**PLEASE NOTE: You must print out your ticket and present it at the theater. Arrive early. Seating is NOT guaranteed.**

Starring: Andy Garcia, Juilanna Marguiles, Alan Arkin, Steven Strait, Dominik Garcia-Lorido, Ezra Miller and Emily Mortimer.

When prison guard and aspiring actor, Vince Rizzo (Andy Garcia) is asked to reveal his biggest secret during his drama class, he inadvertently sets off a chain of events that turns his mundane suburban life into total chaos. Vince takes great pains covering up his half-truths from his family, but soon it becomes clear that everyone—his hot-tempered wife (Julianna Margulies), college student daughter (Dominik Garcia-Lorido), long-lost ex-con son (Steven Strait), charismatic acting partner (Emily Mortimer) and even his drama coach (Alan Arkin)—all have secrets of their own. Everyone’s furtive deceptions collide with hilarious results. Set on City Island, a quaint fishing community on the outskirts of the Bronx, this smart and charming comedy explores the absurd secrets and vices people choose to keep from their loved ones…and the realization that the truth is easier to cope with than well-intentioned white lies.

CITY ISLAND is a funny and touching family tale about the secrets of the past catching up with the lies of the present, and accepting that nobody’s perfect – least of all your loved ones.

A copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the $50 ticket cost, in addition to all wines and appetizers.

Michael Lewis
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
April 14
Sorrento Hotel
Doors open at 6,
interview begins at 7

Michael Lewis is the most entertaining chronicler of our modern times. He was a top bond trader at Salomon Bros before he left to become a writer. Liar’s Poker, his account of life on Wall Street, is one of the defining books of the ’80s.

	Michael Lewis

Lewis has gone on to tackle topics from Silicon Valley (The New, New Thing and Next) to baseball (Moneyball), to fatherhood (HomeGame). His book about football, The Blind Side, was recently adapted into an academy award nominated film.

His new book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, is a character-rich and humorous study of how the U.S. economy was driven over the cliff, with a cast of real-life characters that includes villains, a few heroes and a lot of people who look very, very foolish.

The historic Sorrento Hotel will host our event, and the evening begins with appetizers and wine at 6 p.m. with onstage interview at 7. The Chateau St. Michelle will be providing our featured wines for the evening, and all wines, appetizers and a copy of The Big Short are included in the $50 per/person ticket price.

Kim Ricketts/Book Events connects people by creating author events in non-traditional venues. When authors visit Seattle, we find innovative ways to celebrate their books. Keep an eye out for our COOKS AND BOOKS visiting chef series and THE GOOD LIFE: books for better living events taking place at great venues about town.

For more information about Kim Ricketts/Book Events, to inquire about a private event, or to sign-up for our email list, call (206) 632-2419 or contact us.

A copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the $50 ticket cost, in addition to all wines and appetizers.

Michael Lewis
The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine
April 14
Sorrento Hotel
Doors open at 6,
interview begins at 7

Michael Lewis is the most entertaining chronicler of our modern times. He was a top bond trader at Salomon Bros before he left to become a writer. Liar’s Poker, his account of life on Wall Street, is one of the defining books of the ’80s.

	Michael Lewis

Lewis has gone on to tackle topics from Silicon Valley (The New, New Thing and Next) to baseball (Moneyball), to fatherhood (HomeGame). His book about football,The Blind Side, was recently adapted into an academy award nominated film.

His new book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, is a character-rich and humorous study of how the U.S. economy was driven over the cliff, with a cast of real-life characters that includes villains, a few heroes and a lot of people who look very, very foolish.

The historic Sorrento Hotel will host our event, and the evening begins with appetizers and wine at 6 p.m. with onstage interview at 7. The Chateau St. Michelle will be providing our featured wines for the evening, and all wines, appetizers and a copy of The Big Short are included in the $50 per/person ticket price.

Kim Ricketts/Book Events connects people by creating author events in non-traditional venues. When authors visit Seattle, we find innovative ways to celebrate their books. Keep an eye out for our COOKS AND BOOKS visiting chef series and THE GOOD LIFE: books for better living events taking place at great venues about town.

For more information about Kim Ricketts/Book Events, to inquire about a private event, or to sign-up for our email list, call (206) 632-2419 or contact us.

Christopher Hitchens

Recently, I was invited to appear on KUOW Presents on 94.9FM to showcase three films in which God is murdered or, at the very least, severely annoyed. (It’s just a flesh wound?) You can listen to my conversation with Jeannie Yandel for my take on CREATION, RELIGULOUS and THE INVENTION OF LYING. The first film is a noble failure in theaters now, the second is Bill Maher’s “agnostic” ad hoc-umentary and the last is a brilliant satire co-written and co-directed by Ricky Gervais and Matthew Robinson.

What all of these movies have in common is an unsettling dogmatism as final and unflinching as any fundamentalist’s beliefs. Don’t misunderstand, I am  a cultural Jew who attends Quaker meetings, who shuns God in any anthropomorphized form yet who embraces the obvious existence of the imponderable. Not all great questions can be answered by mortals. Not all design is intelligent. (Witness the butterfly… ballot.) Science is no more my religion than Scientology is; for at some point neither adequately allows for the notion that, in our lifetimes, we just can’t know, we can only surmise. To say otherwise, is delusional or disingenuous. Right? Too few share Abraham Lincoln’s sage and simple moral construct:  When I do good, I feel good, and when I do bad, I feel bad, and that’s my religion.

In CREATION, Charles Darwin — as portrayed by Paul Bettany — frets when his colleague applauds the pending publication of On The Origin of Species, saying: “Congratulations, sir. You’ve killed God.” But the author of evolution needn’t have feared: killing God only makes him stronger… in the eyes of His beholden. You can’t end Terrorism by uprooting a single, maniacal cave-dweller nor can you extinguish Religion by dousing a burning bush with alternative explanations. Terrorism and Religion both thrive on root causes that, few pundits and non-believers, will address: Humankind’s need for comfort and conformity in the perpetual grip of Uncertainty and Fear.

So, Atheists, you may kill the supreme being repeatedly, but you’re missing your marks. The devout are as determined as the makers of Doritos and will likewise persevere: Crunch all (the gods) you want, they’ll just make more.

Irish Reels Film Festival 2010 ~ March 12-14^th ~ Seattle

Screening venues: Henry Art Gallery, Seattle Art Museum & Seattle Center House

Co-Presented with the Irish Heritage Club

The Irish Reels Film Festival, a forum for award-winning features, shorts, and documentaries by independent Irish filmmakers, is proud to present three days of film screenings in Seattle, March 12- 14, 2010.

Now in its 12th year, the festival kicks off on Friday night, March 12th, at 7:00 p.m. at the Henry Art Gallery with a special screening of Saving Our Heritage: The Irish Georgian Society, a film which presents the work of The Irish Georgian Society in preserving Ireland’s rich architectural heritage. The program includes a lecture & slideshow by the Hon. Desmond Guinness, acclaimed author and authority on Georgian art and architecture, and President of the Irish Georgian Society.

Mr. Guinness is the great, great, great, great grandson of Arthur Guinness who founded Guinness Brewery over 250 years ago. He will be honored as the Grand Marshal of Seattle’s 2010 St. Patrick’s Day Parade, presented by the Irish Heritage Club. www.irishweek.org

The film festival moves location to the Seattle Art Museum on Saturday & Sunday evenings.

Saturday ~ March 13^th

At 6:30pm, Alan Gilsenan’s new feature documentary THE YELLOW BITTERN provides a revealing and surprising portrait of the last surviving member of The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem.  This intimate, confessional and highly cinematic film charts the remarkable rise to fame of these devil-may-care Irish singers, from their small-town beginnings in County Tipperary in Ireland to the folk hey-day of Greenwich Village in the Sixties where they absorbed black musical influences, played for JFK and out-sold the Beatles. The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem would go on to influence a host of popular artists from Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger to The Pogues, and become a powerful iconic presence on the Irish cultural map.

The 9:00pm feature presentation is THE ECLIPSE, Conor McPherson’s latest feature film which explores the challenges of love, fear of the unknown and release from the burden of grief. Written and directed by Mr. McPherson, the film stars Ciarán Hinds, Aidan Quinn and Iben Hjejle.

Both films have been nominated for awards at the 2010 Irish Film & Television awards. Winners will be announced on Feb 20^th. http://www.ifta.ie/

The short animated film Granny O’Grimm’s Sleeping Beauty will precede the feature presentation. The film, directed by Nicky Phelan and produced by Darragh O’Connell, has been nominated for an Oscar® in the Best Animated Short Film category.

Sunday ~ March 14^th

At 6:30pm, Lance Daly’s narrative film is the award winning feature, KISSES. The film takes us on a journey into the streets of inner city Dublin with two ten-year-old kids. Lance Daly’s vision of Dublin, as seen through the innocent eyes of the protagonists, is a kaleidoscope of magic, wonder and mystery. But as the night wears on, and Dublin takes on a darker character, the two kids have to rely on the kindness of strangers, the advice of Bob Dylan and their trust in each other to survive the night.

Introducing newcomers Kelly O’Neill and Shane Curry with a supporting role played by renowned Irish actor, Stephen Rea.

The closing night feature presentation at 9.00pm is WAVERIDERS, written and directed by Joel Conroy. Waveriders is a feature documentary tells the previously untold story of the unlikely Irish roots of the worldwide surfing phenomenon and today’s pioneers of Irish big wave surfing and the nascent world class surfing destinations available off the North West coast of Ireland. Waveriders won the prestigious Best Documentary Award at the 2009 Surfer Poll & Video awards. The awards, often coined the “Academy Awards of Surfing”, honors the pinnacle of surf culture.

Free screenings @ Seattle Center during Irish Week Celebrations.

The Irish Reels Film Festival is a featured part of the Irish week celebrations at the Seattle Center and all screenings at the Seattle Center are FREE. Starting after the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, at 12:00 noon the film festival presents two afternoons of engaging and provocative films on Saturday and Sunday, including:

The Liberties, a series of twelve beautifully crafted short films, each focusing on a different character in Dublin’s inner-city.

Dublin 26.06.08 an eclectic, multi-authored impression of Dublin (within the M50) as it lived, died, breathed, made love, filled up and emptied, consumed, wept, was rained or shone on, grew bright and then darkened again.

Butte, America, a documentary which recounts the sometimes glorious, often sorrowful, but always fascinating story of the most lucrative hard rock mining town in United States.

The Bass Player, which chronicles Irish writer and filmmaker Niall McKay’s journey with his father, Jim, a Jazz bass player, on his return home from Zurich to Dublin following the death of Jim’s second wife Anna in a story about one retired immigrants search for love, adventure and a place to call home.

Frederick Douglass and the White Negro, a documentary by John J. Doherty which examines the effect Ireland had on Frederick Douglass’ activism & the role of the Irish in America after Douglass’ return. The film sheds light on the turbulent relationship between African Americans and Irish Americans, and the race riot that rocked NYC during the Civil War.

Waiting for The Light, directed by Ciarín Scott, a compelling biography of George Morrison, the towering pioneer and innovator of Irish cinema. Of his 42 films, Mise Éire and Saorise are internationally acclaimed and seminal masterpieces, defining Ireland’s modern history.

Dambé – The Mali Project, a musical journey to the heart of Africa with acclaimed Irish musicians Liam O’Maonlaí (The Hothouse Flowers) and Paddy Keenan (The Bothy Band) as they travel thousands of miles to the remote music festival – Festival au Desert.

For more information including complete film descriptions, photos, video trailers and advance ticket sales visit the Irish Reels Film Festival website at www.irishreels.org.

The Irish Reels Film Festival showcases contemporary Irish films with a focus is on independently produced work and those that have yet to receive international distribution. The aim is to inspire audiences with thought provoking and powerful stories, stories that are universal yet told from an Irish viewpoint by talented Irish filmmakers.

The Irish Heritage Club is a non-profit, non-political, non-religious organization that promotes Irish cultural activities in the greater Seattle and Puget Sound areas, especially activities that promote the Irish language, Irish music, Irish dancing, Irish history, Gaelic games, and cultural exchanges between the Puget Sound area and Ireland.

Greetings, followers of The Warren Report!
We here at FiveLabs had a blast developing the new-and-improved TheWarrenReport.com — and we thank Warren for offering to provide a little PR for us. If you are in need of some help on the technology front, please visit our site, and give us a call!

Here is a brief Q&A on *FiveLabs* <http://www.fivelabs.com>:

Q: What does FiveLabs do?
A: We build software — such as websites, workflow systems, or any other software that involves the management, transaction, or calculation of data and images. We plan and implement software projects, and technical architecture. We find and resolve major system issues. We also evaluate and assist with projects in mid-stream, especially if they seem to be falling behind or off-track. Our IT solutions solve business problems.

Q: So, if somebody needs something coded, he/she can contact you?
A: Well, yes. But keep in mind, our background and our value involves more than that — we represent many years of leadership, both in the form of technology AND planning: risk mitigation, issue resolution, and execution of technology projects. These skills allow us to save our clients time and money, making the most of what they invest in technology. Some people call it consulting; it’s really just a lot of experience mixed with the passion to get it right and be swift, thorough, and precise while we work. Our results represent our firm’s commitment. So, yes, we can code. More often we can do way more than just that.

Q: How large is the FiveLabs team?
A: We can do projects that require from 2 to 20 resources. We often work as part of a larger project, with resources from our clients, and even other vendors. We’ve worked with off-shore teams as well. Small firms use us to ensure their technology platforms and architecture is sound, as they start up, and as they grow. Large firms tend to use our services in a more targeted manner: to evaluate specific systems, or help with specific projects– in that case, we work with in-house IT staff.

Q: So, what would be some examples of your work in the past?
A: Well, glad you asked. Examples are at the bottom, in case that’s of interest.

Q: What is the first step if we think we might see an opportunity for you?
A: Contact us! We might be tenacious about following up on a lead, but we promise that we’re very easy to talk with. Initial discussions are no-charge, and we are up front if the fit is not right for our firm — we’ll do our best to find the right one for you.

Beth Lyons and Matt Francis, Partners
FiveLabs, Inc. <http://www.fivelabs.com>
1817 Queen Anne Ave N
Suite 303
Seattle, WA 98109
206.319.0230 x24

Examples of our work:

-Well, of course, there is TheWarrenReport.com<http://www.TheWarrenReport.com>.
We worked with Warren over a series of fun and pain-free meetings, where we listened to what he needed, reviewed options for the look of the site, asked for his frequent feedback, developed what he needed, and refined the site until it was ready for him to use. Our goal is for Warren to have a MUCH better time with his site in 2010, and to help him be more successful in the areas of event management, video blog presentation, and increased site traffic.

-FiveLabs assisted a well-known online retail site over a period of 18 months– beginning with a total re-platform of their site, since their old system was not able to scale with their impressive growth. This was followed by designing and building a long list of enhancements supporting
international expansion, improved (faster) performance, and better user experience. Our series of projects, all done in collaboration with the in-house client team, culminated in a full-site re-design that launched this past summer. It was featured in *The Wall Street Journal*.

-A large firm that designs and produces educational materials (K-12 and post-secondary) acquired a smaller firm in order to expand its overall offering, in terms of web presence and user-designed products. They planned to re-write all the newly acquired systems, in order to be able to process
orders uniformly, but the project faced major difficulty as time-to-market and cost projections skyrocketed. FiveLabs was asked to do a 2-day evaluation of the (woefully behind schedule) project. Our recommendation allowed the existing systems to remain intact, with a small, elegant custom
layer of software, directing and translating data for all technology involved. Cost and time estimates were revised and contained, and the full system was available for the next sales cycle.

-A major human resources consulting firm enlisted FiveLabs to review and evaluate an existing set of applications supporting their customer-facing Benefits offering. Some of the software was web-based, but designed and built in the early 90’s, and some was even older than that, and not
accessible via the internet. FiveLabs re-designed the offering to provide all features via an updated and re-platformed web interface, complete with high-end graphics and extensive customized reporting for the firm’s in-house consultants and clients.

Many thanks to the dynamic Danielle W!

**Remember: Please print out your ticket from The Warren Report for admission!**

Director: Steve Pink

Screenplay by: Josh Heald and Sean Anders & John Morris

Story by: Josh Heald

Cast: John Cusack, Rob Corddry, Craig Robinson, Clark Duke, Crispin Glover, Lizzy Caplan and Chevy Chase

HOT TUB TIME MACHINE follows a group of best friends who’ve become bored with their adult lives: Adam (John Cusack) has been dumped by his girlfriend; Lou (Rob Corddry) is a party guy who can’t find the party; Nick’s (Craig Robinson) wife controls his every move; and video game-obsessed Jacob (Clark Duke) won’t leave his basement.  After a crazy night of drinking in a ski resort hot tub, the men wake up, heads pounding, in the year 1986.  This is their chance to kick some past and change their futures – one will find a new love life, one will learn to stand up for himself with the ladies, one will find his mojo, and one will make sure he still exists!

