Don't read this if you just ate

"The Exorcist," all time movie vomiting champ?

Every now then, I read something that makes me want to scream "yes," twirl around in my office chair and do a fist pump, which -- at my age -- is somewhat alarming to my colleagues, so I try not to do it.

But I could hardly restrain myself the other day when I came across Robert W. Butler's piece on the McClatchy Tribune News Service wire titled: "I’m getting sick of all the onscreen vomiting."

"The most popular bodily function in the movies these days isn’t sex. It’s vomiting," Mr. Butler says, and I agree.***

Butler began with a list of offenders: Meryl Streep (!) in "It's Complicated," Jeff Bridges in "Crazy Heart," Leonardo DiCaptrio in "Shutter Island,” Paul Rudd in “I Love You, Man,” Alison Lohman in “Drag Me to Hell” and so on.

There were vomit scenes in “Adventureland,” “The Haunting in Connecticut,” “Year One,” “The Hangover,” “Moon” and “Observe and Report,” all in the last 12 months.

For me, the most egregious movie vomiting scene is in "Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist." One strand of the film's story concerns Norah’s efforts to find Caroline (Ari Graynor), her lost and very drunken friend, who gets confused and wanders around the city looking for new places to vomit. This story line was so gross I nearly got sick watching it. Seriously. I will never be able to watch that movie again, and that really hurts, because I liked that movie. Well, except for the vomiting.

While there are way too many movies that have made use of this disgusting, stomach-turning trend, Butler names "The Exorcist" as the all-time cinema vomit champ. "Little girls and green slime make an unbeatable combination," Butler says. Readers? Thoughts?

Mr. Butler concluded his piece by saying: "I say bring back movie nudity, the more the better."

***And I say, while we're at it, could we cut back on the torture, too? At the very least, this would prevent Mel Gibson from ever making another movie, and one less nutbag kook in Hollywood could only be a good thing.

Paulette Tobin is arts & entertainment reporter at the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks N.D.
 

Posted by: tobin on 3/16/2010 at 4:06 AM | Comments (1) | Permalink

The final days of St. Bette's at Fire Hall

As a reporter, I know that there is both satisfaction and trepidation in writing those stories that you know are going to touch people in the most personal way. The satisfaction is that you are sharing information and/or telling a story that you know has the power to affect people, even to change lives. The trepidation? That is a LOT of responsibility. You had better get it right.

And so it is with "St. Bette's," written by Grand Forks playwright Kathy Coudle-King, which will have its final three performances this week, at 7:30 p.m. March 18-20 at Fire Hall Theatre in Grand Forks.

St. Bette’s takes place in 1961 as four women enter a home for unwed mothers. Each women feels this is her only choice. Unmarried, young, no financial means, burgeoning professional dreams, reckless behavior, and love have brought them to this house. Some want to keep their babies. One, because of her disability, is not allowed. What is choice when there are no options?

When I talked to director Adonica Schultz Aune about the play just before it opened, we talked about whether today's generation could understand the time in which St. Bette's was set. The 1950s and 1960s, even the 1970s, when I was a young woman, were a very different time if you were single and pregnant. Most often, pregnant women would get married quickly and hope no would could count to nine months, or they would go away to hide in shame until they had given birth, and then give up their babies for adoption.

Yes, society was different then, Aune told me. But people today still understand the terror and the fear that young women face in making choices when they face an unplanned pregnancy.

For plenty of older women, St. Bette's literally IS their story. Women have told Coudle-King: "You told my story." One woman even praised the set of St. Bette's for how well it reflected the home for unwed mothers she'd gone to before giving birth, from the crucifix and the photo of the pope on the wall to the four twin beds in a single room.

Aune remembered a young woman she knew years ago who became pregnant in high school. Her boyfriend was allowed to continue to go to school but she was not. When her baby was born, it was denied baptism.

"I think it was harder on the girls because they were held more responsible for everything that happened," Aune said. "It was a double standard for men and women. The girls had to face their shame alone and churches weren’t real sympathetic. It was unfair and really sad."

