A New Audience for a Salt Lake Librarian

[Film] Happily retired in Torrey, Utah, Chip Ward is turning cartwheels.

Make those figurative cartwheels--but Ward is thrilled, to say the least.

Actor and filmmaker Emilio Estevez recently bought the rights to an essay Ward wrote last year detailing how public libraries have become defacto shelters for the homeless in the two decades that state and federal social service budgets have been slashed. The essay first ran here. Since then, the Los Angeles Times and various library journals have published the piece. Working title of Estevez's film is The Public. Apparently, Estevez will take the bones of Ward's non-fiction piece and build a drama around it by setting the action in a big public library and by tracing lives of the homeless who use the building for shelter, safety and basic human interaction.

Estevez is in pre-production now and plans to begin filming in April. This film industry site details how producer Harvey Weinstein encouraged Estevez to follow up his work in last year's Bobby with something of similar social and cultural significance. (Bobby, which I did not see, generally received lackluster reviews and had a poor run at the box office. But it's hard to quibble with the topic.)

Ward retired last summer from his longtime position as assistant director of the Salt Lake City Main Library. He's a passionate environmentalist with an extensive writing background on issues ranging from water and wetlands conservation, to Southern Utah wilderness to anti-nuclear activism. Ward and his wife Linda, a retired school teacher, realized their dream of living near Capitol Reef National Park when they moved to Torrey last year.

In an e-mail today announcing the Estevez project, Ward merely wrote: "Holy cow. It's actually going to be a movie!"

That's Emilio in the photo at left, and Chip at the right. (Holly Mullen)

Hooray For Us!

[Election 2008] High voter turnout's for Super Tuesday have helped to give the image of apathetic Americans a more proactive makeover. With such a closely watched, wide-open presidential campaign it's no wonder that even here in Utah democrats came out in droves to support their candidates.

But let's not get ahead of ourselves just quite yet. A D-News article headline today proclaimed triumphantly that "Utahns rally for Romney, give Obama edge"---the edge? We the beehive state gave Obama the winning edge over Hillary?

The article of course mentioned nothing about how the land of Zion gave Obama the edge over the hated Hillary, but a closer look at the polls show nothing conclusive. In fact most indicators show the closest margins give Hillary the delegate edge.

But if you want to disregard those I guess you could say we gave Obama the edge...although that doesn't explain the role of other Obama super tuesday wins like Georgia and Minnesota where Obama won more than three times the number of delegates from then he did in Utah. But oh well I guess I will just revel for a while in the idea that Utah was the straw that broke the camel's back, when it comes to getting Obama the nomination and perhaps the presidency. Hell we can enjoy a delusion of grandeur can't we? After all they don't come all that often for us democrats in Utah. (Eric S. Peterson)

"If voting changed anything, they'd abolish it."

[Elections] This cynical quote is sometimes attributed to Andrew Lack, onetime president of NBC, who denied during testimony at congressional hearings that the network, having possibly affected the outcome of the 2000 presidential election by prematurely calling it for George W. Bush, did so at the behest of a powerful Bush supporter.

Others attribute it to admirably lefty British MP Ken Livingstone, who wrote an autobiography by that title following his term as London mayor.

Whether or not voting does actually change anything, a candidate had better behave as though it does. And "change" is the watchword during this presidential primary, even among Republican candidates whose policies can only be distinguished from the current neocon occupant's by virtue of the fact that they're not being read haltingly aloud in a whiny Texas/Maine accent.

That occupant, by the way, was famously described by Livingstone as "the greatest threat to life on this planet." So whatever change we may or may not get come Jan. 20, 2009, we'd better make sure it's a little less life-threatening than the George W. Bush administration.

(Brandon Burt)

This Fair's for Babies

[Cage Fighting] The Weber County Commission today decided no more cage fighting at the Weber County Fair.

Pshaw. Some wise staff member should have handed the Commish a copy of the Nov. 29 2007 City Weekly, whose cover story illustrated how cage fighting, sometimes called mixed martial arts fighting, has blasted into Utah. Also, that it's a favorite pastime for a lot of frustrated Mormon men, who lock up their machismo all week and let it burst forth at the MMA fights on the weekends.

