Only rarely does Hollywood come up with a perfect movie title. Zombie Strippers is just such a title. Zombie Strippers is the most beautiful movie title ever unearthed by Hollywood. I am not a sensitive type, but the title is so profoundly elegant that I teared up when I heard it. The title perfectly captures the essence of its movie to the extent that you almost don’t have to go see it because the title tells you what is going to happen.
    Zombie Strippers dethrones Dude, Where’s My Car? as the former King of all Movie Titles that don’t require you to see the movie to enjoy it. I am humbled in the presence of the title Zombie Strippers like a member of the faithful seeing the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel for the first time. What a piece of work is man, how noble in reason to be able to come up with a title like Zombie Strippers. The title soars far above mortal man arching across the firmament of the heavens like a comet outshining the sun.
    {mosimage}The movie trailer is available for all to see online. I commend it for your viewing pleasure and personal edification. The trailer features the following immortal dialogue discussing the existential intersection of the undead and adult entertainment: “They are good girls.” “They are strippers.” “ They are zombies.” “No, they are zombie strippers.”
    The movie stars John Englund, who played the late great never-say-die Freddie Kruger in the Nightmare on Elm Streetmovies. John Englund is the Al Pacino of horror movies.
    Zombies often get a bad rap. It is refreshing to see dancing zombies portrayed as full-fledged members of the artistic community. Zombies are one of the last ethnic groups that the mainstream media disparages with impunity. There is no Zombie Liberation Front protecting the interests of our undead brothers and sisters. Zombies are typically stereotyped in a very negative light as inarticulate, mindless, brain-eating creatures. Big deal. Show me someone who is perfect. What gives the living the right to criticize zombie culture as inferior to our own? As Bill Shakespeare would say, “Hath not a zombie hands, organs, senses, passions, fed with the same food as a human is? If you prick a zombie does he not bleed?” Well, perhaps that is a poor example. Zombies eat the hands and organs of humans. If you cut a zombie, he doesn’t bleed because he has no circulatory system.
    Instead of disparaging zombies, we need to bring them into the mainstream of American life. A society that is inclusive of zombies and recognizes and celebrates their special talents is a society that honors diversity. We are exhausting our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. If we mainstream zombies, we can make them part of our nation’s armed forces. Send a battalion of zombies to Sadr City and take names. Our zombies could wipe out Muqtada al-Sadr’s dudes in a battle that would make You Tube stand on its head. The al-Qaeda types can’t kill zombies because they are already dead. The only part of a zombie that is vulnerable is the brain. Haliburton can make zombie-sized Kevlar helmets to cover the brains of the zombie battalion. Our zombies would clean up the Middle East quicker than you can say “Mission Accomplished.”
    Closeted Zombies already walk among us. Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia is clearly a judicial zombie. He just told 60 Minutes that people should get over the Bush versus Gore Supreme Court decision that appointed Bush as President in 2000. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama’s former pastor is clearly a clerical zombie, devouring the spotlight and Obama’s presidential campaign instead of human flesh. The oil companies are economic zombies, devouring the American economy with ever increasing gasoline prices. All these closeted zombies need to brought in from the cold. Zombies should be nurtured and loved so that their hostility toward the living is changed to empathy.
    One bright morning, zombies and humans will link arms and sing Kumbaya together. The undead will lie down with the living. America will once again become the shining city on the hill. Dead and undead will sing together in perfect harmony.

    This is being written before North Carolina’s Tuesday primary and will be published a week later. The outcome of our state’s presidential primary will, for the first time in a very long time, matter. It is indeed refreshing to live in a state where our votes can affect the process of determining who will be the leader of the free world. It would be further refreshing if we as an electorate could be regarded as an astute and highly analytical group whose support could only be won by cogent argument and carefully developed thesis. By Wednesday morning there will be great joy in someone’s camp. I hope it will be in Senator Obama’s. He has been honest in his statements and respectful of those whose attention he draws.
    Alas however, it is politics as it has always been in at least one camp. One of the most egregious examples of the “tell them anything and they will buy it” school of political stumping is Hillary Clinton’s spoonful of sugar federal gasoline-tax holiday scheme. The idea is founded most undoubtedly on the proposition that American taxpayers are hopelessly stupid, particularly those of us living in North Carolina and Indiana.{mosimage}
    Take a deep breath and consider the plan. The federal government temporarily removes the highway fund tax of 18.4 cents per gallon of gasoline. Whew. Now we are back to $3.39 per gallon. Pack up the SUV and off to Yellowstone. Driving is affordable again.  Bless you Mrs. Clinton and may your tribe always occupy the White House as it has already for eight years. Now for a reality check. The average family car (and we are dealing with averages here not exceptions) is driven about 12,000 miles per year and manages about 20 miles per gallon. That works out to be 50 gallons per month or a savings... ta da of $9.20 per family per month. Wow. So for three months the price of a fast food combo, maybe three packs of cigarettes, a movie ticket or a six pack of brewskis is going to make life worth living again for the American public.
    I guess the worrisome aspect of this plan to lure votes is that Mrs. Clinton and her managers believe that we, the voters, are just too dumb to see through it. This is a latter day version of Marie Antoinette’s “let them eat cake” suggestion. Of course, she paid for that ill-advised comment with a severed head. Mrs. Clinton goes on. The gasoline tax not collected would then be replaced by nicking the oil company’s profits to restore the estimated $9 billion lost from the highway trust fund. Not so bad, but doesn’t that require an act of Congress? Doesn’t she know that, what with her experience and everything? It gets worse. She also wants to spend the money not collected to research bio-fuels. This may be a shell game, I am not sure, but do count how many times Mrs. Clinton is shuffling this same bedraggled $9 billion.
    So we get the connection. Collect $9 less in taxes from each American family per month for three months, give it the old Washington money hide-and-seek and presto it is new money from taxes not collected for more research on a terrible idea. You read that correctly. That is what she has said and what she is saying, more money to study how to convert cropland to fuel land. Ethanol from corn and biodiesel from beans are ideas that are creating serious consequences on the world food supply. Mrs. Clinton wants to do more cropland conversion. With her vast experience and compassion she should be less enthusiastic about subsidies for ethanol producers and more for families paying 25 percent more for food in just one year because of the ethanol craze. 

