Scranton & Wilkes-Barre in Entertainment

Nancy McDonald "If You Can Play Scranton" Book Signings

2012-01-18T10:27:00.005-05:00

Author Nancy McDonald has scheduled 2 book signing events in Scranton during the next few weeks to promote the recently published revised edition of her book If You Can Play Scranton:

Saturday, January 28, 2012
1-3 p.m.
Library Express
The Mall at Steamtown
300 Lackawanna Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503
(570) 558-1670

Friday, February 3, 2012
6-9 p.m.
Wendell and Company
in the former Ritz Theater
222 Wyoming Avenue
Scranton, PA 18503

IfYouCanPlayScranton.com

Miller's Tale, Jason Miller Documentary, Now Available To Purchase on DVD

2012-01-12T15:24:00.003-05:00

Miller's Tale, Rebecca Marshall Ferris's excellent documentary on the life of Scranton native Jason Miller, is now available to purchase on DVD. In addition to the 56-minute documentary, the DVD also includes the film trailer, additional interviews with William Friedkin and Stacy Keach, and an interview with director Rebecca Marshall Ferris.

Click here to purchase a copy of Miller's Tale on DVD.

millerstalemovie.com
www.facebook.com/millerstale

Jason Miller's Second Film, 1974's The Nickel Ride, Now Available On DVD

2011-12-29T09:11:00.004-05:00

My colleague Evelyn Gibbons emailed me a New York Times article that announced the release of a DVD featuring Jason Miller's second film appearance (after The Exorcist). The film, 1974's The Nickel Ride, was directed by Robert Mulligan (To Kill A Mockingbird) and is paired as a double feature with 99 And 44/100% Dead on the DVD, released on December 13th by The Shout Factory.

In The Nickel Ride, Cooper (Jason Miller), known as the key man because of his large ring of keys, manages several warehouses containing the Mob’s stolen goods. When the Mob has stolen so much that they are running out of space, they send Cooper to negotiate for a new warehouse. His boss gets nervous and, believing the big-hearted key man to be more of a risk than an asset, orders him to be watched. The film also stars Linda Haynes (Coffy, Rolling Thunder) and Bo Hopkins (The Wild Bunch).

Click here to read the New York Times article regarding the DVD release.

Click here for more information on the DVD release from The Shout Factory's website.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

Nancy McDonald, Author of "If You Can Play Scranton" Book Signing Dec. 24th at SNHS

2011-12-23T10:13:00.006-05:00

Book Signing

Click here to place a hold.

Click here for a previous blog entry on If You Can Play Scranton.

Was Scranton Ever Mentioned In A Holiday Film? Yup! 1940's Little-Seen Remember The Night, And We Have It On DVD!

2011-12-15T11:05:00.004-05:00

Scranton is mentioned in passing in the 1940 holiday classic Remember the Night, written by Preston Sturges and featuring the first onscreen pairing of Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.

Remember the Night tells the story of a repeat shoplifter (Barbara Stanwyck) who goes home to Indiana for the holidays with the lawyer who is also prosecuting her (Fred MacMurray). The film also features a brief passing reference to Scranton.

Albright Memorial Library also has a copy of Remember the Night available to borrow on DVD. To place a hold, click here.

Perez Hilton Namedrops Scranton

2011-12-15T10:40:00.002-05:00

Broadway's Critically Acclaimed Venus in Fur, Directed By Scranton Native Walter Bobbie, Will Re-Open February 2012 For Limited Engagement

2011-12-14T10:43:00.006-05:00

The Broadway production of the David Ives play Venus in Fur, directed by Scranton native Walter Bobbie and starring Nina Arianda and Hugh Dancy, will take a break after ending its run at the Manhattan Theater Club's Samuel J. Friedman Theater on Sunday, December 18th and resume performances at the Lyceum Theater on Feb. 7, 2012, for a limited engagement through June 17.

Venus In Fur originally premiered Off-Broadway in January 2010; originally scheduled to run a month, the play was extended multiple times and closed March 25th, 2010. The original lead -- 2011 Tony nominee Nina Arianda (Born Yesterday) -- reprises her role of Vanda that she originated Off-Broadway. Actor Hugh Dancy plays playwright Thomas (originally played Off-Broadway by Wes Bentley).

Venus in Fur opened on Broadway November 8th for a limited one-month engagement but, due to popular demand and critical raves, it will will reopen on February 7th, 2012.

From Broadway.com:

"As David Ives’ new play begins, we meet a modern-day playwright/director who has written an adaptation of Venus in Fur, the 1870 novel by Leopold Sacher-Masoch that became infamous when the author’s last name inspired the term “sado-masochism” to describe the interplay of sex and power in the book. An actress arrives to audition, her bag filled with S&M gear and period costumes. Soon the playwright is drawn into reading his own script with this mysterious young woman, with breaks to argue about the meaning of the story and the motivation of the characters."

In addition to Venus In Fur and Chicago, Walter Bobbie's other Broadway directing credits include White Christmas, High Fidelity, Footloose, and the 2005 revival of Sweet Charity (which includes a reference to Scranton in one of the lyrics).

Click here for a previous blog entry on Walter Bobbie.

http://venusinfurbroadway.com/

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling (2011)

2011-11-07T14:55:00.005-05:00

Mindy Kaling, writer and co-star of the NBC sitcom The Office (set in Scranton), has recently published a collection of humorous essays about her life and work titled Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns), in which she includes a brief reference to Scranton.

p. 117

"Many people assume The Office is shot in Scranton, Pennsylvania, because we take pains to shoot on locations that are green and East Coast-looking."

Kaling has made two visits to Scranton -- she made a solo appearance in the city in July 2008 to launch The Official Office Board Game, and she was also in Scranton with most of the cast of the show for The Office Convention in October 2007.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) by Mindy Kaling is now available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; click here to place a hold.

Wilkes-Barre Native Santo Loquasto Is Scenic Designer For Broadway's Relatively Speaking

2011-10-21T08:39:00.010-05:00

Three-time Tony winner and Wilkes-Barre native Santo Loquasto is the Scenic Designer for Broadway's Relatively Speaking, which opened last night (Thursday, October 20th) at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in NYC.

Directed by John Turturro, Relatively Speaking is a series of three one-act plays written by Elaine May, Ethan Coen and Woody Allen (Loquasto was Production Designer on all of Woody Allen's movies from 1987 to 2003, and most recently worked with Allen on 2009's Whatever Works).

To purchase tickets for Relatively Speaking, click here.

Click here for a previous blog entry on Santo Loquasto.

RelativelySpeakingBroadway.com

Historic Conversations on Life With John F. Kennedy by Jacqueline Kennedy (2011)

2011-09-26T16:05:00.005-05:00

"Well, I don't remember talking with him (JFK) about Scranton."
Jacqueline Kennedy
Wednesday, June 3, 1964

Referencing William W. Scranton (1917 - ), former U.S. Representitive (1961-1963), Pennsylvania Governor (1963-1967) and US Ambassador to the United Nations (1976-1977). William Scranton's family members were the founders and patriarchs of the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Historic Conversations On Life With John F. Kennedy
page 346
Disc 8, Track 7, @6:44

Click here to place a hold.

Wayne County Native Josh Fox Wins Emmy For Directing Gasland

2011-09-20T15:59:00.003-05:00

Congratulations to documentary filmmaker and Wayne County native Josh Fox for winning an Emmy for Outstanding Direction for Nonfiction Programming for his film Gasland.

In Gasland, Josh Fox received an offer to drill for natural gas under his property in Pennsylvania; in response, he did what few landowners think to do--he conducted his own research into the drilling process. The film won the 2010 Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

To place a hold on the DVD of Gasland, click here.

www.gaslandthemovie.com

The Medusa Amulet by Robert Masello (2011)

2011-09-17T09:33:00.004-05:00

My colleague and fellow avid reader Michele L. told me about "the most random reference to Scranton" she ever came across in a novel--Robert Masello's latest book The Medusa Amulet.

Check out the description below and you'll see why:

"In this new spine-tingling thriller by Robert Masello, the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of Blood and Ice, a brilliant but skeptical young scholar named David Franco embarks on a quest to recover a legendary artifact: a beautifully carved amulet that was created by Benvenuto Cellini, the master artisan of Renaissance Italy. What begins as a simple investigation quickly spirals into a twisting, turning tale of suspense and intrigue, a race against time that carries Franco across continents and centuries in a desperate search for this ultimate treasure—and a work of unimaginable power . . . and menace.

Aided only by a beautiful young Florentine with a conspirator’s mind and dark secrets, Franco is soon caught up in a life-and-death struggle from which there is no escape. Relentlessly pursued by deadly assassins and demons of his own, in the end he must confront—and defeat—an evil greater than anything conjured in his worst nightmares."

The two Scranton references appear towards the very end of the novel:

p. 437 "Finally, the professor in front decided to pick up where he'd left off. 'I used to teach art in Scranton,' he said, and the group seemed to breathe a sigh of relief."

p. 439 "'That statue represents the apogee of Cellini's career,' the professor from Scranton was declaiming, and quite happily."

The Medusa Amulet is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; to place a hold, click here.

Much thanks to the ever-amazing Michele L. for this reference.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson (2006)

2011-08-23T16:13:00.004-05:00

This reference comes from Brian Fulton, Librarian at the Times-Tribune and webmaster of the Pages from the Past blog of their website. In a blog entry he wrote on May 18th, 2011, Brian wrote a great piece on the 2006 "nonfiction novel" Thunderstruck by Erik Larson and its connections to Scranton, PA. Click here to check it out.

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System in a variety of formats: standard book, large print, CD audiobook, and downloadable audiobook.

Much thanks to Brian Fulton for this reference.

Pajama Diaries Comic Artist (and Kingston Native) Terri Libenson to Appear at B&N Friday, August 19th

2011-08-18T14:17:00.006-05:00

Terri Libeson, a native of Kingston, PA and author/artist of the nationally syndicated comic strip The Pajama Diaries, will be signing copies of her new book The Pajama Diaries: Deja To-Do at Barnes & Noble at The Arena Hub in Wilkes-Barre on Friday, August 19th from 7 PM to 9 PM. Libeson's book commemorates the 5th anniversary of the debut of her comic strip.

The Pajama Diaries is narrated bythe fictional Jill Kaplan, a wife of a loving husband and working mom of two young girls in a Jewish family somewhere in Ohio. It is nationally syndicated by King Features Syndicate and is also included in the Comics section of The Citizens' Voice.

For more information on Friday's book signing at Barnes & Noble, click here.

Click here to read Patrick Sweet's article, "Kingston Native Taps the Humor of Modern Family Life," which appeared in Sunday's Citizens' Voice (August 14, 2011).

