WRECK THE HALLS, by Sarah Graves, Bantam, New York, 276 pages, hardcover, $21.95. Living in Down East Maine can be murder, if the works of Sarah Graves are to be taken at face value. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
In theaters THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO, directed by Kevin Reynolds. Written by Jay Wolpert, based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas. 110 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for… Read More
HEAVENLY ERRORS: MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT THE REAL NATURE OF THE UNIVERSE, by Neil F. Comins, Columbia University Press, New York, 2001. If you don’t know the correct scientific explanation for Earth’s changing seasons, take comfort in this: All but two of 23 Harvard faculty and graduating… Read More
Rose Red violates the first law of real estate. The gargantuan mansion at the heart of the ABC miniseries “Stephen King’s Rose Red” (9 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Thursday) has a great location, right in the midst of Seattle, and yet most wouldn’t want to… Read More
At first glance, the ’80s wouldn’t seem like great fodder for a sitcom. Reagan, corporate greed and narcissism were all in during that decade. But it was also a time when Madonna, Boy George, “Miami Vice” and “Dynasty” dictated the fashion that many wore, and… Read More
Philip King’s British farce “See How They Run” is about as inane as a script gets. There’s a vicar, a vicar’s wife, a gossipy church lady, an American soldier, an escaped Russian spy, and a maid given to chicanery. In the wrong hands, this show could be an… Read More
Troika Entertainment’s touring production of “Annie Get Your Gun” hit most of the targets it was shooting for Friday night at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono. The exuberant cast kept the sold-out audience at Hutchins Concert Hall enraptured through much of the… Read More
A few weeks ago when the Pamela Frank and Alexander Simionescu Duo were forced to cancel a classical music concert because of an arm injury Frank suffered, programmers at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono had some quick work to do. The job… Read More
CUT SHOT, by John R. Corrigan, Sleeping Bear Press, 214 pages, hardback, $22.95. Many a budding writer dreams of being the next Dick Francis, Walter Mosely, Janwillem van de Wetering or any of the detective fiction masters who stake out a specific milieu – the… Read More
EXILE IN THE KINGDOM, by Robert Harnum, University Press of New England, Hanover, N.H., 165 pages, $22.95. Philip Carmichael is a 17-year-old star athlete and honor student at his high school. He has a computer, cable TV, video games, friends, family and an AK-47 in… Read More
When the creator of “First Monday,” debuting at 9 tonight on CBS, decided to make a legal drama, he went straight to the top. “First Monday,” which moves Friday to its regular 9 p.m. time slot, takes viewers to the Supreme Court, not only into… Read More
ORONO – The third classical concert of the Bangor Symphony Orchestra season was thrown a few curve balls. First, the score for Antonio Rosetti’s Horn Concerto in F Major that was ordered from Germany last summer showed up three weeks ago. Except it was Rosetti’s Horn Concerto for… Read More
In theaters THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS, directed by Wes Anderson. Written by Anderson and Owen Wilson. 103 minutes. Rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
Top 11 Films of 2001 Remember when the phrase “coming soon to a theater near you” meant something? With few exceptions, the best films of 2001 had only fleeting, spotty appearances in Maine – if they appeared at all. There was no shortage of the… Read More
THE BONE DOLL’S TWIN, by Lynn Flewelling, Bantam/Spectra, New York, 2001, 524 pages, paperback, $6.99. Former Bangor author Lynn Flewelling returns her readers to a darker, more dangerous place in her latest fantasy set in the exotic land of Skala. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
THE SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE COOKBOOK VOLUME II, edited by Michael Bauer and Fran Irwin, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, 2001, 470 pages, $22.95. If you can live with a book that begins by telling you that “The San Francisco Bay area is the epicenter of food… Read More
