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ARTZINE BLOG
 Hey Everyone;
 I attended the first night of the Northwest New Works festival at On the Boards and it was, well, what it usually is. Some of it was good, some of it was great, some of it was not so good and not so great. But who cares-it's exhilarating to see artists I know creating cool new work, and artists I don't know blowing me away!
Even better was the elderly couple sitting next to me. I was convinced they were in attendance because their great grandkid was doing some crazy performance-art-dance-thing that they felt obliged to support with their presence, but I was wrong. When the show ended, I asked them, Bob and Olga, if they knew one of the performers and they did not. Turns out that 83-year old Bob had read about the festival in the paper and figured, "What the hell, let's go, Olga!" So… did they like it? Hmmm. I'm not sure if that's the right question. They both liked the last act, The Half Brothers, (who, by the way, performed on our most recent show, but of the evening as a whole, Bob said, "The talent is certainly there, but the message is diffused in the transmission." I get what he's saying because I, too, didn't track or connect with everything that was being communicated from the stage. But all of it, what I liked and didn't like, what I connected with and didn't connect with, evoked feelings, thoughts, and ideas that I wouldn't have experienced if I'd been sitting at home, like my husband Joe really was, watching old episodes of "The Man From U.N.C.L.E."
When we open ourselves up to a new experience, it invigorates our body, our brain, our heart, our soul-- possibly even our liver!--and shakes/adjusts/alters our world-view. And that, my friends, is always a good thing. So, way to go, Bob & Olga! I look forward to crossing paths again.
All right. Onto the next big show!
 Sherry Markovitz, the brilliant Seattle artist, who currently has a solo show at Greg Kucera Gallery and a 30-years retrospective exhibit at Bellevue Arts Museum, talks about her stunning beaded sculpture work with the lovely Marcie Sillman…
Tim Appelo, associate editor of City Arts Magazine highlights a wide variety of excellent theatre productions happening around town…
 You're gonna love Suzie Grey, an amazing woman who's been writing, playing and singing original songs about laughter, hugs, and climbing your own mountain for over 80 years…
And, we've got awesome highlights from this years Rock Lottery, the annual event where twenty five rock and rollers meet at 10:00 a.m., break into groups of five, then spend the next 12 hours writing and rehearsing at least three brand new songs to perform that same night in front of a waiting, and paying, live audience…
All that, plus our favorite movie man, Robert Horton, gives us the lowdown on what NOT to miss at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival!
So, there you have it! Our action-packed show premieres Thursday @ 8:00 p.m., repeats a bunch on regular teevee, and forever and ever online.
I sure look forward to hanging out sharing our fair city with you every week. Until next time, eat well, sleep in, smile at your crabby neighbor, and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
Saw that Chronicles of Narnia sequel last night. I was unenchanted by the first one, so Part Two seemed a slight improvement, especially because there were fewer talking, computer-generated animals in it. Read my Herald review. Stray thought: Narnia's lion-god, Aslan, is one Old Testament deity. He lets thousands of Narnians die in battle (this movie is very martial), then when the locals get obsequious enough, he steps in and vanquishes the enemy, thus taking all the glory. Jeez, thanks a lot. At least Tilda Swinton's White Witch is reliable.
DVD of the week: Classic Sci-Fi Ultimate Collection Parts 1 and 2, ten movies (almost all from the late 1950s) that capture the atomic-age monster-movie Zeitgeist. Fans of "Nightmare Theater" will fondly recall such essential titles as Monster on the Campus (professor Arthur Franz is infected by a prehistoric coelacanth—cool!—and turns into a beast) and The Monolith Monsters (beware the rocks from space). Most of the titles here are pretty good, and one of them, Jack Arnold's The Incredible Shrinking Man, is great, a truly philosophical look at how the world changes around a person when an unexpected calamity happens. Listen to KUOW, 94.9 FM, at around 2:40 on Friday May 16 to hear me talk about the set with "Sound Focus" host Dave Beck, or listen anytime after that from KUOW.
Revival of the week: The Manchurian Candidate (1962), directed by John Frankenheimer, starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey in the story of former POW programmed to be a political assassin. Funny and chilling by turns, this is one of the best American movies of its time. (Monday, May 19, 7:30 p.m., SIFF Cinema).
Hey folks,
Well, even though it's technically spring, it's still a bit chilly in our fair city. But don't despair -- chilly weather is perfect weather for watching movies! Which brings me to the Seattle International Film Festival.
