River (and City) of Song

Top: Stace England (right) with the Salt Kings/
Cairo Project in Brussels, Belgium, during a recent
tour, with filmmaker Sofie Benoot (left). Benoot came
to Cairo to film Blue Meridian, a documentary about
the Mississippi River, and interviewed England
for her project. Bottom: The Little Egypt Barbershop
Chorus on Eighth Street in Cairo amidst
Benoot (right) and several of her crew members.
The chorus performed "Goin' Down to Cairo"
from England's concept album
Greetings from Cairo, Illinois.

England and his band, the Cairo Project (rechristened the Salt Kings when performing music from Salt Sex Slaves, England's concept album about the so-called Old Slave House in-- oh, irony-- Equality, Illinois) met Benoot when on a brief European tour.

Benoot interviewed England for Blue Meridian at the confluence of the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers, and also filmed the Little Egypt Barbershop Chorus singing "Goin' Down to Cairo" in full regalia in Cairo on Commercial Avenue, the same song the group performed on Greetings from Cairo...

Broadcast News

Carolyn Wonderland.

In the Where Are They Now File, the Texas-based Wonderland was just featured on Austin City Limits, on which she performed a fiery cover of Johnny Winter's scathing ode to recovery from drug addiction, "Still Alive and Well." Wonderland's amazing voice remains capable of buckling the strongest knees; in the Imperial Monkeys she primarily played rhythm guitar but she's now a ferocious lead player.

The slightly purple-haired beauty has released at least three solo CDs in the years since her last Carbondale visit, all available on her website at <http://CarolynWonderland.com>. Catch up with her there, link to clips of her Austin City Limits performance (or surf directly to <http://www.pbs.org/klru/austin>), and invite her back...

I Shall Be Released

Marty Moore (Vehicle, the Plus) ran his own record label, Wooden Man, while playing in local bands for several years. The former Carbondale musician is now in Austin, Texas, and the label again is active, having just issued Weighs a Ton by Philadelphia quintet Circles, a group with two drummers and a trombone player in addition to a guitarist and bassist.

Circles takes slightly atonal and free-form elements born of the Velvet Underground and consistent with Moore's indie-rock tastes, but adds to them an acid-drenched country-western flavor with a sprinkle of ska and jazz. The group even finds mainstream but loopy accessibility in "Get Down!" where the guitar and trombone play simultaneous leads (think the conclusion to "Freebird" but with, like, guitar and trombone instead of twin lead guitars).

Learn more at <http://www.WoodmanManRecords.com>...

Stage Left

To continue to raise money for the restoration of the Varsity Center for the Arts, the Stage Company's second annual Holiday Home Tours will take visitors through a group of Carbondale's historic houses for Saturday and Sunday, December 6 and 7. The Stage Company promises all-new homes this year, keeping the tour fresh for those who embarked upon it in 2007, as well as a silent auction for fifteen unique tabletop Christmas trees.

Tickets are $20 for Saturday, $50 for Sunday's tour and reception, or a combined ticket for both days for $65. For tickets, call (618) 516-4520 before November 24.

Meanwhile, the Stage Company continues to reawaken their new location with Daniel Sullivan's holiday farce Inspecting Carol. The show runs December 12, 13, 14 and December 19, 20 and 21, and tickets go on sale November 28. Charge tickets by phone at (618) 549-5466...

The cast of Sammy Carducci's Guide to Women.

The romantic comedy introduces audiences to eleven-year-old Sammy Carducci, who falls for Becky while his friend Gus develops a crush on Becky's friend Alice. Both boys try to impress the girls using tips from Sammy's older brother, who knows even less about women than they do. The moral, learned after many comic mishaps, is that boys and girls want to be treated with respect and honesty.

The show will run four times, at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, featuring four different casts.

Tickets are available at the door for $5. For directions or more information, contact director Marisa Winegar at (618) 201-6933 or visit <http://www.BravoStudiosCarterville.com>...

Gallery Walk

Top to bottom: Artist John F. Boyd;
Boyd's work Behind the Rainbow.