Versatile actor Hank Azaria has made his mark on TV (“The Simpsons,” “Tuesdays with Morrie”) and movies (“America’s Sweethearts,” “The Birdcage”). The likable actor is a natural for a lead in a TV sitcom. It’s a shame that Azaria didn’t better develop “Imagine That,” which… Read More
SNOW SQUALL: THE LAST AMERICAN CLIPPER SHIP, by Nicholas Dean & David C. Switzer; Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, and Maine Maritime Museum, Bath, 2001, 301 pages, $30. The closest to a clipper ship most of us are likely to get these days is the label… Read More
In theaters A BEAUTIFUL MIND, directed by Ron Howard. Written by Avika Goldsman. 129 minutes. PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
THE MAFIA COOKBOOK, by Joseph “Joe Dogs” Iannuzzi, Simon & Schuster, 2001, 253 pages, $18. Can it really be only a year ago that “The Sopranos” made all things Mafia kinda cool? Yes, offices were buzzing with the antics of the lovable ruffians as they… Read More
NERVES OUT LOUD: CRITICAL MOMENTS IN THE LIVES OF SEVEN TEEN GIRLS, edited by Susan Musgrave, Annick Press, Toronto, New York, Vancouver, 112 pages, $9.95. Once the angst passes and teen-agers morph into adults, some of them can look back at their lives and see… Read More
In theaters KATE & LEOPOLD. Directed by James Mangold. Written by Mangold and Steven Rogers, based on a story by Rogers. Running time: 114 minutes. Rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
SALT OMNIBUS 2001, published by Salt Institute for Documentary Studies, Portland, 2001, 125 pages. Every year the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies in Portland publishes a collection of the best nonfiction writing and photography by its students. Admirers of the institute, which was founded in… Read More
In theaters JIMMY NEUTRON: BOY GENIUS, directed by John Davis. Written by Davis, David Weiss, David Stem and Steve Oedekerk. 83 minutes. Rated G. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
LA TERRA FORTUNATA: THE SPLENDID FOOD AND WINE OF FRIULI-VENEZIA GIULIA, by Fred Plotkin, Broadway Books, New York, 2001, 412 pages, $35. If Napoleon was right, and armies do march on their stomachs, perhaps we could say the same of tourists – and particularly of… Read More
LEGENDARY DEER CAMPS, By Robert Wegner, Krause Publications, Iola, Wisc., $34.95. William Faulkner’s first recollections of deer hunting detailed a mystical experience in which the famous author and the whitetail shared a common identity. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
LOST DINERS AND ROADSIDE RESTAURANTS OF NEW ENGLAND AND NEW YORK, by Will Anderson, Anderson & Sons’ Publishing Co., 34 Park St., Bath 04530, telephone 442-7459, 2001, 184 pages, $24.95. Oh, what foods these morsels be! Piping-hot diner food, that is. Nothing pleases the palate… Read More
MISS RENEE’S MICE, by Elizabeth Stokes Hoffman, Down East Books, Camden, 2001, 32 pages, $15.95. M-i-c-e spells trouble. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
S IS FOR STAR, by Cynthia Furlong Reynolds, illustrated by Pam Carroll, Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea, Mich., 2001, $18.95. Are your children coveting just about every toy hyped on the Saturday morning cartoons and the holiday specials? Do their lists for Santa look like they’d… Read More
CHRISTMAS AFTER ALL, by Kathryn Lasky, Scholastic Inc., New York, 2001, 185 pages, $10.95 If ever there was a book perfectly suited to its time of publication it is Kathryn Lasky’s “Christmas After All: The Great Depression and Minnie Swift.” Although separated from us by… Read More
SNOW DAY, by Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Hideko Takahashi, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001, $16. I sure hope it snows. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0;… Read More
You would think after playing the role of Ebenezer Scrooge 19 times, Ken Stack would show signs of tedium. You might even think that those of us who have seen him do many of those performances could find him tedious in the role. But Stack proves himself an… Read More
A MUG-UP WITH ELISABETH: A COMPANION FOR READERS OF ELISABETH OGILVIE, by Melissa Hayes & Marilyn Westervelt, Down East Books, Camden, 323 pages, $17.95. Melissa Hayes discovered the novels of Elisabeth Ogilvie in her local library in the early 1990s. She loved the Cushing author… Read More
In theaters VANILLA SKY, written and directed by Cameron Crowe. 130 minutes. Rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) {… Read More
