This from our friends at the Bremerton Symphony Association (received July 1):

At its monthly meeting on Tuesday, June 16, the Bremerton Symphony Association elected a slate of officers who will serve for the 2009-2010 term, beginning July 1. The new Executive Committee will be headed by President Bob Cathcart, who served as 1st Vice President for the 2008-2009 term; Joan Soriano will move to 1st Vice President, and Andrea Spencer will step into the 2nd Vice President position. Steve Politakis will continue as Treasurer, and Dr. Tom Cameron will take on the job of Secretary. The two other Executive Committee members will be Symphony League President Elizabeth Drury and BSA Board Past President Holly James.

Three new board members were elected at the May meeting to serve terms of three-years: Ruth Bernstein, Wendy Clark-Getzin and Earl Rice. The Bremerton Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will be represented on the board by Dr. William Ferman, who has completed his elected term but will return to serve in this capacity; the alternate BSO rep will be Kay Daling. Joyce Brown continues as board representative for the Concert Chorale. Other returning members are Jacquelyn Aufderheide, Lorrie Cook, Wayne Ellis, Alan Halfhill, Connie Lord, Dr. Ron Morse, Joan Taie and Todd Tidball.

Ex-officio Board members include Music Director Alan Futterman, Chorale Director LeeAnne Campos, Youth Orchestra Director Michael Woods and BSA Executive Director Gena Wales.

The Bremerton Symphony Association’s fall season begins October 24 with a program chosen entirely by the orchestra musicians. Featured is local pianist Irene Bowling, playing the Schumann Piano Concerto. Flanking her performance will be the overture to Mozart’s “Magic Flute” and Dvorak’s Ninth, “New World Symphony.” Tickets for this performance—as well as Season Tickets to the complete set of six concerts—are available at the Bremerton Symphony Association Office, (360) 373-1722.

While the board continues regular monthly meetings throughout the summer, the BSA office has adopted reduced hours through the month of August: Tuesday through Thursday, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

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Jeez, a guy can’t take a few days off without the all-time great sidekick, one of Charlie’s Angels and The King of Pop all checking out.

Well, they say stars go out in threes.

In this particular trio, there’s not a lightweight. All three were cultural icons, in their own way.

Ed McMahon might’ve been just Johnny Carson’s sidekick, but he hung in there for 33 years, chortling and “Hi-Yo”-ing and “You are correct, sir”-ing himself into the very fabric of American TV culture.

Farrah Fawcett might’ve been just one season on an Aaron Spelling jiggle show and a poster … but oh, what a poster. I’ll bet there are millions of ‘em up in workshops and garages around the world, to this very day. (Not mine … I was a Cheryl Ladd guy, myself.)

And Michael Jackson. Wow, what a last publicity stunt. The first thing I thought of when I heard he was gone was the old Warner Brothers cartoon with Bugs and Daffy competing for the audience’s affections in some Vaudeville-type stage show, and Bugs always coming out with the loudest applause as Daffy’s frustration mounted. Finally, the Duck strapped himself to a heapin’ helpin’ of TNT and blew himself up. As his ghost floated upward, Bugs pointed to the cheering crowd and said, “Daffy! They loved it! They want an encore!” And all Ghost-Daffy could do was shrug and say, “Unfortunately, it’s the kind of thing you can only do once.”

I don’t mean to make light of Michael’s demise with that cartoon recollection; it really was just the first thing that came to mind when I heard the news on the radio Thursday afternoon.

I’ve spent more time than I care to admit over the last decade feeling sorry for Michael. For all his fame and fortune, the man had issues; King of Pop-sized issues.

I do think he was running out of ways to keep our attention. And the stress of mounting his comeback tour — well, that and all the painkillers and other abuses his body had suffered, his financial woes and tarnished reputation — finally did him in.

When I remember McMahon, it won’t be as the desperate old guy struggling to keep from having his house repossessed — it’ll be handing envelopes to Carnac the Magnificent, and guffawing away at all the punch lines.

When I remember Farrah, it won’t be as the cancer-ridden tabloid target — it’ll be staring quizzically, grinning that toothy grin and shaking that immense mane of hair, at the intercom from which Charlie’s voice emanated every week.

And when I remember Michael, it won’t be the long, painful, freak-show decline. It’ll be the insanely talented little guy fronting the Jackson 5, the showman, the philanthopist (he did have a little something to do with “We Are The World,” remember), the star who created and inspired a wave of hype so huge that it finally crushed him.

