Happy Halloween! Here's the info on the horror film festival that will be playing locally at Entertainment Cinemas in Springfield...and yes the Other MM let's go!

October 25, 2007 (Los Angeles, CA) – Crazy Eights and Lake Dead are the final two films to be acquired by After Dark Films for After Dark Horrorfest ® 2007 it was announced today by After Dark Films’ CEO Courtney Solomon. Crazy Eights and Lake Dead join Borderland, The Deaths of Ian Stone, Mulberry Street, Nightmare Man, Tooth and Nail and Unearthed in the 2007 line-up of “8 Films To Die For ®” which plays November 9 – 18, 2007 on over 300 screens across the country.

Starring Traci Lords, Frank Whaley, Dina Meyer, Gabrielle Anwar, George Newbern and Dan DeLuca, Crazy Eights follows six childhood friends as they face their past and the secret they share. Crazy Eights was co-written and directed by James Koya Jones, co-written by Dan DeLuca and was produced by Jones, DeLuca and John Kaila.

Directed by George Bessudo and written by Daniel P. Coughlin, Lake Dead follows three sisters and a group of their friends as they take a trip to the home of the recently deceased grandfather to learn more about the promise of an inheritance, only to encounter a family of psychos who have taken up residence in the old man's cabin. Lake Dead stars Edwin Craig, Pat McNeely and James C. Burns and was produced by Todd Chamberlain, Hector Echavarria, Jason Hice and Mike Karkeh.

“We are very excited to be announcing our final slate for After Dark Horrorfest ® 2007,” said After Dark’s CEO Courtney Solomon. “Both Crazy Eights and Lake Dead are thrilling horror films made by gifted filmmakers. We are incredibly proud of all 8 films and look forward to sharing them with our audiences nationwide.”

Frontiers, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews will receive it's own separate theatrical release. The film, which in its original state did not meet the requirements for an R rating from the MPAA will bow at a later date to be announced by After Dark Films. Solomon stated that, "rather than sacrifice the artistic integrity of this beautiful film, we've chosen to allow audiences to view the film in its unedited form as a separate theatrical release. We'll be announcing details of this release on horrorfestonline.com shortly."

Along with its partners AMC, Regal and Cinemark, After Dark Horrorfest ®2007 runs over the course of one week, including two weekends, on over 300 screens across the United States from November 9 – 18th, making it the largest commercial film festival in the world. This unique festival is the first of its kind, premiering “8 Films to Die For ®,” celebrating the horror genre by showcasing films that run the spectrum of horror from thrillers to gore to the supernatural. After achieving groundbreaking success in its inaugural year, now After Dark Films is back with an even bigger and better Horrorfest.

In 2006, After Dark Horrorfest ® became the first film festival in history to break into the top 10 at the national box office, grossing over 2.5 million dollars, on only a quarter of the screens of any other film in the top ten that weekend. The “8 Films to Die For ®” package, released on DVD by partner Lionsgate Films, has reached great success with over 1.8 million DVDs in circulation.

In conjunction with YouTube, After Dark Films has renewed its search for the next great queen of scream – Miss Horrorfest 2007, the official spokesperson of Horrorfest. Last year the Miss Horrorfest contest proved to be the most successful contest in YouTube history. This month, contestants have submitted 90-second videos on YouTube and participated in live auditions across the country in the hopes of winning $50,000 and the coveted title of Miss Horrorfest 2007. Log on to http://www.youtube.com/horrorfest and watch the top contestants complete today.

For more information on After Dark Horrorfest ® 2007, including how to purchase tickets and all access passes to this hair-raising national event, please visit the official website at http://www.horrorfestonline.com/

2007 After Dark Horrorfest ® Lineup

BORDERLAND (based on true events)
DIRECTED BY: Zev Berman
WRITTEN BY: Zev Berman
CAST: Brian Presley, Rider Strong, Jake Muxworthy, Beto Cuevas, Sean Astin

SYNOPSIS: In BORDERLAND, three Texas University seniors, on the eve of their graduation, road-trip to a Mexican Border town for a final weekend of drinking and debauchery. Their vacation becomes a living nightmare as the trio runs afoul of an ancient blood cult looking for human sacrifice. Based on true events, Borderland blends the raw fear of Texas Chainsaw Massacre with the gritty true crime realism of In Cold Blood, evoking a world of paranoia, death and terror.

CRAZY EIGHTS
DIRECTED BY: James Koya Jones
WRITTEN BY: James Koya Jones, Dan DeLuca
CAST: Traci Lords, Frank Whaley, Dina Meyer, Gabrielle Anwar, George Newbern, Dan DeLuca

SYNOPSIS: Six people are brought together at the funeral of a childhood friend. While settling the estate, they discover a map, which leads them on a search for a long forgotten time capsule, at the request of their dead friend. What they discover reawakens repressed childhood traumas and leads them on a journey through their long abandoned childhood home: a home with a terrible secret and a mysterious dead girl who will lead them to their strange fates.

THE DEATHS OF IAN STONE
DIRECTED BY: Dario Piana
WRITTEN BY: Brendan Hood
CAST: Mike Vogel, Jamie Murray, and Christina Cole

SYNOPSIS: On an otherwise ordinary night, the young Ian Stone encounters a mysterious creature and is forced him into the path of an oncoming train. Rather than facing certain death, Ian finds himself reborn into a new life that feels strangely familiar. After his second death, it becomes apparent that Ian is being hunted by an evil presence, and will be forced to die every day until he can solve the mystery of his own life.

LAKE DEAD
DIRECTED BY: George Bessudo
WRITTEN BY: Daniel P. Coughlin
CAST: Edwin Craig, Pat McNeely, James C. Burns, Kelsey Crane, Jim Devoti

SYNOPSIS: Three beautiful sisters learn of a long lost grandfather, but only make this discovery upon the news of his grisly death. Enticed to visit grandpa’s old home after hearing of an inheritance, the sister’s head to the back country with some friends. We quickly follow the group of friends through the gates of a redneck infested hell. The psychotic family occupying the inherited property goes on a long awaited, and much enjoyed killing spree. As the family’s twisted motives unravel, the sisters discover a terror worse than death.

MULBERRY STREET
DIRECTED BY: Jim Mickle
WRITTEN BY: Jim Mickle, Nick Damici
CAST: Laurel Astri, Kim Blair, Ron Brice, Bo Corre, Nick Damici

SYNOPSIS: The city that never sleeps may shut its eyes for good when a deadly infection turns its residents to savage creatures. There is only hope for a small few, including six recently evicted tenants who must protect their crumbling apartment complex as the city around them is thrown into chaos.

NIGHTMARE MAN
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Rolfe Kanefsky
CAST: Tiffany Shepis, Blythe Metz, Luciano Szafir, James Ferris, Hanna Putnam, Jack Sway, and Richard Moll.

SYNOPSIS: When a woman orders an ancient fertility mask to help her conceive, her quest for motherhood turns into a quest for survival as it becomes clear the mask is possessed by a demonic spirit. Will anyone survive the NIGHTMARE MAN?

TOOTH AND NAIL
WRITTEN, DIRECTED AND EDITED BY: Mark Young
CAST: Rachel Miner, Rider Strong, Nicole Dupont, Michael Kelly, Alexandra Barreto, Emily Young, Zack Robidas, Kevin E. Scott, with Robert Carradine, and Vinnie Jones and Michael Masden

SYNOPSIS: A small group of survivors in a post-apocalyptic world take refuge in an empty hospital with plans on re-building society. They rescue a young girl who is the victim of a brutal attack, but soon discover that they were followed by a savage band of cannibals known as Rovers. The Rovers begin to kill them one by one, and the trapped survivors must find a way to outwit their stalkers.

UNEARTHED
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY: Matthew Leutwyler
CAST: Emmanuelle Vaugier, Luke Goss, Beau Garrett, Charles Q. Murphy, Tonantzin Carmelo,
Whitney Able, Tommy Dewey, M.C. Gainey, Russell Means, and Miranda Bailey

SYNOPSIS: After a sinister crash occurs off the highway of a small desert town, things take a horrific turn for its residents. As people vanish and nature dies, the local sheriff investigates, only to discover that the fate of her town rests just below the earth.
© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Rose McGowan rules as the unlikely heroine in "Planet Terror."

It's getting closer to Halloween and a set of creaky but fun scary movies is in this week's DVD column.

Transformers

Unlike members of my staff who grew up watching the original animated adventures of benevolent robots from another world who could change into looking like a truck, I held no sentiment for "The Transformers," and the characters' live-action feature film debut didn't really appeal to me much.

Intrigued, though, about the use of computer animation, I spent two and a half hours of my life to watch this mega-budget film directed by mega-budget hack Michael Bay. I was surprised to see just how much I enjoyed the film, despite my initial reservations.

The story of a race of evil robots coming to earth to try to find the artifact that would restore their race was told on several different levels with a fair amount of skill by Bay. He set up several on-going human storylines and effectively set up the good robot versus bad robot back-story.

The look of the film was impressive with the animation flawlessly executed.

Where I had some problems is with the shifting of the tone of the film from straightforward adventure to silly with the introduction of John Turturro's "X-File-ish" character. It was way over the top.

