Lake County News,California

Arts & Life

: Middletown Art Center; Posted On Saturday, 11 February 2023 02:50; 11 February 2023

Middletown Art Center hosts Valentine’s concert and fundraiser

**Dooby and family. Photo by Matt Davis.**

MIDDLETOWN, Calif. — The Middletown Art Center is hosting a Valentine’s concert and fundraiser for Dooby Logic of The Higher Logic Project, a local and beloved high energy, reggae inspired dance rock group.

The “Love is Everything” concert will take place from 7 to 11 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the MAC, 21456 Highway 175.

Since moving to Lake County in 2011, Dooby has been a generous supporter of other community members, causes specific to Lake Count, and the very land itself. Now it’s our turn to show up for a friend in need.

On Christmas, while visiting family in Santa Barbara, Dooby received the tragic news that his house burned down. With only a few days of clothing, and one of his three dogs, Dooby lost everything in one fell swoop.

Fortunately, his friend and house sitter, Daniel Green, was able to rescue his other two dogs, after entering the blaze four times and sustaining some burns and risking his own life.

“The dogs were the most important thing, and if they had not survived I would not be processing this loss in the same way,” Dooby said.

Lost in the fire was upward of $50,000 of musical equipment that is essential for Dooby’s performances and what the fundraiser hopes to help him replace so that he can continue to make music which ultimately brings people together.

Not only a musician and an artist, Dooby is a community builder and networker. Over the past few years he has wholeheartedly showed up for others in need. When 7 year old Lily Lauwer developed a brain tumor and when Coty-Alma Husson was diagnosed with cancer, Dooby was instrumental in fundraising performances for both, and these are only two examples of his commitment to supporting fellow community members.

Friend to several local tribal elders, Dooby dialogues with them about shared visions of healing Lake County’s history of violence and oppression.

He performed multiple times at Hands Around Clearlake, a cross-cultural grassroots festival and healing ceremony for the lake, land and people of this place.

“No one can truly own land, but we can take on the responsibility of caring for it,” Dooby said.

And that is his greatest wish for the five acres in Kelseyville he calls home. He hopes that in rebuilding his house a process will unfold that includes bringing community together, creating and teaching art and music, self-sufficiency, and ultimately holding forgiveness for the histories that haunt Kelseyville.

The fundraiser includes performances from The Higher Logic Project, DJ Murti, and Frankie & Jared.

Tickets cost $20 and will be available at the door. Beer, wine and food will be available for purchase.

You can also support Dooby at this Go Fund Me page, A Home in Ashes and the Vision.

: Tim Riley; Posted On Sunday, 05 February 2023 00:55; 05 February 2023

Procedural ‘Will Trent’ debut, “Accused” TV crime thriller

‘WILL TRENT’ ON ABC

After a three-year hiatus, the biannual press tour that brings members of the Television Critics Association as well as unaffiliated critics together for panel discussions has finally returned to an in-person affair.

The gathering of critics afforded ABC the opportunity to present its newest crime drama “Will Trent,” which is based on the New York Times best-selling book series by Karin Slaughter.

In the role of the titular character, Ramon Rodriguez shared his thoughts that his role as a special agent allowed him to be a “resilient human being that had a complicated past” who has figured how to navigate in a unique way that “actually helps him with cases.”

Indeed, Special Agent Will Trent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has an intuitive approach to his police work that would remind some viewers of Tony Shaloub’s Adrian Monk solving crimes in the “Monk” series.

While Monk’s obsessive-compulsive disorder caused his departure from the police department to private sleuthing, Agent Trent has his own cross to bear for being a straight-arrow who made enemies in the Atlanta Police Department for uncovering corruption in the ranks.

The first two episodes, which are now streaming on Hulu, involve Trent investigating two deaths and the kidnapping of a college girl at the home of wealthy car dealer Paul Campano (Mark-Paul Gosselaar).

