Everyone has heard of some urban legends, unexplained happenings that take on lives of their own. This six-part series, produced by the company responsible for the voyeuristic “Behind the Music,” seeks to debunk Hollywood’s most fabled rumors. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    Courteney Cox is eager to shed her good girl “Friends” image. “Dirt,” the new FX series she stars in which premieres tonight, goes a long way to meeting that goal. Lucy Spiller, the character Cox plays, is tougher, meaner and smarter than Monica, the “friend”… Read More
    A DARK MUSIC, by Robert Froese, Flat Bay Press, Harrington, Maine, paperback, $15. Want to know what it’s like to go on a successful archaeological dig in the southern New Mexico desert during a hot summer? Read Robert Froese’s new novel, “A Dark Music,” in… Read More
    Frame by frame, “The Nativity Story” succeeds at bringing the story of Jesus’ birth to life but fails to illuminate the hope and faith the child’s birth sparked. Director Catherine Hardwicke and screenwriter Mike Rich fill the screen with all the human emotions left out… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL Maine Soccer Coaches Association BOYS 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… Read More
    COLLEGE David Beckles 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]… Read More
    Any way you listen to Ernest Chausson’s “Poeme” for Violin and Orchestra, it’s heartbreaking. Musically, the piece is beautifully, crushingly melancholy. But also, the French composer wrote it a few years before he tragically died in a bicycle accident in 1899 at age 44, leaving the world to… Read More
    BREWER – Given the 25th and final Brewer Turkey Trot 5K on the traditional Parkway South course, Jeff Caron and Josh Trevino gave the fast route a nice send-off. Former cross country and track teammates at the University of Maine and roommates Caron, 23 and… Read More
    The crooks of “Smith” were quickly gone, so now CBS is trying doctors up against the lawyers (“Boston Legal”) and the cops (“Law & Order: SVU”). “3 LBS.” (referring to the weight of an average brain) is a drama about a team of top New… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL 72nd New England Association High School Cross Country Championship 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… Read More
    COLLEGE D3hoops.com Preseason All-Americans 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]… Read More
    ORONO – Sarah Ball had 12 digs and 10 kills to lift the University of Maryland Baltimore County to a volleyball victory over the University of Maine 3-1 (18-30, 30-23, 30-15, 33-31) Friday. Sarah Fillmore had 17 kills for 14-14 UMBC and Kira Giles added… Read More
    There are two kinds of people in the world: those who cry when they read Mitch Albom’s mega-hit book “Tuesdays with Morrie,” and those who don’t. I’m in the latter group. In fact, I found the book bland, sentimental and flatly written. Kind of like “The Bridges of… Read More
    WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Marie-Andree Canuel and Kim Stephenson scored on penalty kicks after neither team scored through two overtimes to lift No. 3 University of Maine over No. 2 Boston University 1-0 in the America East soccer semifinals Sunday. Maine will play No. 1… Read More
    Mary Ellen Chase’s novel “Mary Peters” begins with the 9-year-old Mary Peters looking out on the gleaming white port of Cadiz, Spain. But the real subject of this reissued 1934 novel (Islandport Press, $15.95, 2005) lies on the other side of the Atlantic, in the changes experienced along… Read More
    UNITY – The Long John 150 pro stock race and several other features scheduled at Unity Raceway this weekend have been pushed back a week due to expected inclement weather, according to track owner Ralph Nason. Nason said racing will begin at 1 p.m. on… Read More
    GRAND FORKS, N.D. – The University of Maine Black Bear hockey team received second-period goals from five different players and went on to stun the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux 6-2 at the Engelstad Arena Friday night. The Bears, ranked fourth in the country,… Read More
    CHARLESTON – Highview Christian scored three unanswered goals in the second half to defeat Calvary Chapel 5-3 in a high school boys soccer game Tuesday. Jonathan Reed scored two goals, including the game-winner, for the 7-2 Knights. Jonas Kramer had two goals and an assist,… Read More
    Good news, TV viewers. Network executives have officially decided that you have an attention span that can exceed one hour. How else to explain this fall’s spate of serials, a form which had almost disappeared from the network landscape in recent years? (And yet, on… Read More
