UPPER LAKE, Calif. – On Saturday, Jan. 24, the Ukiah-based trio of Margie Salcedo Rice and her sisters Rosie and Patricia will appear in an intimate “Concerts with Conversation” in the Meeting House next to the Tallman Hotel in downtown Upper Lake.

The concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Coffee and cookies are served prior to the show.

“Margie Rice has one of the most perfect voices I’ve heard since I ‘fell in love’ with Joan Baez many years ago,” says Tallman owner Bernie Butcher. “She captured an audience here in 2011with her voice and violin together with Elena Casanova on piano. I’m anxious to hear her play with her talented sisters.”

Rosie, Margie and Patricia were born to Ecuadorian parents Fernando and Marta Salcedo and grew up in Riverside. Theirs was a religious family infused with music and the sisters began performing together at an early age. They all attended Loma Linda University and graduated with degrees in business and music.

Margie channeled herself toward a musical career by studying piano, violin and voice and singing in small groups. Her dedication to music continues at the local level.

She is currently concertmistress of the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra and she has often been the featured soloist over her 24 seasons with the Symphony.

Today, Margie also teaches string instruments and directs the choral program at the Ukiah Junior Academy. 

In 2005 she performed at Carnegie Hall with her youth choir and in 2006 at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

“I love performing with the symphony and in religions settings,” says Margie, “but the concert series at the Tallman is something special. The acoustics are great and I love the informal setting. I’m looking forward to performing there again with my talented sisters Rosie on piano and Patricia on flute.”

The Salcedo Sisters have recorded two albums of inspirational music which have continued to sell widely over the years.

Their first album "By My Side" was released through Chapel Records in 1997 and the second "Carry Me On" was completed two years later. Margie’s solo album “In Your Holiness” was released in 2010.

In addition to their musical pursuits, Rosie Salcedo owns her own company and lives in the Bay Area. Patricia Salcedo Williams is currently vice president of Behavioral Health at St. Helena Hospital, Napa Valley.

The Tallman Concerts with Conversation series continues monthly through April and will feature the folk duo of Fineman & Hurd on Valentine’s Day, Jenna Mammina and Alex DeGrassi in March and the country singer Rita Hosking in April.

The full schedule can be seen at www.TallmanHotel.com/events .

Tickets at $25 per person plus tax may be purchased by calling the Hotel at 707-275-2244, Extension 0.

The Tallman Hotel is located at 9550 Main St.

I’ve read lots of poems about the loss of beloved pets, but this one by J.T. Ledbetter, who lives in California, is an especially fine and sensitive one.

Elegy for Blue

Someone must have seen an old dog
dragging its broken body through
the wet grass;
someone should have known it was lost,
drinking from the old well, then lifting
its head to the wind off the bottoms,
and someone might have wanted that dog
trailing its legs along the ground
like vines sliding up the creek
searching for sun;
but they were not there when the dog
wandered through Turley’s Woods looking
for food and stopped beneath the thorn trees
and wrapped its tail around its nose
until it was covered by falling leaves
that piled up and up
until there was no lost dog at all
to hear the distant voice calling
through the timber,
only a tired heart breathing slower,
and breath, soft as mist, above the leaves.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2012 by J. T. Ledbetter, from his most recent book of poems, Old and Lost Rivers, Lost Horse Press, 2012. Poem reprinted by permission of J. T. Ledbetter and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

TAKEN 3 (Rated PG-13)

The Liam Neeson action series “Taken” has arrived at its third and presumably final installment, given the tag line “It ends here” would appear to settle the matter.

This comes not a moment too soon for many critics who disdain the action heroics of well-known stars only a few years removed from having a Medicare card.

Fans of this franchise are likely to be far less disappointed than disaffected film reviewers. After all, Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills, a former CIA operative, is one tough cookie as he dispatches an assortment of villains with his usual workmanlike efficiency.

If “Taken 3” is to be the last chapter, it’s not a threadbare farewell.

