LAKE COUNTY – Dante DeAmicis's latest feature, “In the Library,” will be on Mediacom TV8 at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7 and Tuesday, Feb. 12.

"In the Library" is a local interview program with a twist.

Guests will be: Steve Elias of KPFZ, our very own listener-supported radio station, soon to be on the air; Carolyn Hawley, concert pianist and composer, artist and writer; Ruth Altman, talking about murals and other forms of community art; and Dennis Chrisp, singer/song writer.

The program has a great balance between information and entertainment. Watch it if you can.

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Rachael has been selected to represent Lake County in the State Finals of the Annual Poetry Out Loud National Recitation Contest. During the reception she will perform two of the classic poems that she has chosen to memorize for the state competition.

The reception is open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.

Rachael is an independent study high school student in Middletown. She writes poetry and prose and can be seen at open mics around the county reciting her own material or her favorite classics. She is a confident young lady who feels comfortable in the spotlight. Her range encompasses both humorous and dramatic material.

Poetry Out Loud is a collaborative project of National Endowment for the Arts and the Poetry Foundation. It seeks to foster the next generation of literary readers by capitalizing on the latest trends in poetry-recitation and performance. The program builds on the resurgence of poetry as an oral art form, as seen in the slam poetry movement and the immense popularity of rap music among youth.

Poetry Out Loud provides standards based curriculum materials for use in high school classrooms. There is no cost to the schools to participate and all materials are provided free of charge. Any education professionals wanting more information about the program are encouraged to attend this event. Materials will be available at the reception or can be downloaded from poetryoutloud.org.

Poetry Out Loud in Lake County is supported by and funded through the California Arts Council and Lake County Arts Council.

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This column strives to stay current on new film releases, as long as the studios are cooperating by holding screenings for critics. That’s not always the case at the start of the year, when so much of the new product is nothing more than cinematic jetsam that studios are eager to dump.

Spoof movies, particularly the Scary Movie franchise, can be entertaining and erratically funny. So it seemed Meet the Spartans could be mildly diverting, and 20th Century Fox put me on a screening list after I made a request to see it. Yet, a day before the event the invite was unceremoniously snatched away when it dawned on somebody that a critic would get an advance peek.

The moral of this story is that any studio disdain for press coverage is the surest sign that the film in question is an unmitigated train wreck. The more charitable view is that certain films, perhaps the spoof movies more than ever, are immune to criticism.

So why bother spending money on promotions, other than the requisite advertising? Now, I could rush to the theater and pay good money to see Meet the Spartans, but that could be a fool’s errand, kind of like buying season tickets for the Arizona Cardinals.

Let’s move on to another film from 20th Century Fox, the formulaic 27 Dresses which is the kind of cute, predictable romantic comedy that practically every guy in the universe would wisely avoid seeing under any normal circumstance, unless of course his significant other insists on a date movie. What we have here is a sappy love story that would more likely appeal to the ladies, or at least that’s my educated guess.

27 Dresses is by no means dreadful, and if I can survive it, then maybe the smart play for the guy is to make this a date movie, as long as the relationship is secure. After all, guys, you don’t want to be compared unfavorably to the hunky, toothy-grinned James Marsden, who plays the cynical journalist so obviously destined to become the love interest for the hopelessly sentimental Katherine Heigl.

If you can’t see the romance brewing between Heigl and Marsden only minutes after they meet, then you should stay home and watch endless repeats of the formulaic movies running on the Lifetime Channel. Heigl’s Jane is the perennial bridesmaid, and she has 27 dresses in her closet to prove it.

One memorable evening, Jane manages to shuttle between wedding receptions in Manhattan and Brooklyn, a feat witnessed by Kevin, a newspaper reporter consigned to writing the bridal beat. Now he realizes that he’s got a potential big story about a wedding junkie that could land him on the front page.

When Jane and Kevin meet at a wedding, they lock horns as she is repulsed by his cynicism. Meanwhile, Jane is in love with her boss, George (Edward Burns), a colorless character who is seemingly oblivious.