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

www.pajamadiaries.com

War by Sebastian Junger (2010)

2011-08-18T10:40:00.004-05:00

Children's Librarian Elizabeth Davis emailed me this morning about a Scranton reference she discovered in a book she's currently reading -- War by Sebastian Junger.

In the nonfiction War, The Perfect Storm author Sebastian Junger turns his brilliant and empathetic eye to the reality of combat--the fear, the honor, and the trust among men in a single platoon through a 15-month tour of duty in the most dangerous outpost in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley.

On page 168 of the book, Junger makes a reference to Scranton and soldier Brendan O'Byrne, who is a native of Milford, Pennsylvania:

"An ambulance finally arrived and O'Byrne was taken to a hospital in Scranton."

The Times-Tribune published an article about Brendan O'Byrne, titled "Former Milford Resident a Central Character in 'War'" by Josh McCauliffe, on October 10th, 2010. Click here to read the article.

War by Sebastian Junger is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. Click here to place a hold; to place a hold on the CD audiobook, click here.

Much thanks to Elizabeth Davis for this reference.

Kindred Spirits by Sarah Strohmeyer (2011)

2011-08-18T09:20:00.003-05:00

My wonderful colleague Michele L., an avid reader like myself, has read so many books where she came across local references for this blog. She just finished Kindred Spirits, the latest novel by Sarah Strohmeyer, which features references to both Scranton AND Wilkes-Barre in the text.

From the inside cover:

When life gives you lemons, call your best girlfriends and whip up some lemon martinis. Such is the mantra for the Ladies' Society for the Conservation of Martinis, which was established after one fateful PTA meeting, when four young mothers-Lynne, Mary Kay, Beth, and Carol- discovered they had more in common than they ever thought possible. Meeting once a month, the women would share laughs and secrets and toast to their blossoming friendship with a clink of their sacred martini glasses. The Society was their salvation, their refuge, but when life-shattering circumstances force the group to dissolve, their friendship is never quite the same...until two years later, when a tragic event puts the Society back in session.

When Lynne passes away suddenly, she leaves behind one simple request: that her old friends sort through her belongings. Reluctantly, the women reunite to rummage through her closets. There's nothing remarkable; no kinky sex toys, no embarrassing diary. But buried deep within Lynne's lingerie drawer is an envelope addressed to the Society. And inside they find a letter that reveals a shocking secret and a final wish that will send the women on a life-changing journey...proving that nothing is more powerful than the will of a true girlfriend and a good, strong martini.

Kindred Spirits includes one reference to Scranton on page 68, when the friends are reading Lynn's letter:

"I made it to Scranton, but from there could only afford to go as far as as Waterbury, Connecticut."

The three Wilkes-Barre references appear on the following pages of the novel:

p. 195

"'If you happen to be passing by Wilkes-Barre on your way back to Connecticut, you might want to check out the Crescent Hollow area.'"

p. 227

"Now, exhausted, they headed to a hotel near Wilkes-Barre to recoup."

p. 229

"She pumped the brakes and took a turn down the wooded serpentine road in what, according to her GPS, promised to be a shortcut to 1-84 that would bypass the hassle of going through Wilkes-Barre."

Kindred Spirits is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. Click here to place a hold; to place a hold on the large print edition, click here.

Much thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

Wife Vs. Secretary (1936)

2011-08-17T09:56:00.005-05:00

Don McKeon, one of the regular contributors to the blog, emailed me last night that he came across a Scranton reference in the 1936 classic Wife Vs. Secretary.

Directed by the legendary Clarence Brown (National Velvet, The Yearling, seven films with Greta Garbo--including 1930's Anna Christie, in which "Garbo Talks!"), the comedy Wife Vs. Secretary tells the story of hardworking magazine executive Van Stanhope (Clark Gable), who is happily married to Linda (Myrna Loy). Though the pair have unconditional trust, it doesn't stop the neighbors from cautioning Linda about Van's sexy blonde secretary Whitey (Jean Harlow) who, although she has a boyfriend, may be harboring a secret crush on her boss after all.

Don told me via email:

"Clark Gable mentions to his wife, played by Myrna Loy, that upon registering their names at the hotel they were staying at, that he said they were from Scranton, Pennsyltucky."

Wife Vs. Secretary is available to borrow on DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System; click here to place a hold.

Much thanks to Don McKeon for this reference.

Jay McCarroll, Season 1 Winner of Project Runway (1974 - )

2011-08-16T13:39:00.004-05:00

This past Friday and Saturday, NEPA native Jay McCarroll was in Wilkes-Barre, PA for the Trunk Sale at the Outrageous boutique. My colleague Michele L. coincidentally told me a few days prior to his visit that McCarroll is actually a native of the Dallas, PA area.

Jay McCarroll was born October 11, 1974 in Lehman, PA in Luzerne County.

In addition to his work as a designer, McCarroll received nationwide exposure as the winner of the first season of the reality show Project Runway in 2004; McCarroll surprisingly refused to accept the prize money for winning, opting to be an independent designer with complete creative control.

McCarroll was also a contestant (and team captain of the Red Team) on Season Seven of the reality show Celebrity Fit Club: Boot Camp in 2010.

Click here to read an article from the Scranton Times-Tribune about McCarroll's visit to Outrageous; click here to read the article from Times Leader.

Much thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

www.jaymccarrollonline.com

Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City by John Anthony Gilvey (2011)

2011-08-11T09:27:00.009-05:00

In a previous blog entry, I highlighted the local roots of the late Jerry Orbach--star of stage (the original Billy Flynn in 1975's Chicago on Broadway; the original El Gallo in The Fantasticks; 1969 Tony winner for Broadway's original production of Promises, Promises), screen (Dirty Dancing, Woody Allen's Crimes & Misdemeanors, the candlestick Lumière in Disney's Beauty & The Beast) and TV (Law & Order, Homicide: Life on the Street).

A recently published (and excellent) biography on Mr. Orbach also includes information on his local roots--to Scranton, Wilkes-Barre and even Plymouth, PA. The book is titled Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City: His Way from The Fantasticks to Law & Order, written by John Anthony Gilvey (with a Foreword by Jane Alexander).

Chapter 1 (Entrance, 1935-1955) features information on Orbach's parents residing in Plymouth, PA during the Great Depression, right before Orbach's birth:

p. 3 (description of Orbach's mother Emily)

"In 1932, Plymouth, a small town situated on the Susquehanna River four miles west of Wilkes-Barre in northeast Pennsylvania's Luzerne County, was not an easy place to earn a living, especially for a young woman."

p. 4

"Alexander (Emily's father), born in the village of Bartlovka, near the city of Bialstok in northeast Poland, immigrated to the United States as a young man...finally settling down in Plymouth."

p. 4

"Like Leo (Orbach's father), she (Emily) was fascinated by the stage and had already put her talents to the test as a singer on a weekly Wilkes-Barre radio program."

p. 4

"Unlike most Catholic parents of the day, Alexander and Susanne were surprisingly accepting of their daughter's Jewish boyfriend. There were two reasons for this: first, their own marriage ran counter to the bitter enmity between Polish and Lithuanian Catholics that dated back to the Middle Ages and as recently as 1889 had erupted violently on the streets of Plymouth..."

p. 5

"Weeks later, Jerome Bernard Orbach was baptized at St. Mary's Polish Catholic Church in Plymouth."

p. 7

"Months later, when he (Leo) returned, he took a position as banquet manager for the Sterling Hotel in Wilkes-Barre before landing what would be a permanent position managing lunch counters for Neisner Brothers, a national retail store chain. The nature of the job demanded that he relocates as the needs of the company demanded, so for the next seven years the family crisscrossed the country via stores in Scranton, Pennsylvania; Springfield, Massachusetts; and Waukegan, Illinois."

p. 7

"In Scranton, where the Orbachs' home sat atop one of the highest points of the city and across from a firehouse, seven-year-old Jerry immediately made friends with the firemen..."

p. 7

"Another significant experience came in May 1943, when he made his First Communion and Confirmation during Mass at St. Peter's Cathedral."

p. 8

"Back in Scranton, Emily put their furniture in storage and made preparations for the long train trek that would take her and Jerry to their new home where Leo waited...but before they could board the train, Jerry had to part with his first and only pet--a cocker spaniel that had been his constant companion during their time in Scranton. Brokenhearted, he returned the dog to the lady who had given it to him."

p. 8

"In May after an eight-hundred-route-mile, fourteen-hour train trip from springtime Scranton, they arrived in still-snowy Chicago..."

On p. 139 in Chapter 9 (Trenchant Defective/Living Landmark, 1944-2004), Wilkes-Barre, PA was a bonding topic for Jerry and fellow actor Ted Sod, when they appeared together on the TV drama Law & Order.

"Actor Ted Sod fondly remembers... :
'When I appeared on Law & Order...Jerry immediately made me feel as if I were welcome. He introduced himself and we spoke for a bit about my hometown, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, where he had relatives.'"

Jerry Orbach, Prince of the City is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

Click here to read the previous blog entry on Jerry Orbach.

Kill The Irishman DVD Available To Borrow From the Lackawanna County Library System

2011-08-10T13:09:00.003-05:00

The DVD of the film Kill The Irishman, a 2011 film produced by Scranton native Eugene Musso, is now available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. Click here to place a hold.

Click here for a previous blog entry on Kill the Irishman.

Scranton Native Walter Bobbie To Direct New Off-Broadway Play The Submission; Opening Night 9/27

2011-08-10T09:26:00.012-05:00

Scranton native and Tony-winning Broadway director Walter Bobbie is going to be quite busy this Fall. In addition to directing the recently announced Broadway transfer of the play Venus in Fur (opening November 8th), it has been announced that he will also be directing the Off-Broadway debut of actor/playwright Jeff Talbott's play The Submission.

The Submission begins previews at the MMC's Lucille Lortel Theater on Thursday, September 8th, with an Opening Night scheduled for Monday, September 26th and a Closing scheduled for Saturday, October 22nd.

Below is a description of The Submission from the MCC's website:

"Shaleeha G'ntamobi's stirring new play about an alcoholic black mother and her card sharp son trying to get out of the projects has just been accepted into the nation's preeminent theater festival. Trouble is, Shaleeha G'ntamobi doesn't exist, except in the imagination of wannabe-playwright Danny Larsen, who created her as a kind of affirmative-action nom-de-plume. But a nom-de-guerre may prove more useful as the lies pile up, shaky alliances are forged, and everyone dear to Danny must decide whether or not to run for cover as the whole thing threatens to blow up in his lily white face.

New York-based actor Jeff Talbott makes an auspicious play-writing debut with The Submission after taking home the first-ever Laurents/Hatcher Award for the play earlier this year. Walter Bobbie (School for Lies, Chicago) directs four of today's hottest young stars - Jonathan Groff (Spring Awakening, "Glee"), Will Rogers (When the Rain Stops Falling), Eddie Kaye Thomas (The Bachelorette, American Pie), and Rutina Wesley (HBO's "True Blood") - in this funny and furiously intelligent new play. "

Click here to purchase tickets to the limited run of The Submission.

