Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.
I am especially fond of what we might call landscape poems, describing places, scenes. Here April Lindner, who lives in Philadelphia, paints a scene we might come upon on the back side of any great American city.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help
The burnt church up the street yawns to the sky,
its empty windows edged in soot, its portals
boarded up and slathered with graffiti,
oily layers, urgent but illegible.
All that can be plundered has been, all
but the carapace—the hollow bell tower,
the fieldstone box that once served as a nave.
The tidy row of homes that line this block
have tended lawns and scalloped bathtub shrines.
Each front porch holds a chair where no one sits.
Those who live here triple lock their doors
day and night. Some mornings they step out
to find a smoking car stripped to its skeleton
abandoned at the curb. Most afternoons
the street is still but for a mourning dove
and gangs of pigeons picking through the grass.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help is gray,
a dead incisor in a wary smile.
A crevice in her wall allows a glimpse
into the chancel, where a sodden mattress
and dirty blanket indicate that someone
finds this place a sanctuary still,
takes his rest here, held and held apart
from passers by, their cruelties and their kindnesses,
Ted Kooser, US Poet Laureate from 2004 to 2006. Photo by UNL Publications and Photography.
Many of us have attempted to console friends who have recently been divorced, and though it can be a pretty hard sell, we have assured them that things will indeed be better with the passage of time. Here’s a fine poem of consolation by Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, who teaches at Penn State.
NORTH COAST, Calif. – It finally feels like summer, and one sure sign of summer is that the music festival season is in full swing.
If you haven't been to a festival in a while, now is a great time. The weather is perfect this weekend, and the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival – one of the premier world music festivals in the country – is just over the hill, in Boonville.
The festival takes place Friday, June 17, through Sunday, June 19, at the Mendocino County Fairgrounds.
This year's lineup includes reggae legends Toots and The Maytals, and Steel Pulse, Latino hip-hop superstars Ozomatli, and African “chimurenga music” innovator Thomas Mapfumo – just to name a few.
The Sierra Nevada World Music Festival is not only environmentally conscious, it is family-friendly, too. Children 12 and under may attend for free when accompanied by an adult.
The festival offers a family camp area and an extensive program of children's activities throughout the weekend – including dance and music workshops, songfests, storytelling, arts and crafts, sports and other entertainment.
Complete with a festival village featuring foods, crafts, and fine art from such exotic places as Indonesia, West Africa, Jamaica, Ethiopia and India, the festival.
The world is literally right around the corner, waiting for you. Pack the camping gear, grab the kids (no pets allowed) and head over to Boonville for a world class cultural experience that the whole family will love.
Just last week, while reviewing “Judy Moody,” I was lamenting, albeit in an oblique fashion, the relative lack of family films released for the start of the summer season.
Now along comes the elastic-faced comedian Jim Carrey to save the day in his almost trademark role of a workaholic father (think “Liar, Liar”), needing redemption for his lack of attention to parental duties.
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins” finds Jim Carrey’s Mr. Popper as a sleek, shark-like real estate developer in a constant hunt to acquire landmark Manhattan properties to satisfy a trio of demanding partners.
Mr. Popper is grappling with daddy issues, his own and those imposed on his estranged children, teenager Janie (Madeline Carroll) and grade-schooler Billy (Maxwell Perry Colton).
Having all of the perks of a highly paid executive, Mr. Popper lives in an expansive Park Avenue apartment, though it is sterile and cold, which makes it a perfect abode for penguins (more on that later).
Except for the occasional weekend visit with his kids, Mr. Popper’s only reliable companion appears to be his assistant Pippi (Ophelia Lovibond), who has an alliterative propensity for saying words that start with the letter “p.”
Apparently, Mr. Popper yearns for the company of his ex-wife Amanda (an underused Carla Gugino), who has a new boyfriend, but just might be open to rekindling a relationship with Mr. Popper, just because this is, after all, a family film.
As for Popper’s own paternal issues, they concern the absence during his childhood of his peripatetic explorer father who constantly wandered the globe in search of adventure and discovery.