Coudle-King began writing "St. Bette's" in 2004. Here's what she told me about it in an e-mail:

"At a retreat that year I talked about my project, and two women came up to me separately and said this was their story. If I wanted first hand info, they’d be happy to give it. That’s when I realized there are untold number of women out here walking around with a story that they have been shamed into keeping silent. This made me want to write the play even more. After all, the women who adopt the baby is lauded for her action, yet the woman who provides that baby is shamed into silence? That doesn’t seem right. Some of the women who release their babies are caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. Those of us not in her shoes cannot possibly understand what went into her choice; however, I’ve tried to imagine it a bit with this play. I think it’s a choice that’s hard because it stays with you your whole life. The summer of ‘61 when my characters are gathered at St. Bette’s is frozen in time for them. They never leave it behind. They live that choice every day.

"Interestingly, the day I announced the upcoming production a fellow playwright on Face Book emailed me. He said that 1961 was the year an annoymous woman released him for adoption."

Kathy concluded: "These stories are out there and it’s the playwrights' job to get us to look at them and perhaps lay aside some of our preconcieved notions about right and wrong."

Paulette Tobin is arts & entertainment reporter at the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, N.D.

Posted by: tobin on 3/15/2010 at 2:35 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Books on my calendar

A few weeks ago one of my blog readers called me a "geezer" so I might as well admit I still carry a paper agenda book in my purse to keep track of appointments, deadlines, birthdays and such. One of the things I record on my calendar is book release dates for books I can't wait to buy and read. Here are three books that are on that list right now:

"Nothing But Trouble," by Rachel Gibson. Release date: April 27. Gibson writes fun, smart and steamy contemporary romances. Her first two romance novels, "Simply Irresistible" and "Truly Madly Yours," were named among the Top Ten Favorite Books of the Year by Romance Writers of America. And in 2002, "True Confessions" was awarded the RITA® for the Best Single Title Contemporary Romance of the Year. I think these are three of the best books I have ever read. Gibson writes great female characters and her alpha males are to die for. Several books, including "Simply Irresistible," are set in the world of hockey and/or in the Pacific Northwest. So far I've been unable to discover much about the storyline for "Nothing But Trouble," but Gibson could write a book about chicken ranchers and I'd still read it.

"Storm Prey," by John Sandford. Release date: May 18. This will be the 20th in Sandford series about Minneapolis cop/high-ranking criminal investigator Lucas Davenport. I am a huge Sandford fan; the last time he released a Lucas Davenport book, I finished it, and then re-read in order the 18 books that had preceded it. (OK, I may be slightly obsessed.) This book, according to amazon.com, begins on a bitterly cold Minnesota morning when three big men burst through the door of a hospital pharmacy, duct-tape the hands, feet, mouth, and eyes of two pharmacy workers, and clean the place out. But then things go bad, one of the workers dies, and the robbers hustle out to their truck-and find themselves for just one second face-to-face with a blond woman in the garage: Weather Karkinnen, surgeon, and Davenport's wife. What happens when the bad guys decide they must eliminate the witness? In addition to his "Prey" (Lucas Davenport) novels, Sandford has written nine other books, most recently the Virgil Flowers novel "Rough Country," also set in Minnesota.

"61 Hours," by Lee Child. Release date: May 18. OK, this will be a conundrum -- which one do I read first, Sandford or Child, because both books are scheduled to come out on May 18. Child's books are about an ex-military man, Jack Reacher, whose basically has been traveling aimlessly since he left the service. Amazon.com says "61 Hours" begins with a tour bus crash in a savage snowstorm -- in South Dakota no less -- and lands Jack Reacher in the middle of a deadly confrontation in Bolton, S.D., (Note: There is no Bolton, S.D., but there is a Colton. Coincidence?). A woman is standing up for justice in a small town threatened by sinister forces and if she’s going to live long enough to testify, she’ll need help, because a killer is coming to Bolton, "a coldly proficient assassin who never misses." The book blurb continues: "Reacher’s original plan was to keep on moving. (Note: That's always his plan, but he always seems to get waylaid, and there's usually a woman involved.) But the next 61 hours will change everything. The secrets are deadlier and his enemies are stronger than he could have guessed — but so is the woman whose life he’ll risk his own to save."

