Wisconsin, Hollywood, and Minnesota

This week, we published extensive coverage of the Wisconsin labor protests; it's collected here. Meanwhile, our writer Barb Teed and her son, photographer Jeff Rutherford, are in Hollywood to cover the Academy Awards. During the Oscars, Barb will be calling in updates from backstage; follow ArtsOrbit on Twitter to get the real-time scoop straight from the Kodak Theatre. MN VOICES | John Whitehead: Folk documentarian By Alexander Holston, TC Daily Planet From small town Minnesotan poets and potters to the African-American reclamation of the banjo in the Carolinas, St. Paul-based documentarian John Whitehead's work has covered plenty of ground­—and often water as well.MORE » Want a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame? Former Minnesotan chairs the selection committee By Barb Teed, TC Daily Planet HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA—When the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce International Media Center staff found out I was from the Twin Cities, it was like old home week. I was surrounded by people who excitedly wanted to tell me where in Minnesota they were from.MORE » MOVIES | Farrelly Brothers' "Hall Pass": Perfect for a low-expectations date night By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet First The Dilemma, and now Hall Pass. Are the major movie studios correct that the preferred date-night entertainment of 40-something married couples is slapstick comedies about contrived moral dilemmas among 40-something married couples? What do the couples talk about on the ride home? "So, if I gave you a 'week off marriage,' and our sexy 20-year-old nanny came on to you, would you be DTF—or even DTH?"MORE » Celebrating Black History Month in Minnesota By C.Chamberlain, Session Weekly/Session Daily Editor's Note: Session Weekly publishes a "Minnesota Index" chart every week. This chart focuses on Minnesota's African-American population. Among the most startling numbers: Median annual household income for black Minnesotans has decreased since 1999, both as an absolute number (from $28,926 in 1999 to $28,406 in the past 12 months) and as a percentage of Minnesota median income (from 61 percent in 1999 to 50 percent now). [Full-size chart below.]MORE » MUSIC | Baths, Braids, Houses: Fun with plurals at the 7th Street Entry By Sarah Heuer, TC Daily Planet It was plural nouns night Thursday night at the 7th Street Entry when pop acts Houses, Braids, and headliner Baths took the stage. I've got another plural noun for you: fun times. It seemed that everyone there—the crowd and the bands themselves—had a genuinely great time.MORE » First Avenue and 7th St Entry STYLE | University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Tierra Oliver By Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet On February 19, University of Minnesota fashion design students displayed their best work in the atrium of Rapson Hall. The fashion show is an annual event; the theme of this year's show was "Distortion." For more coverage of the show, click here.MORE » Rapson Hall, University of Minnesota Steelworkers President on Wisconsin workers rights Sorry, you need to install flash to see this content. By Jacob Wheeler, The Uptake United Steelworkers President Leo W. Gerard talks with GRITtv's Laura Flanders about the Wisconsin workers' rights rally and Governor Scott Walker's attempts to eliminate collective bargaining for public employees. Rallies set in every state on Saturday By Staff, Workday Minnesota Progressive organizations are planning rallies in all 50 state capitals Saturday to show support for workers in Wisconsin under the theme, "Save the American dream." Simultaneous events will take place at the Capitol in St. Paul and other communities at noon, moveon.org said on its website. MORE » Biermaier's Books enters final chapter By Jennifer Bissell, The Minnesota Daily Een Boek. Bir Kitap. Um Livro. As its window signs suggest in more than 50 different languages, Biermaier's Books will be closing Monday with its biggest discount yet - a buck a book.MORE » MOVIES | 83rd Academy Awards Governors Ball preview feeds the hungry press By Barb Teed, TC Daily Planet HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA—Jeff Rutherford and I were treated to what the stars will eat at the 83rd Academy Awards Governors Ball, the celebration immediately following the Academy Awards.MORE » This week's highlights Among this week's highlights: extensive coverage of Wisconsin protests and Minnesota solidarity, collected here. Alums, friends and foes talk about MPIRG at 40 by Mary Treacy, TC Daily Planet At forty, the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group (MPIRG) has encountered mood swings that range from ennui to euphoria. Activist Monte Bute, long-time Metro State faculty member, acknowledges that he, too, has gone through changes: "I was contemptuous of MPIRG when it was first created. I was a revolutionary who denounced all reformist organization. I got a bit wiser about social change during my years as Director of Organizing for MPIRG from 1978 -82. Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) was dead after a decade. MPIRG is alive and well after 40 years. Who knew!" Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the great Pharaohs hold court at the Science Museum of Minnesota by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet My mom shivered with anticipation when the doors to the special exhibition Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs opened at the Science Museum of Minnesota. I told Mom I was surprised at how excited she was. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "This is King Tut! The king of all kings! The bling of all blings!" THEATER | Penumbra Theatre Company's Ma Rainey's Black Bottom at the Guthrie Theater: Blues under glass by Jason Zabel, TC Daily Planet Right from the start of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, you get the feeling that Ma Rainey is worth waiting for. Her band and manager have gathered at a producer's place in Chicago to record. Everyone is there but her, just sitting around. Talking. Complaining. Verbally sparring. Speculating about her whereabouts. Ma is very late. BOOKS | Books & Bars selection One Day by David Nicholls: A most unconventional romance by Courtney Davison, TC Daily Planet If you're judging it by the cover, the title, or the blurb on the back of the book jacket and are subsequently worried that One Day by David Nicholls is a terrible romance, you should calm down, because it's not. Despite great superficial evidence to the contrary (the film adaptation is going to star Anne Hathaway, if you know what I mean), the 19-year relationship between Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley is not particularly one of romance. It is one of character discovery through perspective...with a little romance thrown in. Will parking problems derail business along the Central Corridor? by Sharon Rolenc, TC Daily Planet Parking and access to businesses along the Central Corridor was the prevailing concern voiced at two open house style town hall meetings on Thursday, February 17. The meetings were hosted by the Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan Council to gather feedback about the potential loss of business income during Central Corridor Light Rail Transit (LRT) construction. STYLE | University of Minnesota fashion design students showcase their work with "Distortion" by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet On February 19, University of Minnesota fashion design students displayed their best work in the atrium of Rapson Hall. The fashion show is an annual event; the theme of this year's show was "Distortion." We will be spotlighting the students' designs with a series of articles to be published in coming days; links will be added to this article as the articles are published. Snowiest winter since ??? by Mary Turck, TC Daily Planet YouTube user Gallina 11 uploaded this video during December's Snowmageddon, but it's good enough to watch again as we dig out from the latest record-breaking snowfall. (Which records? Paul Douglas is still counting.) MUSIC | Tennis at the 7th Street Entry: 20-something love by Sarah Heuer, TC Daily Planet When Tennis took the stage on Saturday night at the 7th Street Entry, their demeanor was precisely what one would expect from listening to their debut album, Cape Dory. Demure, stoic, almost sheepish; the band slinked on stage with their heads down and their gazes averted towards the floor. Without a word, they jumped right into their 13-song set, the opening track "Seafarer" instantly transporting us to a place where you could nearly feel sea spray on your skin and young love in your heart. MUSIC | Party for Life Session 2 to benefit ailing singer-songwriter Michael McElrath by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet There's folk on the Twin Cities independent music scene who truly care about each other. You saw it with Party For Life when friends of Jazzy J flocked to BarFly in the summer, rallying to throw a benefit for the cancer-stricken owner of Twin Cities Radio. Artists from all walks-singer-songwriters, poets, strippers, fashion designers, models, you name it-pitched in to constitute a bill that pulled in enough cash to considerably help with Jazzy J's treatment. FRONT ROW SEAT | Walking Shadow Theatre Company's Drakul fails to catch John Heimbuch's Transdimensional spark by Jay Gabler • On Sunday afternoon I caught Drakul, the new production by Walking Shadow Theatre Company. Well, actually, the term "caught" is a little too breezy. Written and directed by John Heimbuch, Drakul is a three-hour epic based on Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula. THEATER | Mixed Blood Theatre's Agnes Under the Big Top: Six rings shy by Christopher Kehoe, TC Daily Planet Agnes Under the Big Top is, at times, a lot of fantastic adjectives: ambitious, confident, funny, provocative. But the end result winds up being notably less than the sum of its parts. STYLE | University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Kathryn Sterner by Jay Gabler and Katie Sisneros, TC Daily Planet If these clothes were in a movie, what would the movie be called? Fax Runner. MUSIC | Jeremy Walker of the Small City Trio: "There is always something to improve on and discover" by Dwight Hobbes, TC Daily Planet Small City Trio return to Minneapolis promoting their album Pumpkins' Reunion with a February 25th show at famed jazz club the Dakota. The band is led by composer-pianist-vocalist Jeremy Walker, with Jeff Brueske on bass and vocals and Tim Zhorne on drums. They played to a packed house for the Pumpkins' Reunion release event and are back with originals and a number or two by the legendary likes of Duke Ellington, Billy