Their appearance comes after the release of "Where Hope Begins" (Pocket Books), the book Sofios wrote about her relationship with the family since the murder of nine family members more than five years ago.
The show taped Wednesday.
If you're a beer lover, you'll want to check out my story for a list of fall festivals and events hosted by local brewers. They start this weekend with the Lindsay Brewfest and the Central Valley Craft Brewers' Oktoberfest.
As you well know, these aren't the only places to drink in the Valley. If you have a favorite beer-drinking spot, drop it in the comments -- and tell us what to order.
One place that should make that list is BC's Pizza & Beer in Clovis, where 22 beers are on tap, and about 80 others are in bottles.
Today is a good time to go there: In honor of Guinness' 250th anniversary, BC's is selling a commemorative pint glass filled with your choice of Guinness beers, and a T-shirt for $12. (Skip the T-shirt, and you'll pay $7 for the glass and the beer.)
Also ask BC about the current Oktoberfest special that lasts throughout October: $15 will buy you a T-shirt and a glass filled with your choice of 6-8 German beers. There also are a variety of glasses: a Pilsner glass, a half-liter stein and 20-ounce Oktoberfest glasses.
[photo credit: John Walker, The Fresno Bee]
UPDATE: So, I got word this morning, that people really got behind the "Bra Banner" and the organizers have too many bras. In fact, they have so many that they ran out of room on the canvas banner and had to add extra canvas. It apparently is really heavy and looks fabulous, but if they take any more bras it would be impossible to hang. So, if you were planning to decorate a bra, or if you just want to help in another way, you can buy tickets to the Pink Show or participate in another Breast Cancer Awareness Month event.
ORIGINAL POST: This is one of the coolest fundraisers I've seen: Art meets the brassiere.
It's all part of The Pink Show, an annual event for breast-cancer awareness and other women's issues organized by local artist/photographer Cynthia Manuszak. This year's event is a benefit concert Oct. 3 at the Tower Theatre, which will feature performances by Patrick Contreras, Steve Ono, Lance Canales and Martin Virmontes, plus lots of other stuff. Tickets are $20 and available from the Tower Theatre Box Office.
The water issue is getting lots of attention these days, of course, and my "McEwen vs. Hannity" post earlier this week continues to draw comments from both ends of the political spectrum. The latest development: Several Fresno State students say they were kicked out of the Bulldogs-Boise State football game because they were holding up signs supporting west-side farmers. Bee reporter George Hostetter has the story in today's paper, and columnist Matt James weighs in on the issue.
One thing that seemed to irk university officials, it seems, was the students' decision to wear black T-shirts reading "got water?" (someone donated 1,000 of them) instead of the white ones requested by Coach Hill. One commenter pointed out that the shirts were made in Nicaragua. Yet one more example of the complexity of this issue.
Bee photo: Darrell Wong
Shock rocker Alice Cooper is bringing his "Theatre of Death" tour -- that promises "unbelievable thrills and chills" -- to the Saroyan Theatre on Tuesday, Oct. 27. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show is at 8 p.m.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Monday and cost $39.75 and $49.75. Tickets are available at all Ticketmaster locations and at the Fresno Convention & Entertainment Center Box Office.
Cooper last performed in Fresno in October 2007. His last album, "Along Came a Spider," was released in 2008.
"FlashForward" 8 p.m. KFSN (Channel 301.): Be warned. This recommendation comes with a catch. If you watch the first episode of "FlashForward," you will be hooked. What gets you is the mystery of how everyone on the planet can pass out at the same instant and awaken two minutes and 17 seconds later, having seen a glimpse of their future. Is this a real glimpse or only one possible future? The series opener has production values of a major motion picture. The scenes of devastation created by the everyone passing out in the middle of their daily routines is one of the most incredible scenes ever produced for a TV show. This is not just a show about big action scenes. The solid cast includes Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Peyton List, Dominic Monaghan and Courtney B. Vance. Watch the series opener at your own risk.
Also tonight: The season opener of "Grey's Anatomy," is 9 p.m. on KFSN (Channel 30.1) while the season opener of "CSI" is at 9 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47.1). "The Mentalist" moves to its new day and time at 10 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47.1).
UPDATE 11 am: Our winner is Whitney Saubert. Thanks for playing!
ORIGINAL ENTRY: Last week it was a chance to win free tickets to Falltini on the Beehive. Now it's time for ROCKSTIR, an outdoor event Saturday (6-10 p.m., RiverView Shopping Center, Friant & Fort Washington roads) featuring live music, a fashion show, food vendor booths and a full bar. This is a 21-plus event. Admission is $25 presale, $30 at the door, which includes two drink tickets. A portion of proceeds benefit The Shakers non-profit organization.
I have TWO tickets (a $50 value) to give away to a Beehive reader. The FIFTH commenter on this post will score the tickets. Two FYIs: No multiple entries are allowed. We won't publish comments until we have the winner. If you're the winner, you'll need to be able to pick up your tickets by 4 p.m. Friday at the ASTONE office in downtown Fresno, 2300 Tulare St., Suite 210.
Rules are on the jump.
Starline reports: LIVE AMBIENCE includes an eclectic mix of artists such as Lil Wayne, Radiohead and Nina Simone. Performed by lowsheen, LIVE AMBIENCE is a show that combines indie, hip-hop, rock and pop tracks with live vocals and drums. It's a cross between a DJ and live band with lights and video added to enhance the show. Familiar songs are presented in a fresh way along with original material.
And as the following images of a drought-induced dust storm in Sydney, Australia, show, she's clearly going out in gorgeous and deadly glorious style.
I have many friends who count "The Wizard Of Oz" as their favorite movie (it scared the crap out of me as a kid) and who will be thrilled to snatch up a copy of the new Blu-ray edition of the movie coming out Tuesday. For those who want to get a jump -- and be part of a one-night marketing event -- you can see the remastered version tonight on the big screen.
For $10, you can catch the movie at 7 p.m. at Edwards Fresno Stadium 22 at River Park and at Main Place Stadium Cinema in Merced.
I can't make tonight's showing (going to piano lessons), but it sounds like fun. It marks the film's 70th anniversary and also features behind-the-scenes footage, home movies and archival interviews with the cast and crew.
The last time I watched Oz was at a laser-light show where they played "Dark Side of The Moon" over the beginning of the movie. It was cool and a lot less scary than I remember as a kid. I guess I will have to check out the Blu-ray editon.
Oh, and for all you "Wizard of Oz" fans, mark your calendars for this International Wizard of Oz Club event coming to Fresno State next year.
Now here's a true delight: It's Saturday night in the Tower District. I'm walking down the street and come across a little table set up outside a storefront theater. Sitting at the table is the director himself selling tickets.
The occasion is the inaugural performance of a new Fresno theater company, California Public Theater. The play: Christopher Durang's "Beyond Therapy."
This scene makes me happy. Maybe it's a sense of adventure -- even mystery. Who knows what awaits when I walk through that door? It reminds me of times in San Francisco and New York that I've sought out little theaters (usually on side streets and far from the lights of Union and Times squares). Some of the best theater experiences I've had are in these offbeat spaces.
In this case, I'd say that the idea of experiencing a new theater company outweighed the impact of the performance itself. But there's some good acting to be found -- and a lot of promise here.
It's all the local news and stuff from the blogosphere that you need to Fres-Know to become a better Fres-Knan.
BE ACTIVE: Still pissed about the passing of Prop 8? A Restoring Equality in 2010 kickoff and informational meeting will take place tonight at 6:30 p.m. at California State University, Fresno. [Queer Fresno]
BE HEARD: The third community meeting for the Tower District Streetscape Master Plan project will be held at 11 a.m. this Saturday at Landmark. Be there or be square. Not circle. As in: proposed traffic circles on Olive Ave. [Arc Hop]
BE CREATIVE: SwedeFest 4 is on the horizon. Better pick out your source movie before all the good ones are taken (read: "Jennifer's Body"). [The Dumb]
BE CHARITABLE: Are you a fan of video games? How about of keeping children alive and healthy? You're just the person the Married Gamers are looking for to help them raise money for a cure for pediatric cancer. [The Married Gamers]
BE NEIGHBORLY: A meeting of the Building Healthy Neighborhoods Task Force will be held Friday from 8:30-10:30 a.m. at the Fresno Center for New Americans. [Green Fresno]
BE ACCOUNTABLE: Is cleaning up graffiti suitable punishment for a parking ticket? Mike Scott wants to know. More importantly, Mike Scott is back from vacation! [CBS47]
BE INVOLVED: Fresno's premier music event, the recently renamed re:FUSE Fest, is seeking volunteers. The festival is October 2-3 (next weekend), so sign up now. [FUSE Fest]
OK, I've waited for an entire week and a half -- the duration of Mike Oz's cursed absence from the Beehive's hallowed Internet halls -- to post this recommendation. And it's just because I love the band's name:
![101glee_sc-18_2731_f[1].jpg](http://fresnobeehive.com/assets_c/2009/09/101glee_sc-18_2731_f[1]-thumb-275x397-26488.jpg)
"Glee" 9 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26): There are several network season openers and series debuts tonight but this episode of the Fox series "Glee" is not to be missed. Clovis East graduate Chris Colfer, who plays Kurt, takes the spotlight. When he gets caught in his room practicing Beyonce dance moves, the cover-up story is that Kurt has joined the high school football team. His father buys the story and wants to see Kurt's next game. The efforts by Kurt to make the team, a great dance number by the football squad and a very emotional stortyline for Colfer makes this the best episode of "Glee" since the series opener.
Also tonight: The series premiere of "Modern Family," 9 p.m. KFSN (Channel 30) is followed by the series debut of "Cougar Town" at 9:30 p.m. "Eastwick" launches at 10 p.m. on KFSN (Channel 30).
The new season of "The New Adventures of Old Christine" starts at 8 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47) followed by the season opener of "Gary Unmarried." The season start for "Criminal Minds" is at 9 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47) followed by the season opener of "CSI: NY" at 10 p.m.
The new NBC medical drama "Mercy" starts at 8 p.m. on KSEE (Channel 24) followed by the season opener of "Law & Order: SVU."
![RestWeekFresno[1].jpg](http://fresnobeehive.com/assets_c/2009/09/RestWeekFresno[1]-thumb-480x83-26474.jpg)
Now that all of the weekend's food events are over, have any of you started on Restaurant Week Fresno?
We have until Oct. 9 to to try the three-course, fixed-price dinners at these restaurants. With prices at $13, $20 and $27, these are some pretty good deals.
It's a great idea, and I'm surprised our restaurants haven't done it before. Restaurant weeks are popular in many other cities, such as San Diego, Philadelphia, Austin, Palm Springs, Baltimore and Chicago.
New York started the trend. Back in 1992, New York restaurants offered three-course lunches for $19.92 during the Democratic National Convention. The meals were popular, and Restaurant Week took off.
As you try the different menus for Restaurant Week Fresno, please leave your thoughts in the comments. Do these menus excite you? Did you feel like the meal was appropriate, given the price? Did you find a dish you loved, or one you didn't care for? What about service and decor?