Readers, please note: All of these authors write books for adults, with adult themes, language, explicit sexuality and violence. If this is not your thing, there are plenty of other great authors out there.

Knowing these books will soon be on the shelves of my favorite bookstore just gives me one more reason to anticipate spring.

Tobin is arts & entertainment reporter at the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks N.D.

Posted by: tobin on 2/18/2010 at 3:40 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Can the arts help save our small towns?

I can't stop thinking about thinking about "Saving Hazelton," http://www.grandforksherald.com/event/article/id/151264/publisher_ID/40/ a story that was published a couple of days ago in the Herald and many other newspapers. In the Herald, the headline over the story read: "Florida family gives up on small-town North Dakota."

The story was about Jeanette and Michael Tristani and their 12-year-old twins, who moved from Miami to Hazelton, N.D., because Hazelton promised free land and other benefits to newcomers who would settle there. They were looking for a crime-free simpler life. Now they want to return to Miami. Michael has to commute to Bismarck (45 minutes) to work. Jeanette lost her job in Linton, N.D., when a call center closed. They tried starting a bistro in Hazelton but say they were harassed by another business owner. 

"It's been quite an experience, 50-50 at best," Michael Tristani said in the story. "It hasn't been easy. No one really wants new people here."

I am old enough to know there are always two sides to every story. But I've also lived most of my life in North Dakota and South Dakota in small, medium and (for the Dakotas) large communities. And I can believe the Tristanis had a hard time fitting in.

Most of us are aware of how our rural communities are fading. Like the buffalo, the farmers, ranchers and small towns of the Plains seem to be next in line to disappear from the countryside. So far, beyond pheasant hunting and wind farms, no one seems to have an idea of what's going to happen next out there.

Still many rural communities either can't or don't know how to make the changes they need to survive, or even what "survival" will look like. The "we've always done it this way" mindset, the suspicion of new ideas, the clannishness, are impediments. We've all heard stories like the one about a couple who grew up in a small rural town. They had moved away in their 20s, worked for years a metropolitan area, then returned to their little hometown when they retired. They bought a house and got involved in many community activities. One day an anonymous phone caller let them know: "We got along just fine before you came back here." And this was the town where they had been born, where they graduated from high school and married, and still -- to some people -- they were outsiders.

It is a sign of how we regard ourselves that we often look at newcomers and think: Why would you choose to live here? Like we can't believe that any person would actually want to call North Dakota home. Honestly, what does that say about us? Yes, there are downsides to living here. But name a place that doesn't have a downside. I have a sister who lives near Palm Springs, Calif. The weather is pretty much heaven, but I couldn't live there. The traffic is so awful, within a week I'd have a stroke from road rage. And, seriously, earthquakes? No thank you.

I think living in Grand Forks must be less of a challenge than living, say, in Hazelton, N.D. Grand Forks has more jobs, more businesses and shopping, a university, good schools, several libraries, more arts and entertainment possibilities. But I'm not sure my family and friends who live in small towns would agree. They like to remind me that they are living in good and caring communities, too, where they often are busier than they'd like to be. I remember a few years back, hearing a small town pastor, a relative newcomer to my tiny hometown, who gave a wonderful graduation speech about the richness and fulfillment he and his wife had found there. They didn't feel like they were missing anything. It was a great reminder to the graduates (and me) that it's attitude more than anything that's key to having a happy and successful life.

When I think of people and small towns that make the best of what they've got, I always think of Pekin, N.D., and the Nelson County Arts Council. Its executive director is Brenda Bjorlie, a woman with a southern accent, 100 plans and ideas for enhancing the arts in her corner of the world and a ton and a half of charm. She and the people of the Nelson County Arts Council sponsor art shows, juried competitions, touring exhibits, musical events and more, often in the town's old gymnasium/theater. On March 7, Pekin will host the Nelson County Arts Council Winter Art Auction, a fundraiser for the Stump Lake Fine Arts Youth Camp. They must have the best board and the best volunteers and the best community sponsors to do all the things they do.