It's Official! Lysistrata Jones, Written By Wilkes-Barre Native Douglas Carter Beane, Will Play Broadway This Fall

2011-08-03T14:29:00.008-05:00

According to The New York Times, Wilkes-Barre native Douglas Carter Beane's latest musical Lysistrata Jones will transfer to Broadway and begin previews on Nov. 12, with an opening night set for Dec. 14 at the Walter Kerr Theater.

Beane, whose previous Broadway theater writing credits include Xanadu, The Little Dog Laughed, and Sister Act (each of which earned him Tony nominations), wrote the book of the new musical Lysistrata Jones, a modern day take on the classic Aristophanes play. The update, which played Off-Broadway at the Gym at Judson in New York City, tells the story of Lysistrata Jones, a spunky transfer student at the University of Athens, whose basketball team hasn't won a game in 30 years. In the name of team spirit, Jones dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" to their boyfriends until they win a game so their legendary losing streak can come to an end.

The composer/lyricist of the show is Lewis Flinn (The Divine Sister), and it will be directed and choreographed by Tony nominee Dan Knechtges (Xanadu, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee).

Tickets will be available soon.

Click here to read the announcement from The New York Times.

www.lysistratajones.com

Last Chance -- Miller's Tale DVD Fundraiser Expires August 1st

2011-07-30T08:39:00.004-05:00

Miller's Tale - Trailer from Cottage Films on Vimeo.

The documentary Miller's Tale tells the story of Scranton's Jason Miller, Tony- and Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of That Championship Season and Oscar nominee for The Exorcist. The film follows Miller's journey through Broadway and Hollywood, and his subsequent move back to Scranton, PA--where he continued to work in local theater and film.

To raise funds to release Miller's Tale on DVD, director Rebecca Marshall Ferris has organized a web-based fundraiser to raise $5,000 to produce and release the film on DVD. A donation of $24.00 guarantees you a copy of the DVD when released in August. Other groovy perks -- including a new $5.00 The Miller High Life deal, which will give you streaming access to Miller's Tale online for 2 weeks in August -- are also offered.

The fundraiser will expire August 1st; so if you want to help Rebecca Marshall Ferris release Miller's Tale on DVD -- which guarantees you a copy of the film (either physical or streaming) -- click here.

WBRE-TV also aired a segment on Friday on the upcoming DVD release and fundraiser for Miller's Tale. Click here to watch the video report.

http://www.indiegogo.com/Millers-Tale-DVDs?c=home

http://millerstalemovie.com/

"Forged" Filmed in NEPA and Produced By Scranton Native Joe Van Wie (2010)

2011-07-26T12:03:00.009-05:00

Check out the new issue of Go Lackawanna (July 24th); the cover story (Scene in Scranton) discusses the new film Forged, filmed in Northeastern Pennsylvania and Co-Executive Produced by Scranton native Joe Van Wie.

Forged tells the story of 13 year-old Machito, who must come to terms with the murder of his mother at the hands of his father Chaco.

Forged opens in New York and Los Angeles this Friday, June 29th. The film will premiere locally at Marquee Cinemas in downtown Scranton on Friday, Aug. 12. Screenings will continue through at least Sunday, Aug. 14.

According to the article, Forged will be released on DVD and Netflix in September.

Click here to read the full article from Go Lackawanna.

The film was also featured as a Cover Story in last week's issue of The Weekender. To read the article, click here.

UPDATE 7/30: Forged received a rave review in Friday's New York Times. Click here to read it.

UPDATE 8/16: Click here to read an article from the Times-Tribune about the Scranton premiere of Forged.

http://forgedmovie.com/

http://www.facebook.com/forgedmovie

"The Gathering" at Keystone College Will Feature Apple Store Architect Peter Bohlin; Firm Founded in Wilkes-Barre

2011-07-13T10:12:00.007-05:00

The theme of this year's The Gathering literary conference at Keystone College (July 14-17, 2011) is Physical and Metaphysical Home: Memory, Grace and Structure.

One of this year's speakers is award-winning architect Peter Bohlin, whose firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson was originally established as Bohlin Jackson on Market Street in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Born in New York City, Bohlin moved to Wilkes-Barre to establish his firm, which also has locations in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Seattle and San Francisco.

Among Mr. Bohlin's famous designs are the Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City (as well as Apple Stores in London, Japan and Paris), The William J. Nealon Federal Building and Courthouse in Scranton, Pixar Animation Studios in California and the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia.

To register for The Gathering, click here.

www.gathering.keystone.edu
www.bcj.com

Venus In Fur, Directed By Scranton Native Walter Bobbie, To Transfer To Broadway This Fall

2011-07-02T10:10:00.011-05:00

Walter Bobbie, Scranton native and Tony-winning director of the long-running Broadway revival of Chicago, will be directing David Ives's play Venus in Fur on Broadway at the Samuel J. Friedman Theater in New York City. Previews will begin Thursday, October 13th, 2011 with an Opening Night Tuesday, November 8th. Venus in Fur is part of the 2011-2012 Manhattan Theater Club series. The limited run will conclude Sunday, December 18th, 2011.

Venus In Fur originally premiered Off-Broadway in January 2010; originally scheduled to run a month, the play was extended multiple times and closed March 25th, 2010. The original lead -- 2011 Tony nominee Nina Arianda (Born Yesterday) -- will be reprising her role of Vanda that she originated Off-Broadway. Actor Hugh Dancy will be playing playwright Thomas (originally played Off-Broadway by Wes Bentley).

From Broadway.com:

www.mtc-nyc.org/index.php?q=node/171

W-B Native Douglas Carter Beane's Hit Off-Broadway Play Lysistrata Jones May Transfer to Broadway

2011-06-22T09:38:00.005-05:00

Three-time Tony nominee and Wilkes-Barre native Douglas Carter Beane may soon have another show on Broadway.

Beane, whose previous theater writing credits include Xanadu, The Little Dog Laughed, and Sister Act, recently wrote the book of the new musical Lysistrata Jones, a modern day take on the classic Aristophanes play. The update, currently playing Off-Broadway at the Gym at Judson in New York City, tells the story of Lysistrata Jones, a spunky transfer student at the University of Athens, whose basketball team hasn't won a game in 30 years. In the name of team spirit, Jones dares the squad's fed-up girlfriends to stop "giving it up" to their boyfriends until they win a game so their legendary losing streak can come to an end.

Lysistrata Jones has recently been extended Off-Broadway and is now set to close on June 24th (for tickets, click here). However, according to Playbill.com, the show is looking at a possible Broadway transfer and "is currently looking for a suitable Broadway theatre to house the production; possibilities include the Broadhurst or the Walter Kerr."

Let's keep our fingers crossed for one of our own.

For a previous blog entry on Douglas Carter Beane, click here.

Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption, and Baseball's Longest Game by Dan Barry (2011)

2011-06-11T08:40:00.005-05:00

Bob Nicoteri, the eagle-eyed groovy former Scrantonian and writer of the Scrantonicity column on the Life in the Office website, Facebooked me this past week to tell me about a local reference he discovered in a new book he randomly found on the "Interesting New Reading" shelf of his local library in Seattle. The book is Bottom of the 33rd: Hope, Redemption and Baseball's Longest Game by Dan Barry.

Bob wrote me the following:

"Hey Bill! Here's a nice coincidence, ever since I discovered your "NEPA in entertainment" blog; I just finished reading a good non-fiction book called 'The Bottom of the 33rd.' It's about an utterly inconsequential minor league baseball game that turned out to be the longest professional game in history. The author weaves fascinating stories about the now mostly-forgotten players and their wives into the narrative. One of the riveting stories involves a player's wive, who was born and raised in...ta-DA!...Tunkhannock, PA!"

Bottom of the 33rd is now available to borrow from Albright Memorial Library; to place a hold, click here.

Thanks again to the ever-awesome Bob Nicoteri for this reference!

Fundraiser to Produce Jason Miller Documentary "Miller's Tale" on DVD & How You Can Help

2011-06-08T12:25:00.003-05:00

This past March, PBS aired the excellent documentary Miller's Tale. Filmed over seven years, Miller's Tale told the story of Scranton's Jason Miller, Tony- and Pulitzer-Prize winning playwright of That Championship Season and Oscar nominee for The Exorcist. The film follows Miller's journey through Broadway and Hollywood, and his subsequent move back to Scranton, PA--where he continued to work in local theater and film.

Director Rebecca Marshall Ferris has been getting tons of request to release Miller's Tale on DVD, and our library is dying to add a copy or two to our Circulation Collection. However, this will not be possible without raising $5,000 to cover expenses to both produce and release the DVD.

Rebecca plans to include a whole slew of DVD extras to accompany the film--such as a director's commentary, several deleted scenes, her student film Birthday (which captures Jason Miller in one of his final performances on film), and more.

In order to reach their fundraising goal of $5,000, the filmmakers are offering a number of groovy goodies to anyone who makes a donation to make the DVD release a reality--ranging from $25 (which will actually get you a copy of Miller's Tale on DVD once it is released) to $250 (which will get you eight--YES, EIGHT--signed Miller's Tale DVDs and tickets to an upcoming screening of Miller's Tale in either Scranton or New Orleans.

For more information or to make a contribution, click here.

Let's get Miller's Tale released on DVD!!!!!!

www.indiegogo.com/Millers-Tale-DVDs

www.itvs.org/films/millers-tale

Miller's Tale - Trailer from Cottage Films on Vimeo.

Must-Read: "Scrantonicity" Column on "Life in The Office" Website by Scranton Native Bob Nicoteri

2011-06-07T17:30:00.005-05:00

I recently received an email from all-around groovy guy and Scranton native Bob Nicoteri. Bob now lives in Seattle, but he stays close to Scranton by comprehensively documenting every local references featured on NBC's The Office for the past two years.

Titled Scrantonicity, Nicoteri's column has appeared for the show's last two seasons on the website Life in the Office (which was started in January 2006, a handful of episodes into the show's second season), documenting every single reference to the Electric City and surrounding areas. His column is really great and a lot of fun to read, and the details Bob catches with his eagle eyes are absolutely amazing.

Bob works for the Hilton Corporation as a bartender, and his name tag proudly displays his hometown of Scranton, PA; he told me via email, "What a conversation starter that has been these past few years! I've met guests in our hotel from all over the world that LIGHT UP when they see I'm from Scranton, PA, 'home to Dunder-Mifflin.' How cool is that?"

Bob told me he became aware of this blog when one of my colleagues, Michele L., left a message on one of his Scrantonicitiy articles about the Lackawanna County Library System library card appearing in one of the episodes; she, in turn, sent him a link to this blog.

