Thursday, 28 March 2024

Arts & Life

Kwame Dawes. Courtesy photo.

Joy Harjo’s ode to family, to ancestry, and to the woman’s body, truly makes sense if we understand that for Harjo, there is no line separating the natural world and her human body — that for her the evolutionary impulse is one of the imagination: “I was a thought, a dream, a fish a wing.”

In “Granddaughters,” she celebrates the body and the dynamic force of nature.

Granddaughters
By Joy Harjo

I was a thought, a dream, a fish, a wing
And then a human being
When I emerged from my mother's river
On my father's boat of potent fever
I carried a sack of dreams from a starlit dwelling
To be opened when I begin bleeding
There's a red dress, deerskin moccasins
The taste of berries made of promises
While the memories shift in their skins
At every moon, to do their ripening


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2019 by Joy Harjo, “Granddaughters” from An American Sunrise (W.W. Norton & Company, 2019.) Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2022 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska.

UKIAH, Calif. — The Ukiah Symphony, in collaboration with the Mendocino College Choir and guest soloists, presents its Holiday Celebration Concert on Saturday, Dec. 3, and Sunday, Dec. 4.

The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the Center Theater on the Mendocino College Campus in Ukiah.

The program includes Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Sextet in E-flat Major” featuring soloists John Lounsbery and Randy Masselink, Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel’s work “Hiob” (Job) featuring vocal soloists, and G.F. Handel’s (arranged by W. A. Mozart) piece “Hallelujah!” from “Messiah.”

Concert goers will also hear Margaret Bonds’ “The Ballad of the Brown King: A Christmas Cantata” with the Mendocino College Choir and vocal soloists Aléxa Anderson, Melinda Martinez Becker, Sidney Ragland and Bradley Kynard.

Margaret Bonds was one of the first African-American female composers to gain recognition in the United States and “The Ballad of the Brown King” is one of many collaborative projects she completed with Harlem Renaissance poet Langston Hughes.

Phillip Lenberg is conductor of the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra and Janice Hawthorne Timm is Director for the Mendocino College Choirs.

An hour before each concert, visitors can attend a pre-concert talk. Following Saturday’s evening program, attendees can sip Gowan’s cider and enjoy treats at an after hours reception.

Visit https://www.ukiahsymphony.org to purchase tickets and find more information.

The Ukiah Symphony Orchestra is a community-based orchestra located in the city of Ukiah, composed of musicians from Ukiah and the surrounding communities.

Founded in 1979, they have been providing continuous, regular seasons of orchestra music for Ukiah and the surrounding communities for more than 40 years.

Kwame Dawes. Courtesy photo.

I must admit that I leave “In Patient” still wondering, “Is she alright?”

I suspect that Erin Evans knows this, and what she wants to say is that this moment of humor, a distraction from the thing that is feared — a husband checking his wife’s heartbeat with a stethoscope — may, in the end, be far less important than the quirky observation.

Perhaps he is listening for the sound of a child’s pulse, perhaps he’s testing a new stethoscope, perhaps they are just playing “doctor,” perhaps, perhaps.

In Patient
By Erin Evans

My husband holds the cold stethoscope to my chest—
his brown eyes averted, he listens carefully,
like someone taking directions on the phone
on how to save another life.

My heart is a room full of dispatchers
waiting for those strange-hour, desperate calls,
trained to keep you on the line while help arrives.

But what he says, smiling up at me,
after he’s listened awhile is,
“I think I can hear the ocean.”

And I know he must be right—

that what he hears is some small part
of the 95% of water on earth
yet to be explored,
that there is still no word for life
that doesn’t sound like the hush of the ocean.


American Life in Poetry does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. It is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2022 by Erin Evans, “In Patient” from Nimrod International Journal. Volume 65. Number 2, Spring/Summer, 2022. Poem reprinted by permission of the author and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2022 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction’s author, Kwame Dawes, is George W. Holmes Professor of English and Glenna Luschei Editor of Prairie Schooner at the University of Nebraska.



‘THE MENU’ RATED R

The foodie culture has been satirized in many ways for its pretentious stylish presentation of fine dining, from the artistry of the food on the plates to the modern chic of the restaurant itself.

“The Menu” is taking the concept of haute cuisine to an insane level over the period of a five course (or it is six or more?), where the farm-to-table meal looks more like modern art than an edible experience.

The setting is a temple of exquisite gastronomy called Hawthorn, where the wealthy, celebrities and affected fools fork over $1,250 per patron to savor the changing menu of Chef Julian Slowik (Ralph Fiennes) who runs the joint like a cult leader.

Save for one person, nobody has arrived at the island restaurant not on purpose. The arrogant Tyler (Nicholas Hoult) considers himself an aficionado of the culinary arts but he’s more the buffoon.

Tyler’s date is Margot (Anya Taylor-Joy), a last-minute substitute for this excursion. From the start, she’s skeptical about the whole evening, and it turns out for very good reason.

As an unnamed movie star, John Leguizamo finds his acting career is fading and hopes instead to host a travel food show, and his assistant Felicity (Aimee Carrero) is desperate to quit and get away from him.