{mosimage}They’ll be puttin’ on the ritz at the Temple Theatre in Sanford, May 29 through June 22, as a production of Ain’t Misbehavin’ comes to town.
The musical, first performed in 1978, features the songs of jazz great Fats Waller. The musical also has been a stepping stone for such major performers as Nell Carter, Irene Cara and Debbie Allen.
Waller reached his fame in the ‘20s and ‘30s and is perhaps best known for two songs that are featured in the musical — title track Ain’t Misbehavin’ and Honeysuckle Rose.
The musical has a cast of five actors and a seven-piece band. It has won many honors, including Tony awards for Best Musical, Best Choreography and Best Featured Actress in a Musical (Nell Carter).
Peggy Taphorn, artistic director for the Temple Theatre, says the production has been in the works for months, featuring some nationally known talent behind the scenes.
“It’s going to be a great show because we have great people working on it,” said Taphorn. “We have a great director in Ray Kennedy, a great cast and our musical director Jan Powell is awesome.”
Powell, who has been the Temple Theatre’s musical director for a year, says Ain’t Misbehavin’ is one of the most technically difficult projects he has worked on in his 40-year career in the theater... mainly because of the musical proficiency of Waller.
“It’s really, really hard,” said Powell. “Fats Waller was a great, great musician — a classically trained musician who sort of fell into jazz.
“This is the first time I’ve worked on a production of this musical,” said Powell, “but from the first time I saw it I wanted to be a part of it.”
Powell is playing the piano himself. Other instruments in the band include drums, bass and a horn section.
He has praise for both the theater and the young cast.
“I love the Temple,” said Powell. “I think it’s one of the great, undiscovered gems in North Carolina. Despite seating more than 300 people, it still has an intimate feel.
“And this cast is so good,” added Powell. “They’re extremely young, but they all sing and dance very, very well.”
The five members of the cast are Christopher Berry, who plays Ken; Terren Wooten, who plays Andre; Brittany Carrie as Armelia; Cindy Hespedales as Charlane; and the role of Nell is performed by Mitzi Greshawn Smith.
Berry, who is a recent graduate of North Carolina A&T, has an impressive background in theater, having participated in productions of Smoky Joe’s Cafe, A Christmas Carol, Raisin in the Sun and Dreamgirls. However, he says he is as excited about performing in Ain’t Misbehavin’ as any other musical he’s been involved in.
“I think it’s going to be great,” said Berry. “The director, Ray Kennedy, has an excellent reputation in the theater world, and the rest of the cast is awesome.”
Berry, a native of Westbury, N.Y., has never performed at the Temple Theatre, but he’s looking forward to his run in Sanford.
“I think the people are really in for a great show,” said Berry. “The music and choreography of Ain’t Misbehavin’ just fits together so well. It’s been a lot of fun working on it.”
The performance schedule is 2 and 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 29; 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday; and 2 p.m. on Sunday. The production runs through June 22 and tickets are $16 and $20. There will be a dress rehearsal on May 28 that is open to the public for $5 per person.
“We’re hoping to get people who have never been to a musical interested in the theater with the dress rehearsal,” said Taphorn, “and get the folks who go to the dress rehearsal to come back for the real thing.”   

Contact Tim Wilkins at: tim@upandcomingweekly.com    

    This weekend, families across the nation will spend time honoring mothers. Countless cards, bouquets of flowers, breakfasts in bed and spa treatments will be purchased or made, and on Sunday morning mothers (no matter where they are) will smile appreciatively and say, “Thank you, that’s just what I wanted” — even if the eggs are burned, the flowers came out of the front yard and the card is colored in crayons and smells of paste.
In our community, many mothers have great reason to be celebrated.
    They are the mothers who leave their children in someone else’s care, put on their boots and sling their weapon to stand a line in defense of our freedom. They watch their children grow via the Internet and photos. They can’t be there to hold their children when they are sick, because they are holding a wounded comrade. They see school plays and projects via camcorders. They are the mothers who sacrifice spending birthdays and Christmas with their children, so that others can do so.
    There’s another set of mothers who sacrifice as well. They are the mothers who carry the load of their families while their husbands are deployed in support of our nation. They are the mothers who spend countless hours ensuring that their children do not worry too much about their dads. They are the mothers who tell their children their dads will be just fine, and after they put them to bed either cry themselves to sleep or don’t sleep at all because they are too worried about their spouses.
    They are the mothers who volunteer to be T-ball and soccer coaches — even though they don’t know what they are doing — because it’s important to their children. They are the mothers who spend all day at work, only to go home to cook dinner, do homework, mow the yard, pay the bills and climb into a lonely bed. And then, they get up the next day and do it all over again.
    Military wives and soldiers (who are mothers) are some of the strongest women I’ve ever met. They put on a brave face and do what needs to be done — even though their hearts jump into their throats every time the phone rings or someone knocks on their door or they receive a deployment notice.
    They are never too busy to help a friend out — even though their hands are already filled to overflowing, and when it gets to be too much, they have a quick cry, which usually ends in laughter, and get back up on their feet.
I’m proud to be in their number. Unlike some military wives, I had a head start. I was raised in a military family. I saw my mother carry the load. I watched her stretch a dime until it screamed, keep five children spit and  polish clean, keep an immaculate house and be the first one to go visit or take care of someone who was sick. I learned from her example.
    I look at my hands now, and I see hers. My mother’s hands were always busy (with five kids how could they not be?). No task was too unimportant to be seen to, and no event unworthy of notice. No lesson was too small for her to take the time to teach her children. Lessons on hard work, compassion, independence, faith and love were not only spoken, they were seen in her everyday life.
    She died shortly after I turned 18. I often think about all the times she was both mom and dad — and how easy she made it all seem. I wonder what she would think about me.
    I see my hands, which look so much like hers, but I’ve yet to see the grace hers carried in their every move. But if I’m lucky, when my son looks back, maybe he will remember them that way.