More later … — MM

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“Local Color ,” the excellent, independently made film by director-writer George Gallo that screened at the Lynwood and Orchard theaters back in the spring of 2008, will get a theatrical release.

According to an e-mail from Alex Kirkwood , a former Bainbridge Island resident who was instrumental in bringing Gallo’s film to Kitsap, “Local Color” will open July 3 in New York, with other bookings to follow.

The film is Gallo’s semi-autobiographical account of a young artist who’s inspired by, and in turn inspires, a jaded old painter who thinks his life has passed him by. It includes excellent acting performances by Armin Mueller-Stahl , Trevor Morgan , Ray Liotta , Samantha Mathis and others, including Gallo’s real-life wife, Julie Lott . It also features breathtaking cinematography. In our review (which ran in the April 11, 2008 edition of Kitsap A&E), we called it “a feast for the eyes, a tonic for the heart and a salve for the pain we all feel, one way or another, for the loss of teh old in the rush to the new.”

We’ll keep you appraised of the film’s progress, and let you know when and if we get to see it on local big screens.

More later … — MM

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The 35th Seattle International Film Festival ended June 14, and there was some love for “ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction ,” which was filmed last year in Port Gamble .

The film, by director Kevin Hamedani and including a number of local actors and extras in its cast, tied for third runner-up in the audience voting for Best Film.

The winner in the category was an American film titled “Black Dynamite,” directed by Scott Sanders.

The other film with strong Kitsap ties, “The Spy and the Sparrow ” — directed by Bainbridge Island’s Garrett Bennett and shot entirely in and around Seattle — didn’t receive any mentions in the awards announced during the festival’s closing ceremonies. The film was finished just prior to its first screening, and its two showings — June 10 and 13 — might’ve been too late in the festival to generate much audience buzz. This was, however, its first festival, and it’ll be interesting to see how it fares elsewhere around the country. (Read the review posted June 13 at kitsapsun.com/entertainment .

“ZMD,” meanwhile, is headed to the Los Angeles Film Festival later this month. The film has been well received and is building up some buzz, so hopefully there’ll be a distribution deal to announce soon — not to mention a special Kitsap screening. Watch this space.

Anyway, congrats to Hamedani, producer John Sinno and everybody else involved in the making of the film, including all you proud Port Gamblers.

More later … — MM

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One thing we know for sure about the Seattle Symphony ’s June 14 performance of Stravinsky’s “Firebird :” It’ll rock.

This from the Symphony:

“Alan White , drummer for progressive rock band Yes , will join Seattle Symphony’s percussion section onstage for a performance of Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” a work which has famously opened YES concerts for decades and is among the drummer’s all-time favorite pieces. The Benaroya Hall performance will take place this Sunday, June 14 at 2 p.m. June 14 is White’s 60th birthday.

The program, led by guest conductor David Robertson , will also include Mussorgsky’s symphonic fantasy, “A Night on Bald Mountain ,” and violinist Leila Josefowicz performing Thomas Adès’ Violin Concerto, one of the violinist’s signature pieces.

White, a native of England, and his family have lived east of Seattle for more than 20 years. White’s wife, Gigi , is from Auburn. Both are involved in a number of charitable concerns in and around Seattle.

The drummer begins a worldwide tour with other members of Yes — bassist Chris Squire and guitarist Steve Howe , reinforced by keyboardist Oliver Wakeman (son of legendary Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman ) and vocalist Benoit David — in late June, including a show with Asia June 30 at the Snoqualmie Casino.

Ticket Information

Tickets from $17 to $95 can be purchased by calling the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office at (206) 215-4747 or toll-free at (866) 833-4747, faxing the Symphony at (206) 215-4748, ordering online at www.seattlesymphony.org with the Select Your Own Seat option, or visiting the Seattle Symphony Ticket Office in Benaroya Hall at Third Avenue & Union Street, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturday, 1 to 6 p.m.

More later … — MM

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I get a kick out of typing up the schedules for the local nightspots — mainly the Seattle ones — because I love good band names.

But it struck me this week how many of these shows over in Seattle are labeled as “Reunion” shows. Some band I never heard of, which means they never did anything worth hearing about, is reuniting.

Like: “Meat and the Gristle (Reunion Show)”.

I never noticed when Meat and the Gristle broke up. I never noticed when they did anything. Neither did you. Neither did anybody else. So why are they reuniting?

The listing should be more like: “WARNING: Meat and the Gristle (Needless Reunion Show)”

On the other hand, if Drive It Like You Stole It ever reunites, let me know …

Sorry for ranting.