Hopefully, Restaurant Week Fresno will become an annual event. If you can think of anything that would make our Restaurant Week better, also share your suggestions below.
As for me, I'm considering putting my PhotoShop hat on and going to this cool sounding digital-imaging presentation at the Tower Theatre. (I saw the ad on the back of Spotlight, and I was intrigued.) Rick Sammon has a big following. The presentation is sponsored by Horn Photo. Tickets are $10.
The Fresnan has the scoop. Thanks, The Fresnan.
When you've seen a show like "Hairspray" and listened to the cast recording as much as I have, it's only natural to develop a few favorite moments. For me, one of them is the reprise of "Good Morning Baltimore" that Tracy -- the heroine of this big, brash and outrageously optimistic show -- sings in jail.
"Oh, oh, oh, I'm all alone: My heart has grown, but it's broken, too," she starts softly. Then she swells to a statement of action: "Let me out so this dream's unfurled, I'll eat some breakfast then change the world." It's one of those turning-point moments in a show when all the fancy trappings of musical theater -- the sets, the big orchestrations, the costumes, the glitter and glamour -- melt away to allow an intense personal bond between actor and audience.
In the new Good Company Players production of "Hairspray," the local premiere, I waited for this moment with anticipation. And I wasn't disappointed. Ashley Wilkinson, who makes a charming Tracy, imbued the song with all that was needed: confidence, reflection, idealism. Overall, the opening night performance wasn't perfect, but this smoothly directed production more than made up for any weaknesses with an abundant dose of charisma.
With the mighty Mike Oz, the knower of all things on the local music scene, on vacation for a couple weeks (and with me off a couple days), this concert news update got a bit delayed. But, coming back today from a weekend in Tahoe, I've found lots of tidbits to pass along, so I'll give filling in for Mike a shot.
Slipknot: Tickets for the Tuesday, Oct. 27 concert at the Save Mart Center go on sale at noon Saturday. Ticket are $39.50 for floor/general admission; $39.50 for reserved 1 and $29.50 for reserved 2.
KISS: Tickets for the Saturday, Nov. 21 "KISS Alive 35" show at the Save Mart Center go on sale 10 a.m. Saturday. Tickets cost $19.50, $39.50, $68.00 and $128.00
You can buy tickets for both of those shows at select Save Mart Supermarkets, at ticketmaster.com, charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000 or at the Save Mart Center Box Office.
The Game: Will play Saturday, Oct. 10th at the Big Fresno Fair, filling the spot left open by Flo Rida when he canceled. Tickets will cost $22 and $17 and will go on sale at 9 a.m. Wednesday. Reserved seats can be purchased at FresnoFair.com, by phone at (559) 650-FAIR or at the Fresno Fairgrounds Box Office located at 1121 S. Chance Ave., Fresno, CA 93702. The box office is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday - Friday.
Here are a few other concerts coming up:
Don't know about you, but if you'd told me a few years ago that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay -- one of the most conservative politicians in America -- would be shaking his bootie on "Dancing with the Stars," I would have said you was smokin' too much liberal weed. But hey. Never say never. Here's the highlight reel, via Talking Points Memo, from last night's show. My favorite part is when DeLay makes eyes at judge Bruno Tonioli. (Warning: Watching this video may forever destroy for you the experience of the song "Wild Thing.")
Last week we had a Beehive post announcing that Sean Hannity would trek out to a fallow field on the west side of the Valley and broadcast his Fox show from there. That post sparked a lot of spirited comments from readers. So is Bee columnist Bill McEwen's column taking on Hannity that ran in Sunday's paper. It's a great read. Check it out. I think Bill scored a knockout.
Tonight is one of the vacationing Mike Oz's (remember him? how soon we forget) oft-recommended events, Pecha Kucha at the Starline, so we figured we'd give it a little hype today. Plus, I went to the last Pecha Kucha and had a blast.
This is "Volume 4" of Pecha Kucha, which features various presenters showing 20 slides for 20 seconds each. The program starts at 8:20 p.m. at Starline. Tickets are $4. This installment's theme is "un." Organizers explain:
Be it unconstrained, puns, or underwear, presenters will provide a title including 'un.' We're even scheduling it on United Nations International Day of Peace: Human Rights and Peacekeeping.
Here are tonight's presenters:
Hank Delcore PhD / Web site
Elfego Franco
Cynthia Cooper / Web site
Aurora Armijo / Web site
Brian Gallo & Jon Ayala
Laura Goldstone / Web site
Suzanne Bertz-Rosa / Web site
James Collier / Web site
There was a lot going on in Fresno this weekend; in typically lazy fashion, I did not participate in any of it.
Friday night was spent watching Fresno State lose hanging out with friends at Livingstone's, Veni Vedi Vici and Palomino's in the Tower District; Saturday was spent in much the same fashion, only with Sushi 80s and Laughing Buddha as the backdrop; and Sunday was, as usual, a day for Bacon, Egg and Cheese Biscuits, as well as a "Cosby Show" marathon that glued me to the TV for more hours than I care to share.
So, what did I miss? Were you at the Tamejavi Festival? How about the Scottish Highland Games? Did you watch the 61st Primetime Emmy Awards, or the bloody terrific episode of Outstanding Drama Series "Mad Men" instead?
FYI: now the world knows what happens when you try to make Americans work on a holiday (spoiler alert):
Just to show that reviewers don't always get the last word, I thought I'd wrap up the Beehive's Reel Pride coverage with a letter disagreeing with my "Big Gay Musical" review, which, according to said reader, was not a popular assessment among those attending the Friday night show. D.S. Zody writes:
Did you watch the same movie as the several hundred of us did tonight? We collectively laughed, cried and applauded a thoroughly entertaining movie. Granted, if all the actors had been 50 pounds overweight, it wouldn't have been the same. As for cliches, they do not necessarily sink a flick and didn't in this case. And the crowd loved the musical within as much as you hated it, even applauding many of the musical segments.
There was nothing sophisticated or artistic about "Big Gay Musical", which seems to be what most reviewers seek before giving a movie a high rating. It was not aimed at a high brow audience. It was aimed at regular gay and lesbian folks. "Big Gay Musical" hit the bull's eye. I know reviewing movies is one person's opinion and movie goers each form their own as well. I heard a few of the movie goers' reviews of your review when filing out, but I won't repeat them here. I'm guessing you've developed a pretty thick skin over the years, but still .... Best to you.
Any other final thoughts on Reel Pride? The 2009 audience awards are here.
"House" 8 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): The 2009-2010 TV season officially gets going tonight as the networks are loaded with new episodes of returning programs plus one new series. It is the return of an old favorite that should not be missed. The two-hour season opener of "House" picks up with the doctor as the patient when House (Hugh Laurie) finds himself in rehab for his drug addiction. With the help of a very understanding doctor (Andre Braugher), House goes from treating the rehab as his own "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" to a time of real discovery. Laurie's and Braugher's performances should be kept in mind for next year's Emmy Awards. This episode won't change the caustic nature of the character but it does serve to show the humanity that still exists deep, deep, deep inside House.
Also new tonight: Season openers of "Dancing With the Stars," 8 p.m. KFSN (Channel 30.1); "Castle," 10 p.m. KFSN (Channel 30); "Heroes," 8 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1); "How I Met Your Mother," 8 p.m. KGPE (Channel 47.1); "Two and a Half Men," 9 p.m. KGPE (Channel 47.1); "The Big Bang Theory," 9:30 p.m. KGPE (Channel 47.1); "CSI: Miami," 10 p.m. KGPE (Channel 47.1).
"Accidentally On Purpose" launches at 8:30 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47.1).
This is the 25th year writing about the Primetime Emmy Awards in one form or another. The first year, I watched the television awards show at the office and wrote about it on a very strict deadline. That's because I was living in Louisiana and the show was not shown on a taped delay like it is here.
In the mid '90s, I traveled to Los Angeles over a three year period to cover the event. Those were tough assignments. Rows of reporters were crammed into a small room where we watched the show on two small TV sets. A few moments after an Emmy was handed out, the winner would show up to field questions. Because the show didn't stop, it was necessary to ask questions and keep an eye on the TV. This had to be done while writing the story that had to be filed 10 minutes after the long telecast.
Now, I have entered the world of blogging for the "61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards." It feels like a combination of all the years. I'm in the office watching the show and will be writing as the program moves along.
This will go a lot easier if you share your thoughts. The great thing about TV is that we all have our favorites. So share your thoughts about this year's show.
The show starts in less than an hour.
Reel Pride, Fresno's gay and lesbian film festival, continues through Sunday in a five-day run of feature-length and short- films, parties and appearances by filmmakers. This year's event marks the festival's 20th anniversary. Here's an index of reviews, stories and interviews:
Sept. 13: Interview with Paula Durette, Reel Pride board member and director of "Numerology"
Sept. 15: Festival overview story and capsule reviews of "Outrage," the opening-night film; and "Patrik, Age 1.5," which screens Thursday.
Sept. 17: To-do tonight: "Patrik, Age 1.5"
Sept. 18: Capsule reviews of "Big Gay Musical," "Fruit Fly," "And Then Came Lola" and "Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement."
Sept. 18: Online interview with Casper Andreas, director of "Big Gay Musical."
Sept. 18: Don't miss "Fruit Fly," Donald's top sleeper pick for the festival
Sept. 19: Online interview with H.P Mendoza, director of "Fruit Fly"
Sept. 19: Online interview with Dennis Hensley, director of "Reunion"
Sept. 20: Read Donald's Sunday Spotlight column on "Edie and Thea: A Very Long Engagement"
Festival feedback: Use the comments section on this post to write your own reviews and reactions.
I caught up via email with David Lewis, director of "Redwoods," which plays 3 p.m. Sunday at the Starline as part of Reel Pride. Here's the interview:
What's your film about?
"Redwoods" is a romantic drama about Everett, whose comfortable life with his partner and son is turned upside down when he falls for a writer visiting the Redwoods country. In a nutshell, it's about the tough choices that come with true love -- a story that touches on fidelity, family and loyalty. Anyone of any persuasion should be able to relate to this film.
What's your take on the gay-lesbian film festival circuit these days? Is it weaker or stronger than five years ago?
Definitely stronger. This is my fourth project on the festival circuit, and there is no doubt that the quality of films has gotten better every year, not only from a storytelling standpoint, but from a technical standpoint, as well. Festivals have more to choose from than ever, so it's exciting to be part of the lineup.
I caught up with H.P. Mendoza via email to talk about "Fruit Fly," which plays 5 p.m. Saturday at the Tower Theatre as part of Reel Pride. Here's the interview:
What's your film about?
"Fruit Fly" is about a Filipina performance artist who moves to San Francisco to workshop her latest piece dealing with finding her biological mother. In the process of trying to find her mother and herself, she discovers that she just might be a fag-hag. Oh, and it's a musical.
What's your take on the gay-lesbian film festival circuit these days? Is it weaker or stronger than five years ago?