There were also problems with the length of the film of 144 minutes. There was at least 20 minutes to a half-hour of non-essential scenes that simply slowed down the film. A movie such as this one needs to keep going forward.

All in all, though, this film was a big surprise. The two-disc DVD set has a second disc full of extras on how the film was made. If you're a fan, you'd probably want to get that one.

Universal Horror: Classic Movie Archive

Well, let's be truthful. None of these five films are "classics," and several of them aren't even horror films.

That didn't stop me from enjoying all of them, though, as I'm a sucker for the kind of horror movies Universal made in the 1930s and '40s.

It was a far more innocent time when a menacing hand coming from behind a curtain, a gorilla with an agenda and a mad scientist with a plan to create a race of electrically driven supermen were elements that could make up a fun time at the movies.

This new set features "The Black Cat," "Man Made Monster," "Horror Island," "Night Monster" and "Captive Wild Woman." The stars include Bela Lugosi, Basil Rathbone, Lon Chaney, Jr. and Lionel Atwill, among others.

"The Black Cat" and "Horror Island" are both thrillers. "Cat" features a venal family waiting for the matriarch to die, while "Island" has a shifty entrepreneur finding out his once-worthless island is worth enough to kill over.

"Man Made Monster" has nutty Lionel Atwill turning everyday guy Lon Chaney, Jr. into a human battery. A traditional mad scientist film, this is actually an over-looked little gem in the Universal pantheon of horror films.

"Night Monster" is a curious little film that starts off as a mystery, but winds up as a horror film. While not totally successful, it's very engaging.

Lovely actress Acquanetta is the main attraction in "Captive Wild Woman," in which doctor John Carradine transplants human glands into a gorilla and the result is a stunning young woman! This film is a bit difficult to watch as it is set largely in a circus with tons of footage dedicated to a lion and tiger act. Watching people snap whips and shoot at animals that should be in a jungle somewhere is not my idea of fun.

For people who like their horror films involving lots of on-screen torture and brutality, these films will seem tamer than tame. However, some horror fans can still appreciate a sip of the old stuff, even though it may not be the best vintage.

Planet Terror: Extended and Unrated

Okay, so can a guy who sits through a hokey film like "Horror Island" actually liked the zombie-laden, blood-dripping action of Robert Rodriguez's half of "Grindhouse?"

Sure enough. What can I say; I'm a film fan of many tastes.

This two-disc DVD celebrates the best part of the collaboration between Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino, an over-the-top homage to the wacky science fiction/horror films that used to be seen at drive-ins and urban theaters 30 years ago.

What has always attracted me to these films is their underground nature. While critics and historians looked at the standard Hollywood movies and foreign imports, there was a whole group of films and filmmakers flying under the radar.

They made outrageous films some just silly and some audacious. Out of that experience came directors such as Martin Scorsese, Joe Dante, Allan Arkush and Paul Bartel, among others.

What Rodriguez has effectively captured is that gonzo spirit of those films and amped it up to his style of filmmaking.

If exploding zombies and a heroine who has an automatic weapon as a prosthesis aren't your cup of tea, that's fine. But if your taste in film is a little broader and you can appreciate the tongue-in-cheek approach to this end-of-the-world scenario, then "Planet Terror" is someplace at which you'll want to spend some time.

The extras are great as they truly go behind the scenes to show how an independent filmmaker such as Rodriguez makes his films.

This one is highly recommended with some reservations.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Hey, my post for Monday is out of chronological order...scroll down, please!

I couldn’t help myself this week. I actually made fun of the fact that I’m NOT a Red Sox fan despite living in Massachusetts. In fact, I don’t care for baseball period.

It didn’t go over too well at work.

We all want to be members of a tribe and we are all members of multiple tribes. I just don’t care about the Red Sox tribe.

Naturally many people don’t understand this.

A lot of folks at work wear their Red Sox shirts every time they play a World Series Game. And they analyze each game, each play. Their love of the game transcends just an appreciation of a sport. I understand a little of what it’s like being a different religion in a nation dominated by a single faith.

And if you admit your non-Red Sox status, people look at you as if you’re a freak. I willingly admit my freak status about my own stuff, but they view themselves as “normal.” I wouldn’t mind the Sox Nation attitude if folks just admitted how geeky it really is.

Ninety-nine percent of the people who come into my office never make a comment of the memorabilia on the shelves that symbolizes my tribes: the tribe of animation fan and historian; the tribe of Max Fleischer; the tribe of Tom Tyler; the tribe of Rudy Ray Moore (he signed the still “to Mike a bad m.f.” sigh!); the horror film tribe; the local history tribe, etc.

It’s one of the first things I do when meeting someone at their home or place of business. One way to get a conversation started is to see if there are common denominators.

Well, it’s Halloween, the one time of the year when being a horror fan is looked upon with some favor and I want to attend the “After Dark Eight Films to Die For” fest which is coming here to Springfield’s Entertainment Cinemas. I’m sure some of the eight films will suck, but I’m in the mood to fly my freak flag as the kids call it these days!

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Marky Mark is concerned about my well-being because I've not blogged in such a long period. Well, I'm alive and bushed due to a heavy work schedule and will extrude some serious posts this weekend.

Those Crazy Babysitting Twins from "Planet Terror" at Rock and Shock in person...




and in character for their roles in the new movie "The Black Waters of Echos Pond...very nice kids to talk to!


I recently went to the fourth annual Rock and Shock show in nearby Worcester. It reminds me of Chiller Con years ago when it was a managable size with personality – unlike its current incarnation of the Big E of horror. I bought a couple of items, hung out with buddies and had an interesting reunion of sorts with a former friend.

I also bought a low-budget independent horror film titled "Icabod" by Andy Sawyer and was given by another filmmaker, Andrew Shanley, his film "Hangman."

I mention both guys in the piece, but didn't review the films in the papers. Both are shorts and Sawyer, adapting the famous story of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, actually succeeds in many ways to produce an effective period piece. For the most part the costumes, exteriors and hair styles look authentic. That's an accomplishment on a mega-low budget.

The trouble with the film is the climax. With a story that is so well known and even been the basis of a feature length film, one has to come up with something dramatically different. I think Sawyer was prevented by his budget to accomplish a visiual or dramatic difference.

"Hangman" is about a serial killer who hangs four young women. That's it. No character development. No resolution. I think Shanely was very proud of devising a hanging stunt rig, but under direct lights and prolonged takes it's clear to see how the stunt is accompished.

God bless both of these guys for trying.


WORCESTOR – For thousands of Bay State horror fans, the Halloween season doesn’t start until the annual “Rock & Shock” show staggers into the DCU center.

What appears to be at first glance a way for fans to get autographs from horror film celebrities and buy everything from DVDs, movie posters, t-shirts and even teddy bears with a horror theme is actually much more.

Scratch the surface though and there’s another theme: while today’s media technologies allow people to produce books, magazines and movies much easier than ever before, getting those products to their potential audiences is more difficult than before with a handful of corporations controlling the pipelines to consumers.

Shows such as “Rock & Shock allow creative people a direct market for their creations.

Andrew Shanley and Andy Sawyer are the men behind New Blood Productions (www.booomaster.com), a central Massachusetts operation making independent horror films. They sell their films on DVD at horror shows such as “Rock & Shock” and on eBay when they’re not at their day jobs in cable television and teaching, respectively.

Since 1993, the pair has used a group of actors and fellow filmmakers who’ve been willing to work for next to nothing just to practice their craft. They concentrate on making the films, rather than distribution.

Not so director Alex Pucci, (www.screamkings.com) who was at the show selling DVDs of his films and publicizing a new film “Frat House Massacre,” a slasher film that is reminiscent of those that were popular in the 1970s. Pucci said the hardest work in making a movie is getting it distributed. He proudly said his film “Camp Slaughter” was recently purchased by Universal Home Video and will be getting mainstream distribution. He’s hoping for a theatrical release for “Frat House Massacre,” a $200,000 feature shot on film rather than digital video.

One of Pucci’s stars in his new film, Nikki Notarile, said with a smile she couldn’t reveal if she was a survivor or a victim in the film and was quick to hand this reporter a postcard publicizing her husband’s movie “Methodic.” She said the Weinstein brothers – the founders of Miramax – were considering distributing the film.

Cadaver Girls is a reaction to corporate distribution problem. Lady D-Kay, the self-described “caretaker” of the company explained it’s a collective of independent horror artists a means to display their work and get it to fans. She said the sales of the group’s t-shirts, magazines and calendars are through appearances at shows such as this one and through their Web site (www.cadavergirls.com).

So far, she said the response has been very receptive and the experience has been “very enriching.”

Frank Monahan stuck out at the show like a sore thumb, as he wasn’t wearing black, had no apparent tattoos or piercings and there wasn’t a single skull at his table. The Virginia-based publisher was at the show at the request of one of its sponsors, WAAF FM, with his book, “For the Boys; Pin-Ups for the Troops.” Monahan bought the rights to classic 1940s and ‘50s pin-up painting by Gil Elvgren, which originally appeared in calendars. He then had contemporary models and photographers collaborate on their own version of the classic cheesecake.

