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Grindhouse (UK - BD RB)
Chris checks out the long-awaited BD release of the original double feature...
Planet Terror
Somewhere in a small Texan town a group of military types, under the command of Lt. Muldoon (Bruce Willis), are engaged in some shady dealings with a scientist called Abby (Naveen Andrews). Muldoon and his men are seeking a mysterious chemical referred to only as 'the shit', but when the deal goes south the chemical storage tanks are damaged and it is released into the atmosphere. At around the same time a go-go dancer by the name of 'Cherry Darling' (Rose McGowan) quits her job and ends up at the Bone Shack, a barbecue restaurant owned by JT (Jeff Fahey) and his brother, Sheriff Hague (Michael Biehn). It is here that she runs into her ex-boyfriend 'El Wray' (Freddy Rodriguez), who offers to run her into town. On the way Cherry is attacked by a group of deformed creatures who make off with her leg, but when El Wray takes her to the local hospital he is arrested by the Sheriff, with whom he has some history.
Meanwhile, at the hospital, Dr. William Block (Josh Brolin) and his abused anaesthesiologist wife Dakota (Marley Shelton) are treating a slew of townsfolk affected by an unknown illness. When Block discovers that his wife was going to leave him for her lesbian lover Tammy (Stacy Ferguson), he stabs her with her own anaesthetic needles and locks her in a cupboard until he can 'deal' with her. When he returns to the infected patients he finds that they have transformed into horribly disfigured, homicidal mutants with a penchant for human flesh! At around this time El Wray— having escaped police custody—arrives to save Cherry. After carving his way through the mutants, he and Cherry escape to the Bone Shack where they meet up with other survivors including Dakota, her father Earl McGraw (Michael Parks), her babysitters (the Avellan twins), JT, the Sheriff and his deputy (Tom Savini), where they must make a stand against the hoards of marauding 'sickos'.
Death Proof
Three friends—Arlene (Vanessa Ferlito), Shanna (Jordan Ladd) and local radio disc jockey 'Jungle' Julia Lucai (Sydney Poitier)—are driving trough Austin, Texas on their way to a bar to celebrate Julia's birthday. However, unbeknownst to them, they are being followed by a mysterious man in a souped-up 1970 Chevy Nova with a skull on the hood. While drinking at the Bar Julia reveals that she made an announcement on her show earlier that day, offering a free lap dance from Arlene to the first guy to call her Butterfly, buy her a drink and recite a certain poem. As the evening wears on, we're introduced to Pam (Rose McGowan), who has been left stranded at the bar by her boyfriend. Her plight is overheard by another patron, who introduces himself as 'Stuntman Mike' (Kurt Russell) and offers to give her a ride home.
After spending some time at the bar flirting with Pam, Mike approaches the other girls and zeroes in on Arlene. Although initially frightened by Mike, he fulfils all of the necessary criteria for the lap dance and she agrees to go through with it to prove she's not 'chicken shit'. At the end of the evening Arlene leaves with Julia, Shanna and their pot dealer Lanna, while Stuntman Mike gives Pam a lift home in his 'death proof' stunt car. Shortly after leaving the bar, Mike reveals himself to be a sadistic misogynist as he takes the terrified Pam on a high speed ride before breaking hard enough to force her to smash face-on into the dashboard, killing her. Mike then sets his sights on the other girls, overtaking their car and then hurtling towards them at high speed with his lights off. A split second before impact Mike flips his lights on, but it's too late for the unfortunate girls, who are all killed in a variety of gruesome ways.
Fourteen months later, after being cleared of any wrongdoing in the girls' deaths, Mike is once again on the prowl, this time in Lebanon, Tennessee. He comes across another car full of girls—Lee (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), Abernathy (Rosario Dawson), and Kim (Tracie Thoms)—who all work in the movie industry. They are on their way to the airport to pick up another of their friends, stuntwoman Zoë Bell, after which they stop off for a bit to eat. In the diner Zoë manages to convince them to take a detour so that she can test drive a white 1970 Dodge Challenger (or the 'Vanishing Point car' as she calls it). The girls agree, unaware that they are being stalked by the deranged Mike who once again tries to use he 'death proof' car to lethal effect. However, these ladies are no damsels in distress, and when Mike makes his move he realises that he might just have fucked with the wrong women.
The original Grindhouse experience wasn't readily available in the UK, thanks to the decision to separate the films and show them as stand-alone features. I only managed to see Planet Terror on the big screen, so it wasn't until the first Blu-ray releases that I got to see Death Proof, minus the fake trailers. It's taken so long for this double feature to see the light of day that one of those fake trailers has actually been made into a feature-length movie! This begs the question, have they missed the boat? Well, while it was nice to finally see the whole thing as originally intended I really missed some of the additional footage from the expanded versions of the main features, and the fact that the fake trailers have been available on the Internet for years lessens the impact of having them on Blu-ray. I still think the entire experience is worth at least one viewing, but if I'm brutally honest I probably wouldn't sit down and watch both movies back-to-back very often. Of course your mileage may vary…
Those who did manage to track Grindhouse down in the UK will no doubt rejoice in the fact that it is presented here in its original theatrical ratio of 2.35:1 ( Planet Terror was opened up to 1.78:1 for its home release). This helps with the seamless nature of the transition between the films, but anyone who's seen the single disc version might think that the the composition looks a little cramped.
Planet Terror
The 2.35:1 (1080/24p AVC) transfer is intentionally ugly, so traditional criticism simply doesn't apply. Film artefacts are everywhere, grain is excessive, the image is blurry, jumpy and generally looks like crap, but that's the point. If this were any normal release I would have to award an astoundingly low mark, but since this is the intended look of the film and the transfer is actually very faithful to the source material, it would be most unfair of me to do so. Looking at it from a purely aesthetic point of view all of this muck is pretty hideous, but it actually assists Planet Terror in its attempt to honour the grindhouse genre. It might look like crap, but it's some of the most impressive crap I've ever seen. Despite Rodriguez's best efforts, colours are great, black levels are deep and detail is surprisingly good (although no one needs to see Danny Trejo's face in 1080p). Unfortunately the scratch-free version of the film isn't present on this release for comparison purposes.
Death Proof
Tarantino's entry is a film of two halves, and nowhere is this better illustrated than the video presentation. Arriving at its theatrical aspect ratio of 2.35:1 (1080/24p AVC), the first half of the film is much like its counterpart Planet Terror, with innumerable film artefacts and many a visual hiccup. It's not quite in the same league as the beautiful filth of Rodriguez's film, but it is still intentionally grimy and therefore quite hard to objectively criticise (not that reviewing is entirely objective anyway).
However, about half way through, just as the film moves into its second act, the transfer suddenly switches from grindhouse to gorgeous. Gone are film artefacts and print damage—save for a few minor white specks here and there—to be replaced by a strong, detailed image with bold colours and an almost 'shiny' appearance. It's quite jarring, but ultimately an effective tool for visually separating the first act from the second. On balance I think I actually prefer the dirty opening act, because it helps sell the low-budget feel and somewhat dubious acting, but all-in-all I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the transfer, probably even slightly more so than Planet Terror.
The fake trailers are really just more of the same. Of the four Werewolf Women of the SS probably looks the 'nicest', but none of them are meant to look particularly pretty and they don't.
Well here's the first major bummer. For some reason the only audio track present on this disc is a lossy Dolby Digital 5.1 effort. I know the combined running time of the features and trailers is around three hours, but there are plenty of other films that clock in around that length (and more) that have at least one lossless or uncompressed audio track. The individual releases had Dolby TrueHD tracks, so this downgrade is slightly annoying. Even so the lossy audio still sounds fairly similar to the lossless tracks on the individual releases, albeit with a slight loss of fidelity and low end punch.
Planet Terror
Like the video, the Dolby Digital 5.1 track has been carefully 'broken' so that frequent pops and glitches can be heard throughout. Although all five channels come into play the mix is somewhat biased towards the frontal array, with the surround channels occasionally used to add depth and broaden the sound field. Although effective, I would have liked a little more surround action during the frequent moments of carnage, but I guess that would have gone against the 'grindhouse' concept. The use of ambient sound during quieter scenes is very effective though, crafting some genuinely creepy moments.
Bass is relatively punchy without overpowering the other elements of the mix, but I felt that the explosions could have done with a little more 'kick'. Dialogue could also have benefited from a more prominent position in the mix at times, but everything is still audible for the most part. The score is a particular highlight; suitably sleazy and reminiscent of John Carpenter efforts of old (Carpenter was actually involved for a while). The aforementioned caveats aside, this is a very solid effort. I don't believe that it's up there with the best the format has to offer, but when you consider what Rodriguez and Tarantino set out to do with their respective projects, creating a more bombastic and aggressive track would have been contradictory.
Death Proof
Like the video the soundtrack has a bit of a split personality. The first act is almost exclusively front-oriented, with what little surround action there is being restricted to the patter of rain during a few scenes at the bar and the occasional musical cue. In fact the rears are used so sparingly you could be forgiven for thinking that you're listening to a stereo mix at times (albeit with some nice panning). During this segment dialogue is also a little hard to discern, but after a while I came to the conclusion that it was an intentional move on Tarantino's part. The stand out element for me was the bass, which roars with guttural ferocity every time Stuntman Mike revs his muscle car's engine.
The second act of the film opens up the soundstage considerably, with greater integration of all five channels and—gasp—even some discrete sound effects. Dialogue is also easier to pick out in this segment, while bass remains as throaty as ever. However, what really impressed me was the quality of the soundtrack. Unlike Rodriguez's Carpenter-esque score for Planet Terror, Tarantino has opted for his usual blend of quirky and downright catchy songs. It is their presence that helps to elevate the track from average to great, and I defy anyone to be able to get April March's 'Chick Habit' out of their head.