It's hard for me to say if it's weaker or stronger because there are two camps. You have great queer films made to prove how normal we are to straight America and then you have great queer films that are made for queer audiences that people not familiar with queer life might find transgressive. I'm really happy to see lots of content involving the transgender community, queer people of color and queer faith hitting festivals.
I caught up via email with Dennis Hensley, director of the short film "Reunion," which plays at noon Saturday at Reel Pride as part of the Boys' Shorts program. Here's the interview:
What's your film about?
It's about a gay TV decorating host who returns to his small Arizona hometown for his 20 year class reunion, with his boyfriend in tow, and discovers that his former classmates aren't exactly what they seem.
What's your take on the gay-lesbian film festival circuit these days? Is it weaker or stronger than five years ago?
I love the gay festival circuit. I think it's been a bit of a victim of the lousy economy--fewer sponsors, less money for filmmakers to make films, fans have less money to spend on tickets--but that said, the fests are rallying and trying to be creative and give great experiences to the people who come out. In tough times, it's important to gather together and celebrate our community.
I was blown away by the little musical 'Fruit Fly" (5 p.m. Saturday, Tower Theatre) which is packed with so much creativity, talent and passion on the part of its director and cast that I find the whole thing a little awe-inspiring. I called it "smart, funny, gutsty and endearing" in my "A" capsule review from Friday's paper:
Director H.P. Mendoza's tiny but mighty "Fruit Fly" is a creative gem that tells the story of an adopted Filipina performance artist (L.A. Renigen) on a quest to find herself -- and her real mother -- in San Francisco. Pumped full of Bay Area-based humor (including San Jose and back-door-on-the-Muni jokes) and some wickedly funny (and graphic) lyrics, Mendoza has a superb sense of how to wind together musical numbers and spoken dialogue in wittily choreographed tableaux. (The fact that he was able to do it guerrilla-filmmaking style, including an opening number on a BART train, is even more remarkable.) That all this is done in service of such insightful themes (intimacy, multiculturalism, gay identity, the urbanization of the city) and yet remain wildly unpredictable adds even more to the experience.
Don't miss my online Q&A interview with H.P. Mendoza.
After reading your debate about a soda tax, one comment stood out. Joseph Herzog writes:
"Yes parents (and coaches and others) need to set standards and be role models, but they're fighting an on going billion dollar add campaign that is very hip and very influential."
I thought of Joseph's comment after seeing this: You can buy Papa John's pizza directly from your PlayStation 3.
I know companies aim to sell products to that all-important youth market, but this is extreme. Just like candy in the form of a baby bottle is extreme.
What do you think about junk food marketing? Do companies have a responsibility to avoid these tactics, especially with children and teenagers? Or do you think "personal responsibility" applies only to consumers?
There's a big event taking place at Fresno State tonight: the season opener of the Philip Lorenz Memorial Keyboard Concerts series. (Oh, yeah, I guess there's a football game, too.) I have a story about Armenian pianist Nareh Arghamanyan, who's performing at 8 p.m. in the Concert Hall, in Friday's issue of 7.
A reminder: Parking is going to be crazy tonight what with the game. Though the new parking rules that Fresno State was contemplating for theater and music performances are on hold for now, there's still going to be a blanket "you've gotta pay" policy to park ANYWHERE on campus tonight. But if you're going to Keyboard Concerts, you don't have to pay, according to the Fresno State police department. Just tell the parking attendants on duty why you're there, and they'll waive the fee.
Reader feedback: I'd love to hear what people think of tonight's concert. You can offer your review as a comment to this post.
Amy Kasai was truly a beloved artist in the Fresno area. As one of the founding members of Fig Tree Gallery in 1962, she made a big impact on the arts scene. A retrospective featuring the work of Kasai, who passed away recently, is up this month at Fig Tree. A free reception will be held 4-7 p.m. Saturday at the gallery.
I caught up with Mary Maughelli, who curated the show, via email to ask her some questions about Kasai's legacy.
Question: How did you pick the works in this retrospective exhibition?
Answer: The artworks in the gallery were chosen to give an overview of the media she worked in
such as printmaking, collages, photographs with pastels extending the image, and the silver mylar work as well as the Flotsam series. These works show her development and her bold experimentation. The paper collages are emphasized because this was the area she primarily worked in. But the earliest piece in the show is a woodcut of a figure and was done in New York in 1952. She did not work in collage until she returned to Fresno.
UPDATE 2:47 p.m.: We have a winner: Natali Carrera. Congrats.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: OK, Beehive readers, I am holding in my grubby little ambivalent-Fresno-State-football-team hands TWO tickets to Falltini, that annual party featuring fall fashions, drinks and eats.
Falltini is 6-10 p.m. Saturday at the Via Montana Shopping Center, Cedar and Shepherd avenues. Tickets are $20 each, so this is a $40 value. You must be 21 years of age to win these tickets, of course.
Here's the catch: You have to be able to come down to The Bee's main office by 5 p.m. today (Friday!) to pick up these tickets. I'll give them away to the FIRST person who makes a comment on this post. Rules are on the jump.
Last night's season six premiere of "The Office," titled "Gossip," was one of those episodes where, about ten minutes in, I started wishing it was over.
Too much Michael Scott. Way too much Michael Scott in those first ten minutes. I don't mind Michael acting a fool if there is a moment of redemption at the end of the episode, but although it was fun to watch Stanley destroy Michael's new company Sebring (do they even make those cars anymore?), it wasn't enough to make me forgive Michael's antics.
I will say the parts without Michael were decent. Andy Bernard's struggle with possible homosexuality was great ("Am I gay? Michael, am I gay?"), as was Oscar's response to Andy's aggressive-kissing Brad Pitt fantasy: "What exactly is my responsibility here? To comfort insecure heterosexual men? That can't possibly fall to me."
And, of course, the random Creedism was gold: "If I can't scuba, then what's this all been about? What am I working toward?"
Reel Pride's men's centerpiece presentation tonight, "Big Gay Musical" (8:30 p.m., Tower Theatre), brings to mind a couple of words: silly and skin. (I have some other words for it as well, but you'll have to read my review in Friday's 7 section.) I caught up via email with several directors of the films in this year's festival, and here's an excerpt from "Big Gay Musical's" Casper Andreas:
Question: What's your film about?
"Big Gay Musical" is about the production of an off-Broadway show called "Adam & Steve, Just the way God made 'em" and about the lives of the two actors playing Adam and Steve in the show. One of them deals with finding love and the other one deals with coming out to his Southern Baptist parents and accepting himself as gay. The film has great musical song and dance numbers, lots of comedy and some drama too. It's a lot of fun!
Wow. This is one of those weekends with so many food events, you'll have to pick and choose:
Tulare County Fair -- Today-Sunday
Details are in the middle of my column. I mentioned the deep-fried Oreo cookies, deep-fried peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches, funnel cake, gelato, cinnamon rolls and corn dogs. You can get the full menu here.
Tamejavi -- Saturday
Donald wrote about Tamejavi's highlights, but here's more about the food. The Cultural Kitchen will dish out Filipino pork adobo and lumpia (a type of egg roll); Zapotec tlayudas (handmade tortillas with Creole corn); Mixtec mole; and a host of Southeast Asian, Persian, Armenian and Mediterranean dishes. See the menu here.
And if you'd like to learn more about the cultural significance of the food, there's a talk titled "The Culture of Small and Sustainable Farmers" at 11 a.m. and a "Culture Kitchen Presentation" at noon.
Crayfish and Jazz Festival -- Saturday
Details about this annual Kingsburg event are in my column. As usual, there are lots of crayfish dishes here, including crayfish tacos from Los Pepe's Authentic Mexican Food, crayfish chowder and crayfish cocktail from Diane's Village Bakery and Café, and a Swedish crayfish boil from Jonathan's restaurant.
Somewhere along the way, the Beehive might have gained a teensy reputation for being, well, a little less than fanatical about Fresno State athletics. But that doesn't mean we don't care what happens in tonight's game against Boise State. Heck, we've lost seven of the last eight matchups, so there's a dim awareness even in the Beehive's football-unimpressed ranks that there's a sense of community pride at stake.
In Thursday's paper, Bee sportswriter Bryant-Jon Anteola gave us a cover story filled with some very valid ways that the Bulldogs could win the battle. Now we'd like you to help us with Part II, which can be summed up in one word:
Cheat.
Here's my way: Slip $35 -- we can subtract it from Coach Hill's salary, which means he'll only make $999,965 this year -- to the driver of the bus in charge of transporting the Boise State team to the stadium and ask him to drive to Yosemite instead. By the time the Broncos reach Oakhurst -- and are marveling at just how scenic Fresno is despite what they've heard about its strip-mall topography -- it will be far too late to get to the game on time. To cement the plan, we'll arrange for a motorhome to drive 15 mph in front of the bus when it turns around on Highway 41. They won't get back until the third quarter at least.
My prediction for the score: 436-28, Bulldogs.
Any more diabolical schemes out there for ensuring Bulldog victory?
I don't know if this is appropriate or not, but the new video from Fresno star-on-the-rise Fashawn is cute as hell.
Right? Another win for director Punit Dhesi.
Reminder: Tickets are on sale now to see Fashawn and Talib Kweli at the Tower Theatre Saturday, October 24.
[Thanks to Mike for the heads up]
In my Sunday Spotlight column I wrote that September has been a big-deal month in Fresno when it comes to the history of the feminist art movement. I've already written about two major shows that explore aspects of that movement: "A Studio Of Their Own: The Legacy of the Fresno Feminist Experiment 1970," at the Conley Gallery at California State University, Fresno, through Oct. 9; and "Celebrating Women Artists," through Sept. 27, the 35th anniversary show at Gallery 25, which was a direct offshoot of the Fresno State experience.
Now there's one more major event to mark: a two-day symposium in connection with the "Studio" show at Fresno State. For the first time since 1970, a majority of the women in Judy Chicago's groundbreaking feminist art class will be together again. The artists' reception, which I wrote about Sunday, is 5-8 p.m. tonight. The symposium continues Friday with two events:
10am-12pm Conley Art Building, room 101
Artist presentations: Faith Wilding, Suzanne Lacy
2-4pm Fresno Art Museum - Bonner Auditorium
Panel discussion moderated by Moira Roth
Dori Atlantis, Jackie Doumanian, Vanalyne Green, Suzanne Lacy, Karen LeCocq, Jan Lester Martin, Chris Rush, Shawnee Wollenman, Faith Wilding, Nancy Youdelman
In my column, I included responses from a roundtable email interview I conducted with several of the artists. On the jump you'll find the full text of the responses:
I would not say that I suffer from any kind of phobia, but there are certain things in this world that instill a sense of dread in me. Whales, for one. Large objects that hang over my head. Oversized stuff animals. Trees.
Turns out I was right about trees.
There's some kind of hacky joke that can be made here about the dangers of marriage, but I will not be the person to make it.
At least four members of the Wesson family, plus local television news reporter Alysia Sofios, will be guests on the "Dr. Phil" talk show next week. Their appearance comes in the wake of the release of "Where Hope Begins" (336 pages, Pocket Books), the book Sofios wrote about her relationship with the family since the murder of nine family members more than five years ago.
