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Arts & Life
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- Written by: Tim Riley
According to TNT’s new action series “Agent X,” a clandestine chamber exists in the underground catacombs of the Vice President’s official residence, which contains a repository of secrets and the original copy of the U.S. Constitution.
History buffs and constitutional scholars will be interested to learn that there is supposedly a heretofore unknown Section 5 to Article II of the Constitution, which is almost certain to stir the passions of conspiracy theorists.
Setting the premise for the TV series, the passage reads: “An agent of unknown identity is hereby authorized to serve at the discretion of the Vice President for the purpose of aiding the republic at times of great peril.”
Maybe FDR’s first Vice President John Nance Garner was not aware of this extraordinary power, since he allegedly described the authority of his office as “not worth a bucket of warm spit,” or something to that effect.
“Agent X” allows for Sharon Stone, widely-known for titillating cinematic work occurred years ago in “Basic Instinct 2,” to have a starring role in a TV series as that of the nation’s first female Vice President Natalie Maccabee, having already served as a Senator.
That the newly inaugurated Vice President is a widow whose husband died in a fiery car crash that she managed to survive is noted more than once, possibly leading conspiracy theorists to wonder if this was purely accidental, or something more sinister.
But I digress. On her first night at the official residence, Maccabee is introduced to her steward, Malcolm Millar (Gerald McRaney), a faithful servant whose duties go far beyond standard housekeeping. He’s one of the few people clued into the secret powers of the Vice Presidency.
In a scene fraught with Masonic imagery, a special key unlocks the passageway to the underground bunker where Millar tends to the high-tech command center which runs the Agent X program. Who knew the Vice President had more duties than attending state funerals and breaking tie votes in the Senate?
Agent X is John Case (Jeff Hephner), a combination of secret agent and deadly operative who seems to represent an amalgam of James Bond and Jason Bourne, as well as Nicolas Cage’s adventurer in the “National Treasure” films and the lone wolf driver in “The Transporter” franchise.
Even though initially surprised by her mysterious obligation to national security, Maccabee takes to her newfound role with relative ease, having been assured by the former occupant of the office and the current President (John Shea) that she’s up to the task.
To be sure, all the heavy lifting is done by John Case, who wastes little time in a surreptitious operation to retrieve the kidnapped daughter of an American official, who’s conveniently targeted by Russian thugs and an illicit oligarch for a trade of a Russian agent.
The Russian agent, whose loyalties to any criminal or foreign government seem to be flexible, is former gymnast and circus contortionist Olga Petrovka (Olga Fonda), a deadly and brutal femme fatale who can easily kill any man in a grip between her forceful legs.
The villains are the standard-issue Russian and Chechen bad guys who are either in the business of selling nuclear arms to terrorists or trying to obtain the same for their own nefarious purposes. These clowns are no match for Agent X’s single-handed assault on their turf.
As the series moves along, political intrigue is almost certain to percolate on domestic soil, right in the heart of the nation’s capital. After all, James Earl Jones, as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, needs something more to do than show up on the cocktail circuit.
It could be coincidental to also serving as one of the executive producers, but Sharon Stone looks far too glamorous to be a heartbeat away from the Oval Office, given that she is usually dressed more like a fashion model than a serious political figure.
But then, “Agent X” is all about the mission heroics of stone-cold, straightforward deep undercover operative John Case, who can be as charming as Sean Connery’s suave Agent 007 and as ruthless as Liam Neeson’s former CIA operative Bryan Mills in the exciting “Taken” franchise.
Come to think of it, Jeff Hephner’s character also bears a lot of resemblance to Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt in “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation,” a former CIA agent forced to operate as a solo operator in taking down the international criminal enterprise known as the Syndicate.
The point of “Agent X,” which is not far removed from familiar territory, may be formulaic espionage storytelling but it still offers plenty of fun for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers and the intense action scenes attendant to showdowns between the good guy and the bad ones.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
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- Written by: Editor
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – Artist Anna Sabalone and Lake County Wine Studio are presenting an ongoing series of art classes/parties.
The next class will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15, at the studio, 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake.
During the two-and-a-half-hour class, Sabalone will give an overview of perspectives and participants will be able to choose what they want to draw as their subject.
All supplies will be provided along with a glass of wine for sipping for $40 each class. Each class in future months will focus specifically on a different art medium.
Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County Arts Council since her teen years.
She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology. She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UCSB and has been teaching art, English, history and Academic Decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.
For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan at 707-293-8752.
Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County. Artist's shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
The gallery scheduled is Monday, 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.; Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from 1 to 7 p.m.; and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.
For more information call Lake County Wine Studio at 707-275-8030.
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- Written by: Editor
MIDDLETOWN, Calif. – The Lake County Fire Recovery Blues Benefit will be held Sunday, Nov. 15, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Twin Pine Casino Event Center, 22223 Highway 29 in Middletown.
General admission is $25 and $20 for firefighters with ID. Appetizers and $5 free play by Twin Pine Casino are included in the ticket price. There will be a no host bar and silent auction.
David Neft and Bill Noteman & The Rockets will open the evening's entertainment. They're well known and beloved in Lake County for "having a good time on purpose."
The Anthony Paule band from the Bay Area will feature guests Steve Willis and Alvon Johnson from 5 to 7 p.m.
International artist Alvon Johnson is known locally for his exciting performances at the Blue Wing Blues Festival and Catfish Blues Festival. Steve Willis plays harmonica, keyboards and accordion with the Elvin Bishop Band and S.E. Willis & The Willing.
Anthony Paule has played the Soper Reese Theater and Blue Wing Blues Festival with Nancy Wright and the Rhythm and Roots Band. His band with Philadelphia soul singer Frank Bey is currently nominated for two Grammys.
Proceeds will go to the Salvation Army in Clearlake, which is located at 14420 Lakeshore Drive.
Following the recent Lake County fires, the Salvation Army was instrumental in providing meals and gift cards to survivors. Gift cards are still available during office hours of 1 to 3 p.m. Monday and Wednesday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday, and Fridays by appointment only. Call 707-995-1128 for appointments.
The Salvation Army plans to hold an early Christmas dinner for the Valley fire survivors so they can distribute gift cards before the holidays.
For more information call 707-278-7126.
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- Written by: Ted Kooser
"We may never brush our teeth together again" is the axis about which this poem by Jim Daniels turns. Surely we all have moments like this. Jim Daniels’ recent books include Eight Mile High (Michigan State Univ. Press) and Birth Marks (BOA Editions). He lives in Pennsylvania.
Brushing Teeth with My Sister after the Wake
at my kitchen sink, the bathroom upstairs
clogged with family from out of town
spending the night after the wake
and the after—wake—cold beverages
have been consumed and comfort food,
leftovers bulging both the fridge
and the mini-fridge. In our fifties, both
half-asleep half-awake, we face each
other. My sister's smile foams white
down her chin at the end of a day
on which no one has smiled. We laugh.
We may never brush our teeth together again.
No mirror down here to see our haggard faces.
We rinse, we spit. As we were taught.
American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. They do not accept unsolicited submissions. Poem copyright ©2015 by Jim Daniels, “Brushing Teeth with My Sister after the Wake,” from Poet Lore, Vol. 110, no. 1/2 (The Writer's Center, 2015). Jim Daniels' recent books include Eight Mile High, Michigan State Univ. Press, and Birth Marks, BOA Editions. Poem reprinted by permission of Jim Daniels and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006.