We're taught to never speak ill of the dead. Well, then, what do we do? Perhaps we forgive. Here's a lovely poem by Sarah White, who lives in New York. It's from her book from Deerbrook Editions, Wars Don't Happen Anymore.
Nothing But Good...
I will not speak ill of Jack Flick. I will rarely look at the scar he made on my cheek one summer at the lake.
I won't speak ill of Jack whose freckles and gangly legs are gone. So is the drained face I saw when he saw what he'd done with a sharp rock nonchalantly skipped.
I will speak well, for it was somewhat sweet to lie on the dock while Jack and his friends bent down and wiped my face with a sandy towel. I will speak well of them, for most are gone and the wound proved small.
I will speak well, for the rock missed my eye. I can hardly find the scar. Jack went into the air corps, fought in one of the wars, retired, and lived less than a year before his tender heart gave out.
Pop culture legends Pamela Anderson and David Hasselhoff achieved their level of fame from a popular television series that conjured up fun-loving images of sun, surf and statuesque lifeguards running in slow-motion in form-fitting red swimsuits.
Of course, that show “Baywatch,” which thrived for many years in syndication, featured a slew of attractive men and women patrolling the beaches of Los Angeles County, with cast changes over the years that even included former Playboy playmates.
Given that a number of TV series have been turned into feature length movies over the years, with “21 Jump Street” and “Charlie’s Angels” as more notable recent examples, it was only a matter of time before the jigglefest of “Baywatch” would be added to the mix.
The selling point for this adaptation is the towering presence of Dwayne Johnson, aka “The Rock,” inhabiting the David Hasselhoff starring role of sturdy Lieutenant Mitch Buchannon, a man with the megawatt smile and enough charisma to cast a wide net on the beach.
The odd thing about “Baywatch” the movie, which has plenty of raunchy humor, is that it doesn’t quite know what type of entertainment to be. Sure, it’s a comedy, but also a drama. It’s a story of intrigue and detective work, with a heavy dose of high-octane action.
Persuasively charming, Johnson could sell ice to the Eskimos, and here he sells the idea of Mitch Buchannon as a sort of demigod (one beachgoer has sculpted his likeness in the sand) who rules his lifeguard crew with benevolent efficiency.
But then, along comes Zac Efron as disgraced gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer Matt Brody, who arrogantly believes he’s entitled to become one of the new lifeguards for the summer season at Florida’s Emerald Bay.
Probably the most fun of this comedy-drama-action picture is watching Mitch’s verbal assault on pretty boy Matt with the put-downs of calling him “Malibu Ken,” “High School Musical,” and “One Direction,” among a steady stream of other insults.
“Baywatch,” of course, would not be what it is without a bevy of drop-dead gorgeous lifeguards that look more like Victoria Secret models. In fact, Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kelly Rohrbach has the Pamela Anderson role of C.J. Parker.
Besides the usual saving of ocean swimmers, Mitch and his crew get mixed up in detective work involving drug-running and murder, when the nefarious activities of club owner Victoria Leeds (Priyanka Chopra) result in the lifeguards going undercover.
None of this sits well with the local police and a city administrator, but the death of a corrupt councilman screams for the lifeguards’ involvement when a boat fire goes horribly wrong.
It’s worth noting that Chopra, the star of the “Quantico” TV series, makes for a good villain, and Alexandra Daddario stands out as smart new recruit and Ilfenesh Hadera makes a capable second-in-command.
The original TV series may have been suitable for family viewing, but the same cannot be said for “Baywatch” the movie, which overall is silly and dumb for the most part and yet is far too raunchy in its humor and abundant string of F-bombs.
‘I’M DYING HERE’ ON SHOWTIME
Author and journalist William Knoedelseder wrote a book about the comedy club scene in 1970s Los Angeles, where the best-known venue for the discovery of new talent was at Mitzi Shore’s Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip.
Taking its name from the book, Showtime’s “I’m Dying Up Here” is a thinly-veiled disguise of the real story, and as such, Melissa Leo’s Goldie, the hard-charging owner of Goldie’s comedy club also located on the Strip, rules with an iron fist that seems vaguely familiar to the truth.
Unlike the book, the cast members, all vying to get stage time in the Main Room, are fictionalized characters, allowing for a lot of creative leeway in fleshing them out. The first episode has the stand-out character of Clay Appuzzo (Sebastian Stan).
To the encouragement as well as resentment of his fellow comics at Goldie’s, Clay not only gets to perform on “The Tonight Show,” but Johnny Carson (Dylan Baker) calls him over to the couch after his routine, a sure sign of approbation that marks a career turn.
“I’m Dying Up Here” focuses a lot on the dark side of the business. Clay doesn’t make it to the second episode, but his spirit hangs over the other comics, particularly ex-girlfriend Cassie (Ari Graynor), the lone female in the group who struggles to break the “glass ceiling.”