Like the video, the fake trailers' audio is comparable to the main features in so much as it's mainly front-centred and intentionally degraded. There's not a lot else to say really…
The first disc of the set contains audio bonus material for Planet Terror and Thanksgiving.
Audio Commentary by Robert Rodriguez: I own a couple of Rodriguez DVDs with commentary tracks ( From Dusk 'Till Dawn and Sin City) and he usually has some pretty interesting things to say. This track is no exception, with the director discussing the film's origins (and Grindhouse in general), the differences between the theatrical and home versions of the film, shooting on a shoestring budget and the usual technical issues. It's not his best track (probably because he's not bouncing off of Tarantino), but it's still worth checking out. It's also worth noting that it's slightly truncated from the version on the single disc release due to the removal of some footage.
Audience Reaction Track: If you own the extended edition of Sin City you know what this is all about. Basically, it's just a track of people cheering along with the film and getting overexcited at the appearance of anyone vaguely famous. If anyone did this in my local cinema they'd get the cold hard stare down, so I have to assume that Americans are more tolerant of this sort of thing. However, if nothing else the track shows that there was an audience for the film.
Thanksgiving Trailer with Commentary (02:37 HD): Eli Roth and Jeff Rendell are on-hand to talk us through the trailer for their fake slasher movie, Thanksgiving. Among other things we learn that the trailer was shot in Prague at the tail-end of the Hostel: Part II shoot and how certain props were recycled from that film.
The second disc of this two-disc set includes almost all of the supplemental material from the individual Planet Terror and Death Proof releases (the scratch-free version of the former and the theatrical trailers are absent), along with some all-new film-specific content and a lot of trailer-related goodies. Let's work through it in order.
Planet Terror
Robert Rodriguez's 10-Minute Film School (11:50 HD): Rodriguez's now customary film school featurette actually packs a hell of a lot of info into its short running time (although it does cheat the ten minute mark by a bit). If you ever wanted to know how they replaced Rose McGowan's leg with a machine gun or created the artificial print damage, this is the place to come.
The Badass Babes of Planet Terror (11:49 SD): This featurette is all about, you guessed it, the lovely female stars of the film. I'll say one thing for Rodriguez—he knows how to pick 'em. Rose McGowan, Marley Shelton, Stacy 'Fergie' Furguson and the Avellan twins (Electra and, well, Electra) are all on hand to talk about their characters, along with Rodriguez and Tarantino. As an aside, I think it's quite telling how taken the director appears to be with Rose McGowan.
The Guys of Planet Terror (16:30 SD): I was a little disappointed to learn that this featurette was longer than the 'babes' one, but I guess there are more blokes in the film than women. As before, Rodriguez and Tarantino talk about the male cast members, who also show up to discuss their roles. Nothing against the fellas, but I was considerably more interested in the previous featurette.
Casting Rebel (05:38 SD): This is a short featurette that shows Rodriguez on-set with his real-life son, Rebel, who plays the part of Dakota Block's on-screen son, Tony. Although this is a bit of a vanity piece, it's clear Rodriguez has a lot of affection for his boy and it will be a cool memento for the two of them in years to come.
Sickos, Bullets and Explosions: The Stunts of Planet Terror (13:16 SD): This featurette takes us behind the scenes to meet the stunt team who ensure that the actors stay safe and look good while performing in some of the action scenes. We're also introduced (albeit briefly) to some of the stuntmen and women who fill in for the actors. To be honest I'd have liked there to be slightly more face time with the stunt people, but I guess we can't have everything.
The Friend, the Doctor and the Real Estate Agent (06:40 SD): This is a short featurette that, once again, basically does what it says on the tin. Rodriguez's friend Tommy Nix plays a paramedic call Nixer, his doctor Felix Sabates plays, well, Dr. Felix, and his realtor Skip Reissig plays Skip, the owner of the club where Cherry dances. I wonder if he needs someone to fix computers and criticise Blu-rays?
Planet Terror Poster Gallery: This is a still gallery containing a bunch of theatrical posters and stills from the film. I've never been particularly bothered with this sort of feature, but the completists will be most pleased by its inclusion.
10 Minute Cooking School (08:30 SD): This is the first of the new features. In it, director Robert Rodriguez shows us how to cook perfect Texas barbecue. If you've seen any of the cooking features on his other DVDs and Blu-rays you'll know what to expect here, although I think you probably need to be on a director's salary to afford the set-up he's using.
The Make Up Effects of Planet Terror (12:02 SD): In this featurette director Robert Rodriguez and effects guru Greg Nicotero discuss their love of zombie movies and their desire to create a genre piece. There's plenty of behind-the-scenes footage explaining how the gruesome effects were created, including a detailed examination of how Quentin Tarantino's 'rapist' character melts and vomits up his internal organs—lovely.
Death Proof
Stunts on Wheels: The Legendary Drivers of Death Proof (20:39 SD): This is one of the longest featurettes on the disc and deservedly so. It concentrates on the insane men and women who drove the cars in the film, pulling off all of the crazy stunts that are often accomplished with computers nowadays. Tarantino talks about the various stunt drivers, who include Chrissy Weathersby, Steve Davison, Tracy Dashnaw and the legendary Buddy Joe Hooker. It's impressive to watch these guys perform the incredible stunts at upwards of seventy miles per hour!
Quentin Tarantino's Greatest Collaborator: Editor Sally Menke (04:36 SD): This is a short love letter to Tarantino's long-time editor, Sally Menke. Again, it mostly features the director in talking head mode, discussing his working relationship with Menke and generally telling us how great she is. There's also an amusing bit at the end where he gets various members of the cast to say hi to her on film.
The Guys of Death Proof (08:14 SD): This is the companion piece to Finding Quentin's Gals and once again features Tarantino enthusing about Michael Parks, Eli Roth, Omar Doom, Michael Bacall and, err, himself. It wasn't as interesting as the girls featurette (for obvious reasons), but I liked it well enough.
Kurt Russell as Stuntman Mike (09:32 SD): This featurette introduces us to the character of Stuntman Mike and includes interview footage with both Tarantino and Kurt Russell. They discuss topics such as the genesis of the character and the life experience that Russell was able to bring to the role.
Finding Quentin's Gals (21:13 SD): As you might expect, this featurette details the casting process for all of the major female parts. Tarantino and some of the girls are on hand to discuss the process, with much time spent on Vanessa Ferlito (he wrote the part for her), Rosario Dawson and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.
Uncut Version of 'Baby, It's You' Performed by Mary Elizabeth Winstead (01:46 SD): This is just the full take of the actress singing 'Baby it's You', which proves that Winstead actually has a pretty decent voice. The odd thing is that it doesn't appear in the version of Death Proof in this set, just in the extended version.
Introducing Zoë Bell (08:57 SD): This is a short featurette that introduces us to the stuntwoman turned actress, who first worked with Tarantino on Kill Bill (where she doubled Uma Thurman). Bell is an incredibly likeable Kiwi with an infectious personality and a lot of talent. The director is clearly very impressed with her work on the film, both as an actor and as a stunt performer.
Double Dare Trailer (02:34 SD): This is a trailer for a documentary about Zoë Bell and legendary stunt woman Jeannie Epper, who used to double Lynda Carter in Wonder Woman. Jeannie Epper's list of credits is astonishing, as is the fact that she still continues to work into her sixties.
Extended Music Cues: Extended versions of two musical cues by Guido & Maurizio de Angelis and Franco Micalizzi. From what I remember there were actually three cues included on the single disc release (the missing one is by Ennio Morricone).
Death Proof Poster Gallery: Again, this basically does what it says on the tin. I'm not a big fan of still galleries, but it's nice that they've been included all the same.
The Hot Rods of Deth Proof (11:46 SD): This is the first of the new Death Proof specific supplements. In it, Quentin Tarantino discusses the various cars used in the film and their movie relevance (such as the ' Vanishing Point' car). It's a good featurette for 'gearheads'.
From Texas to Tennessee: The Production Design of Death Proof (08:01 SD): This short featurette concerns on the look of the film. The primary focus is the Texas Chilli Parlour, which is a real bar that Tarantino visited while he was working on the film, but the piece also touches on various other locations and bits of set decoration that were used throughout the film.
Trailer Bonus
Extended Werewolf Women of the SS Trailer (04:59 HD): First up we have the longer version of Rob Zombie's trailer, which is actually about the best looking thing on either disc. The full version isn't as effective as the truncated trailer in the main feature, but it's nice to have the additional footage anyway. Zombie also provides optional commentary.
The Making of Werewolf Women of the SS Trailer (08:48 SD): This featurette tells you all you could ever realistically want to know about the making of this particular faux trailer. It includes interview footage with Rob Zombie, his wife, Bill Moseley, Tom Towles, Michael Deak and Udo Kier among others.
Extended Don't Trailer (01:35 HD): Next up we have the longer version of the British entry into Grindhouse, Edgar Wright's Don't. Keep your eyes peeled for Wright regulars Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, along with a host of other British stars. Wright also offers optional commentary.
Don't Storyboards/Trailer Comparison (01:41 SD): This one doesn't take much explaining—you can watch the trailer with accompanying storyboards to see how it compares to the original vision. Wright is once again on-hand to offer his thoughts by way of audio commentary.
The Making of Don't Trailer (09:40 SD): This making of is considerably longer than the trailer itself and includes interview footage with Edgar Wright and most of the key cast and crew (including messrs Pegg and Frost). Don't is probably my favourite of the fax trailers, so this made for very interesting viewing.
Don't Storyboards Still Gallery: As I've said numerous times before I'm not a huge fan of still galleries, but it's nice that they're included for those with more interest than me.
Don't Poster (05:54): This is a single, solitary shot of the poster for Don't. Sounds boring, right? Well yes, it would be, if not for the fact that it's accompanied by the trailer's extended score (composed by none other than David Arnold).