Boyd's first Cobden art exhibit was held at the American Legion Hall in November 1977. Now, thirty-one years later, the Cobden native returns to show his newest watercolors, mixed-media paintings, and prints. Boyd's recent work combines a broad, spectral perspective influenced by American Indian carvings in sandstone bluffs. But Coming Full Circle will exhibit a few favorite pieces from his youth as well.

Boyd also teaches art through video instructional programs he has produced, including The Rainbow Trail and the Drawing for Fun series.

The reception is open to the public, and the exhibit is open Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call C-Infinity at (618) 893-2916 for weekday hours...

The Little Egypt Arts Association will presenting the annual Holiday Extravaganza exhibit through December 31 at the Little Egypt Arts Centre on the Marion Tower Square in Marion. The exhibit will feature original work suitable for holiday gift giving created by association members. A public reception and gallery open house will celebrate the exhibit Friday, December 12 at 4 p.m...

Shopping in the Hills, a trail of art exhibits where patrons can purchase work for holiday gift-giving, will take place Friday, November 28 and Saturday, November 29 at various locations, including Art Lovers Trading Company, Blue Sky Vineyard, and Von Jakob Orchard and Vineyard. Items for sale include everything from jewelry and wearable art to home dé cor and crafts.

For a complete list of participating venues and the works each expects to carry, visit <http://www.HeartlandArts.net>...

Animals

The Humane Society of Southern Illinois will hold a pet-food fundraiser Saturday, November 22 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Carbondale Kroger. While shoppers are there, they can make financial contributions or pick up for the shelter needed items including bleach, dish soap, laundry detergent, trash bags, paper towels, cat and dog shampoo and toys, and postage stamps.

For more information, call the Humane Society at (618) 457-2362...

Give Peace a Chance

SIU professor Kemal Akkaya will deliver Gulen Movement: A Dynamic Movement of Peace and Dialogue in Turkey, a lecture that will take place Wednesday, December 3 at the Carbondale Unitarian Fellowship.

Fethullah Gü len is a prominent Turkish scholar, poet, retired preacher, and activist; some consider him the Mahatma Gandhi of Turkey or a contemporary Rumi (the man whose followers established the Sufi religion). Gü len's movement is non-sectarian and apolitical, organized around the sociocultural needs of society. The three main principles of this movement are practicing faith, emphasizing education, and promoting interfaith dialogue...

Orchestral Maneuvers

The Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra and Marjorie Lawrence Opera Theater will join the SIU Concert Choir and Choral Union Thursday, November 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Shryock Auditorium for the annual opera gala.

Part of the Southern Illinois Symphony Series, this concert will feature the Habanera and Quintet from Carmen, Verdi's Triumphal March and Anvil Chorus, and Borodin's Polovtsian Dances, plus music by Beethoven, Bernstein, Bizet, and Borodin. Music not sung in English will have subtitles projected above the stage, making the evening's bill more accessible to those unfamiliar with opera.

Tickets are $20, or $6 for students of any age, and are available at the door the night of the performance, or in advance at the Shryock Auditorium, the SIU Arena, and Student Center Ticket offices during normal business hours.

In addition, a free Klassics for Kids performance featuring excerpts from the evening concert takes place at 10 a.m. in Shryock. The all-ages program requires no reservations...

Bacchanal Tidings

During the next two weekends, Southern Illinois Wine Trail members will hold open houses replete with special holiday wines and live music. Visit <http://www.ShawneeWineTrail.com> for overviews and links to individual wineries and details about their open houses...

Tofurky Day

A vegetarian Thanksgiving potluck celebration will take place Thursday, November 20 at 6 p.m. at the Interfaith Center. University Christian Ministries, Southern Sustainability, InterVeg and other sponsors will provide a fall-harvest stirfry, fresh green salad, pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies, fair-trade coffee, and local apple cider. Guests may bring vegetarian or vegan dishes, including sides, breads, and desserts (although organizers discourage people from bringing soups). Volunteers may also help set up, bus tables, and clean up.

The potluck takes place during Feeding Minds, Fighting Hunger Week, so guests may donate to the Good Samaritan Food Pantry at the potluck...