Strayorn, and Sam Rivers. THEATER | Blank Slate's Pinocchio is a sterling page-to-stage adaptation by Sarah Rattanavong-Wash, TC Daily Planet Blank Slate Theatre's 14th full-length production, a page-to-stage adaptation of Pinocchio, would be artistically challenging even for a professional theater company. The fact that this brilliantly staged and beautifully performed play was put together by grade school and high school students and their twentysomething creative team (playwright, director, and producer) makes it a breathtaking achievement. McCollum denounces "dumb" Republican cuts to Planned Parenthood by Mary Turck, TC Daily Planet Kill Planned Parenthood - that's the plan from Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives, who slashed all Title X funding for Planned Parenthood from their latest budget bill. On February 24 in St. Paul, Congressmember Betty McCollum joined a crowded waiting room full of Planned Parenthood supporters determined to push back and protect services that include contraception, annual gynecological exams, patient education and more. Meet the Minneapolis School Board | Jenny Arneson on strengthening schools from the ground up by Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet So our school is 70 percent free and reduced lunch rate. I think there's this idea that somehow if you are above a certain rate of poverty that somehow those families have less to give and what we started doing is just looking at fundraising a different way. THEATER | Jesus Christ Superstar at Chanhassen Dinner Theatres: Crucifixion blues by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet Having not previously seen any production of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, when I arrived at the Chanhassen Dinner Theatres on Wednesday night, I really couldn't believe that the show was actually going to be what I'd heard it was: a run-through of Jesus's greatest hits in swinging 60s style, climaxing with an acid-jazz crucifixion. But yes, that is exactly what it is. Jesus rises from the dead just in time for the curtain call, and the first thing he does is pull Judas in to hug it out. MUSIC | Josh Ritter at First Avenue: So happy by Kate Gallagher, TC Daily Planet Why didn't I start listening to this guy years ago instead of months ago? Why isn't everyone I know listening to Josh Ritter? And how can he be so happy? THEATER | History Theatre's Adrift on the Mississippi tells the true story of slaves who escaped to Minnesota by Jeanette Fordyce, TC Daily Planet On February 19, over 300 people attended the History Theatre's telling of Reverend Robert Hickman's escape from slavery in 1863 from Missouri with 75 people on a crude raft traveling north in search of freedom along the Mississippi River. MOVIES | Academy Awards and social networking: Where the Oscar comes to you by Barb Teed, TC Daily Planet You're invited to join me on the Red Carpet at the 83rd Academy Awards—at least virtually. A new interactive feature will provide an experience to online audiences during the live Oscar show never before available. STYLE | University of Minnesota fashion design senior spotlight: Allison Danzl by Jay Gabler, TC Daily Planet If these clothes were in a movie, what would the movie be named? Preppies Gone Wild. THEATER | Mad Munchkin and Eclectic Edge present an ode to winter, with dancing and puppets by Sheila Regan, TC Daily Planet I found myself charmed, despite my misgivings about the timing of the show, by the enthusiasm that the dancer and puppeteers had toward our horrible, wonderful climate here in Minnesota. NEW IN BLOGS CABBAGES AND KINGS | Wisconsin: The new Animal Farm by Mary Jane LaVigne • "Wisconsin is the new Animal Farm," reads a sign on first floor of the State Capitol. "By George Orwell" the artist adds for those whose memories have a long jog back to eighth grade. There's a lot to like about this sign. The Koch brothers and Governor Walker leer with porcine joviality, grasping bills that are bloated as feed bags, their money the only thing touching. A PARALLEL UNIVERSE | Congressman Ellison: Do I matter? by Chuck Turchick • As-salamu-alaykum. My name is Maher Arar, and I heard you speak today on "The Generosity of Inclusion: Everybody Counts, Everybody Matters." I submitted a question, but it didn't get asked. At one point I almost felt like I should jump up and ask it, but I have tremendous fear of your government. That is also why I am sending this email from someone else's email address. OUTSIDE THE WALLS | Our "fellow Americans," Corporate personhood and the Wealthy American by Dick Bernard • Feb. 22, as the debate continued to rage about Wisconsin public employees and the right to bargain, I got an e-mail from a 41 year old man, a good friend who is one of those loyal employees who make corporations succeed. He was responding to my blog post of February 21. LOON COMMONS | Links in the beginning farmer chain by Brian DeVore • If sweat equity is a key ingredient in launching a farming enterprise, then Jim and Alan Ideker have enough venture capital to fire-up half-a-dozen enterprises. THINK FORWARD | Reflections on right to water by Shiney Varghese • This week, the U.N. Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation, Ms. Catarina de Albuquerque, will visit the United States, giving us an opportunity to pause and reflect: What does right to water entail?
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