Yet, the third installment does, on the whole, lack the excitement of the previous exotic foreign venues, such as when Mills in the first film, on the loose in Paris, hunted down with brutal effectiveness the Albanian slave traders who had abducted his daughter.

“Taken 3” begins with catching up on the family dynamics.

Bryan’s daughter Kim (Maggie Grace), now in college, has recently become pregnant by her boyfriend, and is afraid to tell her father when his idea to celebrate her upcoming birthday is an inappropriate gift of an oversized stuffed animal.

Byran’s ex-wife Lenore (Famke Janssen) also figures into the story once again, this time seeking support as her marriage to the super-wealthy Stuart (Dougray Scott) has turned shaky.

It’s obvious to practically everyone, except Lenore, that her husband is a shady character tied to dubious business partners.

An unfortunate murder occurs at Bryan’s apartment while he’s out getting warm bagels at a local coffeehouse.

An elaborate frame is set in motion by sleazy Russian thugs connected to mobster Oleg Malankov (Sam Spruell), leaving behind a messy, bloody crime scene that makes Bryan the prime suspect.

Once again, Bryan is a man on the run, but this time in the Los Angeles area, and as the target of a manhunt conducted by the LAPD under the command of Inspector Frank Dotzler (Forest Whitaker), a relentless pursuer who has to cope with the incompetence of unproductive subordinates.

On some levels, “Taken 3” lacks the sense of urgency of the previous two films in that Bryan is not in a race against the clock to rescue his daughter or ex-wife from savage Albanians.

This time, he’s forced to evade arrest for a crime he didn’t commit just long enough to solve the case at least two steps ahead of Inspector Dotzler.

This being an action film in the spirit of its predecessors, “Taken 3” generates the requisite amount of fistfights, shootouts and car chases.

The special circumstance of being chased by the police requires a balancing act of Bryan taking tough measures to escape the clutches of the LAPD without resorting to the use of any deadly force in self-defense.

The most exciting moment comes when Bryan steals a squad car and ends up being pursued by half of the Los Angeles police force on a freeway chase that involves a spectacular wipeout of police cars, random vehicles and even a massive truck trailer.

One insurmountable problem for “Taken 3,” which may be overlooked if only because Liam Neeson kicks ass, is that the action is at times somewhat incoherent and ludicrous, lacking the requisite logic. Even Neeson is neither lucky nor good enough to survive multiple car explosions and freeway accidents.

Keanu Reeves in “John Wick” killed more guys in a brutal fashion than occurs here with Bryan once he penetrates Malankov’s penthouse lair. Still, the film is a guilty pleasure when Bryan’s no-holds-barred brutality is unleashed with furious abandon.

It is observed more than once that Neeson’s Bryan Mills has a special set of skills. That’s why he is so elusive every time the police are on his immediate tail.

“Taken 3” has its own distinctive skills, namely delivering the action goods, even if somewhat diminished from the more exalted standard of the superior first installment.

Even with some of its faults, it’s hard not to like Liam Neeson in the full-on action mode. His forceful heroics are fun to watch.

Action junkies should likely judge that “Taken 3” is a satisfying measure of the aging star’s ability to deliver the goods.

There may not be a “Taken 4” but Liam Neeson probably has enough left in the tank to supply a few more films in this genre. 

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

Just as it was to me, Insha’Allah will be a new word to many of you, offered in this poem by Danusha Laméris, a Californian. It looks to me like one of those words that ought to get a lot of use.

Insha’Allah

I don’t know when it slipped into my speech
that soft word meaning, “if God wills it.”
Insha’Allah I will see you next summer.
The baby will come in spring, insha’Allah.
Insha’Allah this year we will have enough rain.

So many plans I’ve laid have unraveled
easily as braids beneath my mother’s quick fingers.

Every language must have a word for this. A word
our grandmothers uttered under their breath
as they pinned the whites, soaked in lemon,
hung them to dry in the sun, or peeled potatoes,
dropping the discarded skins into a bowl.