"I have been doing pre-interviews with people from the 'Dr. Phil' show for two days. I never realized how much work went into something like this," Sofios says of the taping set for Wednesday in Los Angeles. At this point, the episode is scheduled to air Sept. 24, but that is subject to change.
"Dr. Phil" airs 3 p.m. weekdays on KSEE (Channel 24.1).
The Tower District is going to be hopping at 8 p.m. tonight: on one side of the street at the Tower Theatre, the Reel Pride screening of the Swedish film "Patrik, Age 1.5" (above); and on the other, at Roger Rocka's Dinner Theater, opening night of the local premiere of "Hairspray" (below).
I wrote about this new production of "Hairspray" in Sunday's Spotlight section. We wanted to do something different for this story, so photographer John Walker and I asked a costumed Richard Ruth and Steve Pepper, who play the onstage couple of Edna and Wilbur, into our studio for a special photo. We crammed as many props as we could into the shot so I could write descriptive captions. The result: a center-spread story that you turned sideways to read. You can click on the image below or this PDF link to see the result.
Donald's post about a soda tax reminds me of the Wife Swap episode with the Hollands, a family of junk-food addicts.
Before we get to the videos, consider this information about a soda tax: Those who favor such a tax think it would help curb obesity rates. The beverage industry says it's unfairly singled out.
I'm no fan of soda (because its sweetness actually makes me MORE thirsty), but the beverage companies have a point. Call me crazy for thinking that a soda tax won't help the Hollands lose weight.
Behold "King Curtis," the youngest in the family, declare his love for chicken nuggets below. After the jump, watch how bacon sparks a tantrum, and see a secret stash of cookies.
Bee writer Eddie Jimenez reports on the front page of today's Bee the disconcerting news that Central San Joaquin Valley residents drink more soda -- and also are fatter -- than other Californians. He writes:
The region ranks at the top in both trends, a study by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research found. More than a third of Valley adults drink soda daily, and up to two-thirds are obese. "The Valley is the soda consumption capital of California," said researcher Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, which produced the study in conjunction with the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. "It's frightening."
It's this kind of stuff that boggles my mind: a 20-ounce bottle of soda contains 17 teaspoons of sugar. Imagine sucking down all that sugar dry. Talk about a tummy ache.
This is what happens when a "special treat," which is definitely how sodas were regarded when I was a kid, becomes part of the daily routine.
A group of nutrition and economics experts is pushing for a federal tax of 1 cent on every ounce of sodas and other sweetened beverages, by the way. The idea is to drive up the price and make them less desirable, along the same line as cigarettes. The soda industry says it shouldn't be singled out.
I say: We've got to do something. One health officials says that unless the obesity epidemic is solved, one-third of children born in 2000 are expected to develop diabetes some time in their lives.
"Bones," 8 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): The new season opens with Special Agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz) back on the job. He's still feeling some of the residual effects of the coma that caused him to dream he was married to crime solving partner Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel). The crime part of the episode has some gapping holes. What makes this episode of "Bones" interesting is seeing how Booth deals with the feelings he has for Brennan. It is a sweet and clever way to keep the chemistry going between the pair.
"Fringe" 9 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): I really expected a little more from this season opener after last season's cliffhanger that presented the idea of a parallel universe. The "Fringe" episode doesn't build off that dramatic moment but falls back on a typical life-and-death story. That being said, there is a change with one of the show's main cast members that is so major the episode should not be missed.
Also tonight: The new season of "Survivor: Samoa" opens at 8 p.m. on KGPE (Channel 47.1). There are three season premieres and a series launch on KSEE (Channel 24.1) that includes "SNL Weekend Update Thursday" at 8 p.m., "Parks and Recreation" at 8:30 and "The Office" at 9 p.m. "Community" joins the NBC lineup at 9:30 p.m.
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Remember last month's ice cream poll? The one where we discovered that the excellent Braun's California Style Gourmet Ice Cream was sold under the name "Morgan Hill Creamery?"
Well, I hope you got some while it lasted. Today, I stopped at Irene's in the Tower District to get some Coconut Almond Joy, and lo and behold, the ice-cream sign said Thrifty -- not Morgan Hill.
The good folks at Irene's told me that Morgan Hill went out of business. Sure enough, the company's web site is gone. And when I e-mailed my contact at Morgan Hill, I got this automated reply: "Morgan Hill Creamery has ceased operations. Any inquiries should be sent to P.O. Box 870, San Martin, CA 94086. Thank you for your support."
Sigh. With the demise of Braun's, and now Morgan Hill, it's not easy being a fan of Loren Braun's products.
(The photo above, by the way, is Loren Braun in 2000. Photo credit: Tomas Ovalle, The Fresno Bee.)
Smart Donald has already filled you in on the cinematic mega-happening that is the opening of the Reel Pride Film Festival, but if sitting still in a dark theater isn't your thing, here are a few more options for your Wednesday night (seriously, though, you should go to Reel Pride):
Full disclosure: when it comes to theme park allegiance, my flag flies the Disneyland skies. That being said, plans for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, a new section of the Universal Orlando Resort theme park opening spring of 2010, look pretty darn amazing.
Check out the concept art:
I guess the adage "everything old is new again" has a ring of truth.
We've seen the return of two icons this week, with Whitney Houston releasing a new CD and appearing on "Oprah," and Dan Brown releasing a new book and appearing on "The Today Show."
Both apparently remain appealing to the public. Whitney's album "I Look To You" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. And Dan's book "The Lost Symbol" sold a million copies in a day.
This all makes me feel a bit out touch with America.
I did watch Oprah's interview with Whitney -- I couldn't resist hearing about the drugs, especially after that "crack is whack" interview a few years back -- but I haven't listened to the CD and don't really care if I get to it anytime soon. I'm much more excited about the new Muse CD (It's pretty great).
I'm also not among the the throngs looking forward to reading Dan's book. I might be one of the few who wasn't that impressed with the "Da Vinci Code," though I thought it was somewhat entertaining. I never did understand all the hubbub about that book.
Am I the only one not into this week's big sellers?
Fresno's biggest film festival gets off to a rousing start tonight (7:30 p.m., Tower Theatre) with a screening of the provocative political documentary "Outrage." The film follows the anti-gay voting records of certain politicians and then compares them to their hidden lifestyles. I wrote in my Bee review:
With an advertising tag line of "Do ask, do tell," the film targets big-name politicians, most prominent among them is Florida's Charlie Crist, and focuses on a crusade by activist blogger Michael Rogers to "out" those engaged in hypocritical behavior. At times Dick behaves more like Rogers' videographer than an independent filmmaker, and I'm not convinced that the film adequately rises above the innuendo it so freely disseminates. But there is nuance here as well, especially when the director delves into the idea of politics as performance -- and the way that politicians can get so caught up in delivering their lines that they forget that some people in the audience really believe what they're watching. The result is a crisp, powerfully produced, opinionated experience that will certainly play well in a festival setting.
An opening-night gala follows the film. I am 100% sure that the governor of Florida will NOT be in attendance.
By the way, don't forget the Beehive's Reel Pride index page, where you can leave reviews and comments on the festival and films.
"The Beautiful Life: TBL," 9 p.m. KFRE (Channel 59): The CW continues its drive to attract young female viewers with the launch of this series that combines the hot fashions and near-naked bodies of "America's Next Top Model" with the soap opera plotlines of "Gossip Girl." "TBL" pulls back the fashion curtain to look at the lives of young models employed by one of the top agencies in New York. This ranges from the highs to the lows.
Sara Paxton plays Raina Mayer, the new hot model in town. Her role is a contrast to Ben Hollingsworth's Chris who is such a farm boy you can see the hay behind his ears. Toss in "High School Musical" star Corbin Bleu and "The O.C." star Mischa Barton and this is a solid cast.
Sex, fashions and beautiful locations make "The Beautiful Life: TBL" the perfect CW series.
Also tonight: The two-hour season finale of "America's Got Talent" airs at 8 p.m. on KSEE (Channel 24).
Today's column is about Kara Adanalian, a Fresno native who does very well in cooking contests.
As I say in the story, she's a finalist in Ocean Spray's 2009 Ultimate Cranberry Recipe Contest. In 2004, she won the title of "America's Best Home Cook" in a competition sponsored by Fine Cooking magazine and Sur La Table. She was one of 50 cooks selected for appliance-maker Thermador's "Taste of America: The Great American Oven Cookbook."
The recipes from those three contests are in today's paper, but I wanted to give you videos and more recipes here.
[photo source: Thermador]
Congratulations to Bullard High graduate Marina Zenovich, who picked up two Emmys Saturday during the "2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards." The statues were for Outstanding Directing For Nonfiction Programming and Outstanding Writing for Nonfiction Programming.
What earned her the awards was her "Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired," a documentary about the infamous movie director. Polanski was found guilty in 1977 of having sex with Samantha Geimer, who at the time was 13. Zenovich spent five years collecting archival footage and doing interviews with the major players in the case that became a legal circus.
The movie was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2008 and released theatrically in July of the same year. It became eligible for the TV awards because the documentary aired on HBO in June 2008.
As I can sense from the shattered, shells-of-their-former-selves Internet auras lurking around the Hive the past two days, you readers are well aware that the mighty Mike Oz has embarked on two glorious weeks of a Fresno Bee-less existence. I'm no substitute when it comes to the local music scene, of course, so I'll shamelessly pillage from our buddies over at The Fresnan for a recommendation tonight at Starline featuring two touring bands and two Fresno bands:
From Fresno, Beastmaker and Racelegs -- Both creating some good Fresno buzz out there in the scene and worth the trip alone. And from Seattle is By Sunlight and from Silverlake is Kissing Cousins -- Wow, look how damn cute they are, guys:
Hope my humble offering satisfies you, Mighty Oz, wherever you are ...
It's time for another round of "You rate the fashions."
I've been struck by how normal most of the runway shows at New York Fashion Week seem this year. There are dozens of beautiful dresses, smashing shoes and fairytale gowns glammin' up the women's runway. But the men -- well they get this:
Here are some more designs from the spring 2010 collection of Thom Browne:
UPDATE 9/15: Let's just say the preceding 24 hours haven't been kind to Kanye. First President Obama calls him a jackass, then Jay Leno almost makes him cry by pulling the "what would your mother think" question. What's coming tomorrow? Kanye stripping to a loincloth in the middle of Times Square and engaging in self-flagellation?
ORIGINAL ENTRY 9/14: Given: Kanye West is a loser. Discuss.
As expected, the ratings for Mondays' initial "The Jay Leno Show" were good. Leno's rating of 12.1 easily whipped the network competition of a rerun of "CSI: Miami" on CBS and the last hour of "Dreamgirls" on ABC. His numbers were almost four times what an episode of "Dateline" earned a year ago.
If the first show is an example of what's to come, look for the ratings to drop faster than expected. For a show that kept being billed as history making, it was generally forgettable.
Jay Leno and his staff must have spent all her time writing promotional commercials for the new series. The opening monologue sounded like it was thrown together at the last minute. Does anyone think calling a politician a whore is clever comedy?