Bob also devoted a column of Scrantonicity to some of his memories of the Albright Memorial Library, which is quite terrific.

When Season 8 of The Office premieres this Fall, I have a new favorite "first-website-to-check-on-Friday" site.

www.lifeintheoffice.com/category/scrantonicity/

Children's Song Robin in the Rain; WHO Wrote It? Was It a Scranton Native? I Need Your Help!

2011-05-18T09:46:00.005-05:00

"Robin in the Rain" sung by Raffi
Written by Claire Senior Burke...
OR was it Brychan B. Powell of Scranton, PA?

A few days ago I received an email from a school board member in Toronto about the true authorship of the children's song titled Robin in the Rain, which became popular by singer Raffi. 99% of the websites and resources I've researched (including Popular Song Index, as well as the CD booklets of CDs in the Lackawanna County Children's Library that feature the song) credit the sole authorship of the song to Claire Senior Burke.

HOWEVER, my patron told me she found an obscure reference online credited to a book The ASCAP Biographical Dictionary: Composers, Authors and Publishers (Second Edition), edited by Daniel I. McNamara, published in 1952 (the complete book is available online by clicking here).

Page 393 of this book features an entry about Brychan B. Powell (born 8/24/1896), a native of Scranton, PA and member of the ASCAP who also served as managing editor of The Scranton Tribune and The Scrantonian from 1938 until at least the early 1950s. Powell's entry (image above) credits him as the author of the song Robin in the Rain.

Does anyone know the true songwriter of Robin in the Rain, or can anyone provide me with any additional information? If so, please email me by clicking here or leave a comment below.

Listen to Raffi's recording of Robin in the Rain below:

NCIS Los Angeles: Season 2, Episode 23: Imposters (May 10, 2011)

2011-05-17T16:52:00.005-05:00

My colleague Martina Soden recently told me about a reference to Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania on last week's episode of CBS's NCIS: Los Angeles, titled Imposters (episode 23 of the show's second season).

After a Navy SEAL imposter is set ablaze, NCIS obtains new information regarding the whereabouts of the stolen Brachytherapy canister from a previous case that could be used to make a deadly bomb.

About 20 minutes into the episode, Kensi Blye (Daniela Ruah) and Marty Deeks (Eric Christian Olsen) are walking along the beach interviewing Starr (Kristen Hager), a waitress and possible suspect in the murder. When the discussion turns to aliases and changing identities, Starr tells Kensi and Marty the following:

STARR:

A lot of people want a better life for themselves and dream of being someone they’re not. Starr sounds a little better than Sarah Ann Shulman from Tunkhannock, Pennsylvania.

To watch the full episode of NCIS: Los Angeles, click here.

Much thanks to Martina Soden for this reference.

The Office's Ed Helms Discusses His Experience at The Office Convention in Scranton in May 2011 Playboy

2011-05-12T14:53:00.004-05:00

Scranton references can come from the most unlikely of places...even Playboy Magazine.

The May 2011 issue of Playboy (Karina Smirnoff cover) features a 20 Question interview with actor Ed Helms (Andy Bernard on The Office, and star of the upcoming The Hangover II) written by Eric Spitznagel (pp. 86-87; 116-119). Check out question 12 (page 188) below, in which Helms discusses one of his experiences at The Office Convention in Scranton in 2008:

PLAYBOY:
A few years ago, you attended an Office convention in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where your fictional Dunder Mifflin paper company office is located. What are the hardcore fans really like?

HELMS:
They're pretty extreme, man. At that convention we were like The Beatles for a weekend. We had a police escort just to get around town, and everywhere we went there was a round of applause. At one point I was in a car with [Office co-star] Angela Kinsey in downtown Scranton, and we passed a model-train store. I asked the driver to stop so we could go in. And before we knew it, fans were starting to pour in. A cop eventually showed up and said, "Everyone out." And they shut down this store so Angela and I could walk around and look at model trains. That was just crazy to me. I thought that shit only happened to Justin Bieber.

Wilkes-Barre Native Douglas Carter Beane Recieves Tony Writing Nod for Broadway's Sister Act

2011-05-07T10:13:00.003-05:00

We would like to wish a big congratulations and good luck to Wilkes-Barre native Douglas Carter Beane, who received a Tony nomination (his 3rd) this past Monday for Best Book of a Musical (shared with authors Cheri Steinkellner and Bill Steinkellner) for the new Broadway musical Sister Act. Beane contributed additional text to the original book of the show, which originally debuted on London's West End in 2009.

Beane was previously nominated twice for Tony awards -- 2007's Best Play for The Little Dog Laughed and 2008's Best Book of a Musical for Xanadu.

The Tony Awards will air live on CBS on Sunday, June 12th at 8 PM.

For a complete list of this year's Tony nominees, click here.

For a previous blog entry on Douglas Carter Beane, click here.

www.tonys.org
www.SisterActBroadway.com

Phoebe Snow (1952-2011)

2011-04-29T10:36:00.006-05:00

Sadly, singer Phoebe Snow passed away on April 26th, 2011 at the age of 58. Her soulful voice enveloped classic songs from the 1970s and 1980s, such as Poetry Man and If I Can Just Get Through The Night.

But did you know Phoebe Snow was actually born Phoebe Ann Laub, and she took her stage name from an Erie Lackawanna passenger train called the Phoebe Snow?

My colleague Martina S. discovered this when reading Phoebe's obituary on People.com

For more on the Phoebe Snow passenger train, click here. For information on the fictional character Phoebe Snow, click here.

In the meantime, enjoy two of Phoebe Snow's greatest tunes below.

Kill the Irishman (2011), Produced By Scranton Native Eugene Musso, Opens at Cinemark; On DVD and Blu Ray June 14th

2011-04-29T09:14:00.005-05:00

Monday's Times-Tribune (April 25, 2011, page C1) featured an article written by Josh McAuliffe titled "Scranton Native's New Film 'Kill the Irishman; Opens Friday at Cinemark". The article features an interview with Scranton native and part-time Lake Wallenpaupack resident Eugene Musso, who served as one of the producers of the film.

Based on the book To Kill an Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia by Rick Porrello, Kill the Irishman tells the story of Danny Greene's (Ray Stevenson) battle to break the Italian stranglehold on organized crime in Cleveland, Ohio in the 1970s. The film co-stars Christopher Walken, Val Kilmer, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Paul Sorvino.

Eugene Musso's previous production credits include the 2000 comedy Drowning Mona (with Bette Midler) and the 2006 critically-acclaimed horror film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

To read the full article, click here.

Kill the Irishman is now playing at Cinemark in Moosic; click here for showtimes. The film will also be released on DVD and Blu-Ray June 14th.

To place a hold on the book To Kill an Irishman by Rick Porrello, click here.

UPDATE: Aug. 10, 2011 The DVD of Kill The Irishman is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

www.killtheirishman.com

Wilkes-Barre Native Douglas Carter Beane Contributes Writing to Broadway's Sister Act

2011-04-27T08:06:00.004-05:00

Douglas Carter Beane, two-time Tony nominated playwright (Xanadu, The Little Dog Laughed) and native of Wilkes-Barre, PA, is listed in the credits of the new Broadway hit musical Sister Act (based on the 1992 hit film starring Whoopi Goldberg) as "Additional Text By." The musical recently transferred from London's West End and officially opened at the Broadway Theatre in NYC on April 20th, 2011.

For a previous blog entry on Douglas Carter Beane, click here.

www.sisteractthemusical.com

Atlas Shrugged Now Playing at Great Escape IMAX in Dickson City

2011-04-22T09:10:00.002-05:00

Though it remains in limited release, the film version of Atlas Shrugged Part 1 is now playing locally (starting today, April 22nd), only at the Great Escape Theatres in Dickson City.

The film is based on the world renowned novel by Ayn Rand, which features a blink-and-you'll-miss-it reference to Scranton.

For showtimes, click here.

www.AtlasShruggedPart1.com

Bossypants by Tina Fey (2011)

2011-04-10T09:17:00.009-05:00

On page 219 of Tina Fey's hilarious new memoir Bossypants, the comedienne discusses her Emmy-winning impersonations of Sarah Palin during the 2008 election on Saturday Night Live; and Fey mentions the mock Vice-Presidential Debate of Sarah Palin (Fey) and Joe Biden (Jason Sudeikis), with Queen Latifah as moderator, as her favorite of all the sketches she did:

Three, I thought the speeches that Jim Downey wrote for Jason Sudeikis as Joe Biden was brilliant. Especially the stuff where Biden is trying to prove he's not some Washington elite by talking about how he's from Scranton, Pennsylvania, "the most godforsaken place on earth." I thought that was ingenious , because not only was the ad hominem attack on Scranton a hilarious comedy left turn, it also exemplified what the election had become. Instead of talking about issues, everyone was trying to prove how "down-home" they were. "I'm just like you" was the subtext of every speech.

In addition, Fey also includes a reference to Hazleton (page 250) when describing her many adventures traveling over the Christmas holidays:

...It got even more magical and glamorous when the baby became a toddler. One year, I believe, she screamed all the way from Hazleton to the Moshannon State Forest.

Bossypants by Tina Fey is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; to place a hold, click here.

To watch the original SNL sketch that aired October 4, 2008, click here or view the video below.

Three Screenings of Blue Valentine Scheduled for 2011 Dietrich Film Festival

2011-03-29T17:40:00.005-05:00

The schedule for the 2011 Dietrich Film Festival in Tunkhannock has been announced, and the film Blue Valentine (filmed in and around the Scranton area--including the Reference Department at Scranton Public Library) will be screen three times. So if you didn't have the opportunity to see it on the big screen when it played in Moosic or Wilkes-Barre, this will be your last chance to see it locally.

Blue Valentine will be shown at the festival:

Saturday, April 9th at 9:30 PM
Wednesday, April 13th at 4:30 PM
Thursday, April 21st at 2:15 PM

Information on prices and purchasing tickets online can be found here.

Blue Valentine will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on May 10th. Albright Memorial Library will have copies of the film in both format to borrow. To place a hold on the DVD, click here.

www.DietrichTheater.com

Atlas Shrugged: Part 1 Official Movie Poster and Trailer

2011-03-25T08:34:00.004-05:00

Check out the official theatrical trailer and movie poster for Atlas Shrugged Part 1.

Atlas Shrugged will be released in multiple parts. The first installment, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, is rated PG-13 and will be released April 15th, 2011.

Being that the film will be released in multiple parts, it's now quite possible that the Scranton reference will be included (it appears on page 836 out of 1168 pages of Ayn Rand's novel), but you never know.

www.AtlasShruggedPart1.com

Elizabeth Taylor (1932-2011)

2011-03-24T09:08:00.002-05:00

Yes, even the late, great Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who passed away yesterday, visited the NEPA/Central PA area. On May 23, 1988, she visited Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, PA.

