Arts & Lifestyle
>
Of Interest ...
R. Kelly has appendix surgery
CHICAGO (AP) - R. Kelly missed a court
appearance on child pornography charges this week
after undergoing surgery for a burst appendix, his
lawyer said.
Attorney Terence Gillespie said the 40-year-old
R&B singer underwent surgery Sunday, shortly after
being admitted to Jackson Memorial Hospital in
Miami. The court hearing last week.
Gillespie said last Thursday that Kelly was in
good condition and was expected to be released from
the hospital later in the day.
Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has plead
ed not guilty to 14 counts of child pornography and is
awaiting trial. Kelly was charged in 2002 with engag
ing in videotaped sex acts with an underage girl.
In December, a Cook County judge issued a ruling
that allowed Kelly to travel out of state for business
purposes without permission. Kelly was in Miami to
perform at a Super Bowl party over the weekend.
Limon Dance Company
to perform at NCSA
This year's Winter Dance Concert will feature
some of the North Carolina School of the Arts' most
talented ballet and contemporary dancers performing
with the internationally acclaimed Limon Dance
Company. NCSA's School of Dance is hosting the
Limon Company for a three-week teaching residency
during February that will culminate in performances
for the public.
Performances are at 8 p.m. Feb. 22-24 and at 2
p.m. Feb. 25 at the Stevens Center. Tickets are $12 for
adults and $10 for students and seniors. For more
information or to order tickets, call the NCSA Box
Office at 336-721-1945 or visit www.ncarts.edu/per
formances. There will be a 30-minute Question-and
Answer session after the opening night performance
Feb. 22.
One of the world's premier modern dance compa
nies, the Limon Dance Company was founded by
Mexican-born dancer Jose Limon in 1946. Limon's
work as a dancer and choreographer was celebrated
for its lyricism, fluidity and innovation in equating the
role of the male dancer in modern dance with that of
the female. Limon died in 1972, making the Limon
Company the first American modem dance company
to outlive its founder. His work is now ably continued
by Carla Maxwell, artistic director of the company
since 1978. Of their work, the Village Voice writes,
"For drama, virtuosity, and grace, there's no finer
company."
Weinberg in concert with
UNCG Jazz Ensemble Feb. 24
Max Weinberg, best known as the longtime drum
mer for Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band and as the
leader of the Max Weinberg Seven, house band for the
TV talk show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," will
appear in concert with The
Film festival starts Feb. 21
M'l ( I VI K) llll C HKOSK 1 I
More than 30 films ranging
from animated shorts to docu
mentaries and feature-length
movies, will be presented Feb.
21-24 during the Carolina Film
and Video Festival, the annual
showcase sponsored by the
Department of Broadcasting and
Cinema at The University of
North Carolina at Greensboro.
i n i s
year's
event,
which will
be held at
Elliott
University
Center at
U N C G
and the
Carousel
Cinemas
Bahruni
I II
Greensboro, includes a film nom
inated for three prestigious Film
Independent's Spirit Awards - the
independent film world's alterna
tive to the Academy Awards
along - with films featuring
Oscar-nominated actors and
directors.
Fifteen films produced by
North Carolina filmmakers will
be showcased on Wednesday,*
Feb. 21. Among those films is
"Take a Sip," an animated short
film directed and drawn by
UNCG graduate Rachel
Woodhouse that depicts shenani
gans by a mischievous dragon
painting that comes to life at
night.
"Even though film festivals
have proliferated in North
Carolina, filmmakers in the state
still have a difficult time showing
their work to home audiences."
said Kimbcrlianne Podlas. direc
tor of the festival and assistant
professor of broadcasting and cin
ema at UNCG. "We wanted to
ensure that the best North
Carolina films were shown at this
festival."
More than 300 films from
around the world vied to be
included in this year's edition of
the long-running festival. Films
to be screened range from "Alive
and Well," a satire about a bad
minton team that crash lands and
considers cannibalism in order to
survive, to "The Shovel," a
Hitchcockian-style thrilled star
ring Oscar-nominee David
Straithaim.