This biggest and longest running film festival in the country hits theatre screens throughout Seattle, and across the lake in beautiful downtown Bellevue, starting May 22nd thru June 15th. If you're inclined to attend the opening night gala, (happening at SIFF Cinema at McCaw Hall) for the opening night film, Battle in Seattle, you might run into Robert Horton and me, capturing all of the pre-movie glitz, and the post-movie party glitz, on camera! So please, if you do attend, stop by and say hello and we'll put you on teevee!
All right, enough about SIFF -- on to our show! Mayor Greg Nickel's has officially proclaimed May 11th thru the 17th to be "Arts Education Week," and even though we don't know exactly what that means, we're celebrating by putting on a good, no, make that a GREAT, show!
Experiential artist, Scott Erickson, who sees the act of creation as a shared experience rather than a solo performance, paints a picture of me in less than 30 minutes!…
We visit the Latona neighborhood studio of Victoria Simons, one of Seattle's top local fashion designers…
Robert and I chat about movies, including a couple of upcoming local films premiering at SIFF: Lynn Shelton's My Effortless Brilliance; and Linas Phillips documentary Great Speeches From A Dying World…
Annex Theatre turned 21 this year, and we have highlights from their wild and crazy birthday bash…
And the beautiful and twangy sounds of The Half Brothers takes over our mainstage!
All that, plus we'll have some sort of freebie for you -- gotta tune in to find out what it is!
I look forward to seeing you Thurday night @ 8:00, but no worries if you can't make that time. We repeat all weekend, and we are always watchable online, where you can also subscribe to our weekly podcast.
Until next time, enjoy "Arts Education Week" and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
Because of some foolish lifestyle choices, I end up reviewing almost every movie that opens in Seattle every week. Aside from the sheer amount of work involved, the frequent leaps in subject matter will surely bring on insanity one of these days, if it already hasn't; you try going from Speed Racer to a documentary about maximum-security inmates practicing meditation (The Dhamma Brothers) to a French spoof of spy movies (OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies) to a David Mamet martial-arts movie (Redbelt) to an Italian coming-of-age political picture (My Brother is an Only Child) to the new Cameron Diaz-Ashton Kutcher comedy (What Happens in Vegas). I mention this in case you see me wandering down Madison Street, muttering to myself. If you want to read any of the eight reviews I wrote this week, you can look me up at www.heraldnet.com and try to find them.
Revival of the week: The United Artists 90th Anniversary series continues at SIFF Cinema, with some familiar but very nice items: double bills for both Woody Allen (Annie Hall and Manhattan, Friday May 9) and Billy Wilder (Some Like it Hot and The Apartment, Sunday May 11), as well as the gaudy, miscast, but irresistible (except to my wife) West Side Story (Saturday, May 12). Full details at www.siff.net
DVD of the week: Dans Paris, a peculiar and lovely throwback to the spirit of the French New Wave, and one of the films that have made director Christophe Honore the new toast of French cinema (his follow-up movie, Love Songs, just played at the Northwest Film Forum). Somehow Dans Paris balances whimsy and despair in a fetching way — which, of course, makes it very French. I reviewed it last year for Film Comment magazine, which you can read, if you care for that sort of thing.
Dear friends,
 What a city we live in! There's so much to see and feel and experience! Case in point-the "eco-date" Joe and I enjoyed last Saturday. We took the bus downtown, got off at 3rd and Marion, and walked up to the Frye Art Museum to see the almost-last day of the R. Crumb exhibit, and the almost-first day of the Dario Robleto exhibit -- both were marvelous! We then walked a few blocks to the historic Sorrento Hotel and enjoyed drinks in the beautiful wood-paneled Fireside Room, followed by dinner at the Hunt Club, where they are renowned for their crème brulee. It was divine!
And speaking of … Our upcoming show is a divine smorgasbord of arty action! And, in the spirit of good eatin', I'm gonna lay it out like a "chef's choice" menu:
 Our appetizer is a wonderful featured painting from urban visionary artist Laura Castellanos. Laura is known for her charming character, "bummerbunny" but that mesmerizing little guy is just the tip of the iceberg. Wait until you see the vast cast of her other fabulous little friends …
 For the salad course, we'll nibble on Robert Horton's interview with the great, and incredibly handsome, British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor, who talks about his role in David Mamet's new movie, "Redbelt," opening May 9th ...