For more of my thoughts on David, click here and here.

DARBY may not fully intoxicate, but certainly can take the edge off any family movie night. O, Disney, won’t you please return to this sort of fare rather than the hyperkinetic inanity of G-FORCE? And now, The Ava Report, as dictated by my six-year-old-daughter…

This movie was a good movie but in two parts it was a bit scary. (There was a ghost that showed up two times and a carriage that took people when they died.) In one part, Darby went to where the leprechauns live and he was trying to get a horse. The horse got startled and then Darby fell into a hole where the leprechauns lived and two of them took him to their King. Here’s another thing, leprechauns like three things: drinking, dancing and hunting.It was funny when Darby put a glass of whisky in the sack with the king of the leprechauns and the king (Brian) drank it and threw the glass back out. In another part, the King Leprechaun got drunk and Darby pretended to get drunk but he was not. It was an interesting movie. Even though I’m 6 and a half, I think the movie is good for kids 8 and older.

So, what’s the verdict, critics and geeks? Is George Lucas a god amongst mortal movie-makers or a hack who happened tapped into the zit-geist?

Question what you see. Consider what you don’t. Draw your own conclusions.

Admittedly, since the death of Jerry Goldsmith — a loss far more traumatizing than the death of my own father — I have sought new, young composers to fill the void. Bear McCreary is one of the best, brightest hopes; he’s innovative, resourceful and committed. Single-handedly, he’s championed full-orchestra scoring for television shows such as Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles and, most recently and impressively, HUMAN TARGET for Fox.

2009 marked the breakout of another tremendous talent, Abel Korzeniowksi. His work on A SINGLE MAN contributed greatly to the movie’s warm critical reception. And, his score for BATTLE FOR TERRA, demonstrated a Romanticist’s flair for re-imagining space opera, respectful of the genre’s conventions while expanding its boundaries. Take a listen to Track 02 and delight in one the year’s most under-appreciated soundtracks. Then, nominate your own favorite film composers on the rise. Forget the ayes, in this case, the ears have it.

Biznik Innovators Series with Warren Etheredge from Lara Eve Feltin on Vimeo.

Well, chances are, even if you pay close attention you won’t hear Alec Baldwin’s speech tomorrow night at Seattle Repertory Theater’s re-staging of GLENGARRY GLENROSS. (Baldwin’s profanity-laced tirade wasn’t in the original Broadway play, it was added for the movie.) However, you will hear me talk about David Mamet’s sardonic spin on Arthur Miller and its polished film adaptation during an exclusive, post-show discussion on Thursday, February 25th, 2010.

Seattle Rep’s production features some of Seattle’s finest actors — John Aylward, R. Hamilton Wright, Charles Leggett and Ian Bell — recreating roles assayed, respectively, by Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Alan Arkin and Jonathan Pryce in James Foley’s big-screen version. Come join me afterwards to evaluate their efforts and the enduring value of Mamet’s workplace wind-down.

For a cheerier spin on Baldwin’s monologue, watch his elfin’ spoof from Saturday Night Live.

Words & Wine: Intimate Evenings with Interesting People continues, as we welcome New Yorker writer David Grann for a conversation about his NYT bestselling book The Lost City of Z and his new book The Devil and Sherlock Holmes: Tales of Murder, Madness and Obsession.

Grann has a fascination with eccentric true life characters and the talent to tell their stories in gripping, powerful detail, his pieces pivot around the pull of obsession and the kind of people that fall into its grasp.Whether it be the story of Percy Fawcett, a 19th century explorer who vanished in the Amazon or a Sherlock Holmes scholar who descends into violence and madness, Grann’s unforgettable profiles display the power and perversity of the human spirit.

	David Grann

“Outstanding, a powerful narrative, stiff lipped and Victorian at the center, trippy at the edges, as if one of those stern men of Conrad had found himself trapped in a novel by Garcia Marquez. A kind of magical nonfiction, terrifically entertaining.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

For all those who love the Shackleton story, the tales of the Everest climbers or the obsessive scientist in The Orchid Thief, don’t miss meeting and having a glass of wine with this new and engaging writer.

David Grann is a staff writer at The New Yorker and his stories have appeared in many of the best American writing anthologies, as well as the Atlantic, the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal and the New Republic.

As always, the beautiful Pan Pacific Hotel will host our event, and the evening begins with appetizers and wine at 6 PM with onstage interview at 7. Snoqualmie Winery, a leader in sustainable and organically made wines will be providing our featured wines for the evening, and all wines, appetizers and a copy of The Devil and Sherlock Holmes are included in the $50 per/person ticket price.

Kim Ricketts/Book Events connects people by creating author events in non-traditional venues. When authors visit Seattle, we find innovative ways to celebrate their books. Keep an eye out for our COOKS AND BOOKS visiting chef series and THE GOOD LIFE: books for better living events taking place at great venues about town.

For more information about Kim Ricketts/Book Events, to inquire about a private event, or to sign-up for our email list, call (206) 632-2419 or contact us.

“This was totally different from anything I have ever done; I’d prefer it if all author events were like this. Warren Etheredge is a good interviewer; a couple of glasses of wine help… This was really the best thing I have ever done as an author.”
— Ethan Canin, author of America, America

“I wanted to tell you how enjoyable the last Words & Wine was (Andre Dubus III) for my money, the best I’ve attended. Beautiful evening, beautiful venue, and he was clearly so thrilled to be in the presence of such an appreciative and enthralled audience. And Warren was really ‘on!’ It’s not always easy to be there after a long day of work, but I wouldn’t have missed this for anything. It is a reminder to me of the tremendous benefit this series (and all your efforts) are to this city.”
— Robert Sutherland, attendee

Check out Book Events videos!

A copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the $50 ticket cost, in addition to all wines and appetizers.

Many thanks to the wonderful Wendy G!

** Filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin will be present for a post-show Q&A **

Yvonne M’Sadoques rocks forward in her chair. She’s lived in the Abenaki community of Odanak for over a century – and has no shortage of stories to tell.

“The priest would march into our home and order us to stop dancing. We were going to the devil, he said.” She pauses, a humorous glint in her eye. “But you know – I don’t really believe in the devil. Do you?”

M’Sadoques is in conversation with Alanis Obomsawin, another of Odanak’s proud daughters – and one of Canada’s leading documentary filmmakers.

Obomsawin’s illustrious career comes full circle with Waban-Aki: People from Where the Sun Rises. Having dedicated nearly four decades to chronicling the lives of Canada’s First Nations, she returns to the village where she was raised to craft a lyric account of her own people.

Best Documentary Award, 2006, Imagine Native Media Arts Festival, Toronto

Alanis Obomsawin, a member of the Abenaki Nation, is one of Canada’s most distinguished documentary filmmakers. Her work embraces strong social themes and is inspired by the desire to let the voices of her people be heard. She has made over 20 uncompromising documentaries on issues concerning Aboriginal people in Canada.

Breathing Media presents the private screening of TEETHING, a six-minute cinematic poem about being caught between childhood and adulthood. Through physical movement, lyrical narration, and a lushly orchestrated score, TEETHING ignites your imagination and reminds you that though we may get older, we never grow up. View the Facebook Event at http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=343439034761.

Teething trailer from Breathing Media on Vimeo.

Too often, we speed thru our decision-making much the way amateur shutterbugs do their photography. We miss opportunities because we do not take an extra half-second to focus on their worth. Today, I offer you my version of the half-press by sharing press for THE POWER OF HALF. On Tuesday, March 9th, I’ll host the book’s authors, the father-daughter team of Kevin and Hannah Salwen at The Good Life, the fabulous event series organized by Kim Ricketts Book Events. I trust that once you read the reviews, you’ll want to join me at The Palace Ballroom for this perfectly composed study in charity.

Purchase tickets here after you meet the press below.

NATIONAL

Parade Magazine, original article by Kevin and Hannah, January 17

New York Times, interview by Nicholas Kristof, Sunday, Jan 24

CBS Sunday Morning, segment, to air Feb 7

ABC’s World News with Diane Sawyer, interview, to air Feb 8

The View, ABC-TV, Feb. 9, LIVE

NPR, “The World,” Interview with Kevin and Hannah, to air Feb. 10

American Public Media’s “Marketplace Money”, interview, to air Feb 12

O, The Oprah Magazine, profile of Kevin and Hannah, April issue

Christian Science Monitor, review, run date TK

People Magazine, interview, to run March 1

The New Yorker, “Talk of the Town” interview, run date to come

INTERNATIONAL

The Globe and Mail (Canada), interview, run date TK

CBC Connections (Canadian prime time), air date TK

BBC Radio/The World Today, interview, to air the week of Feb 8

Radio New Zealand/Afternoons, interview with Kevin, air date TK

ONLINE

Grist.org, feature, January 26

AOL Housing Watch, interview, Jan 28

Grist.org, feature and interview with Hannah, February 10

USA TODAY’s Green House blog, February 11

MotherNatureNetwork.com, feature, February 11

Guideposts.com, interview, date TK

DarynKagan.com, interview, date TK

IN GEORGIA…

Creative Loafing’s Culture Surfing blog, “Atlanta’s Most Anticipated Books of 2010″ pick, January 11

Atlanta Journal-Constitution, feature, Feb 7

Profile on 11 Alive Morning News on WXIA-TV–the local NBC affiliate. Air date TK.

Voice of America, radio interview with Philip Graitcer, air date TK

*A shortened version of this interview is airing on WABE Feb 3

IN NEW YORK…

WOR, The Joan Hamburg Show, live interview on Feb 10, 2010

Newsday, review tk

IN NEW ENGLAND…

Concord Monitor, interview, Feb 11

WKXL-AM recording Gibson’s Books event for re-broadcast, air date TK

Improper Bostonian, extended event listing, early Feb issue

Boston Phoenix, extended event listing, Feb 12

Boston Globe, feature, Feb 13

IN CHICAGO…

Chicago Public Radio / Worldview with Jerome McDonnell, interview, Feb16

Chicago Tribune, extended event listing, run date TK

ON THE WEST COAST…

LA Times, review, January 24

*syndicated to several West Coast newspapers

KPCC / Patt Morrison, interview, air date TK

MISCELLANEOUS

Arizona Daily Wildcat, review, Jan 26

The Olympian (WA), review (from LA Times), Jan 27

The State (SC), review (from LA Times), Jan 27

The Modesto Bee, review (from LA Times), Jan 27

Victoria Advocate, review (from LA Times), Jan 27

Santa Rosa Press Democrat (CA), Kristof op-ed piece, Jan 27

Many thanks to the STIFF-ies!

Watch the BREAKING UPWARDS trailer!

BREAKING UPWARDS explores a young, real-life New York couple who, fours years in and battling codependency, decide to intricately strategize their own break up. Based on an actual experiment devised by director/actor Daryl Wein and actress Zoe Lister-Jones, the film loosely interprets a year in their lives exploring alternatives to monogamy, and the madness that ensues. An uncensored look at young love, lust, and the pangs of codependency, BREAKING UPWARDS follows its characters as they navigate each others’ emotions across the city they love. It begs the question: is it ever possible to grow apart together?

THE GOOD SOLDIER is documentary film that follows the journeys of five American combat veterans from different generations as they sign up for war, go into battle, and eventually change their minds about what it means to be a good soldier.

© Scott Squire, NonFiction Media

“…I found [our] conversations about 4 times more fun and thought-provoking than any other moderated talks in which I’ve participated.”—David Benioff (screenwriter, 25TH HOUR; THE KITE RUNNER; WOLVERINE)

I am always flattered by the (unsolicited!) feedback I receive from the folks I interview. I am thrilled they appreciate the spirit with which I approach interviews. (Owen Schmitt of The Seattle Seahawks refers to my style as “chill”… and who am I to argue with the 6′2″, 247 pound fullback?)

Now you can learn how I prepare for interviews and how I respond to the different challenges presented by questioning folks on tape, on camera or before an audience. And, I’ll share insights and a little bit of gossip from the 1,000+ interviews I’ve conducted with the likes of Amy Sedaris, Calvin Trillin, Naomi Watts, Robert Duvall, Mariel Hemingway, Salman Rushdie, Nora Ephron, Michael Pollan, Charlie Kaufman, Augusten Burrough, Andy Samberg, Vincent Bugliosi, Nicolas Cage and others.

You’ll learn why documentarian Peter Esmonde says: “I was more relaxed being interviewed by you than anyone before or since. It’s so clear that, aside from being attentive and intelligent, you know [your stuff] — and that makes the interview more of a conversation with a compadre.”

Tuition for this exclusive, 3-hour workshop is only $75. You may mail check or money order (made payable to Warren Etheredge) to: 1752 NW Market St #118, Seattle 98107. Or, pay using PayPal, sending money to warren@thewarrenreport.com Or visit EventBrite for more options: http://listenup.eventbrite.com/

Space is limited, so please reserve your seat today and indicate you’ll be attending here on Facebook. The venue will be in the Ballard or Green Lake neighborhood.

About me…

As founder of The Warren Report (www.thewarrenreport.com), Warren Etheredge curates and hosts over 250 events every year, a podcast and television series. The Warren Report promotes “slow culture” through commentary, outreach, events and education. Our principle: Smarter audiences make a better world! Additionally, Warren is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, along with Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern, Rick Stevenson and John Jacobsen. For six years, Warren served as the Curator for the 1 Reel Film Festival (at Bumbershoot), before that, he worked with the Seattle International Film Festival. Warren has staged over 40 plays in New York, published five books, written countless magazine articles and recently completed a feature-length documentary, HUMOR ME. He is in pre-production for a new documentary, TAPPED OUT: SOLVING AMERICA’S WATER CRISIS. He is the host of Words & Wine and The Good Life, conversation series with A-list authors, and is a regular contributor to Seattle’s NPR affiliate, KUOW. He speaks at festivals and conferences nationwide including The Screenwriting Expo, The Austin Film Festival and Conference, Bastyr University’s Founders Weekend and Gnomedex.

“…I found [our] conversations about 4 times more fun and thought-provoking than any other moderated talks in which I’ve participated.”—

(screenwriter, 25TH HOUR; THE KITE RUNNER; WOLVERINE)

I am always flattered by the (unsolicited!) feedback I receive from the folks I interview. I am thrilled they appreciate the spirit with which I approach interviews. (Owen Schmitt of The Seattle Seahawks refers to my style as “chill”… and who am I to argue with the 6′2″, 247 pound fullback?)

Now you can learn how I prepare for interviews and how I respond to the different challenges presented by questioning folks on tape, on camera or before an audience. And, I’ll share insights and a little bit of gossip from the 1,000+ interviews I’ve conducted with the likes of Amy Sedaris, Calvin Trillin, Naomi Watts, Robert Duvall, Mariel Hemingway, Salman Rushdie, Nora Ephron, Michael Pollan, Charlie Kaufman, Augusten Burrough, Andy Samberg, Vincent Bugliosi, Nicolas Cage and others.

You’ll learn why documentarian Peter Esmonde says: “I was more relaxed being interviewed by you than anyone before or since. It’s so clear that, aside from being attentive and intelligent, you know [your stuff] — and that makes the interview more of a conversation with a compadre.”

Tuition for this exclusive, 3-hour workshop is only $75. You may mail check or money order (made payable to Warren Etheredge) to: 1752 NW Market St #118, Seattle 98107. Or, pay using PayPal, sending money to warren@thewarrenreport.com Or visit EventBrite for more options: http://listenup.eventbrite.com/

Space is limited, so please reserve your seat today and indicate you’ll be attending here on Facebook. The venue will be in the Ballard or Green Lake neighborhood.

About me…

As founder of The Warren Report (www.thewarrenreport.com), Warren Etheredge curates and hosts over 250 events every year, a podcast and television series. The Warren Report promotes “slow culture” through commentary, outreach, events and education. Our principle: Smarter audiences make a better world! Additionally, Warren is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, along with Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern, Rick Stevenson and John Jacobsen. For six years, Warren served as the Curator for the 1 Reel Film Festival (at Bumbershoot), before that, he worked with the Seattle International Film Festival. Warren has staged over 40 plays in New York, published five books, written countless magazine articles and recently completed a feature-length documentary, HUMOR ME. He is in pre-production for a new documentary, TAPPED OUT: SOLVING AMERICA’S WATER CRISIS. He is the host of Words & Wine and The Good Life, conversation series with A-list authors, and is a regular contributor to Seattle’s NPR affiliate, KUOW. He speaks at festivals and conferences nationwide including The Screenwriting Expo, The Austin Film Festival and Conference, Bastyr University’s Founders Weekend and Gnomedex.