Every Day Is Halloween

The new edition of Springhouse, Southern Illinois's excellent history and literary journal, is out, and as always editor and publisher Gary DeNeal has unearthed unique arcana of Little Egypt.

Halloween is the theme of this issue, from Dixie Terry's trick-or-treat baking recipes to DeNeal's own wonderful article about the ghost stories he heard as a younger man. In addition, this Springhouse tells the story of Edward Coles's lifelong crusade against slavery, focusing on his single term as Illinois governor starting in 1822.

Buy Springhouse at just about any local bookstore, and see excerpts online at <http://www.SpringhouseMagazine.com>...

who: Dance4Grandma Theatricals

what: You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (live theater)

where: First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

when: November 20, 21, and 22

Charlie Brown Introduces Dance4Grandma

words by Jennifer "Jay" Bull
pictures by Alex Brahler

The new theater group Dance4Grandma Theatricals performs their premiere production, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, Thursday, November 20 through Saturday, November 21 at 7:30 at First Christian Church in Carbondale.

"It's our first show and pretty much we started from nothing," said Derek Hamblin, the director of Charlie Brown and founder of Dance4Grandma. "I've been wanting to do this for a long time and I worked professionally with a lot of companies around here and I thought, 'Why not do it?'"

The new group focuses primarily on musical theater, but Hamblin said the group will not limit themselves.

"I'm not against doing small operas-- I've got an idea for an opera of mine to do-- or doing a play in the spring," Hamblin said. "I'm not against doing any other type of art form, but primarily, we're just a musical theater company."

Dance4Grandma has an unusual but not unprecedented arrangement for performance space.

"Home base is at the church that I work for, First Christian Church," Hamblin said. "They've been kind enough to let me work for them as a music director, so my office is there. The church has been one-hundred percent behind me in doing this because I proposed to them letting me use the stage. We have plenty of rehearsal space, we have two rehearsal spaces. We can do shows in the fellowship hall and we can do shows in the sanctuary. It can also be used as an outreach tool to bring people into the church. We're not affiliated with the church, it's just they're letting us use the space."

The Stage Company used to practice in churches before settling in the Varsity Theater. Hamblin also cited the Union Avenue Christian Church in Saint Louis. "[T]hat church now has one of the most amazing opera companies that you ever would possibly think," he said. "They have a full-fledged opera company that does a seasonal production of opera, [and] the church just had their sanctuary and staging redone for an orchestra pit to be put in. It's a big thing, and of course it didn't happen overnight, but it started out the same way. The opera company does not depend on the church.... I'm not depending on the church ever to finance the theater company. I plan on doing shows at other venues around Carbondale as well, it's just that I have to start somewhere."

Through his experience in performing in Southern Illinois, Hamblin was able to find a great cast for You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.

"By chance I worked with a theater company in Marion, so I know a lot of the younger kids that work in Marion, like high-school age, so a lot of them came and auditioned, so the show is small-- six people, and they are all high school or freshmen in college level," said Hamblin. "They are amazing kids. They aren't paid, no one gets paid. Well, we have to pay the orchestra members, of course, for their services, but other than that the actors, the people that are helping build sets and things like that, no one gets paid."

There are two different versions of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. "We are doing the revival version that was off-Broadway, like, five years ago," said Hamblin. "It's a great show. I did this show back in 2000 and I did the older version.... The older version was fun, a lot of people liked it, and then I heard the newer version and it was, in my opinion, better. It made it more poppy, more contemporary. It is just a fun show and it's not a complicated show."

Simplicity was another factor that drew Hamblin to perform Charlie Brown as Dance4Grandma's first production.

"There are some shows that have a cast of a thousand and a lot of music and huge orchestra," said Hamblin. "This show was perfect for a small budget, and there were so many different ways that you could do the show. It is one of those universal shows that anyone could come to, a fourteen-year-old could see it and a three-year-old could come and see it and someone that's eighty-five could come and see it. It's very universal and it's something that everyone has at least grown up with or heard about. The Peanuts characters-- everyone knows Charlie Brown, everyone knows at least one song from the cartoons. [It's] something that everyone knew. It was something I knew would work."

