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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There really ain't no party like a Scranton party!
UPDATED 5/14/2010
This past week, The F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts in announced an upcoming concert from bestselling recording artist and American Idol runner-up Adam Lambert; Lambert will be stopping in Wilkes-Barre, PA with Orianthi ("According To You," lead guitarist for the ill-fated Michael Jackson This Is It Tour) and fellow American Idol alumni Allison Iraheta.
On Tuesday, October 28, 2008, legendary hard rockers AC/DC kicked off their highly anticipated Black Ice World Tour at the Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA.
Similarly, on Thursday, October 16, 2003, Simon & Garfunkel launched their Old Friends Tour at Wachovia Arena in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The Old Friends Tour was the legendary duo's first tour together since 1983...and they kicked it off in Wilkes-Barre.
"John Updike's Pennsylvania" with journalist Frank Fitzpatrick (Philadelphia Inquirer) will be presented at Albright Memorial Library in the Periodicals Room on Thursday, May 20th 2010 at 6:30 PM.The presentation will be filmed as part of the Pennsylvania Humanities Council's series Humanities on the Road (the program will NOT be broadcasted live; it will be aired on Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN) at a later date TBA).
John Updike, Pulitzer Prize winner and prolific man of letters was an attentive observer of the dramas of life in small town America. Born and bred in
An Updike fanatic, Frank Fitzpatrick has read all of Updike’s work and contributed
Tickets will be avilable at the Circulation Desk shortly.
In a video just posted to The Office website, Angela Kinsey (Angela) and Ellie Kemper (Kelly Erin Hannon) answer a viewer's question about when they plan to visit Scranton again. Kinsey is all for it (even saying The Bog is one of "the best bars I've ever been to" and that Scranton itself is "a lovely town and the people there are so warm") and Ellie's never been here before. Check the video out at the link below (or click on the still above).
On this morning's Live With Regis and Kelly, there was a collection of clips of co-host Regis Philbin and his experience with baseball (mostly outside the studio with guests). However, they did show a clip from a few years back of Regis Philbin on his visit of a Red Barons game. At one moment before the clip, co-host Kelly Ripa exclaimed, "Yeah, Scranton! Who can forget Scranton?"
My mouth is agape at this moment.
Who knew Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania played a part (a teeny, tiny part, but STILL a part) in the one of the most renowned museums in the world--the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City?
Here is something you can maybe help me out with.I read this book many times over. I think I got it off my parents’ “reject” bookshelf in the garage. I don’t think it is a towering literary achievement but it was a good read, “inspiring.”
Can you help me remember this book?"
Does anyone out there have an idea what this particular book was titled? If so, please email me at bcronauer@albright.org and let's give Kathy an answer. Thanks :-)
The 2009 independent film comedy Paper Heart stars Charlyne Yi (Knocked Up) as a young actress/comedienne who has never been in love and is quite skeptical about love. A documentary film crew follows her as she travels across the country (and even to Paris) to find out what other people have to say about love. Along the way, she falls in love with actor Michael Cera (played by actor Michael Cera).
Fellow tweeter Global Scranton recently sent me a tweet about a new play on Broadway titled Next Fall which includes a reference to Scranton in the text.
