THE GRAND OLD MAN OF MAINE: SELECTED LETTERS OF JOSHUA LAWRENCE CHAMBERLAIN, 1865-1914, edited by Jeremiah E. Goulka, The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, N.C., 335 pages, $39.95. CHAMBERLAIN AT PETERSBURG: THE CHARGE AT FORT HELL, JUNE 18, 1864, edited by Diane Monroe… Read More
    JINGLE CATS, by Michael McDermott, age 9, with accompanying music CD, photography by Scott Thomas, illustrations by Kristi Smith, 27 pages, Tommy Nelson, Division of Thomas Nelson Inc., Nashville, Tenn., 2004; hardcover $12.99; board book with CD, $9.99; board book without CD, $6.99. This holiday… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by authors set in the Pine Tree State or with other local ties. CENTER CUT, by John R. Corrigan, University Press of New England, Lebanon, N.H., 2004, 281 pages, hardcover, $24.95. googletag.cmd.push(function () {… Read More
    With Maestro Xiao-Lu Li calling forth the first notes of Tchaikovsky’s music for “The Nutcracker” ballet on Saturday at the Maine Center for the Arts in Orono, a reverie arose for more than Clara Silberhaus’ dreamscape holiday fantasy. For 20 years, the Bangor Symphony Orchestra and the Robinson… Read More
    Executives at XM Satellite Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio are upbeat. They can boast about signing up more than 3 million subscribers collectively to date, and if their predictions are on target, the two satellite radio companies together will have more than 4 million subscribers by the start… Read More
    It’s always a challenge to bring new life to an age-old story. The Hat City Music Theater was certainly up to that task Saturday night, re-enervating the Engelbert Humperdinck opera “Hansel & Gretel” for a quarter-full Hutchins Concert Hall at the Maine Center for the… Read More
    GREAT GRILLED CHEESE: 50 INNOVATIVE RECIPES FOR STOVETOP, GRILL, AND SANDWICH MAKER, by Laura Werlin, Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 2004, 136 pages, $16.95. What is it about a grilled cheese? Even in these carb-weary times, it’s hard to deny the certain culinary magic… Read More
    The warm-and-fuzzy doctor has been a staple of television, back as far as “Ben Casey” and “Dr. Kildare” in the early 1960s. “House,” debuting at 9 tonight on Fox, puts a scalpel through that stereotype. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    ORONO – I woke up with a nasty headache on Sunday morning. And, as Ian Anderson so wryly put it, it wasn’t from the cheap chardonnay. On Saturday night at the Maine Center for the Arts, Anderson and the rest of Jethro Tull proved that… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors, set in the Pine Tree State or with other local ties. MOON LOON, by Sandy Ferguson Fuller, Down East Books, 2004, hardcover, 32 pages, $15.95. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON: A POP-UP BOOK based on the novel by Stephen King; text adaptation by Peter Abrahams; illustrations by Alan Dingman; paper engineering by Kees Moerbeck; Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, New York, 2004; $24.95. The weird energy Stephen King drives through… Read More
    AROUND CAPE HORN, by Charles G. Davis, edited and introduced by Capt. Neal Parker, Downeast Books, Camden, 2004, $14.95. Charles G. Davis wrote in his journal Aug. 3, 1892, “Here was I, a gentleman’s son, who had always had a good home and loving parents,… Read More
    PORTLAND – Better than three hours into Saturday night’s memorable concert at Cumberland County Civic Center, nobody really did know what time it was, and nobody really cared. Chicago was jamming with fellow ’70s and ’80s supergroup Earth, Wind & Fire and time was not… Read More
    I realize classical music is not usually considered to be a barrel of laughs. Sure, Victor Borge was pretty funny, but generally, if you want to yuck it up, try Peter Sellers or The Three Stooges. However, Sunday afternoon’s concert by the Bangor Symphony Orchestra was a heck… Read More
    Physician, heal thyself. That’s the essence of “Huff,” a new, 13-episode drama debuting at 10 p.m. Sunday on Showtime. 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
    You could do worse than to take a stroll through history with the Emerson String Quartet. On Saturday at the University of Maine in Orono, the world-class chamber music ensemble led a packed Minsky Hall on a musical odyssey from classical to romantic to modern. As with all… Read More
    “THE BLIND PROPHET OF ARCHERLAND” by H.R. Coursen; Goose River Press, Waldoboro, Maine, 2004; 126 pages, paperback, $10.95. Writing a good fantasy novel is an extraordinarily difficult task. Most of them are quite bad, in some cases because the ambitions of the author fly too… Read More
