Rantings of a Spoo

Art Response to Metallica...

2012-01-28T22:32:00.003-05:00

Now, most of you know I'm a fan of art, and some of you may (or may not) know I like Metallica as well. They decided to marry the two together and had a gallery opening on January 20th of artistic responses to their songs. Perhaps this was a brainchild of Lars, since he likes art. A wide variety of responses were contributed, see below!

Feature:

Obey Your Master Art Tribute to Metallica

Art is timeless when it inspires other art.

Whether it's a piece by Jackson Pollock, J.R.R. Tolkien, The Beatles,Led Zeppelin, or Martin Scorsese, an artist's work is measured by the volume of the symphony of its resonances. Well, there's no symphony of resonances louder than Metallica.

They're irrefutably the greatest metal band ever, and their impact reverberates through everything from films like Hesher through seminal musical acts ranging from Alice in Chains to Tool. Last night, the group's music came to life vividly at the opening of Exhibit A's Obey Your Master Art Tribute to Metallica. A myriad of artists such as Shepard Fairey and musicians like Slipknot's M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan and My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way each chose a classic Metallica tune and crafted a piece of art influenced by the song. The opening event saw the band, artists, and more in attendance. The result is one of the most innovative, invigorating, and impactful art shows that Los Angeles has ever hosted.

Walking through Exhibit A was like entering the ultimate rock 'n' roll fantasy. Black Veil Brides singer Andy Biersack's "Creeping Death" depicted Cliff Burton with blood streaming from his eyes, a haunting and hypnotic tribute to Metallica's legendary bassist. Dan Harding's "The Frayed Ends of Sanity" boasts a gorgeously detailed demon with his claws literally in a sad, sorry victim's skin. His use of grays makes for an ornate exploration of a breakdown.

The band's logo stood emblazoned at the corner of Jon Chase's "The Four Horsemen" juxtaposed against four strained dying faces. Touting his now iconic "Obey" persona, Shepard Fairey's "Disposable Heroes" could be the ultimate anti-war poster with the solemn James Hetfield lyrics "He served us well" practically screaming off of the canvas. "Master of Puppets" as interpreted by Richard Villa III is as beautiful as it is brutal with a hooded naked woman pulling the entrails of her victims as strings. The song's classic crescendo blares from the colors and intricacies of the painting.

Gail Potocki took "Through the Never" and crafted an intriguing twisted fairy tale scene around it as a raven-haired gothic beauty bleeds from her hand into birds below. Cleverly, Kim Saigh gave an unexpected and unique version of "For Whom the Bell Tolls" that's so subtle it's searing. "Dyers Eve" is a psychedelic tribute to life and love with a dove in the middle of flowers and skulls.

Standing in the center of Exhibit A stood M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan's "Damage Inc." sculpture. Two horned skeletons sat atop the vestiges of a soldier with a bullet belt slung over his half torn uniform. Below, buckets stood filled with baby dolls limbs. The piece watched over the entire gallery with an ominous glare befitting of the Master of Puppetsfinale from which it came. It's a fitting homage to Metallica from a true 21st century dark visionary.

Gerard Way's land mines made the tale at the center of "One" a reality. Each mine bore the scars of war, and Way's deft craftsmanship proved marvelous and magnificent. For "The God That Failed", Per Haagensen was hellishly intense as demons stare at an entrancing sky. The there was "Nothing Else Matters" from Chris Peters which depicted to skeletons holding each other in a sparse embracing mirroring the immortal tune.

Obey Your Master…don't miss this gallery and crank Metallica all the way there. You may just go home and create your own piece inspired by the band.

Click here to see more artwork

Dave's Top 10 Most Prized Possessions...

2012-01-25T23:02:00.001-05:00

I saw this cool article & video with Dave Mustaine's top 10 prized possessions...some might surprise you. I bolded my favorites...including a shofar from Israel that you can watch Dave actually play at 0:40!

ABOUT OUR HOST

When ax-slinging thrash king Dave Mustaine was fired from Metallica in 1983, he started Megadeth as an act of revenge. Though the legendary metalheads patched up their differences, it's fair to say the split worked out for both. "I was just some skinny redheaded kid, and the next thing I know, everybody wanted to give me their drugs or their girls," he says. Today, triumph means something else. Mustaine, 50, lives on a sprawling ranch outside of San  Diego with two teenage children and his wife, Pamela, while Megadeth just notched a 13th album, the shockingly raw, awesomely loud, and accurately titled Th1rt3en.

1) AC/DC Let There Be Rock: I used to sell pot, and this girl who worked at a record store would pay me in albums. I remember putting this one on — the first song is called "Go Down" and the cover shows the scruffiest-looking hooligans I'd ever seen. I thought, "This is my band." It changed my life.

2) Crossbow: When we moved [to San Diego] from Arizona, my son Justis and I wanted to have a sport that we did  together, so I got him a plastic bow and he was like, "Dad, this sucks — I want a real one." He's really good with this thing. We almost got a compound bow, but that's too  serious. I don't wanna be Ted Nugent.

3) Peanut M&Ms: When we were recording Endgame, I ate so much red licorice my pee turned red. I needed a new candy so I tried trail mix and only liked the M&M part. Now I can't stop eating them. It's like back in the day when we were smoking crack.

4) Shofar: I was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, rebelled by doing witchcraft, and got into all kinds of bad stuff before I saw a cross on a hill one day and said, "What've I got to lose?" [Mustaine is now a Christian.] But my mom is Jewish, and on holidays I blow this ram's horn to get rid of bad spirits.

5) Certificate: I met a fan in Kentucky who had throat cancer. He was only supposed to live a few weeks. For some reason, I reached out, grabbed his throat, and started praying for the dude. He lived long enough to give me this on our next tour. It's signed by the governor and says I'm an honorary Kentucky Colonel. As far as I know, it's the real deal.

6) Unpainted guitar body: I'm a proud supporter of Dean guitars, and they asked me to paint this guitar for a charity auction. I'm thinking about doing a self-portrait — a picture of me painting myself. The guitar is so high quality it'll be worth having regardless of how ugly it turns out.

7) Troy sword replica: The tip's bent. I think Justis used it to open a can of paint for his mom. That, or he killed some delirious nomad out in the desert. One can only hope.

8) Autographed helmet: I've been a Raiders fan ever since  I was a kid in Costa Mesa. I didn't know much about the team then, but the logo was the baddest thing.

9) Coat of arms: The Mustaine name came from Finland originally. My wife Pam had this made for my 40th birthday with a cake to match. The motto is "Our strength comes from God."

10) Miniature horse: We found Rocky living in a junkyard, abused and malnourished. A lot of stuff was wrong with him and he didn't like people at all, but we just loved on him, and now he's really friendly. He comes into the house to hang out. Sometimes he spits up his apples. When you're a horse person, you get used to it.

Shot for SPIN in San Diego, October 7, 2011

Rock Hall of Fame opens archives to public

2012-01-21T22:46:00.002-05:00

January 17, 2012 — CLEVELAND (AP) — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened its new library and archives to the public on Tuesday to give scholars and fans access to the stories behind the music through such "artifacts" as personal letters from Madonna and Aretha Franklin and 1981-82 video of the Rolling Stones tour.

The collection, catalogued over the last few years, includes more than 3,500 books, 1,400 audio recordings and 270 videos, and is housed in the new four-story, $12 million building. Thousands more books and recordings and hundreds of videos will be added as previously stored items and new donations are catalogued, said Andy Leach, director of the library and archives.

"We hope to serve music scholars, teachers, students and the general public," Leach said. "We hope to see all of them here." Tuesday's opening of the building on the Cuyahoga Community College campus in Cleveland, not far from the Rock Hall, occurred without a lot of fanfare. The low-key opening allows the public to enjoy the library before a grand opening April 9. The college funded the building, which the library and archives share with the college's Center for Creative Arts. The Rock Hall financed construction and furnishings of the interior of its section of the building.

The library also offers photos, albums and covers, oral histories and scrap books. Leach said the Rock Hall has done a great job of telling the story of rock 'n' roll. He said he sees the library as bringing the museum more recognition and showing "it to be a serious place of research."

The library collection also includes movie posters, photos and memorabilia related to Alan Freed, the DJ credited with coining the phrase rock 'n' roll; a handwritten list by Elvis Presley of songs included in one of his concerts; and personal letters from Mick Jagger.

Visitors will not be allowed to check out items, but anyone can use the library reading room to browse through books, listen to audio recordings and watch videos. A smaller archives reading room allows supervised access to certain items.

Steve Waksman, an associate professor of music and American studies at Smith College in Massachusetts, did research at the library prior to its opening for his book on the history of American live music.

"It was very useful, with material that I haven't found anywhere else," Waksman said Tuesday. "They had a lot of material regarding the stage sets of music performers from the '60s and the '70s, such as David Bowie and the Rolling Stones."

Elizabeth Papp Taylor, 53, of Shaker Heights, was at the library opening day. "I'm looking forward to coming back for a look at the archives, but my first visit was exciting," she said in a phone interview. "It's very impressive."

Online: http://library.rockhall.com/

Nice one, Dave!

2012-01-11T00:09:00.002-05:00

I was viewing one of Metallica's 30th anniverary concert video compilations, and was watching while Dave Mustaine joined them to play on their old song "Metal Militia." I just happened to catch the shirt he was wearing....I always knew Dave was cool (at least in my book). :)

Skip to 29:13 to see when Dave joins the band.(Click here to see a close-up of his shirt)

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T13:44:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T20:03:00.003-05:00

Metal Evolution: A Documentary

2011-11-20T02:02:00.000-05:00

I've been watching this documentary series on VH1 classic called "Metal Evolution." It is an 11-part series covering the most extensive look at the evolution of heavy metal, starting with the roots of metal with classical, jazz, and blues music, and then looking with interviews at the bands/musicians within the "family tree" of the subgenres of metal (i.e., thrash, glam, grunge, etc.). Here is the trailer for it....it's worth checking out!

Metal Evolution Teaser - 50s (VH1) from Banger Films on Vimeo.

Metal Evolution presents 11 episodes based on the ground-breaking “Heavy Metal Family Tree”. This 26 sub-genre genealogical chart reveals the vast complex progeny of heavy metal – from Early Metal and Shock Rock to Thrash, from Progressive Metal to Grunge and Nu Metal. Using the Chart as his road map, host/producer and metalhead turned anthropologist Sam Dunn, crisscrossed the globe exploring the vast history of heavy metal across its 40+ year history and beyond. From bars and back alleys to the biggest open air festivals, Sam will visit the pioneers of British and American hard rock who laid metal’s sonic foundation, as well as the current leaders of contemporary metal. Whether you love metal, documentaries or just great stories, Metal Evolution is the ultimate examination into the history of Heavy Metal music.

Drawing on the expertise of a whole team of musicians, journalists, academics, and producers, Sam will explore the questions heavy metal fans have always wanted to ask. A highlight of the series will be Sam’s in-depth discussions with many of heavy metal’s most important and influential personalities. From Alice Cooper to Slash, Lemmy to Rob Zombie and members of Metallica, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Slayer, Van Halen, Def Leppard, The Stooges, ZZ Top, Motley Crue, Poison, Rage Against The Machine, Alice In Chains, Korn, and many more, Sam will investigate the history, myths and intricacies of Metal.

Happy 11-11-11 and Veteran's Day!

2011-11-11T20:19:00.001-05:00

See how the "FrankenAlice" Monster was made....

2011-10-09T16:46:00.001-04:00

Tonight, on the Travel Channel at 8 pm EST, the "Making Monster" show will feature how the large Frankenstein creature, looking like Alice Cooper, was made. We saw him this August and "FrankenAlice" was a feature brought to life by Alice during the concert. See below for more information!

Alice Cooper 'Making Monsters' on Travel Channel

by Gregory Burkart, Today 10:30 AM PDT

Alice Cooper will be welcoming TV viewers to a literally larger-than-life nightmare this weekend, during a special episode of The Travel Channel's series Making Monsters: The producers will go behind-the-scenes with the special effects team who designed the various creepy creatures and deadly devices that populate the stage during Alice's outrageous "No More Mr. Nice Guy" tour. Hit the jump for more info about the episode, including a preview clip and a closer look at the star attraction: "FrankenAlice!"

The creation of this totally sick 12-foot-tall, fully articulated Alice puppet – designed from the ground up by effects company Distortions – will be documented on the upcoming "Monsters of Rock" episode (part of the channel's "Weekends to Die For" programming), along with many other twisted creations that Alice's fans have come to expect at his incredible live performances. The special episode will air on The Travel Channel Sunday, October 9th at 8pm Eastern.

Check out the teaser clip below!

So what if Dr. Kevorkian had art therapy.....?

2011-10-02T20:35:00.005-04:00

Dr. Jack Kevorkian's art, belongings to be sold

September 30, 2011 — DETROIT (AP) — Paintings, writings and the iconic blue sweater of assisted suicide advocate Jack Kevorkian are going up for auction, his attorney and close friend said Friday.

Lawyer Mayer Morganroth said the late pathologist's artwork and items will be sold in late October at the New York Institute of Technology. Scheduled for auction are more than 20 paintings, Kevorkian's art kit and the sweaters he became known for donning during his high-profile assistance in the suicides of dozens of people in the 1990s.

Many of the paintings depict death or dying, and are often intended to provoke or disturb. One of those up for auction is entitled "Genocide," and features a bloody head being dangled by the hair and held by the hands of two soldiers. One wears a German military uniform from World War II and the other a Turkish uniform from World War I.

Morganroth said Kevorkian wanted to depict the mass killings of Armenians and Jews during World I and World War II, respectively. The doctor was of Armenian descent. "Just looking at it, you can say (it's) grotesque," Morganroth said. "They were to make a point, like any art."

CBS Detroit first reported the auction plan. Morganroth said he doesn't know the value of the collection but most of the proceeds will go to Kevorkian's sole heir — a niece — and the charity Kicking Cancer for Kids. Morganroth said the timing was right to sell the items, since there was interest from several auction houses and the broader art world, as well as a desire to settle the estate.

The Associated Press left a message seeking comment with the New York Institute of Technology. Kevorkian was convicted of second-degree murder in 1999, and was released from prison in 2007. He died in June at the age of 83.

Suburban Detroit art gallery owner Anne Kuffler, who has twice displayed Kevorkian's work and sells signed and numbered lithographs of six of his works for $500 apiece, said she was offered $100,000 for one of his original paintings during the first exhibit of his work in 1994. Kuffler, owner of the Ariana Gallery in Royal Oak, suspects that the value has only increased since then.

"I had several orders for his prints this morning," she said. Kuffler recalled an argument with Kevorkian, who painted the frame of "Genocide" with his own blood and wanted to have a skeleton with an IV flowing through it next to the painting.

"He said, 'I want to show how horrible it is, I want people to be upset by it,'" Kuffler said. "I said, 'If you haven't portrayed it in your painting, then you haven't succeeded.'" Many of the paintings have been hanging at the Armenian Library and Museum of America in Watertown, Mass., which also has a collection of his compositions and writings. Kevorkian was also a keen musician and composer.