There were three pre-packaged comedy bits. Using footage of an interview with President Barack Obama to make it appear as if Leno was talking to him lacked originality as did the "Cheaters" parody. The other bit about musical accompaniment at a car wash felt about two hours too long.
Leno even looked lost in the interview segments. Jerry Seinfeld came across far more comfortable as he took control of his chat session with Leno. The joke about Seinfeld being able to get Oprah Winfrey as a guest when Leno couldn't started flat and never improved.
The one chance Leno had to show his interview skills, the impromptu talk with Kanye West, made Leno look cautious and scared. Obviously, West had been instructed to go on national television and admit he made a mistake with his actions at the "MTV Video Music Awards." Leno allowed West to mumble his way through an incoherent version of an apology.
There is nothing that wrong with "The Jay Leno Show" as long as your expectations are not that high. Leno remains one of the most likable people on TV. If all you want is a safe hour of TV, then this will fill that bill.
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"The Biggest Loser," 8 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1), "More To Love," 8 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1), "Big Brother," 9 p.m. KGPE (Channel 47.1): Nine of the 13 hours of network programming tonight are of the unscripted variety. This includes the season finales of "Big Brother" and "More To Love" and the season opener of "The Biggest Loser." It will be interesting to see who wins "Big Brother" as not one of the three remaining players - Jordan, Natalie and Kevin - should get the cash prize. You still have time to vote for which house guest you think should win by going to http://www.cbs.com/primetime/big_brother/interact/americas_vote/. "The Biggest Loser" continues to be a surprise. Viewers have embraced the inspirational part of the series and keeps making it a success in the ratings. "More To Love" has not drawn as many viewers and there is a slim chance of a second season.
UPDATE 9/14: There's been a lot of confusion floating around about the new parking policy. This morning I talked to Vida Samiian, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities, and she told me that Fresno State's proposed policy -- which would require theater and music patrons and other special-event parkers to either pay or input a code into parking dispensers to receive a permit -- is on hold "for now."
The agreement between Samiian and Police Chief David Huerta means that the rules will revert to the status quo, the dean said. Fees will be waived in designated parking areas for event patrons. Concerns had been raised over the logistics of a small number of permit machines being able to handle a large influx of patrons in a short amount of time and the fact that walk-up patrons wouldn't be aware of the policy until arriving at the box office. Samiian expects the old rules to apply through the end of the semester.
ORIGINAL ENTRY 9/3: The theater department at Fresno State has its curtains in a twist over a new parking policy that threatens to really mess up public performances on campus. Other campus organizations are mad, too. But nothing is set in stone, I learned this morning. Because of the outcry, the campus police chief and the School of Arts and Humanities are trying to hammer out a compromise.
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Add Patrick Swayze to the list of celebrities who have died this year.
The 57-year-old, who was fighting pancreatic cancer, died with family by his side, according to the Associated Press.
No doubt, we'll see reruns of "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost" on TV in the next few days. RIP, Patrick.
[photo credit: Associated Press]
Sean Hannity on Thursday will broadcast his national FOX TV show life from the west side of Fresno for a program on California's water that will include discussion of how the drought has affected the San Joaquin Valley.
Congressman Devin Nunes and Paul Rodriguez are confirmed as guests for the broadcast.
Here are details about the show, sent out by Nunes' office:
When: Thursday, Sept. 17th
Time: Arrive by 5:00 pm
Where: A fallowed field on the Westside in Fresno County located on the south side of Highway 198, to the west of the Fresno/Kings County line. The field is exactly 8 miles west of Lemoore Naval Air Station and is marked with a speed limit sign and a white wrought iron gate.The area will also be clearly marked with signs and banners.
Here's a free event tonight that's being touted for all ages: Broadway and film veteran Duffy Hudson portrays Albert Einstein and will reveal the mysteries of the universe, including the special and general theories of relativity. No math required! He'll appear 7 p.m.at the Sanger Branch Library, 1812 Seventh St., Sanger. Details: fresnolibrary.org, (559) 488-3195.
If you can't make the Sanger appearance, Hudson will do his one-man Einstein shows Tuesday at the Auberry Branch Library and Wednesday at the Woodward Park Regional Library. Then, in a bonus appearance, Hudson will portray author Edgar Allen Poe on Thursday at the Sunnyside Regional Library. (All shows at 7 p.m.)
File this under British humor: Paul Crudden, a digital strategist in London, is invoicing companies for the time he spends waiting in their lines, shopping in their stores, eating their products and so on. (Check out a sample invoice here.)
And guess what? Some restaurants are paying up or giving him freebies. Pret A Manger paid him £62. Squat + Gobble sent this entertaining letter and a £5 customer loyalty card. He received £15 in vouchers from EAT. And £30 in vouchers from Little Chef.
Of course, he also gets rejections.
UPDATE NO. 3: A note from Mayer Hawthorne's Twitter:
UPDATE NO. 2, REFUND INFO: If you bought from local stores, go back to the original location where you bought the ticket; if you bought online, you should have received an e-mail with information.
UPDATE: Bummer, tonight's show is canceled. Mayer Hawthorne has strep throat and is unable to perform. We'll let you know more about refunds for pre-sale tickets once we get word on that.
So, as Donald pointed out, the Kanye West-Taylor Swift deal is the VMA moment getting the most attention. But more happened. Here are a few of my favorite moments.
Best performance: Muse (I am so looking forward to this new album).
"The Jay Leno Show," 10 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1): NBC has aired 12 zillion promotional commercials for Jay Leno's move from late-night to prime-time. Now Leno has to live up to the hype. He brings a lot of the comedy bits to the earlier hour that were popular on his "Tonight Show" days. There's no question Leno is funny, warm and entertaining. The big question is whether that will be enough to attract viewers especially next week when the show will have to go against new episodes of dramas on the other networks. Look for Leno to have great ratings tonight but those numbers will begin to fade immediately. Leno doesn't have to worry too much. NBC will stick with it because it is cheaper to produce that the five hours of dramas that would have aired in the time slot. "The Jay Leno Show" will eventually become the best fallback series on TV. It will be the program you turn to when everything else is a rerun.
It looked like having Jerry Seinfeld as his first guest and Jay Z, Kanye West and Rihanna as the musical guests was a safe opener for Leno. The show should have a little more punch because West is on program a day after he took the microphone during Taylor Swift's win for best female video at the MTV Video Music Awards to declare Beyonce, also nominated, should have won because her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)" was "one of the best videos of all time.
Michael Moore, Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz will be on the show Tuesday night. Pee Wee Herman and Amy Poehler are scheduled to stop by next week.
Also new tonight: The season premiere of "One Tree Hill" airs at 8 p.m. on KFRE (Channel 59.1) followed by the season opener of "Gossip Girl" at 9 p.m.
Dear Beehive readers: I'm on vacation until Sept. 28, but I wanted to leave you with a few things to do while I'm gone.
First, start getting ready for the 40-band, six-venue RE:FUSE Festival on Oct. 2-3. Bands have been announced and you should totally be out there supporting local music and downtown. Second, don't miss Fresno's next Pecha Kucha Night on Sept. 21.
Also: Don't forget Mayer Hawthorne tonight and John Legend on Tuesday night.
Now, here are some fliers:
UPDATE: It's official! Jay-Z will play Save Mart Center on Nov. 7.
Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. next Saturday. Prices are $35, $50 and $75. A special $25 discounted ticket is available to students.
Tickets will be available at the Save Mart Center box office, at Ticketmaster locations, including many Save Mart supermarkets, online at ticketmaster.com or by calling (800)-745-3000.
The 2009 Fresno Bloggers Bowl kicks off this weekend -- the fantasy football league where local bloggers vie for supreme bragging rights.
We gathered at Me-N-Ed's Victory Grill last week for the draft, the 10 other bloggers hoping to knock off the reigning champion -- aka me. (Note: We had one no-show at our draft, so we drafted a really bad team, as you'll see below).
I will admit, it's going to be tough for me to repeat, but I shall live and die by Larry Fitzgerald, so I'm really hoping the Madden Jinx doesn't strike twice this year.
As we prepare for the first Sunday of the NFL season, I thought I'd share a little bit about our league and our teams. Wish me good luck in Week 1, Beehivers!
Club Retro, a new all-ages venue in town will open its door next Friday.
Club Retro is actually the second in what owners hope will be a chain of alcohol-free, all-ages concert venues.
The original Club Retro opened six years ago in Sacramento. The Fresno location at 4450 N Brawley Ave., near Shaw and Brawley, and will hold 350 people for shows.
So there's this 30-year old Norwegian busdriver and film enthusiast formerly known as Andreas Jankov who recently changed his name to Julius Andreas Gimli Arn MacGyver Chewbacka Highlander Elessar-Jankov.
Can you guess what the guy looks like? Get a picture in your brain. Got it?
He looks like this:
New York Fashion Week is getting into full swing. We'll be treated with lots of "new looks" over the next week. So, here's your chance to rate the runway. So, tap your inner Heidi Klum and let the reviews rip.
No. 1
Susan Boyle, the woman who became a global sensation after appearing on "Britain's Got Talent," will perform for the first time in America on the season finale of NBC's "America's Got Talent." The show will air at 8 p.m. Sept. 16.
Unless you have been living in a cave you know Boyle is a 48-year-old church volunteer from Scotland. She won over the judges and audience who initially dismissed her because of the way she looked. Her performance of "I Dreamed a Dream" won the hearts of judges and a worldwide audience via the Internet.
Boyle ended up the runner-up but signed a recording contract with Sony BMG and is working on her debut album that will be released in November.
Seriously, was last night the most boring episode of "Project Runway" ever? Let's recap, in a half-assed manner:
What sucked:
• No Michael Kors.
• No Nina Garcia.
• No drama, or at least, no storyline. Epperson misses his kids: awww. BFD.
• Predictable outcome (Come on -- who didn't see Qristyl getting the boot right from the "Last week on 'Project Runway'" intro?).
• And the challenge: Design a dress. For a model. Wow. Rough.
What made the episode watchable:
What's that you say? The NFL starts this weekend? Yeah, we like that too.
GET OUT OF YOUR CAGE: L.A. rockers Cage 9 are back in Fresno tonight, playing a headlining show at Babylon. The cool thing about the band is that three of its members also play in Powerman 5000.
I'm in a good mood this morning, and I wanted to start it off with a purely happy post. Do you ever drive or walk by something every day, however small, and it gives you a good feeling, but you never remember to tell anyone? That's how I feel about the beautiful job of landscaping that the folks at California Arts Academy have done with their beautifully restored Severance Building in the Tower District. Everyone knows that owners Chris Campbell and Julie-Ann Keller put their money where their mouths were during the last couple of years when they undertook the major task of sprucing up this historic building, but they had to leave the front landscaping until last. Now, with the addition of that promising foliage, the whole package looks wonderful. The "new" Severance is a glorious addition to the neighborhood and arts scene. Makes me happy.
OK, readers: Anyone else have a positive stroke about anything, big or small, they'd like to share?
Welcome to another week of Post No Bills. Below you'll find the biggest collection of Fresno event fliers and posters anywhere on the whole entire Internets. Concerts, clubs, community events -- it's all here.