    The sounds of New Orleans jazz boogied into town Sunday in the form of Robert and Terry Rohe. Bob Rohe, who is 90, retired last year as principal bassist for the Bangor Symphony Orchestra, but before that 25-year tenure, he played with the New Orleans Symphony for 30… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Ryan Kurtz scored an unassisted goal with 10:30 left in regulation to lead George Stevens Academy to a 3-2 high school boys soccer win over Bucksport Thursday. Austin Dobson tied the game at two with 11:45 left for the 6-5-2 Eagles of Blue… Read More
    Week six of the high school football season features some showdowns for divisional supremacy and some key contests among other teams seeking to enhance their postseason potential. Winslow Black Raiders (4-1) vs. Mount Desert Island Trojans (4-1), 7 p.m. Friday at Bar Harbor: When these… Read More
    Sometimes bad time slots just happen to a good series. The new family drama “Friday Night Lights” is such a show. It promises to be quality programming, but it’s up against “NCIS,” “Gilmore Girls,” “Dancing with the Stars” and “House,” so few will ever see… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books that are written by Maine authors or set in the Pine Tree State. BY DALE McGARRIGLE googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var… Read More
    WHILE YOU’RE HERE, DOC: FARMYARD ADVENTURES OF A MAINE VETERINARIAN, by Bradford B. Brown, Tilbury House, Gardiner, Maine, 2006, 192 pages, $15. If you have any doubt that a veterinarian’s life is adventurous, think again. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    The old adage got it right: Dying is easy, comedy is hard. Just ask CBS. The Eye has struggled for years to collect four solid comedies for its Monday night lineup. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = [];… Read More
    Well, it seems like nothing got lost in the translation. This sweet fish-out-of-water comedy is based on the internationally popular Colombian telenovela “Yo Soy Betty Le Fea.” Telenovelas, over-the-top soap operas, are staples of Latin American TV that are now making their way onto American… Read More
    COLLEGE At UMass, 8K 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
    How many of us wish we had seen the Maine woods in its pre-industrial condition? It’s too late for that, of course, but the next best thing is to read “Manly Hardy: The Life and Writing of a Maine Fur-Buyer, Hunter, and Naturalist” (Maine Folklife Center, 2005, $19.95). Read More
    Let it be said that the networks are no longer afraid to try different ideas. The drama “Heroes” is about ordinary people who discover they have extraordinary abilities. Previously, this show would have been seeking niche viewers on Sci Fi or USA. Instead, NBC is… Read More
    And now, it’s time for a good old-fashioned nighttime soap opera. As the title suggests, this new drama is the story of the Walkers, five screwed-up siblings and their supposedly perfect parents. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    Tonight, two more shows hoping to put the final stake in the vampire that is “ER” debut. Each must be considered its network’s best hope. How else to explain their being given the plum spots following ratings powerhouse “CSI” on CBS and the white-hot “Grey’s… Read More
    CBS has found a way to make to make its Wednesday night hits, “Criminal Minds” and “CSI: NY,” seem a little lighter. After all, there’s nothing like the threat of nuclear annihilation to make serial killers and forensics seem softer in comparison. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    The usual procedure is for TV producers to emulate (OK, copy) successful programs. For example, “Friends” sparked many, many sitcoms about pretty young professionals gathering in packs. Most just forgot to be funny. Now creator John Wells (“ER,” “The West Wing”) is taking the opposite… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Brad Bellemare carried the ball 20 times for 124 yards and two touchdowns to help lead unbeaten Foxcroft Academy by Bucksport 30-0 in Saturday football action. Ben Provost had 11 carries for 94 yards and a touchdown while Ian Imbert rushed for a… Read More
    It was inevitable. The success of “CSI” led to a spate of forensics-based imitators. 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
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    BANGOR – Taking an early lead on the first day of the Senior League World Series is always a good thing. Five runs in the first inning proved to be more than enough as the U.S. East representative Bloomfield Little League from Bloomfield, N.J., started… Read More