"I think the legacy is showing the many facets of him and his capabilities," Morganroth said. "He was a multi-talented man."

I Am Made of You...

2011-10-01T22:52:00.009-04:00

I posted earlier about Alice Cooper's new album that came out a couple of weeks ago, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare." I love the first song on it, so I made a video with my favorite interpretation to it. I hope you enjoy it!

September 13th: Release Day!!

2011-09-13T00:32:00.018-04:00

Today is a very important day on two accounts: It is the release day for two much-anticipated albums (by me and hopefully countless others) - "A Dramatic Turn of Events" by Dream Theater (with new drummer phenom Mike Mangini) and "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper (sequel to his 1975 first solo album, "Welcome to My Nightmare"). Here is a little taste of what's to come, with some commentary videos at the end of each from the artists about what's behind the songs in their albums:

Dream Theater - A Dramatic Turn of Events:

"On the Backs of Angels" - Music Video:

Alice Cooper - Welcome 2 My Nightmare:

Remembering 9/11 - 10 Years Later

2011-09-11T21:58:00.002-04:00

Sacrificed Sons - Symphonic Theater of Dreams by SToD project

Australian Female Guitarist Orianthi Joins Alice Cooper!

2011-09-04T20:23:00.011-04:00

The Australian phenom Orianthi Panagaris is filling the shoes of the recently departed Damon Johnson from Alice Cooper's band (to join Thin Lizzy). She should be a very interesting addition!!

Orianthi Joins Alice Cooper’s Band

Peter Hodgson

08.29.2011

Australian guitarist Orianthi Panagaris has stepped in to replace Damon Johnson as Alice Cooper’s guitarist. BraveWords.com reports the news from sources who claim Johnson left the band to join Thin Lizzy, stepping into the spot left vacant by Vivian Campbell when he returned to his Def Leppard commitments.

Johnson wrote a goodbye message to his bandmates on Facebook yesterday: “I love you, Alice Cooper. And Chuck, Tommy, Steve, and Glen. And Keri, Jimmy, Eric, Ryan, and Tommy C. With all my heart.”

Meanwhile Orianthi confirmed the news via Twitter (“Thanks! Gonna be a blast!”), while also confirming that she’d just that day begun recording her new album.

Orianthi is known for her hit “According to You” as well as her role as Michael Jackson’s last lead guitarist. Steve Vai began singing Orianthi’s praises when she was 15, and Carlos Santana took her under his wing when she was 18. Oranthi and Vai recorded the track “Highly Strung” for her album Believe in 2009.

Watch Orianthi shred with Steve Vai here:

Here, Orianthi has already gotten a head start with "School's Out" from Alice's appearance on American Idol last year!

Here, Orianthi speaks briefly about her joining Alice's touring band...

Orianthi and Alice performing "I'll Bite Your Face Off" on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (9-9-11)

Adrenaline Mob!! (and friends....)

2011-08-17T21:31:00.006-04:00

In 2010, Mike Portnoy left his longtime band Dream Theater...and in 2011 he joined the band Adrenaline Mob. They went on tour and I saw them as they hit the DC area at Jaxx Nightclub. After a long but exciting night of 7 opening bands (!!!!), Adrenaline Mob took the stage about 11 pm. They are a strong and energetic band, but if you're looking for Dream Theater 2.0, I wouldn't say they are it. :) Here is a sneak peek at their performance (and some from their colleagues):

Adrenaline Mob

Seven Kingdoms and Artizan

Michael Sweet leaves Boston to attend to Stryper fulltime!

2011-08-13T19:20:00.000-04:00

News

Michael Sweet leaves his Boston gig

Michael Sweet Departs Legendary Rock Band BOSTON to Devote Full Attention to His Longstanding Role as Frontman of Re-emerging Rock Band Stryper

(NASHVILLE, Tennessee) – Stryper frontman and accomplished solo artist Michael Sweet announced his departure from legendary rock band BOSTON today, in order to devote his full attention to his longstanding role as the lead vocalist and lead guitarist for multi-platinum rock outfit Stryper – a band he co-founded in 1983. Sweet joined BOSTON in 2008, sharing lead vocals and playing guitar on a headlining tour of North America, performing the band’s classic hits like “More than a Feeling,” “Peace of Mind,” “Amanda” and “Don’t Look Back.”

Following the BOSTON tour, Stryper released the 2009 studio album Murder by Pride (featuring a cover of BOSTON’s “Peace of Mind”), which led to a yearlong world tour with all of the original members. In 2010, Stryper released The Covering, and another world tour recently concluded. Stryper is currently in the studio working on an untitled release for 2011, with tour dates already announced for this fall.

“My focus and my loyalty lies with Stryper, the band that I’ve committed almost thirty years of my life to,” says Sweet. “The guys in Stryper are my brothers and I’m excited about our future together. The music of BOSTON helped shape who I am as an artist, and the opportunity to be a part of their musical legacy is overwhelming. It’s been an honor to share the stage with them, and a bigger honor to call them my friends.”

In addition to the increasing demands for Stryper, Sweet has been spending some of his time off the road in Nashville, writing with A-list songwriters such as Blair Daly (Rascal Flatts, Uncle Kracker, Lynyrd Skynyrd), Luke Laird (Carrie Underwood, Blake Shelton, Tim McGraw), Britton Cameron (Steel Magnolia, Lonestar, Eden’s Edge) and others.

“I’ve always loved the writing process and to be able to collaborate with some of the greatest writers in Nashville is an absolutely amazing experience for me,” explains Sweet. “I’m looking forward to many more successful trips to Music City.”

Stryper has sold more than 8 million albums worldwide. The group’s unprecedented 1986 album To Hell with the Devil went double-platinum and was named one of the “100 Greatest Albums in Christian Music” by CCM Magazine.

www.stryper.com

Pastor draws anger parallels between Metallica and the Bible

2011-07-31T01:03:00.003-04:00

I guess I'm a little behind the times, since this sermon came out in 2004, but I guess better late than never. I found a pastor of a church in Calgary, Canada who spoke - among many other culturally themed messages - on how the anger that Metallica has expressed through their songs often parallels the anger that is in the Bible. It's an interesting concept.
Watch the short version of the message below.

Click here (or watch below) to go to the page with the full message and film that Warner Music Canada filmed for Metallica (since they couldn't come listen to the message themselves...they were on tour!).

Anger and Metallica Live and Uncut at NHC from New Hope Church Calgary on Vimeo.

Pastor Van Sloten also wrote a book on his experience with the Metallica message, called

"The Day Metallica Came to Church."

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-07-12T20:11:00.003-04:00

Enjoyed some time with family at Gadsby's Tavern (at least the weekend after)

Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp: Art Imitates Life

2011-06-05T18:35:00.002-04:00

This is me learning guitar. You can guess which one is me. :)

Savannah - New Movie Interview with Jim Caviezel

2011-06-05T18:12:00.000-04:00

Jim Caviezel | Hollywood Dailies | Movie Trailer | Review

NY-born twin friars die on same day at age 92

2011-06-03T18:25:00.000-04:00

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — Identical twins Julian and Adrian Riester were born seconds apart 92 years ago. They died hours apart this week. The Buffalo-born brothers were also brothers in the Roman Catholic Order of Friars Minor. Professed friars for 65 years, they spent much of that time working together at St. Bonaventure University, doing carpentry work, gardening and driving visitors to and from the airport and around town.

"It was fun to see them, just quiet, gentle souls," Yvonne Peace, who worked at the St. Bonaventure Friary for nearly 21 years, said Friday.

They died Wednesday at St. Anthony Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla., Brother Julian in the morning and Brother Adrian in the evening.

Both died of heart failure, said Father James Toal, guardian of St. Anthony Friary in St. Petersburg, where the inseparable twins lived since moving from western New York in 2008.

"It really is almost a poetic ending to the remarkable story of their lives," St. Bonaventure spokesman Tom Missel said. "Stunning when you hear it, but hardly surprising given that they did almost everything together."

Julian and Adrian Riester were born Jerome and Irving on March 27, 1919, to a couple who already had five daughters. They took the names of saints upon their ordination in the Catholic church.

"Dad was a doctor and he said a prayer for a boy," Adrian once said, according to St. Bonaventure. "The Lord fooled him and sent two."

After attending St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute, the brothers were turned away by the military because of their eyesight, the university said. One had a bad left eye, the other a bad right eye.

Eventually they joined the friars of Holy Name Province in New York City. They received separate assignments before reuniting at the seminary at St. Bonaventure from 1951 to 1956. After serving parishes in Buffalo for 17 years, they returned to St. Bonaventure in 1973 and spent the next 35 years there.

They had separate rooms in the friary but one telephone extension that rang into both, Peace recalled. It was usually the more talkative Adrian who answered, though Julian possessed a quiet authority. They never said who was born first.

"Brother Julian was like the big brother. Brother Adrian would defer to him," Peace said. "They picked up one of our friars at the airport one time and the friar said, 'Can I take you to dinner?'

"Brother Adrian looked at Brother Julian and said, 'We aren't going to dinner?' 'No, we'll go home,'" Peace said. "So that was it. No discussion, no contradicting. 'No, we aren't going today.'"

Funeral services are scheduled for Monday at St. Mary Our Lady of Grace Church in St. Petersburg. Afterward, the brothers' bodies will be flown to Buffalo and buried Wednesday at St. Bonaventure Cemetery, across the street from the university.

James Hetfield Speaks at Documentary on Absentee Fathers

2011-06-01T01:56:00.030-04:00

I came across this information that in May, James Hetfield (lead singer/rhythm guitarist for Metallica) contributed an interview to a documentary about lives with absentee fathers and its impact on the children of America. He spoke at a gathering at Central Christian Church in Mesa, AZ where they screened the movie. Very interesting...I'd like to catch this documentary, particularly since I work with at-risk youth.

Metallica's James Hetfield to Speak at 'Absent' Film Screening in Arizona Church with John Eldredge and Richard Rohr

Fresh off his awesome performance at The Big 4 Festival in Indio, Metallica frontman James Hetfield is scheduled to speak atCentral Christian Church in Mesa on May 12. Hetfield will be part of a Q & A following a screening of Absent, a documentary directed by Gilbert filmmaker Justin Hunt, known best for his 2008 documentary American Meth. Absent explores the "father wound" of absentee fathers and features Hetfield discussing his experiences growing up without a father present.

"Me going through lots of painful things in my life, and having to deal with them, is something I've learned is part of being that warrior, and stepping up in my life and taking responsibility for myself," says Hetfield in a recent interview he and Hunt did with Fox News. A Metallica fan, Hunt was introduced to Hetfield through mutual friends in San Francisco. "I knew about his childhood, [at least] as much as I could know as a fan," Hunt says. "I emailed him and said, 'What you've gone through fits with this project. Three months later, he said he would do it, and nine days after that, I was talking with him in front of the camera." In addition to a 14-minute interview segment, Hetfield narrates parts of the film, and reads Metallica lyrics spoken word-style. "When you hear 'Dyers Eve,' it's 1,000 miles an hour. But hearing it read, it's like a letter to his parents," says Hunt. Though Hunt says his motivation came from a place of personal faith, he stresses that Absent is not a "religious film." The film screening in Mesa will take place at Hunt's home church, Central Christian in Mesa. Asked about the apparent weirdness of having the guy who wrote "The God That Failed" speak at a place of worship, Hunt says Hetfield is very accepting of the church, and that the church welcomes him. "James has his spirituality, and it's important to him, but just as important is who we are doing it for, and what we have to say." In addition to Hetfield, the film features seven-time boxing champion Johnny Tapia, Christian authors John Eldredge and Richard Rohr, inner-city youth from Miami and prostitutes willing to discuss their father issues. Hetfield's father left him at age 13, and his mother died three years later. "People have asked me why I didn't include discussions about absentee mothers. It's just as large a topic, but it's a different kind of wound, and I could only make one film at a time," says Hunt.

For ticket and time info for this event, visit here.

Listen to part of the Q&A at the May 12th screening of "Absent" in Mesa, AZ:

James Hetfield at Absent screening Q&A by theKaliDiaries

Metallica's James Hetfield Featured in Documentary on Absent Fathers

Mon, May. 16, 2011 Posted: 09:38 PM EDT

Central Christian Church in Mesa, Ariz., hosted 2,000 people last week for the screening of a documentary called "Absent," a movie directed by Justin Hunt, who is a member of the church, that examines the impact on society of growing up without a father.

Seated across from Hunt during the Q & A session after the screening was Metallica lead singer James Hetfield, whose father left his family when he was 13.

Hetfield is one of the people featured in the documentary, during which he explains how some of the lyrics he penned for Metallica songs deal directly with the pain he suffered as a result of his father leaving.

“He left without saying goodbye,” Hetfield says in the trailer. “He left a note – he left a note, and it wasn’t even to me.”

Hetfield’s mother died from cancer when he was 16.

All these years later, Hetfield is married and has three children of his own. He hasn’t always been the type of father he knows he should have been, but he says it is better to make mistakes than not showing up.

“You can change the past by not recreating it,” Hetfield said in March on Fox & Friends on Fox News when discussing the movie. “And that’s what we’re here to state – is that as a man you can show up for your kids’ lives ... you know, this is an adventure for me.

“I’m able to go back in my father’s footsteps and his father’s and kind of figure out where the father wound is coming from and figure out how he didn’t know how to be a father because of where he came from and I’m here to be the warrior and step up and say, ‘The lineage of that stops here.’”

After the screening, Hetfield and Hunt took questions from the crowd.

“I really learned so much from this process,” Hetfield told the audience, according to the Arizona Republic. “When Justin asked me to be a part of this, I had no idea how much it was going to affect me, my family. My relationship with my son has definitely changed quite a bit.

“The relationship with my girls as well, has just totally stepped up to another level of me showing them how much they should appreciate how beautiful they are just as they are. Tackling some of the issues that are starting to come up with teens. My oldest is turning 13 next month and, you know, learning about sex, learning about dating, learning about puberty, things like that. It’s a very scary subject, especially for a dad.”

Hetfield grew up in a home in which his parents were into Christian Science and he felt alienated as a child because he couldn’t participate in some aspects of health class and he had to be exempted from taking a physical for the football team. He tried to explain it all to his friends but it was awkward for him and he says he never fully understood it.

“I was put through some tests as a child, and, you know, religion was really difficult to grasp as a child,” Hetfield said when the subject of his faith came up at the screening. “My father being the equivalent of a pastor and really hardcore at home, I felt very smothered by all of that and I didn’t understand. And I didn’t feel free to ask questions about it because that would bring up my lack of faith. So, I have learned what great things have happened to people that can embrace a power greater than themselves. And, myself, being able to let go of the steering wheel and not trying to drive my life and knowing that there is a higher power taking care of all of us.”

No word on when “Absent” will be released on DVD, but the plan is to continue with screenings across the country as well as in London this summer.