Jeannie Yandel invited me to discuss my take on traditional coupledom by offering three movies that dare swim up the mainstream to examine love affairs that defy traditional coupledom. Listen here for my spin on these Loves for which there are no Hallmark cards. (The piece aired originally on KUOW Presents, Friday, February 12th, 2010.)

Once you have listened in, please share your Valentine’s views on sweet-spirited kink, full-blown fetish and hard-core romance. Trust that I’ll love you for your candor. And, feel free to nominate your own favorite, offbeat on-screen love stories.

Happy Valentine’s Day,

Warren

Order the three movies I highlight on KUOW Presents below. They’d make great gifts for your loved ones!

LARS & THE REAL GIRL

CRASH

SLEEPING DOGS LIE

Did Dean have the right to reference the big-screen Christ-killer’s run-in with the LAPD or should he have  just stuck to the publicists’ script and pumped EDGE OF DARKNESS into the morning (show) light? Should Mel have acknowledged his misdeeds or was he right to demean Dean for alluding to this age-old altercation? Does a lame question warrant on-air profanity? Watch the video, then…

Question what you see. Consider what you don’t. Draw your own conclusions… And win valuable prizes! More after this word from our sponsor…

The New Year is well underway and we are excited to bring these upcoming book events to you. Included below are details about our brand-new series with Skamania Lodge as well as the next two events in our popular Good Life: books for better living Series.

Put these on your calendar now:

“Imagination is like fire. No — strike that. Imagination is fire now comes the question: to what ends shall you use that fire?” – excerpt from Imagination First

Join author Eric Liu on February 17 at the Hotel Andra as he discusses why innovation and imagination are the key to limitless possibilities. His new book,Imagination First, shows us how, with 28 (and a half) universal practices for opening minds at work, home and play. All of them are designed to enable anyone –from corporate executives to preschool teachers — to get unstuck, to reframe challenges and to help others do the same.

Eric Liu is an author, civic entrepreneur and founder of the True Patriots Network, has taught at the University of Washington, been an executive at Real Networks and penned the “Teachings” column for Slate from 2002-2005. Eric served as a White House speechwriter for President Bill Clinton and later as the President’s deputy domestic policy adviser, and is the author of two previous bestselling books: a memoir The Accidental Asian as well as Guiding Lights: The People Who Lead Us Toward Our Purpose in Life.

Come find out how you can bring imagination into your work and life!

This event takes place at the Hotel Andra at 6:30 p.m., with onstage interview at 7 p.m.

On March 9 in our Good Life seris we welcome Kevin and Hannah Salwen (father and daughter) who will be here to discuss their book The Power of Half: One Family’s Decision to Stop Taking and Start Giving Back. It all started when 14-year-old Hannah Salwen had a “eureka moment.” Seeing a homeless man in her neighborhood alongside a Mercedes, she said “You know, Dad, if that man had a less nice car, maybe that man there could have a meal.”

Until that day the Salwens had been caught up in the American Dream: providing a good life for their children, working hard, accumulating stuff. As a family they made the extraordinary decision to sell their Atlanta home, downsize to a house half the size and give half the profit to a worthy charity.

Learn about the many ways their family changed in the process!

All Good Life events are $35 and include appetizers, confections from Theo Chocolate, a signed copy of the featured book and an on-stage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Our Good Life series is sponsored by Children’s Trust of Washington, who make the lives of families in our state better every single day: http://www.childrenstrust.org/

We also thank these additional sponsors: The Warren Report, Seattle’s Child, Tom Douglas Restaurants, Lush Life Floral and Theo Chocolate — all folks who make our community a better place to live!

Announcing Skamania Lodge Bed & Book-fest!

At Book Events we are thrilled to announce our latest fun project with Skamania Lodge, an all-season mountain resort in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. Bed and Book-fest is a new literary series that gives book lovers an opportunity to get away to a beautiful, historic lodge and spend time with some of your favorite NW authors. The series will feature five author hosted weekends in 2010, and launches with Kathleen Flinn, the bestselling author of The Sharper the Knife, the Less You Cry, on February 19 & 20.

Each Bed & Book-fest weekend will include an exclusive author’s reception with readings and book signings, as well as customized, author-hosted workshops and a copy of the author’s featured work. Guests who attend the first Bed & Book-fest with Kathleen Flinn will enjoy an exclusive cooking demonstration during which Flinn will share a favorite recipe from her book, followed by an author-hosted lunch of the same featured dish, prepared by Skamania Lodge’s award-winning culinary team.

For reservations and more info, click here.

The second event in the series takes place March 13-14 and will feature Jennifer Worick and her latest book, Backcountry Betty: Crafting With Style. Jennifer has written or co-authored more than 20 books, including the New York Times bestseller, The Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Dating & Sex. Worick currently resides in Seattle and is the Seattle reporter for Allure.

We are always looking for fun and different ways to connect people who love books with the authors who write them — so check our website, join our mailing list and keep an eye out for soon-to-be-announced authors in our ongoing Words & Wine and Cooks & Books series!

We hope to see you at an event soon — and in the meantime: happy winter reading!

As ever,

www.kimricketts.com

Man in the Box 2013 Facebook Abuse – Watch more Funny Videos

Now, what’s your take? Is social media, blameless, akin to guns? That is: Facebook doesn’t kill people, people do?

Question what you see. Consider what you don’t. Draw your own conclusions.

.

Roman Polanski, at least, has avoided uttering equally barbaric soundbites since his confession to drugging and sodomizing a minor, though I imagine if he were in the States — and incarcerated — we’d hear more from the diminutive pederast-piggy. (“Her lips said ‘Non,’ but her quaalude-clouded eyes said ‘oui, oui, oui!’ all the way home.”) Nevertheless, his filmic prolificacy speaks volumes and I don’t like what I’m hearing/seeing: PIRATES. FRANTIC. BITTER MOON. THE NINTH GATE. (He gets a pass for THE PIANIST, although making a Holocaust film practically guarantees one will receive Hollywood’s, um, gold star, no?)

Now, you can get a glimpse of Polanski’s latest, THE GHOST WRITER, thanks to the good folks at iTunes (and others, I’m sure). This is the project that allowed the deviant movie-maker to bypass prison time in favor of house arrest and somehow escape extradition once again. I urge you to watch the trailer, then ask yourself if it’s worth it. Worth what? Worth the tens of millions spent upon a genre production in service of the creative ego of a convicted statutory rapist. What price Art? Better yet, what price Justice? Have we bartered one for the other?

Question what you see. Consider what you don’t. Draw your own conclusions.

© Joshua Trujillo/Seattle PI

Amongst the accomplishments I am proudest of, I count my role as one of five co-founders of TheFilmSchool. Certainly, it is one of the only instances I’ve experienced during which talk has led to action leading to actual achievement of the goals originally set. TheFilmSchool’s three-week intensive is the populist response to the Sundance Institute, a chance for aspiring screenwriters to question their calling, then hone their craft within the comforting confines of a mentor-based haven. (A new session begins in March. Click here to apply. And, later this month, graduates and the prepared ought consider Substance & Sale, TheFilmSchool’s weekend intensive for those ready to advance their careers.)

Moving Pictures Magazine recently published a short, yet insightful, article about TheFilmSchool, focusing on three of my colleagues, Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern and John Jacobsen. I link to it here both for your edification and my self-esteem. Enjoy.

61_MPWinter09

62_MPWinter09

Monday, February 8, 2010 — 6:30 PM

Bastyr University is proud to host a series of conversations examining the intersections of science, spirituality and medicine. The events are presented by the Bastyr University Center for Spirituality, Science and Medicine and will be moderated by Warren Etheredge ofThe Warren Report.

Where: Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Dr. N.E., Kenmore, WA 98028
When: Musical conversation begins at 6:30 p.m. Moderated conversation is 7 – 8:30 p.m.
Advance Tickets: $15/night, $40 for series
At the Door: $20
Students: $10/night, $25 for series
Dine in Bastyr’s award-winning, vegetarian cafeteria before the conversation.  Open until 6:30 before the event.

Spirit conversation:

When: Monday, February 8, 2010
With: Rabbi Ted Falcon, PhD, Terrill Gibson, PhD, and Leanna Standish, ND, PhD, LAc
Music: By Thomas Arthur
Register online for the series or individual lectures.

Monday, February 1, 2010 — 6:30PM

Bastyr University is proud to host a series of conversations examining the intersections of science, spirituality and medicine. The events are presented by the Bastyr University Center for Spirituality, Science and Medicine and will be moderated by Warren Etheredge ofThe Warren Report.

Where: Bastyr University Chapel, 14500 Juanita Dr. N.E., Kenmore, WA 98028

When: Musical conversation begins at 6:30 p.m. Moderated conversation is 7 – 8:30 p.m.

Advance Tickets: $15/night, $40 for series At the Door: $20 Students: $10/night, $25 for series Dine in Bastyr’s cafeteria before the conversation.  Open until 6:30 before the event.

Mind conversation:

When: Monday, February 1, 2010 With: Sheila Dunn-Merritt, ND, Brad Lichtenstein, ND, and Robert V. Taylor Music: By Stephen Merritt Register online for the series or individual lectures.

Saturday, February 6th, 2010    9am-5pm venue: tba (Seattle, WA)

http://www.eventbrite.com/event/526887936

Movies are a lot like football. Beneath the hype and circumstance, there is a lot of strategy, a lot of technique. And, like football, most Americans watch movies and discuss movies religiously without ever really knowing what they really are talking about. For those who wish to sound smarter and for those who hope to make movies, I offer this special Super Bowl session of LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES the day before the game. The class runs seven hours… which is just slightly shorter than television’s preposterous pre-game shenanigans.

If you want to visit France, it’s best to learn French. If you want to be a retail analyst, you’ve got to talk shop. And if you’re gonna talk smack with Dr. Doolittle, best brush up on your Marsupialese: the vet curses in fluent kangaroo. Can’t you? So why is it so many folks who love movies or want to make them, possess only the most rudimentary vocabulary for critiquing and constructing Film?

LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES, is a 1-day intensive during which we’ll examine the five major components of production — directing, shooting, acting, editing and composing — by reviewing clips to dissect the intricacies and artistry of each of these professions. After seven hours, you’ll fully understand the principles of film theory and the challenges of filmmaking. Most importantly, as the class title implies, you’ll have the vocabulary to best express your impressions of others’ efforts and your own grand visions.

Register now for this special session of LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES on February 6th, 2010. In honor of the Dallas Cowboys’ hoped for appearance in next year’s Super Bowl, I am offering a special discount. Yup, you can attend the entire seven-hour seminar for only $125 (a savings of twenty-five dollars!). Reserve your seat on-line via PayPal or send a check or money order — made payable to Warren Etheredge — to: 1752 NW Market St #118, Seattle, WA 98107. Better yet, go here:  http://www.eventbrite.com/event/526887936 Seating is limited, so act now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at warren@thewarrenreport.com

About me…

As founder of The Warren Report (www.thewarrenreport.com), Warren Etheredge curates and hosts over 250 events every year, a podcast and television series. The Warren Report promotes “slow culture” through commentary, outreach, events and education. Our principle: Smarter audiences make a better world! Additionally, Warren is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, along with Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern, Rick Stevenson and John Jacobsen. For six years, Warren served as the Curator for the 1 Reel Film Festival (at Bumbershoot), before that, he worked with the Seattle International Film Festival. Warren has staged over 40 plays in New York, published five books, written countless magazine articles and recently completed a feature-length documentary, HUMOR ME. He is the host of Words & Wine,The Good Life and the Biznik Innovators Series, conversation series with A-list authors, and is a regular contributor to Seattle’s NPR affiliate, KUOW. He speaks at festivals and conferences nationwide including The Screenwriting Expo, The Austin Film Festival and Conference and Gnomedex.

Movies are a lot like football. Beneath the hype and circumstance, there is a lot of strategy, a lot of technique. And, like football, most Americans watch movies and discuss movies religiously without ever really knowing what they really are talking about. For those who wish to sound smarter and for those who hope to make movies, I offer this special Super Bowl session of LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES the day before the game. The class runs seven hours… which is just slightly shorter than television’s preposterous pre-game shenanigans.

If you want to visit France, it’s best to learn French. If you want to be a retail analyst, you’ve got to talk shop. And if you’re gonna talk smack with Dr. Doolittle, best brush up on your Marsupialese: the vet curses in fluent kangaroo. Can’t you? So why is it so many folks who love movies or want to make them, possess only the most rudimentary vocabulary for critiquing and constructing Film?

LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES, is a 1-day intensive during which we’ll examine the five major components of production — directing, shooting, acting, editing and composing — by reviewing clips to dissect the intricacies and artistry of each of these professions. After seven hours, you’ll fully understand the principles of film theory and the challenges of filmmaking. Most importantly, as the class title implies, you’ll have the vocabulary to best express your impressions of others’ efforts and your own grand visions.

Register now for this special session of LANGUAGE FOR MOVIES on February 6th, 2010. In honor of the Dallas Cowboys’ hoped for appearance in next year’s Super Bowl, I am offering a special discount. Yup, you can attend the entire seven-hour seminar for only $125 (a savings of twenty-five dollars!). Reserve your seat on-line via PayPal or send a check or money order — made payable to Warren Etheredge — to: 1752 NW Market St #118, Seattle, WA 98107. Or, visit www.thewarrenreport.com for other options. Seating is limited, so act now. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at warren@thewarrenreport.com

About me…

As founder of The Warren Report (www.thewarrenreport.com), Warren Etheredge curates and hosts over 250 events every year, a podcast and television series. The Warren Report promotes “slow culture” through commentary, outreach, events and education. Our principle: Smarter audiences make a better world! Additionally, Warren is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, along with Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern, Rick Stevenson and John Jacobsen. For six years, Warren served as the Curator for the 1 Reel Film Festival (at Bumbershoot), before that, he worked with the Seattle International Film Festival. Warren has staged over 40 plays in New York, published five books, written countless magazine articles and recently completed a feature-length documentary, HUMOR ME. He is the host of Words & Wine,The Good Life and the Biznik Innovators Series, conversation series with A-list authors, and is a regular contributor to Seattle’s NPR affiliate, KUOW. He speaks at festivals and conferences nationwide including The Screenwriting Expo, The Austin Film Festival and Conference and Gnomedex.

THE POODLE TRAINER screened at Sundance this week, the third of his shorts to be exhibited at the fest. The other two: LOSING LUSK and OCULARIST. Sadly, none of these are available on-line.* (For music lovers, all these films are scored, brilliantly, by Auditory Sculpture; these aural contributions a hallmark of Vance’s complete aesthetic control of the short form. Order Auditory Sculpture’s album, That Might Be You But This Is Me, here.)

I had the pleasure of……screening Vance’s first short doc, OCULARIST, at the 1 Reel Film Festival at Bumbershooot back in 2003. (I still consider it one of the five best short docs I’ve ever seen!) Subsequently, I commissioned — not fiscally, sorry, Vance! — another short inspired by my question: What In God’s Name? Renamed(?) WHAT IN THE NAME OF GOD, you can watch this film here. (A p.s.a. Vance shot, PERMISSION, can also be seen by clicking this sentence. It does more to challenge perceptions of a very divisive, public issue than a thousand progressive celebrity rants or right-wing bible thumpings.)

Please, let me know what you think. Then, drop Ken and Michael a line. Tell them to keep an eye out for the competition. Vance Malone has triumphed in the short form; I eagerly await his first feature.

*Truth be told, you can watch OCULARIST on Auditory Sculpture’s site, but it is far from the ideal forum to view such visually compelling work.

I like to think

Zinn’s populist tome, A People’s History of the United States, urged readers to re-examine the past from  multiple, under-represented perspectives beyond the average, American curriculum. Zinn was a champion of the masses and the media-oppressed. His death is a loss to all those who value freedom of the Press and a little something some call… the Truth.

In honor of Zinn’s passing, I challenge readers to submit their own exploration of a current event from an unheard, unseen perspective. Ideally, your own. The sharpest, or most satirical, entry will win a prize — Zinn’s best-selling book. (Winner determined by my whim, guided by my love of the pointed and the hilarious.)