    Contact Janice Burton at: editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    {mosimage}Fayetteville will see an explosion of red, white and blue on May10-27 as more than 1,500 American flags fly at Festival Park and the Airborne Museum (extending all the way to Freedom Memorial Park) in honor of our Veterans — retired, active duty and those who have made the ultimate sacrifice.
This galaxy of stars and stripes is a result of Fayetteville being named the host city for the 2008 Field of Honor, which is going on in conjunction with the 8th Annual Glory Days Festival.
  Each flag measures three-feet-by-five-feet and will fly eight feet above the turf in perfect rows, with a yellow ribbon affixed to each flag pole. Set-up will begin May 9 and take just one day, but, according to Suzy Hrabovsky — one of the organizers of the event — it’s an idea that’s been a year in the making.
    Hrabovsky says individuals and corporations have paid to sponsor the flags; in fact the demand has been so high to sponsor a flag that Hrabowsly said an additional 300 flags were ordered when the original goal of 1,200 was surpassed. Individuals paid $25 to purchase a flag and the aforementioned yellow ribbon will bear the name of the flag’s sponsor as well as the flag’s honoree.
    And for each flag there is a story behind the stars and stripes  — often heartbreaking.
    “Flags have been bought by parents and spouses of victims, even children,” said Hrabovsky. “A father{mosimage}{mosimage} died in a helicopter crash.
    “One of the ladies I talked to bought a flag because she was excited that her son was coming home,” said Hrabovsky. “In a lot of instances, flags were purchased in honor of soldiers who are coming home.”
Hrabosky says folks have called from all over the country to sponsor a flag — there was even one call from Russia.
    All proceeds from the flag sponsorships go to Fayetteville Cares — a local organization that provides assistance to military personnel and their spouses before, during and after deployments.
    “It’s a great organization,” said Hrabovskyy. “If a military spouse needs money for an emergency or a soldier is in trouble, Fayetteville Cares is there for them.”
    The flags will be set up on May 9 by an army of volunteers, including 100 Boy Scouts led by Mike Archer.
On May 10 at 11 a.m., there will be a dedication ceremony at Freedom Memorial Park. The dedication will include music, a color guard, the Pledge of Allegiance, and speakers made up of state and local officials, as well as the military. The color guard band will finish things off by playing The Battle Hymn of the Republic.
The dedication kicks off the Glory Days Festival; this year’s theme for the festival honors military vets of the Vietnam War. Events include: A classic car cruise-in at Festival Park; a bake sale; live music at Festival Park; the N.C. State Cyclists Criterion Championship; The Fayetteville Swampdogs baseball team; ‘Patriot’s Crit’ on Hay Street; a Sunday Movie in the Park featuring, showing Good Morning Vietnam (May 25); which will feature free admission and free popcorn; a vintage military equipment and gear exhibit; carriage rides; foods, arts and crafts, and concessions.
    “This is just our way of saying ‘thank you’ to the men and women in the military who protect us,” said Hrabovsky, “and the ones who never made it home.”

  Contact Tim Wilkins: tim@upandcomingweekly.com 

 

    If you’re looking to support the Special Forces and be in good company while rocking out, then you’ll want to check out the legendary band Bad Company, which is headlining the 3rd Annual Special Forces Association (SFA) Benefit Festival on May 31 at Festival Park.
    In addition to Bad Company, featuring lead singer Brian Howe, there will be at least six other bands rocking the festival, including Ethan Hanson, Stronghold, Super Drive, Donnaha Station, Motorjunkie and Falling in Two.
    {mosimage}Formed in 1973, Bad Company was a “supergroup” comprised of former Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, both previous members of Free. Among the group’s biggest hits are Can’t Get Enough of Your Love and Feel Like Making Love.
    The group disbanded in 1982; in 1984, the two existing members of Bad Company — Kirke and guitarist Ralphs — picked Brian Howe to replace Rodgers as the lead singer.
    Since Howe joined the band, Bad Company has sold 19 million albums and produced such hit singles as Holy Water, If You Needed Somebody, No Smoke Without a Fireand How About That.
    All the other bands playing at the festival hail from North Carolina, including Fayetteville’s own Ethan Hanson.
But the festival is more than just music, says organizer Jim Sawyer, president of Chapter C of the Special Forces Association.
    “We’ve called it a concert in the past few years, but it’s definitely a festival now,” said Sawyer. “We’ve got something for everyone.”
    In addition to the music, the festival features North Carolina’s own master of mystery, Captain Jim the Magician; the Geico No. 7 race car; the Cape Fear Harley Davidson drag motorcycle; food vendors running the gamut from seafood to ice cream to hamburgers; merchandise vendors; a juggler roaming the crowd;  a bike show — for bikes with motors — and for kids, bikes without motors; face painting and, two beer tents.
    There will also be a special display by Blackwater USA, which is providing a large, armored truck of the type used in Iraq.
    All this for $20 at the gate — $17 if you get your ticket at ticketalternative.com.
And did we mention it’s for a good cause?
    “After we pay expenses, all the money goes to the Special Forces Association Scholarship, Tribute, and Benevolent Funds,” said Sawyer.
    The SFA Scholarship Fund awards money via an essay contest to the surviving children of  Special Forces soldiers killed in action to finance the child’s education; the SFA Tribute Fund provides immediate, one-time cash donations to widows of fallen Special Forces soldiers killed in action; the SFA Benevolent Fund provides case-by-case financial grants to wounded Special Forces soldiers to help them during their rehabilitation, prepare handicap home modifications, and assist with unforeseen emergency expenses.
    Sawyer says he’s hoping for a crowd of 8,000 to 10,000.
    “It’s our biggest show ever,” said Sawyer, “which means we have to raise a lot of money to pay for Bad Company and our other expenses.”
    To sweeten the pot for attendees, the festival is offering a raffle for a 2008 Chevy Colorado pick-up, a Fender Stratocaster with amplifier and a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun. Plus, your ticket earns you a shot at various door prizes — last year, the SFA awarded more than $2,000 in door prizes.
    To honor our fighting men and women, SFA is donating 200 tickets to injured soldiers at Womack Army Medical Center — one ticket for a wounded soldier and one for a guest or caregiver.
    The festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on May 31 and will end after Bad Company leaves the stage, which Sawyer estimates will be around 10:30 p.m.For more information, check out http://www.festivalsandevents.com/featurefestival.php?lid=8633 or http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/172.aspx
 