When Michael Frayn wrote “Noises Off,” his guiding question surely must have been: How can I make theatergoers laugh long and laugh hard? The answer is the play itself, which is one of the uncontested comedy stage hits of the late 20th century. The University of Maine School… Read More
A new twist on an age-old holiday story was unveiled Saturday night at the Maine Center for the Arts. It just wasn’t different enough. The New Stage Originals presentation of “Scrooge the Musical,” which was also staged Sunday, is, as the title suggests, a musical… Read More
IMAGES OF AMERICA: THE MACHIAS BAY REGION, by Jim and Jane Harnedy, Arcadia Publishing, 2001, 128 pages, $18.99. Jim and Jane Harnedy of Bucks Harbor have a regional best seller on their hands. Since their collection of vintage black-and-white photographs went on sale earlier this… Read More
I have a bipolar kitchen. When I invite company for dinner, out come the cookbooks and the scavenged Martha Stewart back issues. The fussier the better. It makes me happy to have ingredients such as pine nuts and anchovy paste in my condiment-laden fridge. I… Read More
Lettice Douffet, a tour guide at Fustian House in Wiltshire, England, likes to tell stories. Big stories. Tall stories. She can take a small detail – about a historical house whose owner tripped on a step – and turn it into a romantic saga about a woman in… Read More
When people think of great moments in sports history, they tend to envision the triumphs of male athletes. However, women champions have made their own proud contributions. Three fine picture books provide eloquent testimony to their fine achievements. During World War II, because the great… Read More
We know all too well these days what men sound like at war. We know what they sound like as politicians and leaders and moralists. What we perhaps don’t hear enough of at the moment is the sound of men’s voices lifted together in song. Read More
It’s very likely that Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker” ballet is one of the most endearing symphonic and dance celebrations of the Christmas season. If you’ve seen it once, you’ve seen it a hundred times. And if you’ve seen it a hundred times, then you know why you can’t see it… Read More
TURTLE SPLASH! COUNTDOWN AT THE POND, by Cathryn Falwell, Greenwillow Books, 2001, $15.95. I never knew that a countdown book – from number 10 to number 1 – could be so complicated. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
BAR HARBOR – Think back to when you were small: Remember the grassy meadow or vacant lot where you spent boundless summer afternoons? Remember the thrill of discovering a cache of wild strawberries, a snakeskin or a nest filled with tiny specked eggs? Though a… Read More
‘Tis the time of year – right between Thanksgiving and the December holidays – to remember one of the most resounding lines in Neil Simon’s play “Lost in Yonkers.” Uncle Louie, a 1940s gangster who makes an unexpected visit to his mother’s home in Yonkers, turns to his… Read More
MAIN STREETS & BACK ROADS OF NEW ENGLAND, The Globe Pequot Press, Guilford, Conn., 2001, hardcover, 168 pages, $29.95. When a colleague handed me this book to review, I glanced at the dust jacket and groaned, “Terrific, another coffee table title written by big-city authors… Read More
HISTORIC STORMS OF NEW ENGLAND, by Sidney Perley, Commonwealth Edition, Beverly, Mass. 2001, $14.95. This handsome edition of an 1891 classic is sure to find regiments of readers. After all, who among us New Englanders is not concerned with the weather. It’s a Yankee preoccupation… Read More
JACKIE’S NINE: JACKIE ROBINSON’S VALUES TO LIVE BY, by Sharon Robinson, Scholastic Inc., New York, 2001, 181 pages, $15.95. We all know of Jackie Robinson as a sports hero, a breaker of the color barrier in baseball. Playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers, he was the… Read More
1,001 DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR PEOPLE WITH DIABETES; edited by Sue Spitler; Linda Eugene, R.D., C.D.E.; and Linda R. Yoakam, R.D., M.S; Surrey Books, Chicago, 2001, $19.95. Take one part best-selling cookbook author, one part diabetes specialist and one part nutrition expert; blend thoroughly and you… Read More
Ever had the blues make you happy? Monday at the Maine Center for the Arts, the “All Over Blues” tour, which combined The Muddy Waters Tribute Band with fusion bluesman Chris Thomas King, may have been the blues, but it sure felt good. After just… Read More