Lee Warren
Christian Post Contributor

Feature: And the abandoned played on...

James Hetfield still feels the wounds left by his absent father—and he's healing them by being the best heavy metal dad he can be

By Jason Walsh

They f-ck you up, your mum and dad, they may not mean to, but they do—they fill you with the faults they had, and add some extra, just for you—poet Philip Larkin, "This Be the Verse"

James Hetfield was 13 years old when his father abandoned the family.

Virgil Hetfield was a truck driver and practicing Christian Scientist—but he was also unable, or unwilling, to cope with the pressures and responsibilities of being married and raising kids. In 1976 he left the future Metallica frontman—along with James's mother and younger sister—to navigate adolescence without a father. Not long after that, James's mother Cynthia was diagnosed with cancer and, under the tenets of Christian Science, relied on prayer alone to cure her of disease. She died in 1979, and James went to live with his older half brother. Parentless, he sought comfort in alcohol—and found solace in the primal-scream-therapy of '70s heavy metal, learning more about the world from Aerosmith and Motorhead than he did from a dad. He was 16.

Today, James Hetfield leads one of rock 'n' roll's most successful bands. A decade into substance-abuse recovery, he lives comfortably on a beautiful estate in Marinwood with his wife, Francesca—and he remains a voice for thousands of dispossessed youth across the world.

But his most important job title, he'll tell you, is also his toughest—dad.

"It's not easy," Hetfield recently told the Pacific Sun, echoing the sentiments of anyone who's ever had kids. "And I understand some of the struggles that [my father] had. But I would never abandon, no matter how tough things were."

Even after more than 30 years, and failed attempts at reconciliation—Virgil died in 1996—his father's departure from the family left wounds that time and success couldn't heal.

In the new documentary Absent—director Justin Hunt's study of the damage wrought by patriarchal abandonment—Hetfield joins directionless 20-somethings, street-hustling prostitutes and a prizefighter-turned-felon in sharing their stories about what it means to grow up in fatherless homes. (On March 3 at the Rafael Film Center, Hetfield and Hunt will present Absent and answer questions following the screening.)

"The thing that hurt the most—and when I look back at it, I get really mad," Hetfield says in the film, "is that my dad left without saying goodbye. He left a note... he left a note and it wasn't even for me."

Hetfield would spend much of his music career writing a few notes of his own back to his parents—such as this verse from 1988's "Dyers Eve":

Dear Mother
Dear Father

Hidden in your world you've made for me

I'm seething

I'm bleeding

Ripping wounds in me that never heal

Undying spite I feel for you

Living out this hell you always knew

We interviewed the soft-spoken head banger about his absent father, life in Marin and the unique challenge of being a good dad—while being leader of the biggest heavy metal band in the world.

• • • •

How did a nine-time Grammy winner wind up in an art-house documentary about parenting?

I think [filmmaker] Justin [Hunt] was basically looking for somebody who had a little bit of a name and a good story—hopefully somebody interesting—and somehow he came around to me. He got a hold of us through the Metallica fan club and it went on from there. I was able to see some of his earlier work as well—he's done a number of different things, but this time he decided that [absent fathers] was an important topic and something that needed to be said.

Was it difficult to open up about your father for the camera?

I thought it was easy—always easy to talk about that stuff. I'm now 10 years into recovery myself and am pretty comfortable with just telling the story of my upbringing. I've come a long way from it and now it's more of a story, not it being so much as this is me. Still, every time you talk about it—especially in a heightened sensitivity arena like in front of a camera—it always stirs up more than you think it's going to. And it's good.

Your story has more to it than an absent father, though. A lot of viewers of the film will be equally drawn to what you say about being brought up in a Christian Science household—it's one of those religions that most people have heard about, but few really understand its strict only-God-heals-the-flesh doctrine.

Religion itself can get a little off track. It can lose the spirituality part and get a little hung up on the do's and don'ts and the rules around the religion—instead of the openness and love and the exploration that a higher power has given us. And [Christian Science] was certainly one of the religions that, as a child, didn't make a whole lot of sense.

In the film you talk about having had to "learn how to love the family"—after never having been taught that kind of love as a kid. That sounds so counterintuitive.

It really boils down to—and really does in everything—it boils down to attitude. How are you approaching this? In the beginning my want to separate the two was great—here is my world and here is my [family] world. And I was split between the two worlds. But I realized that they need to live together. They need to collaborate, they need to speak to each other, they need to communicate their feelings to each other and that way they'll be able to coexist.

Is it difficult to be a "present" father, while being the frontman for Metallica?

Through time it became easier, but it's a career of extremes. My kids complain a lot about me being gone, and then they get overwhelmed when I'm home all the time. So it's very different than a 9 to 5. I'm very fortunate—I'm able to take my kids on tour. Yank 'em from school, or in summertime we go and do a lot of worlding. But, there's the part where there's not a real lot of structure in my being with the kids.

How old is your brood?

I've got two daughters and a son; right now they are 9, 11 and 13.

They're just about at the age where they'll start getting into bands.

Into bands, or liking music? I think there's a little of both going on. The girls have graduated from Hannah Montana up to more of the pop world. And my boy, he just loves rock, he just wants AC-DC all the time, or the Ramones. Those are his two favorites. I find that the less I push them, the more they enjoy it. I want it to be natural, as it was for me as a child. Having musical instruments, as well as art tools or hammers or any other things that pique their interests—and you never know where it's going to come from. Having a place where they can get lost and draw or sew or any kind of hands-on thing. I think those are important skills to have—along with studies of reading and writing and that stuff—but the arts is something that tends to be missing in schools and I love having those tools available to them.

What about your kids listening to your music—is there an age, say, where you'll let them listen to "Enter Sandman," yet they're not quite old enough for Kill 'Em All?

[Laughs] The angle that I need to come in with is from that of being an artist. Here's my expression—but it might not be age-appropriate right now. And that's fine. But it's not wrong.

Do they ask you what the songs are about?

A lot of times there's certain things they see or hear that they just don't understand. That's also fine. Maybe later on they'll ask the questions—the children have their own filter on what's interesting and what's not. Still, right now we'll be watching a movie and some couple will start kissing and they'll go—ewww! And pretty soon that will change for them. They have a lot of age-appropriate filters within themselves. But, obviously, as parents we are the ones that guide them and kind of know when it's the right time and when it's not. Kill 'Em All? You know... it's more humorous. When they hear something like that on the radio, they're like, "Dad... that's you? You're singing like a screaming girl!"

From time to time I'll hear from other parents at your kids' school that they've seen you at drop-offs and pickups and student assemblies—and they always seem really astounded that you do this. Do you feel there are lower expectations for you as a parent, simply because you sang "Creeping Death"?

[Laughs] Yeah, well stereotypes are stereotypes. It's not my mission to break them, but to be the best I can be for my family. I don't like that they're surprised, though.

Maybe a better way to put it is that they're impressed.

You know there's a part of me that loves the recognition, but on the other hand to have someone think, "It's

so great that you're here for your kids!" It's like, what the hell? You're supposed to do that. I also see some other parents that are overbearing. That are there all the time—they do not leave the school. And that, I think, is... well maybe not bad, but a little smothering compared to the real world. I like to reside somewhere in the center—which is very hard for me to find [laughs].

You could live anywhere you wanted—what makes Marin a good choice for you and your family?

Normally I'd say the weather, but not so much these days. Things can be simple here. I can be very incognito, I can go pretty much anywhere and not get hassled. There's a sense of friction here that kind of keeps me sharp.

What do you mean by that?

I don't know... politically. [Hesitates] I don't want to get into politics, because I really hate them, actually. But I guess I mean ideals about how things are to be. There's a lot of people who are pushing agendas and, you know, it tends to keep me on my toes. Marin gives me a lot of lyrical fodder.

So "Bleeding Me" is really about Marin?

I also like that the people have a tendency to be a little more open. Though, underneath it all they're all pretty scared, as we all are, of change. I like the landscape, the way that the Bay Area is set up; I just find it beautiful and great to get around in. Being a family that loves to explore and travel, we love going to other places as well, but this is always nice to come home to.

Absent talks about how when kids from fatherless homes grow up to become parents themselves, they tend to approach parenting by making harmful "vows"—such as "I will never do this." Or, "I will always do that." Did you find yourself making those kinds of vows?

Sure, sure. It comes a lot out of resentment and a lot out of unforgiving—all of those not so great things. "Always" and "never," those are black-and-white words that don't apply to the real world. It's nice to have the thought perhaps, but it's really passing on some kind of shame that you have from your parents—and that doesn't need to happen. The main thing is starting over fresh and allowing [your kids] to be who they are. They have their own path, they have their own higher power that's looking out for them—we're just the guardians. We're "to be there" and to keep them safe and fed and loved—the simple things in life. Let them explore and embrace their world.

The movie quotes a statistic that says children in fatherless homes are 20 times more likely to end up in prison. When Metallica played at San Quentin in 2003, did you ever look into the crowd of cons and think—that could've been me?

Yes. There's a sadness to that—them not being able to see their calling. I'm very grateful to have had at least some grasp about what was there, and what was always going to be there for me, which was music. These words that were speaking for me—when I felt that I couldn't speak. And we as a band have had the pleasure, and I guess blessing, of being able to go into San Quentin and also places like the San Francisco Symphony—and play music to both ends of the spectrum. You really see that there's absence on both ends—whether you're physically not there, or mentally not there.

Marin is becoming known for its "mentally not there" parents—some child experts are linking it to the county's high rate of teen suicides.

Some fathers are really workaholics, lost in their work, and not really facing why as, say, the hunter of the family, they're going and doing what's supposed to be—and then not really being able to connect with the family. They're just being the breadwinner. And missing out on a lot of life, as well.

It's interesting how the film places fatherhood into a historical context. The Industrial Revolution changed America from an agrarian society to an industrial one—and suddenly the dads were leaving the house from 9 to 5 and coming home and going to bed and not being part of the family.

My boy asked me a question once that really spun my head. He asked me, "Dad, why do we have to work? Who invented work?"

What did you tell him?

I didn't know what to tell him. I just thought—wow. But the movie touched a little bit on, at least in American culture, how the 9 to 5 became extremely important in the role of the father. For better or worse.

If your father were alive today, what would you tell him you've learned about fatherhood?

I guess I would say that it's not easy. And I understand some of the struggles that he had. But I would never abandon, no matter how tough things were. No matter how much resentment I had—or how much frustration I had with my partner or with the whole family. Abandonment, to me, is a core thorn in my side. And I would not wish that upon anyone, knowing how much it hurt me.

When your son gets to the point where he might become a father, what advice will you give him?

What I can say is, do your best. That's all. Even if it's not good enough for that son, you can sleep well thinking that you did your best. I hope my father was able to come to that conclusion before he passed. It was easier for me to understand his struggles when I saw where he came from.

Have you forgiven your father?

Well that has to be, it really does. I do believe he did his best and he had lots of things to deal with as far as struggles of his own. Some of those were passed to me and I'm battling—I'm going to war, I'm the warrior—to try and not pass that on as well.

SHOWING SOON

Join James Hetfield and director Justin Hunt in person when Absent screens Thursday, March 3, 7pm at the Rafael Film Center, 1118 Fourth St., San Rafael. 415/454-1222 or http://www.rafaeltheater.cafilm.org .

Email Jason at jwalsh@pacificsun.com .

Justin Hunt speaking to Harvester of Sofia: Metallica is, and has been, my best friend for the past 25 years

The highest compliment to me from James is to have his respect for me and my art like i do for him and his

The Bulgarian Metclub chapter Harvester of Sofia has the pleasure to meet you with Justin Hunt. He is an American filmmaker and became popular among Metallica fans with the film „Absent” in which James shares the story about his father who left the family when Hetfield was only 13 years old. The documentary movie examines the need for an emotional bond that children without fathers often experience. Justin Hunt was negotiating with possible narrators when his big break came via an e-mail. “I was driving on the freeway I almost crashed,” Hunt said. The e-mail was from METALLICA. Hetfield wanted to be involved with the project.

We contacted Justin for an interview:

Do you remember your first Metallica show and what impression the band left in you after that?
My first show was in 1999 at the blockbuster pavilion in Phoenix, Arizona (USA). i drove 9 hours to get there from las cruces, new mexico. jerry cantrell and days of the new opened for them. i was blown away. all i’d heard up to that point were tapes and cds, and this was real and in front of me. i could feel jason’s bass in my chest. it was amazing and unlike any other experience in my life, up to that point.

Have you ever thought that after more that 30 years Metallica will be one of the biggest bands in the music scene ever and that they will go beyond every boundary of the heavy metal music?
having studied, for the past 20 years, their professionalism, drive, management of self and business, marketing tactics and sheer aggression at taking control of their situation, as opposed to reacting to it, it doesn’t surprise me in the least that they are where they are.

Which are the songs that you think Metallica should play on stage more often? What is your dream setlist?
i think it’s important to mix up the set lists. so, i don’t have a ‘play more’ wish list. i am, however, a fan of a few of the classic concert favorites: bellz, one, creeping death, harvester, etc. if there is a track or two i’d personally like to see in concert that i haven’t yet, i’d say fixxxer, outlaw torn, bleeding me.

What has changed in the band as Rob came in? Do you think the fans already prefer him to Jason?
no comment on that one. i wouldn’t speculate or presume to speak for the fans on who they like better. they’re both amazing musicians. personally, i always had a liking for jason and his attitude, from the fan’s perspective. it did my heart good to see him onstage with them at the hall of fame induction.

How do you see Metallica in the near future (10 years) – less concerts and 1-2 new albums at most or nothing will change much and the band will continue roaming the planet with lots of shows each year.
i think metallica will continue to do what they’re best at doing, playing music for their friends, until they feel that they’re not doing it at their highest level. that’s how they operate, at the top. if ever they don’t feel it’s their best, then they’ll more than likely make what they feel is the best decision for the band and the hundreds of millions that love them.

What is Metallica personally for you? Did Metallica change your life in some way?
metallica is, and has been, my best friend for the past 25 years. they mean the world to me. they completely changed my life and how i approach it. actually, i wouldn’t say they changed it. they shaped it.

Did anything changed now after you and James are friends? Is there a difference between James Hetfield from Metallica and James the person?
our friendship is something that i have the deepest respect for. i think so many people are used to, and need, james hetfield of metallica that they lose sight of the fact that james hetfield is also a human being, just like you and i. is there a difference between the two? not much. what you see onstage now is the same james hetfield that makes faces at and jokes with my two children or that i discuss issues we face in life as men with. he’s utterly authentic as a person, and just happens to be one of the greatest guitarists and front men of all time. the highest compliment to me is to have his respect for me and my art like i do for him and his.

You made some screenings across USA. Do you have plans doing this in Europе?
i’d like to do some screenings in europe, for sure. i really just need to create a grassroots effort there and get the support of people like you to help get those things in motion. i’m doing all of the booking myself, so if anyone wants to do a screening they need just reach out and spark the conversation.