Read more about her visit in today's Times-Tribune by clicking here.

"Star-Studded Cast Revives 'That Championship Season'" From CBS News (March 20, 2011)

2011-03-21T16:15:00.002-05:00

Check out this video that was posted yesterday on CBSNews.com yesterday morning. It features a group interview of the the five stars of the Broadway revival of Jason Miller's That Championship Season. It also features Jason Patric, Miller's son and co-star in the revival) being interviewed strolling down the streets of Scranton, even visiting his father's bust on Courthouse Square.

"You & Me" Video from Blue Valentine Features Scene Shot at Scranton Public Library

2011-03-02T19:35:00.006-05:00

The makers of Blue Valentine released the official video for You & Me by Penny & the Quarters, a classic song that the characters Cindy (Michelle Williams) and Dean (Ryan Gosling) pick as "their song."

1:09-1:14 of the video features the scene filmed in the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library in May 2009.

Unfortunately, the film will finish its local run at Cinemark on Thursday, March 3rd, but it will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on May 10th (the library is getting both formats to check out).

For more on the video and the song's usage in Blue Valentine, click here.

ALSO, if you got to the 1:47 mark of this Blue Valentine fan video, you will see a scene where Michelle Williams is riding a bus as Albright Memorial Library passes in the background.

Miller's Tale, A Documentary on Jason Miller, Will Air Wednesday, March 2nd, on WVIA

2011-02-28T14:33:00.003-05:00

Miller's Tale, an hour-long documentary on the late Jason Miller, will premiere on PBS/WVIA this Wednesday, March 2nd at 8 PM.

From the WVIA website:

Recalling Jason Miller (1939-2001), a playwright ("That Championship Season") and actor ("The Exorcist") who made Scranton, Pa., his home base for most of his career. Filmmaker Rebecca Marshall focuses on Miller's relationship with his hometown as she delves into his troubled personal life.

For more information on the film, click here.

Blue Valentine To Be Released on DVD and Blu-Ray May 10, 2011

2011-02-22T14:37:00.008-05:00

According to Blu-Ray.com, the film Blue Valentine (filmed in Carbondale and Scranton, with a scene filmed in the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library, will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on May 10, 2011. Albright Memorial Library will carry both formats in the circulating collection.

Blue Valentine Opens in Wilkes-Barre Friday, February 4th; Will Be Held Over at Cinemark This Weekend

2011-02-02T11:01:00.004-05:00

It has been announced that the film Blue Valentine will be opening at the R/C Wilkes-Barre Movies 14 on Friday, February 4th. For showtimes, click here.

The film will also be held over this weekend at Cinemark.

www.bluevalentinemovie.com

Blue Valentine Opens At Cinemark in Moosic This Friday, January 28th

2011-01-25T19:05:00.006-05:00

According to their website, the Oscar-nominated film Blue Valentine (filmed partly in Scranton, Honesdale, and Carbondale) will be playing at Cinemark in Moosic starting this Friday, January 28th. For showtimes, click here.

NEPA Represented With Oscar Nods for Blue Valentine AND Gasland

2011-01-25T13:08:00.005-05:00

Northeastern Pennsylvania was represented in the nominations for the 83rd Annual Academy Awards, announced this morning.

Michelle Williams received a well-deserved Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her role as Cindy in Blue Valentine, which was filmed in Scranton, Honesdale, and Carbondale.

In addition, Wayne County native Josh Fox was honored with an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature for his film Gasland (now available to borrow on DVD from Albright Memorial Library).

For a complete list of this year's Academy Award nominees, click here.

The 83rd Annual Academy Awards air live on Sunday night, February 27th on ABC.

Full Program of John Updike's Pennsylvania, Filmed At Albright Memorial Library in Scranton, Available On YouTube

2011-01-24T13:27:00.003-05:00

For those who were unable to catch PCN's airings of John Updike's Pennsylvania (filmed in the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library) when it originally aired on Humanities On The Road, the complete episode is available (in 4 parts) on YouTube, which is embedded below. Part 1 features a really nice overview of the Albright Memorial Library building; furthermore, the Periodicals Room was also the filming location for a key scene in the critically acclaimed film Blue Valentine.

You can also purchase a DVD of John Updike's Pennsylvania by clicking here.

Long-Delayed Film Version of Ayn Rand's Novel Atlas Shrugged (Featuring A Reference To Scranton) To Be Released April 15th--Minus Angelina Jolie

2011-01-22T09:44:00.007-05:00

One Tree Hill actor/director Paul Johansson has just wrapped filming of the long-delayed film version of Ayn Rand's 1957 novel Atlas Shrugged, which features a blink-and-you'll-miss it Scranton reference in the text; Johansson both stars in and directs the novel's first-ever big-screen adaptation.

Although it was originally confirmed in 2008 that Angelina Jolie would be portraying female protagonist Dagny Taggart, T he Internet Movie Database confirms that the lead role is actually being played by Taylor Schilling (formerly of the NBC drama Mercy).

Atlas Shrugged will be released in multiple parts. The first installment, Atlas Shrugged, Part 1, is rated PG-13 and will be released April 15th, 2011.

Being that the film will be released in multiple parts, it's now quite possible that the Scranton reference will be included (it appears on page 836 out of 1168 pages), but you never know.

http://www.atlasshruggedpart1.com/

Awesome Article on The Filming of Blue Valentine in Scranton In This Week's Weekender (Vol. 18, Issue 10, January 19-25, 2011)

2011-01-20T21:47:00.004-05:00

This week's issue of The Weekender (Vol. 18, Issue 10, January 19-25, 2011) features a cover story on the filming of the acclaimed film Blue Valentine, which was filmed in Scranton and other areas of NEPA (including the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library). The article, written by Amy Longsdorf, features exclusive interviews with director Derek Cianfrance and stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling about filming in Scranton, Carbondale, and other areas in Northeastern Pennsylvania.

My favorite quote is at the end of the article, where Michelle Williams talks about her experience sharing a house with Ryan Gosling near Carbondale, PA for a month to prepare for the film's scenes charting the crumbling of their relationship:

"I feel like it’s a place that I’ve lived. I would include that in my stops through life, like, ‘Oh, yeah, I lived outside of Scranton for a couple of months.’”

Click here to read the full article or pick up an issue today.

Kiefer Sutherland on TCS: "I Would've Done This Play in Poughkeepsie or Scranton"

2011-01-20T09:43:00.012-05:00

The cast of the upcoming revival of That Championship Season recently met the press at Sardi's in New York City to promote the play.

In a video posted by Broadway.com (which could not be embedded in the blog), at the 1:30 mark, Kiefer Sutherland states:

"As excited as I am to be doing something finally in New York on Broadway, I would've done this play in Poughkeepsie or Scranton, where it was originally done. The play is what's important, and it is a true American classic."

To view the video, click on the image above or click here.

www.broadway.com/shows/championship-season/video/153378/on-the-scene-meeting-the-stars-of-that-championship-season/

Also, on a side note, Alicia (aka kittybelle on Twitter) reminded me that "The greatest thing about that line is that we know Kiefer's actually been to Scranton and hung out for a little while."

And this also reminded me that Keifer Sutherland's band (it may have been Billy Boy On Poison) actually played in-store at Gallery of Sound in Edwardsville, PA (across the river from Wilkes-Barre, PA) several years ago.

Gasland, Award-Winning Documentary by Wayne County Native Josh Fox, Available To Borrow on DVD From Library

2011-01-19T15:15:00.004-05:00

Two copies of the documentary Gasland, written and directed by Wayne County native Josh Fox, is now available to borrow on DVD from the Lackawanna County Library System.

In Gasland, Josh Fox received an offer to drill for natural gas under his property in Pennsylvania; in response, he did what few landowners think to do--he conducted his own research into the drilling process. The film won the 2010 Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

To place a hold on the DVD of Gasland, click here.

Tickets Now Available For The Mother Load by Scranton Native Amy Wilson Saturday, February 19th; Includes Post-Show Meet-And-Greet

2011-01-19T12:25:00.003-05:00

Author/playwright/actor and Scranton native Amy Wilson will be bringing her acclaimed hit show Mother Load to Scranton Cultural Center on Saturday, February 19th 2011 at 8 PM. To purchase tickets, which includes a post-show meet-and-greet, click here.

Wilson is also the author of the bestselling book When Did I Get Like This?, which features tons of references to Scranton. To place a hold, click here.

For more information on her Amy Wilson's upcoming return to Scranton, click here.

Click here for a previous blog entry on Amy Wilson.

http://motherloadshow.com/
www.AmyWilson.com
http://twitter.com/amywlsn

That Championship Season by Jason Miller (1972)

2011-01-18T14:25:00.004-05:00

With all of the excitement about the upcoming all-star revival of Jason Miller's That Championship Season on Broadway, I decided to go back and read the actual play itself. I had only previously seen snippets of the film, so I wanted to go back and read the original Tony- and Pulitzer Prize winning play by Jason Miller, who was born in Queens, NY on April 22, 1939 and died in his adopted hometown of Scranton, PA (where he was raised and lived for most of his life) on May 13th, 2001.

That Championship Season tells the story of a tense reunion between a group of 4 former high school basketball champs and their coach at his home in the Lackawanna Valley in the early 1970s. Early in the text of the play, Miller includes brief references to both Scranton and Old Forge.

The Scranton reference appears on page 11 of the 1972 Atheneum edition of the play. The characters of Tom (a former member of the team who is now an alcoholic) and George (another member of the team who is now the town mayor--of presumably Scranton--and up for reelection) are having a discussion about former teammate and wealthy businessman Phil:

GEORGE
I cancel at least five speeding tickets for him a month. He's going out with this seventeen-year-old, believe that, up in Scranton.

On page 13 is a reference to James (another teammate, a school principal and Tom's brother) purchasing beer in Old Forge, PA:

GEORGE
Where'd you guys go for the beer, New Jersey?

JAMES
Phil wanted Schlitz. We had to go to Old Forge.

On a side note, I noticed that the text of the play does include seven instances of the dreaded N-word. With the recent controversy over sanitizing Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by replacing each use of the N-word with the word "slave," I can't help but wonder if the upcoming and highly anticipated Broadway revival (which officially opens March 6th and will run through May 29th, with previews beginning on February 9th) will keep Miller's original text intact or modify the use of certain controversial words. My colleague (and frequent contributor to this blog) Evelyn G.--who actually knew Jason Miller when she and her husband lived in New York in the 1970s--has tickets to an upcoming performance, so I will make sure to ask her if the producers made any changes to the text to suit modern audiences.