What looks to be a rather settled crime scene turns out to be something quite different after Trent is summoned by his boss at the Bureau, Amanda Wagner (Sonja Sohn), to apply his set of skills to the investigation.

Trent’s background is important to the series. He grew up in Atlanta’s foster care system. He suffers from dyslexia and records his observation with a tape recorder. An inability to read does not hinder his matchless ability to read a crime scene.

Though loath to partner with anyone, Trent finds himself reluctantly having to work with Atlanta PD detective Faith Mitchell (Iantha Richardson) who’s smart enough to appreciate his brilliance as well as to call him out when necessary.

In his private life, the fastidious Trent, who wears three-piece suits, has a curious cyclical romantic relationship with Atlanta PD detective Angie Polaski (Erika Christensen) as they share the common bond of growing up in the same foster home.

One unlikely four-legged star is a chihuahua named Betty that Trent reluctantly adopts after the animal shelter claims they don’t have a no-kill policy.

“Will Trent” presents itself as an interesting drama with some compelling characters, who may be flawed but are agreeable and easy to root for as they deal with work-related and personal issues.

‘ACCUSED’ ON FOX

FOX television’s new crime thriller “Accused” is akin to an anthology rather than a traditional series in that it is a collection of 15 intense and exquisitely human stories of crime and punishment.

Each episode is a fast-paced provocative thriller, exploring a different crime, in a different city, with an entirely original cast.

“Accused” is based on the British series of the same title that first aired a dozen years ago. The BBC drama series followed a different character in each episode as they await their verdict in court, including well-known actors such as Olivia Colman, Sean Bean and Naomie Harris.

The American version opens in a courtroom with a defendant that the viewers know nothing about their crime or how they ended up on trial.

Told from the defendant’s point of view through flashbacks, the show holds up a mirror to current times with evocative and emotional stories.

In the end, the idea is for audiences to discover how an ordinary person gets caught up in extraordinary circumstances, and how one impulsive decision can impact the course of that life and the lives of others forever.

Emmy Award winner Margo Martindale (“The Americans”) and Emmy Award nominee Molly Parker (“House of Cards”) are slated for a gripping episode tackling conspiracy theories.

Rachel Bilson (“The O.C.”) and Jack Davenport (“The Morning Show’) star in a thrilling episode with a family caught in a troubling situation.

Acclaimed Broadway star J. Harrison Ghee (“Kinky Boots”) will appear in a Billy Porter-directed episode about a drag queen’s affair and its aftermath.

Ian Anthony Dale (“Hawaii Five-O”) has been cast in an episode about a brother striving to protect his sibling who was injured in a devastating car accident as a child.

The director and writer of FX’s “Reservation Dogs” has been set to write and direct an episode about Native American activists protesting a uranium mine that has been polluting tribal lands for decades.

“Accused” will draw a wide range of actors to its ranks, including familiar faces such as Michael Chiklis, Jill Hennessy, Abigail Breslin, Wendell Pierce, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Rhea Pearlman and Malcolm Jamal Warner.

As an aside, “Fantasy Island” returns for its second season just in time as a way to forget the winter cold. Wouldn’t it be swell to vacation at a luxury tropical island resort? Unfortunately, there’s always a catch.

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

: Lakeport ‌Police‌ ‌Department‌ ‌; Posted On Sunday, 22 January 2023 00:19; 22 January 2023

Lakeport ‌Police‌ ‌logs:‌ Thursday, Jan. 5

Thursday, Jan. 5, 2023

00:20 ALARM 2301050001
Occurred on Lakeport Bl. Disposition: CHECKS OK.

11:01 FOUND PROPERTY 2301050065
Occurred at Lakeport Police Department on S Main. RP FOUND A WALLET AND WOULD LIKE TO TURN IT IN. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.

11:19 PROBLEM WITH A SUBJECT 2301050069
Occurred at Lake County Tribal Health on Bevins Ct. PER EMP KNOWN FEMALE SUBJECT IS ON SCENE YELLING AND SCREAMING POSSIBLY ON HNS. Disposition: ARREST MADE.