Like most of the rural Midwest, Nelson County is losing population. But they are a long way from giving up. And if anyone asks what they have to offer, they can certainly point to all they've got going in the arts.

Tobin is arts & entertainment reporter for the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, N.D.

Posted by: stotobin on 2/17/2010 at 3:12 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

'Annie'

The Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre presentation of the musical “Annie” continues this week with 7:30 p.m. shows Thursday through Saturday and a final 2 p.m. matinee on Sunday at Empire Arts Center.

I saw "Annie" last week and it's got an appeal for all ages. Ali Nicolai as Annie and the little girls who play the orphans were adorable and talented. Plus there are two very cute dogs taking turns playing Sandy. Having said that, I had forgotten how political this show is. I'm surprised the same people who were incensed by "Hair" last summer haven't noticed the political subtext in this one.

Tickets for "Annie" are $15 and $18 and you can get reservations by calling (701) 777-4090.

In the meantime, don't forget the other live theater coming up in Grand Forks and the Red River Valley in the next couple of weeks. For example:

Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. at UND Chester Fritz Auditorium you can see “The Wedding Singer,” a musical based on the 1980s movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. For ticket info, go to http://www.cfa.und.edu/.

The Lake Region State College Playmakers will present "The Diary of Anne Frank" at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday at Robert Fawcett Auditorium at Lake Region State College, Devils Lake. This play is based on the true story of Anne Frank, 13, and her family, who hid from the Nazis in an attic for two years until they were found a few months before the end of the war. Tickets will be sold at the door.

Red River High School will present the comedy "Over the River and Through the Woods” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday at the RRHS Theatre, Grand Forks. Tickets are $6 and $3; call (701) 746-2411 for reservations.

Based on the Judy Blume book, “Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing” is coming to the Chester Fritz 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. Ticket info: http://www.cfa.und.edu/

"Tragedy tomorrow! Comedy tonight!" North Dakota State University is presenting the musical “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 25-27, and Wednesday through Saturday, March 3-6, with a 2 p.m. Sunday, March 7, matinee at NDSU Askanase Auditorium, Fargo. Daniel Dutot of Grand Forks plays the boastful soldier Miles Gloriosus, to whom is promised the beautiful Philia, who also is the object of our young hero's desires. I haven't seen this show since the Zero Mostel movie version and I'm hoping to get to Fargo to see it again. For tickets, call (701) 231-7969.

“tick, tick... BOOM!,” a musical about a struggling young composer's dream to write a successful rock musical, will run at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday thrugh Saturday, March 2-6, at UND Burtness Theatre, Grand Forks. Tickets will be $10 and $8; call the box office at (701) 777-2587. The music in "tick, tick...BOOM!" is by the late Jonathan Larson, the famous composer of the Broadway hit musical "Rent," but the show was written by a couple of Larson’s friends after his tragic death in 1996. I am looking forward to seeing this show for the first time, but may I say it has the dumbest title I have heard in a long time.

Greater Grand Forks Community Theatre will open “St. Bette’s,” written by Grand Forks playwright Kathy Coudle-King, at 7:30 p.m. from Thursday through Saturday March 4-6, March 11-13 and March 18-20, with 2 p.m. Sunday matinees on March 7 and 14. The story is of a home for unwed mothers back in the day when women in that condition routinely hid themselves away (or were hidden away by their families) and will be presented at Fire Hall Theatre, Grand Forks. Tickets will be $15 and $18. For reservations or into, call (701) 777-4090 or go to ggfct.org.

Central High School will present the musical “Anything Goes” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday March 4-6 and 2 p.m. March 7 at Central High School auditorium, Grand Forks. Tickets will be $8 and $4. Call (701) 787-4075 for reservations.

Tobin is arts & entertainment reporter for the Grand Forks Herald, Grand Forks, N.D.

Posted by: tobin on 2/15/2010 at 2:47 PM | Comments (0) | Permalink

Tags: central high school, chester fritz auditorium, daniel dutot, empire arts center, greater grand forks community theatre, ndsu askanase theater, north dakota state university, red river high school, und, und burtness theatre