FOLLOWING FAKE MAN, by Barbara Ware Holmes, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2001, 226 pages, $15.95. One suspects there must be many writers of young adult fiction losing sleep over the mammoth ongoing popularity of the Harry Potter books. Ms. Rowling cannot bring out a… Read More
STOPPING TO HOME, by Lea Wait, Margaret K. McElderry Books, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2001, 152 pages, $16 Wiscasset author Lea Wait combines a world she knows well – children looking for love and safety – with the history of her adopted community… Read More
In theaters HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER’S STONE. Directed by Chris Columbus. Written by Steve Kloves, based on the novel by J.K. Rowling. 153 minutes, Rated PG googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false;… Read More
In theaters INNOCENCE, Written and directed by Paul Cox, 94 minutes, No MPAA rating, Now playing, Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
THE ARTFUL CHICKEN, by Linda Arnaud, Steward, Tabori, & Chang, New York, 2000, 174 pages, $29.95 Did you know that certain chickens were considered by the Romans to be sacred and viewed as oracles, that “the patterns of their pecking and scratching for grain were… Read More
In his new eponymous Fox sitcom, Bernie Mac follows the first rule for stand-ups moving into TV: “Comic, play thyself.” “The Bernie Mac Show” debuts with back-to-back episodes at 8:30 and 9 tonight, settling into its regular time slot, 9-9:30 p.m. Wednesday, next week. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
THE JOY OF KNITTING, by Lisa R. Myers, Running Press, 2001, 167 pages, $18.95 I like to be seduced by needlework books. I want big pages with a glossy finish, artsy photos of gorgeous handmade sweaters, lengthy lists of fiber sources and plenty of easy… Read More
CANOE BOY, by Chip Chandler, America House Book Publishers, Frederick, MD.; 2000, 279 pages, $24.95. Like the author, this book’s 14-year-old protagonist, Jonas Montgomery, lives in Maine. Which should give him something of an edge as a likeable young hero. So much for the Maine… Read More
You’ve got to love Broadway staple “My Fair Lady,” and patrons at the university’s Maine Center for the Arts in Orono certainly did Friday evening. The audience rose to its feet as Henry Higgins and his protege Eliza Doolittle, put their heads together at the… Read More
I have a confession to make. When I hear the words “soprano”, “solo voice” or “aria” pertaining to a forthcoming concert, I am filled with fear and loathing, a sinking trepidation moderated only a little by a morsel of anticipation. I feel this way because I love and… Read More
Writers and actors – perhaps more than any other artists – have fundamental commonalities. Both interlope. Both steal. Both look to their immediate surroundings for the character, the gesture, the voice that will make a story soar. Each has been known to plow ahead without much regard to… Read More
ZARELA’S VERACRUZ: COOKING AND CULTURE IN MEXICO’S TROPICAL MELTING POT, by Zarela Martinez (with Anne Mendelson), Houghton Mifflin Co., New York, 2001, 400 pages, $35.00. Some of the following may not be true. I’m just making an educated guess here, because I’ve yet to see… Read More
The most novel of the fall’s new series premieres at 9 tonight on Fox. The last of this year’s four new spy dramas, “24” happens in real time, meaning that the entire season covers what happens on a particular day, with each episode covering one… Read More
HIGH SEAS TO HIGH STAKES: OR AROUND THE HORN TO THE GOLD RUSH, by Ruth S. Nash, 1st Books Library (www.1stbooks.com), 2001. You’ve got to give this book’s author credit for gumption. In the best Down East tradition, she was 80 when she earned her… Read More
Even if you’ve been singing “God Bless America” at the seventh inning stretch during the World Series over the last week, you’d be hard-pressed to find any event more packed with American songs than the Bangor Symphony Orchestra concert Sunday at the Maine Center for the Arts in… Read More
MAXIMUM DANGER: KENNEDY, THE MISSILES, AND THE CRISIS OF AMERICAN CONFIDENCE, by Robert Weisbrot, Ivan R. Dee, Publisher; Chicago, 2001, $27.50. Being the good academic that he is, Robert Weisbrot (American history professor at Colby College) begins his lively history of the 1962 Cuban missile… Read More
THE NAKED CHEF TAKES OFF, by Jamie Oliver, Hyperion, New York, 2001, 288 pages, $34.95 I can hear you snickering at the back there, and I will put up with it no longer. I know that some of you may find the concept of an… Read More