11:41 VEHICLE CODE/OTHER OFFENSES 2301050071
Occurred at N MAIN/10TH. WHITE TOYOTA ABANDONED ON THE ROADWAY AND STRIPPED. Disposition: WARNING.

14:23 WIRELESS 911 HANG UP 2301050086
Occurred at Lake County Tribal Health on Bevins Ct. TXF TO CDF FOR FIRE. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.

15:20 SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES 2301050092
Occurred at Anchorage Inn on N Main. RP CONCERNED ABOUT FRIEND AND HER CHILDREN WHO ARE STAYING WITH KNOWN MALE, BELIEVES THEY ARE NOT IN A SAFE PLACE. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.

16:13 PROBLEM WITH A SUBJECT 2301050100
Occurred at Kmart on S Main. RP WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK TO AN OFFICER REGARDING A VEHICLE THAT DID A BURNOUT IN THE PARKING LOT. Disposition: GONE ON ARRIVAL.

18:00 EXTRA PATROL 2301050114
Occurred on Lakeshore Bl. SOMEONE KEEPS OPENING GATES ON PROPERTY. Disposition: GENERAL SERVICES RENDERED.

20:31 TRAFFIC ACCIDENT NON INJURY 2301050127
Occurred at Drinx on S Main. MALE SUBJ CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEH AND IS NOW HIDING ON FOOT BHD LAKEPORT FURNITURE..RESP DESC: WMA TALL/300 POUNDS. LSW A HAT. BLUE WHITE AND GRAY FLANNEL SHIRT. Disposition: ARREST MADE.

20:39 PROBLEM WITH A SUBJECT 2301050128
Occurred at Forbes Apartments on S Forbes. KNOWN MALE IS SCREAMING VERY LOUD AND IS TEARING UP HIS APARTMENT. RP IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE RESP BEING VIOLENT AND STATES 2 OFFICERS WILL BE NEEDED. Disposition: WARNING.

23:00 FOLLOW UP 2301050132
Officer initiated activity at Drinx, S Main, Lakeport. Disposition: REPORT TAKEN.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Saturday, 11 February 2023 02:47; 11 February 2023

NEA Big Read offers free poetry readings

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — The Lake County Library 2023 NEA Big Read is underway with a schedule of events that will include writing workshops, book discussions, and more offered through Saturday, March 25.

The first week of the 2023 NEA Big Read marks the first of three poetry readings to be offered during this year’s programming.

Taste of Poetry with Richard Schmidt
Saturday, Feb. 11, 2 p.m.
Join local author and Lake County Poet Laureate Emeritus Richard Schmidt for a poetry reading at the Lakeport Library. The event will feature readings from Lake and Mendocino County poets including Michael Riedell, Dan Barth, Mimi Whitaker and more. Location: Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

Big Read 2023 Author Event
Saturday, March 18, 1 to 3 p.m.
Join the Lake County Library and Lake County Friends of Mendocino College in welcoming the author of Postcolonial Love Poem, Natalie Diaz, for a virtual poetry reading, discussion, and Q&A. This event will take place on Zoom and will be live streamed from the Mendocino College Lake Campus Round Room and all four branches of the Lake County Library.
Location: Mendocino College 2565 Parallel Drive, Lakeport, or your nearest library branch in Lakeport, Clearlake, Upper Lake or Middletown.

Poets Laureate Reading
Saturday, March 25, 1 to 2 p.m.
Join Lake County Poet Laureate Georgina Marie Guardado for a poetry reading featuring California's new State Poet Laureate Lee Herrick, Ukiah Poet Laureate Emerita Linda Noel, Alameda Poet Laureate Kimi Sugioka, and Ukiah Poet Laureate Emeritus Jabez Churchill. The featured Poets Laureate will read original work and select poems by Natalie Diaz. Location: Lakeport Library, 1425 N. High St.