A note for you flier fiends: After today, the next installment of Post No Bills will be Oct. 2. I'll be on vacation the next two weeks. So enjoy this one extra -- and keep coming back to it while I'm gone for a look at what's happening around town.
Give your browser a second to load, grab your calendar and start planning. As always, we welcome contributions from bands, artists, venues, promoters and regular joes. Send links to mosegueda@fresnobee.com.
On DVD
"Fringe: The Complete First Season": If this Fox series continues to blend tales of the weird with intriguing characters it could become the "X-Files" replacement for which fans have been waiting. The first season featured plenty of bizarre moments that seemed to be rather random. The season finale revealed the common link.
Movies
"9": A collision of "WALL-E" and "Terminator,"
On TV
Fresno State vs. Wisconsin, 9 a.m. Saturday, ESPN: The Bulldogs look to pick up their second win of the season in this early morning game in Madison, Wis.
"Dateline" 9 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1) and "20/20" 10:00 p.m. KFSN (Channel 30.1): The two news magazine shows are better options than all of the network reruns on tonight's schedule. The two-hour "Dateline" looks at a shooting of an innocent-looking elementary school teacher in her quiet suburban home. The investigation reveals there is more to the story. The season premiere of "20/20" features an in-depth interview with La Toya Jackson, the first since the death of her brother, Michael Jackson. She talks with Barbara Walters about the grief his children and family have suffered while trying to come to terms with his death. She also tells Walters why she thinks Jackson was murdered.
New York Fashion Week is underway, kicking off with Fashion Night Out and some runway shows from the BCBG and Gwen Stefani. Check out this story for more about today's collections.
I love Fashion Week, with all its glitz, glam and totally impractical clothes. Here are a few images from today to whet your appetite for the week ahead.
This one is my favorite (in the, "Hello! What guy is going to wear that?" category):
Here's Gwen.
The Madera Fair starts today and runs through Sunday. This year, the fair's slogan is "Getting Figgy With It," an allusion to both this annoying Will Smith song and the bountiful figs from our area.
We love a good pun. Except for when we hate it. And with this one, we're not totally sure. It's memorable, so I guess that's good. But it's also pretty groan-worthy.
So we'll let you, the fig-eating, fair-going public, decide this one. Weigh in on whether the slogan is awesome (FTW!) or super lame (WTF!). As you vote, keep in mind that the Madera Fair has a history of mixing songs and fruit -- last year it was Grape Balls of Fire.
Voting Key:
WTF = What the [Fudgesicle], a.k.a. "What are you thinking?"
FTW = For the Win, a.k.a. "That idea is a victory for people everywhere."
On a slow weekday, there's nothing like wasting some time with the Internets. Lucky for us the Internet is feeling generous today.
Joe Wilson is Your Pre-existing Condition
If you didn't know who Congressman Joe Wilson was yesterday, you know who he is today. And if you didn't know the Internet is faster than your mom on prom night, check out Joe Wilson is Your Pre-existing Condition (warning: language NSFW).
The site's mission statement pulls no punches: "You dissed America; we'll dis you right the f*** back." Two days in a row of political schadenfreude? I must have done something right recently.
If you're a live music fan, then we suggest heading over to Audie's Olympic, where Seattle band Spanish for 100 is making a tour stop.
If you'd rather couple your music experience with a farmer's market, then head to Sierra Vista Mall for the return of its Thursday night concert series.
You know how it is when you find something you love and instantly want everyone you know to love it, too? Here is a list of things the Beehive is into at this very moment. We invite you to share your obsession in the comments.
Heather: "Clash of the Gods" on the History Channel is my newest obsession. Ancient myths are brought to life on this hour-long show which features plenty of blood, drama, insane costumes and makeup, and, oh yeah, a little bit of history. Newsflash to anyone named Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton or "Hills" star [name]: your tired and ridiculous antics pale in comparison to the sexual exploits, murder, incest and child-swallowing of the Olympians. I want to see Zeus on the cover of US Weekly next week.
Donald: I am obsessed with how the red shirts worn by the employees at Target don't match. There are dozens of hues represented, from maroon to near-pink, which for some reason makes me think of rag-tag Confederate troops in mismatched uniforms trudging through a war with meager resources. It physically pains me to see two employees standing next to each other with wildly clashing shades. I want my employee Target shirts to all be the same, exact fire-engine red. Please. For my own sanity.
That's based on my very lukewarm impression of the talk-show icon's guest stint as a judge on "So You Think You Can Dance." CNN already has a piece up with divided readers weighing in. For all that we loved to bash Paula Abdul's celebrated loopiness, I never got the feeling that she was trying to "perform" as a judge on the show -- she was just doing her thing in the moment. But with DeGeneres judging, I'm guessing it will be a whole lot more about Ellen and her smooth quips and less about the actual "American Idol" contestants.
Then again, at least we won't have the Simon-Paula faux flirting/bickering to complain about anymore.
What do you think?
The message of the following European public service announcement is something like "don't pass your mental issues down to your kids." Oh, you don't have mental issues? You will after watching the PSA.
[Source]
More good news for fans of Fresno-bred emcee Fashawn. Today, Fash dropped a new free digital mixtape called "The Antidote." Consider it a warm-up for the 20-year-old's proper debut album, "Boy Meets World," which is due Oct. 20.
"The Antidote" is produced and compiled by heavyweight hip-hop producer The Alchemist (Mobb Deep, Dilated Peoples), and oughta be a strong co-sign for the young rapper.
Also: Fashawn has been courted by the Wu-Tang's very own Ghostface to open his "Wizard of Poetry" tour. They'll be on the road together for 35 shows from Oct. 2-Nov. 14. You can see the tour dates here.
Fear not, fans who are looking to Fashawn's Oct. 24 CD release show at Tower Theatre with Talib Kweli. Fash will leave the Ghostface tour and head back to Fresno for that date.
DOWNLOAD: Fashawn - "The Antidote" (via Sendspace)
My story today points out the variety of wine events during the fall season -- from grape stomping at Chappell Winery & Vineyard in Mariposa to movie nights at La Belle Winery in Terra Bella.
With so many events this fall, I couldn't list them all in the story. So, I want to know: Where are you drinking wine? Drop your answers in the comments below.
Or, if you're hosting a wine event, add your details in the comments.
If you need more ideas, check out the map of Valley wineries that ran with the story.
And here are links to wine trails, as well as wineries that aren't part of a wine trail:
Wine Trails
Fresno County Wine Journey
Blossom Trail Wineries
Madera Wine Trail
Individual Wineries
Butterfly Creek Winery, Mariposa
Chappell Winery & Vineyard, Mariposa
Mount Bullion Vineyards, Mariposa
Silver Fox Vineyards, Mariposa
Water 2 Wine, Clovis
La Belle Winery, Terra Bella
Bella La Vina Farms, Terra Bella
Caravantes Vineyards, Terra Bella
Cacciatore Fine Wines & Olive Oil Corp., Pixley
Fresno's film community lost an important player recently, and I wanted to make sure we on the Beehive were able to properly mark the passing of John Kelly. Ray Arthur, Fresno's film commissioner, wrote this letter to Mr. Kelly's family and girlfriend on behalf of the commission:
It is with much sadness that the Fresno Film & Entertainment Commission recognizes the passing of John Kelly.
In his chosen profession John was a "Jack-of-all-Trades"...and master of many. A noted cinematographer and cameraman, a masterful lighting director, as well as writer, producer, director and almost any other industry position that needed to be filled. Possibly most importantly, over the years John was a teacher and a mentor to hundreds of local filmmakers and film students.
Occasionally John's temperament could be, well...unpredictable! His criticisms, however, were always rooted in his desire to make a project better, a co-worker more professional, or a meeting more relevant.
John's passing leaves a void in our local filmmaking community that will not soon be filled. When the new kids ask Fresno's journeymen filmmakers a question they can't answer, who will they call? John's imprint and impact will be with us for many, many years.
The Fresno Film & Entertainment Commission joins you in mourning the loss of our friend, while celebrating the many lasting contributions John Kelly has given Fresno and its filmmaking community.
Here's a link to some of Mr. Kelly's work, including clips from "Discover Fresno County" and "The Legend of Jake Kincaid." If anyone has John Kelly memories to share, I'd love to read them.
Nicole Richie gave birth to a boy today, her and Joel Madden's second child. Nicole and the baby are fine, everything's great, everyone's happy, yada, yada yada, so it is with a clear conscience that I present to you, and then mock, the poor child's name:
Sparrow James Midnight Madden.
Sparrow, or Captain Jack Sparrow, or Bird Boy, as the kids at school are going to call him, is in good company when it comes to having a ridiculous name -- his sister is named Harlow Winter Kate Madden.
Look, it's not that I think Sparrow and Harlow are the worst names to have (that honor belongs to you, Bronx Mowgli Wentz!), but something about the flow of the first and middle names is off, as if Nicole and Joel (ooh, rhymsies -- no wonder they have trouble with names) flipped through a dictionary at random and took whatever words their fingers landed on.
Come on, kids -- there's such a thing as trying to be too cool and creative. What's wrong with, oh, I don't know -- Heather Ann? Or Michael Paul Thayer? Or Rick Bentley?
New images from the Hubble are out, and you can spot some interesting things. One of my colleagues saw a dragon pointing its finger, while another saw an elephant in the sky, in this first image:
No. 1:
Me, I see ET's big finger and ALF's big nose. So, I thought it would be fun to test our psyche and play a Rorschach-like game. What do you see in these images (more on jump)?
Hard rockers, today is the day to get out and see a show. Chinatown Youth Center has a night with British metal band Hellbastard and L.A. grindcore band Resistant Culture.
Meanwhile, Audie's Olympic has a punk night with Seattle's Smokejumper, Fresno's Sci-Fi Nightmares and our Famous friends in It'll Grow Back.
Is there anything more satisfying than watching a self-described "family values" politician get caught with his proverbial pants down?
Married California Assemblyman Mike Duvall has been caught on tape talking about how he likes to spank his mistresses -- yes, plural. There are two women -- lobbyists, by the way! -- willing to have sex with this hunk, who apparently skeeves out his colleagues with his graphic sexy times updates and unwillingness to change the subject.
The following news report is definitely worth watching, not only to hear a fat, old man talk to a clearly uncomfortable colleague about getting some booty, but also to watch KCAL9's intrepid reporter, Dave Lopez (no spring chicken himself), chase Duvall down hallways, and harass him with notes that I'm hoping say, "I know what you did last summer ... perv. Let's chat!"
Growing up, I didn't see much butter. My family didn't cook with it, and it was never on the table. We were margarine people, cooking spray users. To me, butter was what plains people in Laura Ingalls Wilder books churned all summer and then stockpiled for the cold, cold winter.
It's only recently that I've discovered cooking with butter makes food infinitely better. As to be expected though, the better my food tastes, the harder it is for me to fit into my pants.
Luckily, a kind reader named Sarah sent me the following video, which has had a two-fold effect: it's cured me of my butter fascination, and caused me to vomit several times, a sure-fire diet trick if there ever was one.