Though as much as I appreciate good humor, I scream when the Texas Board of Education proposes revisions to textbooks (effectively, nationwide!) to address such kooky notions as Evolution. One ten-gallon board member, Don McElroy, calls the “theory,” a bunch of “hooey.” And while I could, possibly, live with a Creationists’ argument that both Darwinism and Intelligent Design ought be taught together, doesn’t it undermine the principle of fairness and balance when a key voter poo-poos scientific conclusions altogether, suggesting that Faith always trumps Evidence?

History is not a joke, nor is Science. Why then do we allow “administrators” to dictate content to “educators?” Why must intellectual rigor succumb to spiritually-biased opinion?

Of course, Zinn was more interested in the collusionary efforts of political parties and the dehumanizing impact of economic forces. Nevertheless, the lesson is the same: If the elected and fiscally-empowered can deprive the people of all the facts, they deny the people any hope. For without a complete education, Americans will become just a bunch of underachieving F-students. Prove the powers that be wrong. Demand more information. Accept nothing but the truth.

Question what you see. Consider what you don’t. Draw your own conclusions.

Then, submit your entries by February 15th, 2010.

Many thanks to fellow Cowboy fan, Clint B!

Emily Hagins is making a zombie movie. It’s feature-length, it’s bloody, and the zombies don’t run. Just like it should be. But there’s one difference between her film and every other zombie movie you’ve ever seen: Emily is twelve.

brought to you by

April 15
Anna Lappe
DIET FOR A HOT PLANET: The Climate Crisis at the End of your Fork and What You Can Do about it

Time: 6:30 pm
Cost: $35/person (includes all appetizers
and a copy of the featured book)

Location: Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom
2030 5th Avenue (at Lenora), Seattle, 98121

	Anna Lappe

Beyond what we already know about “food miles” and eating locally, the global food system is a major contributor to climate change, producing as much as one third of greenhouse gas emissions. How we farm, what we eat, and how our food gets to the table all have an impact.

Anna Lappe is the coauthor of Grub, Hope’s Edge and currently host of MSN’s Practical Guide to Healthy Living, and co host of PBS’s The Endless Feast. Lappe will outline a vision of the future in which our food system does more good than harm, with six principles for an earth-friendly diet, fueled by sustainable farming.

The Good Life: books for better living events are interactive evenings of conversation with authors on tools for creating “the good life.” These events will take place at either Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom or the Hotel Andra Ballroom, where we will gather together to enjoy appetizers and beverages and an onstage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Read what Danielle Greger-Babbit says at examiner.com

A copy of each author’s new book is included in the ticket price as are appetizers and bites of Theo Chocolate that evening. There will be a cash bar available.

March 9

It all started when 14-year-old Hannah Salwen had a “eureka moment.” Seeing a homeless man in her neighborhood alongside a Mercedes, she said “You know, Dad, if that man had a less nice car, maybe that manthere could have a meal.”

Until that day the Salwens had been caught up in the American Dream: providing a good life for their children, accumulating more stuff. As a family they made the extraordinary decision to sell their Atlanta mansion, downsize to a house half the size and give half the profit to a worthy charity.

Their plan eventually transported them across the globe and well out of their comfort zone, and in the end they learned that they had the power to change a little corner of their world.  And they found themselves changing, too.

Kevin Salwen was a reporter and editor at the Wall Street Journal for more than 18 years and a founder of the magazine Motto. He serves on the board of Habitat for Humanity.  Hannah Salwen is a junior at the Atlanta Girl’s School, where she plays for the varsity volleyball team. Hannah has volunteered since 5th grade at the Atlanta Community Food Bank and Café 458.

The Good Life: books for better living events are interactive evenings of conversation with authors on tools for creating “the good life.” These events will take place at either Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom or the Hotel Andra Ballroom, where we will gather together to enjoy appetizers and beverages and an onstage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Read what Danielle Greger-Babbit says at examiner.com

A copy of each author’s new book is included in the ticket price as are appetizers and bites of Theo Chocolate that evening. There will be a cash bar available.

February 17

The best companies know that innovative thinking is the only competitive advantage that can’t be outsourced, and the best schools are those with deep cultures of creative problem solving.  But both innovation and creativity depend on imagination first: the ability and willingness to conceive of what is not.  Fortunately, it is something we can all cultivate—with practice.

	Eric Liu

This books shows us how, with 28 (and a half) universal practices for opening minds at work, home and play. All of them are designed to enable anyone-from corporate executive to preschool teacher-to get unstuck, to reframe challenges and to help others do the same.

Eric Liu is the founder of the Guiding Lights Network, dedicated to mindful and imaginative mentorship.  His previous books include Guiding Lights: How to Mentor and Find Life’s Purpose, The Accidental Asian: Notes of a Native Speakerand the national bestseller The True Patriot. Liu is a former White House speechwriter and senior advisor to President Bill Clinton, and is now an educator ad entrepreneur living in Seattle.

The Good Life: books for better living events are interactive evenings of conversation with authors on tools for creating “the good life.” These events will take place at either Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom or the Hotel Andra Ballroom, where we will gather together to enjoy appetizers and beverages and an onstage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Read what Danielle Greger-Babbit says at examiner.com

A copy of each author’s new book is included in the ticket price as are appetizers and bites of Theo Chocolate that evening. There will be a cash bar available.

January 27
Gretchen Rubin
THE HAPPINESS PROJECT: Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle and Generally Have More Fun

Time: 6:30 pm
Cost: $35/person (includes all appetizers
and a copy of the featured book)

Location: Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom
2030 5th Avenue (at Lenora), Seattle, 98121

On a crowded bus Rubin had an epiphany: time was passing, and so little of it was spent doing things which made her feel happy.  She didn’t want to turn her life upside down: just focus on improving her life as it existed, and each month tackled a new set of resolutions:

	Gretchen Rubin

• Give proofs of love
• Ask for help
• Be serious about play
• Keep a one sentence journal
• Forget about results.

She devoured everything from classical philosophy to cutting edge scientific studies, and looked to everyone from Plutarch and Thoreau to Oprah and Martin Seligman. Her discoveries range from the practical to the surprising to the profound, and her “happiness project” was documented on a blog — followed by over 30,000 people and now carried on Slate, Real Simple, The Huffington Post and Psychology Today.

Rubin is the author of several books, a lawyer and a mom, still working on “the happiness thing.” But a lot happier.

The Good Life: books for better living events are interactive evenings of conversation with authors on tools for creating “the good life.” These events will take place at either Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom or the Hotel Andra Ballroom, where we will gather together to enjoy appetizers and beverages and an onstage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Read what Danielle Greger-Babbit says at examiner.com

A copy of each author’s new book is included in the ticket price as are appetizers and bites of Theo Chocolate that evening. There will be a cash bar available.

Substance & Sale Overview

This course takes you through an in-depth development process, asking the same questions that a good producer would: does the screenplay have the underpinnings of a compelling premise? Does your original vision shine through a masterful working of the three-act structure? Does your lead character’s personal journey drive the story forward? Are there key turning points, a powerful scheme for the antagonist, and a number of other specific narrative elements which will catch the reader’s eye? Over three intensive days, we’ll work and rework through these craft issues at a professional level. We’ll also listen to log lines from Participants to make sure there is a story there worth developing. The end result is to learn how to make your script’s key dramatic intentions come across as strongly as possible in the finished work, and at best, this process helps move your material to the next level at the right production company.

Marketing your work

In the evenings, we learn to take off our artistic writing hats and put on the hat of the business person that hides within. All of us possess the skills to market ourselves, we just need to be shown how.

Participate or observe

There are two levels you can choose from to attend this seminar: Participant or Observer. The number of participants is limited to the first 20 that apply, and they should mail a one page synopsis in with their application. They need to agree to be open to criticism as the seminar’s panel determines which aspects of the material should remain intact, be embellished, or significantly changed. Observers attend all seminars and actively participate in discussions, but their work is not examined.

Dates: February 26–28, 2010

Feb. 26 (6:30 PM -10 PM); Feb. 27 (10 AM – 6 PM); Feb. 28 (10 AM – 6 PM)

Location: Seattle Center, The Alki Room (future home of TheFilmSchool)

QUOTES from last year’s attendee evaluations:

“Warren and John are awesome teaching partners!”

“This is the perfect next step after TheFilmSchool (3-Week-Intensive).”

“Detailed examination of work, helpful next steps to sell my script.”

“Seattle needs more of this.”

One of the most dangerous pitfalls for writers is the belief that their scripts have been fully realized, when in reality they remain obscure or not dramatized to their fullest potential. Failure in this area is perhaps the main reason so many screenplays get passed on by industry story analysts or “readers.”

This course is designed to help you bridge that pitfall.

For more information on how to apply to this course, please see here.

FANTASTIC MR. FOX was great. I thought it was interesting and exciting but at some parts I was a bit nervous because if Mr. Fox and Kylie did not hurry up, the farmers would find them. I also thought how the movie-makers made all of the characters was very interesting because I had never seen [animation] like that. I liked Mrs. Fox. She was a bit like my mom because my mom is tough. All the voices were good. I really liked Kylie [Wally Wolodarsky]. At some parts, Kylie got scared and just stared and stared. It was so funny when Kylie did that. I didn’t think FANTASTIC MR. FOX was the best at first but now I can’t stop thinking about it.

Indeed, FANTASTIC MR. FOX gets even better upon reflection. The (detachable?) tale tickles and the handmade imagery rocks. (To learn about the making-of, check out this wonderful video.)

Andy Dick-less?

Stars, they’re just like us… We’re reminded pictorially in every issue of US Weekly. Kiefer Sutherland goes shopping. Miley Cyrus looks ashamed of her dad. Lara Flynn Boyle bleaches her sphincter. All of the snapshots of our parallel celebrity lives are supposed to make us feel closer, more comparable to our idols. It’s almost as if we, too, could get our money for nothing and our chicks for free.*

Yet if we are willing to see ourselves in the mundane activities of the glorified, mustn’t we also recognize our failures in the transgressions of the rich and infamous? Doesn’t the fault lie in our stars AND ourselves?

Where is the US Weekly photo spread depicting Gary Coleman (allegedly) abusing his wife?  Or Andy Dick (allegedly) disrobing a minor… or (allegedly) groping a bouncer? Or of Charlie Sheen(allegedly) choking his wife, Brooke Mueller? Or, Charlie (allegedly) brandishing a knife? Or, Charlie accidently (and admittedly!) discharging a firearm and wounding then-fiancee Kelly Preston?

Gary Coleman-child?

It is tempting to highlight these incidents as the fleeting foibles of a few bad actors, yet we must acknowledge that these, too, are reflections of our own worst traits. We are the rotten barrel. Domestic violence is neither an exception to the norm nor a TMZ triviality. Check out these disturbing statistics culled by the American Bar Association…

• Approximately 1.3 million women and 835,000 men are physically assaulted by an intimate partner annually in the United States.
  

  Patricia Tjaden & Nancy Thoennes, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 183781, Full Report of the Prevalence, Incidence, and Consequences of Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: Findings from the National Violence Against Women Survey, at iv(2000), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/nij/pubs-sum/183781.htm

• Intimate partner violence made up 20% of all nonfatal violent crime experienced by women in 2001.
  

  Callie Marie Rennison, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 197838, Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief: Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, at 1 (2003), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ipv01.pdf

• In 2000, 1,247 women and 440 men were killed by an intimate partner. In recent years, an intimate partner killed approximately 33% of female murder victims and 4% of male murder victims.
  

  Callie Marie Rennison, U.S. Dep’t of Just., NCJ 197838, Bureau of Justice Statistics Crime Data Brief: Intimate Partner Violence, 1993-2001, at 1(2003), available at http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/ipv01.pdf

Charlie (Lost His) Sheen

Granted, Carlos Irwin Estevez has done more harm than his share, but neither he nor the entirety of his hate-mongering Hollywood brethren can explain the horrifying prevalence of domestic violence in this country. This is not solely a showbiz phenomenon. Sadly, this is an American epidemic. And until we respond to it more seriously, spouses and partners are doomed to suffer both behind  closed doors and in the public eye.

Charlie Sheen returns to his sitcom and his well-documented ways. Andy Dick returns to the comedy club, bailed out by the owner, so that the show might go on. Gary Coleman returns to virtual obscurity, a Trivial Pursuit punchline. What is most alarming is that these alleged offenses are not the first for these two and a half men. Each has a string of arrests and allegations that ought eliminate the need for the “other side of the story” and validate the identification of the common denominator, the recidivist perpetrators themselves. Charlie Sheen should be incarcerated. Gary Coleman should be jailed. Andy Dick, at the very least, should see a therapist by court-order and serve the community by judge’s will, as well.

Tiger Woods cheated on his wife, lost many of his endorsement deals and has gone into hiding. Charlie Sheen has used his words, his fists, a gun and a knife in abusing a succession of mates and yet he’s still promoted on primetime tv? Maybe it’s time for us to boycott CBS or, at least, beg the network to re-title its hit show: One and A Half Men and One Chronically Abusive, Chauvinistic, Rage-aholic Ass.

* With apologies to Mark Knopfler and Lynn Schnumberger

It’s one thing to write poorly, that’s permissible in journals and personal correspondence. It’s another to have sub-par prose published in a major paper, indicating that both an editor and a bean-counter have somehow approved such amateur ramblings.

I deputize you, dear readers, to submit your own examples. For now, let me offer this shard of broken glass on which I pricked my eyes in this Sunday’s edition (1/10/10) of Parade Magazine. The article’s title: “Live Well With What You Have.” The perpetrator: Lynn Schnumberger. Under the subheading ‘Get What You Need,’ she begins…

“To paraphrase the Rolling Stones, you can’t always get everything you want.”

Wow. What a colorful and insightful phrasing to lure the reader, Lynn. So impressive, so illustrative, I decided to explore LexisNexis for more of Ms. Schnumberger’s lyrical lead-ins. Here’s what I found…

From “Spare Change – Where’d It Go?”:

Who amongst us hasn’t paraphrased Bono while turning over couch cushions in search of laundry money, “But I still have not found that for which it is I am looking.”

From “L.A. Riots Make Rodney King For A Day”:

The beaten but not broken Mr. King rallied the crowd, paraphrasing the old War tune, “Why cannot we develop meaningful friendships?”

From Cradle To Rave – Oh, How Kids Dance These Days:

They jumped. They jived. To paraphrase OutKast, they would “flip it, flap it, wave it around in the air hoping that regardless of the physics of chemical reactions it would develop faster like a Polaroid picture.”

Please, Ms. Schnumberger, return your check to the publisher or, better yet, donate your ‘earnings’ to the local literacy program of your choosing.

Time: 6:30 p.m.
Cost: $50 per person (includes all appetizers, wine, and a copy of the featured book)
Location: Pan Pacific Hotel,
2125 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121

TO PURCHASE TICKETS
by email: contact us
by phone: 206-632-2419

THE ELEMENT is the point at which natural talent meets personal passion: when people arrive at the element, they feel most themselves and inspired to achieve at their highest levels. What are the conditions that enable us to find ourselves in the element, and what are the conditions that stifle creativity?

Sir Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson, in his new book THE ELEMENT, outlines the path to a more creative and fulfilling life, and profiles may people-famous and otherwise-who have connected their natural aptitude with their personal passion and succeeded, despite obstacles in their way.

Sir Ken Robinson speaks to more than 50,000 people each year in a variety of settings and has worked with governments in the US, Europe and Asia, Fortune 500 companies including Microsoft, Nestle, IBM, Apple and a wide range of non-profit organizations. Hisspeech at the 2006 TED Conference has been downloaded over 2 million times, and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2003 for his outstanding achievement in education and the arts. In 2005 he was named one of Time/CNN’s “Principal Voices” and in 2008 was awarded the Peabody Medal for contributions to the arts and culture in the US. Robinson overcame childhood polio, and credits education for allowing him to be undefined by his disability.

More on Sir Robinson can be found here: www.sirkenrobinson.com
Join us for an inspirational conversation about creativity, passion–and how we can create a community that allows both to flourish.

Words & Wine events take place at the elegant Pan Pacific Hotel, where guests mingle with the author while sipping award-winning wines from Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and enjoying savory nibbles prepared by Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar. For the highlight of the evening, the engaging Warren Etheredge, of The Warren Report, leads an intimate and entertaining on-stage interview and conversation with the author.

A copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the $50 ticket cost, in addition to all wines and appetizers.