   Contact Tim Wilkins: tim@upandcomingweekly.com

“I can’t remember if I cried
When I read about his widowed bride,
But something touched me deep inside
The day the music died.” — Don McLean

    A couple of generations have sang along to the lyrics of American Pie, but few may realize that the lyrics are actually talking about Buddy Holly — an American rock icon.
    Holly, a Texas native, began his career playing bluegrass, but after seeing an Elivs Presley show in 1955, he turned his attention to rock ‘n roll. And he never looked back.
    In the time span of 18 months, Holly became one of the most influential musicians on the rock ’n roll landscape. His life was cut short when a plane he was traveling in crashed in 1959 — the day the music died.
The Cape Fear Regional Theatre is celebrating the life of Buddy Holly in its river show — Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, playing at Campbellton Landing May 9-25.
    {mosimage}“Buddy died when he was just 22,” said Bo Thorp, the CFRT’s artistic director. “It is so interesting to look at a man who rose that much fame in just three years. He was a ‘my way’ kind of guy. Radio wanted him to play country, but he wanted to play rock ‘n roll – so that’s what he did.”
    Thorp said the production is a lot like a big rock concert. She said that the music, which is used to tell the story, is the music that many people grew up with. “There’s not a song that’s going to be performed that people are not going to know,” she said. “It’s the fabric of a lot of people’s lives.”
    For Baxter Clement, a professional actor and musician who resides in Southern Pines and has the starring role, Buddy Holly’s life is the ultimate rock ‘n roll story. “Elvis came before Buddy, but they were all part of the same thing,” said Clement, who knows a little about rock ‘n roll having been a guitarist in a few bands, and having toured extensively. “It’s remarkable that he had 20 number one hits in that short span of time,” he said. “He broke a lot of barriers down — including racial ones. I’ very glad to be a part of telling the story.”
    Performing in the river show is a first for Clement, who has spent much of his career on Broadway. He noted that he was told up front to bring his allergy medicines, but he’s looking forward to the experience. Clement said that any time you are on stage, you are compelled to give your best. “The excitement that comes from performing, whether it is for 4,000 people a night on Broadway or 400 people at the river show, generates the same energy,” he said.
    For 71st High School drama teacher Mike Jones the river show is also a first; however, he has performed several times at the CFRT. Jones will be play “The Big Bopper” Richardson, who toured with and was killed in the same plane crash as Holly. Jones said the show is “coming together and it’s going to be great.” He likened the relationship between Holly, Richardson and Ritchie Valens to that which has developed between the performers at the CFRT.             “The relationship between the character is very touching,” he said, explaining that he and the cast were forming close working relationships as well.
    He likens the play to a rock ‘n roll festival. “Their deaths were such a touching and traumatic thing,” he said. People loved them then, and they still love them today. They love their music.”
    If you want to take part in this musical extravaganza, you can purchase tickets to dinner, which begins at 7:30 p.m. or tickets for the show only which starts at 8:30 p.m. Tickets Range in price from $14 to $27. The show opens on Friday, May 9 and runs Thursday — Sunday through May 25. For more information, call 323-4233.