More later … — MM

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Bainbridge Performing Arts will conduct an extra audition for “Sweeney Todd (School Edition) ” for males ages 13 to 20 from 5 to 6 p.m. June 11.

The auditon is at BPA, 200 Madison Ave. N on Bainbridge Island. Auditioners are asked to prepare one Broadway song NOT from “Sweeney Todd” (go figure), BYOSM (Bring Your Own Sheet Music) and a two-minute memorized monologue, plus a current photo.

Rehearsal classes are Mondays through Fridays fro 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. June 29 to July 29, and the class tuition is $395.

Information and appointments: Deirdre McCollom, (206) 842-1464, dmccollom@bainbridgeperformingarts.org

More later … — MM

Performance dates are July 30 to Aug. 2.

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I didn’t really think about it until later, but I hope director Garrett Bennett and I didn’t frighten anyone the morning of May 29 out in front of the Blackbird Bakery on Winslow Way in downtown Bainbridge Island.

We were talking about Bennett’s film “The Spy and the Sparrow ,” which screens June 10 and 13 as part of the Seattle International Film Festival , and how the distinguished actor Eric Roberts ended up in the cast.

Roberts actually acted in Bennett’s thesis film at the American Film Institute, “End of the Icon,” and has been a friend of the director since.

“I’d always loved him as an actor, even before I met him,” Bennett said of the Academy Award-nominated actor, seen most recently in the latest “Batman” installment.

Bennett told me a story about when he’d returned to the Seattle area and was running the Annex Theatre.

“There was this Italian restaurant there that we used to hang around at, and the Italian guys all did these impersonations of (Roberts) in this movie called ‘The Pope of Greenwich Village .”

I started to laugh, because I knew exactly where Bennett was going. There’s a scene in “The Pope of Greenwich Village” where Roberts’ character has tried to pull some sort of fast one on The Mob (not “a mob,” but “The Mob”), and as punishment they chop off one of his opposable digits. He reels around for what seems like the next half hour, in agony, hand wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage, screaming at Mickey Rourke ’s character: “Pauly! They took my thumb!”

Soon, both Bennett and I were laughing and doing our own Eric Roberts impersonations: “Pauly! They … took … my … THUMB !”

I wish I would’ve thought to notice the looks on some of the people’s faces who were coming out of the jam-packed Blackbird Bakery, but I was too busy laughing.

So, if we scared anybody, we’re very sorry. And we both still have all our thumbs, thank you.

“The Spy and the Sparrow,” which sounds gangbusters, by the way, screens at 9 p.m. June 10 at SIFF Cinema in McCaw Hall, and 11 a.m. June 13 at the Egyptian Theatre. Information: (206) 324-9996, boxoffice@siff.net.

And our story on Bennett and the film is posted at kitsapsun.com/entertainment.

More later … — MM

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Look out below, movie-goers. Weekend movie openings this week include not one, but two movies that not only will be box-office powers, but are meeting with some critical acclaim.

The Flamethrower’s main reviewer, Christie Lemire of The Associated Press , saw screenings of the Disney-Pixar animated flick “Up ” and Sam Raimi’s return to horror, “Drag Me to Hell .” I was curious how she’d review them, since she normally is pretty hard-edged when it comes to both cartoons and horror.

Well, wonder of wonders, she doled out three-and-a-half stars each, out of a possible four.

Just our luck, huh? Two movies you know you’ll like, that you don’t have to wear a disguise to so see, and it’s going to be a beautiful, sunny weekend.

Ah, well … no one can stand that much sun, anyway.

Bye the way, you can read Lemire’s reviews, as always, at kitsapsun.com/entertainment

More later … — MM

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This from our pals at Ovation! Musical Theatre Bainbridge , who we thank for letting us know about this (since nobody else did):

May 29 and 30 several area high school students are putting on their own show to benefit education in the arts for Ugandan children.
The show, titled “Left of Center ,” will be at 7:30 p.m. both nights at the Bainbridge High School theater, 9330 High School Road. It will include dance numbers from Jeffery Shirbroun and Kasey Harrison , a vocal performance by Greer Gibbens and a musical one-act play written and performed by Tavis Hamilton and Simon Paterson .

The two shows will be pay what you can and proceeds will be donated to The Patongo Fund , a group dedicated towards providing an education in the arts for Ugandan children.

Information: (206) 842-2634.

More later … — MM

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