For every book, he sells he sends one to troops stationed overseas. So far since the book came out earlier this year he has shipped out 2,000 copies. The book is designed to fit into a back pocket and is printed on waterproof paper.

Part of the sales also goes to Fisher House, a Maryland-based charity that helps the families of injured military personnel.
Monahan said the response has been amazing since the book appeared four months ago. It can be obtained online at www.forthetroops.com.

There were many authors at the show, including Jenny Hula Curry, a Monson resident who is working on her Masters degree in Literature at Western New England College. Her horror novel, “Brothers Huxten” was self-published through Infinity Publishing Co. and is available through www.amazon.com and www.bn.com.

A native of upstate New York, Curry started her story in Chicopee and ended it in Jordanville, N.Y. She described it as “graphic” and “fast-paced.”

“It leaves a lot to the reader’s imagination, “she added. “The brothers have a dark secret that destroys all.”

Curry has loved horror since she was 11 years old and has several other book ideas stored on her laptop.

The direct marketing approach extends to the celebrity guests who come to meet fans and sell their autographs and other merchandise. This year’s show featured a number of cast members from “The Hills Have Eyes,” and “Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2” as well as horror vets such as Tony Todd (“Candyman”) and Kane Hodder (the “Friday the 13th” series).

One of the longer lines was for two of the cast members of “Grindhouse,” Electra and Elise Avellan, known in the film as “the crazy babysitting twins.”

Smiling and eager to chat with fans, the pair said they have been doing horror shows for about a year now “non-stop.”
“The fans have been amazing,” according to Electra.

Although they both appear in the new horror film, “The Black Waters of Echo's Pond,” audiences should expect to see a fright film version of the Olsen twins. Electra wants to purse acting, while Elise is a dancer.

And both revealed they aren’t “into horror so much,” but noted with a laugh there are no conventions for conventional dramas.

“Planet Terror,” the half of “Grindhouse” in which they appeared is out in stores this week in an extended version. They said their uncle told them they would be in more scenes with the new version.

Their uncle is the film’s creator Robert Rodriquez. Before one could think of nepotism, Electra said their uncle wouldn’t have put them in the film if he hadn’t thought they could handle the role.

“He’s very cautious,” Electra said. She added though “he could make anyone look good.”

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

The intersection of Federal and Worthington Streets used to be among the toughest neighborhoods in the city of Springfield. Just a block from Springfield Technical Community College, the group of apartment buildings at the corner and those along tiny Summit Street were classic examples of urban blight.

The fact that a developer would come in, buy most of the buildings and spend millions of dollars up-grading them should be a sign about the nature of Springfield there are plenty of signs of a turnaround.

Yes, there are very serious problems. No one is proud of the fact the city is ranked sixth in the nation for child poverty, for example.

This story, though, is one of hope, as are the new homes that are being built in the Old Hill and Maple-High Six Corners Neighborhood.

I'm not spreading the Chamber of Commerce line here. The simple truth is in the last few years, there has been much progress in implementing solutions for some of the city's problems.

I was happy to see a news crew from ABC40 covering the story of the Worthington Street apartments. I know that I'll get in trouble with some people, but basically it seems most of our local television news centers on the negative.

I sometimes wonder if crime diminishes locally, what would they cover?

I expect a beating from my electronic colleagues at any time now.

***

Here's something to ponder: the Associated Press distributed a story in which it revealed that 40 percent of today's Americans have never lived when there wasn't a Bush or Clinton in the White House.

Yikes! It's time to vote for someone else, unless you believe in dynasties. How would Hillary look in one of those funky headpieces pharaohs used to wear?

***
I received this press release recently: "Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Ian Bowles today announced a pilot project to introduce Plug-in Hybrid technology in the state vehicle fleet. Achieving up to 100 miles per gallon, plug-in hybrid cars advance the Patrick Administration's clean energy goals of saving energy costs, reducing emissions, and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. The announcement was made at the AltWheels festival on Boston City Hall Plaza.

'"Massachusetts-developed clean energy research and development can lead us to breakthrough vehicle technology and respond to consumer demand with cars that get 100 miles per gallon,"' said Secretary Bowles.

"Secretary Bowles will be trading in his current state car a 2003 Ford Taurus that gets 20 miles per gallon for a Toyota Prius already in the state fleet that will be modified to become a plug-in electric/gasoline hybrid. Plug-in hybrids use the power stored on a rechargeable battery to reduce the use of gasoline in the hybrid engine, giving a motorist who drives 40 miles a day mileage of up to 150 miles per gallon.

"As part of its Leading by Example Program, the Commonwealth will retrofit 10 gasoline hybrids ranging from sedans to SUVs currently owned by state agencies to plug-in operation, in order to test and demonstrate the new technology. The conversions are expected to cost $8,000 to $10,000 per vehicle."

How much would it cost to convert my 2001 Hyundai Accent? I'll start saving my money.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Road trip with the Vermont boys


Boy howdy, I know how to spend a vacation week…scraping the dead paint off my house in preparation for painting, going to the doctor, taking the car to the mechanic… Wow!

I did do one cool thing, though. I got together with my friends Steve Bissette and Joe Citro for a manly, but magical mystery tour in Vermont. There were no cigars, drinks, or strippers, but plenty of satisfying oddness.

I would hate to be like many of the younger people I know whose smug, dismissive view of the world prevents amazement: “Talk to the hand” and “Whatever.”

My buddy Joe is one of the nation’s experts on the strange and unexplained and has been writing about New England ghosts, monsters, and legends for years. His latest book is “Weird New England” available at Barnes and Noble bookstores in New England or on the web at amazon.com

Check out Joe’s blog. The link is included in my list.

After fortifying ourselves with a hearty lunch, we took off from Steve’s house in Windsor (home of the state’s longest covered bridge) for nearby White River Junction. If you read Steve’s blog at all, you’re aware that White River Junction is the home of the Center for Cartoon Studies, the school where he teaches.

Frankly, WRJ is one of those communities that is propped up by a key employers, a large Veteran’s Hospital. To be charitable, it’s a blank canvas ready for recreation. If you’re not charitable, it’s bordering on a ghost town.

David Fairbanks Ford is obviously someone who sees the town in the former light. His Main Street Museum is the kind of institution that could be part of a re-invention of the town into an artist’s area (along with the CCS).



The curator's car at the Main Street Museum is a rolling piece of conceptual art.

We went there as our first stop and I have to say I wasn’t prepared for what I saw. Ford is actually a serious curator whose own collection is featured in a museum designed to challenge how one views museums. He mixes “real” artifacts, such as an actual chunk of the Alamo – something which offended one Texan tourist while we were there – to a carefully framed umbrella without its cloth covering that is presented in the same way one would see a fossil skeleton of an animal.




The former shot is the "sea monster." This way to the egress!

Ford’s presentation of a “sea monster” is done in the way one might have expected from P.T. Barnum. We know it’s a fake but Ford won’t admit it.

Ford celebrates artifacts that would be tossed out by anyone else. Having worked in two museums (The Basketball Hall of Fame and Wistariahurst in Holyoke, MA) I understand that one makes an object relevant by the context in which it’s presented. Ford plays with the contexts and with our expectations of what should be in a “museum.”

The place is a lot of fun for those who are willing to take Ford’s ride. The Texans – especially the one who was wearing a “Bush Country” tee shirt – seemed just a little confused.

We then hit the road for South Royalton and one of the places Joe described in his book (written with Diane E. Foulds) “Curious New England.” Throughout our region there are stone structures that were not made by the colonists nor the native people who lived here. I’ve been to the best known of these structures, “America’s Stonehenge” in New Hampshire, and it was impressive.

Equally impressive was the stone chamber that Joe led us to that was on property adjacent to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial. Smith is the man who founded the Mormon faith.

The structure is in a strip of woods that creates an informal border between two properties. When approaching it, it appears to be a knoll in the woods and would be easy to pass by.



Steve takes a look inside.

However, the chamber is clearly apparent from the side with its entrance.

Featuring incredible mortar-free workmanship, the chamber was absolutely clean. There were no signs of vandalism. No footprints could be seen. Animals had not made this place a regular den. There was no layer of leaves; just a few scattered ones. There were not even spider webs.

The only object in the chamber was a single crow feather centered on the floor.



outside and in

It was amazing, and Joe said there were seven more of these structures all within a mile or so.

Get a copy of Joe’s book for more details.

While we were at the site, we spoke of whether or not Smith knew of the chamber as a child. It was apparently on family property. Joe wondered if its existence colored Smith’s ideas of the world later in life when he believed there were civilizations in North America prior to and or along side native people.

We drove through the Smith memorial area and then took a Vermont highway through part of the state neither crusty Vermonter had visited before.

It was a great day.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

A very mixed bag of DVDs is in this week's column.

Dog the Bounty Hunter: The Family Speaks

This new DVD is a collection of two episodes of the highly popular reality show, "Dog The Bounty Hunter." If you've missed this show, it depicts the life and careers of a flamboyant Hawaiian-based bail bondsman and his family. Duane "Dog" Chapman looks like a professional wrestler, clearly enjoys the challenges of hunting down those who've skipped their bail and yet acts like a big brother to many of the fugitives treating them with respect and offering advice.