In an odd parting gesture, Popper’s late dad arranged for the delivery of six Gentoo penguins to Popper’s high-rise abode. Conveniently, they arrive during winter.
The birds quickly acquire their own nicknames. Captain is the obvious leader of the pack. Nimrod, Stinky, Loudy, Bitey and Lovey are appropriately named for their personality traits and/or character flaws.
Inexplicably, Popper resists the pleadings of a persistent zookeeper (Clark Gregg) to move the birds to a proper sanctuary.
Instead, Mr. Popper turns his swank apartment into a makeshift residence for penguins, letting in all the cold winter air, setting up an ice rink and allowing his avian friends to watch a constant loop of Charlie Chaplin movies.
Suddenly, Popper attains the cachet of being a really cool dad in the eyes of his own children. After all, the penguins are adorable, even if they poop at the most inopportune moments.
Loosely based on the classic 1938 children’s book, “Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” as directed by Mark Waters, allows the lovable, elegant birds to upstage the veteran comedian.
Regardless of whether the screen time is used by real penguins or CGI counterparts, the birds steal every scene, from sliding down the circular ramp of the Guggenheim Museum to stopping New York traffic as they march in formation.
Owing to this film’s old-fashioned sensibilities, there are no real surprises in store. Anyone older than a fifth grader knows the story is predictable, but that is all to the good.
All that matters, in the end, is that Jim Carrey delivers the comic goods with a wonderful assist from adorable furry creatures that are irresistibly charming.
“Mr. Popper’s Penguins,” delightfully funny and heartwarming, is easily enjoyed by all members of the family, young and old.
DVD RELEASE UPDATE
The story of a naïve, small-town Wisconsin native sent by his company to attend a regional insurance convention in the “big city” of Cedar Rapids, Iowa remains the funniest movie of the year.
“Cedar Rapids” follows Ed Helms, of “The Hangover” fame, as the unsuspecting, inexperienced salesman who gets caught up in the most unexpected shenanigans.
Helms’ mild-mannered Tim Lippe falls in with the wrong crowd as they cause mayhem at the most unconventional business convention.
“Cedar Rapids: Super Awesome Edition” arrives in Blu-ray and DVD. The DVD extras include many deleted scenes, a gag reel, and documentary-style features on certain key elements.
The Blu-ray disc contains additional highlights on the film’s assortment of various oddball characters, from the lovable to the truly frightening.
“Cedar Rapids” is a wildly funny and undeniably infectious comedy that makes it absolutely essential that one should acquire the “Super Awesome Edition.”
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
In terms of age and gender, this critic is very far removed from the demographic orbit of the target audience for the “Judy Moody” book series by Megan McDonald.
Apparently, Paramount Pictures only wanted a select handful to get an advance peek at “Super 8,” so I feel compelled to skip that movie altogether, even if it is decent.
Thus, “Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” ended up on my radar, but regrettably my youngest daughter, now too old to savor this type of family film, didn’t join me.
If you have preadolescent daughters, you may have to tag along for the family experience, perhaps discovering that it is not completely unbearable.
But let’s face it. I was there because duty called, and so I report “Judy Moody” is totally acceptable for young kids, mostly girls who may enjoy the adventures of the spunky redheaded Judy Moody.
To her dismay, Judy Moody (Jordana Beatty) discovers that her best friends Rocky and Amy will away all summer on exciting trips – one in Borneo and the other at circus camp.
Meanwhile, Judy is stuck in suburban Virginia with her little brother Stink (Parris Mosteller) and nerdy classmate Frank (Preston Bailey).
Worse still is the sudden announcement that Judy’s well-intentioned parents (Janet Varney and Kristoffer Winters) have to go to California, leaving Judy and Stink behind in the care of Aunt Opal.
Suddenly, the idea of the NOT bummer summer is not going to be realized for Judy, who’s also slightly bummed that Stink is obsessed with finding Bigfoot.
Meanwhile, the ditzy, flower-child Aunt Opal (Heather Graham) turns out to be a pleasant surprise, seeing how her reputation as a flighty guerilla artist may relieve the boredom.