“A Chorus Line,” which opened in Ellsworth last Friday on the 25th anniversary of the Broadway opening, is one of the most ambitious musicals The Grand Auditorium has mounted in recent years. This has nothing to do with complicated sets because “A Chorus Line” can be as simple… Read More
THE SECRET LIFE OF DUST: FROM THE COSMOS TO THE KITCHEN COUNTER, THE BIG CONSEQUENCES OF LITTLE THINGS, by Hannah Holmes, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, $22.95. Dust. Can’t live with it, can’t live without it. But ignore it and you’ll… Read More
The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company is one of the most highly regarded summer theaters in Vermont. After seeing the company’s production of John Steinbeck’s “Of Mice and Men” Sunday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, there was no question about why. This… Read More
Lonestar showed how it’s climbing the country charts at a Wednesday night concert at the Bangor Auditorium. The Texas quartet, backed by musicians on steel guitar, bass and fiddle, enthusiastically rifled through the songs of its nine-year career, delighting the sellout crowd of 2,967 in… Read More
Peter Serkin is a soldier when it comes to Schonberg. He stands at attention. He salutes and rushes into battle with the general’s music. It’s a just battle all right, and Serkin, a pianist who may well be today’s leading interpreter of Schonberg, came up victorious Wednesday with… Read More
Sandre Moore’s most treasured childhood memories are of being read to and watching her parents happily bustle about in the kitchen. As a parent, she wants to ensure that her own children gain the sense of family and security she did through these traditions. And in writing “The… Read More
Steve Martin’s 75-minute play “Picasso at the Lapin Agile,” which opened to sold-out audiences last weekend at the Cyrus Pavilion Theatre, is a lot like Steve Martin the TV and film actor. When it’s funny, it’s hilarious and smart, and when it’s not, it’s ridiculous and corny. Read More
Can you remember the last time you laughed so hard you couldn’t catch your breath? If you’re like me, it has been a while. But over the weekend at the Maine Center for the Arts, “A Follies Odyssey: Paul Bunyan and the Aliens,” produced by Eastern Maine Medical… Read More
In theaters CORKY ROMANO, directed by Rob Pritts, written by David Garrett and Jason Ward, 86 minutes, rated PG-13. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length;… Read More
Some minor guitar-amp difficulties slowed down the start of Shawn Colvin’s show Tuesday at the Maine Center for the Arts. But after a few small repairs, she was up and running. For more than an hour and a half, Colvin sang, told stories and talked… Read More
You probably love autumn. All those gorgeous colors. That crisp chill and aroma of apples in the air. Fine. I accept that. But I have come to dread September. And by October, I’m really depressed. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
Between the George Reeves version in the ’50s and “Lois and Clark” in the mid-’90s, not to mention the string of movies starring Christopher Reeve, one would think that the Superman mythos had been pretty thoroughly explored. Still, “Smallville,” debuting at 9 tonight on WB,… Read More
The Maine Center for the Arts’ annual gala Saturday night was a time for an experience above the norm, and featured performer Mandy Patinkin certainly provided that. The festive evening began with a reception, held in a large white tent in the parking lot adjacent… Read More
Conor McPherson’s play “The Weir,” performed by the Belfast Maskers through Sunday, is set in rural Ireland but is a perfect fit for coastal Maine in the blowy month of October. Part ghost story, part community testimony, “The Weir” taps into the connections people make when they live… Read More
EAGLE ISLAND, by Bernard E. Dethier and Merrily M. Dethier, Vantage Press, New York, 2000, 278 pages, $21.50. The scene painted in “Eagle Island,” a profoundly depressing, yet compelling novel by the late Bernard E. Dethier and wife Merrily M. Dethier, is frighteningly reminiscent of… Read More
In theaters TRAINING DAY, directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer, 122 minutes, rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if… Read More