The county fair used to be about pronto pups, cotton candy and bashing people's heads behind chain link. What happened? (Holly Mullen)

Deja 2 News

[TV News] Where have we heard of local bounty hunter Reata Holt before? Oh yeah, City Weekly did a feature on her in December.

KUTV 2, our unwaving neighbors across Main Street, broke this human interest story last night on their 10 p.m. newscast. Not quite two months later; they're getting quicker over there. Maybe they'll get to this KRCL thing sometime in March. (Bill Frost)

The Vote's In the Mail

[The Franchise] We voted by mail. Last. Friday.

It seemed like a good idea when we first contacted the Salt Lake County Clerk's Office last summer, in anticipation of the big, bruising battle over the school voucher ballot initiative. Everyone predicted horribly long lines, delays and such at the polls. Also, County Clerk Sherrie Swenson and her crew are pushing voting by mail to save time, money and costs on acquiring more electronic voting machines than absolutely necessary for the November general election. That's going to cost some big dough.

In hindsight, I have to say the vote by mail thing is a big letdown. Anti-climatic. A downer, even.

You make a black mark on your ballot, stuff it inside an envelope, add a stamp, drop it in the mailbox. No kibitzing with the neighbors at the school/rec center/Mormon ward house or wherever else you exercise the franchise. There's none of that high you get from waiting for the geezer poll worker to scan the registration rolls, waiting, waiting, waiting, for her to find your name and address.

Plus, you don't get a nifty "I voted" sticker for your lapel.

Seriously, I've also begun thinking that anything can happen--and often does--in the day or two leading up to primary and general elections. The kind of thing that could actually change your vote. Even as I write this, four hours before the polls close, a huge scandal could break. Obama could be caught making out with Ann Romney. McCain could hold up a liquor store in Scottsdale. Oh, the imagination runs wild.

Voting by mail all but kills a last-minute change of heart, that's for sure. In a country where most of the electorate already feels powerless and downright ignored, the last thing I want is for my vote to be punk because I have to send it out four days ahead of time.

Did any of you vote by mail? I'm going back to the old way. (Holly Mullen)

A Case for Korver

[Jazz Fever] I think the Utah Jazz and fans got our money's worth with the acquisition of shooting guard Kyle Korver last month from Philadelphia.

Did you see the kid sink six three-pointers last night against the New Orleans Hornets? He was one short of his career record for three-pointers. And he landed four of them in the first two minutes and 16 seconds of the second quarter.

The minister's son did OK last night. There's hard-charging Deron Williams, sure. But Korver is fast becoming the one to watch. Agree? Besides, he's hot, which shows in that pouty pose to the right. Agree? (Holly Mullen)

Dead Zephyr: Week 221

(Bill Frost)

Liars, No Age & A Whole Lot Of Sweat

[Music] Better late than never, right? The following is an account of the Jan. 31 Liars/No Age show as told by our ace A&E stringer, Jacob Stringer, who put into words a more eloquent version of my review: "They rocked the shit out of us!"

It was questionable at best that the show would even happen. There were all sorts of unforeseen forces at work apparently trying everything within their powers to keep the No Age / Liars tour from ever getting off the ground.

First, Liars frontman Angus Andrews just happened to throw his back out something awful just before they were to head off on the road. But, since, as he put it, he didn’t want to be the one responsible for killing everyone’s fun, Andrews pulled himself up by the boot straps, determined to deliver the goods—even if that meant he would be sitting for a good portion of the show.

Then there was the snow. According to an aspirated Dean Spunt, the singer/drummer half of the No Age duo, they barely made it to Salt Lake City due to a harrowing trip down from the lands of Idaho. But still, as he busied himself setting up his gear, getting ready to open for the Liars, he couldn’t help but just be happy to finally be on tour, and out of the van.

Perhaps it was that pent-up frustration and relief from having faced perilous road conditions to even make it to The Urban Lounge on Thursday, Jan. 31 that added something extra to their energy and mystique—guitarist Randy Randall never even taking off his faux fur-lined parka. In any case, it was definitely Salt Lake City’s treat as No Age charged through a set that include a mix of both tracks off of their critically celebrated Weird Rippers and their forth coming Sub Pop release Nouns.