The Making of Thanksgiving Trailer (06:27 SD): You're probably getting the idea by now, right? Yes, Eli Roth and the cast and crew of Thanksgiving pop along to discuss their faux trailer segment. There's plenty of on-set footage, including detailed special effects footage and shots of the gang goofing around and generally having a lot of fun.
Additional Bonus
What do you mean there's more? Yes, as if all of that wasn't enough the disc also includes three more features, each loosely connected with Grindhouse.
New York Times Talk (01:04:36 SD): Lynn Hirschberg moderates this piece in which Tarantino and Rodriguez talk about Grindhouse. As you'd expect from anything featuring Tarantino there's plenty of chatter, most of it interesting and entertaining (Tarantino is always a mine of information). Rodriguez is more reserved, but no less informative. This is a great piece.
Comic-Con 2006 (23:35 SD): This featurette is shorter and slightly less civilised than the preceding one, but it's no less entertaining. Tarantino and Rodriguez meet their core audience (comic book/movie geeks), bringing some of the actors along for the ride. They also field questions from the audience.
Hobo with a Shotgun (02:00 SD): This is the winner of the official Grindhouse trailer competition. It's obviously even lower budget than the 'real' fake trailers and the acting isn't as good, but it's pretty effective. Staggeringly this is even being made into a full-length picture starring Rutger Hauer…
Hard-core fans will no doubt be delighted to have both films on one disc with the fake trailers intact, but I fear casual viewers who've already forked out for the single disc releases will be less forgiving. Okay, so you get the trailers, but you miss out on a considerable amount of footage from the expanded versions. This might not be a big deal if you only ever saw the film theatrically, but if like me your first exposure to the films was on Blu-ray you could feel a little short-changed. The lack of lossless audio is also a concern, although I admit that the Dolby Digital track still offers a pretty solid experience. I also concede that the sheer volume of bonus material goes a very long way towards compensating for some of the aforementioned shortcomings.
As an HMV exclusive title this package retails for around seventeen pounds, which is comparable to the current combined cost of the earlier single disc releases (say roughly eighteen pounds). At the end of the day it comes down to a choice between owning Tarantino and Rodriguez's original double feature with additional bonus material, or expanded—and in my opinion superior—versions of the films with fewer extras and lossless audio. That's a choice you'll have to make for yourself. Well that or you could buy both…
* Note: The above images are taken from the Blu-ray release and resized for the page. Full-resolution captures are available by clicking individual images, but due to .jpg compression they are not necessarily representative of the quality of the transfer.
Review by Chris Gould
Marcus1138 Contributor Join Date: June 2008 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 910
I was well up for this early on but my caring for Grindhouse as a whole package has sort of dropped as its been so long. Planet Terror is a blast and a perfect choice for any Friday nights viewings but Death Proof is the gem of the pair for me. I could and have watched that last half a hell of a lot and really hope QT does more of this old school car chase stuff in other movies.
chip75 Member Join Date: March 2010 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 85
I don't know about this I was all up for the multi-disc Japanese version but without the different versions of the Planet Terror and the downgraded audio (perhaps it should have been mono anyways lol)... HMV exclusive? Like Sin City Recut and Extended that started popping up everywhere after a while.
I think I'll wait until the Blu's of the seperate films come down, you can always do a quick disc change if you're in the mood for a double-feature. Nice to see it finally arrive though.
I think I'll wait until the Blu's of the seperate films come down, you can always do a quick disc change if you're in the mood for a double-feature. Nice to see it finally arrive though.
Michael Friedrichsen Member Join Date: September 2003 Location: Denmark Posts: 578
why can't you order this from amazon.co.uk?
Chris Gould Editor Join Date: May 2001 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 7,171
Because it's an HMV exclusive.
James Tully Member Join Date: October 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 436
Funk Yeah! Can't crunkin' wait for this shizzle!
Although, HMV exclusive? Suck it! Also anything that makes Death Proof a bit shorter has got to be a good thing.
Although, HMV exclusive? Suck it! Also anything that makes Death Proof a bit shorter has got to be a good thing.
Suitable only for persons of 18 years and over
Disc Details
Release Date: 18th October 2010
Discs: 2
Disc Type: Blu-ray Disc
RCE: No
Video: 1080p
Aspect: 2.35:1
Anamorphic: No
Colour: Yes
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles: English HoH
Extras: Audio Commentaries, Audience Reaction Track, Featurettes, Poster Galleries, Featurettes, Trailers, Extended Music Cues
Easter Egg: No
Feature Details
Director: Robert Rodriguez, Quentin Tarantino
Cast: Rose McGowan, Freddy Rodriguez, Josh Brolin, Marley Shelton, Jeff Fahey, Michael Biehn, Bruce Willis, Naveen Andrews, Stacy Ferguson, Tom Savini, Electra Avellan, Elise Avellan, Kurt Russell, Zoë Bell, Rosario Dawson, Vanessa Ferlito, Jordan Ladd, Sydney Poitier, Tracie Thoms, Mary Elizabeth Winstead
Genre: Horror and Thriller
Length: 191 minutes
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Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Butterscotch Pudding with Butterscotch Almond Cookies . . . Like Love and Marriage!
Some things were born to cohabit. They were just meant to be together. Like Adam and Eve, like Ken and Barbie, these chewy butterscotch-almond cookies, partnered with homemade butterscotch pudding, produce perfect harmony. I'm crazy about their complex flavor and just-right-to-bite texture.
Along with light brown sugar, almond meal (finely ground blanched almonds), and almond extract, their secret ingredient is a couple tablespoons of buckwheat honey. I was lucky enough to stumble upon a beekeeper selling raw Michigan buckwheat honey at Detroit's Eastern Market a couple of weekends ago and naturally I wasted no time in nabbing a bottle. Dark and dusky, buckwheat honey is kind of like a cross between molasses and maple syrup, but more distinctive than either. Some people describe its color as seeming almost purplish when the light shines through it. A little dab added to baked goods will have your taste-testers munching slowly while staring off into space, muttering to themselves, ". . . what is that I taste? It's really good . . . "
About these recipes . . .
The cookie formula is one I adapted from When Everybody Ate at Schrafft's: Memories, Pictures, and Recipes from a Very Special Restaurant Empire. Apparently, their homemade butterscotch cookies were a huge seller. Wish I'd been around when Schrafft's was in its heyday. I first heard about it as a kid, strictly through the old movies I watched on TV with my mom; seems like some character or other was always going there. "Meet me at Schrafft's," or, "Yeah, I discovered her sittin' on a stool in Schrafft's!" was a common refrain. This book is a hoot. I recommend it if you ever want to know more of the story.
I altered the recipe by using almond meal instead of the indicated finely chopped pecans, added in almond extract, used light vs. dark brown sugar, and threw in buckwheat honey as mentioned above. (And, yes, I reworded the recipe.)
The pudding comes from Luscious Creamy Desserts by Lori Longbotham. She suggests the addition of a tablespoon of Scotch whiskey to rile things up (her recipe is called "better-than-classic butterscotch pudding"). I put in half that amount just to see what might result. I thought the Scotch added an almost fruity aspect to the flavor and I was kind of on the fence about it, but my husband loved it.
In the pudding, I also used light brown sugar vs. dark brown and it was plenty sweet with the light brown. The pudding didn't firm up quite as much as I'd expected, but was similar in thickness to Greek yogurt. Just right, in any case, for dipping cookies. This pudding is very rich, and the recipe makes four modest individual servings. With a cookie on the side, this actually makes for a pretty filling dessert.
Butterscotch Pudding and Butterscotch Almond Cookies
(For a printable version of these recipes, click here!)
Butterscotch pudding
Yield: Four 6 oz. servings
Have ready four 6 oz. ramekins/bowls standing by.
Have a medium-size bowl, along with a fine mesh sieve, standing by; it will be needed immediately after cooking the pudding.
1 and 1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup unsalted butter (4 Tbsp. or 1/2 of one stick)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
Yolks from 8 large eggs
1 pinch of kosher salt
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 and 1/2 tsp. Scotch whiskey (optional, of course!)
In a medium size bowl, whisk the cornstarch and milk until the cornstarch is well mixed in. Set aside.
Put the 8 egg yolks into their own medium size bowl with the pinch of salt nearby; set aside with a clean whisk.
In a large heavy-bottomed sauce pan over medium low heat, melt the butter.
Dump in the brown sugar and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth and bubbly.
Whisking constantly, pour the milk-cornstarch mixture into the saucepan carefully, with the heat still on medium. Cook for about 2 minutes, continuing to whisk, until the liquid is hot and any sugar lumps are gone. Take the pan off the heat.
Add the salt into the bowl of egg yolks and whisk.
Into this, pour the heated mixture, whisking constantly (or you'll end up with scrambled eggs!).
Pour all of this back into the saucepan and put it back on the stove. Over medium-low heat, cook for 6 to 8 minutes, whisking continually all the while (isn't whisking fun?), until big bubbles show up on the surface.
Without delay (not even 20 seconds, people!), pour the entire mixture through the sieve you set up over the empty bowl. Into that, whisk the lemon juice, vanilla, and Scotch.
Let this cool for about 15 minutes, stirring periodically, then ladle it into your ramekins/bowls.
Cover each ramekin with a small piece of plastic wrap, pressing it right down onto the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming. Cool further, until no longer hot, then refrigerate the puddings for at least three hours, until cold and set.
Butterscotch Almond Cookies
Yield: At least 24 good-sized cookies.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening
1 cup light brown sugar
2 Tbsp. buckwheat honey (or use 1/4 cup extra brown sugar instead)
1 large egg
2 Tbsp. nonfat dry milk
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. almond extract
1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
Generous 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup almond meal (Sometimes also referred to as almond flour; you can make your own by grinding blanched almonds in your food processor. Just be careful not to overgrind them into paste. I buy almond meal at Trader Joe's, where it's not too expensive, but you can also find it at health food stores and, increasingly, in regular grocery stores in the baking aisle.)
