North Bay Bohemian’s BohoBlog

Burton Delivers with ‘Alice in Wonderland’

By Morgan Carvajal

If you think you remember the Mad Hatter, the White Rabbit or the disappearing Chesire Cat from Disney’s Classic Alice and Wonderland, get ready to see them in a new theatrical light. This once bright and cheerful film has found a new delightfully gloomy vision and tone with director Tim Burton. The 3D spectacle takes the boundaries of film to new levels of excellence and adventure, defining a new culture in movie watching.

After living a dull and disconnected life in the Victorian age, Alice, now 19, finds herself returning to the fantasy world from her childhood. She re-connects with old friends like Tweedledee and Tweedledum to help take down the Red Queen, and slay the Jabberwocky. This is a plot that doesn’t sound familiar to the 1951 animated version, but captures and persuades an audience into a new adventure.

This was my first 3D experience, and as a person who thought these effects would make me sick, I was delighted to be wrong. For one thing, I never felt like something was going jump from the screen and fall into my lap, a relief. Burton limits using this tool as an effect to make the audience feel like they are going to be injured by objects in Alice’s dream; he instead uses it as a way to give the film depth and beauty. Burton makes the world of Wonderland come alive, the colors, textures, and movement of each scene make each object – trees, flowers, and clouds – a part of the story.

The captivating dark tones and rich imagery in Burton’s Alice made me forget about the childhood memories of painting roses red, and reminded me of the excellence that can come from combining art with film. Johnny Depp delivers brilliance in his crazed and confused part as the Mad Hatter, and Alice Kingsleigh (played by Mia Wasikowska) becomes every girl’s idol when she plunges into the rabbit hole.

A Disney fanatic as a kid, I fell in love with this 20th century version of Wonderland. A spark of pleasure and happiness kept me smiling for the 45-minute drive home from the city on Tuesday night’s preview showing, and the fantasy left me wanting Tim Burton to re-create my other childhood favorites, like The Beauty and the Beast or The Little Mermaid. Overall, this PG-rated film is a must-see that is emotionally satisfying and madly brilliant. With Alice and Wonderland, Burton delivered.

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V-Day Does Media

I’ve been pitching to several pubs, including Here for the past month.  I think the Sonma Cnty Gazette got tired of my messages and finally responded that they had received and were awared.

~ T

On Thu, Feb 25, 2010 at 10:33 AM, V******t wrote:

T -

Somehow I’m not surprised with the Argus.  I think their editorial / reporting team has really diminished - not staffed with the best / brightest and I think they’ve lost focus worrying more about financials than the real reason people pick up the paper - for news!

Consider pitching to the Marin’s freebie rag, “Here” magazine.  It’s getting more and more interest and definitely not shy with regard to sexual related content (in a good way).

- L

On Wed, Feb 24, 2010 at 7:03 PM, VDay Petaluma  wrote:

So disappointed Argus didn’t follow up with an article on MMRP.  Hell, it took them three weeks just to “calendar” MMRP.

~ T

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Fork & Shovel: Speed Dating for Farmers and Chefs

All photos courtesy Jil Hale of Barndiva

Late Feb’s drear rain and wind did not stop a group of some 60 chefs and farmers from gathering at Healdsburg’s Barndiva on Tuesday, Feb. 23, for the second Fork & Shovel “Speed Dating” event. Unlike the whirl that singles might subject themselves to in order to find sex and love and shared towels, this speed dating event matched food providers with the chefs who adore—and need—them.

What co-founders Jil Hale (of Barndiva) and Randi Seidner (of the Slow Food Russian River convivia) remain somewhat surprised by is how difficult it has heretofore been to bring together these two interdependent groups. In establishing the website, they hope to bridge that gap and indeed, Hale reported to those gathered that there is interest from other foodsheds around the country in bringing this very idea to their own tables.