Have you ever expected that your movies will have such a huge impact for the people? And have you ever thought that you will make great successes with both of them?
i’d hoped they would, but i never expected it to be at this level. i don’t really make the films with the intent of reaching a certain number of people or affecting one particular group. i just make them because i feel they need to be made, and let God take it over from there.

Tell us more about you future plans?
professionally, i’m just hoping to keep going with these movies and making a difference in this world. i’m shooting my third film now and have ideas for more. i’d also like to direct a feature film soon. one goal i do have is to expand beyond the u.s. and really start causing an impact in other parts of the world on a larger scale.

Don’t laugh a lot now… If you ever make a movie for bullterriers will you call Kerrie King’s father? (Random question from one of our members)
i’ll mull over the bull terriers concepts and make SURE i call kerrie king’s father, should i move forward on that.

Do you know something for Bulgaria?
i don’t know as much about bulgaria as i’d like to. one thing i have been told is that the women there are beautiful, which, as a single guy, makes me want to visit. we should definitely do a screening there! ha ha.

Would you say something special to the members of HOS?
for the harvester of sofia chapter: i can tell you from personal experience that are you supporting not only the greatest heavy metal band of all time, but some of the most amazing men i’ve ever met. the music of metallica comes from within these men, not from the standpoint of ‘what would be commercially successful?’ in essence, you are not ‘fans’ of the music, you are literally friends of metallica who are sharing in their experiences here on this planet. they know who you are and they appreciate you and love you. i’ve been to HQ and have seen the banners hanging from the walls. you mean as much to them as they to you. don’t ever forget that. it’s that mutual love and respect that makes it worth every ticket you’ve ever bought, every line you’ve ever stood in, every shirt you’ve ever worn. and i’m honored, as a friend of metallica myself, to be invited into your chapter to share a few of my experiences. after all, isn’t that what being a metallica fan is all about?

much love from the states…justin

"Absent" Documentary Featuring Metallica Frontman James Hetfield to Be Released

Filmmaker Justin Hunt created a full-length documentary which deals with the issue of absent or disengaged fathers called Absent. Metallica lead singer James Hetfield is prominently featured in the film because of his own personal experience of being abandoned by his father when he was just 13 years old. In an interview with Rockville Music Magazine earlier this year, Hetfield explained that when he had children he wasn’t prepared to be father. "My dad didn't teach me to do this or this…there was a lot of resentment that came from fear. And I figured out [kids] don't need all of that. They don't need the instructions. They need guidance. They need love. They need you to be there, simple as that," said Hetfield.

Hetfield notes he made some mistakes as a father citing an instance in 2001 when he missed his son’s birthday because he was in Russia on a drunken hunting trip. Hetfield now claims that he always puts his kids first, and when special events occur in his children’s lives he’ll “pull them from school and fly them to Lisbon or fly them to Philly, or wherever it is, so the kids gets to celebrate with their Pops."

Absent will be available on DVD starting September 5.

Absent: The Film Featuring James Hetfield of Metallica Available to Order Tomorrow

By Jason Woodbury Thu., Aug. 4 2011 at 1:00 PM

Do you remember a couple months back, when I wrote about the Central Christian Church screening of Absent, the documentary by Justin Hunt about absent fathers featuring James Hetfield of Metallica?

Yeah, me too. This year has flown by. I feel like I wrote that yesterday, but that was freaking April. Maybe you missed the screening, but if you did and really want to see the movie, you are in luck. Absent is available for pre-order starting tomorrow, August 5. But unlike that screening at Central Christian, Mr. Hetfield will not personally attend private screenings at your place.

From the official site:

This coming Friday, August 5th, at 12:01 am (pst), pre-ordering will be available for the DVD, which will also include numerous bonus features, including two Q&A sessions with Justin and Metallica front man James Hetfield, as well as the trailer for Justin's third film, 'The Speed of Orange'. The official release date for the DVD is September 5th. As a 'Thank You' to everyone for their patience, Justin has agreed to sign the first 2,500 copies ordered. The Absent DVD is available exclusively here on the web site. Click on the 'Store' page to order yours starting this Friday!

In unrelated news, yesterday was James Hetfield's 48th birthday. I know it's customary for the birthday boy to get a wish on his b-day, but I've actually got one pertaining to Hetfield: I'm hoping, praying, and wishing that the forthcoming Lou Reed/Metallica album is so weird it rules.

ABSENT’S WORLDWIDE RELEASE

DEBRA MAYEUX, TRI-CITY TRIBUNE

James Hetfield, lead singer of Metallica, talks with Justin Hunt during a sold out screening of Absent in Phoenix, Ariz.

James Hetfield, lead singer of the world’s most famous heavy metal band, wants to be a warrior on the home front. Metallica’s Hetfield is taking on fatherlessness in a movie that will be released Monday, Sept. 5, for purchase all over the world.

This movie, Absent was made by Farmington’s Justin Hunt, whose first movie “American Meth” won the National Media Award in June from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and soon will be available on iTunes.

Hunt contacted Hetfield when he began working on his second full-length documentary. The project made it past Metallica’s management and into Hetfield’s hands. The mega rock star had his own father issues, with a dad that left him a goodbye note, when Hetfield was only 13.

“I heard about what it was pertaining to, and I thought it sounded like a great opportunity,” Hetfield said in an exclusive telephone interview with the Tri-City Tribune. The rocker thought about coming on board as the narrator, but his struggles to overcome being fatherless made for a much better story in the movie.

Hunt got the idea for the film after reading the book, “Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secrets of a Man’s Soul,” by John Eldredge, who also appears in the movie. Hunt wanted to investigate the societal problems caused by fatherlessness.

Hetfield had been through rehab, where he attempted to make peace with his childhood, but the movie helped him move further forward. “When there is trauma in youth, it is good to revisit it – the hatred; the anger – and clear that out,” he said.

“The impact of the movie has opened my eyes to how grateful I am not continuing the cycle of writing a note and saying goodbye. I want to be the best male warrior figure I can be,” Hetfield said. “This movie has done a lot more for me than I thought it would. Justin, the crew, the books opened my eyes to the male role in the family – the father.”

Hetfield was afraid he didn’t have what it took to be a father, but he put himself in the shoes of his three children and asked himself what he would want to hear from his dad, he said. He also read “Wild at Heart,” which pointed out and celebrated the man as a father, which he said made him stronger.

Hetfield read the book and discussed it with Hunt during an early morning car ride to a San Francisco television studio for a March 30 airing of the Fox and Friends. He said the book helped him heal and become a better father.

“We were two men talking about the importance of fatherhood and how we can make it better,” said Hunt, who gave Hetfield the book. “It meant the world to me, not because he’s James Hetfield, but because I was helping another man.”

Hetfield also helped Hunt by attending various screenings of the movie, for which he originally wanted a theatrical release. Funding, however, did not come through. “I would like to see it as a documentary people respect and see. … A lot of people have identified with it in a lot of ways. Hopefully it’s healing where it needs to heal,” Hetfield said.

Hunt has received awards for the film that also includes an interview with New Mexico boxing legend Johnny Tapia; prostitutes on the streets of Albuquerque and runaways living on the streets in Miami.

Tapia actually breaks down on tape, when he tells of how is father was murdered before he was born. There also are interviews with various experts on the topic of fatherlessness. “I’m thankful Justin collected all of these great minds and put it on a DVD,” Hetfield said, hopeful it would provide a path toward healing for future generations, by fostering an obligation toward fatherhood.

“If you’re going to take the responsibility of having sex to create a child, then take the responsibility to be a role model for that child,” said Hetfield, who loves to sit down with his wife and children for a family dinner. He even invited Hunt to a family dinner.

“Justin is a really great father. What he’s doing for his family is very warrior like,” Hetfield said.

Hunt is the father of two children, Lantz, 10, and Abbey, 8, who helped with the film. Lantz made a video alongside his father, while Abbey learned to ride her bike without her dad’s help. “That was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do,” Hunt said. He wanted to put down the camera and come to her aid, but he also wanted to point out that thousands of children go through those important moments in life without a father.

“The bright spot of this was we went back together to the park the next day, and I taught her properly. Within a matter of five minutes of getting out of the truck, she learned to ride her bike,” he said.

“Absent” is available for $19.99 on the Website: www.absentmovie.com, and there already are pre-orders in 28 countries. There will be a screening of the film at 6 p.m. and 8:15 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Abby Theater in Durango, Colo., and a DVD signing from 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 30 at Hastings Books and Music in Farmington.

“We’re also working on a video-on-demand contract that will put the movie in 100 million households,” Hunt said.

"The Hobbit" films get titles and release dates

2011-05-31T17:58:00.007-04:00

Tue May 31, 2:07 am ET

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) – Peter Jackson's two upcoming movies based on J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" have been given official names and release dates.

The first of the two films, which are currently being filmed back-to-back in New Zealand, "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," arrives in theaters on December 14, 2012.

The sequel, opening December 13, 2013, will be known as "The Hobbit: There and Back Again." Both will be released through Warner Bros.

The two prequels to Jackson's "Lord of the Rings" trilogy follow the adventures of Bilbo Baggins -- to be played by Martin Freeman, with Ian Holm reprising his role as the elder Bilbo -- in his quest to reclaim the lost Dwarf Kingdom of Erebor from the dragon Smaug.

The sprawling cast includes a number of other "Rings" veterans: Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey; Cate Blanchett as Galadriel; Orlando Bloom as Legolas; Christopher Lee as Saruman; Hugo Weaving as Elrond; Elijah Wood as Frodo; and Andy Serkis as Gollum.

Heavy Metal for Children

2011-05-31T01:48:00.002-04:00

A friend made me aware of comic Jim Breuer's presentation of how to coincide his favorite music of heavy metal into the standard children's song fare.
Very funny indeed....and maybe not such a bad idea....

This also reminded me of another similar idea - lullabies for infants created from the classics. For instance, Rockabye Baby presents "Metallica."

Happy Memorial Day!

2011-05-30T20:41:00.002-04:00

~Click here to see the official music video~
(embedding was disabled)

Bohemian Rhapsody - Exclusively on Bass!

2011-05-15T23:42:00.000-04:00

I was enlightened by my friend Joseph about this video showing bassist Simon Fitzpatrick play all of Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" entirely on his bass. Enjoy!

Dream Theater's New Drummer!

2011-05-04T23:20:00.008-04:00

Well, it was announced last year that Mike Portnoy, the drummer for Dream Theater, decided to leave the band. (Read Mike's and Dream Theater's statements here)

So Dream Theater embarked upon a quest for a new drummer. Interestingly, they decided to film the auditioning process, and created a documentary and released it in installments this week. Watch their journey here with the new drummer revealed at the end!

Here are the songs they had the drummers audition with:

The Dance of Eternity
A Nightmare to Remember
The Spirit Carries On

Read the interview Mike did with Modern Drummer Magazine on his new future with Dream Theater.

Read the Interviews that Drum Magazine conducted with Mike.
Read the interview that Music Radar conducted with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess about their ordeal as a band in search of a new drummer and the future of Dream Theater.

Watch the video below to see some of Mike's previous work as well as how he attained his title of World's Fastest Drummer. (and a cute commercial he was in demonstrating his mad skills)

19th Century Art Exhibit Brings Fresh Light to Easter

2011-04-24T02:27:00.000-04:00

After years in storage, James Tissot's "Life of Christ" paintings are on display at the Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Va. The rare 19th century art collection is considered a treasure, not only for art lovers, but for anyone wanting a better understanding of the life of Jesus. "He's trying to create as truthful of an image of the original story as he possibly," Chrysler Museum Curator Jeff Harrison said.

Tissot was known as a high society painter. But according to Harrison, he later experienced a vision of Christ that changed his life. "He turns his back on the material world and goes for a new spiritual goal," Harrison explained.

In the late 1800s, Tissot's depictions became the first major attempt to realistically portray the Savior. In all, Tissot created 350 watercolors over a 10-year period. "He makes two visits to the Holy Land in the 1880s and he sketches obsessively -- the people, the landscape, the setting -- and he becomes an expert on daily life in the Holy Land," Harrison said.

Harrison explained how Tissot's painting of Jesus' crucifixion shows how the artist brings a fresh take on the familiar images. "You are one with Christ looking down at his family, his followers, his tormentors - all assembled in front of him," Harrison said describing the painting.

Many art lovers also appreciate Tissot's attention to detail. He produced the miniature gems not just for public viewing, but for later publication in a biblical storybook. It became known as "The Tissot Bible." "These watercolors they're so small and full of detail," Tissot admirer Hilda Andres said. "It was just amazing."

Harrison says the response to the original exhibition in Paris was overwhelming. Some visitors even went through on their knees, as if on a pilgrimage. Even those who claim they're not religious say the works move them.

Many of Tissot's peers, however, criticized his work, saying it was too realistic and too detailed. The painter's response? The spirit is in the detail and in the truth.

The Tissot exhibit at the Chrysler Museum ends June 5. The collection will then go into storage for several years to allow recovery from light exposure.. However, you can view a number of Tissot's works a the Brooklyn Museum website.

Video 5 of Holy Week

2011-04-22T14:37:00.002-04:00

I decided I would post one video a day of Holy Week,
something I have edited with an Easter theme.
Here is video number five.

The Jewish Jesus: Suffering Servant

2011-04-22T02:47:00.001-04:00

In Psalm 22, King David described the violent form of death Jesus would suffer hundreds of years later. He was just one of many Jewish writers who prophesied the death and resurrection of the Messiah. For murderers and thieves, it was the ultimate punishment. But for a Jewish man who claimed to be the Messiah, it was the ultimate sacrifice.

Video 4 of Holy Week

2011-04-21T14:33:00.001-04:00

I decided I would post one video a day of Holy Week,
something I have edited with an Easter theme.
Here is video number four.

Video 3 of Holy Week

2011-04-20T14:30:00.002-04:00

I decided I would post one video a day of Holy Week,
something I have edited with an Easter theme.
Here is video number three.

Video 2 of Holy Week

2011-04-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

I decided I would post one video a day of Holy Week,
something I have edited with an Easter theme.
Here is video number two.

Video 1 of Holy Week

2011-04-18T23:25:00.001-04:00

I decided I would post one video a day of Holy Week,
something I have edited with an Easter theme.
Here is video number one...it poses the question for the week
that will ultimately be answered.

Rock Sugar!

2011-03-27T00:25:00.001-04:00

Thanks to my good friend Jeff (via his friends Jason and Cailean), I have been exposed to a great new(er) band. They do covers, but in a seamless and creative way---mashing up both pop and rock songs from the 80's into one song medley at a time. They're called Rock Sugar, and you should check them out!

Peter Jackson starts filming on "The Hobbit"

2011-03-22T19:32:00.001-04:00

Cameras roll on 'The Hobbit' films in New Zealand

Peter Jackson – Photo: AP

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Cameras started rolling Monday on director Peter Jackson's production of "The Hobbit," following months of delays on the prequel to his Oscar-winning "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Hollywood studio funding problems, a threatened actors' boycott and ulcer surgery for Jackson have plagued pre-production on the $500 million, two-movie project.

