Ruckus July 28, 2023

Examining life through music

RACHEL HERGETT

For the Chronicle

Long before she could form actual words, Amanda Stewart was singing. Emulating her mother, Stewart would hobble around humming and creating melodies with a series of “la la las.” No words necessary.

“I’ve been singing since I was tiny,

tiny,” Stewart said over co ee last

peers voted her “most likely to become a musician” in her high school yearbook. “I always said I wanted to be a singer. ere was never any other goal.” Stewart, who releases her sophomore album “Venom” on Friday, leans into country and rock in uences that make up the broader Americana genre. Even though Spotify placed one of her songs on its “Top Country Finds” play-

else happens.”

When asked about her songwriting process, Stewart admits that many of her ideas come to her in the shower. While she tries not to expect that the ideas will ow, Stewart leaves her phone right outside, voice notes at the ready to capture thoughts if they do come.

“ e water pouring over you helps

“Venom” recording.

While she remains unsigned by choice, Stewart said she is pinching herself in the face of some of the opportunities that have come and are still headed her way. She opened for Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland, one of her mother’s favorite bands. She has a couple dates lined up with Clint Black. She’s working on a Christmas EP, slated for November release.

THE WHISKEY GINGER/PROVIDED

Amanda Stewart plays her guitar during the video shoot for “Lonesome Mountain.”

More STEWART I 14

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“Movie: Assassin”

When revolutionary, experimental human drone tech falls into enemy hands, it’s up to the leader of an elite C.I.A. group (Bruce Willis) and his team to draft a black-ops soldier into service to retrieve the weapons system at any cost. Dominic Purcell and Nomzamo Mbatha co-star.

“Movie: Rio 2”

Blue macaws Blu (Jesse Eisenberg), Jewel (Anne Hathaway) and their three children are comfortably settled in the city, but perhaps too comfortably — Jewel fears that the children are becoming more like humans than birds. After learning that she and Blu may not be the last blue macaws after all, Jewel decides that their little family should visit the Amazon jungle. It’s there that Blu meets his formidable father-in-law (Andy Garcia) and goes beak-to-beak with archnemesis Nigel (Jemaine Clement).

“Breeders: Season 4”

The fourth and final season of this FX comedy series catches up with the Worsley family, five years after the dramatic end of Season 3. Season 4 brings the biggest parenting challenge that Paul (Martin Freeman) and Ally (Daisy Haggard) have ever faced, as 18-year-old Luke (Oscar Kennedy) drops a bombshell at Christmas dinner that will change everyone’s lives forever. No longer in Luke’s shadow, 16-year-old Ava (Zoe Athena) experiences her own bombshell moment as she meets and immediately falls for the charismatic Holly (Jessie Williams). Alun Armstrong and Joanna Bacon also star.

“Reservation Dogs: Season 3”

This half-hour comedy follows the exploits of Elora Danan (Devery Jacobs), Bear Smallhill (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) and Cheese (Lane Factor), four Indigenous teenagers from rural Oklahoma. In the third and final season, the Rez Dogs find themselves stranded in California and have to find their way back home. The series is co-created by Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi.

ACROSS

1 Gently persuade

5

9

14

15

17

18

22

46 Smidgen

47 Personal prefix

48 Say ___ (refuse) (2)

49 Baptist leader

50 Loch ___ monster

51 “Game of Thrones’” Jon

DOWN

1 “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018) director Jon M. ___

2 End of a ball

3 Malek’s role in “Mr. Robot”

4 Persian ruler styled “the Great”

5 Señor’s emphatic yes (2)

6 Orgs.

21 Big bash

25 Open, as a shirt

26 Chemical endings

27 “Bill & ___ Excellent Adventure”

(1989 comedy)

31 Rock’s ___ Leppard

32 Actress Deborah who earned both a Golden Globe and Razzie nomination for “Touched by Love” (1980)

33 Library ID

34 Subatomic particles made up of quarks and antiquarks

36 Big name in china

33

7 Smart one

8 Sale indicator (2)

9 “The Fosters” and “Good Trouble” star Teri

10 Unite

11 Moo ___ pork

(Chinese dish)

16 Feminine suffix

19 The “I” in T.G.I.F.

37 Half of six

39 “All in the Family” star Stapleton

40 “Molly’s Game” (2017) star Idris

41 Oklahoma tribe

42 Nutritional fig.

44 Command for D.D.E.

45 Boar’s mate

Erin Krakow

BY JAY BOBBIN

OF WHEN CALLS THE HEART ON HALLMARK CHANNEL

Note: This interview took place before the SAG-AFTRA actors’ strike.