In the large bowl of your mixer, blend together the butter and shortening just for several seconds. Add in the sugar, beating until creamy. Add into this the egg, non-fat dry milk, vanilla extract, almond extract, and honey. Beat until light and fluffy.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, kosher salt, and almond meal. Pour this into the mixer bowl and blend on medium low speed.
Chill the dough for an hour or more before portioning onto cookie sheets.
Scoop the dough using a 1 and 1/2 Tbsp. portion scoop (or, just eyeball it, of course), leaving a couple inches of space between each one. Dampen your palm and gently flatten the balls down slightly. Bake the cookies for about 7 to 9 minutes, until lightly golden brown.
Cool the cookies for a few minutes on the baking sheet then move to a rack. Store them in an airtight container.
(If you'd like to comment on this post, or to read any existing comments, please click on the purple COMMENTS below!)
|Reader reactions:
16 comments:
- Mal said...
This looks so yummy, I can't remember the last time I had butterscotch pudding, now I'm craving it!
- August 23, 2011 at 12:24 PM
This sounds fabulous! Yum!
- August 23, 2011 at 12:54 PM
Oh...my...heavenly...butterscotch! I've just got to make these...and soon! If not sooner! They look so, so delicious, and I know they taste amazing. And it goes without saying that I'm of course going to make the pudding as the perfect accompaniment.
I've also got to get my hands on that wonderful book. My family did actually eat at Schrafft's many, many years ago, and although I was only a kid at the time, I have some vague memories of going there with them, especially when my father had to take big trips into the city from Queens (where we lived) on business (he owned a real, honest-to-goodness mom-and-pop candy store).
Schrafft's was very popular and much loved by my parents, aunts
and uncles and my grandma, definitely. I wonder if, by getting the book, it'll stir up some memories for me of when we went there.
But back to these gorgeous and beautiful cookies! I'm definitely going to bake up a batch this weekend. It'll make the perfect gift to take to some friends we're meeting on Saturday. Who couldn't love with butterscotch almond cookies? As for the pudding, I don't know if that will 'travel' well, but I'm still going to make it anyway, and probably keep it here in the house...for us! Yum!
Thanks for sharing this, Jane. I'll let you know how mine turn out. Although I can't easily get my hands on raw Michigan buckwheat honey, there are some lovely local ones from our village here in Ireland, so I'll be picking up a jar of that.
- August 23, 2011 at 3:10 PM
- teawithhazel said...
i've never had butterscotch pudding but i can tell you something i just have to make it asap..and with the biscuits too..
- August 23, 2011 at 7:52 PM
- Jane said...
Hi Mal,
Thanks very much!
Jane :)
Hello there warmvanillasugar,
It was pretty yummy, especially the cookies.
Thanks for visiting,
Hi June,
Every time I see that little cookbook in my house I think of the two of us discussing it a while ago, remember? I love knowing someone who actually went there!
:) Warmly,
Hello teawithhazel,
Yes, it's definitely a crave-able flavor!
Keep on baking,
Jane :)
- August 24, 2011 at 11:01 AM
- Monica Hubbard said...
Ah, Schrafft's! The black and white uniforms. The sundaes. The fun of an outing in New York. Thanks for the memories!
- August 24, 2011 at 11:26 AM
- Chele said...
Oh how heavenly do these puddings look?!?!?! Lovely stuff ;0)
- August 25, 2011 at 12:57 PM
- ~~louise~~ said...
Hi Jane! I simply adore home made Butterscotch Pudding. Yours looks lovely as do those delectable cookies.
I haven't made pudding in so long because I just can't seem to get the hang of preparing it on an electric stove. It occured to me the other day when I was "testing" my new gas grill that I may be able to make pudding on the extra burner.
I'm going to save this recipe just in case I get really adventurous. Must check out that book too. It sounds like my kind of book. I can't recall Schrafft's but I do remember Jahn's but I think that was an ice cream parlor.
Thank you so much for sharing...
- August 27, 2011 at 9:35 AM
- Luv'n Spoonfuls said...
I love butterscotch anything, and these look really good. Can't wait to give them a try!
- August 27, 2011 at 10:49 PM
- Peach Recipes said...
I especially love the look of that pudding. Butterscotch pudding is my absolute favourite. I rarely (have I ever) tasted homemade, from scratch, butterscotch pudding. I only treat myself to the purchased "instant" puddings.
I shall try this recipe for sure!
Your baking is very neat, and picture perfect!
Great site!
- August 28, 2011 at 12:53 AM
- SweetSavoryPlanet said...
I love the flavors and I love the ingredients. Can't wait to try it!
- August 29, 2011 at 10:41 PM
- Patricia Scarpin said...
Those cookies look so delicious! I have made butterscotch pudding before but never thought of pairing it with cookies. Great idea, Jane!
- August 30, 2011 at 11:40 AM
- Quay Po Cooks said...
I know I am going to like this pudding. Butterscotch is my favorite. I agree with you, butteerscotch and almond is a perfect match.
- August 31, 2011 at 6:02 AM
- faithy said...
Wow..these look heavenly! Wish i can have both of them right now! I love butterscotch as much as i adore chocolates too! :)
- September 1, 2011 at 4:10 AM
- Sweet And Crumby said...
Holy moly! This combo looks like a pair made in heaven. I know I would LOVE this! :)
- September 1, 2011 at 4:59 PM
- tasteofbeirut said...
I immediately thought of my son; he always requested butterscotch cake for his birthday, even though I had never baked anything like this ; he would be in heaven with these two. Thanks for the recipes!
- September 8, 2011 at 6:44 AM

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Jerry De Felice joined the Cal State Northridge as Director of Development for Intercollegiate Athletics in November, 2010. De Felice also has served as Director of Development for Division of Student Affairs since March, 2008.
De Felice has an extensive background in university recruitment, advisement, counseling, public relations, management and strategy.
De Felice's current responsibilities include developing, implementing, and overseeing a comprehensive fund development program aimed at identifying, qualifying, cultivating, soliciting and stewarding major gift prospects and donors. At Cal State Northridge, De Felice has worked closely with departments, center directors and key personnel.
One of De Felice's goals is to identify, cultivate, qualify, solicit and steward prospects and donors for major gifts and multi-pledges of $50,000 or greater.
De Felice began his association with Cal State Northridge in 2000 when he was named Regional Coordinator/Outreach Counselor for Student Outreach and Recruitment Services. His responsibilities included creating and presenting CSUN and CSU early outreach, admissions, financial aid, and motivational workshops for alumni, students and parents to more than 100 elementary, middle school and high schools in Los Angeles and Ventura Counties.
Since 2006, De Felice has served as an Assistant Director of Development for Division of Student Affairs and Major Gifts Officer for University Advancement.
De Felice earned his B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing from Cal State Northridge. De Felice later earned a Masters degree in Educational Administration with an emphasis in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.


text:
Guinea-Bissau Wants More Money for Fish AgreementsPublished on Wednesday 25th May 2011
Officials in Guinea-Bissau say the European Union is paying too little for the right to fish in their seas, and must pay more if they want to continue doing so.This wetland country off Africa's Atlantic coast is no rich nation. In fact, the United Nations ranks it the world's sixth poorest.Yet just off shore, under the waves that batter its 80 islands and ebb into its river deltas, Guinea-Bissau has an absolute treasure trove - an abundance of fish.Next month, when government leaders fly to Brussels to renegotiate their fishing agreement with the European Union, they plan to ask for an increase in the $10 million annual fee Europe pays for rights to float 37 fishing ships in Guinea-Bissau waters.Guinea-Bissau signed the fishing agreement in 2007 when it owed more than $1 billion in debt, an impossible sum for the country's cashew-based economy to repay. European debtors forgave much of that debt in December of last year. Now that the country finds itself on a stronger financial footing, watchdog groups like the International Union for the Conservation of Nature are telling Guinea-Bissau to be a little less desperate during negotiations. The group's program chief, Nelson Gomes Dias, says the country should ask for something it has never truly received: a fair deal.The former minister says he is flabbergasted the European Union is paying just $7 million euros (about $10 million) to trawl Guinea-Bissau's 54,000 square kilometers of waterways."Seven million [euros] is peanuts. It is peanuts," noted Dias. "When they see the boats that come here to fish, seven million is peanuts. The potential is $250 million each year [for] the sector. But we get only seven million. Can you imagine?"Jorge Gomes, a technical advisor in Guinea-Bissau's Artisanal Fisheries Ministry, says other international fishermen work the country's waters, but the European Union is among the few actually paying to fish there.Gomes noted that dozens of vessels, large and small, simply cruise unseen into Bissau's waters from as near as Senegal and as far away as China.Fishing Ministry Director-General Virginia Pires Correia says that collectively, foreign fishermen are allowed to reel in as much as half the fish thought to be swimming the country's seas. That is a lot, she concedes, but the ministry is in no position to turn new vessels down.She says because Guinea-Bissau is a developing country, it needs the support of international partners. The European Union is a partner of importance for Guinea-Bissau, and the fishing sector is a sector of importance for the country's economic development, Correia says. She says Guinea-Bissau really needs this money, this direct revenue for the public treasury, to cover the general internal budget needs.When the EU fishing contract expires in June, Correia says the ministry will ask Europe for about $15 million a year to renew the agreement. But conservation group official Dias says it should be several times that amount.


