Pictured, from left to right, judge Sarah France; event organizers Cherie Sheraque and Mary Chadwick; and The Lost Boys, Matt Weiss, Thomas Cano, Jordan Mills and Beau Bastian. Courtesy photo.
UKIAH – Sixteen competing musical acts and two featured acts came together in a common cause on Saturday, Sept. 27, when they took part in a daylong music competition that raised funds for Ukiah Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah.
The event also offered a chance for Lake and Mendocino County musicians to display their talents for the public.
Event organizers, Cherie Sheraque and Mary Chadwick had the support of their families, friends and the community to make this event happen and through that support and the spirit of the musicians; this event was a resounding success.
Starting at 9 a.m., each of these acts had 30 minutes to perform with the featured bands, II Big and Faded At Four playing for one hour each.
Contestants were placed in groups of four with each act individually judged based upon talent, musicianship and audience participation.
Every participating act received prizes donated by Russian River Records, Laughing Coyote Studios and Ukiah Music Center. Top prizes included studio time at Laughing Coyote Studio and Russian River Records along with a gift certificate donated by Ukiah Music Center, a Fender amp donated by Roadhouse Music and tools donated by Sears.
In an effort to raise funds for The Boys and Girls Club of Ukiah, the public was encouraged to donate money throughout the day along with event shirts being sold and a silent auction of other items donated by various area merchants along with cash donations by various sponsors. The total raised for this worthy cause was more than $2,500.
Presenting sponsors included Kwine 94.5, Max 93.5 and Russian River Records. Major sponsors for this event were Konocti Marine Construction, North Coast Energy Services and Laughing Coyote Studios. Sponsors included Faded At Four, Ukiah Music Center, Roadhouse Music and Ukiah Daily Journal. Many other sponsors were involved as listed on the Web site for this event, www.risingstarscompetition.com.
The winners of this event were: first place, The Lost Boys; second place, Two Miles To Think;
third place, No Method To Madness; Group A, The Delphonatics; Group B, Two Miles To Think; Group C, The Lost Boys; Group D, No Method To Madness.
Theater company presents mystery dinner theater Oct. 18
Written by Editor
Sunday, 12 October 2008
Actor Bert Hutt in costume for the mystery dinner, which will be presented Oct. 18. Courtesy photo.
CLEARLAKE OAKS – Do you like to solve mysteries? Do you like to eat?
On Saturday, Oct. 18, Lake County Repertory Theater Co. will produce a spooky Mystery Theater Dinner at the Moose Lodge in Clearlake Oaks.
The production is entitled, "The Disappearance of Death" and will challenge the theater goers to discover what happened to The Great Radinski upon his triumphant return to Mystic Lake ... or is it Clear Lake ...?
A cast of eight will host all of you super-sleuths as you arrive at 6 p.m., attired in Halloween costumes (there will be prizes) or not, depending on your spirit of adventure. A tri-tip dinner with all the trimmings will satisfy your hunger while clues come and go from the most unexpected places. (What is that under your napkin?)
The locations of the tickets are no mystery. They are available at Catfish Books (263-4454) in Lakeport, Wild About Books (994-9453) in Clearlake and Shannon Ridge Tasting Room (998-9656) in Clear Lake Oaks. The cost is only $30 for an evening of great food and mysteriously wonderful entertainment!
Second annual Wild and Scenic Environmental Film Festival planned
Written by Editor
Sunday, 12 October 2008
DAVIS – When you think of environmentalism, do you envision granola bars, tree huggers and, more recently, owners of hybrid or electric vehicles?
If so, you might be surprised to see the changing face of sustainability enthusiasts: ranchers protecting rare fish species, city dwellers participating in local sustainable agriculture, and even kids speaking out on the issues that are important to them.
The Wild and Scenic Film Festival on tour will share these groundbreaking stories and encourage our community’s participation in other regional and global conservation movements.
The second Annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival, presented on Saturday, Oct. 18, by Patagonia and hosted by Tuleyome and the Sierra Club Yolano Group, brings together award-winning environmental short films in a spirit of inspiration and education.
The guest speaker for the evening event will be Jim Etters, the director of land management for the Rumsey Tribe’s Property and Farm Management program.
Etters will discuss the tribe’s sustainable farming practices and their new livestock management program. This year there will also be a special one-hour children’s matinee featuring films just for kids.
The second annual film festival will be showing at the Veteran’s Memorial Theatre in Davis at 203 E. 14th St. The one-hour kid’s matinee starts at 4 p.m. and the two-hour evening show begins at 7 p.m.
Tickets are on sale at Armadillo Music at 205 F St. in Davis or call 530-350-2599. If available, tickets will also be for sale at the door the night of the festival. Additional information can be found at www.tuleyome.org or motherlode.sierraclub.org/Yolano.
Sample of evening show at 7 p.m.
“Fish and Cow,” Rick Smith
The Big Hole Valley in Montana is home to one of the last surviving populations of the fluvial Arctic grayling. This film is a story about a group of dedicated ranchers and biologists finding common ground, trying to save this fish and preserve the ecological health of the Big Hole Valley itself.
“Meat Jim,” Madison Sheffield, Katie Heineman
Two college vegetarians think they can transform the eating habits of a local cowboy because it’s better for the earth, or so they think. But the vibrant vaquero has his own thoughts.
“Fridays at the Farm,” Richard Power Hoffman
Honorable Mention, Wild and Scenic Film Festival
Feeling disconnected from their food, a photographer/filmmaker and his family decide to join a community-supported organic farm. The filmmaker photographs the natural processes of food cultivation.