Q: As “When Calls the Heart” starts its 10th season, what is your feeling about reaching that milestone?

A: It’s just incredible. We’re very, very lucky to be working with a network that is so supportive, and that we have such a fan base of “Hearties” that’s so loyal and passionate about our show. Typically in years past, we have premiered around February, so we’re really testing their patience here … but they sound very excited about seeing Season 10, and we can’t wait to share it.

Q: What can you say about the new season of the series as it begins?

A: As usual, we left things off with a pretty climactic episode. There was a fire and a proposal and a lot of things happening, and Season 10 has a lot of drama and action and romance. We’re planning a wedding, there’s danger happening in Hope Valley, there are funny moments with the kids – just a lot. We try to level up every season.

I think we have a pretty good sense of what our audience appreciates most, and sometimes, we like to challenge that by feeding them some stories that might be tough on them. For example, some people really struggled with the idea of Rosemary (played by Pascale Hutton) and Elizabeth (Krakow’s character) being at odds at all … and I didn’t love playing arguments with my dear friend Pascale, it reset things a bit. At the end of the day, it’s about spending time with these people who viewers have come to love.

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“Chavorrucos”

Regina (Dalilah Polanco), a psychologist, wants to write a book talking about the different personalities of men. In order to do so, she gathers five funny and very peculiar “Chavorrucos”(man-children) — Andrés (Rodrigo Murray), Víctor (Juan Soler), Tony (Freddy Ortega), Roberto (Julio Bracho) and Aldo (Cristián de la Fuente) — in order to study them. The group become not only therapy partners, but also friends who help each other to overcome life’s difficulties.

“Movie: Heaven Can Wait”

This fantasy rom-com stars Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty), quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, is killed in an auto accident. In the afterlife, Joe discovers that his guardian angel (Buck Henry) has taken him from his body prematurely, and he is due many more years on earth. Unable to return to his body, Joe assumes the form of greedy multimillionaire industrialist Leo Farnsworth. As Farnsworth, Joe attempts a return to football and falls in love with environmental activist Betty Logan (Julie Christie).

“Movie: Dances With Wolves”

In this 1990 western epic, a Civil War soldier, Lt. John Dunbar (Kevin Costner), develops a relationship with his new Lakota Sioux neighbors. Attracted by the simplicity of their lifestyle, he chooses to leave his former life behind to be with them, finding new family and new love. Tragedy results when Union soldiers arrive with designs on the land. Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant, Floyd Red Crown Western and Tantoo Cardinal also star.

“The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart: Season 1”

This series tells the emotionally compelling story of Alice Hart (played in childhood by Alyla Browne and in adulthood by Alycia Debnam-Carey), who tragically loses her parents in a mysterious fire at nine years old. She is taken to live with her grandmother June at Thornfield flower farm, where she learns that there are secrets within secrets about her and her family’s past.

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Solution on page 12

Grocery guile: “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” debuts on Netflix

Secrets from the grocery aisles will be revealed when “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” makes its streaming debut, Wednesday, Aug. 2, on Netflix.

The film, helmed by director Stephanie Soechtig (“The Devil We Know,” 2018), dives into the detailed findings of the 2011 book “Poisoned: The True Story of the Deadly E. Coli Outbreak That Changed the Way Americans Eat,” by author Jeff Benedict, looking at the safety protocols surrounding American food. Soechtig — who is no stranger to the documentary format — goes deeper into the food industry than ever before, having previously worked on features such as “Tapped” (2009), which examines the water bottle industry, and “GMO OMG” (2013), answering questions about genetically modified organisms.

This feature, according to a description from the Tribeca Film Festival, “provides tips on what to avoid at the supermarket, demystifies the tangle of regulations that govern what we eat, and tells the stories of families who have lost loved ones to foodborne illness. This is a film that will make you think about what’s on your plate and how it got there in eye-opening new ways.”