Dog himself has had a rough life and had served a prison sentence for murder. He is a Christian, though, and wrote in his new autobiography that God led him to be a bounty hunter.

This DVD details the most famous episode in Dog's career when he and his brother and son were held in Mexico in 2003 when they successful captured Andre Luster, an American serial rapist who was convicted on 86 counts. Because bounty hunting is illegal in Mexico, Dog and his colleagues were briefly jailed.

In 2006, U.S. Marshals on order of the federal government apprehended Dog because Mexican officials were considering asking for extradition. Dog was released on $300,000 bail after a storm of public opinion.

The DVD was produced before this summer when a Mexican judge announced the statute of limitations had expired. Dog is still under the provisions of his bail agreement, however.

For Dog fans, this is probably something they'd like to see if they've not seen it already. At 47 minutes, though, the first program is a bit padded with people making the same statement over and over and the same news footage repeated as well.

For more information log onto www.AETV.com.



Plagues and Pleasures on the Salton Sea

Have you ever heard about the Salton Sea in southern California? I hadn't until I watched this entertaining and engaging documentary about a huge lake created by an accident at the turn of the 20th century.

No one intended to channel water from the Colorado River into a geographic natural bowl and no one thought the result would be a lake 35 miles long and 15 miles wide with water almost as salty as the ocean.

Real estate developers in the 1950s and '60s saw the area as the next Palm Springs: a resort and retirement community featuring a lake for fishing, swimming and boating.

A flood in the 1970s reversed those plans and the area looks more like a ghost town.

What has made it worse is the unique ecology of the lake. There are natural fish kills that range in the millions making the lake problematical for recreational uses. However, the lake must be preserved because it's an important wetlands area for birds.

The films starts out focusing on the largely odd population who insist that living in the desert next to a salty lake is a good thing, but it takes a more serious turn when depicting the ecological challenges the lake presents and why it must be saved.

Like all good documentaries this film captures your interest even though you knew nothing about the subject when you started watching.

For more information log onto www.saltonseasdoc.com.



Weiss-o-Rama: Six-Hour Comedy Collection

Okay, film fans, here's a test for you who are the following people: Ben Turpin, Snub Pollard and Poodles Hanneford?

Poodles Hanneford?

Well, if you're student of silent comedy you might remember Ben Turpin, best known for his crossed eyes, and Australian comic Snub Pollard, who starred in his own comedies as well as supporting others.

Turpin, Pollard and circus clown Hanneford, renowned for his trick riding routines, are among the performers featured in this collection of admittedly obscure short comedies produced by the Weiss Brothers in the waning days of the silent era. The Weiss Brothers were low-budget producers whose company, Artclass Pictures, ground out short subjects, westerns and serials through the silent days and into the early talkies.

These are not on a par with the shorts made by comics such as Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd or Charles Chaplin. The Weiss Brothers' shorts were considered a notch or two below those made by Mack Sennett and Hal Roach.

Still, there is plenty of goofy fun in this collection that was carefully compiled by Richard Roberts, who said in one of his audio commentaries that he saved us from the worse of the Weiss Brothers collection.

The pictorial quality of these shorts is dazzling, taken from archived original 35mm prints and the musical scores are great. The comedy itself is hit or miss and there is plenty of politically incorrect material that might offend some.

Besides star vehicles for Turpin and Pollard there are two shorts from the "Izzie and Lizzie" series depicting the romance of a Catholic girl and Jewish boy ripped off from the Broadway hit show "Abie's Irish Rose." There is also a series of shorts based on the comic strip "Hairbreadth Harry," a popular parody of melodrama.

For hardcore silent film and comedy fans, this collection will provide some very interesting, if not entertaining, viewing.

For more information, go to vcient.com.

Last of the Breed

Earlier this year three legends of country and western music, Willie Nelson, Merle Haggard and Ray Price teamed up for a tour titled "Last of the Breed." They were accompanied by the western swing group Asleep at the Wheel, and one of the concerts was taped for this DVD.

The result is something very, very cool: three veteran musicians who are clearly at ease with one another and with their material just having fun on stage.

There are 35 classic songs in this concert, including standards for each artist such as "You Were Always on My Mind," "Okie from Muskogee," and "For the Good Times." The music of Bob Wills also looms very large. The man credited for creating western swing influenced all three performers who talk about Wills in a loose, but entertaining interview that is part of the disc's extras.

As I'm a sucker for western swing, I enjoyed this concert very much.

I can't really imagine which artists of the current generation of country performers will occupy the role these three have in another 25 years. They will have very big boots to fill.

For more information, log onto www.aetv.com.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Note: I'm scraping my house this week which accounts for my lack of posting since last Friday. There is no greater joy than standing on a ladder scraping paint chips into your face for hours. I'm making progress, though!

Local stuff..The race for mayor is on in the city of Springfield and the first debate seemd to be the repeated use of talking points versus a list of accomplishment. Challenger Domenic Sarno is all about "cops and kids," and will have some of his thunder stolen by Governor Patrick who will announce today an economic devleopment package for Springfield that includes money for more police. Without his "Are you safer now than you were two years ago" arguement, Sarno doesn't have a whole lot to talk about. He is no longer speaking about eliminating the trash fee and his remarks on education are politically safe without getting to the point that Springfield needs a new superintendent and new members of the School Committee.

The 90-minute debate between incumbent Mayor Charles Ryan and City Councilor Domenic Sarno Thursday night may have set some of the general themes for the contest.

For Ryan, his experience and accomplishments of his two terms were cited more than once. For Sarno, his main talking points that he would repeat were that Springfield is at a crossroads and its budget priorities should be "cops and kids."

Ryan hammered several times at Sarno for his role in creating the fiscal crisis the city faced at the end of the Albano Administration. Sarno repeated a statement the city hasn't a plan to repay the $30 million it has been loaned by the state.

The city's first mayoral debate was conducted at the Rebecca Johnson School in Mason Square and was sponsored by the New England Black Chamber of Commerce. The format included a chance for each candidate to have opening and closing remarks, answer and rebut questions posed to them by a panel and by the audience.

Attorney Jamel Adkins Sherif moderated the event and the panel included Kamari Collins, Nathan Davis and Malcolm Ivy. Many of their questions concerned racial issues, economic development and solving the city's problems of poverty and violence.

There was an audience of about 100 people in the school auditorium. Before the debate started several candidates for City Council and School Committee campaigned among the crowd and there was a large group of police supervisors protesting the lack of a new contract. Out of the 29 municipal unions, the police supervisors union is the only one left working without a contract. Once the debate started the picketers brought their signs into the auditorium and stood in a single line in the back holding them.

Both Police Commissioner Edward Flynn and Deputy Chief William Fitchet attended the debate.

Although both men were polite and affable to one another, neither was afraid to attempt to make a point at their opponent's expense.

In his opening statement, Ryan spoke of the mismanagement of the Albano Administration that resulted in the city's fiscal crisis. He noted that 253 municipal employees were laid off with the approval of the City Council in 2003, which included Sarno.

Sarno said that people often asked him why he is running for mayor. He said it's because the city is losing young families and the middle class and because citizens don't feel safe. He posed the question "Do you feel safer now than two years ago?" several times to the audience throughout the debate.

Sarno thanked Ryan for his "stewardship of the city." He said, though, "It's time to pass the torch."

Issues of race were brought up by several of the panel. When asked if the two candidates believe the city is racially divided and how they would address it, Ryan noted that many of the racial situations in the center of the city are reported on by people who have left Springfield.

"We have a long ways to go," Ryan said. "Racial division on the basis of race is the curse of America."

Sarno recounted that he went to the racially integrated High School of Commerce and played sports with students of other races. He said that people need to be treated with respect and that we have to have a better understanding of one another.

When asked about the perceptions of racial inequality in the city and what he can do about it, Ryan said, "All I can do is be myself. I live my life in a simple way and I conduct myself in that way."

He asked the audience to look at the people he has hired or appointed and said the city needs the "cream of the crop."

Sarno said that, as the executive director of the South End Community Center, he "leads by example" and has a staff of nearly all African American and Latinos. He said there has been a pattern in the Ryan Administration with the controversy over remarks made by Ryan's former Chief of Staff Michelle Webber and the complaints of eight employees who charge that racism exists in City Hall.

Sarno recently called for a Department of Justice investigation into the Ryan Administration over the complaints of the eight employees. He did not allude to this statement during the debate.

As mayor, Sarno said he would bring his reputation for inclusion to the office.

When asked how he would address crime in the city, Sarno said he would add 50 police officers to the department and create a "flex squad" to attack the root causes of gang and youth violence.

In his rebuttal, Ryan said the city needs leadership capacity to better address the issue, but more importantly needs additional funding.

"It's all about generating money," he said. "We don't have the resources."

With the recent news story that Springfield is sixth in the nation in child poverty rates, the candidates were asked what they would do about the level of child poverty.

Sarno said that education is the key and the city must make an "investment in cops and kids."

Addressing his role in the events that plunged the city into a financial abyss, Sarno spoke about his responsibility as a City Councilor. He said under the Plan A form of government with a strong mayor the government created in part by Ryan in 1961 the council can only approve the budget proposed by the mayor and certified by the state's Department of Revenue.