The book of Jason Miller's play That Championship Season is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

thatchampionshipseason.com
twitter.com/thatchampseason

Blue Valentine (2010)

2011-01-15T09:36:00.008-05:00

On January 5th, I took a day trip to New York City to see Blue Valentine; at the time, the film was playing in a total of 4 theaters nationwide (NYC and Los Angeles) but has slowly been expanding. Since I am more familiar with midtown/uptown Manhattan (it was also playing at the Angelika Film Center downtown on Houston Street), I opted to see the film at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas on Broadway and 62nd Street. The 3:30 matinee was packed, and the actual screen size was on the smaller side and some of the image went above the white screen (more on that later).

Blue Valentine is a love story that intercuts between the beginning and (possibly?) end of the relationship between house painter Dean (Ryan Gosling) and nurse Cindy (Michelle Williams). And I thought the film was absolutely superb. Not only did the performances blow me away, but the story just ripped my heart out.

The scene filmed in the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library on May 13, 2009 appears about an hour, 10 minutes into the film during one of Cindy's "past" sequences. Dean had previously given Cindy his business card with a personal message written by him on the back. While seated at the table with classmates in the Periodicals Room (you can recognize the chairs, tables and even magazine holders--or Princeton Files--in the background), Cindy's on-off boyfriend Bobby (Mike Vogel) snatches the card out of her hand. I mentioned the framing issue previously because I did not see any of the stained glass windows of the Albright Memorial Library building--but maybe I just missed them out of sheer excitement.

The exterior of the Albright Memorial Library building itself also appears in the background of a scene about 30 minutes into Blue Valentine. As Michelle Williams is riding the bus alone to meet Bobby, you distinctly see Albright Memorial Library as it passes through the bus windows. At first I wasn't 100% positive that it indeed was the library, so I asked Dan Flosdorf, who was responsible for the sound design, sound editing, and the re-recording mixing of Blue Valentine, via Dan's Twitter and he told me via a tweet, "I believe it is."

As of Friday, January 14th, Blue Valentine was only playing in limited release in 230 movie theaters nationwide, but it is expected to expand wider (most likely including Cinemark in Moosic, which plays a lot of art films in its CineArts series) as the critically acclaimed film gains well-deserved momentum during awards seasons.

www.bluevalentinemovie.com
twitter.com/danflosdorf

Sets Arriving For Broadway Revival of That Championship Season

2011-01-05T23:35:00.004-05:00

When I went to see Blue Valentine in NYC today (more on that next week when I return from StayCation), I managed to snap a couple of cell phone shots (poor quality) of the sets arriving for the upcoming Broadway revival of Jason Miller's That Championship Season at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre.

According to New Issue of Entertainment Weekly, Blue Valentine Expands Release January 14, 2011

2010-12-29T20:51:00.005-05:00

This week's issue of Entertainment Weekly (#1136, January 7, 2011) features not only a rave review of Blue Valentine (pps. 50-51) but also takes the #1 spot on this week's "The Must List"--which also states that the film (partly shot in Scranton, with a pivotal scene filmed at Albright Memorial Library on May 13, 2009) will expand to a wider release on Friday, January 14th. So if you can't get to NYC (now playing at Lincoln Plaza Cinema) or LA to see Blue Valentine in its limited release, it will more than likely be playing at Cinemark in Moosic in about 2 weeks.

www.twitter.com/BlueVMovie
www.bluevalentinemovie.com

Official Website for Broadway Revival of Jason Miller's That Championship Season

2010-12-29T09:05:00.001-05:00

www.thatchampionshipseason.com

Welcome to Scranton by Greg Halpin (2010)

2010-12-23T09:21:00.004-05:00

I recently became aware of a new novel by Scranton native Greg Halpin titled Welcome to Scranton, which is set in the Electric City.

From the website:

It's a wild ride through Scranton in this darkly funny and touching story about friends in their twenties trying to figure out life in their hometown. The boundaries of friendship are tested as one of them hits rock bottom.

Welcome to Scranton paints a portrait of a small town that includes political corruption, a disgraced teacher, and the hilarious antics of young men.

The print edition is available online for $9.95 from Lulu. It will be available from Amazon soon.

Welcome to Scranton is also available for the Kindle device and Kindle App on the iPhone, iPad, Droid, and Blackberry devices for only $4.95.

Click here for the Kindle edition.

Click here for the Nook edition.

The official website for Welcome to Scranton also features some groovy photos of Scranton landmarks.

Thanks to the groovy Bernie Maopolski for this reference.

www.welcometoscranton.com

1940 Christmas Classic Remember The Night, Featuring A Brief Reference to Scranton, Airs on Christmas Eve on TCM

2010-12-14T19:09:00.007-05:00

Turner Classic Movies will be broadcasting the 1940 Barbara Stanwyck/Fred MacMurray holiday film Remember the Night on Christmas Eve at midnight.

Written by Preston Sturges, Remember the Night tells the story of a repeat shoplifter (Barbara Stanwyck) who goes to Indiana for the holidays with the lawyer who is also prosecuting her (Fred MacMurray). The film also features a brief passing reference to Scranton.

Albright Memorial Library also has a copy of Remember the Night available to borrow on DVD. To place a hold, click here.

Also (and I'm not sure how long it will be up), it looks like someone uploaded the entire film on YouTube. To watch Remember the Night from the beginning (Part 1 of 10), click here. The Scranton reference occurs at the 8:30 spot of Part 8.

Check out the trailer below:

For information on another Christmas classic that features a Scranton reference, click here.

Blue Valentine Wins Appeal From MPAA; NC-17 Rating Overturned To An R With Zero Cuts To The Film

2010-12-08T16:39:00.006-05:00

Great news. The MPAA has overturned the NC-17 rating on the Derek Cianfrance-directed Blue Valentine (which was filmed in Scranton and partly at Albright Memorial Library). The film will be given an R rating with no cuts after Harvey Weinstein (head of BV's distributor The Weinstein Company) personally argued his position in today's appeal hearing.

For more information, click here.

Blue Valentine opens in limited release December 31st and will expand nationwide in early 2011.

Limited Engagement of Jason Miller's That Championship Season Opens on Broadway March 6, 2011

2010-12-02T10:16:00.008-05:00

The upcoming limited engagement Broadway revival of Jason Miller's That Championship Season begins previews February 9, 2011; the show officially opens March 6, 2011 and will close May 29, 2011 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in NYC.

This, the first major Broadway revival of Miller's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play (set in Scranton, PA), features the stellar cast of Keifer Sutherland, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Cox, Chris Noth, and Miller's son Jason Patric.

To purchase tickets online, click here.

www.twitter.com/ThatChampSeason

"John Updike's Pennsylvania," Filmed at Scranton Public Library, To Air on PCN Starting December 3rd

2010-11-29T15:34:00.005-05:00

John Updike's Pennsylvania with Journalist Frank Fitzpatrick (Philadelphia Inquirer), which was filmed at Albright Memorial Library on May 20th, will premiere on Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) on Friday, December 3rd at 6 PM. The program will have encore presentations on Saturday, December 4th at 2 PM and Monday, December 6th at 10 AM.

The program is part of PCN's Humanities on the Road series.

Check out a brief preview below:

www.pcntv.com

Official Theatrical Poster For Blue Valentine Released - What Do You Think?

2010-11-12T20:26:00.007-05:00

The Weinstein Company has released the original theatrical poster art for their upcoming release of Blue Valentine, filmed partly in Scranton, PA (including scenes filmed at Albright Memorial Library).

I think it looks great. Very striking image of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling. What do you think?

Click on the image above for a full-size picture of the poster art.

Blue Valentine Article in This Week's Entertainment Weekly (#1129, November 19, 2010)

2010-11-12T14:33:00.003-05:00

Check out this week's issue (The Holiday Movie Preview) of Entertainment Weekly. Pages 62-66 feature an excellent article on the upcoming Blue Valentine, which was partly filmed at Albright Memorial Library in Scranton, PA. The article, written by Sara Vilkomerson and titled Michelle and Ryan's Blue Valentine, includes interviews with stars Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, who discuss making the film and its NC-17 rating presently being appealed to the MPAA.

Pages 64-65 of the article states:

"The film wound up shooting in Brooklyn and Scranton, PA."

Blue Valentine opens in limited release December 31st and will expand to movie theaters nationwide at the beginning of 2011.

The full article is presently unavailable online, but the issue is available to borrow from Albright Memorial Librar y.

Jason Miller's Son Jason Patric, Keifer Sutherland to Star in Broadway Revival of That Championship Season

2010-11-03T08:48:00.009-05:00

Official casting has been announced for the Broadway revival of Scranton's Jason Miller's Pulitzer Prize/Tony Winning play That Championship Season...and it's impressive.

The revival, set in Scranton, PA and set to open in March 2011, is the first Broadway revival of That Championship Season since the original 1972 production.

According to Theatermania.com, as well as the revival's official Twitter page, the revival will star Jason Miller's son Jason Patric as Tom Daley, Keifer Sutherland (TV's 24) as James Daley, Brian Cox (Rushmore, RED) as Coach, comedian Jim Gaffigan as George Sikowski, and Chris Noth (from the TV/film series Sex and the City, written and directed by Scranton native Michael Patrick King) as Phil Romano.

www.twitter.com/ThatChampSeason

That Championship Season to Be Revived on Broadway in 2011?

2010-10-19T14:23:00.003-05:00

UPDATED 11/2/10

It is being reported that That Championship Season, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play by Scranton's own Jason Miller, is being revived on Broadway in 2011. Tony-nominated director George Mosher (2009 revival of A View From A Bridge) is reported to have signed on as director, and Tony winner Liev Schreiber is said to have been already cast.

This would be the first Broadway revival of Jason Miller's play, which originally ran for nearly 2 year and 700 performances from 1972-1974 on Broadway and is set in Scranton, PA.

UPDATED 11/2/10 It has been confirmed that That Championship Season will indeed be revived on Broadway in March 2011. According to the revival's official Twitter, the cast will include Brian Cox, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Noth, Jason Patric, & Kiefer Sutherland.

"Lackwanna Twilight" from Honey and Salt by Carl Sandburg (1963)

2010-10-18T16:13:00.003-05:00

At the conclusion of his profile of his life in the Aug./Sept. 2010 issue of Irish America magazine, the late actor/playwright Jason Miller excitedly pulled a volume of poems off his shelf and reads aloud a poem to the interviewer, Robert Currin. The volume Mr. Miller selected was Honey and Salt by three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning author Carl Sandburg, and the poem was titled Lackawanna Twilight.

The Scranton and Wilkes-Barre (misspelled in the poem) references occur in the second stanza of Lackawanna Twilight:

"Miner with dinner buckets and
headlamps, state constabulary on
horses, guns in holsters, Scranton,
Wilkesbarre, the Lackawanna Trail.

Honey and Salt by Carl Sandburg is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; to place a hold, click here. You can also read Lackawanna Twilight on page 4 of the online version of the Jason Miller profile from Irish America by clicking here.