Moving onto the main dish -- we'll enjoy a delicious and meaty plate of literature from author Jennie Shortridge, who's new book, "Love and Biology at the Center of the Universe," will be launched at Queen Anne Avenue Books on May 15th …
We'll cleanse the palate with Joshua Roman and his mighty cello, who will drop by to give us an awesome preview of his upcoming May 11th/Mothers Day concert at Town Hall …
And we'll top it all off with a delightful dessert consisting of a sneak peak at the fast approaching -- and not to be missed! -- Seattle International Children's Festival.
Wow -- that is gonna be one heck of a tasty meal! Tableside service begins on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. If you miss the first seating, we do repeat throughout the weekend, so check the schedule, or you can catch us online any old time!
Enjoy today, and every day, and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
When we previewed summer movies this week on AZISWNG, I hadn't yet seen Iron Man, the unofficial kickoff to the blockbuster season. And now I have. And Iron Man is…well, pretty good, really, even if it never quite gets in a solid groove. Read my full review.
In the revival scene in Seattle, we've got the United Artists 90th Anniversary series at SIFF Cinema. It's a grab-bag collection (UA never had a studio personality in the way that Warners or MGM did during the great studio era), but there are some familiar gems here. For instance, a rare chance at a big-screen airing of The Great Escape, which has the unbeatable combo of Steve McQueen in "the cooler" and Elmer Bernstein on the soundtrack (Thursday night, May 1). The series actually gets interrupted for a few days for the interesting-sounding City Folk Film Series, four films that look at the urban cultural landscape (see www.nwfolklife.org for more info). Then save some room for one of my favorite movies, The Night of the Hunter (Wednesday, May 7), a poetical masterpiece and the only movie ever directed by the great actor Charles Laughton. Along with the movie's many beauties, notice how original Robert Mitchum's performance as the homicidal preacher is; he seems to open the door to Anthony Perkins in Psycho and a slew of sarcastic villains to come.
Also revivaling, the Northwest Film Forum has its "Duel of the Cool" series going on, pitting Jean-Paul Belmondo against Marcello Mastroianni. Check out a long but rewarding double bill of Le Doulos (Belmondo in a superb, twisty crime picture by Jean-Pierre Melville) and 8 ½ (Mastroianni in the classic Fellini extravaganza about a moviemaker blocked on his next project). Tuesday and Wednesday nights, May 6-7.
Hey Everyone!;
We here at Art Zone In Studio had a one-week break, and now we're back in the saddle, straining at the leash, revvin' our engines, and chompin' at the bit! What I am talking about? I'm not sure, exactly. It may just be that I'm babbling like an idiot ("tell us something we don't know, Nancy"), but I think the more likely explanation, at least in this particular case, is that I'm so excited about our upcoming show that I can only express my enthusiasm by stringing together a bunch of meaningless clichés. So, without further delay and annoying ado, here's what we've got bubblin' on the stove:
We'll visit Desteenation Shirt Company, a funky factory in Fremont that takes high quality, 100% cotton t-shirts and silk screens logos of your favorite local stores, bars, and restaurants…
Okanomode', aka SoulChilde, the super talented expressionist composer and glamazon troubadour, drops by our studio to croon a tune…
 And we'll take a whirlwind tour of one of our great performing arts organizations, On the Boards with artistic director and self-described "Karaoke King", Lane Czaplinski…
All that, plus our featured in-studio painting, Penguin Nostalgia Painting by Jo Hockenhull, is part of the Sneak Peek exhibit from Seattle's Portable Works Collection.
It's gonna be a show of epic proportions, so plan to join me on Thursday, May 1st, at 8:00 p.m. on Seattle Channel 21. And if you can't make that time, check the schedule for our repeats throughout the weekend, or catch us online antime.
Until Thursday…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
p.s. Oh yeah, I almost forgot… Robert Horton will be here, yammering on about movies like he always does.
Hi there;
All of us here at "Art Zone In Studio" are amazed that Thursday, April 17th, marked our 8th episode! It's been a total blast and there are lots more episodes to come, however, we're gonna stop and celebrate show number 8 by taking a one-week break (in other words, there will be no new show on April 24th). But, lest you think we'll be laying around the house, chomping down bon bons and watching reruns of "Lassie," oh contraire!