The director posted a studio news release on his website Monday saying production has commenced in New Zealand on the much-anticipated project.

British actor Martin Freeman will star as hobbit Bilbo Baggins alongside Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Orlando Bloom in twin movies of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel about a short, hairy-footed hero.

The films are expected to take up to two years to make, with the first timed for release in late 2012.

"The Hobbit" is a prequel to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by Tolkien that Jackson helmed to blockbuster film success in 2001-03, winning best-picture and best-director Oscars for the finale.

Jackson underwent surgery last month for a perforated stomach ulcer, pushing back the start of filming at least by several days.

Last October, New Zealand changed labor laws and tipped in extra tax breaks for Hollywood studios MGM and New Line Cinema to ensure the Hobbit films would be made in the country.

The changes mean actors and others working on the films will be hired as contractors not employees. The union had wanted local actors and other production workers to be hired as full-fledged employees on union contracts.

New Zealand received a huge boost to its tourism and film-making industries from "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Freeman, whose films include "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and "Hot Fuzz" but who may be best known from Ricky Gervais' "The Office" television comedy, has said playing Baggins is the role of a lifetime.

Upcoming Films on Jesus - "The Messiah" and "The Resurrection"

2011-03-19T21:54:00.003-04:00

In the wake of "The Passion of the Christ," there have been talk of subsequent movies in the same vein, some of which want to portray the "sequel" of the events of the Passion, usually focusing on the Resurrection and start of the early church. One in production is to be called "The Resurrection," produced by Tim LaHaye's Ministry. Currently, they are raising money to finish filming the film:

The Resurrection Project is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating on a DBA under the Tim LaHaye Ministries organization. We are reaching out to the Body of Christ to help us fund a $25,000,000 major motion picture based on The Resurrection of Jesus Christ that has been 5 years in the making. We have a script in-hand that we believe will unite the Global Church as well as the Jewish community by creating a movie of the highest quality for the whole world funded by the Body of Christ. We are looking for 1,000,000 Christians to sew in $25 to help make this film a reality. Please see our DONATE page to make a contribution.

Follow our journey through fundraising, pre-production, filming, post-production and theatrical release as we make history by creating the first film fully funded and afforded by the Body of Christ which can be used to bring revival to the four corners of the world.

The second film is to be called "The Messiah," and will deal with the events of the death & resurrection of Christ and the subsequent start of the early church. It's is being made by a production company called "In Jesus Name Productions" and is founded by a member of my church (McLean Bible Church), leaving his position as a VP of Oracle to pursue this filmmaking company and its projects.

While remaining true to scriptures, The Messiah unfolds the events surrounding Jesus’ death, resurrection and Pentecost in a relevant and compelling way, and for the first time, allows audiences to visually experience the full message of the Gospel - God lives within us. Set against the staggering backdrop of first-century Jerusalem, the film will bring this breathtaking city to life in a way we’ve never seen.

The Messiah is a major motion picture and is tentatively planned for a 2012 worldwide release.

So these are a couple of movies to be looking for in the near future. It looks like there are those trying to produce some quality Christian films, but both of these are needing financial support in order to be completed. Whether or not you want to donate is your choice, but at the least, it's refreshing to see that there are still those who want to keep filmmaking a God-honoring art.

Congrats Alice! Induction into the R&R Hall of Fame!

2011-03-14T23:04:00.011-04:00

Congrats to Alice Cooper, who with his original bandmates as the group Alice Cooper,

are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

Watch the induction here:

Here is a Rolling Stone interview with the band after the induction:

Here is an interview with Alice and his inductor, Rob Zombie:

And here is his performance on Jay Leno on the 18th (wearing his tux from the induction) with Dweezil Zappa playing lead guitar (it starts at the 38:00 minute mark):

Here is a nice interview he gave to USA Today...

Who knew his favorite book of the Bible was James?

Lent in Narnia

2011-03-10T14:40:00.004-05:00

Lent in Narnia

Would C.S. Lewis have renounced Turkish Delight from Ash Wednesday to Easter?

Devin Brown | posted 3/10/2011 09:34AM

In his short essay "Some Thoughts," C. S. Lewis examines the paradoxical fact that the Christian calendar is as full of feasts as it is fasts, as full of fasts as it is feasts.

How did the Christian faith come to have this unique "two-edged" character, a stance which is both world-affirming and world-denying? Lewis explains that on one hand "because God created the Natural—invented it out of His love and artistry—it demands our reverence." But at the same time, "because Nature, and especially human nature is fallen it must be corrected and the evil within it must be mortified."

But make no mistake, Lewis writes, its essence is good, and correction is "something quite different" from repudiation or Stoic superiority. And hence, Lewis argues, all true Christian asceticism will have "respect for the thing rejected" at its center. "Feasts are good," Lewis concludes, "though today we fast."

Lewis makes a similar point in his essay "A Slip of the Tongue," where he argues that in the life of a perfect believer, feasts "would be as Christian" as fasts.

Though today we fast, feasts are good. Feasts are, or should be, as Christian as fasts. These statements might serve as helpful signposts as we enter the seasons of Lent and Easter.

This two-edged, world-denying and world-affirming, stance is seen clearly in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in the Turkish Delight which Edmund is tempted with and in the delightful meal served up by the Beavers.

Early in the story, the White Witch creates a box filled with "several pounds" of Turkish Delight which Edmund greedily devours. Donald Glover has called Lewis's specific choice of Turkish Delight a master stroke, one made with clear intention. What would have been lost if the Witch had tempted Edmund with, for example, oatmeal and raisin cookies? Glover argues that Turkish Delight is "a highly overrated sweet," and Narnia fans who have gone in search of the candy may agree, wondering how Edmund could have fallen prey to the overly sugared confection. Surely the name promises more than the candy delivers, and this, perhaps, is Lewis's point. Furthermore, it is not just Delight but Turkish Delight, a title containing, as Glover has observed, "Oriental and romantic overtones," further promises left unfulfilled by the sticky goo.

Gilbert Meilaender, in a chapter appropriately titled "The Sweet Poison of the False Infinite," provides an analysis of the spell that the Witch's candy casts upon Edmund. As Meilaender explains, the phrase "the sweet poison of the false infinite" comes from Lewis's novel Perelandra and refers to any love of secondary things which has become inordinate. In Miracles, Lewis maintains that we are to offer the created things and pleasures of this world "neither worship nor contempt." Meilaender points out that the theme of inordinate loves is one to which Lewis often returns.

The Witch's magic candy is a sickly imitation of the wholesome food the children are served at the Beavers' house. There they eat boiled potatoes with "a great big lump of deep yellow butter" from which everyone can take "as much as he wanted." The main course is "good freshwater fish" followed by "a great and gloriously sticky marmalade roll" fresh from the oven and steaming hot. Afterwards, they each have a big cup of tea, push back their stools, and let out "a long sigh of contentment."

Lewis's point with the Turkish Delight is not that enjoying sweets is bad; in fact, his position is quite the contrary. Enjoyment of life's pleasures in all their variety and plenitude will be an essential quality of proper Narnian life. This was seen earlier in the tea that Mr. Tumnus provided for Lucy which included "a nice brown egg, lightly boiled, for each of them, and then sardines on toast, and then buttered toast, and then toast with honey, and then a sugar-topped cake." Meilaender points out that in both his fiction and non-fiction, Lewis suggests over and over that "to be fully human involves a certain stance toward the things of creation," one of deep enjoyment but not slavish adoration.

Lewis's devil Screwtape explains the situation to his young nephew this way: "Never forget that when we are dealing with any pleasure in its healthy and normal and satisfying form, we are, in a sense, on the Enemy's ground. … He made the pleasures. … All we can do is to encourage the humans to take the pleasure which our Enemy has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden."

In his essay "First and Second Things," Lewis elaborates on this point, writing:

By valuing too highly a real but subordinate good, we … come near to losing that good itself. The woman who makes a dog the center of her life loses, in the end, not only her human usefulness and dignity but even the proper pleasure of dog-keeping. … Every preference of a small good to a great, or a partial good to a total good, involves the loss of the small or partial good. … You can't get second things by putting them first; you can get second things only by putting first things first.

These real but subordinate goods come in endless variety besides the sorts of activities which are typically given up for Lent, things like eating sweets, smoking, or drinking Coke. Human curiosity, for example, is one of these real goods which must have its ordinate place. We see its proper role in the lives of the four Pevensies when they decide to explore the Professor's house. As the narrator tells us, "That was how the adventures began." The Professor's house is described as having a whole series of rooms lined with books, an indicator of the goodness of curiosity in its proper place in the Professor's life and vocation.

It was not always like this. In The Magician's Nephew, Digory's healthy sense of curiosity became inordinate as he forcibly made Polly stay in Charn while he struck the mysterious bell to find out what would happen. As Jonathan Rogers has noted, here Digory shows "an excessive desire for knowledge." It is fitting that at this point Polly tells Digory he looks just like his Uncle Andrew.

But lest we react too strongly and reject curiosity or any other created thing altogether, Lewis also includes in The Magician's Nephew one of the most awe-inspiring creation scenes in all of literature, as Aslan sings Narnia into existence—each star, stag, bird, and blade of grass. You may choose to despise the things of this world, Lewis seems be saying, but know that they came from the Creator's loving hand with a very different relationship in mind.

"A properly Christian view of things requires more than a right relationship to the things of heaven," Jonathan Rogers writes. "It requires a right relationship to the things of earth too." Rogers concludes that "by allowing the reader to watch the creation of another world, C. S. Lewis evokes an appropriate awe and delight in the things of this world."

As we enter into the season of Lent, it might be helpful to see these 40 days not so much a time of renunciation (unless, of course, we have things to renounce) but a time of reordering, a time to slow down, step back, and carefully examine the things we have actively made or passively allowed to become the first things and second things in our lives.

Devin Brown is a Lilly Scholar and a Professor of English at Asbury University. He is the author of Inside Narnia (2005), Inside Prince Caspian (2008), and Inside the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010).

Toddlers & Tiaras

2011-03-02T22:39:00.000-05:00

I came across this video skit from Jimmy Kimmel Live's show, parodying the TV show "Toddlers and Tiaras" to show the ridiculousness of such a lifestyle. I must say it had me in stitches a few times...it might need a couple of viewings to catch everything.

FYI, if you want to see a real life example of what Mr. Hanks is parodying, here is a great episode:

Interesting Play Juxtaposes Freud and Lewis

2011-02-27T12:51:00.002-05:00

Freud, C. S. Lewis Get into an Argument . . .

That's the premise of 'Freud's Last Session,' a play now in an extended run in New York

by Mark Moring

C. S. Lewis, Sigmund Freud, and God walk into a bar, and . . .

Well, that's not quite the setting, and it's not quite a joke, but there is humor aplenty to be found in Freud's Last Session, an off-Broadway play in New York that imagines a conversation between the two thinkers -- the Christian Lewis and the atheist Freud -- and their musings on God.

Here's one example of the smart banter between the two:

LEWIS: The wish that God doesn’t exist can be just as powerful as the belief He does. I’d even say choosing to disbelieve may be stronger evidence for His existence, since you have to be aware of what you’re denying.

FREUD: I deny the existence of Unicorns. Therefore, they exist?

Jerry Tallmer of New York's Downtown Express sheds more light on the production, which has also received rave reviews:

“Sharp, lively discourse…The humor is plentiful! Martin Rayner delivers a wise and cranky Freud. Mark H. Dold paints a wonderfully warm portrait of the young C.S. Lewis" (NY Times).

"A juicy intellectual debate…Terrific performances!” (NY Post).

“Riveting theater!” (Huffington Post)

Alice Cooper Joins Others for Arizona Benefit Concert

2011-02-20T01:20:00.010-05:00

Browne, Cooper to play benefit in Tucson, Arizona

TUCSON, Arizona (AP) — Jackson Browne, Alice Cooper, David Crosby and Graham Nash will perform in Tucson, Arizona, to benefit a charitable fund established after the shooting there that killed six people and wounded 13 others.

Other acts at the March 10 concert that Browne and Cooper announced this week include Sam Moore, Nils Lofgren, Keb' Mo', Jerry Riopelle, Dar Williams, Ozomatli and Calexico.

Astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of wounded U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, plans to speak at the event.

It will benefit the Fund for Civility, Respect, and Understanding. Wounded Giffords aide Ron Barber started the fund to support people affected by the Jan. 8 shooting and to hold events promoting community unity.

You know our humble host is a longtime resident of Arizona. So he's honored to be performing at a concert to benefit the victims of January's shooting rampage in Tucson. Jackson Browne and Alice Cooper just announced an all-star line-up of musicians at the Tucson Convention Center, (who have donated the building), on Thursday, March 10, 6PM. The event is a fundraiser for the non-profit Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, benefiting the newly established Fund for Civility, Respect, and Understanding.

The Fund will support individuals and families affected by the January 8th shooting in Tucson, and will promote civility and respect in public discourse, schools, and the community. The fund will also work to increase awareness of mental health symptoms, prevention and treatment services.

Performers include Jackson Browne, Alice Cooper, David Crosby & Graham Nash, Sam Moore, Nils Lofgren, Keb’ Mo’, Jerry Riopelle, Dar Williams, Ozomatli, and Calexico. The event will also feature speakers including Ron Barber, who was among those wounded on January 8, NASA Astronaut Mark Kelly (Giffords’ husband), Lea Marquez Peterson (president of the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce) and Tucson Mayor Bob Walkup (who introduced a nation-wide Civility Accord at the winter legislative meeting of the U.S. Conference of Mayors in Washington, D.C. on January 18, which has since been signed by almost 200 mayors).

Tickets go on sale February 19th at 10 a.m. through the Tucson Convention Center Ticket Office 260 S. Church Ave. (10 a.m. - noon), on the web at http://www.ticketmaster.com/, by phone (800)745-3000 and all Ticketmaster Outlets.

Good music for a good cause! The Coop hopes to see you there!

This isn't the first time Alice has done music for charity. He also raises money for his own charity, The Solid Rock Foundation, which provides an alternative for youth at risk.

Here is a great interview with Alice where he talks a lot about his life story, his Foundation, and his faith.
Interview with Alice Cooper by queen_spoo

Here is a video for his charity foundation:

Surprise of the Week: CC's a Christian!

2011-02-13T02:01:00.003-05:00

I guess I'm a little behind the times, since this happened a couple of years ago. However, I randomly came across information that the guitarist from one of my favorite hair bands from the 80's - Poison, who I saw perform recently in 2009 - has now converted to Christianity! CC DeVille at some point became a believer, and apparently this pastor's report stated that CC invited him backstage to ask for spiritual advice as to how he can communicate his faith at Poison concerts. He suggested that one way would be to play Amazing Grace during his solo stint, which he actually did!

