LAKEPORT, Calif. – January's First Friday Fling will take place from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. April 6.

The event will take place at the Lake County Arts Council's Main Street Gallery, 325 N. Main St., Lakeport.

The First Friday Fling will introduce the work of Clementine Hall, Linda Richmond, Leonora McKenzie, John Winslow, John Eells and Leah Adams.

Currently showing at the gallery are Patsy Farstad, Lois Feron, Jacob Blue, Shelby Posada, Max Butler, Annette Higday, Diane Constable, Meredith Gambrel, Heidi Thomason, Naomi Key, Ellen Sommers, Kellie Denton, Barbara Sinor, Marge Bougas, Lynn Hughes, Kim Costa, Caroyln Wing Greenlee, Sherry Harris and Diego Harris.

The Linda Carpenter Gallery will feature photography by Clear Lake High School students under the instruction of Jan Hambrick.

Guitarist Travis Rinker will provide music and Lajour Estate Winery will pour their vintages.

For more information contact the Lake County Arts Council, 707-263-6658.

THE RAID: REDEMPTION (Rated R)

I know the big movie of the week is “The Hunger Games,” but the studio did not screen it widely in advance, probably because it is a genre movie like “Harry Potter” and “Twilight.”

With a built-in audience eagerly in waiting, “The Hunger Games” is one of those bulletproof films that will likely do amazing business at the box office regardless of what critics have to say.

As an alternative, “The Raid: Redemption” is an Indonesian film that made its North American debut at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, where it gained a lot of buzz from an apparently bloodthirsty audience.

To call “The Raid” a mixed martial arts movie requires redefinition of that physical art to include machetes and machine guns along with a barrage of fists and feet causing maximum damage.

Directed by Welsh-born Gareth Evans, “The Raid” works from a deceptively simple premise, as practically the entire plot revolves around a police assault on a tenement building controlled by drug lord Tama (Ray Sahetapy).

First and foremost, this Indonesian action film is like an extended violent video game, almost entirely lacking in humanity.  Don’t expect much beyond jaw-dropping, bloody brutality.

However, the one character with a compelling personal story is expectant father Rama (Iko Uwais), an honest cop with killer fighting instincts who has the primary role to play in the police raid.

The audience instinctively knows that Rama is the good guy when the film opens with him in a tender moment with his pregnant wife as he prepares for his big mission.

Within minutes, the focus of “The Raid” turns to Rama and his crew in a police van on their way to Tama’s 15-story tenement building, where the drug lord is holed up on the top floor.

Under the command of a mysterious police lieutenant, the tactical squad, armed with knives, pistols and automatic weapons, has an objective to secure one floor at a time in order to take down Tama.

This mission is incredibly dangerous and suicidal, as even the bravest cops have never been able to breach Tama’s fortress in the past.  Not surprisingly, the stealth mission is quickly compromised.

Tama is a vicious criminal kingpin who uses his building to shelter his army of loyal dealers and many customers, all of whom are more than willing to take up arms against any invaders.

It takes only a matter of minutes for the police undercover operation to be blown, resulting in about half of the team being shredded in a barrage of gunfire and machetes.

Still, some of the cops manage to survive, including the valiant Rama, and they realize the only way out of their predicament is a determination to complete the mission and take out Tama for good.

The end result is a non-stop bloodbath that unleashes violence so brutal and unrelenting that “The Raid” might as well be marketed as a video game unsuitable for impressionable adolescents.

A serious drawback is the deficiency of character development which might give viewers a greater rooting interest in the heroic exploits of Rama and his dwindling crew.

Nevertheless, it’s very impressive to see Rama almost singlehandedly continue his explosive march through a seemingly endless parade of henchmen and drug-addled crazies.

Though not in wide release, “The Raid: Redemption” will find its audience looking for vicarious thrills in bloody action that makes audiences gasp.

TELEVISION UPDATE

Few television shows get more press coverage and less viewers than “Mad Men,” and that’s unlikely to change any time soon.

Anyone who has not been watching “Mad Men” on the AMC Network all along could not be expected to pick up on the storylines and intrigues of a Madison Avenue advertising agency.

It’s bad enough that the show has been on a long hiatus, and now the fifth season picks up somewhere in the mid-Sixties, when New York City loses its glamour as urban decay begins to set in.

The new season picks up where Jon Hamm’s debonair ad man Don Draper is making a go of his impulsive decision in the last season to propose to his secretary.

Those who were curious about Don’s rash engagement to Megan (Jessica Pare) will learn some interesting things in the season premiere.