 My husband, Joe, and I are heading across the U.S. of A. for a 5-day visit with our adorable, smart, and very tall nephew, Jesse Baumgartner, who is a junior at University of North Carolina. Jesse is a senior writer for the Daily Tar Heel, and mostly covers sports. (A recent highlight of his life was traveling to San Antonio to cover the Final Four games. If you didn't follow the tournament, UNC bit it, big time, against Kansas.) Anyway, Jesse is a super cool guy and we can't wait to hang out with him, plus we've never been to the south before, so it should be a fun and eye opening experience. I also plan to visit a few museums, and I'll let you know about all the cool stuff I see in my next blog.
"Art Zone In Studio" will be back in action on Thursday, May 1st, at 8:00 p.m., so mark your calendar. Between now and then, take care, have fun, enjoy the slow coming of spring, and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
There are so many smaller film festivals in Seattle, one person couldn't possibly see them all. Here are a couple on the scene: The Seattle Polish Film Festival settles in at SIFF Cinema and the Langston Hughes African American Film Festival wraps up its run at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center. Maybe the most anticipated event at the latter is the new film by Charles Burnett, whose superb 1977 film Killer of Sheep was released on DVD last year to great, long-deserved acclaim: it's called Namibia: The Struggle for Liberation, and was filmed in that African country.
Being a film critic leads you to all sorts of odd situations (like putting a pie in Nancy Guppy's face for an Art Zone in Studio promo), and last fall I found myself sitting in a high-school classroom in Port Townsend, Washington, asking questions of that festival's special guests, Charles Burnett and Elliott Gould. (They were separately being honored at the festival, but coincidentally had worked together, on Burnett's The Glass Shield.) I was struck by Burnett's quiet, modest presence, yet he was a fine storyteller whose anecdotes always led to some insightful point. He's due to appear in person with Namibia, so it should be a fascinating event.
DVD of the Week: Trouble in Paradise. This movie is the probable inspiration for a new film opening this weekend, Pierre Salvadori's Priceless, which I found terrific (it's a cynical-romantic look at two opportunists meeting each other's match on the French Riviera, with splendid performances by Gad Elmaleh and Audrey "I'm not Amelie anymore" Tatou). That movie provides a shameless excuse to get you to watch one of the best movies you'll ever enjoy, a 1932 comedy about jewel thieves, love, and tonsils. Trouble in Paradise is directed by Ernst Lubitsch, the master (arguably the inventor) of this kind of classy comedy, and the lovely cast is led by Herbert Marshall, Kay Francis, and Miriam Hopkins.
On Sunday afternoon, 2 p.m. April 20, I will be hosting Magic Lantern, the monthly series I curate for the Frye Art Museum. This month's topic is the fascinating influx of European composers to Hollywood during the 1930s; I will be joined for the discussion by Dave Beck, KUOW radio host and classical music maven. And hey, it's free.
Hello my lovely friends,
 What a week! April 5th marked two important birthdays.
The first was that iconic and internationally renowned actress, Bette Davis who would have turned 100. The second was that iconic and locally renowned furniture maker, Renaissance man, and former artistic director of the now defunct Consolidated Works, Matthew Richter, who did turn 30 (again).
 Miz Davis' 100th was celebrated with screenings of her films all around the world, while Mister Richter's 30th (again) birthday was celebrated with an epic poem, a new cake every hour, and an original song by John Osebold of "Awesome" fame. Happy birthday, Bette and Matthew!
What will this week bring? Lots of good things, I'm sure, including a new, sooper delectable "Art Zone In Studio" show just for you!
Our own Marcie Sillman brings us a great segment on "Laugh Out Loud", a comedic spring dance festival from Pacific Northwest Ballet. You can also catch Marcie's terrific 4-part PNB series on KUOW 94.9 FM.
Our favorite world music group, Deseo Carmin, will get you all amped up for the World Rhythm Festival happening April 24-26 at the Seattle Center;
Father Flynn, the main character of Taproot Theatre's production of the Pulitzer prize winning play, "Doubt", delivers the opening scene, or sermon, of this most excellent play;
And, we are THRILLED that our featured in-studio art piece will be accompanied by the artist himself, 13-year old, Jack McDonald!
All that, plus our weekly list of fun-stuff-to-do, and Robert Horton will be here to talk movies, as well as to get a pie in the face. Fun times, indeed!
I sure look forward to seeing you at 8:00 pm sharp on Thursday night. Until then, enjoy these longer days and remember…
Art rocks!
xo, nancy g.