Here is the Pastor's account of his meeting backstage with CC as well as a video to document some of the time they spent talking.

So Wednesday afternoon my friend, Derek Bruner from Cross Point, called me with the weirdest pastoral request I’ve ever gotten. He asked me if I would be willing to come down and go backstage at the Poison concert to meet with C.C. DeVille (their lead guitarist). Apparently C.C. has just become a Christian and was wondering if I would be willing to bring him some messages he could listen to on the road, as well as just encourage him, and answer a few questions.

I figured it wouldn’t be a good idea to be hanging out backstage at a Poison concert without taking one of our elders, Brian Alexander. We had an awesome night. While I’m certainly going to keep the bulk of our conversations private, there were a few things I feel comfortable sharing.

This guy has an amazing heart. We spent some time with him pre-concert and before he went to get ready to go on stage he said, “Pete would you watch the show tonight and tell me if you see me do anything that would not be honoring to God.” Are you kidding me????

After the concert we had a creative team meeting with him where we suggested a few different ways he could interweave the story of what God is doing in his life through his music. The entire experience was surreal, to say the least.

You can watch the video below to hear C.C. discuss such topics as cussing, elder meetings, accountability and guitar hero. It’s almost six minutes long, but you won’t be disappointed.

the unofficial pastor to poison,

Pete

Guitar Hero from Pete Wilson on Vimeo

I also came across some other videos on YouTube, and found a series that Living Legends Music conducted with CC. Interestingly enough, they were interviewing him about music, but he talked more about God and what he is learning in his life than he did about music! I must say that I am encouraged and pray that he will be sustained in his faith in the rock industry he's in. Apparently, CC's conversion is affecting the rest of Poison (save one member, I hear), where they are toning down their language and are open to CC's testimony of what God is doing in his life. May we all have the enthusiasm CC shows as a new believer!

More News on "The Hobbit"

2011-01-21T20:03:00.006-05:00

It's Official: Ian McKellen to Return as Gandalf in 'The Hobbit'

6:04 PM 1/10/2011 by Borys Kit

Tim Whitby/Getty Images

Ian McKellen has signed on to return as wizard Gandalf in The Hobbit, the two-pic adaptation of the J.R.R. Tolkien novel being directed by Peter Jackson.

The dealmaking on Hobbit for a slew of Jackson veterans from his Lord of the Rings trilogy has been coming fast and furious and comes on the heels of Andy Serkis finally inking his deal to reprise Gollum.

The Hobbit book introduced Gandalf and Gollum, with both characters going on to become part of literature’s most popular characters. Gandalf sets the adventure going in the story and appears throughout the novel. Gollum appears in a chapter that has gone on to be one of the most memorable in all of fantasy literature.

Elijah Wood signed his deal to return as Frodo last week, and Cate Blanchett will play Galadriel once again. Orlando Bloom has an offer to return as elf archer Legolas, though it’s too early to tell if a deal will be made.

McKellen, who was nominated for an Oscar for his portrayal of Gandalf, has spent recent years doing mostly voice work for film and TV, although he did star in the remake of AMC's The Prisoner. His last major film role was in 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand.

Hobbit starts shooting Feb. 14 in New Zealand.

Ian McKellen held out on The Hobbit because he's old, not because he wants more money

(A.V. Club) -- There were those who greeted the news of Ian McKellen’s late-stage signing on to The Hobbit as a holdout calculated to wring a larger payday out of a bunch of naïve movie folks, folks from a Hollywood where values are… different, who just wanted to tell a story about a squat man and his magical ring, and a slick small-towner like Ian McKellen was trying to take ’em for all they were worth. Not so! McKellen explained via his personal blog, which he has, that the delay was simply a matter of timing and his own advancing years, saying, “All I had to decide was what to do with the time that is given me.” As such, his main concern was being able to do other things during the 18 months that “Gandalf is needed on set,” while also “wondering was Gandalf what I most wanted to do, more than a new play for instance or indeed a new part? Sequels aren’t necessarily as rewarding to act in as their originals.”

Clearly bored of money, at one point McKellen even asked himself, “Could I let Gandalf go? Would anyone else care if I did? Elsewhere, does anyone care that Michael Gambon was not the first to play Dumbledore?” (We’re pretty sure that someone does—but the dude died, so what are they gonna do?) Anyway, after being assured that he could “easily escape from Middle Earth,” McKellen committed—although he adds, “I’m 71 and fit: though at my age who knows what accident is 'round the next corner?” Well, best to retreat to the comforting stability of The Hobbit production then. [via Deadline]

Orlando Bloom also likely to appear in The Hobbit

(A.V. Club) -- After yesterday’s report that Cate Blanchett would reprise her Lord Of The Rings role as elf queen Galadriel in The Hobbit, many pointed out that Galadriel does not actually appear in The Hobbit, suggesting that Peter Jackson may be including familiar characters from one of the most popular film trilogies of all time simply as a way of hedging his bets. Further evidence: Orlando Bloom is reportedly close to signing a deal to return to Middle Earth as arrow-slinging elf Legolas, and Deadline reports his appearance comprises “more than a cameo.” Of course, Tolkien fans would tell you that this is really just a quibble, as although his character was not introduced in the book, Legolas would have had to be alive during the events of The Hobbit, and that Tolkien would surely have included him if he knew that someday he’d help Peter Jackson make another buttload of money.
Besides, with no Legolas, to whom will people dedicate their Hobbit YouTube tribute videos? Martin Freeman?

Martin Freeman is Finally Confirmed for The Hobbit, Plus a Breakdown of Actors Playing the Dwarves

Fans of BBC’s The Office, rejoice. Martin Freeman is now actually, really, 100 percent officially confirmed to play Bilbo Baggins. According to Peter Jackson, “Despite the various rumors and speculation surrounding this role, there has only ever been one Bilbo Baggins for us.” I wish he would have told us that before we spent all that time speculating and spreading rumors. But that’s not all! The list of actors playing each of the film’s many dwarves have been announced as well. Get to know them as Movieline breaks it down after the jump.

1. Richard Armitage as head dwarf Thorin Oakenshield

If you’re a fan of British Television, you may know Armitage from MI5, Robin Hood, and North and South. Also, according to Jackson, Armitage “is one of the most exciting and dynamic actors working on screen today and we know he is going to make an amazing Thorin Oakensheild. We cannot wait to start this adventure with him and feel very lucky that one of the most beloved characters in Middle-earth is in such good hands.”

2. Aidan Turner as Kili
Again, If you’re a fan of British television, you may know this Irish actor from The Clinic and Being Human. Otherwise, you probably do not know him. Sorry. Jackson has faith though, saying, “He is a wonderfully gifted young actor who hails from Ireland. I’m sure he will bring enormous heart and humor to the role of Kili.”

3. Rob Kazinsky as Filli
More British television! Kazinsky had a long running part on the show East-Enders, which fans of Ricky Gervais’ Extras should be familiar with. Says Jackson: “Rob is an extremely talented young actor with a huge career in front of him, I’m thrilled that he has agreed to take on the role of Fili.” More significantly though, Kazinsky is also a champion sword fighter.

4. Graham McTavish as Dwalin
McTavish played that tough-as-nails bald mercenary that fought on Stallone’s team in the last Rambo and had a recurring role in season four of Lost (as Desmond’s drill sergeant in “The Constant”) as well as the TV show Red Dwarf. He also does a lot of video game voice-over work.

5. John Callin as Oin
You may know Callin as the voice of Sonimax in Power Rangers Jungle Fury. Or you may not. As of now, a Google image search for him brings up a number of pictures of John Calvin, the leader of the Protestant reformation.

Okay, enough. It keeps going like this. Rounding out the dwarves: Stephen Hunter will play Bombur, Peter Hambleton will play Gloin, and New Zealand Stand-up Comic Mark Hadlow will play Dori.

Kudos to Jackson for giving relatively unknown actors a shot. Looks like most of the absurd budget on this one will actually go to what’s on screen and not just paying huge actor salaries.

The film will be split up into two parts and will be released in December 2012 and December 2013.

[via The Wrap]

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T00:22:00.003-05:00

Get Latest Greetings,Scraps

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T23:53:00.000-05:00

Young pianist wows Christmas shoppers

2010-12-24T00:12:00.002-05:00

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Young pianist wows Christmas shoppers

December 24th, 2010 @ 10:02pm

By Amanda Butterfield

OREM - A young pianist has been stopping Christmas shoppers in their tracks at University Mall in Orem. The 9-year-old music prodigy is living up to his name - Ludwig.

Ludwig Sanchez was named after his father and of course Ludwig Beethoven.

Ludwig's father doesn't play, but his mother put him in lessons when he was 5-years-old.

That same year, during Christmas the family was shopping and the piano at the mall was empty.

"He went and start playing the song," said Ludwig's father. "And someone gave him a tip."

Now he's a regular during the holiday season and he's still getting tips. He's the youngest musician yet to play at the mall and he always draws a crowd.

Piano isn't Ludwig's only talent. He's also a big part of his competition soccer team and he says he already knows what he's going to do when he grows up.

"A professional soccer player, and if I don't make it I might go to Julliard," says Ludwig.

Depending on the night, Ludwig earns up to 60 dollars and he has a very special plan for the money.

"I'm gonna donate it to the people at the hospital, the kids," says Ludwig. "So kids can have better lives and they can be happy."