Ryan fired back with one of sharpest exchanges of the night. "Domenic, you were asleep at the wheel," he said.

Saying, "this city hasn't had a penny in the bank since 1989," Ryan charged that Sarno "just sat there."

Ryan added that when former Gov. Mitt Romney made cuts in the city's budget during the middle of a fiscal year by $4 million the city had no reserves to cover that loss.

"We collapsed. No other city in Massachusetts collapsed," Ryan said.

When asked about why Worcester and not Springfield has seen millions of dollars in biotech industry investment, Ryan said the city had been out of the economic development business for at least 10 years when he took office. He said that with the incompetence in City Hall, "anyone serious with serious money gave Springfield a wide, wide berth."

Ryan then ticked off a list of business projects including the new Performance Food Group facility, the $14 million development of the former Basketball Hall of Fame, the plan to convert the former Chestnut Middle School into market rate housing and an expansion of Baystate Medical Center as some of the projects that make up almost $400 million in new investment in the city in the last year and a half.

In his rebuttal, Sarno said that he condemns the people in past administration that did wrong and that he would "dangle some carrots" to entice new businesses whether high tech or "green" to the city.

The next question also addressed an economic development issue and that was the "brain drain" from the city and the lack of high end and technical jobs.

Sarno said that "clean and safe streets and quality public school" were important to the city's economic well-being. He said he would be inclusive and was about change.

"I'm looking for new initiatives," he said.

Ryan noted there are 500 jobs at Baystate Health and several thousand jobs in the area "begging the people." He announced Gov. Deval Patrick would be in Springfield next week to discuss a new partnership between the city and state for workforce development.

Both men agreed on the need for more after school programs for young people, although Ryan reminded the audience that new funding was the key to making that happen. And both candidates noted the progress the Old Hill Housing Initiative has in building 100 new homes in the neighborhood for first-time low-income homebuyers.

They clashed on the question of casinos. Sarno doesn't want one in the city, but as mayor he wants to be at the negotiating table to ensure Springfield gets its share of the local hosting fee.

Ryan's anti-casino stance is well known and noted that Sarno didn't address part of the question on what his plan would be to manage the social ills that might come with a casino.

When asked how either man would prevent Springfield from a similar kind of fiscal emergency in the future Ryan said, "The only way to prevent it is to get the right leadership."

"We're not going to get a second chance," he added.

Ryan then suggested the city needs a deputy mayor whose job would be to monitor the city's financial situation in the same way Phillip Puccia did in his time as executive director of the Finance Control Board.

Sarno said the city is living on "borrowed time and a credit card" and claimed with all of the cuts and efficiencies, the city has made very little financial progress. He said the city has no plan to pay back the $30 million it has used from the $52 million loan fund set up by the Legislature.

He said he would manage the city with a "tight financial team" and help from the Department of Revenue.

The next debate will be Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Classical Condominiums at 235 State St.

Take the test!
The other day I was reading one of my favorite Web sites, www.whatreallyhappened.com, and I came across a post about a short film at www.youtube.com.

A filmmaker in Austin, Texas, asked 36 people at random the following four questions:

• Who is the vice president of the United States?

• In what year did the 9/11 attacks occur?

• What is the First Amendment?

• Who is the Secretary of Defense?

Out of the 36 people asked, only four people got all four questions correct. That’s right, just four people.

Take a look at the film yourself. Log onto http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WmBgrboeoy8.

Finding this video coincided with the release of a study by Intercollegiate Studies Institute’s National Civil Literacy Board. That group gave 14,000 college students at 50 colleges and universities a test of 60 questions concerning history and government.

According to the report, “The results were disappointing. The average senior score was a failing 53.2%; the average freshman score was 51.7%. After nearly four years of college, the gain in knowledge was trivial. Not one college could claim its seniors averaged even 70%.”

Harvard was the best with 69.56. UMass Amherst received a 46.66 grade. St. Thomas University won the lowest score with 32.5.

Here are several of the questions:
• Jamestown, Virginia, was first settled by Europeans during which period?
a) 1301–1400
b) 1401–1500
c) 1501–1600
d) 1601–1700
e) 1701–1800

•The Puritans:
a) opposed all wars on moral grounds.
b) stressed the sinfulness of all humanity.
c) believed in complete religious freedom.
d) colonized Utah under the leadership of Brigham Young.
e) were Catholic missionaries escaping religious persecution.

• The Constitution of the United States established what form of government?
a) Direct democracy
b) Populism
c) Indirect democracy
d) Oligarchy
e) Aristocracy

• Which battle brought the American Revolution to an end?
a) Saratoga
b) Gettysburg
c) The Alamo
d) Yorktown
e) New Orleans

• Which of the following are the unalienable rights referred to in the Declaration of Independence?
a) Life, liberty, and property
b) Honor, liberty, and peace
c) Liberty, health, and community
d) Life, respect, and equal protection
e) Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

• Which of the following are in correct chronological order?
a) The Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation
b) Fort Sumter, Gettysburg, Appomattox
c) Cuban Missile Crisis, Sputnik, Bay of Pigs
d) Mexican-American War, Louisiana Purchase, Spanish-American War
e) Prohibition, Boston Tea Party, Reconstruction

• In 1933 Franklin Delano Roosevelt proposed a series of government programs that became known as:
a) The Great Society.
b) The Square Deal.
c) The New Deal.
d) The New Frontier.
e) supply-side economics.

•The end of legal racial segregation in United States schools was most directly the result of:
a) the Civil War.
b) the Declaration of Independence.
c) the affirmative action policies of the 1980s.
d) Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.
e) Miranda v. the State of Arizona.

• The Manhattan Project developed:
a) urban enterprise zones.
b) equipment to decipher enemy codes.
c) fighter planes.
d) the Apollo lunar module.
e) the atomic bomb.

Is there any wonder why this country is in the shape it is in? Too many of us clearly don’t pay attention to what is going on now that actually affects our lives. And there is also a chunk of our population who is clearly ignorant of our nation’s history.

You can’t understand why we live the way we live unless you know how we got there. That’s the value of history.
Perhaps people would score better with the following questions:

• Who is not a contestant on “Dancing with the Stars?”
a) Marie Osmond
b) Dan Buendo
c) Wayne Newton

• What is the name of Britney Spears’ former bodyguard who is testifying against her?
a) Joey Bagodonuts
b) Biggie X
c) Tony Barretto

• Lindsey Lohan has been in rehab how many times?
a) Once
b) Twice
c) More times than there are grains of sand on Cape Cod

• Bonus question: The name of my dog (mentioned frequently in this column) is:
a) George
b) Spike
c) Lucky the Wonder Bichon

Hey, I love pop culture, but with a presidential election coming up, a continuing war, global warming, a failing dollar, and more jobs shipped overseas, don’t you think people should spend some time paying attention to real issues? Just a little, please?

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Just call me Kreskin and let me select a scratch ticket

A few weeks ago, I predicted that Governor Patrick would come out for some sort of casino gambling plan. He finally did recently, so I feel my psychic powers are now at their peak so maybe I should buy a lottery ticket this week.

According to "The Boston Globe," liberals who backed Patrick feel "betrayed" by his pro-casino stand. Having covered the campaign, I never heard Patrick condemn or endorse casinos. He always took a middle ground of wanting to hear more before he made up his mind.

These liberals who feel betrayed ought to feel a little pain toward their legislator who hasn't been supporting their governor of late. I love a guy like Sal DiMasi, who represents the same number of people as any other state rep, pontificate about gambling he'll listen to the governor, but he doubts he'll change his mind.

Okay, Sal and for that matter, allow me to also address our local delegation how are you going to create a revenue stream to increase local aid? How can we lower our local property tax burden so the Commonwealth is a more livable state?

We're not getting a lot of alternatives from the General Court in terms of new ways to generate income for municipalities. The Legislature won't give cities and towns the flexibility of having a local hotel or meals tax. A number of mayors have begged the Legislature to give them this option.

Hey Sal, what do your constituents think about casino gambling? Do any of them buy lottery tickets? Do they go to Foxwoods? Las Vegas? Do they play bingo at their church? So are their gambling habits ethical and moral, but a local casino wouldn't be?

I love the raw hypocrisy this issue is exposing. If gambling is wrong than why allow it at all? Answer, Mr. Speaker?

According to a Sept. 7 poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, 58 percent of those polled said casino gambling should be legalized; 31 percent said it shouldn't and 11 percent were unsure.

I don't think any casino should be shoved down the throat of a community that doesn't want it. There are communities that would welcome a casino.

Personally I don't care if we have a casino or not. I hardly ever gamble. I only care about the growing problem we have here of a state that is becoming so expensive we are driving out young people.

If the Legislature opposes casinos they should do so based on having an economic plan to create new revenues that doesn't involve new taxes. Their decision should also reflect their constituents' overwhelming opposition to casino gambling.

***

I attended an interesting meeting the other night concerning how Pittsfield and Worcester have been using arts and culture as economic engines to help revitalize their cities. Here's the story:
Jeremy Cole, the chair of the Springfield Cultural Council, said that what is lacking in transforming the city's art and culture institutions and organizations into an economic driver is cooperation and a city official designated to implement a mutual marketing plan.