Enjoy, but know this: you'll never be able to watch Paula Deen again, y'all.
"Glee" 9 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): "Glee" is hands down the best new series of the 2009-10 television season because of smart writing, cleverly staged musical numbers and a strong cast of superb actors. The cast includes Matthew Morrison, Cory Monteith, Lea Michele, Kevin McHale, Clovis East grad Chris Colfer, Amber Riley, Jenna Ushkowitz, Jessalyn Gilsig, Jayma Mays, Dianna Agron, and Mark Salling are relatively unknown. That won't be the case after this series. Jane Lynch anchors "Glee" through her flawless comic timing. With her egomaniacal cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, Lynch has found the role that could define her career.
Also new tonight: The next season of "So You Think You Can Dance" starts at 8 p.m. on KMPH (Channel 26.1). A two-hour special marks the beginning of the next edition of "America's Next Top Model" at 8 p.m. on KFRE (Channel 59.1)
Bored? Yeah, me too.
Lucky for us, Time magazine has created a list titled "50 Things to See, Hear and Do This Fall," and it includes movies, books, theater, art and architecture, music, and television that can't be missed this autumn.
I won't list them all, since some of the picks are New York-centric (it is the center of the universe, of course), but here are the more accessible choices:
From Eric Day:
California Public Theater is a theater company built on the foundation of bringing to life new and classical literature for the enjoyment of the public. Its goals are to reach and educate through theatrical performances generating a social environment that inspires and strengthens our community.
Our inaugural production, "Beyond Therapy," is one of Christopher Durang's most popular comedies ... It is a bizarre and ridiculous comedy about dating through personal ads and surviving therapy. The cast is comprised of Landon Weiszbrod, Kristen Henson, Jessica Knotts, David Manning, Tony Thammavongsa and Gary Buffkin, direction by Eric Day.
Details: 7:30pm Sept. 18, 19, 25, Oct. 2, 3. There's one matinee 1:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Performances are at the Million Club, next door to Million Elephant Restaurant & Bar in the Tower District on the corner of Fulton & Olive. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door. Reservations: Call (559) 907-2676.
I'm excited. A new company is always great news. Welcome, California Public Theater!
My post about the sculptures at the Iron Bird Lofts continues to draw reader interest, including this email that a reader sent me concerning one of the words that a lot of us have been tossing around recently:
Not to be too much of a nitpicker but your column in Friday's Bee on The Iron Birds Loft project has a common error. A 'gargoyle' is a depiction of an ugly or evil head on the side (usually top floor) of a building and is used to spout off rainwater. A 'grotesgue' is the same as a gargoyle except that a grotesgue is for ornamental purposes only and does not spout water. What your picture in the article shows is a 'grotesgue' and not a 'gargoyle.'
Any other architecture critics care to weigh in? I'm not sure if this information is correct. In the Random House dictionary, the first definition for "gargoyle" is "a grotesquely carved figure of a human or animal" with no mention of the spout.
We're starting our A Day Without Cats celebration early and telling you to head down to Starline tonight for a rock concert benefitting some needy dogs.
Proceeds from tonight's show benefit Fresno Bully Rescue, which helps endangered pitbulls. On the bill tonight are local bands Check Raised, Elmo Marconi, The Sci-Fi Nightmares and Touch Football.
"Melrose Place" 9 p.m. KFRE (Channel 59): The doors are open again at one of the better known addresses on television. The residents have changed but the stories are all the same as they mostly deal with sex, lies and more sex. Katie Cassidy, who plays an up-and-coming publicist who will do anything to reach the top, will be at the center of most of the action. Cassidy tops a rather pedestrian cast of new faces on the new "Melrose Place" who will deal with all of the trials that come with living at the famous address. Ashlee Simpson-Wentz plays the innocent Violet Foster while original series cast members Thomas Calabro and Laura Leighton are back. It is not a great show but does provide some campy entertainment.
Also new tonight: The second season of "90210" begins at 8 p.m. on KFRE and the second season of "Sons of Anarchy" starts at 10 p.m. on the FX Network.
AC/DC finally returned to Fresno after 30 years to play tonight at the Save Mart Center. Did the band rock?
How was the set list? The crowd? How loud was the show? If you saw AC/DC at that infamous show in 1978, how did this Fresno stop compare? What was the best song?
Chime in on any of that plus whatever else is on your mind.
This is way better than making a lame flier for your event. The guys from the Spanspek Music & Arts Festival made this funny video to help spread the word about their festival, which is Sept. 18 in Orosi. Most of the video doesn't deal with the festival -- it's just funny.
Warning: Language NSFW
Here's my favorite voice mail of the day: An irked anonymous caller did NOT appreciate my news story about Gallery 25 in Friday's paper. (If you missed the story, it had to do with one of the founding members of Gallery 25 pulling out of the 35th anniversary show because of a dispute with the curator.) My favorite part is when he counts the number of paragraphs I wrote. Click on the link below for a listen:
MP3: Contrarian call of the day
I didn't relish writing this story, but I thought it was a newsworthy item related to an important art show that I'd already covered extensively. It's true that curators and artists have disputes all the time, and one angry artist removing a piece from a show isn't necessarily news. But this was an anniversary show dedicated to the founding members of the gallery, and when one of them walks out the day before the show opens, that's a lot more than local bake-sale news, as this caller seems to suggest.
Once again, lackluster promoters and inept "designers" have forced us to bring back Worst Flier of the Week. Today, there is much competition vying for the title of absolute worst. Check 'em out below and place your vote.
MEET AN ARTIST: Dick Haas will be on hand 2-5 p.m. Saturday at Spectrum Art Gallery at the artist reception for his new photo show, "This and That." The retired CSUF biology prof says that a good deal of my photography is of the natural world: animals, plants, insects and flowers. Since his retirement, he and his wife had led eco-tours among places reflected in these photos, such as Peruvian Amazon, Costa Rica's National Parks, and Copper Canyon, Mexico.
BRUSH UP YOUR SHAKESPEARE: Spending part of your Labor Day weekend in a park sounds pretty good, right? There's something special about hanging out on a warm summer night night outside under the stars while listening to the immortal words of the Bard. Woodward Shakespeare Festival's "Richard III" plays for just two more weekends, and I'm sure this weekend's Friday and Saturday performances will be popular among the holiday crowd. Read my review and tell me what you think of the show.
CATCH A FREE OUTDOOR SCIENCE FILM: The Fresno Metropolitan Museum's First Friday Film Series focuses this month on games. One intriguing title in tonight's lineup: Guillaume Reymond's "Game Over." It's described as a series of collaborative re-enactments of some of the earliest video games. Pixels are replaced by human participants moving from seat to seat in a theater during a 4-hour timelapse filming. Each "pixel" has its own rules and decides what s/he wants to do for each picture. Once all these pictures are turned into a short animation, a giant human-scale video game unfolds "live." The free series of short films will take place in the Met's courtyard area with the films projected onto the Museum's south wall and begin at 9pm.
Other than seeing AC/DC and watching that football game that's happening ...
1. PARTY AFTER AC/DC: Audie's has electro-ish rockers Bullied by Strings tonight, and its being pegged as the place to be after the AC/DC show. There's another post AC/DC bash downtown too.
Here are random pictures of celebrities I found interesting/sad/funny today:
Kathy Griffin beats you to your Halloween costume, dressing as Kate Gosselin for a "Jimmy Kimmel Live" skit set to air Sept. 9 (via People)
If you're staying in town this weekend, here's a little taste of ice cream, wine and Viennese food:
The Science of Ice Cream -- Saturday
My column has the details about this event at the Met, which features a lecture, ice-cream tasting and the chance to make your own ice cream.
LoMac Winery -- Saturday
Eric and Tina Engelman are hosting their first open house at their new tasting room, noon-5 p.m. Expect to taste appetizers and wines, including a 2002 Barbera, 2001 Syrah, 2001 Zinfandel and 2002 Merlot. LoMac is at 2674 N. Westlawn Ave. Contact eric@lomacwinery.com for more info.
While you're in that area, check out the nearby Milla Vineyards and Engelmann Cellars. (Bret Engelman, owner of Engelmann Cellars, is Eric's Engelman's brother.)
Erna's Elderberry House -- Sunday
And if you're looking for a higher-end experience, there's the 25th annual Viennese dinner at Erna's in Oakhurst. Looks like Patrick Contreras is playing at this one.
Welcome to another week of Post No Bills. Below you'll find the biggest collection of Fresno event fliers and posters anywhere on the whole entire Internets. Concerts, clubs, community events -- it's all here.
Give your browser a second to load, grab your calendar and start planning. As always, we welcome contributions from bands, artists, venues, promoters and regular joes. Send links to mosegueda@fresnobee.com.
The Bee posted one crazy, disturbing story on fresnobee.com this morning.
An Oakhurst woman was arrested after allegedly kissing a 6-year-old boy in the parking lot at the Pines in Bass Lake.
Here's part of the story:
"Sheriff's spokeswoman Erica Stuart said Krista Arceneaux, 37, was outside the Pines bar about 7:30 p.m. Wednesday when she ran up to the boy as he was crossing a parking lot with his family. She told the child she thought he was sexy and kissed him on the mouth, Stuart said. Deputies believe she was under the influence."
What the hell? I'm surprised the parents didn't beat the crap out of the woman (that's her booking mug).
Pick up today's issue of 7 in The Bee to see the story I wrote about the supposed grudge that AC/DC held against Fresno.
Long story short: Fresno booed and threw things at AC/DC back in 1978 when the band opened for Aerosmith at Selland Arena. AC/DC cursed back at the crowd, mooned them and vowed to never return to Fresno.
Even though AC/DC came back the very next year, Fresno urban legend grew about AC/DC hating us. That's why many believed the band hadn't been here in 30 years.Talk to any Fresno rocker and they'll tell you the AC/DC vs. Fresno story. That all ends tonight when AC/DC plays to what is expected to be a packed house at Save Mart Center.
Before that, though, here's a little treat courtesy of a friendly AC/DC fan named DB Johnson. It's an audio clip from the 1978 show when fans starting throwing things at AC/DC. You can hear Angus Young cursing at the crowd. (NSFW, obviously)
MP3: AC/DC vs. Fresno
On DVD
"Earth": James Earl Jones narrates this story of three animal families and their journeys across the planet. "Earth" is full of stunning visual moments. It truly is a reminder of the power and beauty that exists on this big blue marble.
At the movies
"District 9": Extraterrestrials have become refugees in southern Africa. In an ideal world, every Hollywood studio suit would be forced to sit through the film as part of a curriculum titled, "How to Make a Summer Movie That Delivers." Here is a smart, hugely entertaining genre picture, made by Peter Jackson's New Zealand-based Wingnut Films for $30 million.
On TV
"The Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon" 8 a.m. Sept. 7, KMPH (Channel 26): This is the 16th year the local Fox affiliate has broadcast the fund-raising event. The broadcast will continue until 5 p.m.
"Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" 8 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26): The prime-time game show's scheduling celebrity contestants has pushed into the area that hurt the ratings of "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" Its more exciting to see an average person win money than to see a celebrity pick up some dough for a favorite charity. "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman" star Dean Cain fields the elementary school questions tonight so look for a lot of Man of Steel jokes from host Jeff Foxworthy. Although the game show is not as exciting with the celebrity players, it is still fun to watch adults struggle with topics they studied many years ago.
UPDATE 9/4: We've taken some of your comments about Brandon Greer's sculptures and published them in today's 7 section. If you haven't weighed in already, feel free to add your opinion.
ORIGINAL ENTRY: In Thursday's Life section, photographer Craig Kohlruss and I bring you Fresno's latest public art project: two new sculptures by artist Brandon Greer that adorn Reza Assemi's almost completed Iron Bird Lofts. From my story:
In one, a strange hybrid creature -- feet with talons, body with feathers and wings, face with gargoyle features -- grabs what we presume is his offspring as the child stumbles while learning to fly. In the second, another creature sends a younger version of itself aloft with happier results.
I really like the installation. Talk about a striking piece of art: You can't NOT notice these modern-day takes on the traditional gargoyle theme. I've already had a couple of people tell me that they nearly crashed their cars after being surprised by the sight of the sculptures. From a certain angle, it really does look as if a small child is being dangled off the roof.
What do you think? (See more photos on jump.)
UPDATE: In my Wednesday column, I said I'd post some more resources for folks interested in the authors recommended by John Mackey, the Whole Foods CEO. Here are some audio and video clips:
In today's Life section I put the spotlight on the 35th anniversary show celebrating women artists at Gallery 25, which brings together a number of original members of the co-op with nine emerging artists selected for their passion and technique. (At right, a painting by Meiru Huang called "Trouble the Chaos.") Together with the recently opened show at Fresno State devoted to the students of Judy Chicago, this month is turning out to be a big deal for people interested in feminist art.
I received an annoyed call this morning from a member of Fig Tree Gallery, just down the street from Gallery 25, who was upset that I hadn't given the same kind of coverage in the print edition to the Amy Kai show opening in that space. This tribute to Kasai, who passed away earlier this year, is a major show, the caller said, and I should be very sorry for having missed it.
I do wish that I'd been able to include the Kasai show in my roundup of ArtHop events, but the problem is that Fig Tree is so inconsistent with its publicity. When I was checking for September shows, I went to the Fig Tree site, saw that it hadn't been updated from the August show, and gave up. Other galleries manage to get the word out and update their Web sites. Why can't Fig Tree?
So, while you're at Gallery 25, don't forget to check out the Kasai show. She deserves the attention. In the meantime, check out a few other ArtHop highlights on the jump.
You know how some interviews are well thought-out, pristinely organized and well lit? That's not Two Minutes with The Beehive. Instead, I corner people and ask them a barrage of unscripted, sometimes silly questions right off the top of my head. Sounds fun, right?
Our first victim is local filmmaker and blogger Brodiemash. He's a visionary behind Fresno's Swede Festival, the 2009 Blogger Olympics champion and one of the dudes behind The Dumb Drum. Warning: Language NSFW
Yes, Fresno, tonight is the battle of the hops -- ArtHop vs. Hip-Hop. In one corner there's ArtHop. In the other, there's hip-hop artist Fat Joe, who will be Leaning Back (NSFW) at Aldo's this evening.
The Beehive is proud to bring you another edition of Name That Bathroom, where you, our excretion experts, are tasked with identifying a mystery local restroom. Today we offer up:
NOTE: This was taken from the inside of the men's room, so that's the back of the door. When I saw it, I had to do a double-take and make sure I didn't walk into the wrong room. Upon further review, I think it's indicating to men that women are right outside that door waiting for them.
Boise State vs. Oregon, 7:15 p.m. ESPN: Here's a great way to get interest going in the local college football season. This nationally televised game means a lot to Fresno State football fans no matter if Boise State wins or loses. Fourteenth-ranked Boise State, a team that always gives Fresno State headaches in the Western Athletic Conference hosts No. 16 Oregon of the Pac-10. This game should give fans of the Bulldogs an idea of what's to come this year. Also, consider tonight's game an appetizer for a full buffet of college football this Saturday.
You might know Rebecca Caraveo as Cattie Ness, the rockabilly queen of the San Joaquin. You might also know her as a woman about town interested in local arts and culture. And starting Friday, you'll also know her as a talk show host.
Caraveo is the latest well-known local to score a talk show on Central Valley Talk. Her "Central Valley Arts and Culture" debuts on at 3 p.m. Friday.
Here's what she had to say about the first show and her plans after that:
Here are random pictures of celebrities I found interesting/sad/funny today:
Kevin. Kevin, Kevin, Kevin. Sigh. (via The Superficial)
Several months ago, one of the Beehive's more prolific bloggers posted a comedic look at the unintentional genius that is the ClubFlys web site. Essentially, the post boiled down to this: you never know what kind of silly douchebag will pose for the ClubFlys lens.
Ain't that the truth.
Another job well done, ClubFlys. Keep on clickin'.
Duke Robillard is the real deal -- he's played with Roomful of Blues and the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Tonight you can find him bluesing up Sequoia Brewing Co.'s North Fresno location. So if you're a blues fan, enjoy some tunes and some suds.
I don't own a dog, but I've been around enough to know how much of a pain it is to clean up after them. I also know that many incredibly inconsiderate and lazy people simply choose to not clean up after their dogs.
Unfortunately, I don't believe for one second that the cleverly named Poo Trap is the solution to all of our problems. Check it out:
Now, this product has been around for awhile, so someone somewhere has had to have tried it out (on their dog, of course), or has seen it in action. Does it work? Or is it more of a hassle to get your dog to sit still while you harness a bag onto the poor thing? Do the dogs scrape their butts along the ground in an effort to knock the bag off? What are the odds that flinging off the bag in the carefree way shown in the video creates more of a mess than simply letting the dog go naturally? Inquiring minds want to know!
Word from the land of KISS, is that the iconic face-painted rockers are coming back to Fresno as part of their KISS Alive 35 tour.
According to a new tour itinerary on kissonline.com, the band will play the Save Mart Center on Nov. 21. The Save Mart Center has yet to confirm the date. No tickets details are known as this time.
Oddly, though -- Fresno wasn't on the original tour list, which showed a Nov. 21 date in Oakland. On the new list, that date has been moved to Nov. 20 with Fresno getting the Nov. 21 date, which is a Saturday night.
Fresno didn't finish particularly well in the "Demand Kiss in Your City" promotion either -- but it looks like a KISS date is still ours.
KISS was last in Fresno in December 2003, playing the then-brand new Save Mart Center with Aerosmith. That show drew over 11,000 people. "Sonic Boom," the band's first album in 11 years, is due Oct. 6.
The wonderful Mike Judge has brought back Beavis & Butthead to promote review his new film, "Extract," which is out Friday. Shout out to Butthead's smoking jacket.
I was already looking forward to this flick, but now, Mike Judge, I applaud you even more.
"America's Got Talent," 9 p.m. KSEE (Channel 24.1): Normally, there's no way I would recommended watching tonight's episode of the NBC competition series. This season has been a train wreck as far as the acts that have survived and those who've moved on to the next round. As if that weren't enough reason to not recommend the show, David Hasselhoff is scheduled to perform tonight. Hasn't America suffered enough? Despite the horrific fact the Hoff will perform what he calls singing, you should still watch. That's because Muppets Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy will perform. This will be the first time, if Miss Piggy sings, that she won't be the worst crooner on the show. The other bonus is that opera box buddies Statler and Waldorf will be on hand. You can bet they will have something to say about Hasselhoff.
The news Disney's buying Marvel could create some odd situations if the two worlds came together.
Anyone who read the Marvel Comics 2005 eight-part series "House of M" knows this is a possibility. In that comic book series the Scarlet Witch suffered a mental breakdown and created a whole new reality.
Imagine what would happen if the new "House of M" became the "House of Mickey."
The book-reading Belle must decide between her own Beast and the Beast from "The X-Men."
Snow White lives with Happy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Bashful, Grumpy and Doctor Strange.
The new Fantastic Four are Mr. Fantastic Mickey, The Invisible Minnie, an always overheated Donald and the Thing.
Ariel starts dating the Sub-Mariner.
Spider-Man decides to move in with the guys from "A Bug's Life."
Hannah Montana trades hair care secrets with the Mighty Thor.
The Jonas Brothers become Kevin Joe and Nick Fury.
The new world will be a place where Buzz Lightyear and Captain America can work together. Daredevil and Tarzan can swing side-by-side through the city. What crossovers are you expecting?
A couple of good touring shows in the Tower tonight: Kenyan music meets Western rock via Extra Golden, which just finished up at Outside Lands and is at Audie's.
Meanwhile, Tumbledown, the rockabilly side project of MxPx frontman Mike Herrera, is at Starline. John Nolan, ex of Taking Back Sunday, is also on the bill.
Ben & Jerry's is jumping into the marriage debate by changing the name of its Chubby Hubby ice cream to Hubby Hubby. The company, in partnership with Freedom to Marry, wants to raise awareness about marriage equality. Vermont, where the company is based, is one of the few states that legalized gay marriage.
This is another example of a company entering a heated political debate, as Joan pointed out last week. What do you think? Will this draw any backlash or support?
If there is one question that should never be answered, it's "Where are they now?", because the answer is always depressing.
Exhibit A: Christopher "Kid" Reid selling suits (via Videogum)
Exhibit B: Soleil Moon Frye reprising Punky Brewster (thanks to reader Jeffresno for the link)
Mike Oz: Worse news: Duggars are having another kid or MTV wants to make a TV show out of "Teen Wolf?"
Heather: Come on. "Teen Wolf," for sure. The Duggars don't affect my happiness. Don't they live on a compound somewhere, making their own clothes, churning their own butter, and marrying their own siblings? Sorry, that's gross. Nobody uses butter these days.
I gotta say, I'm stumped by this flier for "Coolege Tuesdays" tonight at Fajita Fiesta.
I can't figure out if it's just a simple (and awesomely ironic) typo, or if it's some next level pun that my mind is not capable of comprehending right now.
Since I can't figure it out, let's just take a poll.
What the hell is Coolege?
a) A typo of "College"
b) A pun combining "Cool" and "College."
c) A reference to Calvin Coolidge, showing a dedication to teaching kids while they're getting sloppy drunk.
d) A typo of "Cool Edge," as in this "Club" is cooler than The Edge
e) [insert yours here]
"Hell's Kitchen" 8 p.m. KMPH (Channel 26.1): You knew it was coming. Every season of this Fox competition series, drill sergeant/chef Gordon Ramsay puts the competitors through a blind taste test. A good chef can identify anything in the kitchen without seeing it. Ramsay has said he is amazed that so many chefs smoke because that tends to affect their taste buds. The test doesn't stop there. The winners of this challenge dine with Chef Ramsay in the dark at a restaurant where they can rely only on the senses of taste, smell and touch. The heat gets turned up when during the evening service one team runs out of potatoes and the other team serves raw meat.
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