A Byrd's Eye View-March 23, 2013

March 23, 2013

A Byrd’s Eye View N

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ABOUT MOVIES, TV, ARTS AND EVENTS IN THE VALLEY

Oz, the Great and Powerful Was 3D Joy To Watch

By Art Byrd My interest in Oz, The Great and Powerful was at low ebb because I love The Wizard of Oz. I didn’t want to see something that would tarnish the original for me. Honestly, I was in the mood to see a shoot-em up like Dead Man Down.

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A friend told me that he took his family to see Oz. He said they saw the movie in 3-D and it was good. I was still wasn’t sold. Then, he explained some things about the movie and I became curious.

At the theatre, I got my 3-D glasses and settled in for Oz. The movie starts out in black and white like the original 1939 The Wizard of Oz. James Franco (127 Hours, Milk) stars as Oscar Diggs known as Oz, a magician working in a traveling circus show. He is not the nicest guy and a womanizer. Then, he gets in trouble with a jealous muscle man from the circus. Oz escapes in a hot air balloon. A tornado in Kansas, (sound familiar) takes Oz and the the balloon to the colorful world of Oz which is really the name of the land.

The land of Oz looks amazing with its lavish greenery and of course, the yellow brick road. Soon, Oz meets three witchesTheodora played by Mila Kunis (Black Swan) who later will turn evil green, Evanora, as the somewhat evil one played by Rachel Weisz (The Bourne Legacy) and Glinda, the good one played Michele Williams (Blue Valentine).

All three actresses were perfectly casted. I really like Williams because she brought a sweetness and gentleness to the character.

Franco does an okay job as Oz He has so much range with characters that he has played before from 127 Hours, Milk and the upcoming Spring Break. It is hard for me to believe him as Oz, as he says the corny dialogue.

“Confidence, not cockiness. Knowing who you are is confidence.Cockiness is knowing who you are and pushing it down everyone’s throat.”

Actress, Mila Kunis who is starring as Theodora the witch, in OZ, the Great and Powerful, now playing in theaters.

March 23, 2013

Oz the Great and Powerful is the story before The Wizard of Oz with Dorothy. Yet, Oz and Dorothy’s journeys are basically the same. There was a false belief about each, Dorothy started out be viewed as weak, later her inner strength came out. With Oz , as a magician, a master of slight of hand but he has no real magical power. Oz uses the things from his old world like fireworks and projection equipment to prove his strength. Both are trying to accomplish something to save the land of OZ from evil.

Oz is joined on his journey by Finley, the Flying Monkey and a little girl made of porcelain called China Girl. Oz and his team encounter many battles especially flying monkeys.

Oz the Great and Powerful is perfect for the whole family. It felt like watching an updated version of The Wizard of Oz. The munchkins are in the movie. Yeah.

Sam Raimi, who has directed movies like Evil Dead, Drag Me To Hell and Spiderman movies doesn’t seem like the logical choice to direct Oz, the Great and Powerful. Yet, he has made a movie that everyone from 6 to 101 years old can enjoy and be touch by.

Oz the Great and Powerful looks so amazing with its CGI and special effects and can tug your heart with very warm and touching scenes. It is a must see on the big screen especially in 3-D which was visible throughout the movie, not just once in awhile as in most 3-D movies.

Oz the Great and Powerful did a wonderful setup for a sequel. It will be worth the wait.

Two Friends of Mine Have A Book Out And A TV Show Airing on PBS

by Art Byrd Many years ago, my friend Lisa Jackson who was a reporter for The Vindicator, told me about how she became friends with Ace Frehley of the rock band KISS. She had been out on tour with them. Lisa never gave out much details about her adventures with the band. Now, she has written a fictional e-book about those times called The Accidental Groupie. Lisa is using the pen name, Lana Layne because there is another author named Lisa Jackson.

The story goes behind and beyond the stage with Linda Johnson who goes on the road as a part of rock tour.

Lisa, an Austintown Fitch graduate, lives in Las Vegas.

The Accidental Groupie is available on Amazon.com for $9.99 and www.lulu.com. http://www.amazon.com/The-Accidental-Groupie-ebook/dp/B00BT4H9DC/ref=sr_1_1? s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1363962889&sr=1-1&keywords=accidental+groupie Another friend, Lillian Benson, who is a film editor in Los Angeles has a project airing Tuesday, March 26 at 8 p.m on PBS. It is a special on education reform hosted by Travis Smiley. Here is a link: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/tavissmiley/tsr/education-under-arrest/

March 23, 2013

The 37th Cleveland International Film Festival Will Deliver Some Great Cinematic Presents.

by Art Byrd Some people’s favorite time of the year is Christmas. Mine is film festival time in the spring. In a few weeks, I will get a chance to open up some cinematic presents that the 37th Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) will deliver April 3-14 at Tower City Cinemas in Cleveland.