The public is invited to attend all NEA Big Read events at no cost, and free books are provided at each event and all library branches until supply runs out.

To view the full schedule of events, go to http://www.lakecountybigread.com/.

Follow the Big Read on Facebook by visiting https://www.facebook.com/LakeCountyBigRead/.

The NEA Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest, which seeks to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book. The NEA Big Read showcases a diverse range of contemporary titles that reflect many different voices and perspectives, aiming to inspire conversation and discovery.

Visit https://www.arts.gov/initiatives/nea-big-read for more information about the NEA Big Read. Organizations interested in applying for an NEA Big Read grant in the future should visit Arts Midwest’s at https://artsmidwest.org/ for more information.

: Elizabeth Larson; Posted On Wednesday, 25 January 2023 00:24; 25 January 2023

‘Pleistocene Park’ screening and conversation with filmmaker Luke Grisworld-Tergis takes place Jan. 29

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Soper Reese Theater, Sierra Club Lake Group and Middletown Art Center invite the public to a special screening and conversation with filmmaker Luke Grisworld-Tergis about his award winning documentary film, “Pleistocene Park.”

The screening will take place on Sunday, Jan 29, at 2:30 p.m. at the Soper Reese Theatre.

Get tickets in advance at Soperreesetheatre.com, free/by donation, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Griswold-Tregis, an award-winning filmmaker and graduate from Lower Lake High School, studied cultural anthropology and ethnographic film at University of California, Santa Cruz.

“Pleistocene Park,” recently released, has already won prestigious awards at numerous film festivals.

**Luke Grisworld-Tergis. Courtesy photo.**

“Pleistocene Park” tells the story of “a Russian Geophysicist Sergey Zimov and his son Nikita – part genius, part madman — a vanished ice age ecosystem, a climatic timebomb, and a crazy plan to save the world.”

In the movie the men call their project Pleistocene Park and its goal is to restore the Ice Age "mammoth steppe" ecosystem and avoid a catastrophic feedback loop leading to runaway global warming.

This daring and controversial experiment elicits many questions which Griswold will discuss with us Jan 29. He also presents the theory in his Tedx Talk, “Can Wooly Mammoths Save the World.”

In Griswold-Tregis’s own words: “My approach, in making this film, is to follow the characters as they navigate this controversy. They face nearly insurmountable odds. Their physical/logistical/financial struggles to create Pleistocene Park are matched by their scientific struggles to demonstrate that the theory works as advertised. As heroes, Sergey and Nikita are complicated and fallible. This is what makes it a good story. This film isn’t advocacy promoting Pleistocene Park. It will treat the main characters empathically, while critically engaging their claims. Whether they are successful or not, the quixotic attempt is still heroic.”

As audience member Kevin White said after viewing the film: "I love this film! It has folly, it has beauty, defeat, perseverance, despair, and success–like life."

We hope this will be the first in a series “Creative Thinkers of Lake County, CA” highlighting home-grown artists, scientists, engineers, educators and innovators who will share their work and accomplishments with the community to inspire others.

: Tim Riley; Posted On Sunday, 22 January 2023 00:18; 22 January 2023

‘Plane’ takes off with action; crime drama and comedy on TV

‘PLANE’ RATED R

The dog days of January often prove to be the dumping ground for new films, but the death-defying thrills in “Plane” serve as a reminder that Gerard Butler’s action hero could be the saving grace for a rousing B-grade delight.

Working for a third-rate commercial airline, Butler’s Captain Brodie Torrance is stuck with a New Year’s Eve flight from Singapore to Tokyo with barely more than a dozen passengers.

The most unwilling passenger is Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter), a convicted murderer being transported by an armed FBI agent for extradition back to the United States.

More than anything, the widowed Brodie is eager to join his teenage daughter for the holiday, while his young co-pilot Samuel (Yoson An) is a family man just as anxious to get home.