This week on Art Zone in Studio with Nancy Guppy (or AZISWNG, as I like to call it), we talk about a fun Bette Davis centenary film series at the Grand Illusion theater. There are a couple of DVD sets just released that offer the many moods (most of them fiery) of Ms. Davis: The Bette Davis Collection, Vol. 3, is a six-movie Warner set from that includes stuff from her prime period as a contract player at Warner Bros. One of my favorites from the set is The Great Lie, a juicy 1941 melodrama that should be better known, which has a really terrific supporting turn by Mary Astor. This set is not as top-tier the previous two Davis volumes, but it's still a valuable survey of an actress who tended to stamp her personality on even minor films she was in.
Fox is offering the Bette Davis Centenary Collection, five films from later in Davis's career. The tentpole here is All About Eve, which needs little introduction, and the other main draw is Robert Aldrich's Southern creepfest Hush…Hush, Sweet Charlotte, which scared me badly as a child. Bruce Dern getting his hand chopped off is an image that stayed with me for quite a while. The other titles are not top-drawer Bette, although The Nanny is also from her late-Gothic phase, and The Virgin Queen is her second film as Elizabeth I (a distinction lately tied by Cate Blanchett).
Local revival of the week: the Northwest Film Forum has a week-long run of Alain Resnais' 1963 film Muriel, starring Delphine Seyrig. Resnais is one of the world's greatest living directors, and this film was made just on the heels of his landmark movies Hiroshima, Mon Amour and Last Year at Marienbad.
Meanwhile, the Hollywood bell keeps tolling: RIP, Charlton Heston. I have to admit for a soft spot for the Chuckster, who brought such a huge bearing (and amazing lack of irony) to his roles. By coincidence, my Netflix queue had The Omega Man on deck when he died, so I guess I'll be contemplating the end of the world this weekend. Don't miss Sam Peckinpah's Major Dundee, a recently-restored Western in which Heston and Richard Harris (neither frequently accused of under-acting) make a great screen couple.
Hi there,
I went to the opening of Alan Fulle's new show at the Traver Gallery last night. The work is gorgeous and beautifully lit, and I soooo hope that you can make it by the gallery before the show closes on April 27th!
And now, moving on to the upcoming, Thursday 4/10, Art Zone In Studio show:
 You won't believe the crazy Conference Bike. This thing is "so nutty it just might work," and it does, with seats and pedals for 7 people! I'll take a ride down old Ballard Avenue on this wonderfully odd machine with one of my favorite people, Brangien Davis, the Arts & Culture Editor for Seattle Magazine.
Okanomode', a musician, artist, and performer extraordinaire, will join us in the studio for an original song. This young man is unique and extremely compelling. Imagine a super handsome, non-shirt wearing guy, singing and playing keyboard, with gossamer wings attached to his back. Can't quite see it? Well now you can, because that actual performance is on Okanomode's myspace page. Thank goodness for the internet!
Kindred Media, comprised of filmmaker Gabriel Miller and film editor Patricia O'Brien, bring us a lovely profile piece on animator, Stefan Gruber. Hand animation is painstaking work, and Stefan's short films are sure to fascinate.
What else is happening? Oh yeah, Robert Horton will drop by to talk about a great new Bette Davis festival happening at the Grand Illusion Cinema, and we'll feature a beautiful piece of art from the Friesen Galleries current show, "What Does Compassion Look Like."
That's about it. We sure love all of you wonderful viewers, and look forward to hanging out together on Thursday night at 8:00, or any old time online
Take care, and until next time…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
In this week's show I get all besotted with Martin Scorsese's Rolling Stones picture, Shine a Light, but there's other stuff going on right now. For instance, the Seattle Jewish Film Festival plays April 3-13, mostly at the Cinerama theater and the Museum of History and Industry auditorium; this is their 13th festival, so it's officially a bar mitzvah. I previewed some of the documentaries and there are goodies in the lineup, including Orthodox Stance, a look at Jewish boxer Dmitriy Salita, a clean-cut welterweight who adheres to strict religious ritual (don't expect him to fight on a Friday night); and Making Trouble, which profiles a batch of Jewish female comedians, from the Fanny Brice era through Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner, and Wendy Wasserstein.
Also on the documentary tip, The Singing Revolution tells a stirring story of Estonia's non-violent rebellion against decades of Soviet oppression (much of which, the movie implies, had to do with keeping cultural spirit alive through song). It's one of those lovely reminders that governments will regularly try to squelch free expression-you can censor radio, jail singers, blacklist songwriters-but the song will eventually get sung. I realize this movie doesn't sound as attractive as, say George Clooney in Leatherheads. But actually it's much more fun. (Plays at the Varsity Theater, 4329 University Way NE.)