APPLE COOKBOOK, by Olwen Woodier, Storey Books, North Adams, Mass., 2001, 187 pages, $9.95. Remember the clich? “As American as apple pie”? Well, don’t believe everything you hear. Apples definitely are not native to this continent. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
Here’s a warning for anyone with tickets to “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” playing through Oct. 14 at Penobscot Theatre in Bangor. Be prepared to laugh. And, after so many days of not laughing, you’ll appreciate this light and witty diversion. Such a response to… Read More
THE SURGEON, by Tess Gerritsen, Ballantine Books, New York, 2001, 359 pages, hardcover, $24.95. In this new release, terror stalks the streets of Boston in the form of a serial killer of women. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
In theaters GREENFINGERS googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i < slot_sizes.length; i++) { if (isMobileDevice()) { if (slot_sizes[i][0] googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
CELEBRATING RAMADAN by Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith, Holiday House Inc. 2001, hard cover, 32 pages, $16.95 In the aftermath of the tragic events of Sept. 11, libraries and bookstores report that interest in the Islamic faith has grown rapidly. Most Americans don’t know much about this ancient… Read More
When the Tap Dogs take the stage, it feels like you’re watching that Diet Coke ad where the women in the office huddle around the window to check out the sexy construction worker on his break. Except there are six construction workers. And they can… Read More
Sometimes words just don’t suffice … Music just gets to the heart of it. – concert organizer Karen Eisenhower CAMDEN – That’s what Tuesday night’s concert was like at the Camden Opera House. Inside the dark theater, a spotlight picked out the lone figure of… Read More
You would think that the final frontier had been pretty well pioneered by now. But Paramount disagrees. Not content to make only movies with its cash cow, the studio revisits “Star Trek” for a fifth time, as “Enterprise” launches at 8-10 tonight on UPN. It… Read More
Not surprisingly, tonight’s best new offering comes from the always reliable Steven Bochco (“NYPD Blue,” “High Street Blues”). Debuting at 10 p.m. on ABC, “Philly” is a courtroom drama starring Kim Delaney. Perhaps the plum role of Kathleen Maguire is a reward for Delaney’s tenure… Read More
It’s hard to disassociate a piece of music from a moment to which it is assigned. But many of our national songs have undergone a stretching process during the past two weeks of national crisis and have been transformed from hymns of pride to anthems… Read More
In theaters THE DEEP END, written and directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel. 99 minutes. Rated R. Now playing, Railroad Square Cinema, Waterville. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
SEA GLASS CHRONICLES: WHISPERS FROM THE PAST by C. S. Lambert, photographs by Pat Hanbery, Down East Books, Camden, 2001, 96 pages, hardcover, $30. When you comb the beach for sea glass, do you ever wonder where it came from? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
When John Ford Noonan’s two-woman show “A Coupla White Chicks Sitting Around Talking,” now being performed by Ten Bucks Theater in Brewer, played in New York City in 1980, it was a runaway hit. Susan Sarandon and Eileen Brennan had rehearsed the piece with the playwright and had… Read More
A DORYMAN’S DAY, by Capt. R. Barry Fisher, Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, 2001, $15. This trio of tales told by a true Yankee fisherman earns its keep because these are fine stories, splendidly written. But there is also a subtext in each of these sea… Read More
With the shuffle of network premieres following last week’s national tragedy, only one show debuts tonight, but it’s a strong entry. That’s no shock, since “Undeclared,” at 8:30 on Fox, is the latest creation of writer/producer Judd Apatow (“The Ben Stiller Show,” “The Larry Sanders Show”). Read More
In theaters SEXY BEAST. Directed by Jonathan Glazer, written by Louis Mellis and David Scinto. Running time: 91 minutes. Rated R. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i = 0; i… Read More
BLACK HOUSE, by Stephen King and Peter Straub, Random House, New York, 2001, 625 pages, $28.95. Given the wham-bam success that accompanied the publication of “The Talisman,” the 1984 collaboration between horror writers Stephen King and Peter Straub, a sequel not only was awaited but… Read More