Rated PG for sensuality and language. Cast: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, Adam Scott and John Lithgow Directed by: Anand Tucker Written by: Harry Elfont & Deborah Kaplan Amy Adams and Matthew Goode star in LEAP YEAR, a romantic comedy that follows one woman’s determined quest to get married to the perfect guy…despite what fate has in store for her. When their four-year anniversary passes without a marriage proposal, Anna (Amy Adams) decides to take matters into her own hands. Investing in an Irish tradition that allows women to propose to men on February 29th, Anna decides to follow her boyfriend Jeremy (Adam Scott) to Dublin and get down on one knee herself. But airplanes, weather and fate leave Anna stranded on the other side of Ireland, and she must enlist the help of handsome and surly Declan (Matthew Goode) to get her across the country. As Anna and Declan bicker across the Emerald Isle, they discover that the road to love can take you to very unexpected places.

Event description

The Biznik Innovators Series connects members with some of the most premier innovative thought leaders published today in a swank downtown venue (with complimentary wine!) When the authors visit Seattle, we find innovative ways to celebrate their books, while providing you with a unique networking opportunity. The engaging Warren Etheredge, of The Warren Report, will lead an intimate and entertaining on-stage conversation with the author that takes the entire event up a notch. In addition…

• Before and after networking with the author and other guests in an intimate setting at the elegant Pan Pacific Hotel
• Sip complimentary award-winning wines from Erath Wineries (yep, FREE)
• Enjoy savory nibbles prepared by Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar on the house

AND in addition to the wine & appetizers, a copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the ticket cost. * VIEW VIDEO (1:33) about the Innovators Series

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Dan Pink, the celebrated best selling author ofFree Agent Nation and A Whole New Mind says forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people – at work, at school, at home. It’s wrong. As he explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today’s world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world. Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does–and how that affects every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates that while the old-fashioned carrot-and-stick approach worked successfully in the 20th century, it’s precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today’s challenges. In Drive, he reveals the three elements of true motivation:

• Autonomy – the desire to direct our own lives
• Mastery – the urge to get better and better at something that matters
• Purpose – the yearning to do what we do in the service of something larger than ourselves

Drive is bursting with big ideas – the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live. If you want to see what you’re in for, check out his last TED Talk on TED.com. You don’t want to miss this event!

What others say about Dan and Drive

“Pink has a knack for teaching in such an entertaining way that you’ll forget you are learning.” - Lexi Feinberg, Forbes.com “Important reading…an integral addition to a growing body of literature that argues for a radical shift in how businesses operate.” - Kirkus Book Reviews “Drive is the rare book that will get you to think and inspire you to act. Pink makes a strong, science-based case for rethinking motivation–and then provides the tools you need to transform your life.” - Dr. Mehmet Oz, co-author of YOU: The Owners Manual

About the Author

A free agent himself, Dan Pink, the former chief speechwriter for former vice-president Al Gore and a contributing editor for Wired magazine changed the way companies view the modern workplace with a trio of influential bestsellers: Free Agent Nation (2001), A Whole New Mind(2006), and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko (2008).

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RSVP for the event is $50 per person, which includes all wines, appetizers and a copy of the featured book. Reservations are required, and can be made here on our website by joining or logging into Biznik. (Basic membership in Biznik is free.)

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The Biznik Innovators events are made possible by a partnership between Biznik and:

Rated R for some drug content and sexuality.

www.itscomplicatedmovie.com

Cast: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin

Written and Directed by: Nancy Meyers

Produced by: Nancy Meyers, Scott Rudin

Executive Producers: Ilona Herzberg, Suzanne Farwell

Writer/director Nancy Meyers (WHAT WOMEN WANT; SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE; THE HOLIDAY) directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in IT’S COMPLICATED, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has-after a decade of divorce-an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake (Baldwin). But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable-an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jane is now, of all things, the other woman. Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam (Martin), an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle. Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s…complicated.

“The Seven Rays is an unforgettable book, a fascinating joyride for any reader. And so funny! The Seven Rays is the bomb!”

What would you ask JK Rowling if you had met her before HARRY POTTER took off on his broomstick? What would you ask Stephanie Meyer if you had sat with her prior to TWILIGHT’s dawn? What will you  whisper to Jessica Bendinger over drinks before her first novel, The Seven Rays, became the next great, teen-friendly best-selling sensation?

You may never meet Rowling or Meyer, but this Friday, December 11th, I invite you to join me and Ms. Bendinger for an exclusive evening of conversation and cocktails, during which I’ll interview the stunningly talented and breath-takingly beautiful author about her new book, her film work and why YOU ARE MORE THAN THINK YOU ARE.

For the modest admission price of $30, attendees will receive a FREE, autographed copy of The Seven Rays, free hooch, an hour-long interview that will redefine intimacy and candor and the opportunity to speak with Ms. Bendinger one-on-one.

Ms. Bendinger — whose screen credits include BRING IT ON,  STICK IT  and SEX & THE CITY — is the rare breed, the writer who can crafts fresh, funky, indie-minded material that remains broadly accessible and commercially viable. Imagine a female Charles Dickens with a much better ability to make the pitch and work the room.

You may purchase tickets via Paypal or with check or money order which may be brought to the door on the 11th.

About The Seven Rays

When seventeen year-old honors student Beth Michaels starts receiving gold envelopes with messages like, YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU THINK YOU ARE, she thinks that a crazy person might be stalking her. When she begins seeing people’s thoughts, feelings, and personal histories on their electromagnetic fields, she thinks that she might be a crazy person. And then when the hottest boy in town, Richie Mac, kisses and becomes obsessed with her, she knows that something’s up.

But she can deal with all of that until her mom gets freaked out by her erratic behavior and sends her to a psychiatric institute for observation. It is here where Beth finds out that she was adopted under mysterious circumstances and perhaps has supernatural powers. Now all she has to do is break out of the ward – with Richie’s help – and road trip to New York to discover who she really is and why all this is happening to her…

Is it possible that Beth might be more than she thinks she is?

The Seven Rays is a paranormal coming-of-age story that delves into love, friendship, family and the supernatural.

What People Are Saying…

“Jessica Bendinger’s The Seven Rays takes you on a journey of mystery, magic, adventure and the intricacies of relationship and love. But there is a deeper significance to this story. It is about dormant potentials that lie deep within the domains of human consciousness and the field of infinite possibilities that we all have access to. Read this book, enjoy the adventure, be inspired, but also find that part of your being, where the paranormal becomes normal.”
- Bestselling author Deepak Chopra

“The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger takes you on a modern, mystical, mystery tour, leaving you holding your breath the entire time. Buckle in because it keeps you on the edge of your seat, your imagination stretched to the limits, and your heart pounding with anticipation, fear, excitement, and love. It’s a wild, psychic, surprising page-turner from beginning to end, and one that you won’t want to miss.”

- Sonia Choquette, Best-selling author of NYTIMES best-seller, The Answer is Simple

“The Seven Rays is awesome, and teentastic… and freaky. Is there anything Screenwriter Jessica Bendinger can’t write? Makes me wish I was a teen girl!”
- Greg Behrendt, bestselling author of He’s Just Not That Into You

“The Seven Rays totally awakened the fantasy fangirl in me!”
- Kate Brian author of the bestselling Private and Privilege series

About Jessica Bendinger

Jessica Bendinger is an acclaimed Hollywood screenwriter who launched onto the scene with her original script for the hit hip hop cheerleading comedy, BRING IT ON. Never shying away from challenges and new opportunities, Bendinger has also added the title of producer, director, and most recently, novelist to her repertoire. A self described “creative seeker,” Bendinger relies on her enthusiasm and curiosity when choosing the next frontier she would like to explore.

Bendinger is slated to release her first and highly-anticipated novel, The Seven Rays on November 24, 2009 with Simon & Schuster. The story follows 17 year-old, Beth Michaels, who uncovers elements of the supernatural on her journey of self discovery. The words: “You are more than you think you are” mysteriously present themselves to Beth and ultimately drive her quest. The novel reaches well beyond the interest of young adults, appealing to all as it explores the universal question-”Are we making the most of our lives?”

It’s a fun, paranormal, metaphysical, coming-of-age adventure based on the hope in all of us that we are more than we think we are. And perhaps our lives have a greater destiny than we anticipated,” says Bendinger.

A former journalist for Spin Magazine and MTV News, Bendinger covered the hip-hop movement while at Columbia University. On her first assignment with Spin Magazine, Bendinger interviewed Chuck D and Flava Flav, members of one of the greatest hip-hop groups, Public Enemy. Her interview with Salt n’ Pepa appears on the liner notes of their second album, A Salt With A Deadly Pepa. Bendinger’s love of music was fostered at an early age as she grew up in the “margins of the music business” where her mother was a renowned Dixieland jazz trombonist and her father wrote commercial jingles.

It was her love of hip-hop and ESPN cheerleading competitions that propelled her into the idea of BRING IT ON. BRING IT ON was rejected 27 times by various Hollywood studios, but Bendinger’s conviction ultimately drove the remarkable success of the film, which debuted at number one at the box office for two straight weeks, and grossed a combined $300 million in theaters and DVD sales. Following the success of BRING IT ON, Bendinger went on to write for Season Four of the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning HBO series, Sex in the City, and for films such as THE TRUTH ABOUT CHARLIE with Thandie Newton and Mark Wahlberg; FIRST DAUGHTER starring Katie Holmes; and AQUAMARINE starring Emma Roberts. Bendinger produced THE WEDDING DATE starring Debra Messing, Amy Adams and Dermot Mulroney.

In 2006, once again seeking her own creative opportunities, Bendinger next went on to write and direct the hit comedy STICK IT, starring Jeff Bridges and Missy Peregrym. Exemplifying Bendinger’s connection with the youth demographic, Stick It was the #1 movie download on iTunes for 7 weeks in a row, during the film’s home video release.

A former model who worked for the legendary designer Stephen Sprouse and appeared on the runway in “Slaves Of New York,” Bendinger was named by Glamour Magazine as one of Hollywood’s “Most Powerful Women Under 40″. Yet for all her success, she is always mindful to avoid complacency.

“I’m a seeker. I’m always interested in what’s new, what’s exciting, and what’s fulfilling for me. And that allows me to keep ahead of the curve as a creative explorer,” says Bendinger.

Jessica Bendinger currently resides in Los Angeles with her two dogs, where she is writing her next feature film and working on the sequel to The Seven Rays.

BEING SEEN

Caught in the ACT, a free script reading series featuring extraordinary work from alumni of TheFilmSchool, directed and perfomed by some of Seattle’s best professional directors and actors.

written by Sonya Lea

directed by Warren Etheredge

starring: Abby Brammell (LIKE DANDELION DUST; The Unit), Trina Willard (HUMPDAY), Todd Licea (ALIENS VS. PREDATOR 2) and Beth DeVries (The King & I)

BEING SEEN is based on an actual event and was first published as an essay in The Southern Review, for which Sonya Lea received an Artist Trust Award. Oprah Book Club author Bret Lott said this story “is strong and strange and haunting and moving all at once…(Sonya) has a voice and tone that are so truthful and authentic.”

BEING SEEN is a dramatic story about photographer Soph Newman, who is married to the magnetic physician Jack, and living a comfortable yet lackluster life when her husband is sideswiped in a terrible car accident. Soph is coping with his traumatic brain injury, when she discovers that her husband has forgotten everything he knew about becoming a lover; he has lost his remembrance of sex. Only her best friend Jules, the witty chef of the Dalai Mama Café, and Soph’s trusted confidante, can help her decide what is essential to preserve, and what’s worth leaving behind. It’s a tumultuous triangle that reaches its apex at Soph’s exhibit premiere, and takes a turn that no one, especially Soph, could have expected.

Sonya Lea has written three films and a television series, including an adaptation of Sandra Brown’s New York Times best-selling thriller.  Lea has also won several screenwriting awards, including the Nicholl Fellowship (QF), has completed work with UCLA’s School of Film & Television, as well as at TheFilmSchool in Seattle, where Lea took this story to ‘workshop’ with writer/producer Warren Etheredge. Said Etheredge,  “Sonya is one of the few writers I’ve encountered whose brilliance transcends form; so whether crafting an essay, a script or a short story, her talent shines. It is just a matter of time till her work is regarded as highly as that of Francine Prose, Joan Didion and Melissa Mathison.”

Rated R for some drug content and sexuality.

www.itscomplicatedmovie.com

Cast: Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin
Written and Directed by: Nancy Meyers
Produced by: Nancy Meyers, Scott Rudin
Executive Producers: Ilona Herzberg, Suzanne Farwell

Writer/director Nancy Meyers (WHAT WOMEN WANT; SOMETHING’S GOTTA GIVE; THE HOLIDAY) directs Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin in IT’S COMPLICATED, a comedy about love, divorce and everything in between.

Jane (Streep) is the mother of three grown kids, owns a thriving Santa Barbara bakery/restaurant and has-after a decade of divorce-an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, attorney Jake (Baldwin). But when Jane and Jake find themselves out of town for their son’s college graduation, things start to get complicated. An innocent meal together turns into the unimaginable-an affair. With Jake remarried to the much younger Agness (Lake Bell), Jane is now, of all things, the other woman.

Caught in the middle of their renewed romance is Adam (Martin), an architect hired to remodel Jane’s kitchen. Healing from a divorce of his own, Adam starts to fall for Jane, but soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle.

Should Jane and Jake move on with their lives, or is love truly lovelier the second time around? It’s…complicated.

(© AP Photo/Erich Schlegel)

Nature versus Nurture. The gridiron might seem an improbable arena for resolving this age-old riddle, but the Dallas Cowboys‘ December may unscramble the chicken/egg-like conundrum.

Statisticians, die-hards and certain head coaches will tell you the Past is insignificant. Numbers are immune to history as the Present resets odds habitually. And, they are right. On any given Sunday, any team’s fortunes are a 50/50 proposition. Just ask the Raiders who beat the Bengals only to lose, convincingly!, to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving, 7-24. Oakland’s more irregular than Deion Sanders‘ wardrobe.

Psychologists, cynics and certain talking jocks will tell you the Past is inescapable. The Past is precedent; late-season swoons are an insurmountable intangible. And, they may be right. Witness 2008’s year-ending, soul-crushing shellacking at Lincoln Financial Field. Question is: do these Dallas Cowboys have it in them to prove the latter group wrong? We’ll see this weekend. Dallas needn’t necessarily win, but a blow-out or last-second loss might devastate… which leaves little room for error and plenty for followers’ terror.

If the Cowboys defeat the New York Giants, the team solidifies its first place division lead and Nurture moves ahead. While I have been consistently critical of Wade Phillips‘ abilities as a head coach, a victory would make me, more strongly, reconsider my doubts than his current 8-3 (30-13) record already has. I would lend credence to the notion that this year’s team is most truly, finally “his,” not some bedeviled, if talented inheritance from Bill Parcells. Wade has assumed accountability for his strength, the defense, and suggested the offensive gameplan, while not called by him, is an accurate reflection of his philosophy… though he tinkers with the OC’s balancing (t)act weekly. The off-season and training camp were under his re-dedicated supervision. And, the regular season has proceeded as he’s directed, from Victory Mondays thru erratic Sundays. Jerry Jones has helped prune the offense to one that’s Romo-friendly and drafted a kick-off specialist who is field position-friendly… with benefits. If Dallas wins, Wade’s nurturing will have overcome doubters’ notions of the Cowboys’ un/natural self-destruction and Jerry can hog or halve the credit as he so whimsically desires.

In order for Dallas and Nurture to triumph, the team — not just its quarterback — will need to adopt Parcells’ commandment: Never let good enough be enough. Yes, the Cowboys beat the Raiders Thursday and edged the Redskins before that, however, neither victory should be regarded as good enough. We can enjoy them as fans, but the team must demand more of themselves. To wit…

* Dear Tony Romo, Ignore the labels, neither a bus-driver nor a gun-slinger be. Be yourself. That’ll get us the win/s.

* Winning may be what it’s all about Roy Williams, but posting some decent numbers or making a highlight catch would be better than beneficial… they could be playoff-clinching.

* Uh-oh, Kyle Kosier, even you got two flags thrown your way the other day. Contrary to popular belief, penalties needn’t be contagious. Just keep your hands clean… and away from opposing helmets. Same goes for your line-mates, even the new guy. May the Truth set you, Free.

* I don’t care if it’s duck season, rabbit season or mating season, for that matter, if the camouflage get-up helps you, Marcus Spears, wear leafy-skivvies on game day. This is a playoff hunt, after all.

* I’m convinced, Bobby Carpenter: you’re not a bust. But why not shame your critics by playing like an overzealous curfew-enforcer, that is, LIGHTS OUT!

* Love you, Nick Folk, but whether it’s the yips, your hip or Mat McBriar’s grip, you need to drop the Scott Norwood impersonation. It’s good, but I’d prefer you mimic Adam Vinatieri… or Christopher Walken.

