One of the brighter aspects as we approach the gloom of late fall and early winter was witnessing a Bend born-and-raised actor coming into his own and two local filmmakers continuing to deliver hysterical short ski films. All three talents were on display at recent events at the Tower Theater.
The Stars Are Out-local talents shine in film
Posted inCulture
New Moon Rises at Midnight: The latest installment in the Twilight Saga pleases fans by staying true to the book
Hello, my name is Anne Pick and I am a Twilight-aholic. I didn't use to have this obsession, in fact, this time last year I was making fun of my best friend for buying into the teenage vampire pandemonium. Despite my previous disdain for the series, I read all four books (twice) and I have seen the light; and that light sparkled off of Edward Cullen's abs. Last night, I along with what seemed to be more than 2,000 other vampire-loving fans (only one of which was dressed as a Edward Cullen), crowded into 15 different sold-out auditoriums to see the next installment at a few minutes past midnight.
One of the things I liked best about the adaptation of Stephanie Meyer's second book in the Twilight Saga was it is definitely a film made for the fans. This movie wasn't made for critics or to win awards, it was made to please the series' millions (maybe billions) of fans. New Moon blows the first Twilight film out of the water and one factor that contributes to that is it follows the book much more closely than its predecessor. Speaking as, and for the fans, what we've all been hoping for over the last year is that the future films don't ruin what Meyer has established in the books. No more of this “Hold on tight spider monkey,” bull crap.
Posted inNews
Homegrown Music Showcase Tonight: Tons of Bend Acts at the Tower
How much local music can you fit onto one stage?
Well, the Tower Theatre is tackling that question tonight with the Homegrown Music Showcase.
The show, which we featured in this week's issue, brings together a roster that includes Sisters folkie Dennis McGregor, blues rocker Eric Tollefson, the pop and soul singer Reed Thomas Lawrence and ethnomusicologist Shireen Amini.
Posted inNews
365 Days of Fraud a Year?
Bend has always touted its beauty, its charm, its “healthy outdoor lifestyle” and its mythical “300 days of sunshine a year.” But we may be on our way to inadvertently becoming famous as something else: the real estate fraud capital of the United States.
Posted inNews
Bachelor Pushes Start Time To Noon; Restricts Backcountry-style Hiking
We just got word that Mt. Bachelor has pushed tomorrow’s opening day start time back about three hours from 9 a.
Posted inNews
Farewell Second Street: the curtain comes down on a Bend stage
The first time I saw a show at The Second Street Theater was in the Theater’s 2001 inaugural season. I was enthralled.
Posted inNews
Walden Goes After the Feds on Swine Flu Mess
Last month Greg Walden caught the H1H1 (“swine”) flu, and he wasn’t happy about it. He also isn’t happy about the way the government handled the swine flu epidemic.
Posted inNews
Welcome to Chelm-on-the-Deschutes
In Jewish folklore there is a town called Chelm in which all the inhabitants are complete idiots.
Over the years many jokes have been told about the foolishness of the people of Chelm.
Posted inOutside
Road Trip: With Jimmy Buffett and Dr. Seuss
At the far end of town
Where the Grickle-grass grows
And the wind smells slow-and-sour when it blows
And no birds ever sing, excepting old crows…
Is the street of the Lifted Lorax.
Not quite ready to settle in for a long winter, I got first tracks at Dutchman on November 8 and then headed south. Looking just like a Life Is Good t-shirt, we loaded up the van with mountain bikes, boogie boards and dogs and drove straight through the night, arriving for a glorious sunrise at Malibu.
Posted inOutside
Stop the Jazz Invasion
Guess what? No one we know in this region, likes, cares or has any desire to watch the Utah Jazz. Well, not at least since Stockton retired his thigh-bearing shorty shorts and Malone traded his one-hand-only dunks for rifles and shotguns of varying size and purpose. Still, Utah Jazz games continue to mysteriously and inexplicably appear on local cable despite the fact that the games aren't listed on that fun sliding color-coded programming chart.