Our sons will return next month, insha’Allah.
Insha’Allah this war will end, soon. Insha’Allah
the rice will be enough to last through winter.

How lightly we learn to hold hope,
as if it were an animal that could turn around
and bite your hand. And still we carry it
the way a mother would, carefully,
from one day to the next.

American Life in Poetry is made possible by The Poetry Foundation ( www.poetryfoundation.org ), publisher of Poetry magazine. It is also supported by the Department of English at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Poem copyright 2014 by Danusha Laméris, from her recently released first book of poems, The Moons of August, Autumn House Press, 2014. Poem reprinted by Danusha Laméris and the publisher. Introduction copyright 2015 by The Poetry Foundation. The introduction's author, Ted Kooser, served as United States Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress from 2004-2006. We do not accept unsolicited manuscripts.

The FOX Television network launches the new year’s programming schedule with a powerful new drama about the head of a music empire whose three sons and ex-wife all battle for his throne.

Simply titled “Empire” and with a storyline reminiscent of King Lear, this new series is a hip-hop Shakespearean drama.

The network’s publicity team is putting a lot of effort into promoting a series with a primarily African-American cast.

Given the musical theme, it’s the kind of show that lends itself to clever marketing, emphasizing the potential gold to be mined from hit songs.

Speaking of gold, a surprise package arrived in the mail during the holidays. A faux-gold record surrounded by miniature album covers inside a frame carried a plaque with a personalized inscription that noted that I was the recipient of this commemorative item for the “Empire” premiere.

Mind you, this unique gift holds no sway over a dedicated reviewer. Only the first episode of “Empire” has been made available for review, and I would say the jury is still out.

In fact, I am too easily distracted by the onslaught of the midseason’s new shows and conceivably may not even get around to viewing the second episode.

Yet, “Empire” has some good things going for it.

For one, Terrence Howard, in the central role, is a compelling actor. If you’ve seen him in “Hustle & Flow,” you get the idea.

Here, he’s Lucious Lyon, the CEO of Empire Entertainment, a former street thug who started out as a drug dealer to finance his artistic talent as a rap star before becoming a record mogul.

Though charismatic and crafty, Lucious is not a particularly likable guy. After all, he let his then-wife Cookie (Taraji P. Henson) take the rap, and a 17-year prison stint, for selling drugs to finance his musical career.

Now, she’s out of the joint and is not about to be pushed aside from the family’s lucrative musical empire.

Diagnosed with an incurable disease that will have him incapacitated in a matter of three years, Lucious puts the King Lear element into gear by having his three sons compete to take over his crowning achievement, without destroying his already fractured family.

Oldest son Andre (Trai Byers), college-educated and possessed of a brilliant business mind, is the current chief financial of the company, and would seem the natural heir to the family empire.

Andre is assisted by his manipulative and like-minded wife Rhonda (Kaitlin Doubleday). But Andre lacks the charisma that Lucious believes is crucial to running the company.

Meanwhile, Lucious’s favorite is his youngest son Hakeem (Byshere Gray), a gifted musician and a spoiled playboy who values fame over hard work.

Given his frivolous temperament, Hakeem would seem to be most unlikely heir to the throne. But his artistic mood is most in sync with that of his father.

The middle son Jamal (Jussie Smollett) is a sensitive soul and musical prodigy who, unlike Hakeem, shies away from the spotlight.

Jamal also happens to be gay, which infuriates and embarrasses his homophobic father. Flashback scenes to Lucious’ cruel treatment of Jamal’s effeminate behavior are unsettling.

In the first episode, Cookie reasserts her position in the family business in a grand way. Part of her gambit appears to be a thorn in the side of her ex-husband, who has taken up a very attractive younger woman, Anika Gibbons (newcomer Grace Gealey), who also fills the position of head talent scout for Empire Entertainment.