A trio of obnoxious tech guys (Arturo Castro, Rob Yang and Mark St. Cyr) work for Doug Varick, owner of the Hawthorn, which gives them an added sense of dubious privilege.

Lillian Bloom (Janet McTeer), an arrogant food critic with an overly inflated ego, has a history with Chef Slowik, and she’s joined by her editor (Paul Adelstein), a spineless yes man.

Reed Birney and Judith Light play a wealthy older couple who have been regulars at Hawthorn but over the course of the meal unsettling secrets are revealed about the husband.

Chef Slowik may be at the top of his game, but he’s come to loathe his elite customers, and himself, for being corrupted by them, and his disgust and contempt are a toxic brew for an evening that turns deadly.

The actors are the best thing on “The Menu” as they deal with the shocking surprises that put them on edge. Oddly interesting, the whole affair is a mysterious thriller mixed
with satire and strong violence.



‘DOLLY PARTON’S MOUNTAIN MAGIC CHRISTMAS’ ON TV

Fans of Dolly Parton are almost certain to love NBC’s most highly anticipated television event of the holiday season in the new original movie “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.”

The moniker GOAT usually applies to a sports superstar, someone like Tom Brady, but you could say the same goes for Dolly as the most honored and revered female country singer-songwriter with a multitude of awards and number one songs on the Billboard country charts.

Don’t worry about missing the premiere on the network because Dolly’s special will stream on Peacock, and apparently there will be an encore on NBC on Dec. 21 at 8 p.m.

While there are numerous songs that capture the spirit of Christmas and the importance of gathering with family during the holidays, Dolly gets to shine with her iconic songs “9 to 5” and “I Will Always Love You.”

There are a few things to be learned during this two-hour film. Such as, Jimmy Fallon may host his own eponymous late night talk show on NBC, but who knew that he was also a singer?

In a duet with Dolly for the song “It’s Almost Too Early for Christmas,” Fallon wears a black leather sequined jacket as the pair dance with backup singers in a scene that looks like a 1950’s diner.

Keep in mind that “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas,” which has opening scenes at Dollywood, is a movie musical about the making of a network TV special, with all of the frenetic backstage angst of a dress rehearsal.

Speaking of production anguish, Tom Everett Scott’s show producer Sam Haskell frets that they are behind schedule for their live performance, and things only gets worse when the choreographer leaves for a job with the Radio City Rockettes.

Throughout the movie’s production numbers and rehearsal chaos, Dolly finds herself taking a private journey into her past, guided by the mysterious appearances of her personal Wise Mountain Men.

Through the sparkle of magic dust, Willie Nelson tells Dolly to think of him as a wise old mountain man full of wisdom. Her response is to tell him that he is “full of it.”

When Dolly says that Willie Nelson taught her to remember that we’ll always be the kids we once were at Christmas, Billy Ray Cyrus shares his wisdom that who you are with in the present is what really makes it Christmas.

When the time comes for the special to air, a renewed and inspired Dolly goes rogue and shows the world that the real magic of Christmas lies in the hearts of the children and that Christmas is about the people we share it with.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Symphony Association recently announced the fall season for its Community & Youth Orchestra.

Weekly rehearsals began in September and take place on Sundays from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the Soper-Reese Theatre.

The Lake County Community & Youth Orchestra, or LCCYO, is a multi-generational performance-based group for musicians from middle school age to adults.

All players from Lake County and the surrounding areas with intermediate to advanced musical instrument experience are invited to join the orchestra.

In addition to being a group with experienced players, this is the perfect opportunity for young musicians just starting out, players wanting to improve their skills on a second instrument, or adults looking to re-familiarize themselves with an instrument they may not have played for years.

The LCCYO is currently recruiting for all orchestral instruments and calling for string players (violin, viola, cello, double bass), wind players (brass and woodwinds), and rhythm section/ percussionists (drums, timpani, piano, bass).

This Lake County-based group is open to musicians from the surrounding counties as well. Ridesharing is available and highly recommended for those traveling to rehearsals and performances from outside the county.

Whether you are a seasoned musician or have not performed with a group for a while, all are welcome to come explore music in a safe and supportive environment.

The LCCYO performs at least four times a year. In addition to an exclusive LCCYO spring concert, the group opens for the Lake County Symphony at their November “Classics” concert, the December “Christmas Celebration” and the ever-popular “Pops” concert in May.

This season, the Lake County Community & Youth Orchestra is directed by Dr. Camm Linden who is semi-retired from the film industry after working as a freelance composer/arranger and rehearsal conductor for various movie sound stages.

She plays multiple instruments in the Lake County Symphony; Linden played a Haydn piano concerto last season, sits regularly in the trumpet section, and has also been seen playing horn and percussion.

For more information about the community orchestra, please visit www.lccyo.org.



THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT COMES TO CBS

The Hallmark Channel may not be alone in the holiday spirit but even network television can’t compete with as many Christmas-themed specials.

However, CBS makes an effort with its own foray into the jolly season.