Terming itself an “Internet grange,” Fork & Shovel has  proprietary software that allows farmers and ranchers to post the details of their crop/harvest/livestock while allowing member chefs to order from that slate. Purveyors gain the relief of knowing that a set portion of their reap will be sold; chefs gain the relief of obtaining foodstuffs grown locally and often, organically or even biodynamically. It allows the local foodshed to flourish while allowing local restaurants to flourish while allowing local purveyors to flourish. It’s that kind of a win-win-win thing.

There certainly were no losers at Tuesday night’s slate of serious fun. In groups of five, farmers grouped near Barndiva’s bar. Each had 30 seconds to state their name, the name of their farm and what they specialize in. Gleason Ranch’s Nancy Prebilich assured the chefs gathered that all they had to remember was the Honeymooner’s line, “To the moon, Alice, to the moon!” in order to remember her family’s century-old-plus ranch. Tim and Karen Bates with their daughter Sophia, traveled down from Mendocino County and their Apple Farm to pitch their cider, juice and even blemished fruit (useful if it’s incorporated into something else). Others in attendance included Oliver’s Market general manager Tom Scott, farm market honcho Paula Downing, Carrie Brown of the Jimtown Store, chefs from Cyrus and Nick’s Cove, Matteo Granados, Ralph of Bistro Ralph and many more.

After the “dating” concluded, the schmoozing began. Guests had brought wine and dessert while Rosso Pizzeria provided a multitude of piping hot pies and bowls of cool salad. Amid slices and napkins, the real courting happened, with chefs telling purveyors what they wanted and purveyors considering the challenges of planting to order.

Fork & Shovel’s next order of business is to launch a series of Sunday suppers, possibly beginning as early as April, that would encourage diners to eat at F&S-affiliated restaurants as spring eases into its fullness. Expect to hear more about this innovative nonprofit. For a full list of Fork & Shovel producers, go here. for participating restaurants, here.

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Posted in Food and Drink, Nature, Uncategorized, foodies, out 'n' about | No Comments »

Date Night at Vinolivo

From the Sorry You Missed It files, last Friday, Feb. 12, 2010 found the Lodge at Sonoma’s Carneros Bistro hosting the Sonoma Vinters and Growers Association in the Lodge’s large reception area and a humid packed tent set up alongside. Like the much larger summer dine-and-walk-around Taste of Sonoma event, Vinolivo featured a yowza selection of area restaurants offering tastes ably complemented by the 50+ wineries on hand, many of them small boutique shops not ordinarily pouring for the public, in a free-for-all of fun.

The best way to enjoy these kinds of events is with a friend, be they a spouse, lover, blind date or, as I did, with a girlfriend. Drifting from table to table, waiting patiently if your companion can’t have the cheese at that table but can definitely have the beef at that one, Vinolivo featured a live jazz soundtrack, plenty of people-watching, great homemade fries courtesy of Carneros chef Janine Falvo (above), plenty of good sparkling wine to match the frites and an easy way to swan around eating small bites while drinking great wines and chatting.

Unlike Taste of Sonoma, which last summer seemed to feature nothing more toothsome than gazpacho—and that would be, some 20 styles of gazpacho—Vinolivo offers guests a chance to actually have dinner by foot. Ramekins had artisanal sandwich halves on offer; the Girl & the Fig, hot cauliflower gratin; and the Swiss Hotel, a meaty ragu topping white beans. Those wise ones stopped first at the Wine Country Chocolates table as their confections were soon gone, and we lucky wise ones were indeed smart enough to start with sparkling wine and French fries, move directly to the chocolates and then solace our palates with actual food-food in the form of the cheesy gratin, the beefy ragu and other comestibles, all while sipping from Robert Hunter, Roche Carneros, Clarbec, Paint Horse and other wineries.

Meanwhile, my friend and I caught up on men, work, pets, family and films in between rafts of strangers, tables of delicacies and—thanks, I’d love some—another sip of good wine.

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Photos & Review: Billy Joel & Elton John, Feb. 13, 2010, Oracle Arena

Photos & review by David Sason

Although their recurring “Face 2 Face” concert is by now one of the biggest grossing tours of all time, it’s still impressive to see Billy Joel and Elton John onstage together. Piano-playing pop stars are still a rarity, and these two icons showed Oakland on Saturday night why their joint jaunt is such a smash (and one of the few tickets worth the hefty price).