Meanwhile, a pair of Boston comics, Eddie (Michael Angarano) and Ron (Clark Duke), shows up penniless in Los Angeles and end up suffering the indignity of living in the closet of another Goldie’s regular.
Seeing that the series is structured as an ensemble, the aspiring comics, all vying for stage time, include the hot-tempered Edgar (Al Madrigal), the Vietnam war veteran Ralph (Erik Griffin), who helps to moderate showcases, and the embittered Bill (Andrew Santino).
Getting a shot on a TV show, Bill has to contend with his judgmental father (Robert Forster) and oblivious mother (Cathy Moriarty). Meanwhile, young newcomer Adam (RJ Cyler) has even greater challenges that veer into uncomfortable sexual abuse territory.
Showtime provided the first six one-hour episodes of “I’m Dying Up Here” for review. Only the first two hours have been considered here, but I’m not dying to finish the rest just now.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
UPPER LAKE, Calif. – The Lake County Wine Studio is presenting monthly art classes with wine, co-hosted with artist Anna Sabalone.
This month's wine and art session with Sabalone is scheduled for Sunday, June 4, and will guide participants in painting a lush waterfall scene with pastel chalks.
The session time is 1:30 to 4 p.m.
The class fee of $40 covers all of the provided art supplies needed along with step-by-step guidance and a glass of Lake County wine. Reservations are required for each month's class as participation is limited to 12 people.
Sabalone was born and raised in Lake County. She has been involved in the Lake County arts Council since her teen years.
She attended the University of California, Santa Barbara and the University of Leeds, England for her undergraduate degree in English, history and anthropology. She earned her teaching credential and Masters of Education from UC Santa Barbara and has been teaching art, English, history and academic decathlon at Upper Lake High School since 2008.
For class schedule, reservations and additional information, contact Susan Feiler at 707-293-8752.
The Lake County Wine Studio is both a gallery for display of arts and a tasting room, wine bar and retail shop for the fine wines of Lake County.
Artists’ shows are held on a monthly basis with art and wine receptions held the first Friday and subsequent Saturday of each month.
The gallery is located at 9505 Main St. in Upper Lake. It’s open Thursday through Monday, 1 to 7 p.m., and Friday from 1 to 8 p.m.
For more information call the studio at 707-275-8030.
Richard M. Berlin is a doctor and poet, or a poet and doctor, and in this poem from his book Practice, from Brick Road Poetry Press, he honors the wisdom each of us gains through experience.
A Lobsterman Looks at the Sea
His new hip healed in, we're working on a bluff, talking doctors and health care reform as we shove a new propane tank into place. A shape on the surface catches his eye: "Right whale," he says, but I can only see endless swells rolling in from the east. He points out the gradations of gray and green that mark deep ledge, the tide's shape along the islands and rocks, the whale's glistening back suddenly in focus. I react with the same surprise my patients feel when I observe what they can't see— a sudden shift in gaze, or a crease in a cheek, understanding how a doctor becomes like a man who has spent sixty years on a lobster boat, watching the world swim fast and shining, right before his eyes.
Fourteen years ago, writer and star Nia Vardalos delivered a sleeper hit with the romantic comedy “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” one that navigated the culture clash of her marriage to the Anglo Ian Miller (John Corbett), unprepared for the unruly energy of a large Greek family.
Now all these years later, in a timeline that goes even a few years beyond the lapse of time from the first, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” remains, with its easy charm and likable tone, a pleasant though predictable story that returns all of the original characters.
In that sense, “Greek Wedding 2” is not constructed, per se, for anyone stepping into this time machine of Greek culture that happens to be unfamiliar with Vardalos’ central character of Toula Portokalos, still held captive by the bonds of her immigrant Chicago-based family.
The patriarch of the Portokalos clan is Gus (Michael Constantine), so consumed with the old ways that he questions why his 17-year-old granddaughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) is letting herself age without any prospects of matrimony of her own.
Well, the wedding in this sequel turns out to be Gus’ own, as he discovers to his chagrin that the marriage certificate to Maria (Lainie Kazan) from the old country was never signed by the local priest.
So technically speaking, Gus and Maria, in the eyes of God (but not common law), are not married.
At his advanced age, he just wants a quickie ceremony. The brash, rowdy Maria has other thoughts, namely a full-blown wedding that would not only be romantic but fit with the Greek heritage.
The film is populated with a lot of Greek relatives, most of them hard to distinguish from each other.
Standing out in the animated family is Andrea Martin’s Aunt Voula, who wants to organize the event in such a grand, over-the-top manner that the wedding planner quits the job.
A subplot to the wedding business is the fact that Toula and Ian’s daughter Paris is considering attending an East Coast college, if only to be free of the constraints of her suffocating family, when her mother desperately tries to persuade her of the virtues of nearby Northwestern.