Awards totaling over 54 .(XX)
will be presented in nine cate
gories during the Winners Night
on Saturday. Feb. 24.
Judges for the competition
include North Carolina-born
director,' writer and editor Ramin
Bahrani, whose film "Man Push
Cart" depicts the life of a former
Pakistani rock star who now sells
coffee from his push cart on the
streets of Manhattan. The film
was shown to acclaim at the
Sundance and Venice Film
Festivals and received three Spirit
Award nominations last year.
A free screening of "Man
Push Cart" will he held on
Thursday, Feb. 22, in the EUC
auditorium.
Ticket prices are $5 for the
public, $4 for UNCG students
and some events will he free. For
ticket and schedule information,
visit wwwxarolinafilmandvide
ofestival.org, or contact the
Department of Broadcasting and
Cinema at 334-4197.
University of North Carolina
Jazz Ensemble on Saturday.
Feb. 24.
The concert, which will be
held at the Carolina Theatre in
downtown Greensboro, will
take place at 7 p.m. The per
formance is part of the UNCG
University Concert & Lecture
Series.
Weinberg has played with
some of the most prominent
Weinberg
contemporary musicians. One
of the highlights of his career was performing the
instrumental "Night Train" wifh President Bill
Clinton at his 1992 inaugural ball.
Weinberg will team up with the UNCG Jazz
Ensemble for an evening that is sure to bop and swing.
"I'm thrilled that the UNCG Jazz Ensemble will
get a chance to perform with Max Weinberg," said
Steve Haines, director of the school's Miles Davis
Jazz Studies Program. "This is a tremendous oppor
tunity for UNCG jazz students to experience playing
music with a seasoned musician. The shflw itself will
be both exciting and entertaining, with lots of fun and
laughter."
Tickets are $26, $22 and $18. Seniors, children
under 12 and students receive $2 discount. UNCG
student tickets $9, $8 and $6.
For ticket information, call (336) 334-4849.
Tickets are available through the University Box
Office Web site at http://boxoffice.uncg.edu and
through the Carolina Theatre box office at (336) 333
2605.
NCSA alum named one of top
student cinematographers
Brian Melton, a 2(X)6 graduate of the Schoql of
Filmmaking at the North Carolina School of the Mis,
and Lyle Vincent, who will graduate in May from New
York University's Tisch School of the Arts, will receive
the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC)
John Alonzo Heritage Award during the 21st Annual
ASC Outstanding Achievement Awards gala in Los
Angeles on Feb. 18 at the Hyatt Regency Century
Plaza Hotel . The Heritage Awaid recognizes outstand
ing achievements in student filmmaking.
Melton, who was bom in Virginia and raised in
Atlanta, received a bachelor's degree from the North
Carolina School of the Arts School of Filmmaking. He
submitted the short 16 mm film Red Autumn, which
tells the dark tale of a relationship between an aging ex
con and a young, innocent girl. He says that the nature
of the story allowed him to take risks and experiment.
Vincent, who was bom and raised in Connecticut,
will earn a master's degree from New York
University's Tisch School of the Arts in May. When he
enrolled in the NYU graduate film program, his intent
was to pursue directing but he soon found his passion
in cinematography.
Post's 2007 Smooth Jazz
Series to kick-off March 3
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Post Entertainment will present the start of its 2007
Smooth Jazz Concert Series with featured artists saxo
phonist Dee Lucas and local jazz gronp FreePort.
Lucas, a self-taught musician, did not pick up the
saxophone until the age of 28. Through self-reliance,
determination, and discipline Dee Lucas, now at age
40. is considered one of the hottest up and coming jazz
artists in the industry. He has opened for many great
jazz artists including Roy Ayres, Ramsey Lewis, and
Nncena Freelon. "Remembrance" was Lucas' debut
CD. A portion of the proceeds from the CD sales were
donated to the 'Screen For Life' National Colon
Cancer Action Awareness Campaign in honor of his
idol, saxophonist George Howard, whose life was cut
short due to the disease. Lucas released his sophomore
CD. "Something to Ride 2" on Feb. 6.
