YES! Weekly - April 2, 2025 by YES! Weekly

RIVER RUN 2025

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EDITORIAL

Editor CHANEL R. DAVIS chanel@yesweekly.com

YES! Writers JOHN BATCHELOR MARK BURGER KATEI CRANFORD LYNN FELDER JIM LONGWORTH MAGGIE MARSHALL IAN MCDOWELL

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We at YES! Weekly realize that the interest of our readers goes well beyond the boundaries of the Piedmont Triad. Therefore we are dedicated to informing and entertaining with thought-provoking, debate-spurring, in-depth investigative news stories and features of local, national and international scope, and opinion grounded in reason, as well as providing the most comprehensive entertainment and arts coverage in the Triad. YES! Weekly welcomes submissions of all kinds. Efforts will be made to return those with a self-addressed stamped envelope; however YES! Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. YES! Weekly is published every

TIPSY’Z TAVERN & GRILL describes itself on the website as “a friendly ‘dive bar.’” The food is casual in style, the ambiance equally so. Gray-painted panel walls flank a concrete floor. As you enter, you pass by a semi-open kitchen. The first thing I noticed was a stack of freshly fried bacon — a good sign.

4 Early in his career, fledgling film critic KEVIN THOMAS encountered the legendary newspaper columnist Walter Winchell, who advised him: “Hang on to your byline as long as you can, kid!” 5 I suppose the public will always be interested in what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood, so it’s no wonder that the internet is inundated with the latest juicy gossip about ALL THINGS SEXUAL.

With a reported price tag of $320 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever produced, it’s a shame that THE ELECTRIC STATE (Netflix) isn’t more engaging or engrossing, because it certainly had that possibility.

Movie mania is set to grip WinstonSalem and the Piedmont Triad when the 27th annual RIVERRUN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL opens April 11.

11 With spring in full swing, APRIL MUSIC FESTIVALS are showering the state with sweet tunes.

12 On Saturday, April 5, the High Point University Department of History will present the premiere of the student documentary NO EASY TASK: the Desegregation of High Point College 1962-1980

Chow Down with John Batchelor at Tipsy’z Tavern & Grill

BY JOHN BATCHELOR

Tipsy’z Tavern & Grill describes itself on the website as “a friendly ‘dive bar.’” The food is casual in style, the ambiance equally so. Gray-painted panel walls flank a concrete floor. As you enter, you pass by a semi-open kitchen. The first thing I noticed was a stack of freshly fried bacon — a good sign. Then, to the left, I spied a rack of YES! Weekly newspapers. Clearly, these people have good taste. And the food tastes good, too. Bar creations are commendable. The O Your Rocker Mule blends Tito’s vodka, with ginger simple syrup, made in-house, plus fresh lime juice, cranberry juice, and ginger beer. The Tito-Jito plays o Tito’s vodka, in a mojito variation concocted with organic mint, agave syrup, lime juice, and soda. Both light and refreshing. With food, this style lends itself to beer, of which there is plenty, but 14 Hands cabernet sauvignon pairs well with red meat dishes. There are only a few other wine selections, and that limited number is appropriate for the concept.

We started one evening with Buffalo Chicken Bites — bite-sized chicken breast, ﬂoured and fried, tossed in moderately hot Bu alo sauce. Carrot and celery sticks give you your vegetable serving. You get a choice of ranch or bleu cheese dressings for dipping, but the kitchen isn’t strict about this, and we had no trouble getting both. And they are very good.

Ahi Tuna is coated with black and white sesame seeds, then seared and served rare, Thai Ginger and peanut sauces on the side. A small salad of mixed greens and diced tomatoes completes the presentation. The quality of the tuna compares favorably to any of the high-end restaurants in the Triad.

Two items on the Appetizers list are also available as sides (with an upcharge, as stated on bottom of the menu). Onion Rings get a fairly heavy batter, fried crisp. They are obviously cut and prepared in-house, and they clearly rank in the top echelon. Ranch or spicy ranch dressings add an additional ﬂavor. Crispy Brussels Sprouts are decorated with Parmesan cheese, another solid rendition. A garlic Parmesan dipping sauce is served on the side.

The main courses all consist of handhelds, in substantial portions, often whimsically named.

A Shrimp BLT Wrap places Cajunspiced grilled shrimp with Pepperjack cheese, mixed greens, tomato, applewood smoked bacon, and chipotle aioli on a sun-dried tomato tortilla. The ﬂavor and texture of that bacon comes through clearly, as does the natural taste of the shrimp, enhanced, but not obscured, by the spices. The Mahi BLT Taco uses blackened and grilled mahi mahi, topped with spring mix lettuces, tomato, bacon, avocado, and homemade Baja sauce (fresh lime juice and zest, fresh garlic and cilantro) on grilled tortilla shells.

Granny, It’s Gouda Quesadilla combines grilled chicken, bacon, Granny Smith apple chutney, and smoked Gouda cheese in a crispy ﬂour tortilla. Their homemade BBQ sauce is provided for dipping. The Tipsy Chick is hosted on toasted Ciabatta bread. The bread itself makes this worth ordering, but the ﬂavor of the tequila and honey lime marinated chicken breast, topped with Swiss cheese, fresh mixed greens, and sliced tomato, make it an exceptional creation.

Co-conspirator Anna raved about the quality of beef in The Jacked Up Steak Philly. This uses hand-cut ﬁlet, blackened and grilled, topped with multicolored bell peppers, grilled onions, baby portabella mushrooms, jalapeños, and pepperjack cheese with chipotle aioli sauce on a toasted hoagie. These ingredients are classic, the mushroom and beef ﬂavors in particular constituting a solid relationship.

The burger section of the menu o ers ﬁve in-house variations, plus a buildyour-own, along with a vegetarian Black

Bean Burger. I chose the WCP, which takes its name from house-made White Cheddar Pimento Cheese (also available as a starter in dip conﬁguration). The patty, hand-formed, generates solid depth of beef ﬂavor, enhanced with great crisp Applewood Smoked Bacon, plus organic spring mix lettuces, sliced tomato, red onion, and a drizzle of Tipsy’z BBQ sauce. I would also rank this in the top Triad burger echelon. But don’t just take my word for it. YES! Weekly readers awarded it Second Place in the 2024 Awards for Best Burger in Guilford County. I ordered this with the homemade chips — they are thin-sliced, most appropriately crisp, all tasty.