    Bangor’s Derek Damon, who racked up 111 points (51 goals, 60 assists) in his 160-game University of Maine career, has signed a professional tryout offer with the Florida Panthers. He will attend a seven-day camp in Toronto for rookies and free agents from Florida, Ottawa… Read More
    CANDLES BURNING, by Tabitha King and Michael McDowell, Berkley Books, $24.95. In “Candles Burning,” Tabitha King has taken on the task of completing a manuscript left unfinished by the late mystery and horror author Michael McDowell. The result is a genre-blending tour de force that… Read More
    Ten Bucks Theatre production of “Macbeth,” running through July 22 in the woodsy outdoor arena at Indian Trail Park in Brewer, reminds me of Julia Roberts. When she did her first Broadway show this year, everyone knew she brought a big dose of star power and beauty to… Read More
    It’s “The X-Files” meets “Northern Exposure” in this new Sci Fi original series. “Eureka” attempts to pull off the governmental secrecy of the former series and the quirkiness of the latter in this dramedy set in the Pacific Northwest. It’s an odd combination, but co-creators… Read More
    For much of the late 1990s up until recently, Lifetime has been a reliable source for original dramas with female leads, in shows such as “Any Day Now,” “The Division” and “Strong Medicine.” There has been a bit of a lull in the last couple… Read More
    PORTLAND – Nickelback gave all the fans packed into the Cumberland County Civic Center their two cents’ worth and then some on Tuesday night It felt like a sauna inside as Hinder, Three Days Grace and Hoobastank warmed up the nearly sold-out crowd. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Judy Long is a copy editor at the Bangor Daily News. When she’s not working, she spends much time in the kitchen making everything from home-brewed India pale ale to corn chowder. From time to time, she also tests recipes from new cookbooks piling up at… Read More
    Shawn Spencer is a young man with few marketable skills. And at last he’s finally found a way to use them. As played by James Roday, Shawn is a charming wiseass that has never lasted at a job more than six months. But he is… Read More
    BEACH STONES, photographs by Josie Iselin, text by Margaret W. Carruthers; Abrams, New York; 2006. $17.95. Has anyone ever walked along a rocky beach and not picked up a stone to look more closely, perhaps to bring it home? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    Any outdoor festival is subject to the whims of the weather, and this year’s Music and Arts Festival at Flye Point was no exception. “Last year we had a perfect sunny day,” said festival organizer Jeff Salzmann, glancing up at the gray and rainy googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    What do the following cable-TV characters have in common: Tony Soprano, Vic Mackey, Christian Troy, Tommy Gavin? Now let’s add to this list Wyatt Cole. Can you say conflicted anti-hero? googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var… Read More
    “All American Bluegrass Girl” (Rounder Records) – Rhonda Vincent The title of this 12-track set minimizes the diversity within the album itself, because while it is predominantly a bluegrass disc, Vincent shines as well with offerings more traditional within the country music realm. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    RED DEVILS 6, SHIRETOWNERS 1 Houlton (8-8) Central (16-1) 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 () {… Read More
    With one high school softball game still being played Thursday, the Maine Principals’ Association nearly delayed releasing the final softball Heal point standings until today. Both baseball and softball standings were eventually released on the MPA Web site Thursday, but not before the Valley of… Read More
    “Greatest Hits II (Arista Nashville) – Diamond Rio One of the fairly common tricks in the recording industry these days is to release a greatest-hits album that isn’t all just greatest hits. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes =… Read More
    ISLANDERS: REAL LIFE ON THE MAINE ISLANDS, by Virginia L. Thorndike, Down East Books, Rockport, Me., 2005, $16.95, 336 pages. An Islesboro woman, identified only as Lydia, kept house years ago for a summer resident “from away,” who was preparing for the trip back to… Read More
    BANGOR – Tuesday night’s performance by Willie Nelson at the Bangor Auditorium certainly had all the ambience and atmosphere of a concert, but at times it seemed to play second fiddle to everything else going on. It was almost as if the 4,000-plus fans went… Read More