This year’s theme is Be The Applause. Also, an extra day, a 12th day has been added to the festival as 178 features and 164 short subjects from 65 countries will be screened.

The festival’s Opening Night film on Wednesday, April 3 will have The Kings of Summer filmed in Greater Cleveland. The film is an coming of age story of three teenagers.

On Sunday, April 14th, the Closing Night film will be Unfinished Song starring Terence Stamp and Vanessa Redgrave. Stamp is an old soul introduced to a local seniors singing group.

The CIFF is just not going to the films, it is like going to an event. Some of the events that will happen are FilmForums where urgent, relevant and complex social issues are explored and discussed, FilmSlam which is a mini-film festival for student filmmakers and Focus on Filmmakers that is made possible from a generous grant from The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, the Oscars showcasing minority and less visible filmmakers.

There are so many special programs going during the festival, you have to look them up in the now available downloadable program guide as well as more information and tickets at www.clevelandfilm.org The CIFF is a cultural event that has something cinematically for everyone. Personally, I can’t wait to see what the CIFF has under the projector tree for me.

YSU SMARTS To Present Free Community Drum Circles YSU SMARTS will be presenting a series of free community drum circles open to the public at various throughout the spring. Students and families from The SMARTS Beats program will be providing evenings of fun, interactive drumming and refreshments. The general public is invited.

Here is the Drum Circle Schedule: Wednesday, March 27 at 7pm – The Drum Smith, 576 Youngstown Poland Rd., Struthers Wednesday, April 10 at 7pm – St. Patrick’s Church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown Friday, April 19 at 5pm – Motter’s Music, 4242 Boardman-Canfield Rd., Canfield Wednesday, April 24 at 7pm – The Drum Smith, 576 Youngstown Poland Rd., Struthers Friday, May 3 at 7pm – St. Patrick’s Church, 1420 Oak Hill Ave., Youngstown

March 23, 2013

Bombay Sitar Hits Right Note for Indian Cuisine by Monnie Ryan Editor's note: To read the full version of this review, visit http://mahoningvalleyeats.blogspot.com Even if you're not an aficienado of classic Indian cuisine - and I admit it's not at the top of my preference list - it's hard to imagine you won't find something to love at Bombay Sitar. My husband Jack and I not long ago discovered the treasures inside, and my mouth has been watering for a return visit ever since.

All food here is prepared fresh daily with no additives or preservatives, and if you're among the some who like it hot like me, you'll find it here). But if you think all curry is spicy, think again; in fact, most of the dishes we tried were full of flavor but totally without "heat."

If you're unsure of what you'll like or it's your first time here, do try the lunch buffet. The cost is a reasonable $8.49 Friday through Sunday ($7.99 on weekdays), and you can sample a little bit of everything. It gets a bit crowded on weekends and it's not a large restaurant, though, so plan to arrive as close to opening time as you can.

We did just that and were seated almost immediately (and almost immediately afterward a line of hopefuls were lined up all the way outside the door). Our server brought glasses of water right away and took our drink order - you can get bottled beer and several wines by the glass if you want.

My first round included a cup of sambar, a spicy soup that was delicious with a mild (to me) kick. I also liked the Tandori-style chicken with grilled onions and peppers. This dish, I decided, would be fine as a stand-alone meal, which I'll consider the next time we're there - but only if I can force myself to pass up that wonderful buffet.

I especially loved the Chicken Tikka Masala, or boneless pieces of chicken in a creamy butter sauce with fresh tomatoes. The buffet items included onion chutney and achar, or Indian hot and spicy mixed pickles.

The achar was quite spicy, but I wasn't fond of the in-your-face flavor. Other buffet items I enjoyed are the vegetable samosa, dal makhni (lentils) and chana saat (chickpeas and tomato sauce with a potato here and there) and a similar-sounding chana saag, with chickpeas, spinach and ginger.

There wasn't much room for dessert, but I did try the kheer (rice pudding) with almonds and pistachios. It was a bit on the bland side, but that might be on purpose to counter the spice in the regular dishes. When I added a bunch of sugar; it tasted a whole lot better.

If you go: Bombay Sitar 4633 Belden Village St. N.W. Canton, Ohio 44718 (330) 493-0671 http://www.bombaysitar.com Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday; 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday; and noon to 10 p.m.