My wife’s overall favorite sandwich is a Reuben. Tipsy’z does not have one on the menu, but it was available a couple of times as an o -menu special, The Groovin’ Reuben. The meat portion is ample, augmented by the other traditional ingredients. The kitchen mixes and grills the ingredients on the ﬂat top. This allows the sugars in the house-made Thousand Island dressing to caramelize, which gives an added depth of ﬂavor to the sandwich as a whole. They also grill the bread, which adds texture.

The Chefs and Owners are Christine and Holly Blair. In last year’s YES! Best of … Awards, Chris placed second for Best Chef in Guilford County. It’s a wellearned vote of conﬁdence. They have both been in the hospitality industry for 30 years. Holly’s grandfather owned several restaurants in the Lexington area during her childhood, most notably Smoky Joe’s BBQ. Holly does all of the baking and manages the kitchen, dining room, and bar. The menu, recipes, and specials are Christine’s creations. They are self-taught, learning from hundreds

of cookbooks, watching cooking shows on TV, and especially absorbing the experiences of Christine’s mother. Lydia Grady is Head Prep Chef and Jay Johnson is Lead Line Cook.

The restaurant sells its specialty dips, salsa, housemade dressings, sauces, and whole cakes in bulk from a counter at the entryway. The website promises, “We source all fresh ingredients, prep our food from scratch, and source locally as often as possible!” My experiences here validate the claim. They have also built a greenhouse recently and are experimenting with growing some of their own produce.

I like this place! !

JOHN BATCHELOR has been writing about eating and drinking since 1981. Over a thousand of his articles have been published. He is also author of two travel/cookbooks: Chefs of the Coast: Restaurants and Recipes from the North Carolina Coast, and Chefs of the Mountains: Restaurants and Recipes from Western North Carolina. Contact him at john.e.batchelor@gmail.com or see his blog, johnbatchelordiningandtravel.blogspot. com.

WANNA go?

Tipsy’z Tavern & Grill 805 Westchester Drive High Point Carolina 27262 336-887-0230 tipsyztavern.com

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday & Wednesday, 11 a.m.-9:30 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday & Saturday, 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Sunday

Appetizers: $11-$17

Salads: $9-$12

Quesadillas, Tacos, Sandwiches, Burgers: $12-$18

Desserts: $5.50-$6

Most recent visit: March 19

Mahi BLT Taco with Onion Rings

Tipsy Chick with Onion Rings WCP Burger with Chips

By Kevin Thomas: The man behind the byline

BY MARK BURGER

Early in his career, ﬂedgling ﬁlm critic Kevin Thomas encountered the legendary newspaper columnist Walter Winchell, who advised him: “Hang on to your byline as long as you can, kid!”

For more than 40 years, Kevin Thomas did just that. Until his retirement in 2005, Thomas spent his entire career at the Los Angeles Times, making him the longest-tenured ﬁlm critic at a major American newspaper — a record unlikely to be surpassed. He is a fourth-generation California newspaperman and a founding member and three-time president of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA). In 2003, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Having resisted all entreaties to write a memoir (including some by yours truly), the life and career of Kevin Thomas has now been encapsulated in By Kevin Thomas, a documentary produced by Jon Davison (Airplane!, RoboCop) and veteran Hollywood publicist and ﬁlm production associate Beverly Walker (American Gra ti, Blue Collar), and directed by Tim Hunter (River’s Edge, The Saint of Fort Washington). The ﬁlm will be screened during the 2025 RiverRun International Film Festival at 3:30 p.m. April 13 at the UNCSA — Gold Theater, 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem. Walker will be on hand for the screening.

“As a long-time friend of Kevin Thomas, I knew him to be a great raconteur — not only about his unique position in the movie world of Los Angeles but also about his family,” explained Walker. “By Kevin Thomas was the brainchild of producer Beverly Walker,” Davison said. “Beverly is an old dear friend of Kevin and she pitched the idea to Tim Hunter, who is an old dear friend of mine. We put together a tiny crew and we shot it on two non-consecutive weekend days for the cost of a good dinner at a fancy

restaurant.

It was decided to let Thomas tell his own story, in his own way and in his own words, in the comfort of his beloved (if cluttered) condominium in Santa Monica.

In addition to discussing his life and career, Thomas also shares stories about some of the Tinseltown luminaries he established friendships with, including Mae West, George Cukor, and Fritz Lang.

“My wife Susie and I are so pleased to be sponsoring the screening of By Kevin Thomas, which I was honored to see in a pre-release version,” said Dale Pollock, emeritus member of the festival’s board of directors. “I worked alongside Kevin at the Los Angeles Times for ﬁve years in the 1980s, and I was in awe of the range of his cinema tastes, many of which I shared. But no one saw more movies than Kevin or expressed their critical viewpoint in a more self-e acing way. ”

“I am so glad that Kevin said the movie gave him a shot in the arm,” Davison said. “By Kevin Thomas is playing at the Pasadena International Film Festival (later this month) and I’m hoping he will be well enough to do a Q&A with Beverly. I believe I’ll put it on YouTube where hopefully it will live a long and happy life — just like Kevin.”

It’s only fitting that Kevin Thomas has the final word on By Kevin Thomas. “I don’t know what to say,” he said with a laugh. “I like it. It’s pretty comprehensive. It hits the high spots. I think (the filmmakers) did a good job and I just hope people like it.”

Then he o ered some critical advice: “Be e usive in your praise!”

By Kevin Thomas will be screened with the documentary short The Collector, co-directed by Jim Picariello and Carrie Wachob, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 13 at the UNCSA — Gold Theater, 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem. For more information, call 336-724-1502 or visit the o cial website: https://riverrunﬁlm. com/ !

[ WEEKLY ARTS ROUNDUP]

MAESTRO CHRISTOPHER DRAGON BREATHES FIRE WITH THE GREENSBORO SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

SUBMITTED BY THE ARTS COUNCIL OF GREATER GREENSBORO

Since his debut as Music Director in 2024, Christopher Dragon has infused the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra with exhilarating performances, dynamic programming, and a fresh artistic vision. He is the ﬁrst new Music Director of the GSO in over 20 years, and his role includes conducting the Masterworks Series, GSO POPS concerts and the annual GSO Education Concert Series.

We sat down with Maestro Dragon to ask him a few questions.

You have said, “The symphony can be fun!” What are your thoughts on audience engagement and making a symphony concert a great night of entertainment?

“There is often a perception that symphony concerts are boring and only for certain people, which is our aim to break as I believe the symphony is for everyone. There is nothing more exciting than witnessing 80 or so musicians onstage to create music at the highest level. As a conductor, my objective is always to make something happen onstage so that every musician is giving it their all.”