    Contact Janice Burton at: editor@upandcomingweekly.com 

    Mona Powell is a woman of determination. In 1996, she thought it would be a great idea for women who own small businesses to get together and form a network to help each other out. One of the network’s goals would be creating greater exposure in the community for their businesses. Just as tenaciously as she established her own business, Color Me Angel, Powell went about establishing an event by women business owners, for women business owners. In its ninth year, W.O.M.E.N. (Women Owned and Managed Enterprising Networks) expo is slated for May 9-10 at Cross Creek Mall. The event’s focus hasn’t changed much over the ensuing years — it’s still geared toward helping small business women gain exposure for their businesses, but it’s also a celebration of women, and its annual timing around Mother’s Day makes it even more special.
    “We are celebrating mothers,” said Powell. “It’s a tribute to mom — we’re celebrating women as mothers, who are also business owners.”
    There will be more than 67 women-owned businesses participating in the event. Powell said the vendors will be distributed throughout the mall. Women will be showcasing their businesses and will be supporting the day-long celebration by offering door prizes and sponsoring several fun events slated for the afternoon.
“We have all sorts of fun events planned for Saturday,” explained Powell. “We have a mother/daughter lookalike contest, a dance team contest and a scavenger event.”
    These events have become signature events for the expo. Last year, so many people signed up to participate in the events, that there had to be two to three iterations just to let everyone participate.
    “The dance contest is great,” explained Powell. “It’s a mother/daughter team dancing to their favorite music. Last year, the youngest contestant was only 16-months-old, but she was shaking it.”
    The scavenger hunt is a great way for moms and their daughters to spend time together. It actually starts on Thursday afternoon, and participants have until 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon to collect everything on the list and bring it to the stage, which is located in the food court.
    This isn’t your average scavenger hunt. Last year, participants were required to find things like a cattail, a picture of the smallest house they could find, an eight-track tape and a 1942 Sears and Roebuck Catalog. Two people found that catalog.
    “It’s a lot of fun for the family,” said Powell. “The younger team members have to ask what some of the things are. We had one girl call last year and ask what an eight-track was.”
    Lists can be picked up at the mall’s customer service desk on Thursday afternoon or can be downloaded from www.colormeangel.com.
    The big event of the day is the crowning of one lucky mother as Queen for the Day. To enter your mom in the contest, you have to write a 100 word or less essay on why your mom should be treated like a queen. The winning mom will be notified in advance, and the coronation will take place at 2 p.m. The lucky mom will win a $500 gift pack including spa treatments and dinner.
    Powell said she has been getting calls all week from people who want to participate, and she only sees the event growing. She noted that the event kicks off with a social for the vendors on Thursday, and runs from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Friday and Saturday.
    “We take Sunday off because we need time to celebrate,” she said.
    For more information, visit the Color Me Angel Web site at www.colormeangel.com.

    Contact Janice Burton at: editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    The Cumberland Oratorio Singers hope to make beautiful music with their new conductor, Michael Martin.
Adding a new front man is a very big change for the COS, which has been led by the same conductor — founder Alan Porter — for its entire 17-year existence. Porter recently retired as conductor, though he plans to stay on the COS’s board of directors.
    Martin, a native of Maine, will start in the fall. He is the assistant professor of music and director of choral activities and music education at Methodist University; he brings a wealth of experience in various fields of the performing arts to the COS.
    “I’ve been a choral director of several community groups,” Martin said. “Different kinds. I conducted a rather large choral group of 120 and I built that up from 35 while in New England. I also directed a semiprofessional group set up by audition.
    “And, I conducted men’s barbershop chorus, sang for 18 years in professional barbershop quartets,” said Martin, “and had the chance to travel all over the U.S. and Europe singing with them.”
    Martin is excited about the opportunity to make the COS even bigger and better, though he came within a whisker of not getting the job.
    “They didn’t contact me,” said Martin. “I saw that they were having auditions for a director, so I poked around for a bit and I found that they had already done a search and they had settled on two people they were going to audition.
    “So I talked to Fouad Fakhouri (conductor for the Fayetteville Symphony Orchestra) and mentioned to him my background and he said I need to be part of that, that my experience was the direction they wanted to go.”
    And that experience certainly interested the FSO’s board of directors.
    “He (Martin) just stood out with his experience and knowledge,” said Porter.
    Porter said he is stepping down for various reasons, even though his love and passion for the COS has never wavered.
    “It’s my baby,” said Porter, who retired from Methodist University six years ago and now lives in Kure Beach. “But it’s quite a drive from Kure Beach and I was making it every day. And with the cost of gas, it gets very expensive.”
    Plus, added Porter, “I was ready for some new blood with new ideas and more energy.”
    Porter says Martin will take the COS in new directions and, hopefully, build up its membership and audience. Porter says over the course of its existence, the COS has averaged between 55 and 60 members a year. And he says the reaction to the COS has been positive in Fayetteville, even though he says it’s tough for such a specialized group to make it in a military town.
    “It’s always had a loyal group of followers,” said Porter,“and there’s quite a talent pool here in Fayetteville — we simply want to increase the numbers of the members and the audience.”
    Martin’s plan to increase the size of the COS and its fans includes advertising and playing various venues. He also says that more people in Cumberland County need to be exposed to the choral group.
    “My plan is to do shows in as varied a setting as possible,” said Martin. “We need to travel; this is a large area, so I would like to do maybe an established concert once a year here (Methodist University). But the rest of the concerts are fair game. I want to find venues around the county. This is the Cumberland Oratorio Singers, so people from Cumberland County should be in the group.
    “And I think them staying in one place doesn’t work,” added Martin, “So my thinking is maybe taking one month and have a Monday rehearsal in Hope Mills, a Monday rehearsal in Spring Lake, another Monday here (Methodist University) and have them advertised so people can come.”
    Martin also wants to expand the repertoire of the group, adding new music while still keeping the old standbys such as the always popular community Messiah sing.
    “I just want more people to be exposed to this wonderful music and to make it the best,” said Martin.

    Contact Tim Wilkins: tim@upandcomingweekly.com

    Since last fall, the Homebuilders Association has taken the lead in welcoming the soldiers and airmen from Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base home. Operation Welcome Home is designed to bring the soldiers and their families together for one big fun event that gives the community the opportunity to show them exactly how much they care.
    The fourth iteration of Operation Welcome Home is slated for Saturday, May 10 at 7 p.m. at the Crown Coliseum. Soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division will be honored at a Fayetteville Guard arena football game.{mosimage}
    Billy Hylton, the president of the Fayetteville Homebuilders Association, said the organization will once again be{mosimage} purchasing 5,000 tickets for the soldiers and their families. In the past, events have revolved around Fireantz hockey. This is the first Operation Welcome Home football game. The Fayetteville Guard, Fayetteville’s arena football team, will be taking on the Augusta Colts. To date, the Guard has a 1-4 record.     So come cheer on the soldiers and the home team.
    Throughout the evening, the soldiers and their families will be honored in a number of ways, including the presentation of a special coin to each soldier.
    Hylton said the homebuilders took on this event to recognize the importance of the military in our community and the respect the community has for their dedication and sacrifice. Each of the preceding events has had record attendance, but has yet to be a sellout. Hylton hopes this event will be the sellout.
    “We’ve been talking with the 82nd command for some time and they are excited about participating and being a part of this event,” he said. “We want all of the soldiers to come out to the football game and have a great time.”
Commanders of the 82nd will be on had to welcome the soldiers home and to share in the evening with the community. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the game can be purchased at the Crown Box Office, and range in price from $8 for children up to $32 for adults.