Airing on Nov. 29, “Reindeer in Here,” a one-hour animated holiday special, is based on the award-winning Christmas book and plush set created by acclaimed author Adam Reed and written for the screen by Greg Erb and Jason Oremland.

This is the heartwarming story of how Blizz, a young reindeer living at the North Pole who has an unusual trait — one antler that is significantly smaller than the other — and his unique group of friends band together to save the future of Christmas.

Blizz just wants to show Santa that his original inventions can make Christmas even better. Theo, a lonely 10-year-old boy, is the new kid in town who longs to make friends.

When a mysterious villain swipes the magical snow globe that holds the wishes of every child in the world, these two unlikely heroes become Santa’s only hope to save Christmas.

Blizz and Theo can’t save Christmas all on their own, so they enlist the help of their trustworthy friends, including Candy, the oversharing Snowgirl; Pinky, the only entirely pink reindeer at the North Pole; and the dimwitted mohawked polar bear Hawk.

Joining the group to help out is the big-toothed nervous-Nelly reindeer Bucky, and the adorable and hilarious Smiley the elf who has served as Santa’s harried Head of Holiday Operations for the past 500 years.

Amanda Kloots (“The Talk” co-host) stars in and executive produces “Fit for Christmas,” the tale of Audrey, an enthusiastic Christmas-obsessed fitness instructor at a beloved, financially beleaguered community center in quaint Mistletoe, Montana.

Audrey begins a holiday romance with a charming, mysterious business owner (Paul Greene), complicating his plans to turn the center into a more financially profitable resort property. “Fit for Christmas” airs on December 4th.

Mark Amato, who has created a dozen holiday-themed films, including last season’s CBS original movie “A Christmas Proposal,” as well as “A Kiss Before Christmas,” is the writer of “Most Love Christmas,” the holiday special to air on Dec. 11.

A renowned romance novelist (Liza Lapira of “The Equalizer”) famous for her Christmas-themed books finds herself snowbound in the charming town of Cranberry Falls.

Stuck in this village, the novelist unexpectedly becomes involved in a love triangle between her childhood crush (Nathan Witte) and a reporter (Neal Bledsoe) determined to interview her to save his dying magazine.

Award-winning singer-songwriter Sheryl Crow executive produces and writes the title song for “When Christmas Was Young,” a Nashville music-themed movie from a script by bestselling novelist Robert Tate Miller (“Hope at Christmas”).

The story follows a headstrong music manager (actor/musician Tyler Hilton) in desperate need of a hit song for his last remaining client, who finds himself falling for a gifted singer-songwriter (Karen David).

While the singer may have abandoned dreams of making it big, Hilton’s music manager attempts to secure the rights to a Christmas song she wrote years ago. “When Christmas Was Young” debuts on Dec. 18.


 

UPtv’s MERRY HOLIDAY OFFERING

UPtv, the television home for uplifting entertainment, may be outdoing everyone else in the holiday cheer department, with 17 original movies celebrating the Christmas spirit.

Let’s take a look at a few of the offerings. On Dec. 3, “Christmas on the Slopes” is the story of a celebrity chef (Soma Chhaya) taking her first real Christmas vacation and ends up wandering into the kitchen of a luxury resort.

The handsome but grouchy head chef (Olivier Renaud) mistakes her for the sous chef, and their chemistry sparks a holiday romance. But will everything blow up when the head chef learns the truth about her?

“Santa’s Got Style,” debuting on Dec. 11, finds department store executive Madison (Kathryn Davis) charged with coming up with a fresh idea for the holiday season. She decides that instead of a classic Santa, this year they would hire a young Santa with fashionable style.

But when she has difficulty finding the perfect model, her longtime best friend Ethan (Franco Lo Presti), who has been in love with her for years, throws on a beard and disguises himself as the Santa of her dreams.

The weekend before Christmas delivers “Sappy Holiday,” with Vanessa Sears’ Joy stranded in a small town after her car breaks down. She meets the charming James (Jon McLaren), a local trying to save his family’s maple farm.

Christmas weekend brings a double bill for Saturday and Sunday, with “The Snowball Effect” being the tale of rival meteorologists (Anjali Khurana and Landon Moss) tracking a huge snowstorm in the town of Mistletoe and having to work together to get home in time for Christmas.

Christmas Day brings “Christmas in Wolf Creek” where a runaway reindeer threatens the annual Christmas play and a struggling couple (Nola Martin and Tim Rozon) must work together to save Christmas for the town and each other.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Upcoming Calendar

28Mar
03.28.2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Vision resource group
30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 11:00 am
Second annual Bunny Brunch
30Mar
03.30.2024 9:00 am - 2:00 pm
Lakeport Community Cleanup Day
30Mar
03.30.2024 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Lake County poet laureate inauguration
31Mar
03.31.2024
Easter Sunday
31Mar
03.31.2024 1:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Lakeport Rotary Club Easter Egg Hunt
1Apr
04.01.2024
Easter Monday
1Apr
10Apr
15Apr
04.15.2024
Tax Day

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