What are some of your favorite compositions that you’ve conducted and why?

“For classical programs some of my favorites include working with artists such as Renee Fleming, and Wynton Marsalis at Lincoln Center Orchestra. For ﬁlm, working with legendary composer Danny Elfman was a dream. For pops, it’s been Broadway legends like Leslie Odom, Jr., Gregory Alan Isakov, and groups like Wu-Tang Clan and Cypress Hill. I think it conveys the

versatility that a modern-day orchestra encompasses.”

Can you share some funny anecdotes about things that have happened at concerts you’ve conducted?

“The funniest moment that I’ve had onstage was during a Comic-Con concert with the Colorado Symphony when I surprised the orchestra by conducting the Main Theme of Jurassic Park in a giant inﬂatable T-Rex Costume. Unfortunately, when I tried this again with my hometown orchestra in Australia my T-Rex costume popped during the performance causing the suit to slowly deﬂate!”

Tell us what makes the live orchestral experience unique? Why should everyone experience a live symphony concert at least once in their life?

“Experiencing a live orchestral performance is not something you can recreate in a recording or a video — it is an art form that you witness in the moment. Being in the concert hall experiencing this symphonic journey and feeling the vibrations of the sound. Whether it’s for a Masterworks, Pops or ﬁlm concert, coming to a symphony concert is a great way of unplugging from everyday life to let the music take you on a journey.”

Learn more about this dynamic conductor and musician at greensborosymphony.org/about-the-symphony/ conductors/. To request an interview with Maestro Dragon or promotional photos, please contact the GSO today! For the concert schedule and to purchase tickets, please visit GreensboroSymphony.org or contact the GSO Box O ce at 336-335-5456 x224 or boxofﬁce@greensborosymphony.org. !

Kevin Thomas

If there was a competition for who gets the most media exposure it would be a tight race between Donald Trump and Blake Lively. Both are well known. Both are engaged in lawsuits. Both demand to be the center of attention. Both have been in high-profile relationships, and both create chaos in their respective workplaces. The only thing that sets them apart is that only one of them insists on having an intimacy coordinator during sex.

The truth is that you can’t pick up a newspaper or magazine, or search online for news without having to first navigate around the latest story about Blake Lively. That’s because she has become the latest poster girl for the Me Too movement in its fight against sexual harassment. Don’t get me wrong. Women have been and continue to be harassed by misogynist males who think it’s OK to make lewd comments to female co-workers, or touch them inappropriately. It’s even worse when that behavior is generated by male bosses. But lately, we have been bombarded by news of alleged harassment in Hollywood, particularly when a film or television production involves scenes of intimacy.

In Lively’s case, she claims that co-star/producer Justin Baldoni acted verbally and physically inappropriately during the filming of It Ends With Us. I won’t get into the specific, he said/she said elements of this particular case, except to say that over the past few years, film studios have increasingly assigned intimacy coordinators to be on set as a guardrail against unwanted actions that might otherwise be construed as sexual harassment. In fact, the intimacy coordinator profession has grown into such a cottage industry that there’s even an organization to represent it. Intimacy Directors International was established in 2016 to define the

Much Ado About Sex

responsibilities of intimacy coordinators, including being on set to ensure that actors “continually consent to all scenes of intimacy.”

These coordinators are welcomed by some actresses and scoffed at by others, especially old-school performers like Gwyneth Paltrow who recently told Vanity Fair that she feels stifled by using an intimacy coordinator. While filming a number of sex scenes with Timothy Chalamet for the upcoming Marty Supreme, Paltrow was asked by the intimacy coordinator if she felt comfortable with a particular sexual position. Paltrow’s response was, “Girl, I’m from the era where you get naked, you get in bed, and the camera is rolling.” Another Hollywood veteran, Kim Basinger also told Variety that intimacy coordinators are unnecessary. “Either we work it out or we don’t. I don’t see the need for supervised visits,” said Basinger.

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Granted things can get out of hand when an actor and actress are heating up the sheets during a racy scene, so much so that Nicole Kidman had to take a break from filming Babygirl . Meanwhile, other performers have allegedly just let nature take its course during filming, such as Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie in Don’t Look Now, and Michelle Borth in HBO’s Tell Me You Love Me. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there are actors who refuse roles just to avoid intimacy of any kind. Such is the case with Yellowstone villain Neal McDonough who says acting in sex scenes goes against his marriage vows, and Pat Boone who once declined to even kiss Shirley Jones in April Love without first getting permission from his wife. I suppose the public will always be interested in what goes on behind the scenes in Hollywood, so it’s no wonder that the internet is inundated with

the latest juicy gossip about all things sexual. I just wish there was less vitriol and more funny anecdotes to read about, like what happened during the 1974 filming of The Towering Inferno. As it so happens Faye Dunaway was nervous about her upcoming sex scene with Paul Newman, so in order to break the ice and put everyone at ease, just before Dunaway got into bed, Newman threw back the sheets to reveal that he was wearing cowboy boots and spurs. The prank broke everyone up, the tension was eased, and there was no need for either an intimacy coordinator or a bunch of attorneys to file lawsuits for harassment. Where’s Paul Newman when you need him. !

JIM LONGWORTH is the host of Triad Today, airing on Saturdays at 7:30 a.m. on ABC45 (cable channel 7) and Sundays at 11 a.m. on WMYV (cable channel 15) and streaming on WFMY+.

Longworth

Short

BY MARK BURGER

With a reported price tag of $320 million, making it one of the most expensive films ever produced, it’s a shame that The Electric State (Netflix) isn’t more engaging or engrossing, because it certainly had that possibility. Unfortunately, few of them are realized in this lumpy sci-fi fiasco produced and co-directed by the sibling duo of Joe and Anthony Russo, whose Marvel pedigree (Avengers: Endgame) seemingly would have made them an ideal fit for the material.

The adaptation of Executive Producer Simon Stalenhag’s best-selling 2018 graphic novel, scripted by Marvel veterans (and executive producers) Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, is a grab bag of concepts and ideas lifted from other ﬁlms, including but not limited to The Wizard of Oz (1939), the Mad Max ﬁlms, and especially the Transformers franchise — although the robots (or “Bots”) here are in shabbier condition. The same goes for the storytelling, which is patchy, derivative, and ultimately hokey.

The ﬁlm is set in the early 1990s, during and after a worldwide war between humans and robots in which the humans eventually emerged triumphant. Millie Bobbie Brown, of Stranger Things fame, encounters her fair share of strange things here as Michelle Greene, a toughtalking orphan who lost her parents and beloved brother Christopher (Woody Norman) in an automobile accident. Or did she?