The obvious play for Cookie is to persuade Jamal to break out of his shell and take a more active role in advancing his career with musical gigs to be seen by more than a handful of close friends. Certainly, Lucious has done nothing to help Jamal capitalize on his enormous talent.

For now, at least in the first episode, Lucious remains firmly in control of Empire Entertainment, relying on the sage advice and support of his longtime friend and chairman of the board, Vernon Turner (Malik Yoba).

But Cookie is a force of nature that Vernon and the other board members will find challenging.

“Empire” is an emotional chess game that threatens to tear the Lyon family apart. In that sense, the series could be a hip-hop version of “Dynasty,” set to a number of songs that fit the show’s themes.

The original soundtrack is written and produced by legendary artist Timbaland.

FOX is taking a big gamble on “Empire,” the type of show that, like “Power,” to cite just one example, may be better-suited for cable, where more audacious programs tend to thrive.

On the flip side, “Empire” is a series that would be most unlikely to appear on CBS, a network that skews to the older demographic.

Then again, if “Empire” catches on, I will have to decide if my personalized framed gold record could take up a more visible position than resting inside a closet stuffed with other relics of entertainment memorabilia.

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.

LAKEPORT, Calif. – The Soper Reese Theatre presents a new series in classical music, one concert for each of the first four months of 2015.

Entitled La Voce del Vento (Voice of the Wind), the chamber series features woodwind instruments as the centerpiece of each program.

The first concert takes place on Sunday, Jan. 11, at 3 p.m.

“La Voce del Vento chamber players intend to open the performance horizon to make woodwind instruments available to audiences in a close and intimate setting,” explained Ann Hubbard, who originated the concept of this woodwinds chamber group in 1982. “I’m pleased to make the Soper Reese Theatre the new home for these performances and delighted that the voices of the woodwinds can be heard and appreciated.”

The program for Jan. 11 is a Beethoven quintet fur klavier und blaser in Eb major, op. 16 and a Mozart quintet fur oboe, klarinette, horn, fagott und klavier in E major, KV 452.

Performing will be Beth Aiken, oboe; Nick Biondo, clarinet; Ann Hubbard, bassoon; Randy Masselink, horn with special guest Aaron Ames, piano.

Aaron Ames was raised in Ukiah and is currently teaching at the James C. Harper School for Performing Arts in Lenoir, North Carolina.

He received his master’s degree in music performance in 2010 from Appalachian State University, and was invited to join Pi Kappa Lambda, the musician’s academic honors society.

Beth Aiken resides in Kelseyville and is the principal oboist with the Lake County Symphony, Ukiah Symphony and Symphony of the Redwoods. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in music at Humboldt State University and has been teaching in public schools since 1984.

Nick Biondo currently performs with Symphony of the Redwoods, the Ukiah Symphony Orchestra, the Ukiah Saxophone Quartet and “The Funky Dozen” rock/funk band. As an inaugural member, he has been playing for 34 years with the Lake County Symphony.

Ann Hubbard resides in Lucerne and is principal bassoonist with the Lake County Symphony, Symphony of the Redwoods and the Ukiah Symphony. She attended the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music, and was a founding member of Midsummer Mozart Festival Orchestra in San Francisco.

The concept of the La Voce del Vento chamber series in Lake County was initiated by Hubbard.

Randy Masselink studied horn with Neil Sanders, former principal horn of the London Philharmonic and with Dale Clevenger, former principal horn of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. He played with orchestras in Italy and Switzerland for 16 years and is now teaching music in the Healdsburg School District.

Tickets are on sale now for each concert at $20 and $15 levels. Persons 18 years of age and under are admitted free. All seats are reserved.

A $10 series discount is available if tickets to each of the four concerts are purchased by Jan. 11.

Concerts that follow the Jan. 11 performance will take place on Feb. 15, March 1 and April 12.

Tickets are available online at www.soperreesetheatre.com or at the theater box office, 275 S. Main St., Lakeport from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., or at The Travel Center, 1265 S. Main St., Lakeport, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information call 707-263-0577.