    Contact Janice Burton at: editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    While many of the county’s movers and shakers showed up at the Crown Coliseum to officially celebrate the organization’s naming of Paul Beard as its president and chief executive officer, his attention was not focused on the county’s leaders. Instead, it was focused on the current and former employees of the Crown.
    Beard, a lifelong resident of Cumberland County, began working at the Crown in 1995  when the facility was under construction. He worked his way up through the Crown organization, serving in a number of roles. Along the way, his hard work and dedication to his fellow employees earned him a lot of supporters. And they were all on hand on Thursday, April 24, to celebrate with him.
    “I’m especially pleased to see a lot of my fellow co-workers here,” said Beard. “They had a great love for this place and they still have a love for it. It means a lot to me to have you here. You have mentored me, helped me along the way and coached me to help me get here.”
    Beard also acknowledged the work of the Crown Center Commission, the board that has oversight of the facility.{mosimage}
    “Their commitment is long-term and day-to-day,” said Beard. “They spend a lot of time with us; embracing us and what we want to do. They are key to helping us succeed.”
    Chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners Breeden Blackwell noted that Beard was “the right man at the right time” for the Crown. He noted that Beard was more likely to brag about his staff than to tout his own success, but that his performance speaks for itself.
    And it is that success over the months Beard has served as interim CEO which made him the logical choice for the job. Since Beard took over the helm of the organization earlier this year, the coliseum has had five sold-out shows, and set a revenue record for the month of March.
    While the commission is quick to give accolades to Beard, he turns it back to his staff.
    “We could not succeed without the staff in this facility,” he said. “The staff here can overcome any obstacle — and they do it with a spirit of cooperation.”
    One of Beard’s first tasks after assuming responsibility for the coliseum was to write a new mission statement. He said he gathered the key leaders at the facility and they hammered out the mission statement. The statement centers around Beard’s idea of how the Crown’s customers and staff should expect to be treated. It also talks about raising the bar of the Crown’s fiscal performance and the way it is seen in the community.
    “We are building partnerships with the people in the community,” he said. “The Crown Center is an integral part of our community. The days when it was seen in an adversarial role are over.”
    {mosimage}While Beard is busy looking to the future — talking about expanding the facility and adding a hotel either on the campus of the facility or nearby — he hasn’t forgotten about its past. He in fact wants to embrace it. On May 19, the organization will rededicate the auditorium in honor of the men and women of the armed services. Later this year, the organization will rededicate the Charlie Rose Agri-Expo Center and its ties to our county’s farming community.

    Contact Janice Burton at: editor@upandcomingweekly.com

    The Fayetteville Area System of Transit, or FAST, has been at the center of recent conversations by the Fayetteville City Council. On Monday, May 28, that conversation included many of the riders of the system, as local citizens packed the council room to oppose a proposed increase in rider fares. The council listened to their voices, voting against raising the fares, and instead committing to raising the per capita expenditure on the system to that of other systems in the state.
    The transit system has been under fire for quite some time due to its aging fleet, scheduling woes and customer service. Last fall the city received a report citing problems in the system, which included its lack of funding. Fayetteville’s system is funded at a little more than $9 per capita — half that of similar systems in the state.
    At the recent meeting, the council voted to raise the per capita spending over the next three years to bring it in line with the other systems in the state. The council additionally approved an additional $5 tax on all vehicles within the city limits, and voted to fund the system with an additional $100,000 in the upcoming budget year.
    Citizens on hand for the hearing on rate increases loudly applauded the move by the council as a step in the right direction. Prior to the action, the council heard a litany of complaints against the system. Speakers talked about the lateness of the buses, their poor upkeep and maintenance and the lack of improvements.
    The call for increased fares came as the new transit director, Ron Macaluso, sought to bring the system’s staff up {mosimage}to par. Macaluso presented a plan earlier this year to hire seven new positions, which he said would be key in getting the system on the right track. The positions included a training supervisor and dispatchers. Macaluso said that the current supervisory staff spends its time dispatching, so they cannot be out on the road checking on routes. The proposed hiring actions resulted in an increase of more than $400,000. To meet that increase, Macaluso recommended the rate hikes and the tax increase on personal vehicles.
    When questioned whether the hiring of the new positions would result in immediate improvements to the system, Macaluso noted that the changes would not be immediate. The council, nor the audience, was comfortable with that answer. Macaluso said the addition of five new buses this fall would, in itself, create an improvement in the system because they would be clean and would not have the maintenance problems of the older buses. He argued that the hiring of the new staff was the building block for improvements within the system.
    Councilmen Robert Massey, D.J. Haire and Charles Evans were firm in their belief that more improvements had to come quickly. To ensure those changes, Mayor Tony Chavonne pushed the council to make the commitment to up the per capita spending and to form a Blue Ribbon Commission to study the issues and make recommendations to improve the system.