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Wednesday, September 29, 2010
First sitting president to visit Madison in 60 years talks about working on the car the Republicans drove into the ditch -- and why they shouldn't get the keys back
It was the first visit to Madison by a sitting president in 60 years. T was more enthusiastic about trying to see him than I was, because I figured we would have to stand around forever and still probably wouldn't get in. But I knew if we didn't try, I'd regret it. We left by bike about 2:30, at which time the buzz on Twitter was that the line for the event already backed all the way across campus along Linden Drive to Henry Mall. We headed over there to scope out the situation, which proved hopeless -- there already seemed to be more people in line than Library Mall would hold. We decided to bike along the lake to the Wisconsin Union, figuring there might be a video feed and an enthusiastic crowd there as well. First we stopped by Bascom Hill, where another overflow crowd was gathering in front of Music hall and stretching up the Hill (they would eventually get audio, but no video). Then we walked around a bit before ending up at the Union Terrace.
It was a choppy day on Lake Mendota. The Dane County Sheriff's navy was patrolling the marine perimeter. The skies above and the streets of Madison might belong to the Feds, but it was good to know that the Dane County Sheriff's Department had the lakefront buttoned down.
People couldn't bring signs inside Library Mall, although signs were distributed inside. Protesters were supposed to content themselves with a peaceful Assembly Area in the 600 block of State Street, but as Bill Lueders writes in Isthmus, nobody used it. Instead, they assembled at Park and University, where everyone in line would have to walk past them. It seemed to work out. On Langdon Street, yoga lessons were being promoted. Heck, why not?
We headed back to the Union Terrace, where they had an excellent sound system and a live video feed. We heard from Russ Feingold, Tom Barrett and then the President took the stage. The moment was captured by UW law professor and blogger Ann Althouse, juggling an ice cream cone and a point-and shoot, with the President's image on the monitor framed in her LCD. (Who knows? This may be the only time Ann Althouse and Barack Obama have ever appeared in the same picture.)
President Obama did not deliver a policy speech. it was an unabashed campaign stump speech, and he was was very good at it -- a charismatic, energetic speaker who got a loud response from the Library Mall audience of some 17,000. Even his tiny image on the monitor drew applause and cheers from the Union Terrace audience. I especially enjoyed his story about working on the car the Republicans had driven into the ditch (and why they shouldn't get the keys back) -- see video below.
The New York Times weighs in with this report. Their photograph shows why the rally was staged in the relatively intimate confines of Library Mall rather than, say, Camp Randall stadium, even though that meant thousands would not be able to get in. From the point of view of photo ops, there's no way the President could reach out to a crowd like this in a stadium.
8 comments:
- jjmadison said...
Nice work on this Peter. Glad you biked over and got onto the Terrace. A beer with the event would have been quite appropriate. Thanks for taking us in to this part of the speech with your video clip. I found myself chuckling along with you and T. Cute car metaphor. Priceless also to catch Ann Althouse at the event. I'm going over to her blog next to see how she chopped up the speech. Cheers.
- Sep 29, 2010, 2:39:00 AM
- Joaquin said...
Yeah, that's all we need an "unabashed campaign stump speech"
Somone should remind O and his breathless minions that he is the President and not on the campaign trail.
- Sep 29, 2010, 9:02:00 AM
- CatherineM said...
This is the first time you heard Obama's car analogy? Really? I have heard it about 20 times at this point. Yawn.
It's a big mistake to run the same way he ran in 08
- Sep 29, 2010, 9:14:00 AM
- seattleWa said...
How many times can he use the car-in-the-ditch analogy?? Would George Bush get a free pass here as well??
Slurpee?? Is he shilling for 7-11? Is he being paid for these references?
....and what about the street patois? ...or is it the preacher call-and-response cadence?
It ain't presidential. It is a campaign speech.
- Sep 29, 2010, 9:42:00 AM
- Anonymous said...
I dunno. That car/ditch metaphor doesn't really work for me. I've only driven into a ditch a couple time (going forward! in "D"!), and both times to get out I put it in "R" and slammed on the gas as hard as I could.
- Sep 29, 2010, 9:54:00 AM
- jay said...
It's not the first visit to Madison in 60 years by a sitting president. He was here as president last year when he visited Wright Middle School.
- Sep 29, 2010, 11:13:00 AM
- Tom Bozzo said...
The D/R thing is worded as follows: "I hope everybody has noticed when you want to go forward in your car, what do you do? You put it in 'D.' When you want to go backwards, you put it in 'R.'" Makes sense enough to me (though I am a shameless partisan), and it seemed to work fine with the crowd.
As for repeating the line on multiple occasions, I assume that there's only a tiny minority of news and/or political blog junkies who'd be aware of the contents of the president's campaign speeches without actually going to hear one.
- Sep 29, 2010, 3:17:00 PM
- CatherineM said...
Seattle - I was going to call out the preacher cadence too, assuming he did it this time (I don't need to hear it again, I know it by heart). Jeremiah Wright taught him all he knows and he does a pretty good impersonation. You know a guy who went to prep schools and the Ivy League never speaks like that naturally. It drives me crazy when he does it. I almost expect him to say, "let me hear an amen!"
- Sep 29, 2010, 3:52:00 PM


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VOY Interview with Vincent Moon on Youth- Growth, Evolution, and the Future
- Posts
Earlier this week, I had the distinct privilege of posing some very specific and completely non associated questions at Vincent Moon. Who is Vincent Moon? Accomplished producer, director, and writer traveling throughout the world, Mr. Moon knows no boundary to his chosen mediums. In this article we discussed the future of the world, how youth populations should continue to grow, barriers to this growth, steps to take for becoming the person you want to be, and the idea of merging art and human rights.
N: What were you like as a kid? What motivated you, what inspired you, who inspired you?
V: I was at the same time hyperactive and very lonely. It took me my whole teenage years to get over it, and finally get interested in other people when i turned 18, more or less. Before that, i was extremely shy.
N: What were the biggest breaks you've had to achieve what you've achieved?
V: Deciding, around the age of 19-20, to change myself and become another person. To do that, i spent all my time in cinemas, in concerts, in exhibitions, trying to learn everything about everybody, filling myself with knowledge, until that would be enough to become someone. It was a kinda weird process, very violent in a way, and very exciting too. The power of will on yourself, being able to change who you are into a better person, more confident especially.
N: What are the biggest challenges you've had to go through?
V: Getting over that sickness of not believing in myself. I am still going thru it though ;)
N: What message would you have for a young person with a dream but not sure how to realize it?
V: Believe in it, don't listen to anybody else than yourself. and do it seriously, but for the fun of it.
N:While traveling or filming, have you had any experiences with particular youth that have affected you in strong ways that you made reconsider or rethink previous concepts or thoughts?
V: All the time in a way, as witnessing young energies around the world is the most inspiring thing ever. I am constantly looking for places where people keep such a desire, a wish to make things happen. West European ways of dealing with life and creation has this kind of sadness at the core of it, as if nothing is really possible anymore, as if everything has been done before. While the excitement in South America, in Middle East, to make things happen, its full of life.
N: Is there a way to merge human rights issues with culture/art that might be more conducive for bringing youth into Voices of Youth?
V: Well, to me I don't see much difference in between those two aspects. One important thing i keep in mind is to never make any difference in between actions, not putting them in genres, but putting them on the same level and being able to make connections between them. There is not much difference to me in between a film being made and a school being built. The links between those movements, those things in motion, are more important than their differences. You have to open your eyes a bit more, that's it, to think about it as a whole, as a constant harmony to find. To find this harmony, people use different tools, but the goal is the same.
N: Will the two concepts of human rights and art ever merge into one?
V: This is where we are now.
N: What is your dream for the young people growing up today? Is it different depending on if they're growing up in the developing world vs the developed?
V: Sure the differences are very important and i don't see them much disappearing, but more evolving into a multitude of worlds. The key thing is the education we can give towards new technologies, the use that young people can make of it, far from any control by any governments or stuff like that. The freedom at the core of the internet is something that has been hidden way too much in the past ten years. If we can teach all the possible uses of such a tool to young people around the world, we can definitely create a new society. But it's a danger for the governments we live with now, so it's a constant struggle to not obey and live with our own rules, much more egalitarian ones.
N: How do you think youth can play a larger role in their own government's decision making? Do you think art can play a large factor, and if so, how?
V: Sure art as it is being made nowadays (back to a certain amateur idea of it, an everyday action, a more socially engaged position, the end of the idea of the 'artist') is starting to play a big role on another scale. The importance is to break this idea of a world for art, a world for politics etc... but to face every issues with all those tools in hands, consider them as powerful as each other. As for governments, I don't believe much in their actions just by witnessing how politics turned out in the past 50 years. I think though that actions can be made far from them, without their help, just with the collaborative creative action of people around the world, everywhere on many smaller scales.
N: What do you think the world will look like in 20 years?
V: Pretty crazy, with lots of movements of ideas from a culture to another, lots of isolated violence, lots of powerful creative actions made on little levels, a multitude of circles, of communities, of people living the way they want to live because they understood the power of new technologies, of people living under repression because they never received that knowledge... a very complex world, of course, but its' a good thing after all.
N: What is your dream for the world?
V: To find again a certain harmony with the planet and with other cultures, a harmony which has been endangered a lot in the past decades. Not only a more ecological world, but something way bigger, which includes all aspects of life
N: What is your dream for the youth?
V: To be the ones who realize they have to make things to change this planet and make it again a place in harmony. Not wait for others to make it, just go and do and then think about it later. MAKE. And the education we give them, the advices we have towards their uses of technologies, and the confidence we can carry towards them to make them create things locally on their own levels, is of deep importance.
N: Do you have any future plans or aspirations to work with young people in a direct way? And if so, how could you envision this working…?
V: I am now developing various ideas of workshops around the world, made over a week or two, engaging mostly young populations in their own locality, to organize musical events, art events, and experiment on the documentation we make of it. Projects involving lots of various people also on many levels, working with older generations too in this, to create links and question knowledge they can carry. It's coming soon. Vincent will soon be exploring Southeast Asia...