    This TV movie, based on the Stephen King novel, gives new meaning to the term “speed trap.” The Bangor author has written the teleplay and serves as co-executive producer with director Mick Garris, a veteran of past King TV productions. So, of course, it successfully… Read More
    Don’t let the title fool you. The words “The Considerate Jackass” generally don’t bring to mind things like intrigue, murder and twisted public servants. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner = false; for (var i… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL Aroostook County Championships 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]… Read More
    The story of the revered musical “Cats” is a simple one: Members of a particular tribe, the Jellicle Cats, present their candidates deserving of another life, with one chosen in the end. Sunday night’s presentation of the musical by its national touring company at the… Read More
    FATAL AS A FALLEN WOMAN, by Kathy Lynn Emerson, Pemberley Press, Corona del Mar, Calif., 2005, 274 pages, hardback, $24.95 Diana Spaulding is ready to settle down as the deadly winter of 1888 ebbs and spring peeks its head above the horizon. The crime reporter… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors or set in the Pine Tree State. AFLOAT AND ASHORE, by Roger F. Duncan, Blackberry Books, Nobleboro, Me., 2006, $16.95, 212 pages. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes =… Read More
    CARIBOU – Travis Brooker pitched a two-hit shutout, striking out eight batters to lead the Presque Isle baseball team to an 8-0 high school win over Caribou on Thursday. Matt McGlinn slammed a two-run homer and Derek Belanger added two singles for Presque Isle. googletag.cmd.push(function… Read More
    “Greatest Hits Volume 1” (Arista Nashville) – Phil Vassar Some might consider it a bit presumptuous to release a greatest-hits compilation as only the fourth CD of your career. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes = []; var has_banner… Read More
    EAST SULLIVAN – Steve Carrigan hit two singles, drove in two runs and had two stolen bases to lead the Sumner Tigers to a 9-4 high school baseball victory over the Narraguagus Knights Saturday. Mason Young chipped in with two singles and a stolen base… Read More
    WORD FUGITIVES: IN PURSUIT OF WANTED WORDS, by Barbara Wallraff, HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 192 pages, $14.95. Let’s suppose that you are chortling over someone’s boast about a visit to a posh resort. You may or may not know that both “chortle” and “posh” are… Read More
    John McDonald plays the role of tourist on the cover of his latest book, “down the road a piece: A Storyteller’s Guide to Maine” (Islandport Press, 2005). Armed with a copy of The Maine Atlas and Gazetteer and standing in front of the famous sign… Read More
    “Precious Memories” (ACR/Arista Nashville) – Alan Jackson With 10 gigantically successful CDs already in his portfolio and his stature secure among the giants in today’s country music world, Alan Jackson has the professional flexibility to put out about anything he wants with the expectation of… Read More
    ORONO – Purists, beware. The ensemble named Ethel doesn’t fit neatly into any categories. In a performance at the Maine Center for the Arts on Sunday afternoon, the New York-based quartet played new additions to the classical repertoire with the exuberant sensibility of a rock band. Read More
    Why isn’t Andre Braugher a household name? He’s one of TV’s best actors, with one of the most expressive faces, and yet he has been little seen since “Homicide” was killed in 1998. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var new_slot_sizes… Read More
    CARRABASSETT VALLEY – As he stood in the finish corral after his second giant slalom run of the day Tuesday afternoon, a pleased Jimmy Cochran smiled, assessed his performance at the TD Banknorth U.S. Alpine Championships, and allowed that no matter how well he had skied, it may… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors or set in the Pine Tree State. DALE MCGARRIGLE 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
    ORONO – Hearing a great string quartet is like watching the motion of a school of fish swim, or a flock of birds as they fly. Everything happens naturally, with no apparent effort, and yet everything happens perfectly. The Vogler Quartet of Berlin is exactly… Read More
    PORTLAND – High screeching, shrill screaming, glow necklaces, flip-flops and bubblegum. No, this sure wasn’t your father’s rock concert. 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