    Like many Americans, I am trying to raise my consciousness about my own impact on our earth and how to lessen it. I am trying to be thoughtful in my use of resources and in my disposal of what is left. In short, I am trying to get greener.But it is not that easy. I know that the car I drive is a heavy, gas guzzling disaster. Sometimes I try to justify this to myself by noting that it does get better mileage on the highway and that I feel safe in it, but it still uses way too much fuel, a reality which is also getting my pocketbook’s attention about once a week at the gas pump. I will be more practical with my next purchase of a vehicle, but the current one is not quite three years old, so it will probably guzzle away with me for several more years.The Dickson household does recycle, and we are proud of that, but it, too, takes some time and effort. We bag newspapers, magazines, and the endless slick catalogues which come in the mail. A large plastic bin in a utility closet holds empty glass and plastic containers until it is full to overflowing. Then it is off to the Ann Street landfill to deposit the recyclables, a chore that takes some time and effort and is not all that pleasant. The recycling situation should be a bit less burdensome once the city of Fayetteville’s program begins this summer, but it will never be as simple as the “ungreen” option of simply tossing everything in the trash.{mosimage}
      All the blessed rain of late has eased the drought conditions across North Carolina, including in our area, but I am trying not to return to my unthinking use of water. I now understand far better than I did before the drought that water
      I have come to view shopping as a conservation challenge as well. Like many women, I do most of the shopping for our household, grocery and otherwise, and I am increasingly dismayed by the extravagant, luxurious waste in packaging. I recently bought a package of small appliance batteries, which came on a cardboard backing with a hard plastic shell as are many other consumer products. Bottles of various liquids are packaged in boxes. The reasons for all of this packaging are varied, but they often include ease of packing and shipping and a desire to make the products more difficult to conceal and steal.  But what happens to all that fancy packing. Consumers, you and I, generally throw it away and it winds up in our landfills.
      Bagging our purchases is another issue. Do you prefer paper or plastic? Neither is environmentally sound, and both also wind up in our landfills. For my birthday last fall, my children gave me two large canvas tote bags, which I keep in the gas guzzler to carry my purchases from the store. They work just fine, and I feel good about doing what people in Europe and other parts of the world have done for decades.  I see more and more people doing the same thing, and I take great satisfaction in seeing that many stores now offer such bags for sale to their customers at relatively modest prices instead of providing only paper or plastic. My only problem has been remembering to take my own bags into stores, and more than once I have had to walk back into a parking lot to retrieve them.
      Someone much greener than I has some other environmentally friendly and easy suggestions. Unplug appliances that you are not using.  This is helpful to the pocketbook as well. Turn your thermostat down in colder weather and add a layer of clothing. In the summer, crank it up a bit and take off a layer. This, too, is helpful to your pocketbook. Compost fruits and vegetables from your kitchen.  This can be a tad messy, but it will help your plants. Read newspapers and magazines on line, thereby saving a few trees. This is not my natural inclination because I love the feel of what I am reading in my hands, but I find myself doing this more and more, especially for a quick peek at the morning news. It probably is the way of the future.
       With Mother’s Day creeping up on us, these are ways to love your mother č Mother Earth.

Dear Editor:
Thanks Everyone!
    I’m taking this opportunity to say thank you for all that came out Monday (4/28) to speak in support not to raise our bus fares. Over the last few weeks my fellow councilmember’s and myself have received emails, phone calls and had street conversations from citizens concerning this subject.
    I think it’s a plus when citizens can come together and let their elected officials know just how they feel. I applaud some of the media (WIDU) for reporting their (bus riders) views. I was also impressed to hear and see several pastors from our community. They came; out some brought many of there(sic) members and they spoke loud and clear. (I would love to see this more often)
    After all of the speaking, our city council did the correct thing by not raising the bus fares and I was very thankful of that. I think this was the very best decision and I went home feeling good about our vote. Sometimes we the strong have to bare(sic) up the weak, so thanks Fayetteville City Council & citizens of Fayetteville we did the right thing. We have along ways to go on improving our transit system, but we are now moving aggressively forward.
D. J. Haire,Fayetteville City Council

Dear Editor:
    I am part of the Bark for a Park dog park committee in Fayetteville. We have been working with the City of Fayetteville for over a year to bring a dog park to Fayetteville. The city has a five-acre site on North Eastern Blvd. for our use but it needs enclosing. Our group has been tasked with raising funds for the fencing. The Parks and Recreation Department will maintain the park once it is operational. We have raised about one-third of the estimated $30,000 needed for fencing and have built community support for the project. People all over the county are straining at the leashes for this to become a reality!
     I live near Haymount and can certainly understand the desire to have a dog park near enough to walk to, such as the one Keith Phillips (April 23-29 edition) envisions at Rowan Park. However, the city’s chosen location across from the Cape Fear Botanical Garden would serve even those across the river.
     We would welcome the support of the dog lovers who want a dog park at Rowan Park. With your energy, we could bring a good-sized dog park to Fayetteville even sooner. We think that once we get one park open, there will be much demand for others in other parts of the county, perhaps even in existing city/county parks.           

{mosimage} The Fayetteville Animal Protection Society is supporting us, enabling use of their 501C3 nonprofit status for tax-deductible donations. Please join our efforts by calling us at 484-6619 or by mailing a check to FAPS, P.O. Box 58195, Fayetteville, NC 28305. Write “dog park” on the memo line of your check.
Judy Stoddard 

{mosimage}Survivortook a turn for the macabre at the end of April. The women banded together against the men in what they gleefully called “the Black Widow Brigade.” Suddenly, the series didn’t seem like a harmless game anymore. The women were treating it like a bloody sacrificial rite, with murder in their eyes.

“We’re spinning the guys around until they don’t know which way is up,” said Parvati with a diabolical laugh. “Then we’re devouring them.”

Natalie was even scarier. She expressed a desire to suck the guys’ blood and even pantomimed licking it off her fingers.

“I’d love to blindside Jason,” she said, “flossing my teeth with his jugular.”

