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DATELINE December 9, 2013
| THE INGENUES-BAND BEAUTIFUL (1928). So why aren’t there more all women bands today?? |
| THE ROSS SISTERS. Mark Levy “re-found” this stunning trio. No, it definitely does not remind anyone of Lynn Robinson, Hilary Bryant and Pamela Comstock. How could a person think such a thing??? |
SHAKESPEARE SANTA CRUZ LIVES AGAIN!!! Just about the greatest news I’ve heard in ages is that a band of stalwarts is putting together a new and revised version of Shakespeare Santa Cruz titled “Shakespeare Play On”. More than that, if we all pitch in they’ll be “playing” this 2014 season. Who are the stalwarts you ask…well there’s Bill Richter past president of Shakespeare Santa Cruz, and of course as Bill calls her “the unstoppable” Audrey Stanley, Actor and SSC veteran Mike Ryan, SSC board president Jean Shimoguchi, Renee Winter and a growing “cast” . Bill Richter’s email states… Shakespeare Play On has been incorporated as an independent nonprofit to carry on the traditions and aesthetic of SSC!* The Arts Council Santa Cruz County, our fiscal sponsor, can accept your charitable gifts and donations to Shakespeare Play On starting right away!* UCSC and Shakespeare Play On are working hard to identify, address and finalize details relating to Shakespeare Play On‘s production of a 2014 season in the Glen under the Shakespeare Santa Cruz name!
Bill Richter continues..Shakespeare Play On has exciting plans for artistic leadership and the 2014 season (and beyond). The business model is simple yet stark: Forward fund the 2014 season between now and January 15, 2014 so that your favorite actors and directors can be hired, and future revenues can fund 2015. The goal is $885,000, and kick-off contributions from the Board and commitments from friends have taken us 1/4 of the way there! There are many unknowns, and we can’t promise this will be easy, but we will be transparent and bold in the pursuit of our artistic and budgetary goals. We want to let people who are fighting their own fights on behalf of endangered institutions know that we are all in this together, and we can
fight for important things and prevail We look forward to sharing future exciting announcements with you! In the meantime, help Shakespeare Play On at: http://www.artscouncilsc.org/get-involved/donate-now/ and follow the link, listing “Shakespeare” in the “special purpose” dedication box.
“Proceed, proceed: we will begin these rites, As we do trust they’ll end, in true delights”. As You Like It.
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GUANG DONG. Tom “bubbles” Noddy sent this one. |
| GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 AT THE BING CROSBY SHOW. |
| DOLL FACE. A completely absorbing animated fantasy by Andrew Huang. |
BOARDWALK IMPROVEMENTS ALREADY??? How fast those oiled wheels turn!!! Lynn Rapunzel Robinson hadn’t even been sworn in as mayor and we get the news that The Boardwalk/ Seaside Company will ask the City Council to split the costs of improving one of the Boardwalk parking lots. Writing this on Monday 12/09 I’m taking all bets that the council will kiss butt once again and give the Boardwalk what it wants. We need to remember that the now new Mayor Lynn Rapunzel Robinson is married to John Robinson. John’s the former Sentinel reporter, former flack for The Boardwalk Seaside corporation and now president and chief executive officer of the California Attractions and Parks Association. Conflict of interest there????impossible!!! And just because Kris Reyes now has John Robinson’s old PR job for Charlie Canfield’s Boardwalk Seaside Corporation and is a member of the Public Safety Citizen Task Force and is one of Ryan Coonerty’s closest friends, how could that possibly influence the City Council’s decision to give our money to improve the Boardwalk Parking lot??. I forgot…how many years ago was it that the City Council gave the Boardwalk (for absolutely free) the other parking lot next to the river???
RADIO STATION KZSC OFF THE AIR 12/20 – JAN. 2. Because A.T.& T is going to do some adjustments to their antenna/antennae, and because KZSC is part of that antenna hook-up the station will go offf the air entirely from 4 p.m on December 20 though January 2 some time. It’s some kind of progress I guess but it’s a shame too.
GOODTIME WASHBOARD 3 NOW ON iTUNES. Once in a while I’ve mentioned my show biz and musical history with a trio I put together at UC Berkeley back in the late 50’s. We called it ” The Goodtime Washboard 3″. Probably the peak of our careers was appearing with Bing Crosby on his Hollywood Palace nation-wide TV show. Go to You Tube and open Bing Crosby- Bruce Bratton and see and hear Bing join our group. A few years after that we wrote and recorded the biggest, most successful song about Oakland ever written. That too is on You Tube with visuals created by Ben Fong Torres of The S.F. Chronicle. Go to “Oakland Song”. Now just last week my daughter Hillary, her husband Martin Kloiber and a very long time friend Doug Pomeroy all combined their talents and got The Goodtime Washboard 3 into iTunes. You can go to iTunes and hear our four Christmas songs ( I wrote two of them). They’re called “The Goodtime Washboard 3 Sing Christmas”. Then you can hear (and buy) our entire album including the Oakland song and another song we wrote titled, “Don’t Blame PG& E, Pal” which was our way and part of helping to stop the nuclear power plant at Bodega Bay.