Black Mesa Trust, Channel G
For 30 years Peabody Coal Co. has been withdrawing water from Arizona’s aquifers for a coal slurry line to California, leading to devastating effects on the environment, cultures and well-being of the Hopi and Diné (Navajo) living on Black Mesa. The centuries-old cultures of the Hopi and Diné that depend so heavily upon the pristine aquifer for religious, cultural and day-to-day uses, are suffering.
“Story of Stuff,”Annie Leonard and Free Range Studios
Film that takes viewers on a provocative and eye-opening tour of the real costs of our consumer driven culture — from resource extraction to iPod incineration.
Sample of children’s program at 4 p.m.:
“Feed the Worms,” Philip Hassan
Local students at Scotten School answer the question, “How can you help the environment?”
“Hawaii Reef Etiquette,” Ziggy Livnat
With the spirit of Aloha, learn how to enjoy, respect and preserve the Hawaiian reefs. This PSA encourages action and shows viewers that one can make a difference. Best PSA, International Wildlife Film Festival.
Uplifting sports movie rolls nicely in 'The Express'
Written by Tim Riley
Friday, 10 October 2008
THE EXPRESS (Rated PG)
I am a sucker for uplifting sports movies, no matter whether it involves an individual or the entire team overcoming great odds to triumph in a blaze of glory. Simply put, “The Express” is that kind of inspirational homage to athletic achievement.
This fact-based story follows the extraordinary life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
To this day, considering his fight for equality and respect in the turbulent late 1950s and early 1960s, Davis is arguably as deserving of being a civil rights icon in the sports world as Jackie Robinson. At least, “The Express” will leave an indelible impression that Ernie Davis is a real hero worthy of lasting recognition.
“The Express” rolls out the story of football glory when the No. 1 ranked Syracuse University Orangemen square off against the University of Texas Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl on New Year’s Day, 1960.
At this point, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) is the outstanding running back on the Syracuse team coached by Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), a decorated veteran and Southerner with a single vision of a national championship.
Then, in a series of flashbacks that start before the first snap of the ball, the story of Ernie’s journey from early childhood in the care of his Pennsylvania coal miner grandfather (Charles S. Dutton) to his standout high school years as a football player in Elmira, New York, unfolds.
Having acquired the nickname of the “Elmira Express,” high school wonder Ernie is scouted by numerous coaches from prestige schools. Coach Schwartzwalder is most persistent, going so far as to use Syracuse alum Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson), the legendary football player for the Cleveland Browns, to help persuade Ernie during the recruiting process.
It’s not that the coach is so eager to recruit black players, considering that Brown was difficult to handle. It’s simply that he recognized talent, even at a time that blacks weren’t fully accepted on college campuses in the integrated North.
When Ernie first arrives at Syracuse, he draws stares and antagonism from many unfriendly white students. Fortunately, Jack Buckley (Omar Benson Miller), another black student on the football squad, becomes Ernie’s friend and soul mate, and together they deal with intractable racism both on and off the field. Even on the enlightened Syracuse campus, the athletes of color have to overcome inherent prejudice.
Things are really ugly when the team travels on the road during its championship season, facing an extremely hostile crowd in West Virginia, where the coach warns the players to keep their helmets on at all times.
The stark reminder of the nasty racism of the pre-Civil Rights era shows up most vividly and forcefully during the famous Cotton Bowl game. Playing in front of a hostile crowd in Dallas, the Syracuse Orangemen are subjected to vile taunts and hostility. Worse of all, the referees were clearly biased in favor of the Texas Longhorns, overlooking late hits and other infractions by the home team. It’s little wonder that at some point the contest turns from a game into a full-blown brawl clearing both teams’ benches.
When Syracuse wins the championship, the team is invited to celebrate at a whites-only country club. Of course, Ernie and Jack are pointedly excluded from the festivities, and by now the Orangemen have bonded so that the entire team refuses to attend if the black teammates are excluded.
It’s not until the next season that Ernie is in the running for the Heisman Trophy, winning it and capping another milestone in his college career.
“The Express” turns poignant and sad when Ernie’s post-college career is cut short by leukemia. Rob Brown’s Ernie endures his challenges on and off the field with dignity and grace. To be sure, the movie is a very inspirational sports story, but you come away with the feeling that there’s much more to know about the Ernie Davis story.
This standout player will never be a household name like Jackie Robinson, or even Jim Brown, but “The Express” helps to bring some well-deserved recognition, and in the process delivers a very appealing entertainment.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
Aficionados of Alfred Hitchcock are going to love the DVD release of the “Alfred Hitchcock Premiere Collection,” featuring eight restored and remastered classic films, some of which have been out of print for years.
The set is highlighted by Hitchcock’s Oscar winner for Best Picture, “Rebecca,” starring Joan Fontaine and Laurence Olivier in a dark tale of love and obsession.
Ingrid Bergman appears in two classics, first alongside Gregory Peck in “Spellbound,” and with Cary Grant in “Notorious,” a tale of crime, passion and espionage. Gregory Peck defends a beautiful woman accused of poisoning her husband in “The Paradine Case.”
The spy thriller “Sabotage,” the drama “Young and Innocent,” and the high seas thriller “Lifeboat” are also featured. The terrifying whodunit “The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog” is one of Hitchcock’s earliest films.
This DVD collection is loaded with extras, including screen tests, still galleries, vintage radio interviews, an “AFI Tribute to Hitchcock” and more.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