Michelle is approached one night by a robot called Cosmo (voiced by Alan Tudyk), who claims that Christopher is still alive and that he — Cosmo — has been implanted with Christopher’s memories. With the ‘Bot-baiting baddies in pursuit, Michelle and Cosmo set o on an adventure that promises far more than it delivers. Joining them in their arduous trek are grizzled smuggler John Keats (Chris Pratt) and his smart-aleck robot sidekick Herman (voiced — too often — by Anthony Mackie).

Pratt brings some of the insouciant swagger he brought to the Guardians of the Galaxy ﬁlms, but his wisecracks lack

snap. As for Brown, she’s merely petulant throughout and proves singularly unable to carry the ﬁlm. Then again, the characters — human and otherwise — tend to be one-dimensional. One of the biggest problems with The Electric State is that nothing ever really feels at stake. There’s little sense of urgency, and even less sense of wonder. For a ﬁlm of this kind, that’s fatal.

There are some attempts at satire and social allegory, but they tend to fall ﬂat. In an e ort to make the ﬁlm appeal to the widest possible audience, it favors spectacle over story, resorting (and regressing) time and again into noisy, grand-scale e ects sequences that are well-done but lack novelty. In the “man vs. machine” milieu, we’ve all been down this road before.

Among the actors seen or heard (but invariably wasted) are Stanley Tucci, Ke Huy Quan, Giancarlo Esposito, Holly Hunter, Woody Harrelson (voicing “Mr. Peanut”!), Brian Cox, Colman Domingo, Hank Azaria, Jenny Slate, and former NFL star Rob Gronkowski. Under almost any other circumstances, they’d be good company. Here they just show up, in whatever manifestation, and most then make a hasty exit, although it’s a pleasure to see such old pros as Tucci and Esposito share a few scenes together. Alas, it’s not enough to jump-start The Electric State !

WE WANT THE FUNK!

APRIL 12 / 4:00PM

MARKETPLACE CINEMAS #1 – FREE

APRIL 14 / 5:30PM

RED CINEMAS GREENSBORO – FREE

Special Guests (Winston-Salem only): Stanley Nelson, director; Mark Anthony Neal, Duke professor; Sonny Miles, musician

REMAINING NATIVE

APRIL 12 / 1:30PM

REYNOLDS PLACE THEATRE

APRIL 18 / 5:30PM

RED CINEMAS GREENSBORO

Special Guest (Winston-Salem only): Paige Bethmann, director

500 DAYS IN THE WILD

APRIL 15 / 8:00PM

RED CINEMAS GREENSBORO

APRIL 17 / 7:30PM

KILPATRICK (OUTDOORS)

RiverRun 2025: Celebrating the magic of movies

BY MARK BURGER

Movie mania is set to grip Winston-Salem and the Piedmont Triad when the 27th annual RiverRun International Film Festival opens April 11. Boasting some 174 films (features and shorts) from 34 counties, the festival runs through April 19 at venues in Winston-Salem and Greensboro. Advance tickets are now on sale at https:// riverrunfilm.com/tickets-now-on-sale/, and to access this year’s schedule, visit https://riverrunfilm.com/2025-calendar/.

“I am always astounded by the fact that RiverRun has become a cultural institution in Winston-Salem, and around and beyond North Carolina,” said former UNCSA School of Filmmaking dean and faculty member Dale Pollock, who successfully engineered the eastward move of RiverRun to Winston-Salem from Asheville and Brevard in 2002, and is both an emeritus member of the festival’s board of directors and one of the festival’s ﬁgureheads. “The reason it’s endured is that the community supports it, which is why we get money from the city and the county, and all the major corporations.”

With the retirement of Rob Davis in December, program director Mary Dossinger and development director Ti any Jones have assumed the duties of interim co-executive directors. Given their combined experience with RiverRun, they were already well acquainted with what makes RiverRun run (no pun intended). Dossinger and Jones chose to answer some questions individually and

others together. “We’re in agreement with all the answers,” Jones said.

“While it was a busy and di cult time of year for us to assume the executivedirector duties, we did so with very little disruption to the overall ﬂow of RiverRun,” they said. “The board (of directors) has decided to take their time to create a plan of an executive search after the festival concludes. We will be staying in our roles until at least the end of May but possibly longer until a new executive director is chosen for the organization.

“The hardest element was just making sure we took care of all the organizational elements of running the organization along with our full-time positions as well. It meant a lot of late nights, but it was something we were fully aware of when we said yes to the job. We have worked very hard to overcome a budget shortfall from last year and our secondhighest number of submissions to be able to put on a great 2025 festival.”

“I’m so pleased by how smoothly the transition has gone from Rob Davis exiting and Mary and Ti any sharing the duties,” said Pollock. “It has played to each of their strengths, and to the public has seemed seamless. I’m always excited to see what Mary and her programming team have come up with for RiverRun.”

Advance tickets went on sale immediately after the festival’s launch parties in Winston-Salem and Greensboro. “So far the ticket sales are going well,” Jones said. “We already had a sell-out in the first five days, which I think is a record. We have such a great slate of films this year so hopefully that will keep up and will make sure audiences know to get their tickets as early as possible.”

The 2025 RiverRun lineup includes a significant number of films with ties to the Tarheel State, although as befits the festival’s international status it features a wide variety of films with a wide — and sometimes wild — range of topics, each carefully curated to appeal to audiences of all ages and cultural interests.

“While I don’t do an exact count each year of the North Carolina films, it does certainly feel like we have a larger number of North Carolina connections this year,” Dossinger said. “From a film shot right here in Winston-Salem to a local actress coming home to screen her new starring role, and even a film shot in Scotland but by a Winston-Salem native, the North Carolina ties abound and have found their way into almost every section of our festival this year — once again highlighting the breadth of talent coming out of North Carolina.”

and stunning locations, out-of-town productions bringing in fresh investment, and local ﬁlmmakers committed to creating right here in North Carolina. The proverbial cherry on top? A world-class festival like RiverRun, showcasing awardwinning ﬁlms and bringing the industry’s spotlight to our region. Long story short: We have it all!”

Of all the films with North Carolina ties being presented this year, few are more anticipated than A Little Prayer, the latest film by writer/producer/director Angus MacLachlan, an intimate domestic drama starring David Strathairn as a father who attempts to intercede when he discovers his son (Will Pullen) is cheating on his wife (Jane Levy), whom Strathairn and wife Celia Weston have come to love as their own daughter. The film will be screened at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 18, at UNCSA — Gold Theatre, with Strathairn scheduled to attend.