* Good things — not just celebrity deaths — come in threes, Patrick Crayton. Take another one to the house and Cribbs will be remembered as that MTV show not some guy up in Cleveland.

It is tempting to let minor successes buoy you after surviving stormy seas. However, bobbing along ain’t no way to get back to shore. Or, The Super Bowl. I know I have allowed momentary stress-relievers to rebalance me AND then made me complacent only to lose myself to the lurch once more.

Some would argue my occasional tendency to implode is the result of my childhood, a tattered and battered affair that left me with good reason to give up in toughest times. Some, even my ex, have suggested that having suffered abuse as a kid, I am incapable of parenting or, hell, living, maturely, as I am bereft of role models or a lover’s consistent monitoring. And, from time to time, I succumb to her curse, this curse, believing my earlier experiences are the consequence of some (self-)loathsome core that cannot be denied; the victim’s irrational need to make sense by accepting responsibility for the unimaginable. And then, when I regain consciousness, as it were, I remind myself that sometimes, the fault does lie in our stars, not ourselves. Sometimes, circumstances collude, and in so doing, collide with our selves’ own true Natures. Looking back, clearly, I can be prouder of the fact I endured rather than dwelling on the misery of the endurance. It is my Nature to survive and thrive, not to be beaten down.

Plenty of pundits have analyzed the Cowboys’ collapses of years past. I beg you to believe these retrospectives are irrelevant. Do not condemn a team, a quarterback, any individual to future failures due to past mistakes or misfortunes. Prophecies self-fulfilled are the hollowest victories. Instead, enable a team, a quarterback, any individual, to redeem themselves from histories of which they are more ashamed than you. Let them embrace their genetically- (or God-) blessed abilities and the possibilities born of greater, later, nurturing. Or coaching.

Damn, in re-reading, I just realized, we may have a tie on our hands. To determine the Nature vs. Nurture champ, we may just have to go into relativistic overtime… or march into Giants Stadium, helmets held high, baggage stored neatly in the locker room.

Go Cowboys!

(© AP Photo/LM Otero)

How ’bout dem Cowboys?

Depending on the tone and inflection, this phrase is either a boastful taunt or confounded query. For fans, it is easy to waver between the two, uncertain whether to cheer, jeer or just endure the varying highs and indignities of supporting the Cowboys. In the team’s past two contests — the infuriating loss to Green Bay and the more frustrating last-quarter edge of Washington — reasons for hope and doubt have flip-flopped like Joe Cocker undergoing shock therapy. Yes, Dallas split the two contests, but they also provided more than enough evidence to make cases, either way, for their post-season chances. Tony Romo comes through in the clutch. Tony Romo is inaccurate. Miles Austin is a playmaker. Miles Austin can’t beat double coverage. The running game must be established early. The rhythm of the passing game must be established early. Heck, the only two elements of team play that appear conclusive are: 1) the defense is nearing top form; and, 2) Roy Williams is descending to the bottom-rung. (I appreciate his blocking skills but I’d love to see him use his hands to catch something, anything. A football, perhaps?)

My six-year-old daughter loves chapter books. Ava asked me how the Cowboys fared against their DC rivals. I told her they won, but I was a little distraught given how unconvincing the victory was. She reminded me of what she had just learned reading Pollyanna: “When you look for the bad expecting it, you will find it, Papa.” Well, who am I to argue with a head-strong girl or the writings of Eleanor Porter?

So, in order to practice positivity and in light of the holiday mandate, let us now give thanks for all that’s good about this year’s Cowboys…

* At 7-3, Dallas sits atop the NFC East and controls its playoff destiny.

* Marion Barber is getting healthy, his regained strength apparent running against the Redskins.

* Felix Jones showed burst on his opening kickoff return. Maybe he’s gaining confidence in his knee or his natural ability.

* Tony Romo can make plays when few others could. And, he’ll play through pain.

* Welcome to the offense, Martellus Bennett. Timing is everything.

* David Buehler can kick AND tackle!

* Mike Jenkins can pick off passes AND tackle!

* Alan Ball IS versatile.

* Anthony Spencer didn’t just come close, he made a decisive, game-changing play.

* Mat McBriar is even better than before and, somehow, never hits the scoreboard. Strange, eh, AJ?

* Wade Phillips is one heckuva defensive coordinator!

Know what? It actually feels good when you focus on the positive.

This past weekend, I was teaching workshops in Juneau, Alaska, one of my favorite pit-stops… because of the people and the pelmeni (the perfect drunk food!). As the Cowboys game was not locally televised, my hosts chose a fine drinking establishment, The Viking, equipped with DirecTV for our pigskin viewing pleasure. The  place smelled like the underside of John Daly’s nutsack, ’scuse me, rucksack and looked like a honeywagon on the SS Poseidon; a topsy-turvy excuse for a sports bar in which only two of the satellite connections functioned. Fortunately, I arrived early enough to claim one of them to watch my team before an already-inebriated fan showed up to watch “his Patriots”… three hours early. (Guess he was having trouble adjusting to the time zone?) When another patron decided more games ought be viewable, he brandished the remote control as if he were a disgruntled high-schooler in a black trenchcoat. And, in the midst of his infra-red shootout with the cable boxes, he lost the Cowboys’ transmission during the Redskins’ first scoring drive. I was pissed, yet passive. Finally, post field goal, he returned the game to the screen only to start futzing with the broadcast/s again minutes later. Once more, he botched the job and, this time, I calmly demanded that he give me the remote control and back away from the wall of tee-vees. Crestfallen, the Browns fan acquiesced and retreated to a far-off stool. I had succeeded in protecting my program, but felt bad having undercut the well-intentioned, if incompetent, whipper-zapper. Thus, eventually, I relented and returned the remote even though I knew in his state it should have been as dearly avoided as heavy machinery. Unconsciously, I chose to see the good in him rather than focus solely on my frustration with him. In turn, he bought me a drink. I suppose there is an upside to being an inadvertent Pollyana.

As a consequence of my Alaskan encounter and my daughter’s sage citation, I will approach the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving contest with the Oakland Raiders expecting nothing but the best, trusting I will find it. Visualize with me…

* Martellus Bennett has a break-out performance.

* Tony Romo hits Miles Austin in stride.

* Patrick Crayton takes another one to the house.

* Nick Folk regains his confidence, splits the uprights.

* Anthony Spencer records two sacks; Greg Ellis gets none.

* Terrence Newman picks six.

* Roy Williams earns his pay.

It’s easy once you try it. Happy Thanksgiving, all.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences revealed the “short list” for Best Feature Documentary. While there are many fine contenders — including THE COVE, FACING ALI and EVERY LITTLE STEP — two titles were overlooked that are certainly superior to some others rounding out the list.

James Toback’s TYSON is revelatory, allowing audiences to meet Iron Mike in a context previously unimaginable — the fighter’s own words. Edited deftly, the film is Tyson’s autobiography coaxed brilliantly by the director. Like all autobiographies, it may contain embellishments and contradictions, but it is these very flourishes that give the movie its richness. Hearing the fallen champ editorialize allows audiences to discern the true essence of the man rather than reabsorb the media’s misrepresentation of a caricature based on cherry-picked facts. Never has a documentary done as much to redefine a single celebrity.

Josh Harris may not be as well known as Mike Tyson, though within his circles he may be equally notorious. The self-identified godfather of social media, Harris foresaw our fixation with internet-fueled self-aggrandizement and the desperate, insatiable narcissism fueled by Warhol’s promised fifteen minutes. Harris conducted the Web’s earliest, eeriest and most outlandish experiments invading privacies and defiling personal spaces. Were he not so socially maladjusted himself — an Aspie with delusions of grandeur? — he’d likely be touted as one of Utne Reader’s 50 Visionaries or Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential. Instead, he’s been reduced to a world-class vagabond, hunted by creditors and haunted by his own aspirations. Shot over ten years, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC spookily chronicles Harris’ import, impact and implosion, utilizing some of the very footage that both made his name and he’d hoped to further exploit. Directed cooly by Ondi (DiG!) Timoner, the documentary serves as her parable and his penance. WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is pertinent to everyone who now uses Facebook, Twitter or YouTube and has never bothered to read nor consider the fine print. Consequently, the movie is not only the most important documentary of the year, but quite possibly, the most important of our generation. How the Academy could overlook its significance defies reason. (Fortunately, WE LIVE IN PUBLIC is in theaters now, including its continuing run at The Varsity in Seattle.)

Finally, the third film is not a documentary and not yet(?) Oscar®-snubbed. However, it is likely the best movie of the year… and yet so few will see it. HUNGER, directed by Steve McQueen — the English visual artist not the late Ibsen-loving actor — is the finest example of visual storytelling in over a decade. Chronicling the infamous hunger strike of Bobby Sands, the movie fully explores the motives and options of imprisoned IRA members with nary a stitch of exposition save a stunning conversation smack dab in the middle of this masterpiece. Many have tried to depict the cruelty of incarceration, this is the first to succeed by allowing us to slowly suffer the indignities and sadism rather than simply shock us with snippets of it. The cast/ing is exceptional, though it feels less like acting and more like enduring. I’d dare anyone to watch HUNGER and not reconsider a stance on Justice and the penal system.  HUNGER is available now on Comcast On Demand for free. Buried within the listings of RHI straight-to-video horrors and Cinemax off-casts from the 80s, you can find the most powerful film of this or many years.

Many thanks to the lovely Lindsay R!

Rated PG-13

WHEN IN ROME official website

Cast: Kristen Bell, Josh Duhamel, Will Arnett, Alexis Dziena, Jon Heder, Dax Shepard, Kate Micucci, Bobby Moynihan, with Danny DeVito and Anjelica Huston

Director: Mark Steven Johnson

Written by: David Diamond & David Weissman

An ambitious young New Yorker (KRISTEN BELL), disillusioned with romance, takes a whirlwind trip to Rome where she defiantly plucks magic coins from a fountain of love, inexplicably igniting the passion of those who threw them in: a sausage magnate (DANNY DEVITO), a street magician (JON HEDER), an adoring painter (WILL ARNETT) and a self-admiring model (DAX SHEPARD). But when a charming reporter (JOSH DUHAMEL) pursues her with equal zest, how will she know if his love is the real thing?

, a Co-creator of Twitter and author of the new book, 140 Characters: A Style Guide for the Short Form (Wiley 2009), is the next guest in the Biznik Innovators Series produced by Biznik in partnership with Kim Ricketts Book Events, and hosted by

Warren Etheredge leads the authors in an intimate and entertaining on-stage conversation with the author. Admission in the event includes:

· Before and after networking with the author and other guests in an intimate setting at the elegant Pan Pacific Hotel

· Complimentary award-winning wines from Erath Wineries

· Savory nibbles prepared by Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar on the house

· A free copy of the book, signed by the author after the interview

Several books have been written by “social media experts” trying to explain the secrets behind Twitter – the 140 character online service that allows users to share, discover and connect with anyone, anywhere in the world – and how anyone can use it to their advantage. Convincing companies to incorporate Twitter into their marketing strategies has become easier since competing companies have seen phenomenal results. However, according to Dom Sagolla, a co-creator of Twitter and author of the new book, 140 Characters, “The constraint of 140 characters is an opportunity for creative self-expression of all kinds. With Twitter and the short form, we have inadvertently invented a new genre of literature.”

In 140 Characters, Dom shares the way to develop a personal voice and make the most of your messages.140 Characters aims to do for Twitter and other social networking sites what Strunk & White’s The Elements of Style did for good writing via lessons in grammar and composition.

In a world of three second attention spans, the short form is not just confined to Twitter, but also Facebook, LinkedIn, and text messaging. Most of the advice in 140 Characters is focused on helping the reader to find the right words.

Biznik - www.biznik.com – a networking community for independent business people, marries an online social network with local face-to-face events. Biznik was founded in 2005 by Seattlites, Lara Feltin and Dan McComb, and currently connects over 15,000 members in the Seattle area.

Kim Ricketts founded KRBE - www.kimricketts.com – in July of 2003 with an inspiration to find and develop new and targeted author-based events in Seattle. The company represents over 30 companies and groups, books throughout the greater Seattle area, the San Francisco market, and is exploring plans to expand even further. Some of KRBE’s most notable authors have included Former Vice President Al Gore, Madeleine Albright, Malcolm Gladwell, Chris Brogan, and Tim Ferris. If you like the Biznik Innovators Series, you may be interested in KRBE’s Words & Wine series.

As founder of The Warren Report - www.thewarrenreport.com – Warren Etheredge curates and hosts over 200 events every year, a podcast and television series. The Warren Report promotes “slow culture” through commentary, outreach, events and education. Warren has conducted over 1,500 interviews ‹ in print, on camera, on stage ‹ with a wide range of personalities and smarties including Amy Sedaris, Naomi Watts, Salman Rushdie andRobert Duvall. Additionally, Warren is one of the founding faculty of TheFilmSchool, along with Tom Skerritt, Stewart Stern, Rick Stevenson and John Jacobsen. Warren has staged over 40 plays in New York, published five books, written countless magazine articles and recently completed a feature-length documentary, HUMOR ME. He speaks at festivals and conferences nationwide including The Screenwriting Expo, The Austin Film Festival and Conference, Bastyr University’s Founders Weekend and Gnomedex.

The December Biznik Innovator Series event with guest Dom Sagolla will take place on December 1, 2009 from 5:30PM to 8:30PM at the Seattle Pan Pacific Hotel (2125 Terry Avenue, Seattle, WA 98121.) Reservations may be made by following the link on Biznik at Biznik.com/events. Admission is $40 with discounts offered to Pro Members of Biznik.

So, you have been forewarned and forearmed. You know Ava’s tastes. Argue her opinions at your own peril. (That would be one of the classic blunders. The other being never get involved in a land war in Asia.)

THE JOURNEY OF NATTY GANN

Set in harsh economic times during which everyone’s desperate for work and will do just about anything to care for their kids and their families — um, the 1930s, not today — a penniless man (Ray Wise) must accept a life-threatening gig out West and must leave before he can tell his daughter (Meredith Salenger) where he’s going. Impervious to the dangers, the young girl sets out to find her father. Lainie Kazan and John Cusack co-star in this ferocious, sentimental tale that plays like a cross between Jack London and Walter Farley. Ava approves…

“It was great. It was also interesting. It was out in nature. I didn’t like the dogfight. I mean it was interesting but it was scary. I wish people wouldn’t make the dogs do that, though I guess sometimes they do in real life. I guess that some of it was a teeny bit scary. The dad had to go on a trip because he was kind of poor so he got a job cutting down trees in Washington. He wanted to tell his daughter he was going but he couldn’t find her. So she tried to find him. She made one friend, a wolf. The wolf was really, really smart. Whenever somebody tried to do something bad to her, the wolf protected her. The wolf always had a good idea. He would run away and make her follow when there was trouble or tell her to hide while he would bite someone who was mean. Little kids* should not watch this.”

* Apparently, that constitutes kids 5 and under.

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE

I loved this book as a kid and cherish my copy autographed by Maurice Sendak. My initial qualms about its adaptation were quelled by the hiring of Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, then by hearing David Bowie’s spin on Arcade Fire’s “Wake Up” play thru the trailer. While the song does not appear in the feature, the spirit of the tune and the soul of the original 16-sentence text pervade this artful recreation. The wild things replicate the look Sendak created and reveal the author’s inspiration for them, his own erratic, Semitic relatives. Voiced emphatically by Catherine O’Hara, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, Lauren Ambrose, Michael Berry Jr. and Forest Whitaker(!), the creatures are meticulously realized, each distinct in tone and temperament. Towering above all (performances), however, is James Gandolfini as the most hopeful yet scarred wild thing, Carol. His turn is Oscar®-worthy, though I fear the Academy will overlook the actor forgetting there are people under those costumes. Despite my enthusiasm, Ava’s less enchanted…

“I didn’t really like it because it wasn’t exactly very interesting. I like movies that are a bit more scary. I liked the wild things. I liked the one that looked like a bull. Some things were a little scary but not really. It was especially scary when the boy ran away from his family. But he had to go under lots of bushes and lots of trees and on top of things. I would never do that because what would I have to eat or drink? I learned to be brave like the boy who ran away and saw the wild things and wasn’t scared. I like to read books so I guess I like the book a lot, better than the movie. Anyways, sometimes the books are better than the movies. And sometimes, the other way. P.S. Try to see this movie because you might like it a lot even though I did not.”