Jane’s neatly-ordered life is upended when her flighty, flirtatious younger sister Tess (Malin Akerman) arrives in town and sets her sights on capturing the heart of George. Not surprisingly, Tess succeeds, in part due to her remarkably shallow ability to feign interest in whatever George happens to like.

A whirlwind romance follows, and Tess and George soon announce their nuptials, enlisting Jane of course to organize the whole affair, including locating a 28th dress. Meanwhile, when not sulking about this turn of events, Jane slowly becomes more attracted to the willing and available Kevin, at least until his ill-timed expose of the perpetual bridesmaid surfaces in the newspaper. Hey, what’s a romantic comedy without some conflict that will eventually be resolved in the most satisfactory manner?

Katherine Heigl and James Marsden are charming actors who have come off well in recent film roles. In 27 Dresses they display the right note of chemistry in their tangled relationship. It’s enough to make the film bearable for guys stuck in the date movie mode.

DVD RELEASE UPDATE

Chances are Meet the Spartans will hit the DVD shelves in short order. Meanwhile, another spoof movie you may have missed at the multiplex, The Comebacks, is now available in both unrated and theatrical DVD editions.

It holds some appeal, considering that it spoofs a wide range of inspirational sports films, ranging from Rocky to Field of Dreams to Remember the Titans, naming just a few.

David Koechner stars as out-of-luck coach Lambeau Fields, who is persuaded to take to the field one last time and drives a rag-tag team of misfits towards a football championship.

The Comebacks is the Scary Movie for the uplifting sports genre, and it packs a number of laughs.

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

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Lucerne resident Frank Vastano performing at Cafe Victoria Feb. 2. Photo by Joanne Bateni.

Everyone had a chance to perform once within the two-hour time frame.

Local poets Lorna Sue Sides, Lourdes and John W. recited some of their original works. Local magician Phillip Martin mystified everyone with his magic, running the gamut from card tricks to spoon bending.

Guitar player Frank Vastano played a baby snare drum to accompany Phil Mathewson on a couple of Mathewson’s tunes and then sang and played his guitar to his own original songs.

Allen Markowski came over from Clearlake to sing his song “25 Years Ago” and told the group about his Internet sharing project involving the next level of the Internet.

Karen Priest sang her political commentary song, “Who Knows What the Mole Knows?” although she wasn’t familiar with the borrowed guitar. She promises to bring her own next month.

Dick Flowers read a tribute to one of his recently deceased friends which was quite moving.

Newbie Mike Teagan played his guitar and sang a few original tunes.

Last, but not least, Scotty McNeil, a well-known figure around Lake County and owner of the now defunct Alpine Café in Lucerne, told some jokes and played his own modified version of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” on the house piano.

Classical music at the open mic, what will be next? Thanks to everyone who came for supporting our new “originals only” format. This means we can’t allow copyrighted material unless you have permission from the copyright holder. If you don’t have original music to perform you can borrow some from the other performers at no charge.

Allen Markowski’s new Web site for local song writers and artists – http://localartistnetwork.wikispaces.com – is a place to meet local artists and share ideas. Check it out and see you next month.

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These events extend the Blue Wing’s focus on offering its patrons the best wines produced in Lake County.

The Winemaker Evenings will be held on the first Thursday of each month from 5:30 p.m. to 9 p.m.

The evenings will allow restaurant patrons to taste a wide variety of wines and meet some of the most notable winemakers in the area.

The saloon kitchen staff will work closely with the winemakers each evening to produce special dishes that properly compliment the wines being featured.

Following is the schedule for the first five months of the series. The saloon will continue to offer a full range of wines from each featured winemaker for the rest of the month.

– Thursday, Feb. 7: Winemaker Matt Hughes of Zoom Wines will kick off the series. Zoom is a Lake County Zinfandel specialist whose wines have been big sellers at the Saloon since its opening in June 2005. Matt is also winemaker for the Blue Wing Sauvignon Blanc (Bennett Vineyards) and Blue Wing Syrah (Obsidian Ridge Vineyards) as well as the popular Blue Wing house Chardonnay and Cabernet. He is currently chairman of the Lake County Winery Association.