Cole was one of about 30 people who attended "Culture Lead the Economy," a panel discussion funded by an Adams Grant at the Central Library on Wednesday. The John and Abigail Adams Grants are awarded by the Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) to foster and promote cultural assets as a economic development tool.

The attendees heard how artists and city planners in Pittsfield and Worcester have utilized arts and culture to bring in new revenues into those cities.

Barbara Garvey, who was representing Mayor Charles Ryan, explained at the forum that during the administration of Mayor Theodore Dimauro, she and Shera Cohen, who organized the panel discussion, both worked in the Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs. It was during that time that Riverfront Park was developed, she added.

The Mayor's Office for Cultural Affairs has long since been eliminated from the city government, but Cole believes that it's time to have a person in charge of a cooperative plan for the city's diverse arts and culture scene is "exactly what we need."

He told Reminder Publications that while David Panagore, the city's head of economic development, is doing a "great job, he is spread too thin."

Cole said the problem in Springfield isn't the city not having arts and cultural attractions; it's a lack of cooperation. He said that some of the organizations do coordinate activities with others, but not with all.

Michael Kane, representing the Mount Auburn Group, told the audience the consultants recently completed interviews with 25 people in the local arts scene to assess what are the city's needs. They are working with the city on a proposal to the MCC to fund a large-scale strategic plan for the city.

Kane said at this time in Springfield the major arts organizations are very well known, while the second and third tier groups are not. There isn't an "artistic infrastructure" to help support the efforts of these groups and that there are too many organizations "chasing too few dollars."

A challenge for the city is looking at the two separate demographics in the downtown arts, culture and entertainment scene. The arts and culture institutions draw a primarily white, middle class, and older audience, while the entertainment district attracts a younger, more racially diverse group.

The growing number of downtown restaurants would also be a part of a cultural plan for the city, Kane added.

He questioned if there was a way to make the arts and culture offerings from the city's colleges more accessible and noted there are opportunities for cultural development with the State Street Corridor project, the new Federal Courthouse, the redevelopment of the York Street Jail and the Union Station.

Erin Williams, cultural development officer of the Economic Development Division of the city of Worcester, did admit that trying to get artists to work together in cooperative enterprises is not unlike "herding cats."

She said the Worcester effort came out of 14 arts organizations banding together in the late 1990s to lobby the city for funding and after some initial success the city created the position in 1999 that she now holds.

Williams detailed the projects undertaken by the city include filling vacant storefronts with displays of local artwork; creating "WOO," a special discount card for cultural and arts events distributed to 12,000 college students in the city and developing a new signage system for the city to guide people to institutions and neighborhoods.

"Everyone gets lost in Worcester," she said.

She said the creation of a Web site, www.socialweb.net, as a clearinghouse of activities in and around the city has also drawn young audiences to events.

Deanna Ruffer, of the Department Community Development in Pittsfield, described the city of 40,000 as a "bleeding town" thanks to the departure of General Electric and 13,000 jobs over 20 years ago.

Ruffer said the effort to use art as a force for change started with a grassroots effort by artist Maggie Mailer to fill empty downtown storefronts with artist studios. Over 50 artists took advantage of the program.

James Ruberto, the mayor of Pittsfield, has been both a "visionary and a salesman," according to Ruffer. Under Ruberto's administration, the Colonial Theater was restored, creating an unique performing space, the acclaimed Barrington Stage Company has been brought to the city, and the city has been branded as "Creative Pittsfield."

The results of those developments and events have brought 1,200 to 1,800 visitors to the city's downtown.

Ruffer cautioned the effort hasn't been without its challenges. City officials have worked to create a zoning overlay to plan the redevelopment of the downtown including making sure there is affordable housing.

Safety perception issues are important, she said. She advised making sure streetlights have stronger bulbs wattages in many cities were lowered to save money and to ask businesses to turn on lights at night.

Roughly, both cities started their efforts with a grassroots approach and then formalized it by forming coalitions of their various arts groups with the city government.

It's time we did that here. We need a person in the city government to begin the type of work these other two cities are doing.

We've got great arts groups. They need to work together under a plan to maximize their economic potential for the city.

It would be a wise move for the Finance Control Board to begin working on creating and funding such a position.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Hey, we went to Cape Cod recently with our friends Steve and Marj Bissette and we had a great time.



Me, Marj and Steve on the beach...I'm talking to my mom on the cell, sharing the sound of the shore with her.



My wife Mary is seldom more happy than walking barefoot along a beach

Here's a scorecard: the hotel (the Americana) had a 'fridge that froze our milk, had drained the whirlpool bath on us, and had television remote controls that wouldn't control the televisions. However excessive amounts of chocolate from the Cape Cod Chocolatier just down Route 28 saved the day. We were too blissed out to notice how deficient the suite was... sort of!

We hit a couple of great bookstores...Tim's Books in Hyannis and Titcomb Books in Sandwich.

And we ate copious amounts of seafood. Thumbs up for Seafood Sam's for taste and value. Thumbs up for Hearth and Kettle for the same reasons. Thumbs up for the biggest damn Irish breakfast on the Cape at Keltic Kitchen (don't ask what's in the white pudding, I said don't ask!), but thumbs down for dinner at Salty's. Sorry Salty's, but Marj and Steve had lousy meals.



At Salty's I wanted to take a photo of Steve wearing his lobster bib. He looked so damn cute, Mr.Horror Movie did. However he refused to cooperate citing some sort of aversion to having pictures taken of him eating. Naturally, this was a challenge. Aided by my wife, I sneaked this shot at McGee's, an ice cream shop in Hyannis (thumbs up the way).



Mary and I had such a good time, we took Lucky the Wonder Bichon the next week so he could walk on the beach with us! We have a dog with expensive tastes...he likes fried oysters!

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

I just got a press release about carbonated squeeze yogurt...it fizzes! Undoubtedly a sign of the end times...anyway here's a quick post. I'm going to post a more hulking entry tonight, including a very controversial and provocative photo...It's hot, baby! It might change the course of mankind as we know it.

I do love the Eastern States Exposition, a five-state fair that is among the 10 largest such events in the nation. It attracts over a million visitors during its three-week run. The following is my contribution to our multi-reporter written story.

I love The Big E because it is one of the few places where raw showmanship and bally hoo still exist. There are still guys who make their living trying to sell us "miracle" knives, irons, mops, laundry products. There are still people who have the world's biggest pig and the smallest and largest horse and we can see them for just one thin dollar. There are still attractions and exhibits that are designed to make us stop and gawk.

In this very cynical been-there, done-that world in which we live, I revel in the relatively few moments when we are reduced to mouth agape children, staring in wonderment at something. We need more amazement in our lives.

Speaking of amazement, shown above is a display of Mexican wrestling masks a vendor had at the fair. Nothing says new England state fair better than buying a wrestling mask! Naturally I wanted one, but I resisted as the price was $25!

WEST SPRINGFIELD – The annual Eastern States Exposition is in the middle of its run and my team of reporters and I went to the fair and left no corndog unturned to find the truth.

The truth is the fair maintains its dizzying mixture of exhibits and features that underscore the agricultural side of the five New England states and unapologetic old-fashioned showmanship.

Where else could you see a line of cows being milked and then celebrate your Irish heritage by hoisting a Guinness? There are few places you could then buy not one but two different "miracle" irons, see a butter sculpture, watch a guy interact with a shark, and pick up a knife that can perfectly slice tomatoes after they've cut through a soda can and a gizmo that makes putting masking tape on a window ledge a breeze.

You can challenge your stomach to an assortment of sit-down dining experiences as well as every walking-around food item imaginable. No matter how many London-broil sandwiches, hot sausage grinders, fried vegetables, pierogi, milkshakes and smoked turkey legs you down, you must leave room for the fair's signature food item, the Big E cream puff.

Don't worry, there is plenty of medical help available after you collapse into a food coma.

The state buildings always offer something interesting and this year was no exception.

In the Connecticut Building, Mel Gancsos of Fairfield, Conn. was handing out free samples of his Mel's Hellish Productions hot sauces and salsas. Llewellyn, suffering from a head cold, eagerly went for the chance to clear her head, and although the salsa she tried was tasty it wasn't hot enough for her.

Gancsos said that was his hottest product, of which he was temporarily out. Gancsos knows hot, though. His products have been first place winners in the Scovie Awards, the annual industry competition for spicy food item.

Gancsos said that his concoctions have heat, but most importantly, they have taste. He said that people put them on everything from salmon to cheesecake.

For more information, log onto www.hellishrelish.com.

Over in the Maine Building, the case of the sought-after baked potato remains a mystery. People had filled the overflow tent area outside of the building waiting for their chance to customize their potato.

It's just a baked potato for goodness sake, albeit a big one you could load with cheese, sour cream and bacon. You can do that at home, though.

There was square dancing outside the Rhode Island Building and inside there were the usual seafood and candy offerings. There was also an artist dedicated to saving little bits of Americana. William MacGregor, Jr. of Johnston, RI, sees the beauty of diners, donut shops, amusement parks, and junkyards and creates watercolor paintings of those subjects for prints and T-shirts.