FreePort will be opening for Lucas. Freeport is a
local band with a great sound and a growing following.
The concert will be held on Saturday. March 3 at
the Arts Council Theatre. TJjc tickets are on sale for
$25 (reserved seating) and can be purchased on line or
by calling 336-287-1616. The concert starts at 7:30
p.m.
Visit Post Entertainment Web site at www.post
jazz.com for more information.
Dee Lucas
Angus MacLachlan
Screenwriter
MacLachlan
will speak
at museum
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Reynolda House Museum
of American Art will resume
its series of popular Gallery
Talks during the showing of
the exhibition, "Grandma
Moses: Grandmother to the
Nation."
The talks take place on
Tuesday evenings from 5:30
to 6:30 p.m. and feature local
personalities discussing a par
ticular aspect or theme of the
exniDi
t i o n .
The set
ting is
infor
mal,
with
partici
pants
moving
from
one
Slaby
painting
to another, and questions and
discussion are encouraged.
The talk is followed by a cash
bar reception.
On Tuesday, Feb. 20 the
gallery talk will be led by
playwright, screenwriter, and
actor Angus MacLachlan, who
wrote the screenplay for
"Junebug." This 2005 feature
length independent film was
directed by Winston-Salem
native Phil Morrison, and it
earned universal critical
acclaim and an Oscar nomina
tion for best supporting
actress. A Winston-Salem
native and graduate of the
North Carolina School of the
Arts, Mac Lachlan's plays
have been produced locally
and off-Broadway, in theaters
in Los Angeles, Chicago.
London, and at the Kennedy
Center in Washington. D.C.
On Tuesday, Feb. 27 the
talk will feature Reynolda
House Assistant Curator
Allison Slaby. She will relate
Grandma Moses to American
art in the 1940s and 1950s,
including Abstract
Expressionism and
Regionalism. Slaby will ask
such questions as, "How can
we understand the art of Anna
Mary Robertson Moses when
compared to that of, say,
Jackson Pollack? Is there an
American art tradition in
which we can situate Grandma
MosesT'
The cost is $5. For infor
mation, please call 336-758
5150. This series is made pos
sible through the support o)
Womble Carlxle Sandridge &
Rice.
Jennifer Holliday to perform at Charlotte gala
SPECIAL TO THE gtlRONICLE
CHARLOTTE - The Human
Rights Campaign's (HRC)
Carolinas Gala will feature
Broadway singer Jennifer
Holliday. She will give a special
performance at the 12th Annual
HRC Carolinas Gala on
Saturday, Feb. 24 at the Charlotte
Convention Center.
Holliday 's portrayal of the
heroine. Effie Melody White, in
the Broadway production of
Dreamgirls catapulted her to
stardom and national recogni
tion. Her performance garnered
her the 1982 Tony Award for
Best Actress in a Musical and her
first Grammy Award for Best
R&B Female Vocal Performance
for her signature torch song and
Top 40 Hit "And I Am Telling
You I'm Not Going." Her second
Grammy would come three years
later for her rendition of Duke
Ellington's "Come Sunday." a
moving tribute to the late
Mahalia Jackson.
Currently, Holliday gives
concerts throughout J^c worl4
and performs with many avitl- ?
phonies across the country. sne
made her motion picture debut in
"The Rising Place," an independ
ent film for Flatland Pictures.
She was also a recurring special
guest star on the hit Fox TV
show "Ally McBeal" during its
entire five-year run as Lisa
Knowles the outspoken choir
director at Ally's church.
In addition, Holliday has per
formed at the White House for
Presidents Ronald Reagan,
George H.W. Bush. Bill Clinton,
and George W. Bush, and she
recently performed in "The
Singer and the Song: In
Performance at the White
House," a primetime special for
PBS. In 2000. she received an
honorary doctor of music degree
from the Berklee College of
Music in Boston.
Founded in 1980, HRC is
America's largest civil rights
organization working to achieve
LGBT equality. HRC effectively
Sec Holliday on All
Jennifer Holliday at Winston-Salem State in 2005.