PETER SELLARS IS A GENUINE JERK. Precious, unctuous, “rightous bullshit” (his words), and he should just stick to communicating and set designing with composer John Adams. He sure didn’t communicate with the UCSC Maitra Memorial Lecture audience that happened last Thursday (12/5). Bored, mystified, numbed, and more bored would about sum up the reactions I shared with everyone I talked to after Sellars tour de farce. We think he talked about the world community and sharing the undefinable arts and how everything is art or something like that. The odd thing was that Sellars talked about colleges and teaching and arts and no one asked him about UCSC killing Shakespeare Santa Cruz and what kind of benefit that was. Plus, the chancellor was sitting right there too.
What’s happening to Santa Cruz County’s TV availability?
Catching up from a two-week vacation, only to learn that our Community TV is in in jeopardy. It seems that funding to support the TV broadcasting hardware is in good shape, but the funding for the people that make it work is being axed. This after a long hard struggle by CTV’s staff to cut costs. When the Sentinel editorial writers see this as a problem, as do I, you know something must really be wrong. Could the TV advertising lobby have something to do with this?
Then we have Comcast’s axing of KTVU Channel 2 from their list of cable box channels. This one remains a mystery to me also. Comcast sent a postcard to subscribers in November warning us that this would happen on December 12, (it went away on December 4). When I called then to complain about this, a real person said not to worry; KTVU would be available on Comcast Channel 44. I was right not to believe them. Yesterday they said, yes KTVU Channel 2 was gone, but not to worry, we have KCBA (FOX) on Channel 3. Channel 2 was broadcasting, but just endless commercials. So after explaining how much I HATED FOX, and had watched the morning news on KTVU Channel 2 for over 40 years, she admitted a flood of calls to Comcast with the same complaint. Later that morning KTVU Channel 2 appeared on Comcast Channel 3. Go figure! (Paul Elerick is co-chair, along with Peter Scott, of the Campaign for Sensible Transportation, http://sensibletransportation.org , and is a member of Nisene 2 Sea, a group of open space advocates).
| 500 YEARS OF FEMALE PORTRAITS…IN WESTERN ART. Alyce Vestal Cadwallder found this masterpiece of digital art. |
PATTON’S PROGRAM. Gary delivers such items as..The Development of Fort Ord and a colloquium happening on 12/12 and 12/13. He talks about our Board of Supes and the County’s money matters i.e. The Chamber of Commerce and the Santa Cruz Business Council are eager to make more money, etc, etc. A water related meeting in Salinas occurs 12/12 to talk about losing their aquifer. There are grants available to reduce greenhouse gases and we should let our City and County officials know we care about that. He closes his radio reports by telling us about agricultural water run-off and what can be done with it. Read all of above scripts at Gary Patton’s KUSP Land Use site http://blogs.kusp.org/landuse. Gary is a former Santa Cruz County Supervisor, and an attorney who represents individuals and community groups on land use and environmental issues. The opinions expressed are Mr. Patton’s. Gary has his own website, “Two Worlds / 365? – www.gapatton.net
CLASSICAL DE CINZO. Christmas, Santa, reindeer, presents etc. De Cinzo gets almost mushy…but not quite. Scroll downwards.
EAGANS DEEP COVER. Tim Eagan gives insight to the question…is our goivernment working? See below a few pages.
LISA JENSEN LINKS. Lisa writes: “This week at Lisa Jensen Online Express (http://ljo-express.blogspot.com ), follow me on my tour of potential Oscar nominees now playing on local movie screens, and find out about the new, phoenix-like reincarnation of Shakespeare Santa Cruz and what you can do to help launch its 2014 season.” Lisa has been writing film reviews and columns for Good Times since 1975.
THAT IS THE QUESTION
……In order of perfection……
PHILOMENA. I saw this beautifully touching film again last week just to make sure it was/is that good…it is. Judi Dench is never less than wonderful in her wide ranging roles. How she pulls off this true story of a human, less than brilliant mother looking for her orphaned son is magnificient. In case you wonder…Steve Coogan does NOT turn out to be her son. Go see it asap.
NEBRASKA. Bruce Dern plays an almost 80 year old geezer who gets suckered by a million dollar Publishers Warehouse type con and goes on this father/son road movie through Nebraska to collect it. It’s funny at times but it’s also mean, ageist, and cruel. Alexander Payne makes films like that. Dern plays a character named Woody Grant, that’s Grant Wood spelled differently. See it but be prepared.