Revival of the week: A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. The Seattle Art Museum is showing this as part of their "Rome on Film" series. I haven't seen it in a couple of decades, and I have a strong suspicion that it will look extremely broad (and incorrigibly sexist) now, but fond memories of the slapstick cast and the hyperkinetic style of director Richard Lester (then on his post-Beatles-movies hot streak) prevail. Plus it has some boisterous Stephen Sondheim songs. The stars are Zero Mostel, Jack Gilford, Phil Silvers, Michael Crawford, and, splendidly, Buster Keaton. (Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Avenue, 7:30 p.m., April 4)
Hi Ya'll,
So, I'm working away at my computer this afternoon, when I glanced out the window to see that it was snowing. For real. Big, fat, wet flakes covered the deck furniture and last summers scraggly, mostly dead plants that are still hanging over the sides of the planters. Snow is beautiful, but not on March 28th. That's just weird. And speaking of weird... we've got a weirdly good show coming up this week!
Alan Fulle, a passionate and talented local artist, has a swell new exhibit at the Traver Gallery. We'll visit Alan's studio for an up close and personal look at the creative madness behind his amazing work.
Classical music rocks, especially in the hands of cellist Joshua Roman, who drops by the studio, cello in hand.
We've got a preview of "Demonology," a brand new play from the terrific local theatre company, Next Stage. This gothic satire touches on the male dominated workplace, political sabotage, and breast-feeding-a killer triple threat!
And, of course, movie-talk from our favorite film-fanatic, Robert Horton, along with our weekly list of fun-stuff-to-do-around-town.
It's gonna be a good one, and I hope you'll join us for our Thursday, 4/3, 8:00 p.m., premiere. Check the schedule for repeats and, of course, we're on call 24/7 online!.
Enjoy these crazy snowy/sunny days, and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
This week on "Art Zone in Studio avec Nancy Guppy," I talk about the new series at the Seattle Art Museum, "Love Crimes: Forty Years of French Film Noir." The films stretch from 1960 (Rene Clement's Purple Noon, with an unbelievably cool Alain Delon) to 2007 (the Seattle premiere of Private Property), which by my math is something like a 47-year span. So the title is misleading. But aside from the attractions of the French crime film, which are many, this series has two mini-festivals hiding inside it: six of the movies are directed by Claude Chabrol, that sly and subversive chronicler of middle-class desperation, and five of the films star Isabelle Huppert, whose willingness to go just about anywhere (emotionally and physically, not geographically) has made her one of the essential actresses of her generation.
And if they keep leaving, I'll keep writing about them: Richard Widmark, one of my favorite old-school guys, died this week at the age of 93. He started in movies as blond villainy (getting his only Oscar nomination for Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death, where he pushed a woman in a wheelchair down a flight of stairs), but he was best when he played both light and dark in the same character. Check out these glorious DVD examples:
Pickup on South Street. If the opening sequence of Samuel Fuller's 1953 pulp classic-Widmark on a streetcar, craftily working the pickpocket's trade-doesn't grab you, you might want to give up on movies.
Night and the City. Shot in London (in part because director Jules Dassin was about to be blacklisted in Hollywood), this 1950 urban anxiety dream gives Widmark one of the juciest roles in all film noir: Harry Fabian (great name!), a two-bit hustler and born loser. It's a tour-de-force performance.
Road House. Excellent romantic lust/hatred triangulated amongst Widmark, Ida Lupino, and Cornel Wilde, under the melodramatic direction of Jean Negulesco. 1948.
Madigan. Widmark had serious bone structure, and by the late Sixties he was getting craggy in all kinds of authoritative ways. This smart policier by Don Siegel was so effective, it spun off into a TV series for Widmark -- short-lived but fondly remembered. 1968.
Hello Hello Friends Friends;
Don't know why I doubled up those words-just kinda felt like it.
Okay. It's the first day of spring and IT'S TOO COLD! I DON'T LIKE IT! On the plus side, the sun is out and the days are longer. (I grew up in a "be happy" house, so I have to quickly follow up any complaint with a positive comment, no matter how phony it might sound.)
But enough about my personal life -- let's talk art! Specifically, what's going on in the next "Art Zone In Studio."
