With the world economy teetering precariously because of debt crises in Greece and Italy, just to pick on a couple of failing nations, the annual American Film Market (AFM) gathering in Santa Monica is boasting of greater general attendance and an increase in participation by film buying companies.

I’m thinking attendees may have been enticed by the Thai Night festivities on the opening day, as the result of a formal invitation sent by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi.

Unable to accept the summons from the princess, I missed out on something good from all accounts. In the past, I have observed that AFM, a marketplace for film sellers, buyers and industry leaders, lacks the glamour of the Cannes Film Festival.

But seriously, how does George Clooney or Angelina Jolie compare with royalty? Next year, I will keep my schedule open, lest I have to settle for a press conference with director Rob Reiner (aka “Meathead”) as he pitches a film called “Summer at Dog Dave’s.”

Once again, AFM is screening more than 400 films over the course of the eight-day event. Of those, 69 movies are world premieres and 310 are market premieres. Every two hours, 29 films are shown by exhibitors from 35 countries.

Even those challenged by math can figure out that a brief window of time permits only a limited sampling of the cinematic fare on offer. In many cases, you are better off for missing out.

The best way to get a flavor of the film offerings is to visit the hotel rooms and suites where independent film companies peddle their wares like a swap meet in the elegant surroundings of the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel.

Over the years, AFM has grown in stature so that quality films made independently from the studio system are sold. Recent examples include “Black Swan,” “The King’s Speech,” “Limitless” and “The Lincoln Lawyer.”

Thankfully, the basic staple on display is the usual schlock cinema of B-grade horror and cheesy action, with some sex comedies thrown in for good measure. It’s a lot more fun shopping for junk.

The undisputed king of tacky cinema is New York-based Troma Pictures, purveyors of classics like “Surf Nazis Must Die” and “A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell.” And through an extensive film catalog, Troma is still peddling “The Toxic Avenger” and its three sequels.

It was disappointing to discover that Troma’s new venture is a film with the benign title of “Father’s Day.” Yet, the poster art, illustrated by chainsaw-wielding maniacs and half-naked girls, proves to be reassuring that Troma has not lost its touch.

Not only won’t the zombie film genre just die, it remains very much alive at AFM. “Gangsters, Guns and Zombies” takes the craze of the undead in a new direction. Meanwhile, “World of the Dead: The Zombie Diaries 2” is more traditional.

“The Dead Undead” combines both zombies and vampires into one colossal epic battle. When campers are pursued by a ravenous zombie horde, they take refuge in a deserted town that harbors a secret vampire community. The vampires take the defenseless humans under their wing and all-out war between vampires and zombies begins.

The best vampire trend may well come from “Vampire Dog,” a family film about a 12-year-old boy who inherits a dog named Fang when his grandfather, a resident of Transylvania, passes away. I’ll bet those kids in the “Twilight” movies come up short against the canine.

The comedy horror genre takes a stab at zombies with “Dead Before Dawn 3D.” College students uncover a curse that causes people to kill themselves and turn into Zombie Demons, aka Zemons.

The combination of vixens and werewolves takes an interesting turn in “Strippers vs. Werewolves.” A stripper kills a misbehaving customer who turns out to be a werewolf; complications ensue when the dead lycanthrope’s friends swear bloody vengeance.

AFM is not just about campy horror films; it’s also the place where forgotten stars attempt to resurrect their careers. Eric Roberts, true to form in the role of a sleazy character, plays a greedy casino owner fleecing his own employees in “Stealing Las Vegas.”

There are even comedies about Viagra. The most promising is “Hard Times,” the story of four young bachelors stuck in a remote Irish village who decide to hijack a truck load of the erectile dysfunction pills to sell on the black market in Amsterdam.

AFM is irresistible fun because you learn a lot about what sells for the popular taste around the world.

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

Chief among them are Felix Mendelssohn's “Hebrides Overture,” written when the composer was just 20 years old, and now generally known by it's more popular name “Fingals Cave.” The music evokes the beauty of the Irish seashore where Mendelssohn first explored the cavern.

Another relative youngster at the time Sergei Prokofiev, created what has become one of the most enduring – and endearing – family music classics ever written.

Charged with producing a piece that would help children better understand and appreciate music, Prokofiev spent just four days in developing a story about a little boy – Peter – who lives with his grandfather in a house deep in the woods, along with a pet cat and duck, and a friendly wild bird. And, of course, the household is threatened by a wolf.

The composer wrote narration to let the kids follow the story line, and assigned instruments of the orchestra to represent the characters.

For example Beth Aiken's oboe will represent the pet duck, which is eventually cornered and swallowed whole by the wolf, while Cathy Hall's flute will be the bird that warns them that the wolf is on the way.

Clarinetist Nick Biondo will play the part of the cat, while the violin section, led by Andi Skelton, will represent Peter, who eventually succeeds in capturing the wolf and hanging him by his tail from a tree, where a band of hunters find him.

The Timpani takes the part of the hunters, while Ann Hubbard's bassoon represents the grumpy grandfather and the French Horns are the wolf.