MacGregor said he tries to be as realistic as possible with his nostalgic paintings of scenes from Rhode Island and Massachusetts.

There are more of his images on his Web site, www.junkyardartist.com

And what would the Massachusetts Building be without Western Massachusetts? The Beekeepers of Hampden County, Rollie's Sodas from Holyoke, Koffee Kup Bakery of Springfield, the Granville General Store, the Charlemont Inn, the Chili Station from Ludlow, Blue Seal products from Chicopee and the Western Massachusetts Master Gardeners were all exhibitors.



***

I miss the carney aspects of Big E from many years ago. I vividly remember an attraction in which a young woman was changed into a gorilla before my eyes. Another booth touted a South American "giant rat" that pulled dead bodies out of graves. The "rat" was a thoroughly benign capybara.

My favorite sideshow was one in which there was a reproduction of the famed "Minnesota Iceman," allegedly a Big Foot found encased in a huge block of ice. The show at the Big E many years ago was a reproduction of something that was undoubtedly a fake to begin with. I loved that showbiz logic.

Those days are long gone. This year's edition has a giant pig, a giant horse and a small horse in three different booths all on view for $1 each. I peeled off a single to cast my eyes on the giant pig. I'm here to say there was a very large pig snoozing away.

The Live Shark Experience provides some of those carny thrills in a wholesome and politically correct setting. The free show runs three times a day during the week and has a fourth show on the weekends.



***

Victoria Taranowicz was hard at work at the fair. The young woman was making cigars at her family's booth Connecticut Valley Tobacconist. The cigar company, located in Enfield, Conn., has been in business for 11 years and at the Big E for 10 years.

Taranowicz was making the inside of the cigars. Her mother, Karen, explained they used Honduran or Dominican tobacco for the centers and Connecticut Valley broadleaf for the wrapper.

Victoria admitted she thought cigar making was easy before she tried it, but it took her two months to learn how to make the center and another six months of practice to wrap the cigars.

Once she rolled the center she placed them in molds that use pressure to firm up the centers before they are wrapped.

Karen said the company's standard cigars range in price from $5 to $7, while their signature battleground line of cigars cost between $6 and $10.

For more information on their company, go to www.cvtobacco.com.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Local stuff to consider or not depending upon who you are and why you read this blog....Oh, on a personal note, I've signed a contract with Arcadia Publishing for a Springfield postcard history book. It should be out later next year. My Fleischer book is being considered by a publisher even as I type this. Please say a prayer!

Over in Agawam, the men and women who patrol the streets of that city are seeking a new contract. The Patrolmen's Union has been in official negotiations since May and casual talks since January.

It's now mid-September and there is no resolution. If I was an Agawam resident I'd be a little concerned.

I live in Springfield where the police officers went years without a contract, a problem the current administration inherited from the previous one. Needless to say, the morale of the officers was frayed for years.

Mayor Richard Cohen released a statement on Wednesday that read in part, "I am a tough negotiator. I am very mindful of what our public safety personnel and out employees do for our community; I also have to be cautious over what our residents can afford. I am sure some of our residents have not even seen a cost of living [increase] in their jobs this year. As the mayor, I will continue to be fair to not only the residents of the Town of Agawam I represent but also to the employees of the Town of Agawam as a tough negotiator."

What might complicate these talks is the mayoral race in Agawam. I don't know if Cohen's opponent Susan Dawson has a stance on the police contracts, but this issue could be a point of contention between the two candidates.

Frankly I hope it isn't as the contract shouldn't be about politics, it should be about public safety.

***
I'm not going to apologize to our conservative readers but while I had the chance I had to ask Congressman Richard Neal about the possibility of impeachment proceedings taking place against President Bush.

I know the 25 percent or so of the people who still support the president don't want to hear such things, but it's a valid question.

Neal said that with a year to go in Bush's term, impeachment wasn't a possibility.
As a card-carrying liberal – I carry a MasterCard, a library card, a Pioneer Valley AAA card – I want to see someone in the Bush administration to be forced to go through a trial questioning their actions in our war in Iraq.

Republicans put Bill Clinton through an impeachment for crimes far less severe than involving this nation in an unnecessary war. I disowned Clinton for his actions that led to the impeachment much less for his signing of NAFTA, a dark day in this nation's economic history.

Clinton's actions that led to his trial didn't cost a single American their life. It didn't throw our nation and another into conflict.

My fear is that members of the Bush gang will get fat book contracts, go under contract with FOX news as consultants and commentators and profit from their actions. I'd hate to see people profit even more from this war than what has happened already.

***

In Springfield the mayor's race is heating up a bit and City Councilor Domenic Sarno took a shot at the proposed request to the Finance Control Board that $1 million be set aside to pay for overtime for police officers.

Sarno issued a press release on Wednesday that criticized this action, saying it was a "band-aid for a much bigger and long-term problem that has hurt the image of Springfield for several years."

He said he would advocate the governor, if elected, for more funding for additional officers.

"There is an issue with what the facts are or alleged to be. If, in fact, crime is decreasing in our city as has been reported by and through Mayor Ryan's office, then why would we ask for $1,000,000 for additional overtime pay? Has crime decreased or not?" Sarno asked in the statement. "The voters need the facts and facts are indisputable when reported accurately. Crime is out of control."

There are several questions this release raises. One is whether or not Sarno is accusing Ryan or Police Commissioner Edward Flynn of cooking the books. Flynn took over a department that was criticized for having out-dated crime reporting procedures and modernized them.

If Sarno is accusing either one of them of manipulating the statistics, what are the correct ones and how does Sarno know they are correct?

The other question is how is Sarno as mayor going to get the permanent increase in state aid needed to pay for more police officers? Part of the problem of the previous mayoral administration is that it hired officers with an influx of federal money. When that money was gone, we had considerable lay-offs. Would the Legislature go along with more money for Springfield?

Inquiring minds want to know!

@2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

In this week's DVD column, there's an American original, challenging comedy, a great new documentary and a very sad finale for a marginal show business personality.

Spike Jones: The Legend

When I received the advisory from Infinity Entertainment that they were releaseing a three-DVD and one-CD set featuring classic television appearances of the great iconoclast of American pop music, I wrote back saying, "Sign me up!"

For the age-impaired, let me say that Spike Jones entertained this country much in the same way has "Weird Al" Yankovic has done with clever send-ups of popular music only Jones did it with a big band and a troupe of dancers, jugglers, acrobats and comics.

His recordings of "Cocktails for Two, "All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth," and "You Always Hurt the One You Love," among others, have withstood the ravages of changes in pop culture taste they're still hilarious.

Log onto www.youtube.com and search for Spike Jones videos if you've never seen him before.

Paramount Home Video had released three tapes of Jones' television shows from the early 1950s years ago, and although Infinity Entertainment didn't send me the full set, the screener disc they assembled showed some classic Jones bits. The quality of the video and sound were great.

The complete set has two radio recordings as well as four one-hour television shows.

I know I'll be getting the complete set myself.



Flock of Dodos: The Evolution-Intelligent Design Circus

Scientist and filmmaker Randy Olson has put together a very informative, well-rounded and informative movie about the intelligent design movement. In fact he balanced his film so carefully the intelligent design advocates he interviewed liked it!

Intelligent design is a scientific theory that has replaced creationism. Proponents of the idea believe that the fossil record has significant gaps and to explain how species have made unexplained leaps forward they point to unseen force, namely God.

Intelligent design fans want their theories to be taught along side evolution, something more traditional scientists and civil libertarians have opposed.

If this sounds like a dry social and political debate, you'd be mistaken. Olson is able to make this clash funny and shows the flaws on both sides. I think this film should be shown to high school and college students to help them grapple with the subject.

The DVD's extras show sequences that were cut and Olson explains why. Most of the sequences actually tilt the film closer to Michael Moore territory and although I'm glad to see them, I think Olson was right to cut them from the finished film.

For more information, log onto www.docurama.com.



Upright Citizens Brigade: the Complete First Season

I've always sat on a fence over whether or not I actually liked the Comedy Central series "Upright Citizen's Brigade (UCB)." Aired from 1998 to 2000, the series starred Matt Besser, Amy Poehler, Ian Roberts and Matt Walsh as the members of the UCB, an underground organization dedicated to spreading chaos through society. They do so by setting pranks and schemes and they monitor the results from their underground lair. The four stars also play just about every other character in the show.

In many ways, UCB is similar in tone to "Monty Python's Flying Circus" and "The Firesign Theater" in that its comedy was not always inviting, but instead challenging. This was comedy that required you to be engaged. Normally I love that kind of material, but sometimes UCB was so cold, I just didn't care.

There are some laugh-out-loud moments such as a sequence in which new homeowners have to deal with "the Bucket of Truth" in their living room forcing all of their guests to face the ultimate truths in their lives. I also liked the bit involving a tyrannical school bus driver who controls her passengers by sitting on them. There are others that don't work as well.

If you're up to the challenge, then check out this two-disc set.

For more information, log onto www.paramount.com/homeentertainment.



Illegal Aliens

I've watched a lot of bad movies in the past 30 years of being a film fan. Sometimes I've gone into them unknowingly and sometimes with my eyes wide open. There are bad films I've embraced for their wonky entertainment value, and others that have been a terrible train wreck.