The show stars Tim Wessel as Charlie Brown, Alex Manfredo as Sally Brown, Kyle Franklin as Linus, Sadie Hirschi as Lucy, Daniel Hansen as Schroeder, and Kyle Johnson as Snoopy.

"I could have had them do anything and they would have had a good time," said Hamblin. "They're young and that's what they do. They're involved in the high-school and college choirs and their band and they love acting and singing and they've been amazing. They love what they do and you can tell, too, especially when they've started the dancing stuff. They learn stuff so quick, you can just see it in their faces. It's been a good time."

That this is Dance4Grandma's first show has not hindered their ability to sell tickets. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown has almost sold out. The remaining tickets are $20, and are available Tuesdays through Fridays at the First Christian Church office, or by calling (618) 203-3680. Children fourteen and younger can get in free to see the show with the purchase of an adult ticket.

For more information, visit <http://www.d4gtheatricals.com>.

who: John A. Logan College Activities

what: A 1940s Radio Christmas (live theater)

where: O'Neil Auditorium

when: Friday and Saturday, December 5 and 6

A 1940s Radio Christmas

by Jennifer "Jay" Bull

As the holiday season draws closer and the weather gets colder, people start feeling nostalgic for times gone by. A 1940s Radio Christmas, John A. Logan College's popular holiday production, evokes holiday nostalgia through music and well-loved characters Friday, December 5 and Saturday, December 6 in O'Neil Auditorium. Nathan Arnett, who came up with the idea for the production and is directing this year's performance, recently spoke with Nightlife about the upcoming shows.

"It's a concept that we came up with about four years ago, I would say," Arnett said. "This is actually an encore presentation in that it is the same title, but we have several elements that will be different so that there is new material for this encore presentation. The goal of the evening is quite nostalgic in that we're giving those people who lived through the 1940s and experienced life in the forties, as well as younger audiences who didn't have that opportunity, to get together and experience what it would have been like to be at a live broadcast of a 1940s radio production."

Part of the fun of the evening will be seeing what a live radio broadcast looked like during the time period, complete with audience participation.

"The audience will actually participate as a studio audience at a recording session for a 1940s Christmas production," Arnett said. "Some of the audience may be familiar with some of the commercials that we'll be doing, some of the jingles. Certainly, many people will be familiar with the 1940s Christmas ballad that a lot of us recognize."

Those familiar with the previous performances of A 1940s Radio Christmas will recognize some characters, but even those who have nver attended the Logan production might still find some characters familiar.

"In the forties, NBC aired a regular radio broadcast called The Fibber McGee and Molly Show," Arnett said. "We'll be reviving those characters who are preparing for festive events during the 1940s as well as some characters that we created. We'll be revisiting those as well," Arnett said.

Although the show was Arnett's idea, he hesitates to call it a John A. Logan original.

"It's [only] an original in that we are putting all of these elements together that would have occurred during the forties," Arnett said.

The evening should provide a wealth of entertainment for all.

"I anticipate it being a very [fun] night, certainly appropriate for kids I think," Arnett said. "If somebody is concerned about content, they can call the box office and ask about that. Just a fun, relaxing evening, very participatory-- we have applause signs and on-air signs, and we even coach the audience before the show on how to laugh. It is kind of like a TV personality would have someone that warms up their audience today. We're doing that with our radio audience.

For tickets to all Logan events, or information about auditions for in-house performances, contact Logan's Office of Student Activities at (618) 985-2828 ext. 8287 or visit <http://www.jalc.edu/activities>.

> opening Friday, November 21 in Carbondale.
>> opening Wednesday, November 26 in Carbondale.
< leaving Carbondale this Friday.

by Bryan Miller unless otherwise credited.