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Joyce Magnin (2009)

2010-10-18T12:10:00.008-05:00

My friend and colleague Michele L. is an ace at finding Scranton and Wilkes-Barre references in books because she has eagle eyes and reads everything. She recently told me about a number of Scranton and Wilkes-Barre references in the 2009 novel The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow by Havertown native Joyce Magnin.

Set in fictional Bright's Pond, PA, The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow tells the story of a reclusive woman, Agnes Sparrow, where she is cared for by her long-suffering sister Griselda. Agnes Sparrow prays and when Agnes prays things happen, setting the small town (and its residents) aflutter--then a new town sign is erected with Agnes's name (which makes Agnes aflutter--and angry).

The Scranton references occur on the following pages:

p. 9 "Milton and his wife, Darcy, were fresh from the big city, if you can call Scranton a big city."

p. 108 "'Good news, Agnes,' he said. 'Your sign is all finished and on its way to Scranton. Be here the day after tomorrow.'"

p. 109 "The sign arrived that Thursday on the back of a long flatbead truck with the name Scranton Sign Company in gold letters on the side of the cab."

p. 143 "'How did this come about?' I asked. 'The Pearly Gates only go to big towns like Scranton and Philadelphia.'"

p. 161 "'Stu was down in Scranton making certain they got the name right this time,' Boris said."

Wilkes-Barre is mentioned in the following two passages in the book:

p. 161 "'I have family in Wilkes-Barre so I spent some time there--got a sister and two nieces.'"

p. 227 "The funeral, one of the saddest I had ever attended, took place down in Wilkes-Barre two days after Easter Sunday."

The Prayers of Agnes Sparrow is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. Click here to place a hold; if you'd rather read the large print edition, click here.

Much thanks to mega-genius Michele L. for this reference.

www.joycemagnin.com

Blue Valentine Is Showing at the Philadelphia Film Festival This Friday and Saturday (October 15th and 16th) (And YES! SPL IS In The Final Cut)

2010-10-14T08:09:00.007-05:00

I just got an email from Rich Drees, Editor and Publisher of FilmBuffOnline.com, who told me that Blue Valentine will be showing this weekend at the Philadelphia Film Festival. The two scheduled screenings are presumably of the original uncut version which is now being appealed to the MPAA for an R rating.

Blue Valentine will be shown on Friday, October 15th at 7:30 PM and Saturday, October 16th at 5 PM at the Prince Music Theater.

Mr. Drees also told me the festival will also be screening the short film Lebanon, PA.

If anyone happens to catch Blue Valentine this weekend at the Philadelphia Film Festival, please let me know if the scenes filmed in the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library in Scranton, PA are still in the final cut.

A hearty thanks to Rich Drees of FilmBuffOnline.com for this reference.

www.filmbuffonline.com
www.pff10.org

UPDATE: Good news. I just got a tweet from Dan Flosdorf, Sound Designer and Sound Editor of Blue Valentine, regarding if the scenes shot in the Reference Department made the final cut of the film. Two words (and I quote): "It is." Follow Dan on Twitter at twitter.com/danflosdorf

The Aloha Quilt: An Elm Creek Quilts Novel by Jennifer Chiaverini (2010)

2010-10-13T14:13:00.004-05:00

My lovely colleague Judi Keller recently told me of a couple of Scranton references in The Aloha Quilt, the 15th book of the popular Elm Street Quilt novels by Jennifer Chiaverini.

The Scranton references occur on the following pages of the book:

p. 151 "Because of the time difference their celebrations would already be under way, so after calling her mother at her retirement community in Erie, Bonnie planned to call her mother-in-law in Scranton..."

p. 152 "Barry never have service in the Scranton area, and C.J. was so often harassed with after-hours calls from work that he refused to switch on his cell phone on holidays."

p. 154 "'Did something come up? Will they spend Christmas in Scranton instead?'"

The Aloha Quilt is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System in various formats; click on the item type to place a hold on the book, the large print edition, the CD audio book, or the Playaway version.

Much thanks again to Judi Keller for this reference.

www.elmcreek.net

Jason Miller Profiled in Irish America (August/September 2010)

2010-10-13T09:17:00.004-05:00

My colleague Evelyn Gibbons told me that Scranton's late Jason Miller was profiled in the August/September 2010 issue of Irish America (pages 78-80).

The article is an overview of Jason Miller's life and career. Of particular note is that Miller always considered Scranton home, even though he was born in New York. Miller is best known for his Oscar-nominated performance in the classic horror film The Exorcist and for his 1973 Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning play That Championship Season, which was set in Scranton.

The complete article on Jason Miller is available to read online by clicking here. The issue is also available to borrow from Albright Memorial Library.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

Gasland, Directed by Wayne County Native Josh Fox, To Be Released on DVD December 14, 2010

2010-10-09T10:46:00.002-05:00

It has been announced that the documentary Gasland, written and directed by Wayne County native Josh Fox, will be released on DVD on December 14th, 2010 by New Video Group. It is available to pre-order on Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble.

The Lackawanna County Library System plans to purchase copies of Gasland as well.

In Gasland, Josh Fox received an offer to drill for natural gas under his property in Pennsylvania; in response, he did what few landowners think to do--he conducted his own research into the drilling process. The film won the 2010 Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Trailer

Uh Oh! "Blue Valentine," Filmed Partly In Scranton Public Library's Reference Department, Slapped With NC-17 Rating

2010-10-08T18:24:00.019-05:00

It is being reported that Blue Valentine, the critically acclaimed film that was the toast of this year's Sundance Film Festival and an official selection for the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, has been given an NC-17 rating by The Motion Picture Association of America, reportedly for some strong sexual content.

What does this mean? Well, Blue Valentine will have to either be re-cut or appealed to the MPAA to lower the rating to an R; many large U.S. theater chains, such as Cinemark in Moosic, have stated they will not screen NC-17 rated films.

Blue Valentine, starring Oscar nominees Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, tells the gripping story of a young couple who fall in and out of love over a span of several years.

The film has garnished HUGE raves at various film festivals around the world; ever since its premiere at Sundance, there has been Oscar buzz for both the film and the two lead performances, which are said to be truly magnificent.

Filming locations included both Honesdale, PA and Scranton, PA. Back on May 19, 2009, the Reference Department at Albright Memorial Library was used as a filming location for several pivotal scenes.

As a matter of fact, on page 18 of the film's official press release, both Scranton Public Library and Jack Finnerty, Library Director of SPL, are given "Special Thanks" in the film's closing credits, which is VERY cool :)

For more information on Blue Valentine's NC-17 rating, click here. For a previous blog entry on the exciting day scenes were filmed in our Reference Department, click here.

Below is the just-released official theatrical trailer for Blue Valentine, which is still scheduled to open in limited release on December 31, 2010. Note that Albright Memorial Library DOES NOT appear in any scenes in the trailer.

UPDATE 10/14/10: The Weinstein Company, who acquired the distribution rights to Blue Valentine, have officially appealed the NC-17 rating and are hoping for an R rating without any cuts. For more information, click here.

www.bluevalentinemovie.com

The Obama Diaries by Laura Ingraham (2010)

2010-10-06T12:16:00.005-05:00

The fact that Vice-President Joe Biden was born in Scranton has been included in a number of recent political books, written by both conservative and liberal authors.

Conservative author and radio host Laura Ingraham's latest book, The Obama Diaries, is a collection of entries from diaries "discovered" at the White House. It includes "diary entries" from Joe Biden as well.

The Scranton references occurs on page 337 from a "diary entry" of Biden dated April 14, 2010:

"But I know how to liven up these meetings. I told 'em a few of my funnier stories about life in Scranton--some of the real knee-slappers that get such a good response on the campaign trail."

"I think it went over very well. Although now that I think about it, the interpreter must have messed up the order of my talk somehow, because they were pretty solemn during the Scranton stuff..."

The Obama Diaries is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

Percival's Planet by Michael Byers (2010)

2010-10-04T13:22:00.003-05:00

My dear friend and colleague (and fellow avid reader), Michele L., just finished the novel Percival's Planet by Michael Byers and told me there were a few references to Scranton in the text.

Byer's second novel Percival's Planet, just published in August 2010, tells the story of the obsessive and ambitious the race to discover Pluto in 1930, pitting an untrained Kansas farm boy against the greatest minds of Harvard at the run-down Lowell Observatory in Arizona.

Michele L. discovered the following four reference to Scranton in Byer's novel, which is the hometown of Mary and Hollis Hempstead, brother and sister, and two of the book's protagonists:

p. 58 "Suddenly she was alone in the world except for her brother, Hollis, who traveled back to Scranton from Massachusetts to stand with her twice..."

p. 60 (referring to Mary's brother Hollis) "He was a boy from Scranton made good."

p. 68 (Hollis speaking to his sister Mary) "'Possibly you know our parents both died within a few weeks of each other, last year, in Scranton.'"

p. 151 (Hollis discussing his sister Mary with her doctor, Dr. Miller) "'Likely she was suffering in some fashion even before your parents died, before she left Scranton to live with you here.'"

Percival's Planet is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System; to place a hold, click here.

A big thanks to Michele L. for this reference.

michaelbyers.org

Family Guy: Season 9, Episode 2: "Excellence In Broadcasting" (10/3/10)

2010-10-03T20:19:00.009-05:00

A few minutes ago, my nephew DJ called me and told me there was just a reference to Scranton on the hit animated series Family Guy. On tonight's episode, "Excellence in Broadcasting," Stewie and Brian are sitting in front of the TV watching The Office when, all of a sudden, Brian turns the TV off. Stewie complains, "Aw, but there were going to be more hijinx in Scranton. (laughs) Scranton (laughs). Dunder Mifflin (laughs). Funny words are funny."

The full episode of "Excellence in Broadcasting" is free online until November 27th. To watch it, click here; the Scranton reference occurs at about 5:49.

Thanks, DJ!

Scranton Native Amy Wilson Bringing Her Hit One-Woman Show Mother Load To Scranton Cultural Center Saturday, February 19th, 2011

2010-08-04T08:45:00.015-05:00

Author/playwright/actor and Scranton native Amy Wilson will be bringing her acclaimed hit show Mother Load to Scranton Cultural Center on Saturday, February 19th 2011. To purchase tickets, which includes a post-show meet-and-greet, click here.

Wilson is also the author of the bestselling book When Did I Get Like This?, which features tons of references to Scranton. To place a hold, click here.

For more information on her Amy Wilson's upcoming return to Scranton, click here.