They continue to explain that “foodborne pathogens kill around 3,000 people in the U.S. every year and hospitalize hundreds of thousands more. Romaine lettuce, cantaloupe, sprouts ... all have been at the center of outbreaks [that] have become alarmingly frequent in recent years. Their solutions are simple, but protections are scattershot, with little bureaucratic will to enforce them.” They go on to promise that “Poisoned” will “[hold] the public and private influences behind these decisions to account, beginning with the Jack In the Box E. Coli outbreak of 1992-1993 and continuing to the present day.”

Of the film, author Jeff Benedict said: “Turning this story into a film has been a writer’s dream. Grateful to Bill and Julie Marler for trusting me with their odyssey (I didn’t expect to find a love story when I set out to write about a foodborne illness outbreak),” he teases, then adding: “Lucky to have worked with Ross Dinerstein and his great filmmaking team at Campfire Studios.”

From executive producers Rebecca Evans (“The Way Down”), Ross Girard (“A Glitch in the Matrix,” 2021) and Benedict himself, “Poisoned: The Dirty Truth About Your Food” premieres Wednesday, Aug. 2, on Netflix.

Stephanie Soechtig, director

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“Too Hot to Handle: Season 5”

Ten hot new singles think they are retreating to a lavish yacht in the Caribbean and competing on a new dating show, “Love Overboard,” hosted by a handsome and mysterious captain. Little do they know that Too Hot to Handle is back for a fifth season and Lana is ready to put their romantic connections to the test. There’s a $200,000 cash prize at stake and all they have to do is avoid all physical intimacy.

“Documentary: The Lady of Silence: The Mataviejitas Murders”

This documentary look back to the year 2000, when a number of murders have the capital police stunned in Mexico City: older ladies are being strangled in their own homes. The victims’ profiles are causing never-before-seen social outrage and media coverage, and the Attorney General’s Office is employing all its resources and efforts to capture Mexico’s first serial killer. In January 2006, after more than 40 murders, several failed arrests, and multiple contradictions, a woman, Juana Barraza, is detained in broad daylight.

“Heartstopper: Season 2”

Season 2 finds Nick (Kit Connor) and Charlie (Joe Locke) navigating their new relationship, while Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) face unforeseen challenges and Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney) work out if they can ever be more than just friends. With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship.

“The Lincoln Lawyer: Season 2, Part 2”

Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), an iconoclastic idealist, runs his law practice out of the back seat of his Lincoln, as he takes on cases big and small across the expansive city of Los Angeles. Based on the series of bestselling novels by renowned author Michael Connelly, the second season is based on the fourth book in The Lincoln Lawyer series, “The Fifth Witness.” The series also stars Neve Campbell, Becki Newton, Jazz Raycole and Angus Sampson.

1. Asian nation

9. Melancholy

10. Hitchhiker’s hope

11. Ending for ball or bass

13. Muscat resident

15. Increase (2)

17. Asian nation

18. Motel staple

20.

29. __-do; bustle

30. Asian nation

34. Late actor __ Hyman

36. Uncanny

38. Univ. in Tempe

39. Wading bird 42. __ __ nutshell; briefly

43. Asian nation DOWN

8.

9. Asian nation (2)

12. Asian nation (2)

14. “Stat!”

16. Clamor

19. Empty space

20. Loony

33. Operatic solo

35. As dumb __ __ box of rocks

37. Place to stay

40. Air gun pellet

41.

21. Garden tool

1. Word from Emeril

22. Ames or Asner

23. Racer Foyt 27. Chum

24. Child

Initials for Biden’s predecessor

23. Ooh and __; express delight

26. Drug tragedy, for short

2. Eden evictee

3. Put on a happy face

4. Amanda Peet’s age

5. Promo

6. Good buy

7. Word with jerk or pop

Weather forecast

32. Ricky Ricardo’s portrayer

Cedar Rapids’ state: abbr.

Bozeman Art Museum Proudly

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“Hamilton Sing-Along”

Disney brings fans a new, sing-along version of the awards-sweeping Broadway musical, “Hamilton.” While exploring American history through the life of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, audiences at home can try their own hand at the musical’s famously intricate and fast-paced lyrics. Filmed at The Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway in June of 2016, the film features creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda, Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Leslie Odom, Jr., Christopher Jackson, Jonathan Groff and Phillipa Soo.

“Documentary: Tomorrow x Together: Our Lost Summer”

After a successful debut that saw TOMORROW X TOGETHER take over the airwaves, the group are preparing to embark on their first world tour in this behind-the-scenes documentary. In 2019, the group made a splash by becoming the first K-pop group to enter the U.S. Billboard 200 chart with their debut album. In the film, viewers get to see band members Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu, Taehyun, and Hueningkai reunite in preparation for their international tour and some of the world’s biggest stages, including Lollapalooza.