– Thursday, March 6: Ceago Vinegarden winemaker Javier Tapia and owner Jim Fetzer will pour their biodynamically grown Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. The beautiful lakeside Ceago facility and tasting room is located on Highway 20 between the towns of Nice and Lucerne.

– Thursday, April 3: Eden Crest Vineyards owners and winemakers TJ and Tammy Mickel will pour their handcrafted Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. With production facilities in Kelseyville, this family winery produces less than 1,000 cases a year, but their attention to detail is rewarded with a truly wonderful product marketed at a reasonable price.

– Thursday, May 1: Shannon Ridge winemakers Marco DiGuilio and Mike Wood together with owner Clay Shannon will present a selection of wines, most made from grapes grown on the high elevation Shannon Ridge property above Clear Lake. The quaint Shannon Ridge tasting room managed by Joey Luiz is located in a converted one-room schoolhouse in Clearlake Oaks. Wood also will pour his own Shed Horn wines.

– Thursday, June 5: Naughty Boy Vineyards winemaker Greg Graziano and owners Jim and MJ Scott will pour the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines made from grapes grown on the Scotts’ six-acre vineyard in Potter Valley. The 2004 Naughty Boy Pinot Noir was recently ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle as one of the 100 best wines on the West Coast.

Re-established in the Lake County town of Upper Lake in June 2005 by owners Lynne and Bernie Butcher, Blue Wing Saloon and Cafe stands in the same location as its namesake, first opened in the 1880s. The saloon remained a popular watering hole until the onset of prohibition in 1920.

In the tradition of the original saloon, the Blue Wing proudly offers customers fine food, local microbrews and wines at affordable prices.

Information on the adjacent Tallman Hotel can be found at www.tallmanhotel.com. Blue Wing Saloon and Café, 9520 Main St., Upper Lake, www.bluewingsaloon.com.

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Faded At Four rocks on: Back row, from left, bassist Martan Scheel, guitarist Brian Kenner, drummer Chris Sanders and guitarist Chris Murphy, with lead singer Jon Foutch seated in the front. Photo by Cecil Blackburn.

LAKEPORT – Five of Lake County’s own have struggled their way through 4,500 bands competing for a $1 million recording contract from Bodog Music.

Faded At Four members Jon Foutch, Brian Kenner, Martin “Martan” Scheel and Chris “Pencil” Sanders played Sunday, Jan. 13 at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco to a sea of their fans who traveled over three hours to support their favorite rock band.

Faded At Four’s 22-minute set in the 12-band show included fan favorites from their soon to be released CD, “Collateral” such as “They” and “Unhero” after a special tribute to Iraq war veteran and band member Chris “Murph” Murphy, who was in the audience cheering on his fellow band members on.

The band arranged travel, food and entrance for three buses of their fans from Lake County, Mendocino County, Sonoma County and Sacramento to win their place in the competition through fan voting and ticket sales with their performance scored by judges from as far away as Texas.

This competition started as an online voting process with Faded At Four registering in July 2007 and quickly moving up the ranks to hold steady in the top five in the world and number one in the San Francisco Division.

The first live competition was held in October 2007 and eight of those bands advanced to the next round in December. Four bands from the December round moved on to the Semi-Regional Finals and from there, three bands move on to the Regional Finals in Hollywood.

The single band that wins the March competition in Hollywood will advance to the reality-based TV show “Bodog Battle of the Bands” in which eight bands will compete worldwide through touring and various music based competitions. Bands will be eliminated one at a time with the final band winning a one million dollar recording contract from Bodog Music.

Their fans will be able to design their own Faded At Four vacation in Hollywood for this round of competition with arrangements being made for travel to and from the city via air, train, or bus, group rates for hotel accommodations and various group activities leading up to the competition.

Faded At Four past accomplishments were to win the Uber grand prize in Ukiah’s first annual Bandslam Competition; the band also opened for Kid Rock at Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa.

For more information visit the band's Web site at www.fadedatfour.com.

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