Appaloosa (R, **1/2): Ed Harris directs his own adaptation of Robert Parker's traditional western about a marshall and his deputy (Harris and Viggo Mortensen) hired to protect a town from a nefarious rancher (Jeremy Irons). The arrival of a purty lady (René e Zellweger) who tickles the marshall's fancy only complicates matters. This is a standard-issue western, but not a bad one. The most interesting element of the film is the not-so-vaguely homoerotic relationship between Harris and Mortensen, both of whom are eminently credible in hats and spurs. But their fine acting can't elevate the movie beyond decent entertainment as it unravels in a deadly dull final act.

Changeling (R, ***): Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a mother devastated by the kidnapping of her young son. But when the boy is returned to her, she suspects it's not her child. The L.A.P.D., rife with corruption, tries to destroy Collins when she questions their judgement. Clint Eastwood directs this mopey, occasionally scintillating crime drama, which is based on a true story. There's fodder for a better movie in here, but the most interesting elements of the movie, notably John Malkovich as a crusading radio evangelist and Jason Harner as a twitchy serial killer, are too often left on the backburner to focus on Jolie's character. It's a character study that should have been an ensemble piece, but it's well-crafted drama nonetheless.

Eagle Eye (PG-13, **): Two strangers (Shia LaBeouf and Michelle Monaghan) are seemingly chosen at random by a mysterious cell-phone caller who directs them through a series of increasingly violent incidents-- but to what purpose? D.J. Caruso (The Salton Sea, Disturbia) directs this silly thriller that serves as a pleasant diversion, at least until the pretty absurd underlying cause of the conspiracy is revealed just as the movie takes an ill-advised self-serious tone. LaBeouf entertainingly motormouths his way through this War Games/Enemy of the State mashup, and he gets plenty of help from a too-good-for-the-material Billy Bob Thornton, costarring as an officer of the law trying to untangle the mess. But some decent acting and a nice appearance from The Shield's Michael Chiklis isn't enough to save this moderately appealing turkey.

High School Musical III: Senior Year (G, **): The inexplicable and unbearable Disney Channel megahit returns for a third and seemingly final installment. At the end of senior year, the oh-so-very-white gang (including future rehab star Zac Efron, future Playboy pinup Vanessa Hudgens, and future born-again evangelical Ashley Tisdale) stages a musical to share their feelings about leaving high school.

Quantum of Solace (PG-13, **1/2): The followup to the wildly successful 007 relaunch picks up right where the last one left off. Bond (Daniel Craig), devastated by the loss of his girlfriend, runs up against eco-terrorists during the course of his quest for revenge. Jeffrey Wright and Judi Dench reprise their roles, while the series gets two new Bond girls in Olga Kurylenko and Gemma Arterton.

Role Models (R, ***1/2): When hostile public-relations man Danny (Paul Rudd) snaps during a long day at work, he nearly lands himself and doofus pal Wheeler (doofus Sean William Scott) in jail. Instead, a judge sentences the two men to complete 150 hours of community service in Sturdy Wings, a knockoff Big Brothers/Big Sisters program for troubled youth. It's not a particularly original premise, but star and cowriter Rudd, along with help from a solid ensemble cast, turns this middling comedy into an unlikely success. Rudd and company keep the laughs coming at a brisk pace with a lot of excellent, quippy dialogue. Most important, they dial back the sappiness, or at least hold off on it until the movie's final moments. Good enough. Bobb'e Thompson is excellent as a pint-sized, profanity-spouting problem child, and Jane Lynch is reliably entertaining as a youth counselor with a troubled past of her own. Costarring Elizabeth Banks and Superbad's Christopher Mintz-Plasse.

< Saw V (R, 1/2*): Another year, another Saw sequel. The fifth installment of the one-note series continues to pile inexplicable twists on top of an increasingly convoluted through-story that's only discernible to those who've seen the first four at least twice through. Jigsaw (Tobin Bell) is still dead, but a troubled detective (Costas Mandylor) has taken up his gruesome work. An FBI agent (Scott Patterson) searches for clues that link the detective to the previous Jigsaw murders even while five more unwitting participants are forced to play a bloody game in another grimy warehouse. Most of this fourth sequel is concerned with tying together loose ends from the previous installments while setting up a new villain to take over for the long-dead Jigsaw. If you feel like paying $9 to have the plotholes of several bad movies explained to you in deliberate detail via flashbacks and expository dialogue, this is the picture for you.