Rebecca Clark, the executive director of the Piedmont Triad Film Commission (PTFC), concurs. “It certainly feels like there are more North Carolina films in this year’s festival than ever before — and that doesn’t surprise me! Our state is rich with compelling stories and is home to an incredibly talented community of filmmakers, skilled crewmembers, and passionate graduates from our state’s film schools. It’s exciting to see their work recognized and celebrated on such a grand scale!”

As Clark sees it, the festival and the ﬁlm commission have a long-standing symbiotic connection. “Building a thriving ﬁlm community takes several key ingredients — a skilled crew base, diverse

“I am so pleased that the ﬁlm will ﬁnally be shown here,” MacLachlan said. “There are many people who were involved in the production of it who have never gotten a chance to see it, and that it’s going to be in the 300-seat Main Theater at UNCSA is wonderful.”

A Little Prayer marks the third feature MacLachlan has written and directed, following Goodbye to All That (2014) and Abundant Acreage Available (2017), all of which were likewise ﬁlmed in Winston-Salem, and his ﬁrst collaboration with the versatile Strathairn, an Oscar nominee for Good Night, and Good Luck (2005) and an Emmy winner for Temple Grandin (2010).

A Little Prayer

“When we cast David, it was a dream come true,” MacLachlan said, “and he is exactly as one would imagine him to be: A man of real integrity, down to earth, and he describes it, a ‘journeyman actor.’”

On the other hand, Weston — a graduate of Salem College and the UNCSA School of Drama (and the recipient of a RiverRun Master of Cinema award in 2017) — has appeared in all three of MacLachlan’s directorial e orts, as well as the MacLachlan-scripted Junebug (2005). “Way back when Phil Morrison, who directed Junebug, and I were discussing casting that ﬁlm, the ﬁrst person we thought of was Celia Weston,” MacLachlan said. “And when she said yes, we were thrilled. She has this unique quality of emotional veracity, and also always understands the humor in my scripts.

“The process of making independent ﬁlms, in my experience, only gets harder and harder,” he said, but “I’m very pleased with the way A Little Prayer turned out. We were fortunate to have a number of students and alumni from the UNCSA School of Filmmaking work on the ﬁlm, and one of the most touching things I observed was watching our seasoned camera operator become a teacher to these young women who were his assistants.”

“I’m incredibly grateful to have a filmmaker as talented as Angus MacLachlan living and working in Winston-Salem,” said Clark. “His dedication to telling authentic stories set in our region is something I, along with our local crew and film community, deeply appreciate. I also love celebrating his work, and A Little Prayer is no exception. It’s a beautifully touching love story with outstanding performances by Jane Levy and David Strathairn. The film also features fantastic performances by Anna Camp and Celia Weston, both of whom have ties to Winston-Salem. I was fortunate to see its premiere at Sundance — seated beside Celia Weston! — but I’m even more excited that our local community and festivalgoers now have the chance to experience this incredible film firsthand.”

The talented trio of this year’s award recipients have direct ties either to RiverRun and/or Winston-Salem.

“All three of our honorees this year are well respected within the industry and have all been highlighted on panels and talks at ﬁlm festivals around the country,” Dossinger and Jones noted. “Rosemary Rotondi [Master of Cinema] has

attended RiverRun in the past and we have been following her career for years, so we are thrilled to ﬁnally honor her.

While Eric Johnson [Emerging Master] has yet to attend RiverRun, he is from Winston-Salem and his colleagues and his company, Trailblazer Studios, have been highlighted at the festival in the past. Lastly, Monica Berra [Spark Award] attended the Wake Forest Documentary Film Program and while there had ﬁlms played at RiverRun, was a juror, and attended in many ways over the years. We are thrilled to bring her back and now honor her work.”

“One thing I love about RiverRun is their prestige and reputation brings many, many ﬁlmmakers to our great town,” said Zack Fox, general manager of Marketplace Cinemas (2095 Peters Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem), which is again partnering with the festival as one of its principal screening venues. “RiverRun doesn’t just bring out local residents, it brings in new outside faces yearly.”

As an award-winning independent filmmaker, to say nothing of a die-hard film fan, “I am thrilled with the increase of North Carolina filmmakers’ films being showcased in this year’s festival,” he said. “North Carolina film continues to take leaps forward and this year’s festival will help highlight that. From Angus MacLachlan’s new film A Little Prayer to the North Carolina shorts program highlighting wonderful short films, many made right here in the Triad.”

In addition, “I am very honored that Mary and Ti any asked me to host the ‘Film Opportunities in North Carolina’ panel (7:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 15), a conversation with Susi Hamilton, president of the North Carolina Film Partnership; Rebecca Clark; and Eric Johnson of Trailblazer Studios. With the launch of our successful ‘Filmed in Winston-Salem’ screening series here, this is a great addition to our cinema.”

During the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced the cancellation of the 2020 festival, RiverRun began utilizing the option of a virtual component, where audiences could watch the ﬁlms safely at home. It didn’t o set the loss of revenue from in-person screenings and events but did expand the festival’s geographic range, with people from around the country purchasing tickets for RiverRun o erings. In recent years, distributors — and, indeed, ﬁlm festivals — were understandably eager to return to in-person screenings, where audiences could collectively share the movie going experience. Nevertheless, “we do again have a

virtual component to the festival as a way for people to see some of the ﬁlms they might miss at the festival,” Dossinger and Jones said. “The virtual component will run April 21-27 after the festival. We have about 30 features and almost all the short ﬁlms available to watch virtually. Some might be geoblocked to screen only in North Carolina, but most are available to screen across the country.”

“Over the years, I’ve ﬁelded calls from people looking to purchase RiverRun tickets, which always makes me laugh,” Clark said. “It just goes to show how closely connected the festival and the ﬁlm commission are in people’s minds — and also UNCSA’s School of Filmmaking. While we all play di erent roles, we’re all working toward the same goal: Making this region a hub for great cinema and business. It’s a fantastic partnership … even if I have to redirect a few ticket inquiries along the way!

“The RiverRun International Film Festival has definitely brought more attention to our region and increased interest in filming here,” Clark said. “Over the years, I’ve hosted several visiting filmmakers on scouts of the area, and I always want

to leave them with a lasting impression — not just of RiverRun as a ﬁlmmakerfriendly festival, but of the Piedmont Triad as a prime location for their next production.”