THE LITTLE MERMAID II: RETURN TO THE SEA

Disney’s first spin on THE LITTLE MERMAID is one of their more ingratiating efforts of that era (despite the controversy surrounding the phallic spire in the background of the movie’s initial promotional materials). The Howard Ashman-Alan Menken songs charm, sold by the sweet Jodi Benson and Samuel E. Wright as the rasta-fied crustacean, Sebastian. Of course, like James Bond pics, kid flicks are dependent on nasty villains and Pat Carroll’s unctuous Ursula is one of Disney’s darkest. Wisely, the sequel retains these significant voice talents while it rehashes the antecedent’s storyline under the guise of a generational reversal of sorts. Banking on the comforts of familiarity, the movie succeeds. Ava is even more positive…

“I really liked it a lot because it was interesting and maybe a bit scary. But I wasn’t really scared, I guess. But I might have been a bit scared. It was interesting because Ursula was not in it, Morgana was. Morgana is Ursula’s sister. She wants to get the trident from Ariel’s dad. I was a bit nervous at some parts because I thought that something good or bad was going to happen. It all turns out well. I was really happy Sebastian and Scuttle and Flounder came back. The end.”

Apparently, making a decent sequel is not… inconceivable.

Event description

Many thanks to the spectacular Spencer F!

Director: Brandon Beckner

Starring:  Kevin Nealon, Nora Zehetner, Tom Arnold, Kip Pardue, Dule Hill, Christopher Titus

Watch the REMARKABLE POWER trailer!

With the plug about to be pulled on his late night talk show after a fifteen year run, and his wife engaged in a steamy affair with a pro baseball star, host Jack West is desperate – to keep aflame his fading celebrity, and avenge the misdeeds of his adulterous spouse.

With the clock ticking, Jack concocts the mother of all media stunts, killing two birds with one unforgettable stone on the road to redemption.

The scheme entangles an eclectic collection of colorful locals navigating their way through unpredictable twists and turns. A plump private eye teams with a macabre webmistress to investigate the strange disappearance of a dead body. A glassy-eyed cheddar head falls prey to a phony get-rich-quick guru. Imperiled actors embark on a quest for a fresh corpse. Cops in costume, a peculiar special effects make-up team, porn stars with dreams of stardom, a Jewish drug lord with very large brothers, Russian mobsters and others converge in this unique roller-coaster ride of comedy, mystery, murder and mayhem through the underbelly of modern day Sodom and Gomorrah.

Rated PG for thematic material, language and a mild suggestive moment.

In the tradition of great inspirational dramas like the Academy Award nominated film ERIN BROCKOVICH and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPYNESS, EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES is inspired by the true story of John Crowley, a man who defied conventional wisdom and great odds, and risked his family’s future to pursue a cure for his children’s life threatening disease.

From his working class roots, John Crowley (Brendan Fraser) has finally begun to taste success in corporate America. Supported by his beautiful wife Aileen (Keri Russell) and their three children, John is on the fast track. But just as his career is taking off, Crowley walks away from it all when his two youngest children, Megan and Patrick, are diagnosed with a fatal disease. With Aileen by his side, harnessing all of his skill and determination, Crowley teams up with a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist, Dr. Robert Stonehill (Harrison Ford). Together they form a bio-tech company focused on developing a life-saving drug. One driven to prove himself and his theories, the other by a chance to save his children, this unlikely alliance eventually develops into mutual respect as they battle the medical and business establishments in a fight against the system – and time.

But, at the last minute, when it appears that a solution has been found, the relationship between the two men faces a final test – the outcome of which will affect the fate of John’s children.

Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher (WORLD TRADE CENTER, ERIN BROCKOVICH), alongside Carla Santos Shamberg ERIN BROCKOVICH), produce through their Double Feature Films banner. Robert Nelson Jacobs (THE WATER HORSE, CHOCOLAT) wrote the screenplay, which was inspired by the book “The Cure” by Pulitzer Prize winning writer Geeta Anand.

367 lbs of wax. from More Dust Than Digital on Vimeo.

“It’s not who we play. It’s how we play.” Indeed. Thank you, Bradie James.

With their scrappy 20-16 victory Sunday night, the Cowboys demonstrated they would no longer rise and fall in accordance with their competition. Instead, they focused on performing as best they could, which was well enough to win. And, they could always be good enough, provided the team and its leaders continue to preach accountability. Tony Romo told Sports Illustrated’s Peter King: “Each guy doesn’t have to do anything but his best. That’ll be good enough for us to make the plays we need.” As inspiring as the quarterback’s short sermon may be, there’s a more compelling reason to have Faith in the Cowboys’ current four-game win streak: they’re smiling.

It is easy to suggest this year’s squad is significantly improved due to the off-season dismissals of tabloid troublemakers Tank, T.O. and PacMan. Certainly, it’s a neat story-line, one that’s easy for overpaid football pundits to parse and pass on while patting management (and themselves) on the back. And surely, the departure of these shamed, selfish players is beneficial, but not nearly as much as the remaining roster’s improved attitude. Somehow, these Cowboys learned to have fun again and, in turn, they’re much more fun to watch. Tune in to pre-game coverage and you see the difference. Remember the home-opener against the Giants? Recall the cameras scanning the sidelines? Dallas looked tighter than Joan Rivers‘ face bathed with egg whites. There was little joy to be inferred from the expressions on players’ faces, just queasy anticipation. Flash ahead to the endzone celebration in Kansas City, when the Cowboys claimed an overtime victory that ought have been more easily earned. Giddy teammates kept piling on top of Miles Austin as if they were all Bobby Carpenter in search of a defensive stat. Yes, they were happy. This is the bigger contribution Austin has made ever since; Miles smiles and his boyish enthusiasm appears contagious. (His touchdowns and YAC don’t hurt either.) Did you catch the jubilant outbursts after Sunday night’s fourth-down stop of Donovan McNabb or after Jason Witten’s clock-killing first-down grab? You would have thought everyone on the bench was going to Disneyland.

Did the Cowboys ever seem happy playing for Bill Parcells? No. Determined, maybe. Fearful, more likely. Did they ever seem happy playing for Jimmy Johnson? No. Confident, unquestionably. Arrogant, arguably. Those Super Bowl champs sure had swagger, but a lot less soul. They expected themselves to be brilliant and were blessed to have the talent and coaching to back their self-assured bluster. I am still not convinced that Wade Phillips is the best coach in the best of all possible worlds, but to be candid(e), in the midst of this modest win streak, he manages the team’s emotions well. (Better than Andy Reid manages the game clock, for sure.) And while today’s Dallas squad may lack the depth and star power of its early 90s counterparts, I much prefer these Cowboys’ spontaneous exultations. They recognize good fortune as what it is: the sum of effort and luck. As brilliantly as Troy Aikman quarterbacked, the precision of his play was far from mirthful. Compare that to Jay Ratliff’s primal outbursts when knifing behind the line of scrimmage to stuff a run or squash a passer. #90 clearly loves the game as much as do kids in a sandlot. Yes, one could argue that only results matter, but perhaps its time to reconsider how we evaluate our success.

Ever since Michael Corleone instructed “It’s not personal. It’s strictly business.”, many Americans seem to have embraced the mob/ster mentality. True, Life is simpler when we ignore our ethical obligations to focus on every matter as ones to be weighed professionally, pragmatically. Leave the emotions. Take the cannolis. But we do so at the expense of our happiness.

This weekend, I remembered how much fun I have when I simply do my job. Well. I remembered how much satisfaction I derive from sharing whatever knowledge I have with others and how much audiences and students have to offer me when I truly listen. Most of all, I remembered to smile. A near year-long stretch of anxiety, insecurity and instability had left me almost paralyzed and while I could still curl my lips upwards, it was an effort, an effort incomparable to the pleasure derived from smiling involuntarily.

Surely, I am not alone in readjusting to hard times. While sinking, it may be natural to concentrate on bailing out rather than consider pitching it all in. Captains pride themselves on going down with their vessels, but is that courage or hubris? Sometimes, the best answer is abandoning ship; recognizing the value of the crew is greater than the failing means of transport. Desperate times call for new measures, not necessarily desperate ones. Sometimes the riddle isn’t sink or swim. The answer is sink AND swim! Stop worrying so much. If you don’t know how to swim, let a smile be your life preserver.

Check out the new list of playdates for Yun Suh’s boundary-breaking documentary, Surely, CITY OF BORDERS has been or soon will be at a theater (very) near you.

LesGaiCineMad (Madrid, Spain)
http://www.lesgaicinemad.com/peliculas/documentales/city-of-borders
Tuesday October 30 10pm Lola Bar
Tuesday November 3 3pm Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Gender Bender Film Festival (Bologna, Italy)
http://www.genderbender.it/ita/dettaglio.asp?id=285
Wednesday November 4 10:30pm Cinema Lumière

Regent Park Film Festival (Toronto, Ontario)
http://www.regentparkfilmfestival.com/filmbydate.html#borders
Friday November 6 7:30pm Nelson Mandela Park Public School

Global Visions Film Festival (Edmonton, Canada)
http://www.globalvisionsfestival.com/filminfo.php?fid=80
Sunday November 8 8:00pm (Closing Night) Stanley A. Milner Library Theatre

Reeling Film Festival (Chicago)
http://www.reelingfilmfestival.org/film.php?fid=42
Tuesday November 10 9:00pm Landmark Theater

BiMovie (Munich, Germany)
http://www.bimovie.de/links15/filmuebersicht.htm
Wednesday November 11 7:00pm Maxim Kino
Friday Novemer 13 7:00pm Maxim Kino

Aarhus Film Festival (Arhus, Denmark)
http://www.aarhusfilmfestival.dk/en/programme/love/
Friday November 13 2:30pm Ost for Paradis A

Queersicht Film Festival (Bern, Switzerland)
http://www.queersicht.ch/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=24
Friday November 13 11:00pm Kino In Der Reitschule
Sunday November 15 1:00pm Kino In Der Reitschule

Holebi Film Festival (Leuven, Belgium)
http://www.holebifilmfestival.be/programma/film/921
Saturday November 14 8:00pm Cinema ZED
Tuesday November 17 5:00pm Cinema ZED

Other Israel Film Festival (Manhattan)
http://www.otherisrael.org/films
Sunday November 15 7:00pm JCC
Wednesday November 18 7:00pm Cinema Village

Temple Beith El Aptos (Santa Cruz)
http://www.tbeaptos.org/index.shtml
Monday November 16 Jewish Community Center

New Orleans Middle East Film Festival
http://nolamideastfilmfest.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-orleans-middle-east-film-festival.html
Saturday November 21 9:30pm Zeitgeist Multi-disciplinary Arts Center

Florence Queer Film Festival
www.florencequeerfestival.it

Young Rowan Isaacson was virtually unreachable until he escaped to a neighbor’s farm and mounted an old mare. His immediate, obvious and calming bond with the horse propelled his parents, Rupert and Kristen, to journey with their son to Mongolia to visit with wild horses and wily shamans. The trip is as cinematic as it is inconclusive, but it is this majestic trajectory and very indefinite messaging, ultimately, that is the documentary’s strength. Rowan’s parents are convinced the emotionally exhausting trek was beneficial; others suggest that THE HORSE BOY’s improvement may be purely coincidental. It’s a conflict of correlation versus causality with the viewer left to draw their own conclusions. What is certain is that parental care and others’ acceptance is as pertinent in the response to Autism as shamanistic rituals and Western medical intervention.

THE HORSE BOY offers editorial insights from Temple Grandin, Roy Richard Grinker and Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen. (Yup, related. He’s Sacha’s cousin.) I, for one, don’t believe Autism need be cured, just better understood. Perhaps it is an evolutionary “advancement,” a mutative adjustment to our changing society in which more and more people turn inwards, whether by genetic design or social media. (Consider the predictive experimentations of the Asperger’-addled Josh Harris documented in WE LIVE IN PUBLIC.) Or, perhaps it is a defensive upgrade to cope with a progressively dispassionate world. Either way, we gain nothing by denying Autism’s existence and have much to learn by accepting our own placement on its spectrum.

BONUS: For an earnest, elegant depiction of Asperger’s, check out the fictional feature, ADAM, headlined by Hugh Dancy, whose title performance ought be Oscar®-nominated though, sadly, is likely to be forgotten by awards season.

Attend this event

Event description

The Biznik Innovators Series connects independent business people at events in non-traditional venues with some of the most premier innovative thought leaders published today. When the authors visit Seattle, we find innovative ways to celebrate their books. The engaging Warren Etheredge, of The Warren Report, will lead an intimate and entertaining on-stage interview and conversation with the author. In addition…

• Mingle with the author and other guests in an intimate setting at the elegant Pan Pacific Hotel
• Sip complimentary award-winning wines from Erath Wineries (yep, free)
• Enjoy savory nibbles prepared by Seastar Restaurant & Raw Bar on the house

A copy of the book, signed for you by the author after the interview, is included in the ticket cost, in addition to all wines and appetizers. Twitter co-creator Dom Sagolla covers all the basics of great short-form writing, in 140 Characters (Wiley 2009) including the importance of communicating with simplicity, honesty, and humor. For marketers and business owners, social media is an increasingly important avenue for promoting a business-this is the first writing guide specifically dedicated to communicating with the succinctness and clarity that the Internet age demands. The most extraordinary thing about 140 Characters is that it’s more than book about Twitter. 140 Characters is a concise field manual that will help you be more effective when communicating in small spaces. It’s an actual style guide that covers basic grammar rules for short-form writing The equivalent of Strunk and White’s Elements of Style for today’s social media-driven marketing messages * Helps you develop your own unique short-form writing style 140 Characters is a much-needed guide to the kind of communication that can make or break a reputation online.

What others say about 140 Characters

“Inspired by new mediums of publishing, such as Twitter, this book provides a refreshing look at the breadth of linguistic techniques that shine with the advent of the modern short form.” - Britt Selvitelle, Front End Engineering Lead, Twitter

About the Author

@Dom helped create Twitter. He is also founder of DollarApp and co-founder of iPhoneDevCamp.

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RSVP for the event is $50 per person, which includes all wines, appetizers and a copy of the featured book. Reservations are required, and can be made here on our website by joining or logging into Biznik. (Basic membership in Biznik is free.)

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The Biznik Innovators events are made possible by a partnership between Biznik and:

November 12, 2009
Dacher Keltner
BORN TO BE GOOD:
The Science of a Meaningful Life
Time: 6:30 pm
Cost: $35/person (includes all appetizers
and a copy of the featured book)

Location:
NEW VENUE: Hotel Andra Ballroom
2000 4th Avenue (at Virginia), Seattle, 98121

In Born to be Good: The Science of a Meaningful Life, his startling study of human emotion, Keltner investigates an unanswered question of human evolution: if humans are hardwired to live lives that are “nasty, brutish and short”, why have we evolved with positive emotions like gratitude, amusement, awe, compassion and cooperation?

Keltner takes us on a journey into our positive emotions, which lie at the core of human nature and shape our everyday behavior — and they may be the key to understanding how we can live our lives better.  Dacher Keltner is a professor of psychology at UC/Berkeley, and the director of the Greater Good Science Center and coeditor of Greater Good Magazine.

Reservations are required and can be made by clicking on the Brown Paper Tickets link above.

For more information about this event,
please contact us or call: 206-632-2419

This amazing series is a production of Kim Ricketts/Book Events and

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The Good Life: books for better living events are interactive evenings of conversation with authors on tools for creating “the good life.” These events will take place at either Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom or the Hotel Andra Ballroom, where we will gather together to enjoy appetizers and beverages and an onstage interview of the author by Warren Etheredge of The Warren Report.

Read what Danielle Greger-Babbit says at examiner.com

Tickets for the events listed are $35 per person. Reservations are required, and can be purchased here on our website by clicking on the Brown Paper Tickets link for each event.

A copy of each author’s new book is included in the ticket price as are appetizers and bites of Theo Chocolate that evening. There will be a cash bar available.

November 2, 2009
Steven D. Levitt
and Stephen J. Dubner
SUPERFREAKONOMICS:
Global Cooling, Patriotic
Prostitutes and Why
Suicide Bombers Should
Buy Life Insurance
Time: 7 p.m.
Host: Warren Etheredge Cost: $30/person
(includes a copy of SuperFreakonomics)
Where: Town Hall Seattle
1119 Eighth Avenue
Seattle, WA 98101

Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner will be at Town Hall Seattle on November 2nd to discuss their new book, SuperFreakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and Why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance.

In 2005, Freakonomics was published and forever changed our understanding of how the world works, how we really make decisions, and even how we name our children.  This revolutionary book spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list and spawned a new genre of books on behavioral economics.  

In Superfreakonomics Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else, whether investigating a solution to global warming or explaining why the price of oral sex has fallen so drastically. By examining how people respond to incentives, they show the world for what it really is — good, bad, ugly, and, in the final analysis, super freaky.