Even though most fans of the Liars are on board with never quite being able to pin down where these guys are going to go next with their sound or look, things this time around seemed even more precarious. Andrews had hinted at this tour being different due to his limited motion capabilities, even poking fun at the fact that maybe now he could focus on singing since he obviously couldn’t be doing his standard cartwheels and such on stage. And within minutes of hitting the stage I quickly understood why Andrews typically spends most of his time writhing and ranting about.

Looking around at all the people crowded within two feet of a seated Andrews provided ample more fodder; even while debilitated, the sheer driving beats and sonic wailing of the Liars couldn’t help but propel most into uninhibited motion.

Sure every once and awhile Andrews couldn’t help but stand up and belt through a couple of tunes, but really it didn’t matter. With or without a strong back and sitting or standing painfully erect, in any case the Liars delivered the goods they have built their reputation on as one of the better live acts around. If not the various roadblocks they have already come face to face with, it is truly hard to imagine what could possibly stop these guys. (Story by Jacob Stringer; blogging by Jamie Gadette; photos by Benjamin Stringer)

St. George Film Society

[Film] The Southern Utah boomtown that is St. George just got a little more cosmopolitan. The Salt Lake Film Society, which operates the Broadway Centre and Tower Theatres in Salt Lake City, will take over operations of the four-screen Red Cliff Theatres (previously operated by Westates) as of this Friday, Feb. 8. A slate of Oscar nominees -- There Will Be Blood, The Savages, No Country for Old Men and The Diving Bell and the Butterfly -- will mark the changeover. (Scott Renshaw)

Stupor Tuesday

[Election 2008] We know you've been bombarded by coverage of how amazinglyriffic it is that Utah is part of this so-called "National Primary" day. Don't roll your eyes and snort in disdain yet. Vote. For whomever. Just get out there and do it. Then roll and snort all you want. Wait, that didn't come out right ...

Meanwhile, maybe you'd like to tell us your candidate of choice and why. City Weekly's editor and president have had their say. Now it's your turn. (Scott Renshaw)

For Your Viewing Pleasure

[Random Photo]

Galapagos tortoise

Nothing funny here; it's just an interesting-looking creature, courtesy of the folks at SomethingAwful.com.

Fortunately, they are not fast runners. (Can you imagine being chased by one?) Still, according to Aesop, one of these could outpace an overconfident hare.

Now, to me, "tortoise" is just another word for "turtle," as "hare" is another word for "rabbit." But if that were true, wouldn't Aesop simply have written about "The Turtle and the Rabbit?" Of course he would have--so they can't be the same.

Biology isn't my strong point. I think the difference has something to do with where the animals prefer to live: Turtles live in the water, but tortoises live on land like hares do, and rabbits live underground.

This clearly demonstrates that some shockingly large pieces are missing from our knowledge of the animal kingdom:


It seems a shame that, at this late point in human development, we have failed to domesticate or even photograph a single subspecies of water-rabbit. Likewise, where are all the underground turtles? (Unhatched eggs and Mario Bros. characters don't count.) U of U researchers: I think I smell a grant proposal! (Brandon Burt)

"Mature Content"

[Comedy] Comedian Katt Williams is coming to town Feb. 23. SmithsTix felt the need to provide a "mature content" disclaimer, which might as well read "this dude is black, watch out whiteys." I've seen plenty of other outrageous comedians roll through SLC without ticket outlets noting their potentially offensive humor.

The following clip contains "mature content."



(Jamie Gadette)

Name That City Weekly Employee

[Unsolved Karaoke Murders] This video was shot at Burt's Tiki Lounge during a Sunday night karaoke carnage. Please do what you can to bring this person to justice--name that City Weekly employee:

Crime Scene Footage

Add to My Profile More Videos

(Bill Frost)

The Best Part of Waking Up?

[Advertising] A YouTube search for Super Bowl 2008 ads turns up this funny/sick ad for Folger's coffee.