Though Ian has little to do as he appears crowded out of most scenes with the drama of Greek relatives constantly meddling, there is also a predicable story about Ian and Toula trying fitfully to rekindle romance that has been slowly depleted from their own lives.
“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2,” though not particularly original or even necessary to have been revived at this late date, has its genial moments of levity and humorous situations.
The goodwill of the original will have to carry this sequel the best way it possibly can.
SHOWTIME’S “DICE” COMEDY SERIES
Showtime also appears to be relying on public memory to launch the six-episode comedy series “Dice,” an apparent semi-autobiographical account of the once top-billed standup comedian Andrew Dice Clay’s attempt at a comeback after two decades in the entertainment wilderness.
In his heyday (well, even now to be sure), the comedian known as the Diceman built his career on being so edgy in his routines that his divisive comedy managed to offend every ethnic, racial and sexual identity group that felt abused and vilified by his barbed rants.
His comedy routines appeared patterned upon Don Rickles, but without any of the charm and occasional restraint.
Now, the Diceman is in Las Vegas, hoping to gear up his faltering career, all the while struggling with his finances and employment prospects.
Meanwhile, his live-in girlfriend Carmen (Natasha Leggero), constantly fretting over his irresponsible behavior and seeming inability to focus, tries to bring a semblance of order to his life. Good luck with that.
Dice can’t help but mess up everything, including not following through on his simple promise to be ready for the wedding of Carmen’s brother at a Vegas chapel, because he’s too busy arguing with the casino manager about the $5 fee for use of the hotel’s ATM machine.
Actually, it’s worse than that. Rather than pony up a Lincoln for a simple cash transaction, Dice obtains a marker for $100,000 to play many bad hands of poker, and he ends up fighting with an Elvis impersonator that he accuses of being bad luck.
Showtime’s “Dice” is set to explore the highs and lows of the stressed comedian’s frenzied life. Be warned that Andrew Dice Clay, having made his career with an extremely liberal use of profanity in his acts, is uncensored in his frequent rants.
It’s not just the vulgarity of unvarying swearing that may offend so many, but Dice also has very graphic ways of talking about sexual activities.
“Dice” may run on cable, where it’s no-holds-barred, but this short series is likely to be limited in its appeal. But it’s only six half-hour episodes, so you won’t have to invest much time.
Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.
LAKEPORT, Calif. – Dubbed one of the country’s best female saxophonists, Nancy Wright performs at the Soper Reese Theatre on Friday, April 15, at 7 p.m.
Wright has played her wailin’, soulful blues alongside John Lee Hooker, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Albert King and Lonnie Mack.
She first appeared on the Bay Area music scene in 1984 with the critically acclaimed New Orleans rhythm and blues band, Hot Links.
Following a successful North American tour, Wright and Hot Links were tapped to perform with Swamp Boogie Queen Katie Webster, appearing on her Arhoolie Records release, “You Know That’s Right.”
Wright and Webster also performed together at the Chicago Blues Festival and appeared together on B.B. King’s album, “Blues Summit,” winner of the 1994 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Blues Album.
In 2015 Wright’s CD “Puttin’ Down Roots” was voted one of the top 20 blues albums of the year in the Downbeat Readers Poll.
While the blues thread remains the strongest in the tapestry of Wright’s music, in the late 1990s a new thread appeared – the opportunity to work with local Hammond B3 organ artist Jackie Ivory (who also worked with sax luminaries Junior Walker and Willis Jackson).
This rekindled her love of organ combo music, which led to a performance with monster Hammond star Tony Monaco and to the release of her critically acclaimed debut CD “Moanin’” (produced by Monaco and backed by his trio) featuring a mix of soul jazz, blues, ballads, and boogaloo,
Playing with Wright on April 15 is the Rhythm & Roots Band which features Paul Revilli on drums, Anthony Paule on guitar, Tony Lufrano on keyboards and Paul Olguin on bass.
Revelli has performed with many great acts including Angela Strehli, Lou Ann Barton, Tracy Nelson, Marcia Ball and Charlie Musselwhite.
Paule has worked with Johnny Adams, Bo Diddley, Louisiana Red, and Boz Scaggs. Lufrano has also played with Boz Scaggs as well as Bonnie Raitt, and Huey Lewis & the News. Olguin has performed with Mary Wells, The Drifters, Roy Rogers and Augie Meyers.
Major sponsor for the concert is Strong Financial Network, with additional support from KXBX 98.3 and KNTI 99.5.
Tickets are $15. Tickets are available online at www.SoperReeseTheatre.com ; at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport, on Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main, Lakeport, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information call 707-263-0577.
The Soper Reese Theatre is at 275 S. Main St., Lakeport.
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