“Pretty Freekin Scary: Season 1, New Episodes”

Revived from the popular kids’ book series by author Chris P. Flesh, the series follows the adventures of 14-year-old Frankie Ripp (Eliana Su’a), who once had a seemingly perfect life. When an unexpected accident upends her life, sending her straight to the Underworld and face-to-face with The Grim Reaper (Siobhan Murphy), Frankie begs to go back to “living” life. Grim agrees on one condition: Frankie must return alongside her new Underworld guardians, Pretty (Kyan Samuels) and Scary (Leah Mei Gold), who will keep an eye on her as she adjusts to her new life as a “once-dead” teenager.

“Never Say Never with Jeff Jenkins: Season 1”

This National Geographic series asks viewers to leave their comfort zone. Following Jeff Jenkins — a travel journalist who didn’t step foot on a plane until he was 20 years old, and who is now exploring the world on a global odyssey — the series hopes to inspire others by inviting them to travel without fear and push past their perceived limitations to experience everything the world has to offer. Episodes feature some of Jenkin’s craziest adventures, from a 70-foot climb up the face of a mountain to sailing through a windstorm at what seems to be the end of the world.

BY JAY BOBBIN

TCM goes ‘Psycho’ again as Hitchcock chiller returns

Among films guaranteed to get a reaction whenever the title is mentioned, there is “Psycho,” the Alfred Hitchcock-directed 1960 chiller that instilled a fear of taking a shower in countless viewers … and continues to. Turner Classic Movies presents the picture Wednesday, Aug. 2, as part of an all-day “Summer Under the Stars” tribute to Anthony Perkins, who landed arguably his most iconic role as jittery motel operator Norman Bates (a part he reprised in several lesser sequels).

On the run after embezzling money from her employer, Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) takes refuge at the foreboding Bates Motel – a big mistake, as anyone who knows “Psycho” even remotely is aware. The result is a masterfully executed portrait of suspense and dread, helped by a memorable Bernard Herrmann score (again, just think of that shower scene) and an expert cast that also includes Vera Miles, John Gavin, Martin Balsam and John McIntire. A 1998 remake duplicated the original version shot for shot, but this is the one that any movie aficionado really wants.

Puzzle Solutions

Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh in “Psycho”

“It’s all cohesive and tells a story,” Stewart said of the album. “It starts out with a message and builds. It’s kind of like a roller coaster, which is how my life is.”

Stewart, who spent much of her childhood in Port Townsend, Washington, moved to ompson Falls (her mother’s hometown) after her father’s death. It felt like coming home in many ways, home to the horses on her grandparents’ cattle ranch… and to her teenage longdistance boyfriend.

In 2010, Stewart moved to Bozeman to attend Montana State University, majoring in English literature, with a minor in music. After school, she took a job in an o ce that had nothing to do with her degrees or her passions, writing songs and playing gigs in her o time.

en COVID happened. Stewart was laid o from her o ce job, and like so many, was forced to take a long look at her priorities. After her family and her horses, centering her life around music was at the top of the list.

“It’s one of those things where I was too scared to do it until I was forced into it, you know?” Stewart said. She took more gigs at Lone Mountain Ranch and Montage Big Sky, gigs that have allowed her to pay her mortgage, feed her horses and 6-year-old son, fund her “recording addiction” and keep playing music. Stewart returns to Nashville every other month, where she records and writes both with and for other people.

“I’m happy,” she said. “Every day is di erent.”

Stewart writes with honesty, mainly mining her own stories for songwriting inspiration. She goes deeper in “Venom” than on last year’s “Miss American Lie.” Take “Leave,” a song Stewart said has been di cult to sing in front of her mother.

“I was born a daughter to a man who never caved,” she sings. “Instead of mama crying, she’d just walk away. She’d always come back, until it was too late. en we were the girls, the girls who couldn’t stay.”

Other songs are directly connected to another tumultuous relationship,

one that ended when her boyfriend died of an overdose while she was in the studio recording.

“I can be your loaded gun,” she sings in “Drugs.” “I can drag you through my house of fun. I could give you all of me, but it won’t be enough.

is ain’t love, it’s just the drugs.”