The story line becomes clear with the help of narration by veteran local actor Bert Hutt. With Hutt's help, listeners are given hope that the duck may be rescued from the wolf's belly, unhurt.

The program will also include "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from the first suite of Edvard Grieg's "Peer Gynt suite" which was adopted from a play written by Norway's most famed playwright Henrik Ibsen.

The CLPA Youth Orchestra, under the direction of Susan Condit, will also stick to the youth theme, featuring Hee Newbold's “Mythos.”

Newbold is a well-known young Korean actress, composer, musician and film-maker. A second selection is “The Royal March of the Lions” from Camille Saint Saens' “Carnival of the Animals.” The program ends with the “Finale” from the same work.

Parents are reminded that youngsters under 18 are admitted free to the full-dress rehearsal that starts at 11 a.m., with Bert Hutt's narration supported by additional comments from Conductor Parkinson.

Adults, too, are welcome at the rehearsal for just a $5 admission fee. Season tickets for the CLPA-sponsored Lake County Symphony are $85, or $100 for seats in the premium loge section, although very few of these remain unsold. In both cases CLPA members get a $10 discount.

Single concert tickets are $27 for general seating and $32 for premium, also with a $5 discount for CLPA members.

Tickets can be ordered online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or by phone at 263-0577, or at the theater box-office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, Thursdays or Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the banquet hall at the golf course, 16451 Golf Road in Cobb.

Meet the artists, and choose unique, creative holiday gifts from high quality fine art, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry, art glass, gourds, whimsical handmade animal towels and “blankie buddies” for kids, and more.

A silent auction will include art items and services donated by the community, and door prizes will be given away every hour.

The Cobb Mountain Artists’ mission is to enrich the community with events where local art and craft designers can mingle with people of all ages who appreciate art. A portion of the proceeds is donated to support local elementary art programs.

All work offered for sale is juried and meets the highest standards of quality, craftsmanship and originality.

For more information, call 707-494-6285 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Adele Oppenheimer will be the featured performer at the Mendocino Coast concert series Musica Eclectica on Sunday, November 27, 2011, in Little River, Calif. Courtesy photo.

NORTH COAST, Calif. – The new Mendocino Coast concert series, Musica Eclectica, got off to a rousing start on Nov. 13, with one of the best chamber music concerts in recent memory.

A string and piano quartet featuring Caspar's Tony Miksak on Cello performed Mozart's Piano Quartet in E-flat major, and Brahm's Piano Quartet #3, Op. 60. Their performance received a standing ovation.

Now, as the Monty Pythons used to say, “for something completely different.”

Following the musical diversity theme of the new concert series, Musica Eclectica, Little River concert producer Jim Culp presents a joyous afternoon of show tunes and songs we all love sung by Marin County vocalist Adele Oppenheimer, accompanied by local pianist Lynn Kiesewetter on Sunday, Nov. 27.

After intermission at the Woods Clubhouse, on Little River Airport Road, Oppenheimer will hand out songbooks for members of the audience and lead them in a sing-along that features tunes that anyone over the age of 50 should know.

Adele Oppenheimer’s musical career started when she was three, harmonizing with her sisters and singing words she didn’t even understand.

She continued singing throughout school and later with the College of Marin Community Chorus & Gospel choir, and the San Francisco Choral Society.

She is currently a member of Ross Commons, a four-part harmony group, which often performs at Bread & Roses venues.

Oppenheimer also performs with piano and rhythm accompaniment at retirement communities in Marin, Napa, Sonoma and now Mendocino County.

Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.

It seems to me that most poems are set in spring or summer, and I was pleased to discover this one by Molly Fisk, a Californian, set in cold midwinter.

Winter Sun

How valuable it is in these short days,

threading through empty maple branches,

the lacy-needled sugar pines.

Its glint off sheets of ice tells the story

of Death’s brightness, her bitter cold.

We can make do with so little, just the hint

of warmth, the slanted light.

The way we stand there, soaking in it,

mittened fingers reaching.

And how carefully we gather what we can

to offer later, in darkness, one body to another.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation, publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright ©2010 by Molly Fisk from her most recent book of poetry, The More Difficult Beauty, Hip Pocket Press, 2010. Reprinted by permission of Molly Fisk and the publisher. Introduction copyright ©2011 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.

Performances will take place in the Weaver Auditorium at the Lower Lake Schoolhouse Historical Museum in Lower Lake.

The cast is made up of a variety of performers – mothers, fathers, sisters and brothers – as well as a gaggle of children who make up the children's chorus and street urchins.

Scrooge, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future as well as the Cratchets and all the favorites who make up this full length drama make this a must see for the entire family.

There will be barrels in the theater for the audience to contribute canned and nonperishable foods and new toys for distribution throughout Lake County.

The performances at the Weaver Auditorium in Lower Lake will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, and Saturday, Dec. 3, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, and at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 10, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 11.

Ticket prices are $15 reserved, $12 general, with a $2 discount for students, seniors and Lake County Theater Co. members, and can be purchased at Watershed Books, 305 N. Main St. in Lakeport, 707-263-5787m and Lower Lake Schoolhouse Historical Museumm 707-995-3565.

For more information call 707-279-2595.