BOOK THIEF. Not many family oriented films take place inside Nazi Germany. This was originally a novel probably for young readers and is heartfelt, gooey, and even weird. Having Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson play German parents is odd but why Geoffrey Rush has to play the father as dull and slow witted and Emily Watson play a mean nasty mother is never explained in the book or film…and their accents are terrible. By the way Death is the narrator of the film. Wait and rent it. Or at least check Rotten Tomatoes first.
12 YEARS AS A SLAVE. This is a hard hitting, brutal, honest, surprising film. It is also beautifully acted, well cast, and a film you won’t forget for a very long time. Chiwetel Ejiofor is a magnificient actor and carries the film.Benedict Cumberbatch, Paul Dano, and Paul Giamatti do good jobs but it’s Ejiofor you’ll think about a lot. It’s a true story written by the central character in the pre-civil war days. Just see this film…now.
DALLAS BUYERS CLUB. No doubt about it Mathew McConaughey stars in and steals most, but not all of this film. What’s odd is that I ended up thinking more about and reacting to Jared Leto’s superb job inplaying the transvestite role. Jennifer Garner and Steve Zahn are perfect in their roles too. It’s a fine film, but it is such a tour de force , so completely laid out, so perfectly designed that I never “got into” the film. It’s a spectacle, so in your face, no subtlety. And it’s an award winner for sure.
GRAVITY. Rotten Tomatoes gave it a rare 98%, and many of my favorite reviewers went crazy over Gravity. George Clooney (5’10”) and Sandra Bullock (5’7″) are the astronauts in trouble and they float around in great 3D trying to fix everything and then battle to survive. Lots of Hollywood muck in this one in spite of director Guillermo Del Toro’s enormous talent.. He’s done some excellent films, Pan’s Labyrinth, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Children of Men but Gravity is not in my list of his best works. It’s about like a Saturday matinee war movie where you wonder if so and so will get home alive. BUT go see it in 3D, it’s probably just me.
OLD BOY.Park Chan-wook’s original 2003 Old Boy wowed everybody at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It’s gained a world wide group of fans ever since, including me. It was/is a brilliant, beautiful, 100% creative work of art. We studied it a lot in Earl Jackson’s Asian film classes at UCSC. Spike Lee can and has, directed some fine films in the past lie Malcolm X and She’s Gotta Have It but he doesn’t have a clue how and why Park Chan-wook’s film is great. Do not see this film unless you see the original within 24 hours prior. I did.
ENDERS GAME. I enjoyed this film very much and no I’d never even opened any of the 6 Enders Game books. It’s sort of a Harry Potter goes Sci-fi idea. Except that Ender is a subtle and even mean kid. In the future young boys and a few girls are trained to lead military battles against the dreaded Formics. Great effects, Harrison Ford and Viola Davis are in it and aMaori- type tattoed Ben Kingsley have good roles and if you like sci-fi, this is a good one. Go for it. If you care, Orson Scott Card the author of the series is a Mormon, teaches at Southern Virginia University and has serious problems with homosexuality and same-sex marriage.
HUNGER GAMES; CATCHING FIRE. Did you ever arrive late for something and then wonder what’s been going on before you got there? That’s how I felt about Hunger Games Catching Fire. I did see Hunger Games, the first one and it was exciting but I didn’t memorize or even remember much of it. So go warned about this sequel. Who are their friends, who will kill you…and more importantly WHY the killing?… are some questions this epic leaves you with. It’s exciting and sci-fi scenic, but I couldn’t get into it…or care much. Yes, Jennifer Lawrence is a fine actress, even in this.
THOR: THE DARK WORLD. Is idiotic, beneath dumb, and of course was the biggest box office smash over the opening weekend…which proves my point. It’s another Marvel Comic Book Hero movie made by The Disney Studios. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston, plus Natalie Portman, Idris Elba and Stellan Skarsgard are all fine actors, but good gods… the plot!!!! Oops I forgot that Anthony Hopkins (Odin) and Rene Russo (Frigga) are in it too. It’ s a mess of science fiction, Norse Gods and Natalie Portman running around saying things like “wow” and “gee” to a slew of Gods who don’t know their Asgards from a hole in the earth.
DELIVERY MAN. There is something I don’t like about Vince Vaughn. It’s nearly the same reaction I have to Alec Baldwin. I wouldn’t want to ever have to meet either of them and Vaughn is exactly that same smarmy and unbelievable in Delivery Man., The plot is pure ancient, trite Hollywood. Way over-used laughs, cheap tricks, phoney reactions and yet, the plot could have been deep and meaningful. It’s based on a true story of a man who donated sperm and how it was delivered and resulted in 533 children. A bunch of thoose kids file a lawsuit to find out who Dad is. Wait and rent it, it’s not at all funny, but it tries hard.