The rest of the crew, except for flight attendant Bonnie (Daniella Pineda), and the passengers barely register notice. But then, there is the requisite jerk traveler who mostly complains over trifling matters.

Extremely turbulent skies and a lightning strike disable the airliner in the area of the Jolo island cluster of the Philippines, which is treacherous terrain ruled by a rogue militia of violent separatists.

After miraculously landing the plane in a deserted jungle and saving everyone who managed to keep their seatbelts firmly attached, Torrance quickly learns that surviving the landing was just the beginning of their ordeal.

The only person Torrance can count on for help is Louis, as the villainous militia leader Junmar (Evan Dane Taylor) and his thugs kidnap the rest of the crew and passengers.

Back in New York, while airline execs dither over the public relations fallout of losing a plane, corporate troubleshooter Scarsdale (Tony Goldwyn) organizes a group of mercenaries for a rescue mission.

Time is of the essence, and thus Brodie and Louis resort to guerilla warfare of their own and serious gunplay is inevitable. The best action sequence, though, is tense hand-to-hand combat when Brodie is ambushed by a guerilla.

The virtue of “Plane” is that it revels in its B-grade action thrills, fully knowing that with Gerard Butler at the helm it delivers the goods for its intended audience. What more could you ask for during the dreary month of January?

‘ALERT: MISSING PERSONS UNIT’ AND ‘ANIMAL CONTROL’ ON FOX

For the new procedural drama “Alert: Missing Persons Unit,” the title says it all. Set in the Philadelphia Police Department’s Missing Persons Unit, each episode features a heart-pounding, life-or-death search for, you guessed it, a missing person.

Each episode’s search runs alongside police officers Jason Grant (Scott Caan) and his ex-wife Nikki Batista (Dania Ramirez) in their series-long quest to find out the truth about their long-lost son.

Six years ago, while working overseas, Jason received a call that every parent fears. His son Keith (Graham Verchere) had gone missing. From that moment forward, the lives of Jason, Nikki and their daughter Sydney (Fivel Stewart) were turned upside down.

Throughout the search to find Keith, Jason and Nikki’s marriage deteriorated and they grew apart. Jason moved into private security, while Nikki was promoted with the Philly P.D. to head of the Missing Persons Unit (MPU).

At the MPU, Nikki has been able to do for others what she wasn’t able to do for herself, namely bring a loved one back home. She leads a team of skilled officers, including her current love interest Mike (Ryan Broussard), whom she met when he was assigned to oversee the search for Keith.

Another MPU member is Kemi (Adeola Role), who is proficient in many languages, highly discerning of visual clues, and uses her know-how as a shaman to take a holistic approach to her job.

Forensic anthropologist C (guest star Petey Gibson) is a master of reconstructing the faces of those who have disappeared. The MPU team works to find the missing, abducted or kidnapped, and help reunite them with their loved ones.

When Jason receives a possible proof-of-life photo that Keith is very much alive, he and Nikki will reunite personally and professionally to continue the fight for their son.

Arriving on Thursday, February 16, workplace comedy “Animal Control” stars Joel McHale (“Community”) as Frank, an opinionated, eccentric Animal Control officer who may not have gone to college but is still the most well-read person in the room.

A former cop, Frank tried to expose corruption in his department, but his efforts got him fired, which may explain why he’s so cynical and curmudgeonly. He has almost superhuman ability to understand animals, but humans not so much.

Frank is assigned a new partner, Fred “Shred” Taylor (Michael Rowland), an optimistic rookie Animal Control officer. They both report to their sweet-natured and endearingly awkward boss Emily Price (Vella Lovell).

Amit Patel (Ravi Patel) and Victoria Sands (Grace Palmer) are also partners, though they could not be more opposite. Templeton Dudge (Gerry Dee), an Animal Control officer from a neighboring precinct, has a real chip on his shoulder.

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