Click here for a previous blog entry on Amy Wilson.

http://motherloadshow.com/
www.AmyWilson.com
http://twitter.com/amywlsn

Actor Paul Dano (1984 - ), Currently Starring In "The Extra Man" and "Knight & Day", Has Roots In Scranton

2010-08-03T12:09:00.007-05:00

The July 30, 2010 issue of The Wall Street Journal featured a review of the new film The Extra Man, specifically praising young actor Paul Dano ((whose film credits include Little Miss Sunshine, There Will Be Blood and Knight & Day) for "stealing" the film from Kevin Kline. Though born in New York City, Dano's father grew up in Scranton, Pennsylvania. In addition, Dano's grandfather (a lawyer) and Aunt Olga have also lived in Scranton in the past.

The Extra Man, based upon the novel by Jonathan Ames, is now playing in limited release.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons and Dr. Peter Cupple for this reference.

Former Scranton Resident and Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet W.S. Merwin Named US Poet Laureate

2010-07-13T12:10:00.007-05:00

Congratulations to former Scranton resident and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin for being named the seventeenth Poet Laureate of the United States.

For more information on Mr. Merwin, click here.

Much thanks to Don McKeon for this reference.

Trouble Along The Way (1953)

2010-06-24T09:30:00.004-05:00

Fellow classic cinemaphile Don McKeon recently told me about another classic film that mentions Scranton in passing. The film is 1953's Trouble Along The Way.

Directed by Michael Curtiz (Casablanca, Mildred Pierce, White Christmas), Trouble Along The Way stars John Wayne as Steve Williams, a down-on-his-luck football coach and single father who is recruited by struggling St. Anthony's College in New York City to produce a winning team. Along the way, Steve falls in love with Alice Singleton (Donna Reed), the social worker fighting to get Steve's ex-wife legal custody of their daughter. The film also features an uncredited James Dean as a "football spectator".

About an hour into the film, John Wayne's character Steve Williams (who also says "Wilkes-Barre" several times in the 1942 film Reunion In France) is watching 16 mm films of potential football recruits for St. Anthony's football team with his buddies Stan Schwegler (Chuck Connors) and Moose McCall (Bill Nadovich):

Stan: We've been over these films ten times, Steve. We've got everything but a passer.

Steve: What happened to that kid from Scranton?

Moose: One of the California schools got to him first.

Unfortunately, Trouble Along The Way is not available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. But you can purchase a copy for less than $10 from Overstock.com.

Much thanks again to the ever-groovy movie buff Don McKeon for this reference.

Broadway's "Next Fall" To End Run July 4, 2010; Includes Reference to Scranton

2010-06-23T08:27:00.006-05:00

It has been announced that the Broadway run of the play Next Fall, which features a brief reference to Scranton, will end on Sunday, July 4, 2010 after 26 previews and 132 regular performances.

Next Fall, which opened on March 11, 2010, is a new play written by actor Geoffrey Nauffts (Broadway's A Few Good Men) and produced by Elton John and David Furnish. It tells the humorous and touching story of a gay couple whose five-year relationship is put to the test when an accident changes both their lives and the lives of those around them.

At some point in the play, one of the characters describes another's appearance as "looking like a lesbian from Scranton."

To purchase tickets, click here.

www.nextfallbroadway.com

www.twitter.com/nextfall

Gasland, Directed by Wayne County Native Josh Fox, To Have TV Premiere on HBO Monday, June 21st

2010-06-14T12:16:00.005-05:00

It has been announced that the documentary Gasland, written and directed by Wayne County native Josh Fox, will air on HBO on Monday, June 21st at 9 PM as part of a summer-long documentary series on the cable channel. The acclaimed documentary, which will also air June 24, 26, and 30, and July 5 and 9 on HBO, won a Special Jury Prize at this year's Sundance Film Festival.

In Gasland, Josh Fox received an offer to drill for natural gas under his property in Pennsylvania; in response, he did what few landowners think to do--he conducted his own research into the drilling process.

The Associated Press published an article titled "New HBO Documentary Exposes Gas Drilling Hazards" by AP writer Michael Rubinkam. To read the article, click here.

www.gaslandthemovie.com

Michael Kuchwara (1947-2010)

2010-06-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

We would like to acknowledge the recent passing of renowned reporter and critic Michael Kuchwara, a native of Scranton who died May 22, 2010. Mr. Kuchwara reviewed more than 200 theatrical productions a year throughout his career.

Mr. Kuchwara was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania on February 28, 1947 and was attracted to the theater at a very early age, when he saw his first show at the Pocono Playhouse.

The Reference Department offers its deepest sympathies to his family.

To read Mr. Kuchwara's obituary in the New York Times, click here.

Much thanks to Evelyn Gibbons for this reference.

When Did I Get Like This? by Scranton Native Amy Wilson (2010)

2010-06-05T08:01:00.011-05:00

My groovy colleague Michele L., an avid reader like myself (occupational hazard; after all, we're librarians) and a regular contributor to the Entertainment blog, told me about a book she loved written by a Scranton native that was the basis of a hit Off-Broadway show The Mother Load, which continues to tour the country (yes, even Scranton). The book is When Did I Get Like This? The Screamer, The Worrier, the Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget Buyer & Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be and it features several reference to Scranton and even a couple of landmarks in Scranton; furthermore, its author Amy Wilson is a Scranton native.

Before venturing in the the world of theater and writing, Amy Wilson was familiar to television viewers for her role as Molly Carver on The Norm Show (1999-2001). Amy also made appearances in TV shows such as Felicity, Daddio, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent. Her film credits include Kinsey and Kissing Jessica Stein. She also starred on Broadway in the Tony and Pulitzer winning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo.

In 1996, Amy was one of the writers and stars of the sketch comedy show Live on Tape.

A mother of 3, Amy used her experiences to write and perform the show The Mother Load, which was a hit off-Broadway and continues to tour the US.

On April 6, 2010, Amy Wilson published her first book titled When Did I Get Like This? The Screamer, The Worrier, The Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget Buyer & Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be. Not only is the book hilarious, but it features lots of reference to her hometown of Scranton, PA.

Page 22
"So we took the two-hour drive to Scranton that weekend, and sat David's parents, then mine, down at their kitchen tables."

Page 56
"Like the majority of my peers, I had not been breastfed. I may have been a '70s baby, but that hippie stuff did not fly in Scranton, Pennsylvania."

Pages 79-80
"Granted, this was a particularly bad weekend, since we had taken our possessed child out of his element to our hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, to attempt an exorcism."

Page 80
"(We had, of course, deflated and packed the ball for our trip to Scranton; I would sooner have left Connor behind than the ball.)"

Page 96
"Growing up in Scranton, Pennsylvania, where everyone is Catholic."

Page 104
"In Scranton, Pennsylvania, when I had just turned four..."

Page 109
"Manhattan moms in the know plan their conceptions to occur sometime just after Chinese New Year, so that their children will have an ultra-desirable autumn birthday. Like I said, I'm from Scranton, so I don't know about that."

Page 142
"Each student at St. Clare School (K-6 school located in the Green Ridge section of Scranton) would be send home with a checkbook-green account of his or her progress."

Page 142
"Before I was old enough to get graded on actual subjects, the assessment scale at St. Clare School had a very simple rating system."

Page 172
"Those were the girls at St. Paul's School (Grades 6-8 school in the Green Ridge section of Scranton) who had their act together."

Pages 204-205
"If you needed help, your mother lived next door; at least that's how it happened in Scranton."

When Did I Get Like This? is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

Click here to follow Amy on Twitter.

Much thanks to Michele L. for another great reference.

AmyWilson.com

Double Wedding (1937)

2010-06-01T12:36:00.014-05:00

Eagle-eyed Don McKeon, who has regularly contributed wonderful Scranton and Wilkes-Barre references to the movie blog, recently told me about a hilarious screwball romantic comedy from the mid-30s, starring Myrna Loy and William Powell (The Thin Man film series), that prominently features a sign reading "YOU ARE NOW LEAVING WILKES-BARRE. COME AGAIN" throughout the film. The film is 1937's Double Wedding and it was produced by Wilkes-Barre native Joseph L. Mankiewicz, who added references to Wilkes-Barre to almost every film he was a part of---from films he wrote/directed such as Oscar winners A Letter To Three Wives to All About Eve , to films he produced such as Reunion in France.

Double Wedding is the story of dress shop employee Margit (Myrna Loy), who is a major overbearing control freak over her sister Irene's (Florence Rice) life--even over Irene's fiance Waldo's (John Beal) life. When Irene, an aspiring actress, falls under the spell of eccentric film director and painter Charles Lodge (William Powell) and suddenly breaks off her engagement to Waldo, Margit is furious and will do everything in her power to make the wedding happen and distance her sister from the crazy director who lives in an auto trailer with a sign reading "YOU ARE NOW LEAVING WILKES-BARRE. COME AGAIN." pasted on the side.

The final 10 minutes of the film are some the funniest scenes I've ever seen in a movie.

Below are several screen shots taken from the film where the "YOU ARE NOW LEAVING WILKES-BARRE. COME AGAIN." sign is prominently displayed in the scene. There are several other scenes in the film where the sign is displayed but partially obscured. Click on any onf the images below for a closer view.

3:33 Irene (Florence Rice) and Waldo (John Beal) leave Charles Lodge's auto trailer after a rehearsal.

23:10 Margit (Myrna Loy) stares at the curious sign on Charles Lodge's auto trailer as she prepares to confront him about her sister.

31:21 Charles Lodge(William Powell) exits his auto trailer in the rain to answer a phone call at a neighboring business (he is alerted to all calls for him by a gong in his auto trailer).

37:14 Slowly warming up to each other, Margit (Myrna Loy) and Charles (William Powell) have a picnic in front of his auto trailer.

40:32 As Charles lay sleeping outside after the picnic, Margit (Myrna Loy) hops into his car and drives off with it and the attached auto trailer.

45:44 Margit (Myrna Loy) angrily storms into Charles's auto trailer after seeing him with her sister, after he promised to stay away from her.

Double Wedding is included on the DVD box set The Myrna Loy and William Powell Collection and is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold, click here.

Much thanks again to Don McKeon for another great reference.

Game Change: Obama and the Clintons, McCain and Palin, and the Race of a Lifetime by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin (2010)

2010-05-30T11:51:00.006-05:00

Over this lovely Memorial Day weekend, I am finishing up the bestselling controversial book Game Change by John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, the behind-the-scenes peek into the 2008 presidential election. Surprisingly, I came across a Scranton reference; even more surprisingly is that the Scranton reference is attributed not to Scranton native and Vice President Joe Biden, but to Republican Vice President nominee Sarah Palin.

On page 372 of Game Change (in the chapter "Sarahcuda"), the book discusses Palin's speech at the Republican National Convention after accepting the nomination of Vice President from Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

"'I guess a small town mayor is sort of like a community organizer, except that you have actual responsibilities,' she quipped. She said, 'We tend to prefer candidates who don't talk about us one way in Scranton and another way in San Francisco.'"

Game Change is available to borrow from the Lackawanna County Library System. To place a hold on the book, click here; to place a hold on the unabridged CD audiobook, click here.