text:
Given the rate at which left-field super-groups have proliferated over the last few years -- Atoms for Peace! Them Crooked Vultures! Monsters of Folk! -- it was probably inevitable that we'd eventually end up with one as wacky as Maximum Hedrum, the new project from L.A.-based DJ and producer Sam Spiegel.
Inspired by "the way our lives are changing through advancements in technology and the Internet," according to a release, Maximum Hedrum finds Spiegel (the younger brother of film director Spike Jonze) teaming with Sepultura frontman Derrick Green and Harold Faltermeyer, best known for his synthed-up movie scores for "Beverly Hills Cop" and "Top Gun."
Spiegel has done the mix-and-match thing before. In 2009 he and the Brazilian DJ Zegon released "The Spirit of Apollo," the debut album by their duo N.A.S.A., with appearances by the likes of Kanye West, Seu Jorge, Tom Waits and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Earlier this month N.A.S.A. released "Overdrive," a new track slated to appear on an album due next summer.
Before that, though, Spiegel will concentrate on Maximum Hedrum, which will issue its self-titled debut on March 5. A pair of singles from the disc -- the hard-hitting "Synthesize" and "Keep in Touch," featuring George Clinton -- are available to stream (via SoundCloud) below.
"Derrick has only ever screamed on metal and hardcore albums before, but on this album he's crooning with his bass baritone voice like Isaac Hayes, and also singing crazy falsetto like Prince," Spiegel said in the statement. "It's really a departure from anything that either of us has ever done in the past."
"I always imagined and desired to use my voice in as many ways as imaginable," added Green. "The combination of working together with Sam Spiegel has opened many possibilities to expand the boundaries of music. The idea of Maximum Hedrum is to break down all concepts and barriers of the mind and explore the unknown fearlessly."
On Jan. 14 the group is scheduled to launch a residency at L.A.'s Los Globos. We look forward to seeing the guest list.


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Independent documentary directed by Landry Gideon slated to follow Texas high school theatre departments throughout the 2012-2013 school year.
Austin, TX – April, 2013 – Each year over 1,000 schools across Texas compete in One Act Play (OAP), one of the world's largest play festivals. "The Show Must Go On" presents an inside look at the drama that unfolds between high school theatre directors and their ensembles as they travel across Texas for a three month long elimination style tournament culminating at the state competition in Austin. Director Landry Gideon and cinematographer Andrew Miller are currently capturing the grueling process that is the UIL One Act Play competition by following these schools to clinics, contests and rehearsals.
Hundreds of thousands of students, parents, and teachers have been involved in OAP since its 1927 inception. Several current and former industry professionals can trace their acting roots back to this competition including Academy Award winner F. Abraham Murray, Emmy Award winner Jim Parsons and Tony winner Elizabeth Davis. In many states, theatre is not considered a competitive sport, but in Texas it is. From the moment each play is cast in the fall through the State Championship at the end of May, the crews eat, sleep, and breathe nothing but theatre. OAP is about hard work and dedication, and this film aims to show that to the world.
In 2012, the Austin Film Society awarded "The Show Must Go On" with a grant from the highly competitive Texas Filmmakers Production Fund. The film was chosen by a panel of judges comprised of noted filmmakers and producers. "Up until now, we have been able to capture everything as a two man crew, but the need for coverage of the competition across the state will require us to add a few more camera operators to the team. We want the best ones we can get and those folks come with a price tag," says Gideon about why launching a crowd funding campaign is necessary.
A Kickstarter campaign will be launched in April to raise money for the rest of the production which includes travel expenses, equipment rentals, permit fees and hiring additional cinematographers and crew to cover the contests and follow the schools chosen for production. A Facebook Page, Twitter account and website have been created to spread the word about the competition and progress on the production. The Kickstartercampaign for "The Show Must Go On" can be found here: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1810006957/the-show-must-go-on-6


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Stupid .....
Snoresville....Tom is such a has been.
A Tom Cruise snooze fest.
Great action movie!
I really enjoyed this movie! Tom Cruise was great in it! I thought his acting was excellent. He hit all the emotions and facial expressions throughout though this was a comedy like version of the true story. The movie played well, kept my attention, just plain good. The flight scenes and location scenes were a bonus. I recommend seeing this movie.
Very good movie, I'm not normally a TC fan but he brought an interesting character to life in a fascinating story line set in a true life setting.
I agree...Tom is no longer a box office hit....he's lost the studios millions upon millions....guess they'll never learn!
When will Hollywood realize that Tom is way past his prime - absolutely the worst actor maybe ever!
I loved it. Entertaining....
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Going into the Grammy Awards, six different artists had six nominations each. But when the show finally wrapped up on Sunday night, the Grammys still didn't know which artist it liked best, as several different acts ended up picking up multiple awards.
The big winner, technically, was Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys. In addition to winning three Grammys as a member of the alternative rock duo, he won an additional trophy for Producer of the Year, bringing his total to four. The group did not win in any of the major categories, though, despite a slew of nominations.
Artists who won three Grammys include Gotye and the duo of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Double winners included fun., Frank Ocean and Mumford & Sons. Those last three acts had been heavily nominated going into the show, but only fun. landed two of the top awards: Song of the Year for "We Are Young" and Best New Artist. Accepting for "We Are Young," lead singer Nate Ruess joked, "I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote the chorus of that song. If this is in HD, you can see our faces and you can see we are not very young!"
The band noted that they'd actually been doing their thing for 12 years, and thanked their families who'd been supporting them all that time. Guitarist Jack Antonoff's girlfriend Lena Dunham, creator and star of the HBO series Girls, was seen in the audience cheering for her man, just as he cheered for her when she won at the Golden Globes last month. When the band returned to the stage to accept the Best New Artist trophy, Ruess said that he wanted the other members of the band to make the speech because he "had to pee" so badly.
Gotye, whose momentum seemed to have slowed a bit going into the awards, ended up with three Grammys, including the prestigious Record of the Year trophy for "Somebody that I Used to Know." Gotye, who was thrilled to accept the trophy from one of his musical inspirations — Prince — noted that there were "so many incredible songs" in the category, adding, "Thank you to everybody who puts great energy into the world making music. I feel unworthy being up here but thank you, all musicians."
Album of the Year went, surprisingly, to Babel by British folk-rockers Mumford & Sons, whose only other trophy Sunday night was for Best Longform Music Video. We wish we could tell you what lead singer Marcus Mumford said when he accepted the award from Adele, but he cursed so much that most of his comments were bleeped out.
Last year's big winner, Adele, was only nominated in one category — Best Pop Solo Performance — but of course, she won, for a live version of "Set Fire to the Rain." Wearing a dress with a print that looked like it should have been covering a sofa, she told the crowd that she was a fan of all the other women in the category, which included Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Katy Perry and Carly Rae Jepsen. "Big love to all the other girls…we work so hard and make it look so easy!" she laughed.
Kelly Clarkson gave what may have been the most entertaining speech of the night when she won for Best Pop Vocal Album, for her disc Stronger. When her name was called, she ran over to Katy Perry and John Mayer and appeared to do an "I'm not worthy" move, and then ran to hug her friend Miranda Lambert…but their dresses got stuck together. After extricating herself, Kelly joked about being "stuck on Miranda Lambert," but then said, "I didn't know I was gonna win 'cause I was so excited to be in the category…fun. I've been covering you all summer…I love Pink, I love everybody I was in the category with!"
Then, referring to an earlier performance by R&B star Miguel of his Marvin Gaye-like ballad "Adorn," she blurted out, "Miguel, I don't know who the hell you are but we need to sing together! I mean, good God! That was the sexiest damn thing I've ever seen!"
Frank Ocean's acclaimed disc Channel Orange was named Best Urban Contemporary Album, and he must have secretly been happy about the fact that one of the artists he beat in that category was Chris Brown; the two singers recently got into a fight in West Hollywood, reportedly over a parking spot.
Unusually, two country awards were given out during the telecast: Best Country Solo Performance, which was won by Carrie Underwood for "Blown Away," and Best Country Album, which Zac Brown Band won for Uncaged. Carrie told the crowd, "Country music has always been so good to me, and I thank the Lord that I am part of such a wonderful, talented family."
Katy Perry drew chuckles with her intro to the Best New Artist trophy presentation. "If you don't win, don't worry," she told the nominees. "I was never even nominated in this category, and I have my own eyelash line!"
Leave it to Adele to get the last laugh, though. Presenting the evening's final category of Album of the Year, the new mom said, "'Most artists who have won Album Of The Year tend to have more success, embark on humongous tours or get knocked up like last year's winner!" That was her, in case you forgot.
By the way, some artists pushed the limits of that notorious memo that CBS sent out ahead of the telecast, warning them not to expose too much flesh. Jennifer Lopez's body was covered, but her dress exposed her entire leg right up to the crotch. She joked, "So, as you can see, I read the memo!"
Katy Perry, however, was displaying what's commonly referred to as "side boob" with her deep cleavage, and even Alicia Keys flashed "underboob" when she lifted her arms and the black band of her dress that covered her breasts lifted up slightly. Surprisingly, Rihanna was well-covered throughout the night.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio
Recent posts in Music News


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Angel Villalona Returns to MLB After Murder Charges
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Over three years after he was charged with murder in his native Dominican Republic, Angel Villalona is back in the dugout, back in uniform, eager for a new baseball life.
The San Francisco Giants' former top first base prospect declined to address his legal past — specifically, exactly what happened.
"I'd rather not talk about it," he said through an interpreter Friday. "I just want to concentrate on playing baseball. ... I'm here to get back to playing baseball. I'm thankful they gave me a second chance."
Villalona was charged in the September 2009 death of a 25-year-old man at a bar. He was freed on bond that November after the family of the deceased asked a judge to drop the case, but Villalona was also stripped of his U.S. visa at the time.