Our featured In Studio painting is a wonderful piece by Grant Barnhart called "Miss Cream Corn." Grant is represented by OKOK Gallery, a new'ish and cool space in Ballard…
We've got some excellent fun-stuff-to-do-around-town tips for you including a terrific play at Seattle Children's Theatre; a volunteer opportunity to help Freehold Theatre move to it's new Belltown digs; and a marvelous exhibit of flight attendant attire at the Museum of Flight…
Choklate, an incredible musical artist who describes her sound as "a seamless marriage of Hip Hop and R & B," graces our mini-stage with an original song…
Poet Elizabeth Austen, one of the best readers of poetry I've ever heard, drops by to give us a Poetry 101 tutorial…
And writer/solo performer, Lauren Weedman, who has written a book of personal essays entitled "A Woman Trapped In A Woman's Body," sits down with us for a talk, and a lot of laughs.
All this, plus fun free stuff (gotta tune in to find out what's free this week!).
So… I hope you can join us at 8:00 on Thursday. If you can't make it at that time, check our website for other airings (we repeat all weekend long), and, of course, you can always catch us online!
Peace, love, and Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
The movie week brought a classic "they come in threes" death toll: Anthony Minghella, Oscar-winning director; Arthur C. Clarke, sci-fi titan and collaborator on 2001: A Space Odyssey; and Paul Scofield, Oscar-winning actor. That's a heavy roster—so much that you might not have noticed the death of Ivan Dixon, the black actor probably best known for "Hogan's Heroes." Sitcom associations will doom an actor to a one-line obituary, but check out Dixon's leading role in the 1964 film Nothing But a Man, which came out on DVD a couple of years ago. The movie is a terrific ahead-of-its-time (yet completely of its time) look at race in America, but the characters are complex and specific, not stand-ins for issue-mongering. It was made by two interesting filmmakers, director Michael Roemer (who later made the cult comedy The Plot Against Harry and then seemed to vanish) and cinematographer Robert M. Young, who would become a fine director of socially-committed movies. The movie co-stars jazz singer Abbey Lincoln and Yaphet Kotto, and Dixon's central turn is powerful.
If you're in Seattle and up for a revival, Lawrence of Arabia is coming back in 70 mm. to the sweeping screen of the Cinerama, at noon Sunday March 23 and at 8 p.m. Tuesday March 25. This year marks the centenary of David Lean, and masterpieces don't get more masterpiece-y than his 1962 classic. Don't miss this chance.
Hello all my favorite people!
Well well well. I's a wild time in this crazy 'ol world. McCain has it locked; Barack and Hillary are duking it out... it's tempting to wanna curl up in a ball and watch CNN all day. But wait! There is another way. It's called "Art Zone In Studio."
That's right, we here at the show work super hard each week to bring you stimulating, exciting, and positive options. "Like what," you ask? "Like this!" I answer.
Here's what we've got brewin' on next weeks show:
If you wanna see someone turning life's lemons into lemonade, check out the brilliant, funny, and poignant story-teller, Kevin Kling, in his new show at the Seattle Repertory Theatre, entitled "How? How? Why? Why? Why?"
The literary art scene is rockin' at Richard Hugo House on Capitol Hill-executive director, Lyall Bush, takes us on a whirlwind tour of this terrific place.
Renowned Northwest painter, Alden Mason, has a new exhibit at Foster/White Gallery. We crashed the show's opening night and caught all the excitement on camera.
And, on our "In Studio" main stage, the "latin music gone flamenco funk" sound of the band, "Deseo Carmin" rips it up!
So that's my wrap for now. I look forward to seeing you at 8:00 next Thursday night. If you can't make that, no worries. You can catch a repeat throughout the weekend -- check out our TV Schedule, plus we're always available online.
Until then, have a terrific week, and remember…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
Here are a few ideas for Seattle-area movie-ing this weekend and beyond:
DVD Pick: Dan in Real Life. A really pleasant surprise, this slow-simmering comedy lets sad-sack columnist Steve Carell fall in love with his brother's girlfriend (Juliette Binoche), then trap everybody together for a family-reunion weekend. There are some sitcommy moments, but a general good nature prevails, and it's nice to see Carell outside his "fatuous boob" persona.
Revival: La Chinoise. The Northwest Film Forum brings in a new print of Jean-Luc Godard's 1967 classic, one of the last in his great Sixties run that re-defined movies. It's the usual mix—art, politics, youth—splashed together in startling colors. The stars are French New Wave icon Jean-Pierre Leaud and future Mme. Godard, Anne Wiazemsky. (Plays March 14-20.)
