Denzel Washington plays airline pilot Whip Whitaker in the Robert Zemeckis-directed drama “Flight.”
This week’s home video releases include a thriller starring Tyler Perry, a family film with Kevin James and a drama that netted Denzel Washington an Oscar nomination.
Filed under Video Verdict
Rooney Mara plays the title character in “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” a thriller based on Stieg Larsson’s best-selling novel. Mara’s work in the film earned her an Academy Award nomination for best picture.
Three films that had starring roles in the recent Academy Awards ceremony lead this week’s crop of home video releases.
Filed under Video Verdict
I’m pleased to let all of you know that I’m going to be a program participant at Renovation: the 69th World Science Fiction Convention, which is slated for Aug. 17-21 in Reno, NV.
This is a huge event in the science-fiction world, so I’m thrilled to play a small part in it. Among other things, it sounds like I will be making a presentation on Nevada movies with former Nevada film commissioner Robin Holabird. This is a fun topic and Robin is a blast to work with, so I’m looking forward to that. As we work out the details, I’ll be sure to post them here.
Hope to see you at the convention this summer!
Filed under Quick Hits
When the Reno Philharmonic played its first concert on Aug. 3, 1969, then-music-director Gregory Stone rolled out a lush program populated solely by George Gershwin tunes.
This weekend, in celebration of the philharmonic’s 40th anniversary, new music director and conductor Laura Jackson is taking the orchestra back to its roots. Her first program as artistic leader of the orchestra is an all-Gershwin affair featuring guest vocalist Anita Johnson and Reno pianist Jim Winn.
Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090731/ENT02/907310314/1056/ENT/Philharmonic-marks-40-years-as-new-conductor-makes-debut
Filed under Features
Eddie Willis, left, and Bob Babbitt, original Motown Funk Brothers, will perform Aug. 1 for Artown.
Don’t expect Bob Babbitt to hang up his bass any time soon. The veteran musician, best known for playing on Motown hits during the late 1960s and early 1970s, says his instrument is a “fountain of youth.”
“My sister once said to me, ‘Bob, are you ever gonna retire?’ And you know what I said to her? ‘What makes you think I work?’ I don’t care what you do, if you honestly and truly love it, it’s not work.”
So, Babbitt keeps playing, and Aug. 1 he’ll be in Reno to close the 2009 Artown festival with a free performance by his band, the Funk Brothers.
Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090726/ENT/907260302/1056/Funk-Brothers-carry-Motown-tradition-to-close-of-Artown
Filed under Features
The Coeur d’Alene Art Auction, held Saturday afternoon in the Silver Legacy’s Grande Exhibition Hall, grossed nearly $11.5 million, with the sale of one Charles M. Russell watercolor accounting for nearly 10 percent of the total.
Click here for the full story: http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=200990725026
Filed under Features
Katie Dehler, Samantha Klanac, Emily Proctor and Lauren Alzamora perform with Aspen Santa Fe Ballet.
When it comes to Aspen Santa Fe Ballet, artistic director Tom Mossbrucker says audiences should “expect the unexpected.”
“I think a lot of people have preconceived notions when they think of seeing a dance performance, especially one with the name ballet in the title,” Mossbrucker said during a Monday phone interview. “Our dancers are classically trained and we’re a ballet company, but our repertoire is very contemporary and it’s also very diverse.”
The troupe, performing tonight at the Grand Sierra Resort, was founded in Aspen, Colo., in 1996 and took on a second home in Santa Fe, N.M., in 2000. Thus the name.
Click here for full story: http://www.rgj.com/article/20090724/ENT/907240316/1056/ENT/Ballet-company-blends-classical-with-contemporary
Filed under Features
The Wailing Souls will play in Reno July 8.
For years, the Food Bank of Northern Nevada presented a July world music series that ranked among the most popular activities at Artown. So, when the Food Bank decided to try something different, Artown staff stepped in.
“We’ve taken over,” Artown executive director Beth Macmillan said. “It’s a very relevant genre that needs to be offered to the community. I think it really introduces our community to different cultures through the arts.”
That means Wingfield Park will once again play host to world music shows at 7 p.m. each Wednesday. As in the past, admission will be by donation, but this year, cash offerings will help pay Artown’s concert costs.
Click here for full story: http://rgj.com/article/20090706/ENT/907060310/1056/Sounds-from-around-the-world
Filed under Features
The 2009 Artown festival kicks off Wednesday, marking the beginning of 32 days of arts and entertainment events spread throughout Reno and Sparks.
The festival officially starts in the morning with a variety of ongoing art exhibitions, but the day’s main event is the opening ceremony — scheduled for 7 p.m. at Wingfield Park — followed by a free concert by folksinger Richie Havens.
Click here for the full story: http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20090630/NEWS/90630045&s=d&page=1#pluckcomments
Filed under Features
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