Secret Life of Bees (PG-13, ***): Writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood (Love and Basketball) adapts Sue Monk Kidd's novel about a young white girl with a mysterious past (Dakota Fanning) who flees home with her nanny (Jennifer Hudson) and goes to live with a group of strong-willed sisters who run a honey business (Queen Latifah, Alicia Keys, and Sophie Okonedo). But the young girl's presence ignites racial tensions in South Carolina circa 1964 and brings trouble to the sisters' house. Prince-Bythewood's big-hearted drama is well-crafted and wonderfully acted. The material is a little frothy at times, and the characters too frequently trade bits of homespun wisdom and cutesy sayings rather than have conversations, but the movie is endearing enough overcome such minor sins. Costarring Paul Bettany and The Wire's Tristan Wilds.

Zack and Miri Make a Porno (R, ***1/2): Kevin Smith's latest comedy costars Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks as down-on-their-luck roommates who decide to produce a porn flick to earn rent money in this nicely bent romantic comedy. By now you already ought to know whether a viewer likes Smith's movies. The portly writer/director isn't breaking any new ground here, but it's his funniest movie in a long time, combining the sweetness of Chasing Amy with the raw audacity of Clerks. Rogen and Banks make a nice leading couple, but Justin Long and Smith regular Jason Mewes steal the show as a gay porn star and a priapic goofball, respectively. It's the kind of movie that features happy endings of both varieties.

Also in or Coming to Local Theaters

>> Australia (PG-13): Epic film set in the Australian outback before World War II shatters a romance that blossoms between Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman and an adopted Aboriginal child. Looks like the kind of film Merchant Ivory Productions used to make, for better or worse. (Wissmann)

Bolt (PG): A dog who stars as a superhero pooch on a TV show learns he doesn't really have powers when he is stranded in New York. This animated family comedy features the voices of John Travolta and Miley Cyrus.

< Fireproof (PG): Reagan-era teen dreamboat turned creepy Christian proselytizer Kirk Cameron stars as a fireman struggling to keep his marriage together in this Bible-friendly drama. Alternate title: Assdraft.

>> Four Christmases (PG-13): If anything gets worse than the soap operas that can take place when families are crammed into close quarters during the holidays, it's when films attempt to turn those situations into comedies. Almost all of them suck. (The hilarious but cynical Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. vehicle Home for the Holidays is a notable exception.) (Wissmann)

Madagascar: Escape to Africa (PG): Sequel to the family comedy about a group of zoo animals stranded in the wild. Now the crew must attempt to settle into life in Africa and learn to communicate with their less-domesticated counterparts. Featuring the voices of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Alec Baldwin, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen, Bernie Mac, and Andy Richter.

> Metropolitan Opera presents La Damnation de Faust (NR): Composer Hector Berlioz is dealing with Satan in song-- unusual these days in that it's via opera rather than heavy metal. Running for one day only, on Saturday, November 22. (Wissmann)

< Soul Men (R): Samuel Jackson and the late Bernie Mac costar as washed-up soul singers who reunite to win a big cash prize in this road-trip fandango. It's Grumpy Old Soul Brothers, comedy from beyond the grave.

>> Transporter III (PG-13): The first installment featured grade-Z writing and acting, but managed somehow to serve up brain-dead fun amid the action-movie cliché s. It also made Jason Statham somewhat of a star. Still, it didn't exactly merit a sequel, let alone two of them. (Wissmann)

> Twilight (PG-13): Vampires no longer need to drink human blood to survive, and some of them decide to try to enter mainstream society, resulting in romance between vampire boy Edward (Robert Pattinson) and human teen Bella (Kristen Stewart)-- but what happens when human-sucking vampires decide to rain on their parade? With a PG-13 rating, Twilight looks like a gateway film to the HBO series True Blood and its graphic sex, violence, drug abuse, and similar premise. Based on the incredibly popular series of young-adult novels by Stephenie Meyer. (Wissmann)