Starting a little after 7:30 and wrapping at 11pm, the marathon run was a nonstop extravaganza of HITS, HITS, HITS. From opening classic “Your Song” through “My Life” and “Rocket Man” – which led the mostly middle-aged crowd excitedly rushing the stage – it was difficult to find a good bathroom break (even the album cuts were from their most celebrated albums). Joel & John traded couplets back and forth in a seamless survey of Billboard hits of the ’70s and ’80s. Nearly EVERY song of the night was instantly familiar from decades of radio and video play, and the sellout crowd gleefully sang along all night.

While classics like “Bennie and the Jets” and ‘Tiny Dancer” suffered from Elton John’s aged, deeper voice, his catalog undoubtedly shone the brightest that night, even forgotten 1980s numbers like “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”. The crowd compensated for the high notes anyway.

While his discography has never approached the sublime melancholy of “Daniel” or “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”, Billy Joel’s showmanship was astounding. Unlike John, he actually engaged the crowd with jokes, revolved his piano in an egalitarian gesture, and worked a snippet of Vallejo’s own “Dance to the Music” into the middle of “River of Dreams”. He also apologized for postponing the show originally scheduled for last November before celebrating the serendipitous Valentine’s Day Eve replacement date. The throngs of lovers in the house cheered in agreement.

But even Joel can only do so much while sitting down. To really connect, Joel picked up a guitar downstage for a faithful “We Didn’t Start the Fire” and tried his best mic-stand acrobatics for the perennially relevant “It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”. Joel also introduced each member of his backing band throughout his set (something else Elton John sadly forwent, even with longtime guitarist Davey Johnstone bopping alongside him).

The showcase ended as it began, with John & Joel alone, sans backing band. The appropriate closer “Piano Man” brought a final frenzy with its slightly modified final verse: “You’re a pretty good crowd for a Saturday, and the manager gives me a smile; because he knows it’s been me you’ve been coming to see, to forget about life for awhile.”

Mission accomplished. Thanks, guys.

–David Sason

*
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SETLIST (Thanks to Jim Harrington)

Billy Joel and Elton John:

“Your Song”
“Just the Way You Are”
“Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me”
“My Life”

John:

“Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding”
“Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting”
“Levon”
“Madman Across the Water”
“Tiny Dancer”
“Goodbye Yellow Brick Road”
“Daniel”
“Rocket Man”
“Philadelphia Freedom”
“I’m Still Standing”
“Crocodile Rock”

Joel:

“Angry Young Man”
“Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)”
“Allentown”
“Zanzibar”
“Don’t Ask Me Why”
“She’s Always a Woman”
“Scenes from an Italian Restaurant”
“The River of Dreams”
“We Didn’t Start the Fire”
“It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me”
“Only the Good Die Young”

Joel and John:

“I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues”
“Uptown Girl”
“The Bitch is Back”
“You May be Right”
“Bennie and the Jets”
“Candle in the Wind”
“Piano Man”

More Photos Below. Read the rest of this entry »

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My Night at the Grammys

Local blues singer Linda Ferro gives her backstory on last week’s Grammy events.

A New Perspective on Clouds, the Circus and How to Throw a Party (Grammy Weekend in L.A.)

By Linda Ferro

So, I thought it would be nifty to take advantage of my membership with the Recording Academy and buy some tix to attend the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards in L.A. (Folks in the industry refer to the Academy as “NARAS,” which stands for the “National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.”)

I was completely and utterly (which is a lot) sleep-deprived on the day I was to fly down there, since I had to set my alarm for 4 AM to make a 6:30 flight. As a musician and life-long nightowl, I’d much rather stay up till 4 than rise at that time.

Once in the plane, I was in a dreamy state from the droning sound of the engines (uh, propellers). Just after we climbed up out of the blanket of cloud-cover (one of my favorite things to do), I had a moment with a cloud. Yes, I did. There was a moment when I was flying eye-to-eye with this random piece of fluff. I pondered this perspective in metaphysical detail, and realized that I’m only accustomed to looking up at clouds or down at them when a plane rises above them. This whole thing really entertained me for a lot longer than it should have, and because I am prone to excessive anthropomorphism, I also assumed this cloud was traveling to L.A. just as I was!