This week’s finale (Sunday, 8 p.m., CBS) may be the first one in whichSurvivorfans have to shield their eyes. I predict that the “Black Widow Brigade” will make good on their promise to eat every male contestant in the tribal council area. The sight of host Jeff Probst running into the jungle screaming will be a rather sad way to end the season.

American Experience

Wednesday, 8 p.m. (PBS)

Say you were a television network making a documentary about the recent Republican president George H.W. Bush. Would you (a), aim for a balanced perspective, giving equal time to supporters and detractors, or (b), turn the program over to adoring fans to add a rosy glow to Bush’s controversial career? If you chose (a), you clearly aren’t PBS, begging for federal funds with another Bush in the White House. Apparently scared of the “liberal bias” charge, the network has created one of the most craven documentaries I’ve ever seen on TV.

As Bush’s friends and family members tell it, with inspiring music on the soundtrack, George H.W. is just a decent fellow who wanted to do the right thing for his fellow countrymen. So when he welcomed racists into the Texas Republican Party in the 1960s, he was just being practical to advance a worthy cause. When he sought public office by denouncing civil rights, he was going against his true feelings. When he covered for Watergate-era Richard Nixon as Republican Party chairman, he was showing admirable loyalty.

Let’s look a little closer at this last episode to see how the documentary skews reality. We see a clip of Bush questioning the media’s patriotism for simply asking legitimate questions about criminal activity in the White House. 

“The president has said that he’s not involved in Watergate╔. and I accept that. And I don’t think it helps the stability or the forward progress of this country to speculate hypothetically when a man has made that statement.”

Is anyone allowed to call Bush for his ugly role in the Watergate affair? Nope č we just get wife Barbara letting him off the hook with a deeply hilarious alibi. “George couldn’t believe a man could look you in the face and say, ‘I had nothing to do with this. I have not lied.’”

I’m already dreading PBS’s heroic documentary about George W. Bush in the next decade or so.

An American Crime

Saturday, 9 p.m. (Showtime)

Your heart leaps at the prospect of Catherine Keener and Ellen Page in a movie together. But it sinks when you learn the subject,An American Crime, is the true story of 16-year-old Sylvia Likens (Page), left to live with a sadistic stranger named Gertrude Baniszewski (Keener) by her carny parents. Occasional whippings culminate in gruesome torture and imprisonment in the basement.

Page and Keener put everything they have into humanizing both victim and victimizer. But it’s a shame to see them work so hard in a movie that will only make you say “ewww.”

 

{mosimage}I recently sat down with Doran Palmer, drummer for Fayetteville rock outfit Falling In Two. Doran shed some light on the band’s beginnings and their hopes for the future, while offering constructive criticism for Fayetteville’s music scene.

Falling In Two isn’t really falling anywhere but in place.

What do you think your band has that no one else has?

The members who make up Falling In Two. No other band has these guys. We are unique to ourselves and our goals, our lives and who we are. No other band in the world has these four men. We create what we can, based on what we are able — we perform with an attitude and play with confidence. We are unique because we strive for it.

If you only had two words to describe your band, what would they be, and why?

Overly Critical. We spend a lot of time critiquing, not only the music, but our performances, sound quality, levels, appearances. We spend some rehearsals just going over the video from the last performance.

 Who came up with the name and why do you think it fits your band?

The name Falling In Two as it is written was from the Dream Theater Album Falling Into Infinity. I actually brought up the name and the band changed “Into” to “In Two.” Although spelled different, the meaning is the same, or Falling In Two success. After many years for all the members of trying to build bands, with little success or recording with little success, or conflicts of writing styles, this group just fell together and we work perfectly together with the same desire, direction, likes and dislikes and we genuinely like each other.

Influences, and why? Do you think you live up to their legacies? How do you think you can improve?

As a band we are not influenced by anyone. We don’t write to sound like anyone else; in fact we make every effort not to. We are constantly writing in sort of tangents, not the opposite but the side opposite the norm. Creating new music is very difficult and time consuming, many of our newer songs took months to finalize. By ever creating and exploring new directions and ideas, we are not only improving our own personal abilities but taking the music to a different level and possibly direction.

Noticed that you are from Seattle — how does having roots in such a rich music scene affect your outlook or experiences in Fayetteville’s little old music scene?

For as small as Fayetteville is, I’ve been impressed. I don’t think there is enough diversity in the scene, but the venues here really aren’t set up for that. What is frustrating is that only a few bands are really working together. Falling In Two is constantly reaching out to other bands to share gigs with and that’s pretty much anywhere in the state or outside of the state for that matter. Very few venues are open to original bands, they want cover bands.

Seattle is very different — if a record label executive, A&R or whoever, was coming to check out a band, every musician in the city knew about it and we were all there to support them and help them make it. It’s in all of our best interest to work together, that’s why so many bands come out of Seattle and the West C  oast in general. Here, we have conflict almost constantly, between the metal scene, rock, country, punk, emo, acoustic, R&B, hip hop — it’s like every group has their own agenda and won’t support anyone else.

Where can Falling in Two fans catch you boys next?

We will be at Jester’s Pub on May 9. We will have two more shows after that in the Fayetteville area, and then we will take off for a while and embark on regional tours. We only expect to move up from here. 

If you think your attitudes towards music are in tune with Falling In Two, be sure to check them out at Jester’s on May 9. You can also enjoy some of their progressive rock anthems at none other than The Rock Shop, May 17; but if you really want to see Fayetteville’s music scene in all of its diversity, you have to check out the Special Forces Association’s Festival on Saturday, May 31. The day-long festival begins at 11 a.m. and will spotlight six of the areas top bands. The evening will end with a performance by Bad Company. For more information about the festival, see the story in this issue of Up & Coming Weekly.