    THE FIRE BALLOON, by Ruth Moore. Blackberry Books, Nobleboro, Maine; 347 pages, $15, softbound. WHEN FOLEY CRADDOCK TORE OFF MY GRANDFATHER’S THUMB: THE COLLECTED STORIES OF RUTH MOORE & ELEANOR MAYO, edited by Sven Davisson, Blackberry Books, 247 pages, $14.59, softbound. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    ORONO – In 1987, Bonnie Lewkowicz was trying to choose a name for a new troupe that included dancers with and without disabilities. She looked to the wheels on her wheelchair for inspiration and chose AXIS, the turning point, where the spokes come together. During… Read More
    Anyone who says that Stephen Sondheim’s musicals are not hummable should plan to see “Into the Woods,” his farcical fairy tale playing at The Grand Auditorium in Ellsworth through Oct. 31. It’s true that you may not be able to hit the highest or lowest notes in this… Read More
    Some plays can get away with merely good actors. Other plays absolutely require great actors, or they simply fall flat. Hamlet can’t be weak. Blanche Dubois must have pith. “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds,” by Paul Zindel, falls into the latter category. The Pulitzer Prize-winning… Read More
    The musical, a theatrical genre associated with Broadway, has in recent years stretched to accommodate a wide range of themes besides boy meets girl. Today, witches, Bombay dancers, vampires, puppets and the city of Brooklyn are all subjects of musicals in New York City. And they are immensely… Read More
    It’s been too long since there’s been a good trashy, adult-oriented nighttime soap. Don’t get me wrong. Fox’s “The O.C.” and about half of The WB’s lineup explore teen angst with abandon (to the point where “Best Look of Unrequited Longing” should be an Emmy… Read More
    A new show tonight defines the term “life-altering experience.” In “Kevin Hill,” debuting at 9 on UPN, the titular character, an entertainment lawyer, is living large. The hunky Kevin (played by Taye Diggs) is popular with the ladies and hits clubs nightly with his horndog… Read More
    One of the most intriguing questions about theater is: What makes it work? A poetic script? Talented actors? Dynamic directing? Intriguing sets, lights, costumes, background music? Or the audience’s willingness to believe? It was hard to know which of these factors was more at work… Read More
    LOCAL Sunrise Run for Cystic Fibrosis 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
    For more than a decade, Tilbury House Publishers in Gardiner has specialized in publishing books that address the difficult issues children often face. Many of these have been about the environment, but a few take on questions of social justice as it relates to children in and out… Read More
    PERIPHERAL VISIONS: MEMOIRS OF A WASHINGTON CHILDHOOD, by Farnham Blair; Puckerbrush Press, Orono, Maine, 2004; 132 pages, paperback, $15.95. This is one of the strangest, and truest, books written in Maine in recent memory. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]]; var… Read More
    EAST SULLIVAN – Kayla Wood scored on a goalmouth scramble with 51/2 minutes remaining to lead the Washington Academy Raiders to a 3-2 schoolgirl soccer win over the Sumner Tigers Friday. Sarah Rushforth tallied the first two goals for 4-0 WA of East Machias, and… Read More
    OLD TOWN – Troy Niles ran 20 yards for a touchdown and Brad Perry had 91 yards on 16 carries as the Old Town Indians defeated Poland 12-6 for their first victory since 2001. The win snapped a 19-game losing streak. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    John Edwards had scarcely left the University of Maine’s Orono campus on Wednesday when he showed up again that night – this time portrayed by an actor – singing and gyrating to “I’m So Pretty” from “West Side Story.” It devolved into: “I’m so skinny. That’s from chasing… Read More
    THE LOST VOYAGE OF JOHN CABOT, by Henry Garfield, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2004, 312 pages, $16.95. Henry Garfield likes to say that his latest book, a novel for young adults set in the 15th century, is “speculative history.” googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define… Read More
    THE LOBSTER COAST; REBELS, RUSTICATORS AND THE STRUGGLE FOR A FORGOTTEN FRONTIER, by Colin Woodard, Viking, New York, 2004, 372 pages, $24.95. Near the end of his thought-provoking examination of the Maine coast, Colin Woodard asks a troubling question: “I wonder if, twenty years from… Read More