Now, music is her drug of choice. Stewart said she works through “a bunch of s***” in the writing process.

ough there is some artistic license and extrapolation, for the most part, she writes what she has lived. Stewart also leans into the rush of endorphins that ood her brain when she shares her music with an audience.

“It’s something I can’t stop chasing,” she said. at connection between audience and musician is core to Stewart’s musical philosophy. She writes in hopes of making her listeners have the same depth of feeling she did when hearing songs such as Stevie Nicks’ “Landslide.”

Venom ends with “Saved,” a song Stewart wrote a year and a half ago. e song will still bring her comfort 30 years from now, she said. It’s about letting go and trusting that no matter how hard things get, she will make it through.

“Let the Yellowstone take me away, carry me along the banks,” she sings. “I know what they’d think, but I wouldn’t sink, I’d be saved.”

PROVIDED PHOTOS BY THE WHISKEY GINGER, LINDSEY PATKOS ABOVE: Amanda Stewart, photographed during filming of her music video “Saved,” will release her sophomore album “Venom” on July 28.

LEFT: Stewart is photographed in the recording studio.

Solution on page 12

sportsquiz

BY ALEX HENDRY

WWE SummerSlam

Questions:

1) The Honky Tonk Man made a foolish open challenge for his Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam 1988 - who answered his challenge?

2) What year did wrestler-turned-actor Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson make his SummerSlam debut?

3) -The British Bulldog pinned Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart in front of approximately 80,000 screaming fans during the main event of SummerSlam 1992. At which arena did the event take place?

4) After winning at SummerSlam 2017, which fighter became the first female athlete to win a title in the UFC and the WWE?

5) 1996 Olympic Gold medalist Kurt Angle was the final SummerSlam opponent of which wrestling icon?

6) John Cena wrestled Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2015 in this dual champion match featuring the WWE Championship and what other title?

7)The Main Event of SummerSlam 2005 marked the in-ring return of which wrestler?

Answers:

7) Hulk Hogan (versus ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels)

6) WWE United States Championship

5) ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin (SummerSlam 2001)

4) Ronda Rousey

3) Wembley Stadium (London, U.K.)

2) 1998 (The Rock vs. Triple H in a Ladder Match)

1) The Ultimate Warrior

BY ROBERTO JOZEF

Guerrero Jr. and the Jays look to move up in the AL East

With the Aug. 1 Major League Baseball trade deadline looming, everyone is keeping a close eye on which teams are making moves to fill glaring holes in their rosters. And while much has been said and written about the Toronto Blue Jays’ good-but-not-great season so far, fans are looking to the team’s best players to help deliver another win this Sunday, July 30, when the Jays wrap up a series against the Los Angeles Angels in a game airing live on Peacock. While the Jays’ record this season may look similar to last, the team had a sluggish first half — and that did them no favors in a loaded AL East, where they sat in fourth place for much of June. No one expected them to be chasing the third wild card spot at the midway point, but the Jays’ roster doesn’t lack depth as the team looks to turn things around.

Having been named to his third AllStar game, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. thrilled fans by winning this year’s Home Run Derby in Seattle. While the midseason accolades gave them reason to celebrate, the 2023 campaign has been an uphill battle for the Montreal-born player. Known for his explosive hitting power, Guerrero Jr.’s slugging percentage took a hit this season, sitting at .443 at the midway point — his worst since 2019.

Despite the struggles, there has been a glimmer of hope for Guerrero Jr. In his last 15 games before the All-Star break, he hit four home runs while batting .271, with an .881 on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage. If the Jays have any hope of making it into the post-season, they’ll need Guerrero Jr. to step up and have a strong second half to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Look for Guerrero Jr. to come out swinging when the Toronto Blue Jays take on the Los Angeles Angels at Rogers Centre, Sunday, July 30, when the game airs live on Peacock.

Full name: Vladimir Guerrero

Ramos Jr.

Birthdate: March 16, 1999

Birthplace: Montreal, Canada

Height/weight: 6-2/245 pounds

Teams: Toronto Blue Jays (2019-present)

Position: First Baseman

Bats/Throws: Right/Right

No: #27

Honors and achievements: Home Run Derby Winner (2023), Three-time all-star (2021, 2022, 2023), All-MLB First Team (2021), Gold Glove Award (2022), Silver Slugger Award (2021), MLB Home Run Leader (2021)