EVENT CALENDAR.
DRIFTWOOD CONSORT CONCERT. The Driftwooders say it is… “An Evening of Music for your Enjoyment or… “Telemann not Television”. Started in 2012, Driftwood Consort presents concerts played on period instruments at venues in Santa Cruz County and some repeat concerts in the Bay Area. Under the artistic direction of Lars Johannesson and Alissa Roedig, the ensemble brings together musicians from the greater Bay Area who play with groups ranging from Monterey to Berkeley and beyond. They will be playing all Telemann works. That’s 2 trios and one solo from Telemann’s “Tafelmusik” collection. Another trio for flute, solo viola da gamba and harpsichord. Also at least one duo for 2 flutes. Performing are Lars Johannesson and Alissa Roedig (baroque flutes), Roy Whelden (viola da gamba) and Jonathan Salzedo (harpsichord). This concert takes place on Saturday, December 14 at 7pm at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church (9850 Monroe Avenue, Aptos). Tickets are $20 (advance), $22 (door) and $5 (youth, door only) and are available at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/524245 or at the door from 6pm onwards. For more information please visit http://www.driftwoodconsort.org, or call 831-706-8408.
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE. Each and every Tuesday from 7:00-8:00 p.m. I host Universal Grapevine on KZSC 88.1 fm. or on your computer (live only or sometimes old programs are archived… (See next paragraph) and go to WWW.KZSC.ORG. Dr. Alfred Petrocelli discusses osteoporosis and Don Grube talks about theatre at Cabrilho College on Dec. 10. Stephen Slade from The Land Trust of Santa Cruz County tells us of their latest plans and projects on Dec. 17, then Mike Wallace ex-reporter and author of the new MAH book publication “The Borina Family of Watsonville” tells about his research. KZSC off the air 12/20-1/0214. Then on Jan. 7, 2014 Bill Richter will bring us up to date about Shakespeare Play on. Do remember, any and all suggestions for future programs are more than welcome so tune in, and keep listening. Email me always (and only) at bratton@cruzio.com
UNIVERSAL GRAPEVINE ARCHIVES. In case you missed some of the great people I’ve interviewed in the last 5 years here’s a chronological list of just this year’s podcasts. Click herehttp://kzsc.org/blog/tag/universal-grapevine then tap on “listen here” to hear any or all of them… all over again. The update includes Nikki Silva, Michael Warren, Tom Noddy, Anita Monga, Mark Wainer, Judy Johnson-Darrow, Wendy Mayer-Lochtefeld, Rachel Goodman, George Newell, Tubten Pende, Gina Marie Hayes, Rebecca Ronay-Hazleton, Miriam Ellis, Deb Mc Arthur, The Great Morgani on Street performing, and Paul Whitworth on Krapps Last Tape. Jodi McGraw on Sandhills, Bruce Daniels on area water problems. Mike Pappas on the Olive Connection, Sandy Lydon on County History. Paul Johnston on political organizing, Rick Longinotti on De-Sal. Dan Haifley on Monterey Bay Sanctuary, Dan Harder on Santa Cruz City Museum. Sara Wilbourne on Santa Cruz Ballet Theatre. Brian Spencer on SEE Theatre Co. Paula Kenyon and Karen Massaro on MAH and Big Creek Pottery. Carolyn Burke on Edith Piaf. Peggy Dolgenos on Cruzio. Julie James on Jewel Theatre Company. Then there’s Pat Matejcek on environment, Nancy Abrams and Joel Primack on the Universe plus Nina Simon from MAH, Rob Slawinski, Gary Bascou, Judge Paul Burdick, John Brown Childs, Ellen Kimmel, Don Williams, Kinan Valdez, Ellen Murtha, John Leopold, Karen Kefauver, Chip Lord, Judy Bouley, Rob Sean Wilson, Ann Simonton, Lori Rivera, Sayaka Yabuki, Chris Kinney, Celia and Peter Scott, Chris Krohn, David Swanger, Chelsea Juarez…and that’s just since January 2011. Hear them all!!!
BEST OF CLASSICAL STEVEN DeCINZO.
QUOTES. “If music be the food of love, play on”, Shakespeare. “Better three hours too soon than a minute too late”, Shakespeare. “It is not in the stars to hold our destiny but in ourselves”, Shakespeare.
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Snail Mail: Bratton Online
82 Blackburn Street, Suite 216
Santa Cruz, CA 95060
Direct email: Bratton@Cruzio.com
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Deep Cover by Tim Eagan.