E-mail: abutterfield@ksl.com

Jill's House

2010-10-03T22:43:00.011-04:00

This weekend was the open house touring of the new facility on our church grounds called Jill's House. It will open October 15 to provide respite care overnight for families with disabled children of all kinds. It is a state-of-the-art facility, and will hopefully draw people from all over the metro DC area for care and compassion for their needs as a family. I took a few pictures at the open house so you can have an idea of what the facility is like. If you know of someone who could use a place like this, refer them to the Jill's House website. You can also subscribe to their Facebook page.

~~~ Click here to see the pictures of Jill's House ~~~

There are also some nice articles featuring the opening of Jill's House:

Vienna Connection

Fairfax Times

Here is a news clip about the opening of Jill's House:

More Religous Movies in the Making...

2010-09-02T21:58:00.022-04:00

Here are a couple of upcoming movies with religious themes, according to Christianity Today:

Bollywood Jesus
India's film industry to tackle the life of Christ. Yes, there will be singing. But no dancing.
by Mark Moring

Cecil B. Demille, Martin Scorsese, and Mel Gibson have all made movies about the life of Christ. Now Bollywood is getting in on the act.

The as-yet untitled biopic -- claimed by studio Aditya Productions as a first for the Indian film industry -- is expected to start filming soon, with versions planned in four Indian languages. Pawan Kalyan will play the lead role in the Telugu and Malayalam language versions, with an announcement expected soon on the stars of the English and Hindi adaptations.

The $30 million, 195-minute epic, to be shot in India and Israel, will release in late 2011. It will include seven songs, but no dancing -- a typical element of many Bollywood movies.

Producer Konda Krishnam Raju, speaking in Jerusalem, said, “This is the first time in the 79-year history of the Bollywood film industry that a film on Jesus Christ is being made. Our dream is finally coming true.”

Director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao said, "We are enriched, enthralled and thrilled. We are getting the necessary inspiration." He added that he hoped the film's central message would be heard by Israelis and Palestinians: "Wherever there is conflict, pain, war, we would like to take the message of peace and love."

Another Church Gets in on the Moviemaking Act

Mariners Church to release 'I Am' to 3,000-plus churches in October
by Mark Moring

In any given week, only the biggest of the big blockbusters release to more than 3,000 movie screens across the U.S., but a new film from Mariners Church in Irvine, California, hopes to hit that number -- and more -- when it releases I Am on October 10.

According to the film's official website, the movie "offers an insight into the true nature of our God, and fights the damaging stereotypes of His character through a gritty, non-linear drama with a plot weaving around average people violating the Ten Commandments -- one by one. We see that these commandments were not edicts from a jealous God, but a love letter to humanity -- a warning to those who don't understand the massive consequences of even the smallest sins upon ourselves and the world around us."

Mariners is offering the film for free screenings to churches on October 10 before releasing it on DVD through 20th Century Fox at a later date. Mariners says the film is meant to "start a conversation. It's a movie that doesn't do the talking, but instead tries to compel others to want to talk after they've seen it. What better place to HOST conversations about God than at church?"

Learn more about the film at their Facebook site, and see the trailer below:

Did they find bones of John the Baptist?

2010-08-30T22:28:00.002-04:00

Are these the bones of John the Baptist?

By Simon Hooper, CNN

(CNN) -- In a region already rich with archaeological artifacts, the excavation of a small alabaster box containing a few pieces of bone amid the ruins of a medieval monastery might easily have passed unnoticed.

But when Bulgarian archaeologists declared they had found relics of John the Baptist, one of the most significant early Christian saints, their discovery became the subject of rather more interest -- prompting angry exchanges in the local media and even calls for a government minister's resignation.

The claim is based on a reliquary -- a container for holy relics -- found on July 28 under the altar of a fifth century basilica on Sveti Ivan, a Black Sea island off Sozopol on Bulgaria's southern coast. Inside, archaeologists found eight pieces of bone, including fragments of skull and face bone and a tooth.

A later monastery on the island was dedicated to John the Baptist; indirect evidence, according to excavation leader Kazimir Popkonstantinov, that the relics under the altar were those of the church's saint.

But Popkonstantinov said the "key" clue to the relics' origins was a tiny sandstone box found alongside the reliquary with a Greek inscription: "God, save your servant Thomas. To St John. June 24."

Popkonstantinov said the date, celebrated by Christians as John's nativity, indicated a direct link between the saint and the site. The rest of the inscription suggested the bearer of the box used it as an amulet for protection, perhaps carrying the relics in a simple container to avoid attracting attention, he speculated.

"We knew we could find a reliquary there and our expectations came true," Popkonstantinov said in e-mailed comments. "It seems rather logical to suggest the founders of the monastery did their best to bring relics of its patron saint."

Several sites already house relics purported to be John, such as the Grand Mosque in Damascus, Syria, and Amiens Cathedral in France, which both claim to have his head, and the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul, Turkey, which has a right arm on display.

Paul Middleton, a senior lecturer in Biblical Studies at the University of Chester, said there was good evidence to suggest John was a historical figure, with all four Gospels and the Jewish historian Josephus agreeing he was put to death by beheading on the orders of the local ruler, Herod Antipas.

Christians believe John, an ascetic preacher, heralded the coming of Christ and baptized Jesus in the River Jordan. "He is seen as the forerunner of Jesus; he prepares the way," said Middleton.

But the discovery on Sveti Ivan has been greeted with scepticism by some within Bulgaria's archaeological community.

Much of the criticism has been directed at government minister Bozhidar Dimitrov, also a notable historian and director of Bulgaria's National Museum of History, whose confident claims about the relics and the economic potential of Sozopol as a center of religious tourism provoked criticism from leading archaeologists.

In response, Dimitrov appeared to direct an expletive at his critics in an interview with the Dnevnik newspaper, prompting calls for his resignation from opposition politicians. In a subsequent interview with Bulgarian television, Dimitrov denied the expletive had been intended as an insult.

But doubts have not been confined to Fabrizio Bisconti of the Vatican Pontifical Commission of Sacred Archaeology said there were "thousands" of alleged relics of John the Baptist. He said the commission would "wait until a more thorough study has been conducted" before expressing an opinion.

Dimitrov said that the relics had been handed to the Orthodox Church and that it was for church leaders to decide if further tests should be carried out.

But he added: "Even if it were established that the bones are indeed from the first century, some other Doubting Thomas would say: 'And what is the guarantee that these are the bones of St. John the Baptist and not of some other person who lived in the first century?' "

Popkonstantinov, meanwhile, said further tests would be done on the reliquary and its contents to establish their age, whether the fragments belong to one or more bodies and whether they are male or female.

But he conceded his case for the relics mixed fact with hypothesis: "As far as I know there is no database with DNA profiles of the saints. Here, I believe, the science stops. Since we cannot prove the attribution of any of the relics with scientific methods, we have to be tolerant of those who want to believe that they are."

Andreas Andreopoulos, director of the Centre for Orthodox Studies at the University of Wales Lampeter, said the question of any relic's origins was more a matter of faith than historical methodology.

"The Orthodox Church has been a little cavalier about the historicity of certain relics in the sense that there was never a strong sense of saying, 'Let's make sure this relic is absolutely 150 percent what it's claimed to be,' " he said.

But he said it was plausible that relics would have been placed under the altar on Sveti Ivan, since that was common practice in the eastern Christian tradition, in which holy remains are particularly revered.

Antony Eastmond, a Byzantine expert at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London, said there was evidence of a Christian "cult of relics" in the region from as early as the second century.

By the middle of the fourth century, relics were being collected by the imperial court in Constantinople, now Istanbul, and by the 8th century there was an "endless exchange of relics" across Europe, he said.

They're spiritually important, but also politically important because if you have access to them and control of them it gives you power and authority," Eastmond said.

The sheer volume of relics made it impossible to make claims with any certainty about their origins; historians have collected references to 3,600 relics relating to 476 saints in Constantinople alone, he said.

But Eastmond said it was likely the Sveti Ivan bones had been acquired by the island's early monastic settlers in the genuine belief they were holy relics and that they may even have originated from an early grave in the Holy Land.

"Everything suggests they believed they had the relic of John the Baptist. Ultimately, in theological terms, that's what matters," he said. "It's where spirituality always rubs up against archaeology."

CNN's Hada Messia, Susannah Palk and Sam Krumov contributed to this report.

Recital!

2010-08-14T13:58:00.034-04:00

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend the recital of the Carpio sisters, all of whom I have had (or soon will have) the pleasure of playing with in our church orchestra. Here is the video of their instrumental performances...enjoy!

The Carpio Quartet - Flute/Cello/Clarinet/Oboe
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring by Bach

Analicia's Solo - Flute
Sonata in A Major by Franck

Rebekah's Solo - Clarinet
Concerto for Clarinet by Copland

Isabel's Solo - Cello
Allegro Appassionato by Saint-Saens

Caitlyn's Solo - Oboe
Sonata in A Minor by Telemann

Analicia and Rebekah's Duet - Flute and Clarinet
The Prayer by Sager, Foster, Testa, & Renis

GW Lisner Auditorium hosts "Cinematic Titanic"

2010-08-01T18:49:00.003-04:00

If you are a fan of MST3K (Mystery Science Theater 3000), then you should come to this. Held just a few months from now on October 15th at the theater on the campus of my alma mater, George Washington University, the originators of MST3K that have not gone on to create the likewise "Film Crew" and "Riff Trax" (MST Alums Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy, and Bill Corbett) will be riffing the movie "War of the Insects" live, and will be available to autograph following the show. Cinematic Titanic consist of the other MST Alumni of Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, Frank Conniff, Mary Jo Pehl, and J. Elvis Weinstein. It is refreshing to see the same concept of MST3K carrying on in its various incarnations. My tickets are bought!

GW Lisner Auditorium

Fri. Oct 15, 8:00PM

GW Lisner Auditorium presents

Cinematic Titanic

From the creator and cast of Mystery Science Theatre 3000

"The original MST3K gang doing what they do best - verbally ripping apart films that never should have been made in the first place" - Time Out Chicago

"Consistently and unfailingly funny" - The Washington Post

Continuing the tradition of riffing on the unfathomable, the horribly great, and the just plain cheesy movies from the past, Cinematic Titanic Live brings the original creator and cast of the Peabody award winning cult-classic television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) to a live theatrical setting.

The cast will riff on the 1968 Japanese sci-fi thriller War of the Insects (aka Genocide, aka Konchu Daisenso). In this rarely seen and poorly dubbed film, a plane carrying an atomic bomb is attacked by a new strain of killer bees - the project of a crazed scientist seeking world domination.

Now on sale!
Cinematic Titanic
From the creator and original cast of
Mystery Science Theater 3000

Upcoming Events

Cinematic Titanic: 10/15

David Sedaris: 10/4

Sarah Vowell: 11/13

Dear LACY,

Tickets to Cinematic Titanic on Oct. 15 are now on sale!

There is a special kind of entertainment that comes from heckling a terrible movie with friends. The cast of Cinematic Titanic have taken that impulse and created the comedy form of "movie riffing," in which they provide expertly hilarious commentary live on stage for delightfully terrible B-movies.

Their original incarnation as the television show Mystery Science Theatre 3000 garnered two Emmy Nominations, a Peabody award and a place on Time Magazine's "100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time" list.

Joel Hodgson and the rest of the cast will meet with fans after the show. They'll sign "pretty much anything with a smooth surface."

Keep reading or visit our website for more details on Cinematic Titanic and our other fall shows currently on sale.

Want more exclusive and "behind the scenes" info?

Best,
Danielle Mouledoux
Marketing Manager
GW Lisner Auditorium

Cinematic Titanic
Fri. October 15, 8pm

"The original MST3K gang doing what they do best - verbally ripping apart films that never should have been made in the first place" - Time Out Chicago

"Consistently and unfailingly funny" - The Washington Post

Continuing the tradition of riffing on the unfathomable, the horribly great, and the just plain cheesy movies from the past, Cinematic Titanic Live brings the original creator and cast of the Peabody award winning cult-classic television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 (MST3K) to a live theatrical setting.

Read about Cinematic Titanic in the Washington Post

Joel Hodgson, Trace Beaulieu, J. Elvis Weinstein, Frank Conniff, and Mary Jo Pehl will riff on the 1968 Japanese sci-fi thriller War of the Insects (aka Genocide, aka Konchu Daisenso). In this obscure and poorly dubbed film, a plane carrying an atomic bomb is attacked by a new strain of killer bees - the project of a crazed scientist seeking world domination.

Note: Content is comparable to the PG-13 category of MPAA ratings

Tickets: $25, $35 available from the Lisner Box Office, 202-397-SEAT, and Ticketmaster.

GW Students and Alumni: $10, $20 from the Lisner Box Office.

'Mystery Science' Sails Again With Great Craft

By Tom Shales
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Noël Coward once noted "how potent cheap music is." The old boy never saw "The Brain That Wouldn't Die" or he might also have observed how enjoyable, how amusing and even how comforting a lousy movie can be.

It's no sacrilege to quote Coward in a story about a television series that celebrates bad movies: "Mystery Science Theater 3000," which, like Sir Noël, had its wit about it. To the dismay of its truly devoted fans, the show is gone now but then again, not entirely gone. Old episodes, including the one featuring "The Brain That Wouldn't Die," are available on DVD; a special 20th-anniversary collection is just out. Even better, the show was reincarnated in late 2007 as "Cinematic Titanic," a series of videos available on the Web and reuniting most of the original cast.

Joel Hodgson with Crow T. Robot on the recently released 20th-anniversary DVD. (By Michael Kienitz -- Best Brains)

That includes, most critically, Joel Hodgson, 48, the brilliant boomer who created the series 20 years ago and hosted it on Comedy Central in the channel's pre-dirty era. His high concept: An astronaut, stranded in space with a bevy of wacky robot pals (puppets assembled from odds and ends found on the spacecraft), is forced to watch terrible old movies by a mad scientist who controls their environment from Earth. To keep themselves sane, Hodgson and his puppet crew make the movies entertaining by pelting them with wisecracks.

There was nothing on TV like it, and it was wonderful. Al Gore was one of the show's fans -- and admitted it. In its day, it received the prestigious Peabody Award, and much more recently, it popped up on Time magazine's list of the 100 best television shows ever.

In "Cinematic Titanic," the robots, sadly, are gone, but the basic format and the show's essence remain -- an indoor sport that Hodgson calls "riffing on movies" and thus turning such sow's ears as "The Wasp Woman" or "Earth vs. the Spider" into hilarious silk purses. He is joined by four colleagues from the original cast and writing crew. In stark silhouette against the movie screen, they watch the nearly unwatchable and poke fun aplenty.

Fourth and most recent of the releases is, in a break from usual practice, a title previously lampooned on "MST3K" but with all-new smart-alecky remarks: Joseph E. Levine's presentation of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians," a 1964 monstrosity that features little Pia Zadora as Girmar, a green Martian child who watches too many lousy TV shows from Earth, thus bringing the concept full circle, sort of. "Santa Claus" stands, or rather wobbles, as one of the all-time classic howlers of the screen.

Reached in Chicago, where he and his cohorts had just finished a live stage version of "Martians" -- to the laughs and cheers of "MST3K" fans and their kids -- Hodgson says that as a rule, he doesn't want to revisit films in the new episodes but "Santa Claus" posed too many tantalizing possibilities, had holiday allure and offered the challenge of coming up with fresh material.

"It's kind of been our top-selling new title so far," Hodgson says. "And we didn't repeat a single joke."

Yes, he misses the robots, but "this is a little more direct, kind of like a play. We can kind of be ourselves. We all met in stand-up originally, so everybody's got that performer instinct."

Hodgson apparently could not have simply put "MST3K" back into production, because the copyright belongs not to him (even though he created the show) but to a former partner. They split partly over the partner's insistence on directing a feature-film version of the show that flopped in 1996. The movie, which Hodgson sat out, made the mistake of ridiculing "This Island Earth," a 1955 sci-fi film that was just a little bit too good to lampoon. But the cast and crew had organized a fan write-in campaign that all but forced Universal to make the picture. Three years later, the show ran out of steam and was canceled.

Hodgson left the series several years before it ended because he became disenchanted with what interlopers were doing to his baby. The final collapse of the original partnership essentially divided the gang into two camps. Those who were faithful to Hodgson joined him on the new project.

"I'm super-proud of 'MST3K,' " Hodgson says, "and of all the really talented people I work with. I say that because they're nearby and can hear me talking."

As before, the topical quips and pop-cultural references are cheerily flung about throughout the five-person commentary that accompanies the film du jour. Many are references that would have been meaningless back in the "MST3K" days -- everything from Lipitor to digital converter boxes, from John McCain to Jar Jar Binks. When, in "Santa Claus," an elf is frozen silent by a Martian ray gun, Hodgson asks rhetorically, "Now why couldn't they do that to Ann Coulter?"

There are also intentionally obscure references designed to test a viewer's memory for "trivia," as it's long been (erroneously) called. Those include "This is Carlton, your doorman." Remember? It was heard regularly from an off-screen voice on the vintage sitcom "Rhoda," a spinoff from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

For Hodgson, riffing on movies again is somewhat bittersweet. "I feel like I was cheated out of five years of 'MST3K,' " he says, "so I'm thrilled about this. When I left the old show, I made it sound like I had something else I wanted to do, but I didn't. I just felt like I needed to go. I really thought about it, and I went through a lot of therapy later because it was kind of a personal tragedy for me." From the new venture he hopes to get "five good years, that's all," and then he'll be happy.

While away from "MST3K," he worked for a year on the then-new "Jimmy Kimmel Show." He was in charge of comic special effects, such as a dog that appeared to fly off the stage and zoom over the studio audience with blue sparks coming out of its, well, butt. Otherwise, he has been kicking around Hollywood.