"Illegal Aliens" falls into the second category, but I was surprised at just how bad it was.

The film was the final production starring the late Anna Nicole Smith and produced at Edgewood Studios in Rutland, VT. Although Smith was scarcely an actress, she was notorious and landing this production was definitely a feather in the studio's cap. Smith's name ensured a certain level of attention would be directed to this straight-to-DVD film regardless of its final quality.

The film is a classic example of an exploitation film. It doesn't have the budget the story deserves director David Giancola relies on three major stock footage sequences from other films to realize the terrible script but it does have an exploitable element: Smith. For decades, low-budget producers have relied on having something in their films that could take the place of a good script or big stars. In the past exploitation films have relied on monsters, violence, special effects, sex or a members of the cast famous for something other than acting to draw in an audience.

"Illegal Aliens" is not any different. The script is a mish-mash of "Critters," "Men in Black, and "Charlie's Angels," with Smith playing one of three shape-shifting aliens who have pledged to protect the earth. Joanie Laurer, the former wrestler, is the villain of the film.

The film's release was held up by the death of Smith's son and then by Smith's death.

Smith's utterly unappealing performance in the film is a very sad end to a tawdry life.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

Here's what our local member of Congress had to say about the recent update on the 'progress' made in Iraq.

Congressman Richard Neal said at a press conference in his Springfield office on Wednesday that he intends to work in the upcoming weeks on lobbying his colleagues to find a bipartisan solution to redeployment of the American troops in Iraq.

"It's time to withdraw the troops and force the Iraqis to take responsibility," Neal said.

Neal's comments came after the congressional testimony of General David Patraeus, the commander of the Multi-National Force in Iraq on whether or not benchmarks set for progress in winning the war and with the development of the Iraqi government have been met.

Although Neal said the general's presentation was "very professional," he was not impressed with its content.

"What he proposed is much more of the same," Neal said.

Neal noted the general's proposed withdrawal of troops would only return the American fighting force back to levels before this year's escalation or "surge."

Neal said this plan amounts to "an unlimited commitment" and " a change of course is absolutely necessary."

He believes there has to be a time-table for re-deployment of the troops. In their place he suggested the United Nations organize a peacekeeping force that would be composed in part by soldiers from other Arab nations.

Neal said that one way to force the Bush Administration to re-assess its strategy would be to deny the supplemental funding request for the war that is pending. Neal said he believes the House will "put the brakes on it," but the Senate might take a different tack to the issue.

"I hope that everyone would acknowledge that more of the same is not acceptable," he said.

Neal pointed out the latest National Intelligence Assessment on the war runs counter to statements made by Patraeus. The report, which was released in August, reads in part: "There have been measurable but uneven improvements in Iraq's security situation since our last National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq in January 2007. The steep escalation of rates of violence has been checked for now, and overall attack levels across Iraq have fallen during seven of the last nine weeks. Coalition forces, working with Iraqi forces, tribal elements, and some Sunni insurgents, have reduced al-Qa'ida in Iraq's (AQI) capabilities, restricted its freedom of movement, and denied its grassroots support in some areas. However, the level of overall violence, including attacks on and casualties among civilians, remains high; Iraq's sectarian groups remain unreconciled; AQI retains the ability to conduct high-profile attacks; and to date, Iraqi political leaders remain unable to govern effectively. There have been modest improvements in economic output, budget execution, and government finances but fundamental structural problems continue to prevent sustained progress in economic growth and living conditions."

Neal added that according to studies conducted by the General Accounting Office, "Iraq is not closer to self-governing than it was three years ago."

The cost of the war so far has been 4,000 Americans killed, 30,000 wounded and a cost of $650 billion, Neal said. He added estimates to pay for medical services through the Veterans Administration might reach $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion.

Neal was one of the members of Congress who did not vote for authorizing the war.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs

What a treat is was to talk with "Mystery Science" and "Film Crew" member Kevin Murphy! He's a very bright articulate guy and his book should be read by any serious film fan.

Kevin Murphy admitted with a laugh last week that he has “an odd peculiar talent.”

Murphy is one of handful of people who have carved out a true niche career in show business by making fun of bad movies – first as a writer and cast member on the late and much lamented television series “Mystery Science Theater 3000” and now as part of “The Film Crew.”

Murphy, who was puppeteer behind Tom Servo on “Mystery Science,” has reunited with fellow cast members Mike Nelson and Bill Corbett on a new project, “The Film Crew.” The premise is that Murphy, Corbett and Nelson are three working class joes hired by eccentric billionaire Bob Honcho to provide commentary tracks on movies that have never before been given a commentary track.

“The Film Crew” DVDs continue the career Murphy started in 1988 when he started working on “Mystery Science,” then a local program on an independent UHF station.

“That’s a dang long time to be making fun of movies,” he said.

Three films have been given “The Film Crew” treatment so far include:
• “Hollywood After Dark,” a disastrous cross between a serious drama, a caper crime films and exploitation film with strippers starring Rue McClanahan;
• “Killers from Space,” a science fiction film featuring Peter Graves, alien invaders with, literally, ping pong balls for eyes and scene after scene of stock footage;
• And the newest release, “Wild Women from Wongo,” a 1958 film about ugly and good looking cave people worshipping alligators and trying to find love or something close to it.

The three films have been released on DVD by Shout Factory and a fourth film, a Steve Reeves sword and sandal epic, will be released later this year.

The result, in this reviewer’s opinion, has been three DVDs I want to watch over and over again.

Murphy described “Wongo” as a film that was supposed to be “a caveman sex romp” and should appeal to anyone who grew up thinking “Betty Rubble was hot.”

“‘Wongo’ is a train wreck, yet in another way it's wistful,” he added.

Murphy explained the new premise allows the emphasis to be placed on the commentary or “riff.” “Mystery Science” was about a guy marooned on a space station by an evil scientist who wanted to torture him by forcing him to watch bad movies. The former series required a team of six to 10 writers not only coming up with the commentaries but also with the gag-laden framing sequences.

He described the premise of the new show as a “paper thin fiction.”

For the new incarnation, Murphy, Corbett, and Nelson each write a third of the script. Murphy lives in the Minneapolis, Minn., area, Nelson is now on the west coast and Corbett has been busy commuting to Los Angeles – he has co-written the script for the new Eddie Murphy film “Starship Dave.”

They then do a re-write as a group, rehearse it and shoot the framing sequence and commentary in a studio in Minneapolis.

Murphy said the writing process works so well he dared anyone to try to tell where one writer ended and another begins.

Murphy said the area is a “great town” for film production – the “Mystery Science” shows were all produced there.

“Nobody needs to go to Hollywood to produce stuff,” he said.

The films themselves come from Sinister Cinema, a company that sells movies that are in the public domain. Murphy said each film must go through a process to make sure it’s not under copyright before production begins.

He said the best films are “earnest but inept,” have an audible soundtrack and “the camera’s in focus.”

Murphy had been producing commercials for KTMA in 1988 when comedian Joel Hodgson had the idea of a movie program in which the host of the film stays with the audience through the duration of film.

His involvement with the show until the of its run in 1999 was “stunning.”

“How many people get to work on a TV show that much of their career?” he asked.

Murphy has done other things, though. His book “A Year at the Movies: One Man’s Filmgoing Odyssey” was a critically acclaimed recounting of his going to a movie every day of 2001.

During that time he went to theaters in several countries, tried to exist one week on concession food and even sneaked his Thanksgiving dinner into one theater.

He said the result of the exercise was “I think I have more patience now [with movies]. One thing I never do is to walk out [of a film].”

He said it’s more difficult to sit through a bad independent film than a mainstream Hollywood offering because the Hollywood films “coat the stomach with a layer of slickness.”

He said seeing that many films in a year allowed him to “expand my cinematic palette.”

Another result was that he grew to like the theater experience less and less in this country. He noted with expectation that an up-coming vacation to Italy will include a trip to a theater there with a considerably better environment than that of American multi-plexes.

Murphy, Nelson and Corbett are also expanding their critical talents to rifftrax where their fans can download commentaries for current films for replay on their computers or MP3 players.

Murphy said making fun of movies such as “The Lord of the Rings” and “300” is “a different beast.”

“It’s a little scarier, but fun,” he said. He added the group actually likes some of the films they lampoon.

And with hundreds of films under his belt, what was the one that induced the most headaches for Murphy?

Murphy said that “Mystery Science” favorite “Manos the Hand of Fate” was difficult because “nothing happens in the film.”

The Vermont-made science fiction feature “Time Chaser” was unusual in that it was the only film the filmmakers actually wanted the “Mystery Science” crew to demolish.

The most challenging film for Murphy, though, was “Red Zone Cuba,” a 1966 bargain basement drama about three ex-convicts who get involved with the Bay of Pigs Invasion.

The film “looked horrible” and director, star and writer Coleman Francis was a “horrible man,” Murphy said with conviction.
He noted the team cut out a rape scene from the film.

“There are snuff films that are more refined,” he noted.

“I needed to take a shower [after working on that film],” he said.

© 2007 by Gordon Michael Dobbs