As always, Dossinger and Jones express their appreciation for the festival’s tireless sta and hard-working volunteers, as well as its sponsors both old and new. “Securing sponsorships always has challenges,” they said, “(but) we were able to increase our sponsorships this year in addition to the core group of sponsors and donor base that continue to generously support us. Our audience numbers and ticket sales are strong post-pandemic, which we are grateful for. We continue to introduce new people to RiverRun each year, which supports our sustainability. We deﬁnitely feel the love and support from Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and all of the Piedmont Triad!”

For more information, call 336-7241502 or visit the o cial website: https:// riverrunﬁlm.com/ !

Weekly Specials

$3 Domestic Bottles & All Burgers $10.99 TUE: 1/2 Price Wine | WED: $4 Draft THU: $8 Bud Light Pitchers & $3 Fireball

Daily Happy Hour Specials

MONDAY-WEDNESDAY 3-6PM MON: $9.99 Wings | TUE: $9.99 Nachos WED: $5.99 Snackables

Wspring in full swing, April music festivals are showering the state with sweet tunes.

North Carolina Azalea Festival, April 1-6

Down at the coast, the North Carolina Azalea Festival is blooming throughout downtown Wilmington the ﬁrst weekend in April. Justin Moore and Flo Rida are the main acts at Live Oak Bank Pavilion (April 3 and 4), but I’d rather be honky tonkin’ downtown on Friday at the Eagle’s Dare for their annual “Poor Man’s Garden Party” azalea spin-o . Featured artists this year include: Matthew Sexton, the Macelyn Batten Duo, and the Bootstrap Boys.

Dreamville, April 5-6

In arguably the largest upset fests news, the fifth and final Dreamville Festival descends on Dorothea Dix Park in Raleigh, April 5-6. J. Cole headlines the finale set of his festival’s last installment on Sunday with Erykah Badu, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, Ari Lennox, Chief Keef, Keyshia Cole, and more.

Brickside, April 5

Over in Durham, the Brickside Music Festival returns to Duke Co eehouse on April 5. Presented by the student-operated music venue and radio station, WXDU, the festival boasts free food trucks and art-making activities; along with the best in “fuzzy guitars, experimental electronic to pastoral post-rock and free jazz” from artists like: Astrid Sonne, Hour, Friendship, Ballister, Edsel Axle, The Smashing Times, Linda Smith, and Hotline TNT.

The People’s Market 10th Anniversary, April 5

And on the edge of Glenwood, the People’s Market will celebrate their tenth anniversary with a special afternoon concert at Oden Brewing on April 5; with music from Colin Cutler, Anjimile, Katie Blvd, and Glenwood Choppers. The market itself returns to 1417 Glenwood Ave. on

April’s Music Showers

April 10; and runs Thursday evening through August.

Lakebed Fest, April 11

Moving into the mid-month, Lakebed Fest will “showcase a sampling of North Carolina’s most exciting musical voices,” in a one-day mini-music festival with Ghost Trees, Okapi, Jphono1, Kadey Ballard, Phaze Gawd, and Justin Aswell, at Petra’s in Charlotte on April 11.

So Much Fest, April 11-12

The 5th annual So Much Fest will shine a light on social justice while honoring the memory of Soheil Mojarrad, April 11-12 at Ole Gilliam Mill Park in Sanford. Dedicated to commemorating Mojarrad’s life, along with other victims of police violence, organizers “strive to prevent further tragedies at the hands of those entrusted to protect us” through a commitment to “raise awareness and foster community unity, all while honoring Soheil’s memory through music and dance.” Scheduled artists include: Dr. Bacon, Crystal Bright & the Silver Hands, Noah Proudfoot, Tambem, JANDR, Bedroom Division, Diali Cissokho Koratet, Texas Pine, Son de Carolina, Story Charlemagne, Outcon, Lake Chamberlain, Alex Weiss & Steve Fishman, Sam Fanthorpe, and Mean Habit.

April 19 Battle Royale: SlutFest, ‘Cuegrass, the Hoodoo Bash, StrangeFruit, 420 Weekend and Cannabis Crawls

Floodgates open and gloves come o as NC concerts present something of a battle Royale, where we’re all winners. There are festivals at every turn and some wildly wonderful concert programming: John Howie & the Rosewood Blu will celebrate their new album at Ramkat; there’s a banjo bonanza Crossroads concert with Dom Flemons and Colin Cutler at NCMA Winston-Salem; and Zack Mexico, RIBS, and Clear Spots will rule Kings. Getting to the fests, in the Triangle, freaks gather for a Half Baked SlutFest, a sleazy, heavy music festival at Chapel of Bones in Raleigh; featuring dag matches, blood wrestling, pole work, and slutpositive performances from Mean Habit, Survival Tactics Geeked, and Döltz. Moving downtown: the 15th annual ‘Cuegrass Festival adds some tang and twang to Raleigh’s Fayetteville Street; with music

from Duck, Fancy Gap, Charly Lowry, Holler Choir, Christian James, Alexa Rose, Old Habits, and Arielle Bryant. Pickers and grinners roll into Chapel Hill’s Jubilee Baptist Church for the Hoodoo Bash, a spring string extravaganza presented the Nightlightl and featuring folks like: Peter Stampfel with Eli Smith; Jim Watson with Alice Gerrard; Chloe & the Country Crawdads; Mike Ganglo , Isak Howell, & Kaily Schenker; and Devon Flaherty & his Railroad Ramblers.

Strange Fruit blooms in the Triad, with the return of the Strange Fruit Festival at LeBauer Park in Greensboro; hosted by Virginia Holmes, musical acts include: the Nubeing Collective, D.J. J Lone, Demeanor, and No Quarter! Brass Band. Meanwhile, it’s also a 420 weekend around Greensboro, with a special “Cannabis Crawl” starting at Lawn Service, followed by a menu of cannabis cocktails at Chandler’s, stoner food at Natty Greene’s, and music by Loose Connection at Little Brother. Things are lit all weekend over at Boxcar’s CHRONICally fun 4/20 Festival. Swag and sounds from DJ Dlinkwent kick things o for “Five Flowers Friday,” a joint rolling contest and the Premium Sound Band smoke out “Wicked Weed Saturday,” and a blazin’ Sunday brunch crowd can enjoy the chill sounds from William Nesmith.

Battle continues the weekend of April 24: Tribute to the King, Blood Sugar Fest Magic, Tuck Fest, The Green Wave, MerleFest, Biscuits & Banjos, and ACE Spirit Week

Elvis lives in the hearts of his fervent fanbase who’ll gather for the 4th annual N.C. Tribute to the King festival in Lexington, April 24-27; with concerts, competitions, and a special Sunday Elvis Gospel Celebration.