In fact, Aunt Opal is so thoroughly creative and full of energy that Judy is inspired to a game of amassing “thrill points” in competition with her traveling buddies.
The Thrill Chart becomes the touchstone for a series of wacky adventures, made even crazier when Aunt Opal’s good intentions sometimes go awry.
Judy’s initial apprehension about spending the summer with a relative not seen in years evaporates as Aunt Opal reveals herself to be a kindred spirit.
In time, Judy even gets into the mood to help her little brother chase down Bigfoot, while teaming up with a couple of daffy locals on the same bizarre quest.
Jaleel White (“Family Matters”) may be all grown up, but he channels his inner Steve Urkel as Judy’s geeky teacher Mr. Todd with a high-pitched voice, who figures into the “thrill points” expedition.
As if to create distractions to amuse the young set, director John Schultz employs a unique visual style that relies on bright colors, animated pop-ups and split screens. The aim appears to be keep young kids engaged.
“Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer” benefits greatly from the spirited and good-natured performance of Jordana Beatty in the titular role. Her energy alone goes far to make this film enjoyable for kids.
TELEVISION UPDATE
When the calendar hits June, original new TV shows on the primary networks are as rare as a cold spell in a South Florida summer. This is where cable networks jump into the breach.
Apparently, there is no shortage of original movies on the Lifetime Television network.
Gabrielle Anwar, not looking like anything resembling her character on “Burn Notice,” stars in Lifetime’s “Nora Roberts’ Carnal Innocence” as world-renowned violinist Caroline Waverly, coming back to rural Innocence, Mississippi, where she spent summers as a child, for some peace and solitude.
Shortly after arriving, Caroline meets the arrogant but charming Tucker Longstreet (Colin Egglesfield), a member of the town’s most prominent family who is quickly smitten with her.
But Caroline’s dreams for tranquility turn into a nightmare when ahw discovers the body of a young woman, the possible victim of a serial killer that the authorities suspect may be the playboy Tucker. Of course, Innocence is populated with people who look guilty of something or other.
“Carnal Innocence” is the type of movie one should expect on the Lifetime network.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
The Clear Lake Performing Arts Youth Orchestra and the newly formed Junior-Youth Orchestra presented their end-of-the year concert under the direction of Susan Condit on Sunday, June 5, 2011, in Kelseyville, Calif. Photo courtesy of Susan Condit.
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – On June 5, the Clear Lake Performing Arts Youth Orchestra and the newly formed Junior-Youth Orchestra presented their end-of-the year concert under the direction of Susan Condit.
The concert was performed in the Friendship Hall of Kelseyville Presbyterian Church to more than 160 people with standing room only.
The audience was very enthusiastic and rewarded the orchestras with a standing ovation.
The six-member Junior-Youth Orchestra opened the program with standard beginning tunes in three parts – “Lightly Row,” “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Au Clair de la Lune.”
Four advanced members played “Trio in G” by Schradieck and “Trio in C” by De Beriot.
The 17-member Youth Orchestra began their portion of the program with “Raiders March” by John Williams from the movie “Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Arc.”
“The Basso,” a traditional gypsy tune arranged for string orchestra by Clovice A. Lewis Jr. was a favorite with the audience.
Lewis, a well-known local composer and member of the CLPA Lake County Symphony joined the cello section in playing this piece.
“Ashokan Farewell,” a favorite fiddle tune by Jay Unger, and the theme for the award-winning PBS special “The Civil War” featured a violin solo by Clayton Rudiger.
The first half ended with the amazing “M to the Third Power,” a minor meter mix composed by Carold Nunez.
Sandy Ross, a member the CLPA Auxiliary spoke about their fundraising endeavors and invited the audience to participate in a raffle.
The second half of the concert was a tribute to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and featured “Amadeus,” “Rondo K. 80,” and “Ave Verum Corpus.”
Andi Skelton, Marta Fuller, Eleanor Cook, Austin Ison, Patricia Jekel and Clovice A. Lewis, Jr., all members of the CLPA Lake County Symphony and mentors to the students joined in playing their final piece, “Allegro Vivace,” from “The Hunt.”
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