Join us on November 2nd at Town Hall Seattle for an evening with the men who took the ‘dismal’ out of the economic sciences.

The $30 ticket price includes a copy of SuperFreakonomics, which each attendee will receive upon check-in.

Reservations are required and can be purchased by clicking on the Brown Paper Tickets link above.

For more information about this event, please contact us or call: 206-632-2419.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Got a rocket in your pocket? Tonight, tonight won’t be just any night… We’re gonna jazz it up and have us a ball during our ever-popular sing-along when we fete WEST SIDE STORY, one of cinema’s most celebrated and important musicals. The film was created by queer cinema dream team Leonard Bernstein, Arthur Laurents, Jerome Robbins, and Stephen Sondheim (who will make a rare live appearance at Seattle’s Benaroya Hall in late October).

With just the right mix of theatricality, beauty, and realism, Romeo meets Juliet-or rather, Tony meets Maria-but their transgressive romance is taboo. Their rival neighborhood gangs, the Jets and the Sharks will never accept the lovers’ star-crossed union.

Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, swarthy George Chakiris, and the electric Rita Moreno, the legendary 1961 film won ten Academy Awards, including Best Picture. With a newly restored print on the Cinerama’s giant screen, Bernstein’s unforgettable score will take your musical abilities to new heights. But don’t worry-if you forget the words, they’ll be right there on the screen so that you can sing along feeling pretty, witty, and gay! Come dressed as a Shark, a Jet or dust off your poodle skirt and get ready for a musical rumble.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

DISH
Brian Harris Krinsky; 2009; US; 15 min.
Young emo Israel idolizes adorable Ricky, right down to his hip hairstyle. But he’s not quite ready to take his emulation all the way.

I QUIT
Dave Sarrafian; 2009; US; 20 min.
Unlucky in love, a young man decides he’s finished with men, despite the help and high jinks of his well-meaning friends.

KING JOHN
Jean-Phillippe Labadie; 2009; France; 19 min. (subtitled)
A deaf youth is named king, only to be imprisoned by his spiteful siblings. Magic and imagination are his only companions in this beautifully stylized dark fable.

AFTER
Mark Pariselli; 2009; Canada; 13 min.
Go inside the minds of three geeky guys, each of them longing for the same hunk. Inspired by Dennis Cooper’s poem “After School, Street Football, Eighth Grade.”

Total Running Time: 68 min.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Director: Andrea Meyerson

From the director who brought you the LAUGHING MATTERS series (SLGFF 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008) comes the very first all-drag version of Logo’s hit comedy series “One Night Stand Up.” Filmed live just a month ago in Santa Monica and emceed by the amazing gender-bending Ongina (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), this flaming show spotlights three fabulous, fierce, and funny performers. For over ten years, drag superstar Jackie Beat has been entertaining audiences live across the country and on Comedy Central, VH-1, and MTV with her razor-sharp comedy and hysterical song parodies. Miss Coco Peru has created and starred in award-winning one-person shows for nearly two decades; she’s been on-screen in TO WONG FOO and TRICK, and on TV’s “Will and Grace,” “Arrested Development,” and her own Logo comedy special. Varla Jean Merman (Mary Sunshine in the Broadway revival of “Chicago”) has filled concert halls and cabarets around the world; you may have also seen her on Bravo’s “Project Runway” and in the hilarious GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS. Three stellar entertainers, one stage, one night only, and one spectacular show. This uncensored world premiere features footage that you won’t see on TV!

Guest in attendance

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Director: George O’Donnell

In a quiet Florida suburb, a group of young men struggling to escape the wreckage of their pasts have found an unusual way to create new lives for themselves: on the Web for the whole world to see. Their new home is CollegeBoysLive.com, a voyeur house rigged with 32 webcams, where their every move is watched live by thousands of paying members. The site’s creator claims CollegeBoysLive.com is simply about showing that “it’s okay to be gay,” but the neighbors insist it’s a pornographic whorehouse and sue to have them evicted.

Moreover, drama unfolds between the roommates and their keepers when the realities of life outside their virtual walls come crashing in via obsessive viewers, relationship woes, and trouble with the law. And any attempt at leading an off-camera life at school or a regular job competes with the constant pressure to perform for the cameras and keep the customers happy.

Part “Real World,” part “Jerry Springer,” and part “Queer as Folk,” this intimate and provocative documentary examines a complex subculture of voyeurism, exhibitionism, and the tradeoffs involved in sustaining it. But at its heart, COLLEGE BOYS LIVE is a surprisingly poignant search for family and acceptance.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Director: Stian Kristiansen

If John Hughes had ever added a Norwegian coming-out story to his collection of contemporary teen classics, it might look and feel something like this edgy and authentic coming-of-age comedy-drama.

It’s the end of the 1980s: the Berlin Wall is falling, and the whole world is changing…except in the Norwegian town of Stavanger, where monotony comes with the territory. Seventeen-year-old Jarle’s sole escape from the grey tedium is music, so he and his friends attempt to form “the most hardcore punk band in Stavanger.” But when Yngve, a striking new student, starts at school, Jarle’s simple and familiar world is turned upside down. He soon finds himself struggling to choose between his much-envied relationship with the popular girl and the offbeat boy who captures his affection.

Based on the best-selling book “I Loved Them All” by Tore Renberg, and featuring music from some of the most cutting-edge bands of the time (including The Stone Roses, The Cure, R.E.M., Japan, The Jesus and Mary Chain, and Joy Division), THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE was a huge box office hit in Norway and continues to receive international critical acclaim and audience awards.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Director: Arthur Ian

Glimpse through the keyhole into the world of male prostitution and hear the stories of hustlers and the men who seek them out. Through a series of candid and compelling interviews, LOOKING FOR ROMEO uncovers the experiences of escorts and their johns. Each offering a unique perspective, the men tell shocking and exciting stories of love found and lost, of control and abuse, of hope and tragedy. We learn about what drives men to prostitution, as well as some shocking secrets of the trade. The johns expose what motivates them to seek out the company of hustlers and how they feel about their experiences. LOOKING FOR ROMEO casts light on issues of affection and companionship, and the desire to escape solitude and insecurity-all with some instant gratification and excitement thrown in. This film offers no easy answers, but lets viewers witness some of the very human experiences that all the men in this film face.

Many thanks to the rambunctious Rachael B!

This film is presented as part of The 14th Annual Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival.

Dir: Gonzalo Justiano
Macho man Charly (Rodrigo Bastidas) finds his world is turned upside down when he’s released from a short jail stint in Mexico City and is forced to make a new life in Viña del Mar, Chile with his nine-year-old son, Pedro (Bastidas’s real-life son Raimundo). Short on options and cash, Charly decides to move in with his estranged father, Mario (veteran Chilean comedian Coco Legrand), who wants to help them start anew. Tradition and ideals are sorely tested when Charly discovers that Mario is flamboyantly out and proud and partnered with a man half his age. Charly tries almost everything to keep the shocking news from his son, but grandfather and grandson begin to develop a strong bond. Moreover, Charly has no choice but to take work in a nearby gay bar and pass for gay for the good tips. When he meets sexy Liliana, things get really complicated. The journey of confusion and discovery that Charly and his father take after 30 years apart illuminates this bright comedy that addresses the serious issue of homophobia in Latino society.

(And, if you need more, want more Trillin, check out my interview with the wit taped earlier this year at Words & Wine.)

(For more about Polanski, revisit my interview with the filmmaker’s unauthorized biographer, Christopher Sandford.)

What Whoopi Goldberg (‘Not a Rape-Rape’), Harvey Weinstein (‘So-Called Crime’) et al. Are Saying in Their Outrage Over the Arrest of Roman Polanski

by CALVIN TRILLIN

A youthful error? Yes, perhaps.
But he’s been punished for this lapse–
For decades exiled from LA
He knows, as he wakes up each day,
He’ll miss the movers and the shakers.
He’ll never get to see the Lakers.
For just one old and small mischance,
He has to live in Paris, France.
He’s suffered slurs and other stuff.
Has he not suffered quite enough?
How can these people get so riled?
He only raped a single child.

Why make him into some Darth Vader
For sodomizing one eighth grader?
This man is brilliant, that’s for sure–
Authentically, a film auteur.
He gets awards that are his due.
He knows important people, too–
Important people just like us.
And we know how to make a fuss.
Celebrities would just be fools
To play by little people’s rules.
So Roman’s banner we unfurl.
He only raped one little girl.

“…astonishing and thoroughly masterful… by several light years — the finest and truest film yet on the moral and emotional repercussions of the 15-year-old genocide that wracked Rwanda. Pic’s supremely confident, simple storytelling and relaxed, slightly impressionist visual style follow a conflict that emerges between two friends as one makes a long-delayed homecoming. This is, flat-out, the discovery of this year’s Un Certain Regard batch.”

Donations will fund reconciliation and micro-development practices in Rwanda. Please consider attending this very special event.

Below, the details…

October 17 – One Show Only!
MUNYURANGABO
Dir: Lee Isaac Chung
2008, Rwanda, USA / Color, Video / 97 min.

Come see the film MUNYUNRANGABO and help support a reconciliation project in Rwanda. Winner of film festivals, Roger Ebert says this story “involves one of those miracles that can illuminate the cinema.” Your ticket funds reconciliation practices and micro development practices in Rwanda. In 1994, Rwanda suffered a horrific genocide where over 1 million people lost their lives in a span of three months. The communities of Rwanda now have to reconcile in a difficult economic environment that is made even more challenging by the communal rift that exists between the perpetrators and survivors of the genocide. Sponsored by Groundwork Opportunities who will be available to answer questions after the showing.

Purchase your ticket by making a $20 (or more) donation at http://www.groundworkopportunities.org/projects/rwanda.htm you will receive an email from GO to confirm your seat. With only 60 seats available, and our web guy still working in Africa, we’re using this creative method to assure you a place at the screening. We look forward to seeing you there!

Doors open at 11:30am. 12pm showtime.

Of course, there was no guarantee they’d all make the pros, but I can guarantee that ten of you will win MORE THAN A DREAM prize packages that include:

* Run-of-engagement passes good for two to see MORE THAN A DREAM

* a MORE THAN A DREAM t-shirt

* a LeBron James headband

* a MORE THAN A DREAM soundtrack

* a MORE THAN A DREAM mini-poster

To win these exclusive prize packages, all you have to do is remit your answer to the following compound question by Friday, October 16th at 10am:

Who is the greatest athlete of all time… and why?

Winners will be determined by the wisdom and whimsy with which they are presented. To enter, just take your answer to the post (this one) or e-mail me at warren@thewarrenreport.com

And now, a little more about the movie…

Five talented young basketball players from Akron, Ohio star in this remarkable true-life coming of age story about uncommon friendship in the face all too common adversities. Coached by a charismatic but inexperienced player’s father, and led by future NBA superstar LeBron James, the “Fab Five’s” improbable seven-year journey leads them from a decrepit inner-city gym to the doorstep of a national high school championship. Along the way, the close-knit team is repeatedly tested-both on and off the court-as James’ exploding worldwide celebrity threatens to destroy everything they’ve set out to achieve together. MORE THAN A GAME combines a series of unforgettable one-on-one interviews with rare news footage, never-before-seen home videos and personal family photographs to bring this heart-warming and wholly American story to life.

MORE THAN A GAME is written by Kristopher Belman & Brad Hogan and directed by Kristopher Belman. The film features LeBron James, Sian Cotton, Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, Romeo Travis and Coach Dru Joyce II.

A Lionsgate film, 102 minutes, rated PG

Bremen Queer Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.queerfilm.de/6/film_anzeige6.php?id=361
Wednesday October 14, 2009 6 p.m.

Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.tiglff.com/film.cfm?filmid=117
Thursday October 15, 2009 7:30 p.m. Muvico Baywalk

Reel Affirmations Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;reelaffirmations.bside.com/2009/films/cityofborders_reelaffirmations2009
Sunday October 18, 2009 12 p.m. DC Jewish Community Center

Barcelona International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.barcelonafilmfestival.org/2009/uk/city_of_borders.htm
Monday October 19, 2009 7:30 p.m. National Film Theater

Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;seattlelgff.bside.com/2009/films/cityofborders_seattlelgff2009
Tuesday October 20, 2009 6:00 p.m. Egyptian Theater

Copenhagen Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.cglff.dk/film/index.php?film=52
Sunday October 18, 2009 4:45 p.m. Cinemateket
Thursday October 22, 2009 4:45 p.m. Cinemateket
Saturday October 24, 2009 2:15 p.m. Cinemateket

Boston Palestine Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;bostonpalestine.bside.com/2009/films/cityofborders_bostonpalestine2009;jsessionid=1C9ECE5EAE44A1D991A4E83B1FD4E8D8
Thursday October 22, 2009 7:00 p.m. Boston Museum of Fine Arts

United Nations Association Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.unaff.org/2009/f_city.html
Friday October 23, 2009 8:20 p.m. Stanford University – Cummings Art Building

Viennale International Film Festival
http://www.facebook.com/l/c28d9;www.viennale.at/en/viennale/
Wednesdsay October 28, 2009 12:00 a.m. Urania
Saturday October 31, 2009 1:30 p.m. Künstlerhaus

Seattle Magazine has published an article trying to identify the city’s next (first?) breakout auteur. I was interviewed for the piece and was relegated to only a couple of quotes. Strangely, they skipped my more insightful/sardonic remarks for two more hopeful comments. Am I a changed man? Kinder? Gentler? Sober? You decide. You can read Jamie Friddle’s article right here.

Once you have, cast your vote here for Seattle’s brightest (directorial) star. Not to peddle influence, but my pick is David Russo of THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF LITTLE DIZZLE.

October 27, 2009
C. Marina Marchese
HONEYBEE:
Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper
Time: 6:30 pm
Cost: $35/person (includes all appetizers
and a copy of the featured book)

Location: Tom Douglas’ Palace Ballroom
2100 5th Avenue (at Lenora), Seattle, 98121 (map)

Ten years ago, Marina Marchese fell in love with bees during a tour of a neighbor’s hives. Surprised to find that allowing docile honeybees to crawl across her hands instilled a serene tranquility and comfort, Marina quit her job, acquired her own bees, built her own hives, harvested honey, earned a certificate in apitherapy (the use of honey-bee products in medicinal healing) and eventually opened her own business.

Today, Red Bee Honey sells artisanal honey and honey-related products to shops and restaurants all over the country. Honeybee: Lessons Learned from an Accidental Beekeeper is one woman’s story, but it is also bursting with fascinating and practical information about all aspects of bees, beekeeping and honey, including: building a beehive; pollination and its importance in sustaining life; harvesting honey; healing with honey and apitherapy; and much more.  Recipes for food, drink and personal care products made of honey are included throughout — and Marchese will lead us in an artisanal honey tasting at the conclusion of her interview that evening.

With the challenge of colony collapse disorder threatening the future of honeybees today, spend an evening learning about these amazing creatures and how much they contribute to our lives.

Reservations are required and can be made by clicking on the Brown Paper Tickets link above.

For more information about this event,
please contact us or call: 206-632-2419

This amazing series is a production of Kim Ricketts/Book Events and

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Rated R. Running time:  108 minutes.

Directed by: F. Gary Gray
Written by: Kurt Wimmer

Cast: Jamie Foxx, Gerard Butler, Bruce McGill, Colm Meaney, Leslie Bibb, Michael Irby, Regina Hall, Viola Davis

When a home invasion robbery turns deadly, the lone survivor will stop at nothing to avenge his lost loved ones in LAW ABIDING CITIZEN, an explosive examination of blind justice from the director of THE ITALIAN JOB.
Clyde Shelton (Gerard Butler) is an upstanding family man whose wife and daughter are brutally murdered during a home invasion. When the killers are caught, Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx), a hotshot Philadelphia prosecutor, is assigned to the case. Nick offers one of the suspects a light sentence in exchange for testifying against his accomplice.
Fast forward ten years. The man who got away with murder is found dead and Clyde Shelton coolly admits his guilt. Then he issues a warning to Nick: Either fix the flawed justice system that failed his family, or key players in the trial will die.
Soon Shelton follows through on his threats, orchestrating from his jail cell a string of spectacularly diabolical assassinations that can be neither predicted nor prevented. Philadelphia is gripped with fear as Shelton’s high-profile targets are slain one after another and the authorities are powerless to halt his reign of terror. Only Nick can stop the killing, and to do so he must outwit this brilliant sociopath in a harrowing contest of wills in which even the smallest misstep means death. With his own family now in Shelton’s crosshairs, Nick finds himself in a desperate race against time facing a deadly adversary who seems always to be one step ahead.