Hodgson says the plan for "Cinematic Titanic" is to release eight more titles in 2009 to supplement the first seven, released this year. It takes a day to shoot an episode in Los Angeles, he says; otherwise, the five writer-actors communicate by e-mail from their homes in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, wherever. "What's the next movie we're doing?" Hodgson asks his colleagues as they head for their Chicago hotel. "Is it 'Blood of the Vampires' or 'Frankenstein's Castle of Freaks'?" (It's "Vampires.")

Most of the films reviewed, on the new show and on the old, don't qualify even as B pictures; they're sub-B, maybe X, Y or Z pictures, although the roster has included such seemingly reputable big-budget Hollywood features as "Marooned" (1969) starring Gregory Peck, Gene Hackman, Richard Crenna and Lee Grant, and directed by John ("The Great Escape") Sturges. For all that, it was a suffocatingly insufferable stinker.

Hodgson and the puppets chopped it gently into mincemeat and served it up to appreciative viewers. Most of the derision, then and now, really is temperate, even affectionate. Bad movies are a kind of unifying phenomenon anyway; they bring us together in common apoplexy and serve as reminders of human fallibility. Most of society's other reminders of human fallibility are far more threatening.

Old "MST3K" titles were previously released by Rhino home video, but Hodgson says "Cinematic Titanic" episodes and additional "MST3K" shows are available via Shout home video, a company he thinks will pay more attention.

Asked to name his favorite episode of the old show, Hodgson cites "Hercules Unchained," yet another Joseph E. Levine production but this one fairly respectable. Hodgson admires the way an entire fake temple was built for the film and then torn down by Hercules (Steve Reeves) as part of the finale.

He also has fond memories of your critic's personal favorite episode, "Manos: The Hands of Fate," a riotously uneventful 1966 horror movie about a family captured by a maniac who has a harem of lady wrestlers in party dresses. The director, Harold P. Warren, made his debut and swan song with this picture; though he was often referred to as a fertilizer salesman, he was really an insurance salesman.

Almost nothing happens in the movie, which is poorly shot, edited, written, scored, acted and directed. Voilà, a bizarro-world masterpiece. " 'Manos' is kind of considered the worst movie ever made now," Hodgson says, "and we kind of discovered it. People get off on how awful these movies are."

Awful, yes, but in the transforming hands of Hodgson and his friends, also kind of wonderful.

Speaking of Mystery Science Theater....

2010-08-01T18:17:00.021-04:00

As you read above that the MST3K alumni who are "Cinematic Titanic" are coming to town here at GW's Lisner Auditorium, the other MST alumni who make up RiffTrax (Mike, Kevin, and Bill), will be riffing "Reefer Madness" live in a nationwide broadcast in theaters nationwide. We saw them do this last year with "Plan 9 from Outer Space" and it was great, sitting together with fellow MSTies and laughing at the jokes. They are airing this live on August 19th, and have an encore on August 24th. Click here to find a theater hosting this near you!!

RiffTrax LIVE: Reefer Madness

08/19/2010

The stars of Mystery Science Theater 3000 take on the legendary cult classic Reefer Madness for an evening of hilarious riffing! Let RiffTrax own Michael J. Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett bring you to a higher state of consciousness with their signature brand of rapid fire comedy. This event will be broadcast live to movie theaters nationwide on Thursday, August 19 at 8:00pmET / 7:00pmCT / 6:00pmMT and 8:00pmPT (tape delay). Audiences will also be treated to the world premier of three new shorts from the guys, as well as two original video shorts from Rich “Lowtax” Kyanka of Something Awful.

Movie theater audiences will receive FREE digital goodies after the event including a downloadable short, avatars and a digital photo of the guys. A URL will be revealed on-screen at which you can receive your free digital goodies after the live event.

Encore! There will be a prerecorded rebroadcast of the August 19th show on Tuesday, August 24th.

TICKETS

Tickets on sale NOW! Enter your zip code to find a participating theater.

Stryper to come out with new album "The Covering" 10-13-10

2010-08-01T17:51:00.000-04:00

I've been a big fan of Stryper since the 80's (yes, I'm dating myself), and FINALLY got to see them live for the first time at their 25th anniversary concert here last October. It's exciting to hear they are releasing a new album with the original 4 members (Michael, Robert, Oz, Tim) called "The Covering" this October.

Big3 Records Offer Stryper Preview

Following the success of their 25th Anniversary World Tour earlier this year, legendary rock band Stryper headed into the studio to work on their upcoming album, The Covering, tentatively scheduled for release October 13th from Big3 Records/SONY. For a limited time, fans can preview the new album by following Stryper frontman Michael Sweet on Twitter, where he will be revealing a hidden website where fans can hear exclusive song clips not available anywhere else. The Covering, produced by Michael Sweet, will be unlike any previous Stryper recording, in that it’s a collection of cover songs from bands that inspired them and helped to shape their sound and musical identity, including past hits from Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Led Zeppelin, Kansas and many others. A cover of Black Sabbath’s hit “Heaven and Hell” will be the first single, with an expected iTunes release in advance of the album. The Covering will also include “God,” a new original recording from Stryper. “Stryper recorded The Yellow and Black Attack (Enigma Records) back in 1983, and it was released the following year,” says Michael. “Twenty six years have passed and after seven studio releases and multiple compilation and live projects, we decided to show our fans where our roots lie musically. The Covering consists of particular songs and groups that molded and shaped us and made us who we are today.” One of the highlights for Stryper fans is that The Covering is the first studio album in nearly two decades on which all four original members, plus longtime keyboardist Charles Foley, have recorded together. “This record includes the original lineup,” explains Michael. “Tim, Robert, Oz and I haven’t recorded a full-length project together since 1990’s Against the Law (Enigma Records), so this is truly history in the making. We also had what was probably the best time we’ve ever had recording a record together and I believe that this comes through in the energy and the spirit of each track. We’re all extremely excited about this record and more importantly, we’re all extremely confident about the future of Stryper and the four of us making music together for years to come.”

Steve Carrell plays fife??

2010-07-25T22:46:00.001-04:00

Saw this clip from David Letterman where Steve Carrell guest starred and played a tune on his fife from his Fife and Drum Corps days years ago. Seems I need to get out my fife and get in touch our local Old Guard Fifer Don Francisco for some lessons!

'Late Show': Steve Carell Plays Fife from War-Reenactment DaysWow, Steve Carell was such a dork. (Unless you're majorly into Revolutionary War history. In which case: Hot!) He revealed on the 'Late Show' (weeknights, 11:35PM ET on CBS) that the Carell men were avid members of a war-reenactment troupe in Massachusetts.

"I was in a fife and drum corps," he told David Letterman. "My father carried a musket, my brother was a drummer, and I was a fifer ... I did it for a few years -- and had no girlfriends during that time."

After this revelation, he pulled out a fife, "essentially, an 18th century flute" that would lead soldiers into battle. Though he hadn't played in 30 years, he gave the audience quite the scrappy performance.

Then the host further embarrassed Carell by unveiling his 1984 college graduation photo, which featured the actor sporting a not-so-stylish mustache. "You look older in this picture than you do now! How is that possible?" asked Letterman. Good question.

"Madonna of the Rocks" shows Da Vinci details

2010-07-14T18:14:00.001-04:00

Restored Da Vinci painting reveals hidden details

AP - Wednesday, July 14, 2010 2:32:01 PM

Photo By AP

A restoration project for Leonardo da Vinci's "Virgin of the Rocks" has revealed new details and suggest the Renaissance artist may have painted all the picture himself, instead of with his assistants as previously thought, a British gallery said Wednesday.

The 18-month conservation project involved removing much of some badly degraded varnish that was applied to the painting in the late 1940s, enabling experts to take a much closer look at the picture's brush strokes and styles, the National Gallery said.

The cleaning revealed the painting's full tonal range, especially in the darker areas, and resulted in a clearer sense of how the artist intended for space to recede through the rocky landscape, the gallery said.

It also affirmed that Leonardo likely painted the entire picture himself and intended for it to be unfinished.

The restored painting showed a range of completion from the barely sketched hand of the angel to the fully realized heads of the main figures -- consistent with many of Leonardo's works. The Italian artist, said to be the "eternal perfectionist," is thought to have left his pictures unfinished because he wished to return to them later, gallery spokesman Thomas Almeroth-Williams said.

In the past, scholars believed the different levels of finish in "Virgin of the Rocks" showed that Leonardo was helped by assistants.

The painting dates from about 1491 to 1508 and is a later version of one on display in the Louvre in Paris.

The latest cleaning project followed years of scrutiny of the masterpiece.

In 2005, experts using infrared technology found two drawings hidden beneath the surface of the picture -- one design was never painted, and the second one revealed Leonardo changed his mind about the subject several times.

The painting goes back on display in the National Gallery on Wednesday.

Online:

http://nationalgallery.org.uk/

Michael Bay Denied Permission to Destroy Washington, D.C.

2010-06-09T23:12:00.000-04:00

Michael Bay Denied Permission to Destroy Washington, D.C.

Written by S.T. VanAirsdale | 09 Jun 2010, 10:35 AM | Comment

It’s a great day to be alive in Washington, D.C.! The primary-election aftermath has the political atmosphere abuzz, Nationals rookie Stephen Strasburg just made arguably the best pitching debut in Major League history, and the National Park Service dutifully declined Michael Bay’s requests to stage a couple weeks of extravagant Hollywood spectacle in one of the country’s most historic, hallowed locations.

According to the Washington Post, the filmmaker wanted to stage some Transformers 3 action sequences and large-scale night exteriors in and around the National Mall, including “a ‘car race’ along the Mall’s gravel paths.” The Park Service wasn’t having any of it; exhibiting what seems to be more common sense than contempt, a spokesman for the Park Service explained: “A lot of this could be more appropriately shot in a Hollywood studio. The National Mall is not an area in which Americans come to see high-tech action movies being shot.”

A veteran D.C. location manager told the Post that this really isn’t anything new: “We want to make the best movie we can make and that may mean pushing the envelope, and the Park Service is in the position of pushing back.” But the D.C. film office made little secret of its disappointment, noting that Transformers 3 will wind up cutting its shooting days in the nation’s capital as a result.

That could translate to millions of dollars lost by the city’s economy, though let’s face it: It’s not like Rosie Huntington-Whiteley is good for buying more than one Rice Krispie treat and maybe a bottle of Vitamin Water in any given day, and Strasburg’s the better show anyway, trust me. Perspective, people, perspective.

That's my kind of hot sauce!

2010-03-23T09:31:00.000-04:00

Indian military to weaponize world's hottest chili
AP - Tuesday, March 23, 2010 3:19:31 AM
By WASBIR HUSSAIN

Photo By AP

The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world's hottest chili.

After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized "bhut jolokia," or "ghost chili," to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects, defense officials said Tuesday.

The bhut jolokia was accepted by Guinness World Records in 2007 as the world's spiciest chili. It is grown and eaten in India's northeast for its taste, as a cure for stomach troubles and a way to fight the crippling summer heat.

It has more than 1,000,000 Scoville units, the scientific measurement of a chili's spiciness. Classic Tabasco sauce ranges from 2,500 to 5,000 Scoville units, while jalapeno peppers measure anywhere from 2,500 to 8,000.

"The chili grenade has been found fit for use after trials in Indian defense laboratories, a fact confirmed by scientists at the Defense Research and Development Organization," Col. R. Kalia, a defense spokesman in the northeastern state of Assam, told The Associated Press.

"This is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hide-outs," R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.

Srivastava, who led a defense research laboratory in Assam, said trials are also on to produce bhut jolokia-based aerosol sprays to be used by women against attackers and for the police to control and disperse mobs.

"A Wrinkle in Time" to go big screen!

2010-03-22T23:07:00.000-04:00

'A Wrinkle in Time' to Get Movie Script

Madeleine L'Engle's classic story to be made into a film

by Mark Moring

The Hollywood Reporter writes that A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engle's beloved children's story, is about to get a script and later to be turned into a feature film.

Jeff Stockwell, who penned the screen adaptation of A Bridge to Terabithia for Disney in 2007, will write the Wrinkle script.

According to THR, "the BBC made a film version of the young-adult novel, and Dimension produced a telefilm for ABC in 2004. Disney carried remake rights from that deal and is developing the new feature iteration with Bedrock, which had negotiated rights to the property from the L'Engle estate."

Genesis coming to film in 3D

2010-03-08T18:27:00.000-05:00

God Stars In 3D Book Of Genesis Bible Tale

By MIKE FLEMING Monday March 8, 2010 @ 9:02am PST

EXCLUSIVE: The world’s oldest story is on a collision course with cutting-edge Hollywood technology. I’m told that Paramount Pictures and former Walden Media co-founder Cary Granat producing with Reel Fx are mounting In The Beginning, a 3D telling of the creation story. The film is using The Book of Genesis as its primary resource. A script has been written by John Fusco (Hidalgo), and directing will be TV vet David Cunningham. This pair had teamed with Granat on a Walden film that never happened, Rebels: The Green Mountain Boys. Reel Fx is spearheading the visuals and will soon turn over test footage the filmmakers hope will prompt a green light. Paramount will co-finance and distribute.

I'm told the $30 million film will use 3-D visuals to transform the oft-told tale into a spectacle that the filmmakers hope will attract family- and faith-based audiences that flocked to The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, that first Chronicles of Narnia installment made on Granat’s Walden watch. I hear Granat pitched the film by claiming that the Adam And Eve story has never really been told by a feature film. (At least not since John Huston.) The Genesis tale of creation took a week that began with God creating light, culminating with Adam and Eve on Day Six, and a day of rest on Day Seven. But I can guarantee you this film is going to take more than a week to make. Where's Cecil B. DeMille when Hollywood needs him.

Ron DiCianni unveils new mural!

2010-02-25T21:48:00.017-05:00

One of my favorite artists, Ron DiCianni, is revealing a new mural painting at the Museum of Biblical Art.

Ron DiCianni Unveils New Resurrection Mural

World Renowned Artist Ron DiCianni has finished a masterwork one-of-a-kind mural on the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Mural stands 40 feet by 12 feet and will be the signature piece at the Museum of Biblical Art.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

PR Log (Press Release) – Feb 25, 2010 – Temecula, CA – Tapestry Productions Talent Management (A Division of TPI) is pleased to announce that artist Ron DiCianni has successfully completed the largest known contemporary oil painting depicting the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Commissioned to be the signature piece of a newly opened museum in Dallas, TX, internationally acclaimed Artist Ron DiCianni describes the work to be his Magnum Opus, capping a half century long career. Standing at 40 feet long by 12 feet high, this oil on canvas mural represents the largest known contemporary depiction of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The mural, entitled Resurrection, has many distinct features and includes a twist on the typical portrayal of Christ’s resurrection by showing several past “Heroes of the Faith” in attendance, including John the Baptist, Moses, Abraham and Isaiah. Modeling for these characters were some of the top artists in America, including Morgan Weistling and Thomas Blackshear.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the key tenets in Christianity establishing that after Jesus died on the cross, He was raised to life confirming His status as Savior. DiCianni’s mural showing this historically factual event provides a “what it might have been like” glimpse as Jesus emerges victorious from the Tomb.

No expense was spared in the creation of the mural. A professional fashion designer custom crafted each costume, the backdrops were made by an LA based movies studio, the props were period correct movie props and the paint made by the same paint manufacturer that has supplied Master artists, including Ron DiCianni, for the last 350 years. The culmination of over two years of work, including the expertise of Warner Brothers for certain components and props, the mural is expected to be unveiled at the museum in mid 2010.

About the Artist- Ron DiCianni is one of the most celebrated Fine Artists in America. After a several successful decades in commercial illustration with many Fortune 500 companies, Ron began to exclusively paint Scriptural themes with the mission of Reclaiming the Arts for Christ. Ron DiCianni’s work is recognized by both secular and Christian art connoisseurs to be some of the best ever produced and he ranks as one of the best selling artists of all time. A classically trained artist, Ron’s past works include the best selling Spiritual Warfare & In the Wilderness as well as paintings for the President of the United States, The United States Olympic Committee and the Assemblies of God World Headquarters. His work is represented in galleries across the country by his publisher and he has been featured in countless Christian and secular publications.

About Tapestry Productions Inc:

Tapestry Productions Inc (TPI) is a Christian Fine Art Publisher and Talent Management company specializing in the creation and execution of new marketing strategies and products. We were formed as an execution outlet for artists and authors whose mission is to preach the Gospel with excellence through their various giftings and talents. It is our mission and purpose to communicate the Gospel excellently and without compromise in both the Christian and Secular marketplace with the highest level of execution and integrity. To find out more please visit us on the web at: www.TapestryProductions.com.

Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair!

2010-02-20T21:35:00.001-05:00

I got to attend the Mid-Atlantic Flute Fair this weekend. I participated in the Flute Choir Showcase with my church flute choir, the McLean Bible Church Flute Choir, and with the fair-wide Festival Flute Choir. We performed in the showcase on Saturday morning, and had rehearsal for the Festival Flute Choir on Friday and Saturday evenings with a concert on Saturday night. The keynote artist was Brad Garner and his accompianist John Steele Ritter. I also got to see some military flautists perform in a recital. I of course browsed the exhibit hall and bought 3 Native American flutes--a pocket flute in A, a standard flute in A, and a drone flute in A (well, that one was for hubby, but I might steal a play every now and then!). Here are some pictures and video from the fair. Enjoy!

Click here to view pictures

Brad Garner & John Steele Ritter

Festival Flute Choir Concert

McLean Bible Church Flute Choir
Fair Flute Choir Showcase

Jesus You Are Worthy/Sing to the King

They Didn't Believe Me

Haydn Trio in C

Valse des Fleurs

Basse Dance from Capriol Suite