As we flew on—me in an early morning stupor and the pilot hopefully not—I saw the most magical scene outside my porthole: Behind the plane was the almost-full moon in all its splendor and ahead of the plane was the muted crimson aura of a sunrise about to happen. I had trouble deciding which show to watch. (I probably looked like I was watching a tennis match!)

The rest of the flight was uneventful, until I got scolded by the fight attendant for not putting away my laptop quickly enough as we prepared for landing. In my defense, I had just bought my new Mac Pro and it was literally about the second time I had done a power-up/down. I hardly knew what I was doing, in terms of closing screens, making sure I had things saved, and navigating my way around the touchpad. The worst part about this mishap is that the attendant scooped up my coffee cup with my last sip that I was looking forward to. I know this doesn’t sound like such a big deal, except that I stopped drinking coffee a year ago and treated myself to just this one cup, so I’m thinkin’ that I had a pretty pathetic look on my face as the cup dropped into the garbage bag never to be seen again (at least not by me).

Fortunately, I soon had something else to ponder as the plane started to make the most incredibly steep bank to the right (my side of the plane) which, of course, made my head tilt accordingly, and as I looked out my window down at the ground, I was pretty sure that the entire perfectly symmetrical grid of square blocks of houses was dangerously close to sliding right off the face of the planet. Probably a good thing we’d be on the ground soon. Read the rest of this entry »

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Posted in Events, citizen journalism, music, out 'n' about, pop culcha | 3 Comments »

Wells Fargo Center Director of Programming, Rick Bartalini, Has Left

This may not be heart-breaking news to the average person who enjoys attending live performances at Santa Rosa’s Wells Fargo Center, but it’s a heart-breaker to the average media person who enjoys previewing live performances at Santa Rosa’s Wells Fargo Center and it actually may impact the average life as well. Rick Bartalini, the tireless caretaker to the stars, who sees to it that Lisa “Queen of Mean” Lampanelli has flower petals floating in her dressing room’s toilet; who treated Dolly Parton like the pink-infused star she is; who worships Cher and Olivia Newton-John; and who has consistently pulled such acts at Lyle Lovett, Steely Dan, Diana Krall and other national tourers to our bit o’ cowpatch will do so no more. His official release is below; we’re awaiting some actual info from him on it. Darn it, Rick, you’re going to be missed.

January 27, 2010 | SANTA ROSA, CA | It was announced today that after 11 years at Wells Fargo Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa, California,  Rick Bartalini has left his position as Director of Entertainment Programs. Bartalini was responsible for talent buying and oversight of over 50 annual high-profile entertainment events at the intimate 1,668 capacity venue.  In this role, Bartalini was responsible for nearly half the Center’s operating budget.  Over the years he brought top level talent to Sonoma County which included such artists as Johnny Mathis, Lyle Lovett, Dolly Parton, George Lopez, Carole King, Steely Dan, Journey, Juan Gabriel, Marco Antonio Solis, Sheryl Crow, Diana Krall, Ellen DeGeneres, Keith Urban, Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John and others.

In 2007 and 2008, Bartalini negotiated deals to record and broadcast four national and worldwide television specials from the Arts Center featuring Kathy Griffin, George Carlin, Dana Carvey and most recently Lisa Lampanelli.  The Lampanelli HBO special aired in February 2009 before a worldwide audience of 2.7 million viewers (nearly the highest rated HBO special in history, 2nd only to Chris Rock) and was later released on CD and DVD.

Says Bartalini:  ”I am grateful for the amazing 11-year run at the Center and I am very proud that, together with my colleagues Jeremy French, Chrissy Hall, the staff and Board, we created experiences artists and fans will never forget.  The theater is now ranked among the Top 60 Theaters Worldwide (Source: Pollstar) and I sincerely thank all of the artists, agents, managers and industry professionals who have partnered with us over the last decade.”