From what I gather, he's really rededicated himself and is excited about getting another opportunity. We're getting ready for a season, and he'll be part of it.
"I never doubted myself. I never thought that (I couldn't get back here). I always thought I could do it, just like people here have confidence in me," Villalona said.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy envisions few issues or distractions with the arrival of Villalona, who has dropped from 290 pounds to 250 in preparation for his comeback.
The 22-year-old Villalona reported to spring training Friday and was undergoing a physical ahead of the first full-squad workout by the reigning World Series champions Saturday.
Last spring, Villalona had his visa delayed for what the team was told were weight and health issues. Major League Baseball has already reinstated him from the restricted list.
"He's coming in, I know it's been a long journey for him," Bochy said following Friday's workout. "From what I gather, he's really rededicated himself and is excited about getting another opportunity. We're getting ready for a season, and he'll be part of it."
In fall 2011, Villalona dropped a lawsuit against the Giants seeking $5 million in damages after the team decided to reinstate him. He alleged the Giants kept him on the inactive list even though he had been cleared of homicide charges. Villalona had sought back wages and punitive damages.
When asked about the lawsuit Friday, he said, "I don't know what happened there."
Villalona received a $2.1 million bonus when San Francisco signed him at age 16 in August 2006. It was the biggest bonus the franchise had ever given to an amateur player at the time.
He was considered among the club's top prospects before the 2008 season and was selected for the Futures Game during All-Star festivities that year. San Francisco reportedly outbid the New York Yankees, Mets, Boston Red Sox and Seattle Mariners for Villalona.
He still knows many of the current members of the Giants and vowed to meet new faces each day. But he doesn't appear ready to stand before his teammates and say anything.
"Like what?" he said when asked about giving a message to the other players.
The 6-foot-3 slugging first baseman played for the Giants' Dominican Summer League team last year, batting .303 with seven home runs and 34 RBIs in 44 games. He doesn't know where he will play this season.
"I will work here and go wherever the Giants assign me to go," he said. "I'm very happy and I thank God for being here. I had faith that I could, and I trained to be back."
Villalona played in 74 games for Class-A San Jose in 2009. He hit .267 with nine home runs and 42 RBIs.
Bochy isn't planning a sit-down or special meeting with Villalona.
"Well, like normal, like I would any player maybe," Bochy said. "I knew when I first came here. We've got work to do, and he'll be part of the group here getting ready for the season."
Based on reporting by the Associated Press.
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Jesus has shown his face in many inanimate objects over the years.
Classics include grilled-cheese Jesus, piece-of-plaster Jesus, X-ray Jesus, Google Jesus, MRI Jesus and the granddaddy of them all, the Shroud of Turin.
There are even websites dedicated the phenomenon (the most comprehensive, of course, being "Stuff That Looks Like Jesus").
Well now there's a new addition to that family -- Chair Jesus.
Lou Balducci of Mission Viejo sent NBCLA photos of a wooden rocking chair he was planning on throwing away.
"Last week, I noticed this image of Jesus on the chair. I don't know how it got there, but it is clearly an image of Jesus," wrote Balducci in an e-mail.
Balducci says he's not "overly religious," but the appearance of the Messiah has him questioning his beliefs.
"When I first saw the image, I didn't know what to think. As I thought about it, I was thinking that maybe it was a sign of some kind. But not being overly religious, I was a little confused," he said.
"We showed it to our housekeeper and she said it was a sign that our house and our family was being blessed. …My in-laws are very religious and also believe that it is a blessing," Balducci said.
Balducci says he's had the chair for more than 10 years and has never noticed the image of Jesus.
"I am not sure what I want to do with it. Right now, I am enjoying having it in my home and showing it to friends and family," Balducci said.


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Friday, August 23, 2013 - Wank Party 2013 #07, Part 1 RAW
In Wank Party 2013 #7 we have a great cast of guys, Ivo Kerk, Vasek Konik, Borek Sokol, Tomas Zadany and Libor Bores. We find them in Drakes bar, with Ivo on the stage dancing. He removes his shorts as he dances and Borek reaches over and puts a tip into his underwear. Then Borek joins Ivo on stage and for some erotic play. The all the guys move to another room. Then they discuss what to do and decide that having some sexy fun is better than watching TV. Libor and Tomas start to kiss as Vasek and Borek are feeling the sexy Ivo. Ivo really shows the way, stripping naked, followed by Libor who takes his pants off. Borek is quick to start sucking on Ivo's cock as Tomas and Libor continue to strip. They kiss each other again as Tomas wanks on Libor's cock. Borek and Vasek join Ivo in being naked on the sofa and Vasek goes down on his cock. Libor stands and wanks as his buddy Tomas finishes stripping off. Borek is then being kissed by Vasek, and Ivo sucks cock. Tomas is also sucking on Libor's dick as Ivo switches his attention to Vasek, wanking him some. Then Libor and Tomas trade places with Vasek and Borek, so they can play with Ivo. Ivo quickly goes down to suck Libor as Vasek sucks Borek's big cock. Then Libor returns the favour, sucking on Ivo's rock hard cock as he sucks Tomas. Vasek stands so that Borek can suck him and he is joined by Ivo. Borek now has two dicks to suck and does it very well. Tomas lays on the sofa with Libor over him, sucking on his throbbing cock as Ivo goes down on Borek's again. With Ivo occupied on Borek's dick Vasek moves over to join Libor and Tomas, he sucks Libor. Tomas joins Borek and Ivo and the three of them take turns sucking each other. Libor also wants to suck more, and Vasek lays on the sofa with his cock deep in Libor's mouth. Then they move to a 69, so they can both enjoy the sucking. Libor reaches round and fingers his ass as he is sucked by Vasek. His ass wants more and Vasek fingers him as Borek rims Ivo's hot ass. Then Borek fucks his big cock between Ivo's feet as Tomas feeds his dick into Libor's eager mouth. Then Libor sucks both Tomas and Vasek at the same time. Things have built up very well indeed, with all the guys so hot an horny. We can all look forward to much more in part 2.
... more about Wank Party 2013 #07, Part 1 RAW further in this newsletter
Our Coming Soon Set Preview
Marc Harer was very keen to have a screentest, so we paired him with the lovely Jan Faust. We find them on the bed, with Jan interviewing Marc. Then they start to kiss each other and they reach over to have a feel as well. Almost immediately they are wanking each other and Marc then goes down on Jan's cock and starts to suck. Jan's cock responds and gets rock hard. He removes his pants and Marc goes right back down on that big cock. As he sucks he is on his knees, giving a great view of his hot ass. Jan reaches for Marc's cock and wanks it, as we get to see that hot ass hole. Marc's cock is getting hard under Jan's touch, and his balls have tightened nicely. Marc comes off Jan's throbbing cock and he presents his own for sucking. Jan goes right to it, taking that big dick in his mouth. He sucks on it, lips wrapped tightly around the head. Then they move into a 69 position, with Marc on top so we can see his sexy ass some more. He goes up on his knees so that Jan can rim that hot hole. His tongue works on that hole as Marc uses his hands to spread the cheeks. Then he goes back down on Jan's cock. Jan then moves Marc into doggy position and slides his hard cock deep into that sexy ass. He starts to fuck with nice long strokes. He really works that hole well. When they move again Marc sits his ass right down on Jan's big cock. He rides up and down on that cock, wanking himself at the same time. Another move, into missionary position, has Jan's dick really fucking that ass, stretching it so good. Then it's back to doggy style, with Marc wanking hard and fast, until he shoots his cum all over the bed. Jan pulls out of that hot ass and dumps his cum all over it, to finish off a wonderful screentest. Then, after a final kiss the guys go off to the shower to clean up.
You can watch my Vlog for this Newsletter by clicking above or by going over to the Blog : http://www.wheuro.com/?p=11518
Well, some pretty scary developments in the Czech political scene. Watch the Vlog for my explanation. And here's an article:
Meanwhile to work:
Today we start off with part one of our latest Wank Party, with Ivo Kerk, Libor Bores, Borek Sokol, Vasek Konik and Tomas Zadany. We follow that with an excellent erotic video featuring Ivan Petera and then Michal Calovka's session stills. We also have a special stills only set, from camera 3, Wank In The Woods 2, part 2.
Our castings today feature three excellent candidates, Slavek Mraz, Petr Kuryban and Petr Jirous. The all look good but the stand out guy for me today is Petr Kuryban.
MESSAGE ABOUT LINKS TO THE OLD WH WEBSITE - WILLIAMHIGGINS.com ARCHIVES:
Please be aware that the link www.williamhiggins.com takes you to this brand new website now. If you bookmarked our old website in the past and you want to keep the bookmark as a shortest way to access the old WH website you need to change the link in the bookmark to:
Our castees today look very good too. They are Eljan Nikitov, Vasil Kosimcuk and Antonin Pecka. It is a close call today but by pick will be Elhan Nikitov.
Today's Weather in Prague
We have launched our all new Kink only site with no solos. It's not for the feint hearted. Do take a look (if you dare):
At present, Members of CzechGuysNextDoor will be able to access the new site with their user information. If you have problems, write email@example.com
Latest Sets At Our NEW STR8HELL.com Website
Open Set "Martin Pudil - Mad Monk - SPANKING"
Open Set "Lukas Pribyl - CFNM"
Members of CzechGuysnextDoor.com - to log in the member's section of the new STR8HELL website use your present username and password, if you forgot your password or encounter a log in problem please feel free to contact us at: firstname.lastname@example.com
Non-members - you are welcome to browse our complete content - each regular set contains free video preview and free photos, if you decide not to become a member of our website you can also buy sets separately (we huge, well organized and easy to search library of models - there is always few models you may like) you can pay only for what you really want see ;-). You are always welcome to come back.