March 23, 2013

Guilt Falls Short of Guilty Pleasure by Monnie Ryan 4 stars (out of 5)

By Monnie Ryan I've been such a huge fan of Jonathan Kellerman (and a little less so, his writer-wife, Faye, and a lot less so their son Jesse) for so many years that I can't even remember the first book of his I read - and it's more than 30 bestselling crime novels. And I'd be hard-pressed to give any one of them less than 5 stars - until now, that is. Jonathan, my love, this one just doesn't quite measure up.

Wish I could explain exactly why not, but I'll start with the significant number of run-on sentences. Have I mentioned how much I hate run-on sentences? Almost as much as typographical errors and words used incorrectly, such as "compliment" instead of "complement," in fact, although happily I didn't find errors like that here.

But it's more than that. For close to two-thirds of the book, I just couldn't seem to keep the characters straight or make any real "connections" to any of them - whether those connections were good or bad. All of them seemed very superficial - the so-called reporter was especially annoying to me. The hero, psychologist and police consultant Alex Delaware - who, in large part because of my own educational background in psychology, is a favorite character of mine - for the most part played not much of a role except for the purpose of bantering with his long-time police pal and LAPD lead investigator Milo Sturgis.

The story begins with a backyard make-over during which an infant's body is unearthed after at least half a century. Soon afterward, another body - this one a young woman who's been shot in the head - is discovered in a nearby park. Clues lead the investigative team to a Hollywood couple who could pass for Brangelina (adopted kids and all) - another somewhat off-putting aspect as far as I'm concerned. The exposition, though cleverly written, sounded contrived - and there was way too much of it.

Just when I was starting to think the worst - I'd have to give this one just 3 stars - everything changed. With about 25% of the book left to read, the writing morphed into classic Kellerman. The ending didn't come as much of a surprise, but one of Kellerman's strengths is leading readers on a psychological journey (surprise!), not smacking them in the teeth on the last couple of pages. I just wish he'd started the trek a bit sooner.

Guilt by Jonathan Kellerman (Ballantine Books, February 2013); 400 pp.

March 23, 2013

What’s Happening Around The Valley: March 23 - March 30 This weekend The Rust Belt Theater Company The Rust Belt Theater Company will present a celebration of music, food and recycled artwork this weekend at Calvin Center, 755 Mahoning Ave., near downtown. Admission is free.

Hours are noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday.

The second annual event includes local musicians and artists.

Saturday, February 23 The Boardman Gridiron Club: Annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show The Boardman Gridiron Club is holding its annual Spring Arts and Crafts Show from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Boardman High School gymnasium. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Boardman football and cheerleading programs. For information, call 234-201-3884 or email rogersusa@sbcglobal.net.

Mill Creek MetroParks :The Easter Eggstravaganza The Easter Eggstravaganza will take place at the Wick Recreation Area in the Mill Creek MetroParks. The Easter Bunny will be there for a special appearance. Kids from ages 2 to 10 will scramble for candy and toys. The free event gets underway at 11:30 a.m.

Steel Museum: Antiques Appraisal Show The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor known as the Steel Museum is having an antiques appraisal show from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The event will allow patrons to find out what their items are worth, satisfying curiosity and allowing for proper insurance valuations. There will be several appraisers available for consultation.

Admission is $5, and for an additional $1, patrons may also visit the museum’s permanent exhibitions. For information, call 330-941-1314.

The Youngstown Historical Center of Industry and Labor is at 151 W. Wood St.Youngstown.

Treez Pleez-Fundraiser Treez Pleez is having a fundraiser with Wine, Cheese and Chocolate at the First Unitarian Universalist Church. Treez Pleez efforts assist with reforestation efforts in Youngstown. The fundraiser goes from 7 pm to 10 pm. $25 for adults and $10 for students with ID. The Unitarian Universalist Church is located at 1105 Elm St. Youngstown.

March 23, 2013

What’s Happening Around The Valley: March 23 - March 30 (cont’d) Sunday, March 24 The Butler Institute of American Art: 75th Area Artists Annual Exhibition The Butler Institute of American Art will present the 75th Area Artists Annual Exhibition running from Sunday, March 24th through Sunday, April 21st. The Area Artists Annual Exhibition will feature art works from artists who reside within a 40-mile radius of Youngstown. Museum hours and more information are available at (330) 743-1107.

The Butler Institute of American Art located at 524 Wick Avenue in Youngstown.

The Dana School of Music-Misook Yun's Voice Studio The Dana School of Music will present a Recital featuring the students in Misook Yun's Voice Studio at 3 P.M. in the Bliss Recital Hall, on the campus of Youngstown State University. More information about this free recital is available at (330) 941-3636.

Monday, March 25 The Dana School of Music: Clarinetist Alice Wang and Pianist Naoki Haturani The Dana School of Music presents a Faculty and Guest Artist Recital featuring clarinetist Alice Wang and pianist Naoki Haturani, on Monday, March 25th at 8 p.m in the Bliss Recital Hall Dr. Alice Wang is Assistant Professor of Clarinet at YSU and Naoki Haturani teaches piano at the University of Arkansas. More information about this free recital is available at (330) 941-3636.

