In the band room at High Desert Middle School, tennis shoes tap in sync on the floor to Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.” Flutes, clarinets, saxophones, and trumpets blare. The music reaches a crescendo, and then suddenly comes to a halt. The tempo was a bit slow, says band …
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‘The Amazing Spider-Man 2’: Likable, But Not Without Flaws
Let me try something new. I’m going to state what the pluses of this film are, because I am kind of torn here. It has many, many flaws. But somehow I am still compelled to like it. For the most, that is. Michael BurkAn avid film buff, artist and aspiring …
Read More »Amy Schugar: Keep Your Head on Straight
Amy Schugar is easy to spot on Cedar Street. She has that Los Angeles rock mystique, a rare sight here in Globe. Her mane of hair reaches well-below her shoulders, long and full. Her red, studded boots scream rock n’ roll, as do her vest and button-down shirt. I walk …
Read More »Marvel Studios Does “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” Right
So some may say I’m biased towards these type of films, but that would be very dismissive. If anything, I’m harder on the films that fall into the genres I enjoy. Being a fan of 2011’s first foray into the legend of Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, I was hopeful …
Read More »Critically-Acclaimed Author to Visit Globe Public Library
Tucson-based author Nancy E. Turner will discuss her two historical fiction novels “These Is My Words” and “Resolute” at Globe Public Library tomorrow, starting at noon. “These Is My Words,” based on the life of her great-grandmother, traces the experiences of one woman’s survival in the Arizona Territory during the late …
Read More »“Non-Stop” — Your Typical Danger-in-the-Skies Film
I kept watching this film, thinking to myself, this is as slow as Liam Neeson’s thriller from a few years ago, “Unknown.” Surprise!!! Unbeknownst to me, it’s the same director: Jaume Collet-Serra. Michael BurkAn avid film buff, artist and aspiring filmmaker since childhood, Michael moved to the area in 2004 from …
Read More »“The Monuments Men” Falls Flat
As a friend knowingly pointed out to me, The Monuments Men could have been titled Oceans 14. It tells the true story of how President Roosevelt sent a league of mostly over-aged art scholars to retrieve some of the most important artwork of our time from Hitler’s troops in Nazi …
Read More »Bob Kuban is Alive, Walter Scott is Dead. So Who Was the “Cheater”?
Bob Kuban was the drummer and leader of a group called Bob Kuban @ the In-Men when the group hit #12 on the charts in 1966. Pretty amazing because the Beatles were doing pretty well then too not to mention groups with names like Mancini, Doobies, 3 Dogs, Dave Clark, Moms …
Read More »Major Lance, “Are You Ready” – Barbara Mason, “Yes, I’m Ready”
As an 18 year old boy growing up in the underrated town of Billings, Montana, I was moving potatoes from 100lb bags to 5lb bags in the “55 degree” room of a food wholesaler when I first heard …Yes, I’m Ready, by Barbara Mason. I was ready to pack my …
Read More »Frank Sinatra Can’t Make It. Who Ya Gonna Call?…..Lorraine Ellison (?).
Picture 45 mostly white professional studio musicians sitting a Warner Brothers recording studio waiting for none other than Frank Sinatra. But, where’s Frank! Chris CummingsWhat’s not to like about music? At age four, I liked to lie in front of my Dad’s huge console record player/radio and listen to the …
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