Over at the Reelz Channel, Steven Seagal, who apparently has run out of opportunities for martial arts films, brings his crime fighting style to the new TV series “True Justice.”

Seagal leads a hardcore undercover team of Seattle cops who take on the local criminal element with the high-octane style that marked so many of his films.

One problem for “True Justice” may be the inability of the target audience to locate the Reelz Channel.

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

It’s an ancient and respected tradition: Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote “Idylls of the King” to celebrate the life of King Arthur, and dedicated it to yet another of the royals, Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria. How many poems have been written for people the poet admired? Here Carrie Shipers, who teaches in Wisconsin, writes about a contemporary superstar.

Love Poem for Ted Neeley In Jesus Christ Superstar

                                                                 Lincoln, Neb., 2009
 
That man’s too old to play Christ, someone said
when you appeared onstage—thirty years
in those white robes, spotlights tracking
your graceful sleeves, the attentive angle
of your head as you worked a crowd. I agreed
that you looked tired, but when Mary Magdalene
anointed you, when you cast merchants
and money changers from the temple, I forgot
your thinning hair and wrinkled brow, forgot
how your story ended: your broken voice
crying on the cross, your body arched as you
ascended. I’d lost track of how many songs
were in the second act, thought there might
be more—the empty tomb, your appearance
on the road, to Peter in Jerusalem—but the cast
came out for applause: soldiers, Apostles,
and women; Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate; Mary
in her red dress; Peter, that sturdy fisherman;
Judas, who has all the best songs; and finally
you, head bowed at our ovation. I didn’t come
to worship but you’ve left me no choice—
I don’t care how old you are, how many times
you’ve done this act before—you still rock
those power ballads, still heal with the same
sweet force before you rise. We’ll always want
too much from you. Tonight, I’ll believe until
the curtain closes, your tour bus rolls away.

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. Poem copyright ©2011 by Carrie Shipers, whose most recent book of poems is Ordinary Mourning, ABZ Press, 2010. Poem reprinted from New Letters, Vol. 22, no. 2, 2011, by permission of Carrie Shipers and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2012 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. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

I don’t think we’ve ever published a poem about a drinker. Though there are lots of poems on this topic, many of them are too judgmental for my liking. But here’s one I like, by Jeanne Wagner, of Kensington, California, especially for its original central comparison.

My mother was like the bees

because she needed a lavish taste
on her tongue,
a daily tipple of amber and gold
to waft her into the sky,
a soluble heat trickling down her throat.
Who could blame her
for starting out each morning
with a swig of something furious
in her belly, for days
when she dressed in flashy lamé
leggings like a starlet,
for wriggling and dancing a little madly,
her crazy reels and her rumbas,
for coming home wobbly
with a flicker of clover’s inflorescence
still clinging to her clothes,
enough to light the darkness
of a pitch-black hive.

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. Poem copyright ©2010 by Jeanne Wagner from her most recent book of poetry, In the Body of Our Lives, Sixteen Rivers Press, 2010. Poem reprinted by permission of Jeanne Wagner and the publisher. Introduction copyright © 2012 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. They do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – Clear Lake High School will partner with Main Street Gallery to feature the work of photography students.

The photography program is part of the Career Technical Education program at the school taught by Jan Hambrick.

Clear Lake High School photography students have displayed their photographs annually with rave reviews at Main Street Gallery for the past five years.

During the month of April, the work will be on display and for sale. The exhibit will be unveiled on April 6 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Due to the limited amount of wall space in the student gallery, students compete for the opportunity to display their work.

Work is gathered throughout the year and judged by their peers with the top ranking students work selected for the showcase.

In class students learn not only how to take photos both utilizing 35 millimeter film and digital photography, but also learn how to prepare their work for the exhibit.

Hambrick teaches the students how to mount, mat and frame their photos. All photographs are embellished by frames made by the schools woodshop program taught by John Moorhead.

All items on exhibit are for sale with proceeds going to support the photography program at CLHS.

“It is an honor and a privilege to show ones work in a gallery,” said Hambrick. “Most artists wait a lifetime to show in a gallery. Our thanks to Lake County Arts Council for their support in providing our students the opportunity of a gallery experience.”

Main Street Gallery does not charge a rental fee for the showcase and only takes a 20 percent commission fee from each piece sold.

The gallery continues to be a generous supporter of the photography program at Clear Lake High.

For information on the exhibit hours, please contact the Main Street Gallery at 707-263-6658.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A broad range of musical styles on the keyboard will be presented at the Soper-Reese Community Theatre on March 24 by six well-known professional pianists from the region.  