This week's show details:
Chicago 10: Varsity theater, 4329 University Way, Seattle
Meeting Resistance: Northwest Film Forum, 1515 12th Ave., Seattle 98122
Hello my friends;
It's almost day light savings time, and on my daily walk around the neighborhood, bird songs that I haven't heard for months are filling the air. Spring is upon us -- woo hoo!
 So, here is what's happening at "Art Zone In Studio." We finished episode number two and are busily working on number three. Man! Time is flying by so fast -- makes my head spin! But in a good way, not like Linda Blair in "The Exorcist**"
Here's what we've got cookin' for next week's 30-minutes of arts fun:
A peak behind the scenes of the truly delectable Trophy Cupcakes, in Wallingford (we're working on scoring free cupcake coupons for you!).
John Forsen, cinematographer extraordinaire, has produced a wonderful piece on the public artwork of renowned artist Gloria Bornstein.
Of course, Robert Horton will be here with his bag of film fun.
And we're featuring some in-studio music from the talented and quirky duo of Devin Sullivan and John Pierce.
All that, plus hot tips of what's happening around town.
So that's my update. I look forward to seeing you next Thursday at eight o'clock sharp. Until then…
Art Rocks!
xo, nancy g.
** I never actually saw "The Exorcist," because my parents wouldn't allow it. It made me mad at the time, but I'm grateful now because I absolutely HATE scary movies! "The Omen" freaked me out for years…
Well, we did it!
Our first show hit the air last Thursday and the response has been mostly positive. There are always needed tweaks, of course, but I think we’re off to a great start, and I am SO proud of our fabulous production team (Shannon, Sheila, Terry, Tom, Laurie, John, Sonja, Greg, Daryl) that pulled it off. Way to go, Fabulous Production Team!
Speaking of last week's show… the piece we did on artist Lynne Saad hit a nerve. A lot of our viewers—perhaps you among them- flocked to Catherine Person Gallery in Pioneer Square over the weekend to see Lynne’s current show and, because of the big crowds, gallery owner Catherine Person has decided to extend the show one week, through March 21st. Yeah!!!!!
Also on last weeks show, we ran a piece on the “Gates of Paradise” exhibit at Seattle Art Museum. Since I hadn’t see the exhibit, Joe and I made the trek down to SAM on Saturday afternoon, and were blown away! The golden panels are impressive and beautifully displayed. Definitely check this show out if you can.
We also visited SAM’s show of Roman Art from the Louvre Museum in Paris, but it was so packed with people that we cut our visit short and headed to the museum's café, “Taste”, for a marvelous lunch. I had the tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwich, which totally reminded me of cafeteria lunches from elementary school, except that this version was about a hundred million times better!
So now we’re about to tape show #2. I think it’s gonna be a good one, with lots more stuff happening in the studio. Local fashion designers, an excellent storyteller, and of course our own Robert Horton will be jawing about the wonderful world of film.
I look forward to seeing you on Thursday, 3/6, at 8:00, on channel 21.
Have a great week.
xo, nancy g.
Hey Friends;
We've got big fun a'brewin' in the Art Zone! (*What is the Art Zone, you ask?)
Since Art Zone launched in 2007, we've created a number of terrific shows, including "The Local Music Show" with groovster John Richards; "Book Lust" with superstar librarian Nancy Pearl; and "Big Night Out" with master maestro Kevin Joyce.
And now, on our just-over-one-year Art Zone anniversary, we are launching a brand new weekly half-hour show called "Art Zone In-Studio w/ Nancy Guppy" (that would be me!).
Every week on "Art Zone In-Studio" we'll introduce you to artists and performance from all genres. We'll take you to galleries and theatres and any new cupcake store that pops up around town. Our resident film guru, Robert Horton, will share his top film picks. And, in our weekly calendar of events, we'll highlight a bunch of cool and not-to-be-missed arty events. All that, plus sometimes we'll give away free stuff!
My hope is that "Art Zone In-Studio" will be a dynamic platform that celebrates, supports, and promotes our fabulous local art scene, AND that it will be a fun place for you to hang out and experience the awesome power of art for yourself.
I'll stay in touch and will look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, don't miss our show premiere: Thursday, February 28th, at 8:00 p.m.!
Talk soon.
-- nancy g.
*The Art Zone is a weekly 12-hour chunk of arts programming on Seattle Channel 21. From 8:00 to midnight, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, it's all arts all the time! Cool? Uh huh!
Major support for the Art Zone on the SEATTLE CHANNEL is provided by 
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Notes from Nancy Guppy 5/16/2008