UPCOMING EVENTS
Week of September 1
* September 5 - An outdoor concert at the Can Company featuring Junkyard Saints at 8:30.
* September 5 - Steam Show Days Friday through Sunday at the Carroll County Farm Museum
* September 6 - Boog Powell and Jim Gentile in person at the Sports Legends Museum at 4:30.
* September 6 - The Ukranian Festival Saturday and Sunday in Patterson Park
* September 6 - Patti LaBelle at Pier 6 at 8 pm.
* September 6 - Deep Creek Lake Art and Wine Festival at the Garrett County Fairgrounds.
* September 6 - Woodland Indian Discovery Dat at St. Mary's City. Explore American Indian Culture.
* September 6 - John Wilkes Booth Escape Route Tour in Clinton Maryland. This is a narrated bus tour.
* September 6 - The Gettysburg Wine and Music Festival at Wyndham Hotel Grounds (Also Sunday)
* September 7 - The Catonsville Arts and Crafts Festival, from 10am-5pm on Frederick Road. The WCBM Prize Van will be there with the playing of the Treasure Chest Game for prizes.
* September 7 - Dancin' Through the Decades at Boordy Vineyards in Hydes, Maryland from 1-5pm. There will be music, picnics and tours.
* "Doubt" continues through October 5 at the Everyman Theater on Charles Street.
* "The Producers" continues at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Columbia through October.
* "Phantom of the Opera" continues through October at Toby's Dinner Theatre in Baltimore.
* "Jukebox Jubilee" continues through November 9 at Lorenzo's Timonium Dinner Theatre
* The Maryland Renaissance Festival - Weekends through October 19 in Crownsville
* Last Week for Robots at Port Discovery Children's Museum
Movie Reviews
Vicky Christina Barcelona (PG-13)
Woody Allen is now 72, but in my opinion, he still makes great movies, though I will admit my definition of great might be different than yours. His latest film is Vicky Christina Barcelona, which he wrote and directed. Doing just one is hard enough, but both, and for so many times over the years. I still laugh when I think about certain scenes in Annie Hall. This film is about two best girlfriends who go to Barcelona on holiday and wind up getting involved with the same Bohemian painter played by Javier Bardem, last year's best actor. The girls are Scarlett Johannson, I think this is her third Woody Allen film, and a very good Rebecca Hall, who I did not know. The other main characters are Patricia Clarkson and Penelope Cruz. The scenery is terrific, as is the acting and script, but I still believe there will be some folks who wont like the film. That is what I mean by great having different meanings for different people. Great in some catergories, but not necessarily in all of them. Of course it ultimately boils down to taste and whether or not you have forgiven Woody for his dalliance with Mia's daughter. There is a narrator, which many people in any film find annoying. It's main purpose is to help in plot development, much like the old Greek Chorus. As it happens, I like the film, it kept my attention, but I do like Allen and have for many years.
--Eddie Applefeld
Tropic Thunder (R)
If you are offended by just about anything, don't bother seeing Tropic Thunder. Since its release, a number of organizations have been offended. You can decide for yourself if it's justified. The people with the biggest complaints are those who champion the causes of the mentally handicapped. There are scenes in the film where Ben Stiller's character portrays a boy who is, as he states, retarded. That word is the offensive one. Leaders of said groups want an apology and a meeting with Stiller. Anyway, what about the film? The premise was at least a good one. A group of actors go to Vietnam (actually Hawaii) to make a war movie, but don't realize they are in a zone where rebels are producing hard drugs and the actors are an annoyance and intruders. Besides Stiller, the other stars are Nick Nolte, Robert Downey Jr. (who is also in trouble because he plays his character in black face) and Jack Black. Tom Cruise also makes an appearance as a hot shot studio mogul and Matthew McConaughey shows up as an agent. All in all, it gave me a few laughs, kept me out of the heat for 2 hours and I had some good Raisinets. Could a man ask for anything more?
--Eddie Applefeld
Opening Friday September 5: Bankok Dangerous
Restaurant of the Week
House of Welsh, 1106 Coastal Highway
A name that is familiar to those Baltimoreans who have been around for awhile is Welsh, especially that of Marty Welsh who owned the famous House of Welsh restaurant on Guilford Avenue at Saratoga for so many years before heading off to Fenwick Delaware to open the restaurant. If my history is correct, the original restaurant opened in 1900. Now all you have to do is travel to Fenwick to enjoy the sound of those sizzlin' steaks coming out of the kitchen. It is now located at 1106 Coastal Highway, just above the Maryland line. He keeps it open 365 days a year serving lunch and dinner. Many locals go there for the early bird special from 4 to 6. The menu is large. Items run from appetizers (jumbo shrimp cocktail for example) to seafood (lobsters, mussels, clams, crab cakes) to those great steaks (t-bone, porterhouse, new york strip, prime rib, delmonico) to dessert. On select nights there is entertainment.
Spotlight on Travel
The Newseum, 555 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington DC, 888-NEWSEUM, www.newseum.org
Last week I went over to Washington D.C. for the day with the thought of visiting as many museums as I could...not a good plan. The first stop was the news Newseum at 555 Pennsylvania Avenue and 6th Street NW. It opened last winter and has received many rave reviews. If you like history, this is a must-see. I arrived at 10:30, and before I knew it, it was 2:30 and I still wasn't completely finished. The museum features 27 hours of media content displayed in 15 theatres, kiosks and exhibits, over 6,000 artifacts (some over 3,000 years old), 7 levels, 2 television studios, 130 interactive stations, 14 major galleries, and cost about $450 million. Some of the exhibits include the Berlin Wall, the 911 Gallery, the Time Warner World News Gallery, Journalists Memorial, the News History Gallery and there's even a restaurant. It is very easy to become engrossed with what you're seeing and lose track of time, exactly as I did. When I left, I promised I would be back. The location is also great for visiting other museums that are in the area. The Newseum is open daily, and adult admission is $20 and there are group discounts. And hey, teachers- think about this as a class trip next semester. One suggestion, get to a metro station and take it to the museum, the closest station is about a block away. For more information go to newseum.org.If you have comments or questions about the reviews above, please send them to mistermedia@comcast.net.