Heading to the Queen City, Bob Fleming will host the third annual Blood Sugar Magic Fest, beneﬁtting the Keystone Diabetic Kids Camp, April 25-27 at the Milestone in Charlotte. Fleming’s Cambria Iron Company will perform along with almost two dozen artists like Dylan Gilbert, Ryan Lockhart, Late Bloomer, Bog Loaf, Solemn Shapes, and Ross Adams. And Tuck Fest continues at the U.S Whitewater Center, April 25-27, with adventure expos and a musical lineup including: Yola, St. Paul & The Broken Bones, Tanner Usrey, The Band Loula, Alex Lambert, The Last Revel, and

Joslyn & The Sweet Compression.

Heading east, the Green Wave hits Greenville, April 25-27 for those Spazzfest mourners out there, with a hometeam of talent including: MISSBLISS!, Johnny and the Sirens, process//sleep, Louis the Rapper, Amberjack, and Lawn Enforcement. In the west, Merlefest returns to Wilkesboro April 24-27, showcasing major pickers in the roots music game. For 2025, the Avett Brothers join artists like Bonnie Raitt, Watchhouse, Leftover Salmon, The War And Treaty, and Sam Bush in the top billing; with a few dozen powerhouse acts ﬁlling out the weekend.

Down in Durham, Rhiannon Giddens is cooking up a powerhouse of her own with the inaugural Biscuits & Banjos Festival launching April 24-26. “Dedicated to the reclamation and exploration of Black music, art, and culture in her home state of North Carolina,” Giddens’ festival combines two North Carolina delicacies. An avid biscuit baker herself, there’ll be a biscuit bake-o on top of a stacked musical lineup — including the Carolina Chocolate Drops reunion–along with folks from the Piedmont Blues Preservation Society, Taj Mahal, Leyla McCalla, Rissi Palmer, Joy Clark, Shirlette Ammons, Demeanor, Pierce Freelon’s Black to the Future, Charly Lowry, and many more.

In Greensboro, April 25 will usher in the ACE (A Collective of Excellence) Spirit Week Festival, with a UNITY mixer for creative networking at the Van Dyke Performance Space, featuring DJ Lacy, DJ Xotic, Flex Ariani; CultureCon kicks o at the Cultural Center on April 26; COLORS: Music & Arts Day takes over Center City Park on April 27, with TY G, Kay Marion, DJ Xotic, and SparxENT; all leading to the ACEx Awards show honoring “ leaders, artists, and changemakers in the community,” at the Van Dyke on May 3. With a 2025 “Lead with Love” theme, organizers boast a “week-long celebration of music, culture, arts, and education — where creativity meets community!”

You don’t need an umbrella to enjoy the showering of festivals hitting the state this April — though you might need a nap before what’s in store come May. Happy Spring, Triad music lovers! !

KATEI CRANFORD is a Triad music nerd who enjoys spotlighting artists and events.

Katei Cranford

Contributor

No Easy Task: Students document desegregation at HPU

On Saturday, April 5, the High Point University Department of History will present the premiere of the student documentary No Easy Task: the Desegregation of High Point College 1962-1980. The screening and discussion is 2-3 p.m. at the High Point History Museum on 1859 E. Lexington Ave., and is free and open to the public. No Easy Task is the work of one current and two recently-graduated HPU students, who interviewed over a dozen Black alumni of the private university a liated with the United Methodist Church, which was still High Point College in the 1960s and 1970s. They were trained and guided in their work by HPU History Professor Paul Ringel, but conducted the interviews and created the documentary themselves.

“Dr. Ringel was my academic advisor,” said Mara Cooper, a history major from Savannah, Georgia. “He asked if I would be interested in taking his History Directives class. I’d previously taken another course in the department where we

conducted oral history interviews for the 100th anniversary of HPU. There was a big buzz around the 100th anniversary, but very little mention or images of African American students, so it motivated us to uncover these stories that are a critical part of our university’s history.”

Cooper explained how she and her fellow documentarians conducted their interviews.

“We ﬁrst had to pinpoint the period when integration began and then we had to track them down. We would research to ﬁnd last points of contact, previous places of work, and even family and friends.”

Emma Scrivo, a history major from New York now pursuing a Master’s in Public Administration at Florida Atlantic University, elaborated.

“At the beginning of the History Directives course, Ringel provided us with articles and reading materials about other institutions’ integration e orts and sports history, which helped us gain a scope of understanding. A book titled ‘No Easy Task’ documented High Point College from its early beginnings. This included a directory that provided names of students. From there, we used archives and yearbooks to establish the alumni who played sports. Students in the course reached out to these alums to see if any would be interested in providing us their story.”

Bryan “Wally” Sample, a Media Production and Entrepreneurship Major/history minor from Connecticut, said that the 23-minute documentary is a combination of oral history interviews, archival footage, and historical photographs.

“The project started with about 18 people in a class setting. During that time, a lot of it was researching and finding alumni to interview as well as finding archival content. I was responsible for filming all of the interviews while someone else in the class conducted them, scripting out the documentary, and then editing the film. Mara and Emma helped me also acquire additional historical context as well as gain additional videos and pictures from the archive.”

“Wally was in charge of recording and editing our interviews,” said Scrivo. “The rest of the class was tasked with doing background research about our interviewees, other local schools, and their methodology for integration so we could compare to High Point’s, drafting interview questions, contacting our interviewees, and conducting the actual interviews. After the class ended, Emma, Wally, and myself continued with the project. Emma and I continued the interviews and Wally continued to edit the footage. After Wally and Emma graduated, I continued to work with Ringel with any extra tasks to help ﬁnish the ﬁlm, like going through catalogs for images of interviewees and other students and following up for additional interviews.”

“What was most surprising to me,” said Cooper, “was the amount of support the students had in integrating High Point College. Typically, when we hear about integration, there are a lot of horror stories, and while there were a few uncomfortable moments for our interviewees, the majority of them described their time at the school as a very positive experience.”

Sample said he shared Cooper’s surprise at how large a role sports played in

the integration of the future university. “On top of that, there were schools that weren’t integrated and refused to play against HPU if African Americans were on the team. Instead of caving to the demands, HPU sports teams stood with their African American athletes and held strong.”