In 2006, The Press Democrat called Bartalini “a major reason the Wells Fargo Center, Sonoma County’s largest concert venue, has raised its profile.” Former Executive Director of the Center David Fischer said, “If rust never sleeps, then neither does Rick.”  Said Texas singer-songwriter Lyle Lovett, “We always look forward to seeing Rick when we come through.” In 2008, the North Bay Biz Magazine said of Bartalini, “he’s helped put the Center and Santa Rosa on the map, consistently booking high-profile artists.”

“It’s been an honor to be a part of bringing these memorable experiences to my hometown,” said Bartalini.  “I look forward to finding another enriching outlet which will allow me to continue this work, whether it be in Sonoma County or elsewhere.”

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Posted in media, pop culcha, santa rosa | 9 Comments »

Gushing About Noir City

The Noir City Film Festival opened this past weekend at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco, and how else to kick things off but by showing a short compilation on the historic theater’s screen of classic noir scenes edited by 20-year-old SRJC student Serena Bramble from Santa Rosa?

 

 YouTube: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Yes, that’s Massive Attack’s “Angel,” juxtaposing nicely with scenes of murder, double-crossings and larceny. The crowd at the Castro loved it. Big ups, Serena!

Noir City is an incredible festival, and I’m not just saying that because last year’s theme was newspapers (read about it here). It’s because it does what any great film festival should do: inspire. After renting nothing but pre-1965 movies for a solid ten years, I still wasn’t sold on film noir. One-note and blasé, I surmised. The festival changed my stance, and especially the passionate, smart and wry introductions to each movie by festival founder Eddie Muller. Consider that all proceeds go directly to the restoration of lost films, it’s truly a labor of love for the guy. And the love is contagious.

I went to last Sunday’s Marilyn Monroe double feature for two Monroe pictures I’d never seen: Niagara and The Asphalt Jungle. Coincidentally, I’d re-watched the ho-hum How to Marry a Millionaire just last week, and the difference was immeasurable. Monroe’s performance in Niagara is everything her legend is built on—sex, guile and manipulation—aided by the thundering, ominous falls themselves and a compelling script cobbled from the Double Indemnity workbook. Throw in some Hitchcockian camera angles at the top of a bell tower and a swell performance by Joseph Cotten, and you’ve got a film that blows away Gentlemen Prefer Blondes by miles.

There’s still time to catch some true gems the festival has to offer this year. Might I recommend Pickup on South Street, an evocative Samuel Fuller vehicle for the usually typecast Thelma Ritter to shine in an outstanding role. Other well-knowns include A Place in the Sun and Odds Against Tomorrow, with a slew of other treasures never released on DVD. Do yourself a favor and check the festival schedule. Pick a double feature, drive down to one of the country’s most beautiful theaters, and experience the thrill of film noir with a crowd of smart, savvy film fans. You won’t regret it.

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Oxycontin image, Jan. 6

We have taken so many kind calls today re the Oxycontin image in the Jan. 6 paper.

Here’s the deal: Stephan R., the subject, was fine with having his name shown on his ID because a scan of that text is not (yet) Google-able. Our original caption reflected that. An hour before presstime, our copyeditor suggested that,  just to do our highest diligence, we alter the image to obscure his name entirely and that we change the caption. We did both things. However, and no one can quite figure this out, the image that went to press was the original. Stephan R. is not harmed by this and, while we feel like dolts, we do thank all who have contacted us about it! One young woman just suggested that if we needed to take all the papers back off the streets (30,000 and counting) we could act today, so that’s why she called. . . .

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SRJC Program Uses 15-Year-Old Photo

Good thing Deirdre Miller didn’t wear a Nirvana shirt and flannels in 1994, or the SRJC wouldn’t ever be able to get away with reusing the above 15-year-old photo for their brand-new 2010 Career Technical Education Guide, mailed out last week. Is it really so hard to shoot new photos instead of digging one out from 15 years ago? “Maybe I was the only girl to ever take an automotive class or something,” says Miller, who now works in lingerie and thinks the whole thing is pretty funny.

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