Needless to say, it wasn't mentioned during Fox 13's Super Bowl ad segment last night, and it made me wonder--did the ad actually run? Is it a real Folger's ad? It just can't be real, but the production values are too tight for a typical YouTube parody.

Did anybody see this ad yesterday?



(Brandon Burt)

Amanda, Gimme Something More

[Soundtracks] I heard this little riff between jocular KSL radio show hosts Amanda Dickson and Grant Nielsen, at 6:28 a.m.:

Amanda: We saw a weird movie over the weekend.
Grant: Whadja see?
Amanda: There Will Be Blood.
Grant: Oh, that film has gotten something like eight Oscar nominations.
Amanda: It had this strange music behind it, sort of like The Shining. A weird movie. Weird.
Grant: Would you recommend it?
Amanda: I don't think so. It was really weird.

But don't take Amanda's word for it. Like most great films, Blood relies on deep integration with the soundtrack to make its artistic point. Actually, the music is one of the finest features of the film. The composition brains behind the soundtrack (which is, like the musical scores of all of director Paul Thomas Anderson's films, haunting and searingly memorable long after you leave the theater) is Radiohead's guitarist Jonny Greenwood. He explains his thoughts a little more completely than Amanda does, here, in a dual interview with Anderson.

And here, an added bonus: A big-ass interview with brilliant actor-hottie Daniel Day-Lewis. And here, another interview with supporting actor Paul Dano.

I do this in the interest of offering a bit more to go on than simply "weird." And that is Greenwood, left, in the above photo. Anderson is on the right. (Holly Mullen)

Where There's *Not* Smoke

[Local Culture] To the surprise of absolutely no one, Thomas Monson was named prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Monday. And the church has missed a great opportunity.

Whenever a Pope dies, national news is filled with speculation about the prospective next pontiff. Lists of cardinals and bishops circulate, filled with details on their tendencies and pecadillos like a cross between a baseball card and a Match.com profile. Will he lean reform or conservative? A uniter or a divider? It's all anyone can talk about until that telltale puff of white smoke emerges from the Vatican.

But the LDS church, with its rigid promotion from within of the candidate with the most seniority, blows an opportunity to get people talking. It is Monson, it always was Monson, and no one really paid attention. What would be a better way for the church hierarchy to cash in on a "world is watching" moment? What ceremonial signal should herald the selection? We know you have ideas a-plenty. (Scott Renshaw)

Friday Letters Round-Up

• I have a dream that one day beauty-pageant contestants will not be judged by the skimpiness of their bikinis, but by the content of their one-piece bathing suits.

• Why do copy editors hate Gordon B. Hinckley?
  

• The market has spoken—it wants you to buy another $120 math book.
  

• Give me incandescent light bulbs or give me death!
  

• Also, abandoning silly government services like Medicaid and Social Security helps the poor, because they feel so much more self-sufficient working for us until they drop dead.
  

• Celebrity? Hah! She can't hold a candle to Kelly Pickler.
  

• I like to go downtown with a bag of Wonder bread ... the homeless really seem to appreciate it!
  

(Brandon Burt)

Things Are About To Get Real

[TV] MTV's The Real World will be holding an open casting call in Salt Lake City on Saturday, Feb. 9

This is good news if you're extremely homophobic, have a "bit of drinking problem," but "you're fine!", are sexually ambiguous, have daddy issues, love to party, have a girlfriend/boyfriend who you will most likely cheat on, and generally just have a whole lot of crazy waiting to be untapped.

“We look for characters from real life; people with strong personalities who are unafraid to speak their minds," says Real World executive producer Jonathan Murray.

In other words, people like this:



If you liked that clip, you might also enjoy Soup host Joel McHale's stand-up act. He'll be appearing at Wiseguys Comedy Cafe in Ogden, also on Feb. 9.

(Jamie Gadette)

How's the Snow, SLC?

[Conventioneering] Greetings from sunny San Francisco--no snow here! Myself and several City Weekly people are here for the annual Association of Alternative Newsweeklies convention, wherein we attend seminars on how to be ... weekly-er. Anyway, this is the view from my Kabuki Hotel balcony in Japantown this morning--feel free to envy me:


(Bill Frost)