Musicians will combine their talent and years of experience to benefit fundraising efforts for the arts and education in Lake County.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is partnering with the Lake County Friends of Mendocino College to sponsor the second annual Professional Pianists Concert.

The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a no-host reception, followed by the concert at 7 p.m.

Lake County artists Tom Aiken, Tom Ganoung and David Neft will be joined by performers Spencer Brewer, Elena Casanova and Elizabeth MacDougall from Mendocino County.  

The concert will feature all the pianists on stage throughout the evening as they trade stories and play musical selections that range from classical to jazz, boogie woogie to Cuban.

Tickets are $25 for regular reserved and $30 for special reserved and may be purchased at the box office on Fridays, 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by phone to 707-263-0577.

The Soper-Reese is located at 275 S. Main St. in Lakeport.

The Travel Center in the Shoreline Shopping Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, also sells tickets, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets may be purchased online at www.soperreesetheatre.com .

Major sponsors and friends supporting this concert are Mendo Lake Credit Union, Savings Bank of Mendocino County, Lincoln Leavitt Insurance, Bruno’s Property Management, Wildhurst Vineyards, Strong Financial Network, John H. Tomkins Tax Consultants, Peggy Campbell CPA, Cliff and Nancy Ruzicka, Cameron and Sharon Reeves, Jim and Wilda Shock, Pat and Lori McGuire and Pam Scully of Lakeport Furniture.

About the musicians

Tom Aiken

In obtaining his master’s degree with honors in music from California State University, Chico, Tom Aiken studied organ and harpsichord concentrating on music written before 1750 and the works of JS Bach.  

His graduate work was in baroque performance practices and music theory. While working on his classical studies he became fascinated by improvised music and jazz.

The long-time instrumental and vocal music instructor in the Kelseyville schools, Aiken is retired and enjoys performing and volunteering in the community.

Spencer Brewer

For more than three decades, Spencer Brewer has been a composer-pianist-producer on the cutting edge of instrumental music, inspiring audiences worldwide with his piano skills and unique melodies.

His music has been featured on virtually every television and radio station in the world.

Brewer wrote the national theme songs for the YMCA and Big Brothers/Big Sisters and contributed music for the feature film, “Heartwood,” among others.  

As a local community producer, he has helped organize hundreds of successful local events, including the popular Sundays in the Park in Ukiah.  

From his Laughing Coyote recording studio in Redwood Valley, he has recorded hundreds of artists, film scores and radio commercials.

Elena Casanova

Cuban-born Elena Casanova has a passion for her native music.

For most of her life, she has been bringing the soul of the Cuban Masters to audiences across this country.  

She studied at the Alejandro Garcia Caturla Music Conservatory in Havana, the San Francisco Conservatory, Pacific Union College, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in piano performance from the University of Redlands.  

Casanova’s projects include composing the score for “Still Life,” a short film that was accepted into the Cannes Short Film Festival.  

She often performs as a soloist with the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra.

Tom Ganoung

Tom Ganoung is an active performer (concert stage, weddings, social events) and instructor in both Lake and Mendocino counties.  

He has been teaching, composing, recording and performing since arriving in Lake County in 1988.

His work with the Ukiah School of Music and the Allegro Scholarship Program benefits gifted and talented musicians.  

Ganoung has recorded with other local composers and pianists, and performs with the Lake County Symphony Orchestra.

Elizabeth MacDougall

Ukiah native Elizabeth MacDougall has been teaching piano at Mendocino College since 1985. She received her bachelor of music in piano performance and her master of music in piano performance and pedagogy from the University of the Pacific.

MacDougall has studied piano with and been coached by outstanding master instructors.

Her first CD, “New Perspective,” features her exquisitely-performed works of Chopin, Beethoven, Debussy, Mozart and Bach.

David Neft

David Neft toured the western United States and Canada as a member of “Syndicate of Sound,” a Bay area rock band, and has opened for BB King, the Steve Miller Band, the Temptations and Tower of Power.  

He has a bachelor’s degree and teaching credential from Cal State East Bay (Hayward).  

Neft jumped on a piano stool at the age of seven and has been steadily working on his keyboard skills ever since. He was an original member of “Bill Noteman and the Rockets.”  

As a solo pianist performing at special events, he specializes in classic songs from the 1920s to 1960s.

The Soper-Reese Community Theatre is a restored performing arts venue that seats 300 patrons and is operated by an all-volunteer management team under the auspices of the Lake County Arts Council.

The Lake County Friends of Mendocino College, an affiliate of the Mendocino College Foundation, supports the College and its Lake Center in educating leaders, fostering intellectual growth and enriching lives by creating opportunities to invest in a better future for our students and communities.