    This isn’t your father’s “Five-0.” “Hawaii,” debuting at 8 tonight, isn’t like any past crime show set in the islands. It’s Hawaiian shirts instead of suits. It’s soul patches in place of bushy mustaches. In TV exec-speak, it’s “Miami Vice” goes aloha, full of the… Read More
    BANGOR – Fifth-seeded Schoodic swept a doubleheader from top-ranked Aerus Electrolux, 5-2 and 11-7, at Mansfield Stadium Sunday to win the 2004 Bay League baseball championship. The sweep came in the first two games of the best-of-three championship series. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot… Read More
    The Olympic Games are the talk of the town, as well as the state and the nation. The media coverage is so pervasive that all things seem colored by events in Athens. Swimming, volleyball, and fencing participants win not only medals, but the hearts and minds of the… Read More
    THE PATH: A One-Mile Walk Through the Universe, by Chet Raymo, Walker & Co., New York, 197 pages, $12. For 37 years, Chet Raymo, a professor emeritus of physics and astronomy, has walked the same path from his home to his job at Stonehill College. Read More
    PORTLAND – Fan support could prove to be a major factor in the outcome of today’s 18-hole finale of the 86th Charlie’s Maine Open Golf Championship. Amateur Shawn Warren of Windham and pro Casey Bourque, a Biddeford native, both will be in the lead group… Read More
    Is there any playwright more beloved by summer stock companies and vacationing audiences than Agatha Christie? Murderers, suspects, lawyers, aristocrats and secret-holders – many with British accents – are the very stuff of warm-weather entertainment. Her plays have become the signature August offering and specialty at Acadia Repertory… Read More
    THE GARDEN OF MARTYRS, by Michael C. White, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2004, 359 pages, $24.95. Americans have always mistrusted – hated is probably a more accurate word – certain groups of foreigners. In New England in 1805, much of that fear and loathing… Read More
    “Speed-the-Plow,” the title of David Mamet’s 90-minute comedy about fast moves in the Hollywood film biz, refers to an old saying that means “good luck.” By the end of the play, which opened last night and runs through Sunday at the Opera House in Bangor, the expression is… Read More
    HERMON – Richard Burrill of Sullivan was declared the winner of Speedway 95’s Little Enduro race Wednesday night after it was suspended on lap 15 due to the lateness of the program. Another factor was the expected time it would take to extricate a driver… Read More
    When famed jam rockers Phish staged IT last August at the former Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, roughly 60,000 fans, as well as a cadre of journalists (including myself), flocked to the willywags of northern Maine to attend the three-day carnival of music, camping and good vibes. Read More
    George Bernard Shaw wrote more than 50 plays, and, like Shakespeare who wrote 38, he paid particular attention to his woman characters. Between the two of them, women gained some of the most intriguing and provocative roles written for stage. Shaw, in particular, was clearheaded… Read More
    BAR HARBOR – Artists from the city of brotherly love have been coming to Maine since the 1830s. The Philadelphian Thomas Doughty (1793-1856) was among the first to paint the coast, choosing Mount Desert Rock as a subject. Among the notable Philadelphia painters to follow was American Impressionist… Read More
    BANGOR – East Biddeford and Augusta West both won on Thursday and will play each other for the Little League baseball state championship for 11- and 12-year-olds today. In the first game, Alec Luro gave up four runs on nine hits while striking out six… Read More
    BANGOR – There would be no offensive outburst like the previous night, but the end result on a warm, humid Tuesday night at Winkin Complex would be the same. Clayton Andrews outdueled Lumberjack killer Tony Harden (two one-hitters vs. Bangor the last two years) and… Read More
    “Rescue Me” stems from a natural combination. The drama, which focuses on a New York City firefighting unit, stars an in-your-face actor, Denis Leary, and debuts at 10 tonight on FX, an in-your-face cable channel. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes = [[300,250]];… Read More
    BUCKSPORT – Thomas Sawyer struck out 10 and hit a two-run double in the sixth inning to give Ellsworth the come-from-behind win over Bucksport to claim the District 1, ages 9-10 championship. Tucker Lewis had two doubles for Ellsworth and Kyle Haslam hit a two-run… Read More