Also surprising, said Scrivo, was that the majority of alumni loved their time at High Point College. “Any feelings of discrimination came from other colleges and universities and the greater High Point community. It was remarkable to learn about the feelings and impressions of these alumni. In fact, one of the interviewees played two sports, was in a sorority, and loved every second. She is still in touch with her sorority sisters and fellow classmates to this day.”

Cooper explained that the college began desegregation in 1962, two years before the Federal Civil Rights Act.

“Many universities ﬁrst introduced integration through sports. High Point College, on the other hand, integrated with Ammie Jenkins, a regular full-time student. This was one of the few institutions to integrate earlier than other schools in the state and country. A few years later, we began to see High Point

Ian McDowell

Contributor

College integrate its athletics teams and welcome more African American students through that method.”

Each of the three students cited a particular interview subject as revelatory and moving.

“For me, it was Orlando ‘Tubby’ Smith,” said Cooper. “He was the ﬁrst person I interviewed for this project and provided great insight into what the climate was like for African American students. What he had to share about his time at High Point College was similar to my time at High Point University. As an African American student, we tend to think that our experiences are isolated and feel like no one else has gone through the things we’re currently experiencing. To hear that we shared similar experiences with a 53-year time di erence was both shocking and somewhat comforting.”

Sample talked about Ammie Jenkins, who was attending High Point College when President Kennedy was assassinated.

“She said that was the ﬁrst time she experienced fear. Here was this white guy, the president of the United States, and it was the ﬁrst time she heard people rejoicing in the death of any

DIRECTOR

individual. ‘And I’m thinking,’ she said, ‘about what could happen to me in this situation where I am the only one.’ To me, that quote was the most moving.”

For Scrivo, it was Germaine McAuley.

“She talked about traveling during her basketball season. She and her teammates would pile into a station wagon with her coach and drive to games together, around the surrounding states and beyond. She said this was a fun experience that bonded her and teammates together making being an athlete exciting.”

According to their professor and mentor Ringel, “This film is about allowing the voices of the early Black alumni to be heard. It isn’t a thorough examination of the institution, as that’s not a realistic goal for a student film when most of the students aren’t filmmakers, but as far as I know, it’s the first time anyone has asked these alums to tell their stories and some of the answers are pretty memorable.” !

IAN MCDOWELL is an award-winning author and journalist whose book I Ain’t Resisting: the City of Greensboro and the Killing of Marcus Smith was published in September of 2023 by Scuppernong Editions.

Tina Turner

Apr 5 | 7:30 PM

Reynolds Auditorium

Get ready for a Symphony concert like no other as the electrifying music of Tina Turner lights up Winston-Salem! Rock out to “Proud Mary,””River Deep, Mountain High,””Private Dancer,””Better Be Good to Me,” and more — including the worldwide number one hit “What’s Love Got to Do With It.”

Mary Cooper and Emma Scrivo presenting their project at The National Council of Public History meeting in Salt Lake City last Spring.

Mary Cooper, left, with alumni

leisure [WEEKLY SUDOKU]

ACROSS

Despises 7 Tennis great Rafael

Loutish guy

Drop- — (declines) 19 Corned beef sandwich

Kind of daisy

Bullring shout

Perfume bottle 23 Baseball’s “Iron Man,” fully stated?

26 Western U.S. gas brand 27 Hit sketch show since ‘75 28 Atop

29 Move, as a seedling

Stitch clothes

Statistic of a chemical element, fully stated? 39 Protein in egg white and milk 41 Panther 42 2010s dance move often done with the Whip

43 Tropical vines 44 —’s razor (“keep it simple” principle) 47 Fallon’s network

Singer Ora

Irritability, fully stated? 53 — Lingus 55 Some racing autos 56 Evil “Get Smart” group

Tyro, in gaming lingo

Actor Cage, informally

Sneeze noise 62 Preﬁx with tourism

Aladdin monkey 65 Auto-cleaning site, fully stated?

[KING CROSSWORD]

“Thank you, Yvette!”

Lode of unreﬁned metal, fully stated?

— -di-dah

.001 inch

Singer Cherry

drink

UConn women’s basketball coach Auriemma

Radiohead title track of 2000

Prone (to)

British islet

Biblical boat, fully stated?

Architect Ludwig Mies van der —

Fun, in brief

The — Professor

69 “I knew it all —!” 71 Once surnamed

beauty contest, fully stated?

[SALOME’S STARS]

Week of April 7, 2025

[ARIES (March 21 to April 19) Professional relationships grow stronger, but you still might need to ease some problems with someone in your personal life. One way could be to try to be less rigid in your views.

[TAURUS (April 20 to May 20) You might be too close to a perplexing personal situation to even attempt to make a rational decision about it right now. Stepping back could help you gain a wider perspective.

[GEMINI (May 21 to June 20) Being asked to choose between the positions of two friends is an unfair imposition on you. It’s best to reject the demand and insist that they try harder to work things out on their own.

[CANCER (June 21 to July 22) A change of mind about a workplace decision might be called for, once you hear more arguments — pro and con. A personal event suddenly takes an unexpected (but pleasant!) turn.

[LEO (July 23 to August 22) Romance once again looms large for single Leos and Leonas, with Cupid favoring Taurus and Libra to inspire those warm and fuzzy Leonine feelings. Meanwhile, expect another workplace change.

[VIRGO (August 23 to September 22) A surprise gift with no strings attached could happily come just when you need it to avoid a delay in getting your project done. Expect education to dominate the week.

[LIBRA (September 23 to October 22) Someone close to you might ask for your support as they face a demanding personal challenge. O er it, by all means, but be care-

ful that you don’t neglect your own needs at this time.

[SCORPIO (October 23 to November 21) An unexpected development could put your relationship with a partner or spouse to an emotionally demanding test. But your determination to get to the truth should save the day!

[SAGITTARIUS (November 22 to December 21) A recent agreement appears to be coming apart over the surfacing of unexpected complications. You might need to get expert advice on how to resolve the situation.

[CAPRICORN (December 22 to January 19) Your keen business sense helps you get to the truth about a suspicious business deal. Expect to have many colleagues rally to support your e orts in this important matter.

[AQUARIUS (January 20 to February 18) Someone who once moved in and out of your life through the years might now want to come back in on a more permanent basis. Give yourself a lot of time to weigh your decision.

[PISCES (February 19 to March 20) Showing frustration over a delayed workplace decision might get someone’s attention — but not necessarily make them move any sooner. The best advice would be to be patient and wait it out.

[BORN THIS WEEK: You are drawn to excitement and thrilling adventures. You also enjoy fast tempo music -- the more brass, the better.