All members of www.CzechGuysNextDoor.com get a free access to STR8HELL.com till the end of November 2011!
Please use your present CzechGuysNextDoor username and password to log into the members area.
We have terminated updates to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website. CzechGuysNextDoor.com website will stay online, but now only as an archive of all CzechGuysNextdoor.com sets. Anyone who wants to access CzechGuysNextDoor.com Archives needs to have a STR8HELL.com membership. STR8HELL.com will continue with most of the czechguysnextdoor.com projects. Anyone who joins STR8HELL.com will gain access to two websites STR8HELL.com and CzechGuyNextDoor.com Archives which contain 2500+ sets. STR8HELL.com has exactly same features and controls as NEW WilliamHiggins.com website.
Direct access to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website is now through the link: archive.czechguysnextdoor.com or through "Archive Sets 2004-2011" links on the new STR8HELL website.
Thank you for your loyalty to CzechGuysNextDoor.com website,
William Higgins
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Starting today you can download our videos in Full HD quality 1920x1080px!
Please remember that most of the videos available on BurnDVD are easily able to be downloaded with a single link, but some of the very large files, such as the newsletter DVDs have to be split into three separate links, as detailed below.
The videos with very large file sizes are now split into more than one part, using a program called HJSplit. If you wish to buy one of these larger videos to Burn to DVD, you will receive a link for file and then it is a simple process to join the downloaded files together to make the .iso file for Burning to DVD.
You can see all the available videos at www.burndvd.tv
Before downloading any videos to burn to DVD I advise you to read the BURNDVD Manual, which explains how you can burn the file to DVD. The file is an ISO file which contains all the required DVD files. The process for burning to DVD is fully explained.
The BurnDVD manual is easy to follow, with a step by step guide. Burning a DVD is easy to do, though it is helpful if you have previously burned DVDs or CDs.
The manual can be viewed here: BURNDVD Manual
Anyone who has any problems understanding the manual, or burning their download to DVD, or indeed any questions about this service please email email@example.com . Geoff will be happy to assist you.
You can view all the available downloads at www.burndvd.tv, by clicking the on the categories. A direct link to the latest files available will be published in each newsletter.
Our Latest Sets at www.BurnDVD.tv
Today we have Wank Party 2013 #7 – Part 1 and Ivan Petera, Michal Calovka – Backstage Video and and CFNM – Lukas Pribyl.
The direct link to "Wank Party 2013 #7 - Part 1"
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Hardcore fans of Tumblr may be seen in the sun today, as the blogging network is still offline after routine maintenance turned into a hellstorm that brought down the entire site about 17 hours ago. TechCrunch reports that the site has a "major issue in one of its database clusters" and will be back up once the database is repaired manually. Exactly what that entails or how long the site will be down, is anybody's guess.
"Some scheduled maintenance yesterday that wasn't intended to interrupt service went haywire and wound up taking down a critical database cluster," said David Karp, founder of the site, about two hours ago. "Rebuilding the entire cluster has been a painfully slow and manual process, but we're almost through. We'll be posting a recap when we're back up."
Though the service is free and outages happen, fans are complaining, en mass, on sites like Twitter. A search for "Tumblr" brings up thousands of tweets saying things like "@NikiWithIssues: Oh hi Twitter! I'm the cheating ex girlfriend who came back just to cheat on you again as soon as Tumblr gets its shit together." Other users are already parodying the "We'll be back shortly." message.
Not everything is bad in Tumblr-dom. Reportedly, the site is successfully raising millions so it can staff its new New York offices.
UPDATE 7:36 p.m. EST: Tumblr appears to be back up and running. The company tweeted the following message: "The recovering database cluster is online and healthy. We're incrementally opening up access to blogs while monitoring performance." Anybody still having issues?
Editors' Recommendations
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Linda Benningfield, 58, passed away March 7, 2013.
Linda Dianne Benningfield
Linda Benningfield, 58, passed away March 7, 2013.
She was born February 14, 1955. She was a loving wife, mother, mother-in-law, daughter, grandmother, sister, sister-in-law, aunt and friend.
She is survived by her husband, David Allen Benningfield Sr., of 41 years; two sons, David Allen Benningfield Jr. and Kenneth Andrew Benningfield Sr. She is also survived by one brother, George Williams, of Casper, Wyoming.
She is an Angel looking upon us, and will be missed by all.


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Ugh. What an ugly game last night at the Meadowlands.
Setting aside the Packers' play—of course, not easy to do—this should have been a good-looking game. The Giants have a truly classic uniform, and a number of their players wore blue undershirts, giving the illusion of actual jerseys (something I've long been advocating for Green Bay). There were, however, two æsthetic developments worthy of our attention in last night's debacle.
The first is the newly-moustachioed faces of Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers. The pair grew their lip fuzz as part of "Movember", a month-long cancer awareness initiative held this month every year.
The second item of note from last night was the black coat McCarthy was wearing.
"On, you Green and Gold AND OBSIDIAN, to Glory" get added to the fight song while I wasn't looking?
I understand that they want to sell as much stuff as humanly possible, but it shouldn't be at the expense of the team's æsthetic heritage. There's something very wrong when two coaches, representing teams with great and historical looks, meet at midfield and you have a hard time telling them apart.
Monday, November 26, 2012
I Can't Stand No "Mo".
Posted by Chance Michaels at 8:51 AM
Labels: 2010s, sideline gear, team colors
1 comment:
- Rusty Rayner said...
A night to forget to be sure. The only plus side is that we still control our own destiny.
- November 26, 2012 at 11:37 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


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When artist Hyrum Joe paints the wildlife, mesa tops and cliff dwellings in Mesa Verde National Park during the Rims to Ruins Art Event this week, he'll be going back to his roots.
As a Navajo Hyrum's ancestors have many historic and spiritual ties to the region. The painter want Native Americans and others to remember the ways of his people
"The culture is slowly dying. The next generation of Native Americans seems to have little interest in the ceremony and traditions," Hyrum said.
Hyrum was like that when he was young. But as he grew up he wanted to know more about the Navajo tribe. Today, Hyrum's proud of his heritage and expresses it through painting.
Hyrum will be attending the second annual Rims to Ruins Art event with two other Native Americans including his mentor and father, renowned sculptor Oreland Joe.
"This will be a first time for us; together as father and son and in a unique area. We're from the Four Corners region, and the history is in our blood," Oreland said.
This is the first time Native American artists have participated in the event.
Pencil artist Jerry Cohoe thinks it's an advantage to be Native American during this special event. He often draws the Navajo people in their traditional attire and surroundings then shows his artwork during presentations or lectures.
"I'm trying to preserve the past," Cohoe said. "I've always felt the more we know about each other the better we'll get along."
The artists will be participating in the event and sale with about 25 other prominent western and southwest painters, sketchers and sculptors.
Many of them will work plein air, or out in the open, on My 15 and 16.
The works will be sold to help support projects in Mesa Verde National Park.
"Because of the success of Rims to Ruins, we were able to help fund the re-establishment of the park's historic horse patrol program and to sponsor the Four Corners Lecture Series that will take place in the park this summer," said Judy Grant, the chair of the board of directors for the Mesa Verde Foundation.
The horse patrol program allows rangers to access more remote parts of the park, she said.
Last year, the art sales raised $46,000, and this year, the foundation hopes to raise $43,000.
Grant said the breathtaking art captures scenery and images of a place that are almost sacred to many people.
"This art is a way of bringing Mesa Verde to each of us, in our living room, family room, office," she said.
Works of art created in the park will be for sale during an art auction and luncheon at the Mesa Verde Visitor Center on Saturday at noon.
Additional artwork from the participants will be for sale during a special show at the Wildlife Experience Museum near Denver on Nov. 5.
Tickers for the luncheon are $50 per person and available at MesaVerdeFoundation.org.


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P-W takes second, Lakewood eight in respective divisions
For the Pewamo-Westphalia competitive cheer team, heading to the Deltaplex for the state finals and coming home with a trophy has become an annual event.
On Saturday, the tradition continued.
After coming off a third-place finish in the regional last weekend, the Pirates finished only behind defending champion Michigan Center to win its third-straight Division 4 state runners-up trophy.
"We're very excited and proud of our girls," P-W coach Staci Meyers said. They came out and performed the best they have all season, so we are very proud of them and happy to have gotten second.
"The girls are always excited heading into finals and want to keep on the tradition of placing high. It helps them improve on what they are performing that day."
Michigan Center finished with a score of 731.26 while the Pirates earned a total of 727.52 and Hudson, who edged out P-W for second at the regional tournament, finished third with a score of 723.7.
Pirate senior Brianne Schafer said winning another finals trophy is a great way for her to finish her competitive cheer career.
"I am really excited and proud of the team," she said." We turned are nerves into excitement for this week and we just wanted to come here and come out on top."
Division 3
GRAND RAPIDS -- For the first time in program history, the Lakewood competitive cheer team entered the Deltaplex on Saturday as a participant in the state finals.
After making it to their second-straight regional tournament, the Vikings finished fourth last week to qualify for the Division 3 final, where they finished eighth.
Despite the finish, Lakewood coach Kim Martin said she is proud of her girls for what they have accomplished this season.
"I told the girls to just enjoy being here." She said. "We are one of the top eight teams in our division and that right there is something to be proud of.
"We came out of last weekend kind of banged up so I had to do some changing around. We had a good round one and decent round three, but round two is our weak spot. That's what we are going to have to nail down next year."
The Vikings entered the second round in fifth place after earning a score of 194.28 their first time on the mat. However, they fell back after taking a 194.28 in their next trip. They earned a third-round score of 296.6 to finish with a total of 708.58.
Defending D3 state champion Richmond won the title again, earning a score of 768.64. Pontiac Notre Dame Prep took second with a total of 765.84, while Grosse Ille finished third with a score of 753.9.