    As the American Legion Zone 1 regular season winds down, success in the postseason may evolve into a survival of the healthiest. Several teams are coping with the loss of key players due to injuries, including divisional leaders Bangor and Brewer. googletag.cmd.push(function () { //… Read More
    HERMON – Andy Migliore of Corinna held off Levant’s Joe Allen to win the 35-lap Strictly Street feature at Speedway 95 Saturday. Jordan Pearson of Glenburn placed third, Garrett McKee of Dixmont was fourth and Glenburn’s Derek Pearson rounded out the top five. googletag.cmd.push(function ()… Read More
    FINDING ANNIE FARRELL: A FAMILY MEMOIR, by Beth Harpaz, St. Martin’s Press, 2004 hardcover, 271 pages, $24.95. What a daughter assumes she knows about her mother’s life may be very different from what the facts reveal. That is the starting pointing for The Associated Press… Read More
    He’s back. That is the most celebratory part of last weekend’s opening performances of “The Taming of the Shrew” staged by Ten Bucks Theatre Company at Indian Trail Park in Brewer. Shakespeare, homegrown and more or less on the river again, is back in our midst. We had… Read More
    LIGHTHOUSE SEEDS, by Pamela Love, illustrated by Linda Warner, Down East Books, Camden, 2004, hardcover, 33 pages, $15.95. A CUB EXPLORES, by Pamela Love, illustrated by Shannon Sycks, Down East Books, Camden, 2003, hardcover, 29 pages, $15.95. googletag.cmd.push(function () { // Define Slot var slot_sizes… Read More
    Ziad Hamzeh has done an admirable job illuminating racism in America. The Massachusetts filmmaker’s documentary “The Letter,” which chronicles the 2002 racial turmoil in Lewiston, will be shown this weekend at the Seventh Maine International Film Festival in Waterville. While it tells the story of… Read More
    Editor’s Note: Maine Bound is a column featuring new books written by Maine authors, set in the Pine Tree State or that have other local ties. A PLACE ON WATER: ESSAYS” by Robert Kimber, Wesley McNair, Bill Roorbach; Tilbury House Publishers, Gardiner, Maine, 2003; 130… Read More
    Lanie Robertson’s “Alfred Stieglitz Loves O’Keeffe,” running through July 11 at Acadia Repertory Theatre in Somesville, is a biomemory drama about two of the 20th century’s most documented artists. Photographer, editor and gallery owner Alfred Stieglitz (1864-1946) changed the direction of American art with his bold exhibitions and… Read More
    HERMON – Jesse Smith of Carmel held off the race-long challenge of Bucksport’s Artie Maguire Jr. to win the 20-lap Little Enduro feature Wednesday night at Speedway 95. Smith started on the pole and was able to prevent Maguire from posting his second straight win. Read More
    CALAIS – Scott McDonald homered, doubled twice and drove in four runs to carry the Calais Suns to a 13-7 American Legion baseball victory over the Trenton Acadians Tuesday. James Ramsdell had two doubles and two singles with five RBIs for Calais and Ben Maloney… Read More
    BROOKLIN – Fickle Maine weather couldn’t stop the first Flye Point Music and Arts Festival from happening this past weekend. The all-day extravaganza got rained out Saturday, but was graced Sunday with blue skies, mild temperatures and a strong breeze that kept the black flies and mosquitoes at… Read More
    ISLAND OF FIRST LIGHT, by Norman G. Gautreau, MacAdam/Cage Publishing, San Francisco, 2004, hardcover, 289 pages, $23. I, Father Jerome Dalou of the Company of Jesus, record these pages so it may be known what perfidies and treacheries the English antipapists have perpetrated on an… Read More
    ONE BREATH AT A TIME: Buddhism and the Twelve Steps, by Kevin Griffin, Rodale Books, Emmaus, Pa., 2004, 304 pages, $13.95. Buddhism is a religion of meditative study that points the way to spiritual growth and enlightenment. AA’s Twelve Steps are tools to reach and… Read More
    HIGH SCHOOL FRIENDSHIP SERIES 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
    Country-music fans are in for a treat this evening when Maine Public Television airs a superb program on the brilliant, troubled life of Hank Williams. If you think you know everything about country and western’s first superstar, tune in anyway. This PBS “American Masters” profile… Read More
    FRENCHVILLE – Tyler Dufour can’t hear, but at 2, he talks more than most children his age. He just does it with his hands. The inspiration for a new children’s book, “Tyler Talks With His Hands,” written by his mother, Angel Dufour of Frenchville, Tyler… Read More