Tuesday, March 26 Youngstown State University: Film Screening Youngstown State University presents a screening of the film Too Fast To Be A Woman, followed by a discussion as part of Women’s History Monday. on Tuesday, at 7 p.m. in the Jones Room of Kilcawley Center. Too Fast To Be A Woman tells of the controversy and rumors of a failed gender test over runner Caster Semenya after she won the 800 meter World Championship in 2009.

More information about this event is available at (330) 941-2320.

Friday, March 29th Dana School of Music: Musicology Lecture The Dana School of Music presents a Musicology Lecture by Dr. Francesca Brittan at 4 p.m. in the Bliss Recital Hall, on the campus of YSU. Dr. Brittan is an Assistant Professor of Musicology at Case Western Reserve University, and is a scholar of nineteenth-century music and aesthetics. More information about this lecture is available at (330) 941-3636

March 23, 2013

On Stage Youngstown Playhouse: Death of a Salesman The Youngstown Playhouse presents Arthur Miller’s classic Death of a Salesman—the 1949 Pulitzer Prize winner for Drama and Tony Award for Best Play.

Death of a Salesman tells the story of a tragedy about the dichotomy between the reality of life and hopes and dreams of the everyday working family.

Performances are Saturday, March 23 at 7:30 p.m and Sunday, March 24 at 2:30 p.m.

The Youngstown Playhouse is located at 600 Playhouse Lane, Youngstown.

For tickets call 330-788-8739

Salem Community Youth Theatre: Willy Wonka Jr. Salem Community Youth Theatre presents Willy Wonka Jr. which is finishing its this weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Evening performances are at 8 p.m. and the Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. Willy Wonka Jr. features memorable songs such as The Candy Man, Pure Imagination, and Oompa Loompa. Tickets and more information about this show are available at (330) 332-9688.

Salem Community Youth Theatre is at 490 East State Street, Salem.

Kent State University At Trumbull: The Romeo & Juliet War Kent State University At Trumbull is presenting The Romeo & Juliet War. The production reveals the story of two local theatre companies who are simultaneously performing Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. The directors of the two companies refuse to move the dates of their productions; one which is traditional and the other which is described as avant-garde, and as a result, war is on.

Saturday’s performance is at 8 p.m and Sunday’s performance is at 3 p.m. $10 for adults, $8 for students and seniors. $6 children ages 11 and under.

Kent State at Trumbull is located at 4314 Mahoning Ave, Champion, Ohio.

Upcoming:

Youngstown State University: Gemini

University Theater will present the dramatic comedy GEMINI. Set in the mid-1970’s, the play takes place in the backyard of adjoining houses in South Philadelphia.

The play opening Thursday, April 4. The show’s run is scheduled April 4 – 7, and April 12 – 14 in Spotlight Arena Theater. Thursday through Saturday performances begin at 7:30 p.m. while the Sunday matinee performances are at 3:00 p.m.

This production contains adult situations and coarse language and is not suitable for children.

Tickets may be purchased by calling the University Theater Box Office at 330-941-3105. Ticket prices are free for YSU students with ID; $10 for adults; $5 for senior citizens, YSU faculty and staff and high school and college students from other universities, Penguin Club members and YSU alumni. Parking is available in the Wick Avenue parking deck for all shows for a nominal fee.

March 23, 2013

PRIVACY POLICY Some of you on A Byrd’s Eye View newsletter mailing list came to us from other e-mails sent to us regarding stories about Arts events in the area.

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Excerpts from A Byrd’s Eye View can be read in The Review, Newspaper, available throughout the Valley and online at http://www.thereviewnewspapers.com/

Movie reivews from A Byrd’s Eye View can be read in The Buckeye Review Newspaper, available throughout the Valley at various newstands.

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Art Byrd Jr. has won awards as a filmmaker and journalist. After working many years as a videographer and director for WFMJ TV News, he retired from broadcasting to share his experience and insight with students as an instructor at Youngstown State University. Art has written and produced numerous Indie films, which have been shown at prestigious film festivals. In addition to teaching and writing/ producing A Byrd’s Eye View newsletter, Art also does freelance media work. He is based in Youngstown, Ohio.

Monnie Ryan retired in 2003 after 14 years as managing editor of The Business Journal in Youngstown, where she continues to contribute to the print and online editions.

Articles she has written have appeared in more than 20 national publications and at several travelrelated Web sites, and she has won numerous awards for photography.

Contact her at mryan62692@aol.com.

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